Socio-‐economic impact of hydropower projects in dzongu region of North Sikkim (original) (raw)
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Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 2013
Electricity is one of the key determinants for economic growth of a nation. Over the past decade or so, hydropower projects (HEP) around the world have attracted much attention concerning the environmental and social impacts that have arisen from such developments. Construction and operations of dams have always been associated with changes in the physical and biological environment. No doubt electricity generation is the need of the hours for development, but the large projects do involve the submersion of forests and the displacement of people. Socioeconomic and cultural impacts arising from project construction and environmental transformations are rooted in the complex interactivity between social and biophysical environments. Human communities are integral components of their environment as well as potential agents for environmental change. Hence environmental changes in settled areas are often profoundly interlinked with subsequent changes that occur within society. The interests of local must be listened to and taken care of during the planning and the policy makers must adopt a model or strategies so that the impacts and effects of such type developmental activities can be minimized and local people who are living in the vicinity as well as who have sacrificed their belongings. To maximize the positive impacts and mitigate the negative environmental, social and economic impacts sustainability of water resources projects is required. This paper refers the perception of the public with regards to the impact of the Sorang HEP and other development activities and need for sustainable development to maintain balance with the environment of hilly and fragile area.
Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities
Energy is crucial for any nation's economic growth and development, as well as poverty eradication and livelihood security. However, hydropower projects require significant expanses of land for construction and also affects people's lives and social structures. Sikkim is a growing economy that is pursuing modernization through economic growth. In Sikkim, the forest department administers 82.31% of the land, while agricultural accounts for 11.1% of the overall geographical area, with agriculture employing 65% of the population. People's livelihoods are adversely affected when agricultural and forest land is diverted for project-related activities. This paper studies the post-project livelihood situations of the affected people of Teesta hydro power project. Field study has been carried out in six affected villages. Total of 334 sample household has been surveyed through pre-structured questionnaire. To assess the levels of various livelihood capital assets, all the five ...
HYDRO POWER PROJECTS-BOON OR BANE FOR THE RURAL COMMUNITIES OF WESTERN HIMALAYAS
A survey based questionnaire research was conducted in Sainj Valley, Himachal Pradesh. The survey was conducted in June-July 2015 in an area affected due to hydro power projects (HPPs). A total of 48 individuals participated in the survey. Based on survey questionnaire, it was found that native rural people perceived that HPPs had significantly brought positive change in life of native people and were therefore in favour of HPPs. However, large section of native people had not been benefited of HPPs. The decline in agriculture production, change in cropping pattern and poor access of water to native people were some of the negative implications of these projects. The dependence of native people on forest resources has not declined much and still number of local individuals depends on forest resources to supplement their income. Though, in current scenario people has benefited from such projects, however it is not known if it will be sustained for long time due to current unsustainable agriculture practices and limited employment opportunities. Moreover, Government should provide adequate compensation to the affected individuals by either providing a suitable land for agriculture or employment under various rural sector schemes.
Journal of Pharmaceutical Negative Results
Background: - Lakhwar-Vyasi Project, a significant project initiated in 1992 and finally completed in 2022; witnessed the rights violation and impacted the livelihoods of Lohari village when they were vacated without resettlement. This study analysis the interconnectedness between mainstreaming and commercialization on one hand and the necessity of preserving indigenous group for sustainable environment.Methods: - The data pool comprised 156 publications from the years 1979 to 2022, spread across eight different document categories. This study is also based on a historical and descriptive analysis of the literature on ethnicity and indigenous populations, while also undertaking a scientific investigation into the empirical research on source material regarding the construction of hydroelectric power plants.Results: - The need to determine how many dams will displace indigenous communities in the near future and how much this will affect India's ecological balance has become urge...
