An Insight into the Immediate Crisis of Ecological Refugees: A Retrospective Study on Tehri Dam Project

Abstract

Large dams have played a key role in the economic development of a country. They serve a variety of purposes, including electricity generation, flood control and irrigation. Nevertheless, development-induced forced migration of human population for the construction of Tehri Dam in Old Tehri of Garhwal–Himalayan region of Uttarakhand has invited lot of controversy in the recent past. A new city has been designed and presented by the government as a solution for the new settlement of migrated people. A large dam has enormous consequences for people's lives and livelihoods. Tehri Dam transforms landscapes of the region greatly, creates risks of irreversible impacts including controversial issues such as displacement and resettlement and also alters the natural functioning of the entire ecosystem. As a consequence of ecological disruption, a large number of human populations lost their migratory routes and considered as ecological refugees in their new habitat. The present study aims to understand how the forced migration has changed people's daily lives in social, cultural, religious and economic aspects. People's perceptions were discerned through participatory discussions. The field work has been carried out through direct communion with the villagers to explore how the government has reacted to the voices of the resettled citizens and how the development process has affected traditional livelihoods of the rural communities.

Citation

Das, C. and Das, R. (2020), "An Insight into the Immediate Crisis of Ecological Refugees: A Retrospective Study on Tehri Dam Project", Das, S.K. and Chowdhary, N. (Ed.) Refugee Crises and Third-World Economies, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 123-135. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83982-190-520201014