Wright State University CORE Scholar Browse all Theses and Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 2010 Dammed and the Damned: Draining the Bucket Dry Carla Steiger Wright State University Follow this and additional works at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all Part of the International Relations Commons Repository Citation Steiger, Carla, "Dammed and the Damned: Draining the Bucket Dry" (2010). Browse all Theses and Dissertations. 362. https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/etd_all/362 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at CORE Scholar. It has been accepted for inclusion in Browse all Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of CORE Scholar. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DAMS AND THE DAMMED: DRAINING THE BUCKET DRY A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts By CARLA STEIGER A.B., Oberlin College, 1973 M.F.A., University of Minnesota, 1977 2010 Wright State University Wright State University School of Graduate Studies June 10, 2010 I HEREBY RECOMMEND THAT THE THESIS PREPARED UNDER MY SUPERVISION BY Carla Steiger ENTITLED Dams and the Dammed: Draining the Bucket Dry BE ACCEPTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE Degree of Master of Arts. _______________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Thesis Director Committee on Final Examination: ________________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Director of Master of Arts Program in International and Comparative Politics _______________________ Laura M. Luehrmann, Ph.D. Department of Political Science ______________________ Pramod Kantha, Ph.D. Department of Political Science _______________________ Sirisha C. Naidu, Ph.D. Department of Economics ________________________ John A. Bantle, Ph.D. Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies and Interim Dean of Graduate Studies COPYRIGHT BY CARLA STEIGER 2010 ABSTRACT Steiger, Carla. M.A., Department of Political Science, Wright State University, 2010. Dams and the Dammed: Draining the Bucket Dry. This thesis investigates how people displaced from the construction of large dams in seek environmental justice. I studied the importance of regime type, the creation of protest groups and the formation of alliances with national, international organizations, and the media. In a comparison between protest movements against the Three Gorges Dam in China and the Sardar Sarovar Dam in India, displaced populations suffered from loss of community, livelihood, and health and were victimized by corrupt actors that supported the dams. The rapid economic development of these two countries emerged as a major point of comparison between the two. Regime type was notable in that it informed the structure of the protest movements, but was not a major determinant of the end results if the protestation. Both countries had avenues for protests. National and international NGOs and the media gave the protesters a voice in cessation of building destructive new dams. Protest movements also influenced the dissenting opinions of some politicians regarding large water infrastructure projects. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Introduction…………………………………………………………1 Research Questions………………………………………………….1 Sub-questions……………………………………………………......2 Literature Review……………………………………………............3 Environmental Effects of Large Dams……………………………....3 Social and Economic Impacts of Large Dams……………….………6 Resettlement and Rehabilitation………………………………….…8 Women and Dam Displacement……………………………………..9 Hypotheses………………………………………………………......12 Does Regime Type Matter for Environmental Justice?......................12 Financial Analysis…………………………………………………...12 Protesters Will not be Heard…………………………………….......13 Research Methods………………………………………… …….….13 II. Sardar Sarovar Dam……………………………………………….15 Introduction…………………………………………………………15 History and Background………………………………………..…....17 The Displaced………………………………………………………..20 Resettlement Agreements……………………………………………21 Information………………………………………………...………...25 Protests……………………………………………………………… 26 v Violence Against Protesters………………………………………….27 NGOs……………………………………………………………….. .31 Media Attention……………………………………………………... 35 Criticism Within the Government…………………………………… 37 Resettlement and Rehabilitation Guidelines……………………….…37 International Reviews, Declarations, and Formal Studies…………....37 Dam Investigations…………………………………………………...40 Financing……………………………………………………………...41 Conclusions…………………………………………………………...43 III. Three Gorges Dam…………………………………………………46 Introduction………………………………………………………...….46 History and Background………………………………………………48 The Displaced…………………………………………………….…....53 Misinformation and Missing Information………………………….