2017
The Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) with its major river systems has vast potential for hydropower development. Recognizing this potential, the Government of India in its recent initiative for 50,000 MW power generation proposes to develop several hydropower projects formulated by Central Electricity Authority (CEA) for preparation of preliminary feasibility reports of 162 new hydroelectric schemes (47,930 MW) and out of these 162 schemes, 133 are in IHR because of the available water resources and favourable topography. No doubt hydropower projects have made an important contribution to local communities but such developments had significant impacts on local livelihood and the environment. Due to the fragile nature of topography and delicacy of ecology of the Himalaya, it results in a lot of disturbances because of high degree of human interferences like construction of major hydropower projects. The increased extent of geological hazards, such as landslides, rock fall and soil erosi...
Dams have had serious impacts on the lives, livelihood, culture and spiritual existence of indigenous people. Moreover, the physical environmental conditions of area have led towards drastic changes and drastic changes in the existing climatic conditions have been observed over the period of time. People have been suffering disproportionately in this process of development since the inception of these developmental initiatives due to neglect and ignorance to secure justice with nature as well as with human being who are either living in the vicinity or in the area. Initially, development means fulfillment of basic needs for survival, but today development means construction of multi-story buildings, industries and construction of dams. Today, everybody talks about development but nobody is giving attention towards the environmental degradation which is further creating a natural imbalance. Development in Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) is essential, but at what cost? The developmental initiatives by creating natural imbalance and disturbing fanatic biodiversity including human being in IHR is neither desirable nor justifiable. Present paper is an attempt to understand the status of water resources in Indian Himalayan Region (IHR) and highlights an amount of disturbance in physical environment because of the construction of power projects in Himachal Pradesh. The state is blessed with five perennial major rivers, giving meaning to the lives of millions of people directly or indirectly. Moreover, at present state is proceeding toward " Hydroelectric State " which is undoubtly a noble idea but the cost attached to it must be taken care of. The paper is an analytical attempt of the researcher to understand the cost of construction of dams in terms of natural as human. The disturbances in natural setting are creating disturbances in physical environment on the one hand and disturbances in the lives of flora as well fauna including human beings on the other, are inviting disasters. These disturbances have been studied by using secondary data and observations recorded by the researcher during data collection.
HYDRO POWER PROJECTS: SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACTS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Scholarly Research Journal for Humanity Science & English Language, , 2023
The concept of living in harmony with nature is as old as humankind. However, a modern conception emerged in the term 'sustainable development' with the rise of green movements in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Sustainable development can be defined as an approach to the economic development of a country without compromising with the quality of the environment for future generations. This definition captured the spirit of the times whereby government, business, and civil society have strived to make development sustainable. Hydropower accounts for 16% of all global electricity production and it is one of the world's most widely used renewable, low-carbon energy resources. It plays an important role in enabling communities around the world to meet their power and water needs. In some regions the pace of hydropower growth has been rapid but with little guidance to ensure development is sustainable. However, some of the most promising and influential initiatives to improve development, such as the Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, have been driven by the hydropower sector itself. This paper addresses the progress that hydropower has made in the context of sustainable development over the past 15 years. The concept of sustainable development does imply limits, not absolute limits but limitations imposed by the present state of technology and social organizations on environmental resources and by the ability of the biosphere to absorb the effects of human activities. But technology and social organization can both be managed and improved to make way for a new era of economic growth.
While two indispensable components of life, water and development, continue to shape each other constantly, human beings have always attempted to control water for food supply, irrigation, energy etc. throughout history. Huge dam and hydroelectric power plant projects have been initiated as one of the most important elements of development, an idea that was initiated in Western countries, and then 'exported' to developing countries particularly following the Industrial Revolution. The result is almost no freely flowing rivers remaining on Earth. There are many benefits these power plants provide for requirements of the modern life, while rapidly growing world population and gradually decreasing freshwater resources, their effects on the ecosystems surrounding rivers, as well as their social, cultural and environmental effects are not taken into account, which, as a result, make the alleged clean and renewable hydroelectric energy not sustainable. This study discusses hydroelectric power plants (HEPPs) within the framework of Development and Ecology from an anthropological perspective and evaluates the impact of two river-type hydroelectric plants on the daily lives of local people in the Aksu Valley located at the İspir District of Erzurum.