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Dams, Rivers & People Working for water resource development as if democracy, people and environment matter Vol 10 | Issue 6-7 | July-August 2012 Rs. 15/- Index Damaged Rivers, Collapsing Fisheries: Impacts of Dams on riverine fisheries Page More than 10.8 Million Indians depend on Riverine Fisheries for their livelihood and No nutritional security. Riverine Fisheries hold some of our most valuable biodiversity. However 1: D a m a g e d R i v e r s , fisheries in many rivers have collapsed and many are on the brink of collapse. Dams and 1 barrages are one of the main reasons behind this, and yet, their impacts on fisheries, Collapsing Fisheries: livelihoods and biodiversity remain unstudied and entirely unaddressed. I m p a c t s o f D a m s More than 10.86 Million 1 on riverine fisheries p r o g r a m m e s . T h e Indians depend on rivers, importance of riverine 2: 'How our river changed in 8 wetlands, floodplains, fisheries in maintaining front of our eyes': estuaries, ponds and tanks ecological balance and Impacts of Adan Dam on for subsistence and providing nutritional and Fisheries in Maharashtra market-based fisheries. livelihood security is much 3: B h a k r a d a m s 10 Though the absolute greater than gross national management: contribution of riverine production figures suggest fisheries may not be huge Callous, ad-hoc reservoir and higher as compared in economic terms, it is a with other fisheries2. Most operation again very crucial component in of the production is 4: Dams, Agriculture and 12 livelihood and nutritional generated by small-scale Drought security of the rural poor. activities, with very high 5: Mahrashtra Politicians' 14 With declining health of levels of participation of increasingly clearer Dam rivers, riverine fisheries are men and women. In remote Scam Links: declining and collapsing a r e a s , r i v e r i n e a n d rapidly. This is indeed Were the Political links associated fisheries are worrisome and needs to Dry Satluj downstream Nathpa Jhakri diffused, most of the with Big dam lobby ever be ameliorated. SANDRP D a m i n H i m a c h a l P r a d e s h p r o d u c e i s n o t Photo: SANDRP partners more obvious? analysed the status of commercialized and its huge 6: C a n a l I r r i g a t i o n i n 17 capture fisheries in rivers, socio economic importance Maharashtra: Present floodplains, wetlands, estuaries, lakes and is not properly reflected in national economic Status associated ecosystems in India and statistics. particularly looks at the devastating impacts 7: MoEF reconstitutes Forest 22 Currently, India is the second biggest inland of dams, barrages and hydrological Advisory Committee fish producer in the world. However, though modifications on this sector. Fortunately, blessed with one of the richest riverine fish Pro industry, Anti Forests, there exist a number of ways for mitigating gene pools and a network on hundreds of violation of SC directions impacts of existing infrastructure on fisheries rivers, floodplains, ox bows and estuaries, the 8: Macro Impacts of Mini and learning lessons from the past for our 25 contribution of riverine and capture fisheries upcoming projects, as is being done the world H y d e l P r o j e c t s i n is declining sharply3 and many have collapsed, over. Reviving riverine fisheries goes hand in Karnataka despite having a great potential to grow. The hand with reviving rivers and this will lead to current riverine fishery is below subsistence bettering lives of millions of Indians who level with an average yield of 0.3 tonne per depend on rivers in myriad ways. km, which is about 15% of their actual Background While mighty River like potential4. This is a matter of serious concern. Contact: Brahmaputra supports more than 2 million Himanshu Thakkar, Parineeta Dandekar, Riverine fisheries are a mirror of riverine fisher folk, smaller rivers like Wainaganga in Ganesh Gaud, health. Rivers in India are facing multiple Dams, Rivers and People, C/o 86-D, AD Maharashtra support more than 4 lakh problems of severe pollution, over extraction, Block, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi 110 088. fishermen. The fisher folk in India can be encroachment, dams and barrages which cut India. Ph: +91-11-2748 4654/5 termed as the poorest of the poor. Most of off the connectivity of the river with its [email protected] them live along riparian tracts and catchment Web: www.sandrp.in associated ecosystems, climate change, areas, largely bereft of welfare schemes/ Dams, Rivers & People | July - August 2012 deforestation in catchment areas, etc. Fisheries had said, “riverine fishery is 45000 km, the country's riverine resources Particularly, the links between dams, already showing a declining trend. Millions provide one of the richest fish germplasm of hydrological changes and fisheries require of fishers and their families depend on rivers the world. There are around 1.2 million urgent