POSCO war zone - Farmers oppose plan to supply Hansua River water
The proposal of the Orissa government to supply surplus water from Hansua River to POSCO India's proposed mega steel plant at Paradip has drawn flak from the farmers who have decided to protest this move of the government.
The activists of Nab Nirman Krushak Sangthan conducted a meeting at Redhua near Paradip while hundreds of farmers joined rallies to protest the move of the state government to supply water for the POSCO project.
The farmer’s leaders like Akshaya Kumar, Soren Rout, Rashmiranjan Swain and others delivered speeches on the occasion. They stated that Hansua is not a river but a drainage channel whose catchment’s area from Kandarpur to Erasama is 278 square miles.
Local farmers have alleged that majority of farmers of Birdi, Raghunathpur, Jagatsinghpur, Tirtol, Erasama and Balikuda have been cultivating their vegetable crops, sunflower, groundnuts, mustard, paddy and other crops by availing water from different bases of the Hansua channel.
Farmers also use the water from this channel for the transplantation of paddy crops during the Kharif season in the event of scanty rainfall and delay in supply of irrigated water through canal.
The farmers have been using lift irrigation points to pump out water from this channel to supply water for agricultural purposes. The farmers' leaders stated that nearly 35,000 ha of paddy crops of Jagatsinghpur district are getting waterlogged during the rainy season due to non release of rain water as river creeks and the Jatadhari river mouth have been choked.
Steps will be taken to renovate river creeks and to dredge Hansua channel and Jatadhari River mouth to release water so water logging would be averted properly, said Assistant engineer of Erasama Kisoher Chandra Patra.
They added that the supply of water to POSCO through a barrage will result in water stagnation and will have serious consequences on livelihood patterns of people besides damaging the road communication infrastructure.
Out of 17,806 hectares, 5003 hectares are irrigated land in Erasama area and the rest lands are non-irrigated. Hundreds of farmers use the water of this river during rabi and kharif seasons through lift irrigation points.
After supply of water to POSCO, the base of this river will be dried and farmers will be deprived of pumping out water from Hansua to irrigate non irrigated lands.
Zilla parishad member cum President of Ersama Ba Simiti, Sarada Jena “For the sake of one company (Posco), thousands of people cannot suffer and their livelihood patterns must not be disturbed. We apprehend the people of the particular areas would not tolerate this and there might be agitations and mass movements in the district of Jagatsinghpur.”
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Posco Water
Locals oppose plan to draw water from Haunsua river for Posco
Published: Sunday, Sep 26, 2010, 13:34 IST
Place: Bhubaneswar | Agency: PTI
With the Orissa government mulling supply of water to Posco's proposed mega steel mill near Paradip from an alternative place, local people and some outfits demanded a fresh public hearing.
Faced with stiff opposition from farmers and different political parties, the state government had asked Posco to consider a proposal of drawing water from Hansua river instead of getting it from Jobra barrage near Cuttack.
Farmers under the banner of Nab Nirman Krushak Sangathan also held a meeting near Paradip to unitedly oppose the state government's move to allow Posco to draw water from Hansua river.
Though Hansua was basically a drainage channel whose catchment area was spread over 278 square miles in both Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.
"Majority of farmers in Jagatsinghpur district meet their water requirement from Hansua. Farmers often use pump sets to lift water from Hansua," Zilla Parishad president Sarada Jena said.
Water resources secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, however, said the state government had asked Posco to consider a proposal of lifting water from Hansua river after building a barrage on it.
"Posco will be allowed to preserve water of Hansua river and use it," he said.
While Posco was yet to respond to the state government's proposal, the South Korean company had earlier rejected idea of drawing water from certain rivers in Jagatsinghpur on the plea that most of the water sources in the district was saline.
"We urge upon the government to conduct a fresh Environment Impact Assessment study for the projects impacts on the ecology," Water Initiative of Orissa (WIO) said.
"In the MoU signed between the company and the state government, water is a separate sub-project and hence any change in the water use would need a fresh EIA and environmental clearance after due public hearing at both places from where the government plans to give water to POSCO," WIO's convenor Ranjan Panda said.
Published: Sunday, Sep 26, 2010, 13:34 IST
Place: Bhubaneswar | Agency: PTI
With the Orissa government mulling supply of water to Posco's proposed mega steel mill near Paradip from an alternative place, local people and some outfits demanded a fresh public hearing.
Faced with stiff opposition from farmers and different political parties, the state government had asked Posco to consider a proposal of drawing water from Hansua river instead of getting it from Jobra barrage near Cuttack.
Farmers under the banner of Nab Nirman Krushak Sangathan also held a meeting near Paradip to unitedly oppose the state government's move to allow Posco to draw water from Hansua river.
Though Hansua was basically a drainage channel whose catchment area was spread over 278 square miles in both Cuttack and Jagatsinghpur districts.