….56 Protests………………………………………………………………..58 Media Attention………………………………………………………..64 Criticism Within the Government……………………………………...65 NGOs…………………………………………………………………...67 Financing……………………………………………………………….68 International Review……………………………………………………71 New Media Opportunities for Information and Protest…………………72 vi Conclusions………………………………………………………………70 IV. Voices and Victories…………………………………………………..78 Introduction………………………………………………………………78 Recent Protest Against Large Dams……………………………………...82 Media Utilization by Anti-Dam Protest Groups…………………….........83 NGOs and GONGOs…………………………………………………...... 88 Technology Advances…………………………………………………….91 Changes to Government Policy in the PRC………………………………92 Successful Anti-Dam Protests in China…………………………........…..93 Anti-Dam Victories in India ……………………………………………..99 Conclusions………………………………………………………………102 V. Conclusion…………………………………………………………….. 106 Regime Type and Environmental Justice ……………………………... 106 Mobilizing for Protest………………………………………………….. 110 Collaboration and Civic Input Forge Change…………………………...112 Criticism Within the Government……………………………………....114 Faulty Financial Projections………………………………………….....116 Dam Dangers: Facing the Consequences………………………………..118 Policy Recommendations……………………………………………..…121 Areas for Future Research………………………………………….…..…124 VI. References………………………………………………………………129 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1.1 Acronyms………………………………………………………………....ix 1.2 Glossary…………………………………………………………………..xii 1.3 Translations…………………………………………................................xiv 2.1 Timeline for the Sardar Sarovar Dam, India……………………………..xvi 2.2 T.I.S.S. Benefits and Losses List, Sardar Sarovar Dam………………….xvii 3.1 Timeline for the Three Gorges Dam, China……………...........................xviii 3.2 Net Perceived Benefits, Three Gorges Dam……………………………...xix viii Table 1.1 Acronyms ADC – Asian Development Bank ANCOLD – Australia National Committee on Large Dams ARCH – Action Research in Community Health and Development BRAC – Building Resources Across Communities BDI – Building Resources Across Communities Development Institute CASS – Chinese Academy of Social Sciences CIDA – Canadian International Development Agency CP – Communist Party of China CPPCC – Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee CSDS – Centre for the Study of Developing Societies CYJV – Canadian Yangtze Joint Venture EDF – Environmental Defense Fund EPB – Environmental Protection Bureau EPO – Environmental Protection Office GOG – Government of Gujarat GOI – Government of India GOMP – Government of Madhya Pradesh GONGO – Government Organized Non-governmental Organization HDR – Human Development Reports of the United Nations IAIA – International Association of Impact Assessments ix ICOLD – International Committee on Large Dams IDA – International Development Association IDB – Inter –American Development Bank IFI – International Financial Institution IISD – International Institute for Sustainable Development IMF – International Monetary Fund IR – Independent Review of the Sardar Sarovar Project IRN – International Rivers Network MDBs – Multilateral Development Banks MLARR – Management of Land Acquisition, Resettlement and Rehabilitation MOF – Ministries of Finance MOWR – Ministry Environment and Forests Ministry of Water Resources MP – Madhya Pradesh MRD – Ministry of Rural Development MWREP – Chinese Ministry of Water Resources and Electric Power NBA – Narmada Bachao Andolan - Save the Narmada NCA – Narmada Control Authority NGO – Non-governmental organization NPC – National People’s Congress NPRR – National Policy on Resettlement and Rehabilitation NPV – Net Perceived Value x NVDA – Narmada Valley Development Authority NWDT – Narmada Water Disputes Tribunal PPP – Perceived Purchasing Power OXFAM – Oxford Committee for Famine Relief PAF – Project Affected Family, PAP – Project Affected Person R & R – Resettlement and Rehabilitation SEPA – State Environmental Protection Agency SETU – Centre for Social Knowledge and Action SIA – Social Impact Assessment SSNNL or Nigam – Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited SSP – Sardar Sarovar Project TGD – Three Gorges Dam TGP – Three Gorges Project TGPDC – Three Gorges Project Development Corporation TVE – Town and Village Owned Enterprise UNESCO – United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization UNICEF – United Nations Children’s Education Fund USTGWG – United States Three Gorges Working Group WCD – World Commission on Dams WID – Women In Development xi WHO – World Health Organization - WHO WWF – World Wildlife Fund –WWF xii Table 1.2 Glossary catchment – reservoir or other basin for catching water million acre feet - the equivalent volume of water that will cover an area of one million acres to a depth of one foot – MAF dam – A concrete or earthen barrier constructed across a river and designed to control water flow