Kohima: A group of 26 organizations from North East India under the banner of the North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF) have jointly written to leaders of India, China and Bangladesh expressing their concern over the issue of water, the adverse impacts of constructing mega dams and mining in the region.
The joint appeal known as the ‘Dimapur Declaration’ was the outcome of a two-day North East People’s Convention on water and dams held at Dimapur from May 17 to 18 and the declaration was addressed to the Premier of China, Li Keqiang; Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina.
The participants unanimously adopted the ‘Dimapur Declaration’ to protect their inherent rights over their water, land, forest and other resources based on customary and international laws as guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and UN Declaration on the Rights of the Indigenous People 2007.
The organizations expressed serious concern with the aggressive development interventions on water bodies in NE region, such as the construction of a series of mega dams over the Brahmaputra River by the Governments of India and China, with minimal consideration of the rights of indigenous peoples and without their participation and free, prior and informed consent.
They pointed out that the increasing number of mega dams and other unsustainable mega projects such as the Loktak Project in Manipur, Doyang Project in Nagaland, Dumbur Dam Project in Tripura, Pagladia Project in Assam and Ranganadi Project in Arunachal have destroyed peoples’ lives, livelihood sources, ecosystems and violated indigenous peoples human rights and fueled conflicts.
Asserting their strong stand to protect the water bodies and other natural resources in the region and to ensure that perennial rivers have fresh water flow throughout the year, the 26 organizations called upon the Governments of India and China to recognize indigenous peoples’ rights over their waters, land and resources and their self-determined development of their water bodies in the region.
The organizations also declared that any decision making for intervention on water bodies, especially trans-boundary rivers passing through India’s NE such as Brahmaputra and Barak River System should be with due and rightful participation of indigenous peoples in the region.
They appealed for implementing the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams, 2000 in all decision making processes on dam constructions over Brahmaputra (Tsangpo) River. (UNI)