Work on Himalayas Dam Stopped After Scientist on Hunger Strike Against the Project Almost Dies. By John Vidal, Guardian (UK), March 15, 2009. "Work on a major hydroelectric dam in the Himalayas has been stopped after one of India's most eminent scientists came close to dying on the 38th day of a fast, in protest against the harnessing of a tributary of the sacred river Ganges. Professor AD Agarwal, 77, former dean of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi at Kanpur, last week called off his second fast in a year against Himalayan dam projects, after the Indian government agreed to speed up its inquiry into how electricity could be generated without the flow of the water being impeded. The free-running of the river is a crucial element of its sacred status... The 600MW Loharinag-Pala project is one of several hundred major dams and barrages planned or now being constructed by India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan for the foothills of the Himalayas. Together they are expected to provide 150,000MW of electricity for countries in which power cuts are frequent and demand is growing fast. But experts argue the dams will have profound effects on the environment and culture of the region, directly affecting the lives of millions of people."
2009-03-15
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