attention and more work. Local for their livelihood. These factors prompt an hectare (m ha) of floodplain lakes and communities and increasing number of accent on development of riverine fisheries, wetlands where fish and fisheries remain a studies are highlighting that hydrological which has rarely got the deserved emphasis traditional economic activity with modification, absence of water in rivers, of the planners. Therefore, it is the time, to tremendous socio-economic impact in the obstacle to migration, changes in salinity, take emergent steps to conserve our rural sector. The cold-water fisheries changes in sediment, loss of riparian areas riverine fish biomass, to restore their resources at higher altitude comprise rivers, and floodplains brought about by dams are habitat.” streams, lakes, reservoirs with a combined perhaps the most important reason behind Sadly, these words did not lead anywhere. riverine length of 8 253 km and 41600 ha of the dismal scenario of riverine fisheries. Rivers and riverine fisheries continued to lakes and reservoirs. According to Central Inland Fisheries deteriorate in the past ten years. Of the Rs We have over 5100 large dams and more Research Institute (CIFRI) “severe and 6000 Crores outlay for the fisheries sector than 500 are in pipeline. The focus of this drastic changes in the entire hydrological proposed by the working group in the development has been increase in irrigated cycle of the river by dams and water current (12th) 5 Year Plan, most of the areas, urban and industrial water demands, abstractions has affected recruitment of investment goes to Marine Fisheries and a flood control and, increasingly, most species, especially large carps, which whopping Rs 1000 Crores to National hydropower. In this ongoing development, like flowing water. Larger dams are major Fisheries Development Board, which does all other services provided by rivers like cause of degradation of aquatic not even consider riverine fisheries as its fisheries, climate regulation, natural flood environment and disruption of livelihood thrust areas! Of the outlay of Rs 1200 Cr for control, biodiversity, non use values of communities dependent upon the fishery Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture, riverine rivers, groundwater recharge, etc., have along the rivers. In India, natural flow of fisheries only get three schemes and been sidelined and this has deeply affected all major rivers have been regulated for majority of the rest is diverted to d e p e n d e n t h u m a n a n d n a t u r a l fulfilling water demand of agriculture Aquaculture. communities. The existing water and power sector, without giving any infrastructure can be made more amenable attention to fisheries sector. As a result, India has 14 major and 44 medium rivers, innumerable tributaries, ox bow lakes, to fisheries and other sectors through rivers have lost their character and interventions like environmental flows, 5 floodplains, riparian tracts, mangroves and fisheries have suffered huge losses.” estuaries. With a combined length of over installing fish passes or ladders, protecting The tenth five year plan working group on river sanctuaries, etc, but no attempts are Case study I Impacts of Dams on Fisheries in Krishna estuary CIFRI study between 2005 to 2007 across 80 kms from Srikakulam to Hamsala (sea face) indicates that dams constructed in the upstream and the Prakassam Barrage in Andhra Pradesh have diverted all the water away from the river for irrigation, industrial and urban uses. Upper part of the estuary is dry in summers and the estuary has now reached hyper saline conditions due to absence of freshwater. This has lead to near disappearance of oligohaline and freshwater species of carps, catfishes, murrels, feather backs, etc. Low run off from the catchments, seawater intrusions due to absence of freshwater, increased salinity (20-35ppt) and drying up of one third of the estuary in non monsoon months leading to inadequate nutrient supply and sub normal productivity of fisheries. CIFRI has recommended that productivity of estuary may be improved by discharging at least 1300-1500 TMC water from Prakassam Barrage annually in seasonal cycles 6 . In fact the Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal has ordered three riparian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to release some water downstream for environmental purposes, but till now none of the states are releasing this. Releases from upper riparians will also help in sustaining many services of the river, including fisheries in the upper reaches as well. There are many ways for achieving this, including improving irrigation efficiency, demand side management, rainwater harvesting, etc. For instance, currently Maharashtra transfers 119.8 TMC water from the water deficit, closing Krishna Basin to the Konkan basin (which receives more than 2500 mm of rainfall), west of Sahyadri mountain ranges for electricity generation 7.