"Majority of farmers in Jagatsinghpur district meet their water requirement from Hansua. Farmers often use pump sets to lift water from Hansua," Zilla Parishad president Sarada Jena said.
Water resources secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, however, said the state government had asked Posco to consider a proposal of lifting water from Hansua river after building a barrage on it.
"Posco will be allowed to preserve water of Hansua river and use it," he said.
While Posco was yet to respond to the state government's proposal, the South Korean company had earlier rejected idea of drawing water from certain rivers in Jagatsinghpur on the plea that most of the water sources in the district was saline.
"We urge upon the government to conduct a fresh Environment Impact Assessment study for the projects impacts on the ecology," Water Initiative of Orissa (WIO) said.
"In the MoU signed between the company and the state government, water is a separate sub-project and hence any change in the water use would need a fresh EIA and environmental clearance after due public hearing at both places from where the government plans to give water to POSCO," WIO's convenor Ranjan Panda said.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Shifting attention: POSCO going for Hansua leaving the Mahanadi
Our Mr Secretary, WRD (plz read the following news) is also falling trap to the same 'river water going to sea is a waste' beief, that our Ministers have earlier fallen to. Kudos to their advisors, married to this 'engineering paradigm'! They have been successful in perpetuating and implanting this dangerously wrong beief in the minds of decision makers. This shows the urgent need of carrying out damage control awareness and sensitization campaign among our beuraucrats and politcians on the understanding of our rivers in entirety and the implications of environmental flow.
At the same time, it is also difficult to understand, how a barrage downstream will solve the problems of waterlogging in Hansua, as the Secretary has put it. Civil society must also seek to know the basis of calculation which claims 'excess' water in Hansua.
Mahanadi Banchao Andolan, being a movement to safeguard the interests of communities and river, in stead of welcoming this move, must ask for a detailed assessment of impact of this barrage on lives and livelihoods the communities and farmers in Hansua sub-basin.
Orissa Govt asks Posco to consider alternative water source
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Jagatsinghpur: After the Meena Gupta Committee visit the Proposed Posco site and held discussions with officials on water linkage to the steel mill, the state government is now evaluating alternative source of water for Posco.
The state government which confronted widespread protest from Mahanadi Banchao Andolan committee is now contemplating alternate water source to Posco and has initiated a survey in this regard.
In 2006, the water resources department had granted permission to Posco to draw water from Jobra barrage. With MoEF inquiring the ecological impact on the river and its surroundings, the government is now planning to ask Posco to draw water from Hansua river in Jagatsinghpur which is 7 km away from the proposed site.The government would ask Posco to build a barrage on Hansua river to hold water for its industrial use. The river which flows through four blocks of the district culminates at Jatadhari basin near the captive port site.
The farmers in the area have expressed concerns over drawing of water for the project as they depend on the river water for irrigation purposes.
The Secretary of Water Resources Department Suresh Mohapatra said that the excess water of Hansua river would be properly utilised instead being discharged to the sea, it could also help local farmers by avoiding a regular water logging over 10,000 to 15,000 hectare of agricultural field in Jagatsinghpur district.
The leaders of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan committee has welcomed the decision of state government to provide alternate source of water to Posco rather than providing water from river Mahanadi.
At the same time, it is also difficult to understand, how a barrage downstream will solve the problems of waterlogging in Hansua, as the Secretary has put it. Civil society must also seek to know the basis of calculation which claims 'excess' water in Hansua.
Mahanadi Banchao Andolan, being a movement to safeguard the interests of communities and river, in stead of welcoming this move, must ask for a detailed assessment of impact of this barrage on lives and livelihoods the communities and farmers in Hansua sub-basin.
Orissa Govt asks Posco to consider alternative water source
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Report by Orissa Diary correspondent; Jagatsinghpur: After the Meena Gupta Committee visit the Proposed Posco site and held discussions with officials on water linkage to the steel mill, the state government is now evaluating alternative source of water for Posco.
The state government which confronted widespread protest from Mahanadi Banchao Andolan committee is now contemplating alternate water source to Posco and has initiated a survey in this regard.
In 2006, the water resources department had granted permission to Posco to draw water from Jobra barrage. With MoEF inquiring the ecological impact on the river and its surroundings, the government is now planning to ask Posco to draw water from Hansua river in Jagatsinghpur which is 7 km away from the proposed site.The government would ask Posco to build a barrage on Hansua river to hold water for its industrial use. The river which flows through four blocks of the district culminates at Jatadhari basin near the captive port site.
The farmers in the area have expressed concerns over drawing of water for the project as they depend on the river water for irrigation purposes.
The Secretary of Water Resources Department Suresh Mohapatra said that the excess water of Hansua river would be properly utilised instead being discharged to the sea, it could also help local farmers by avoiding a regular water logging over 10,000 to 15,000 hectare of agricultural field in Jagatsinghpur district.
The leaders of Mahanadi Banchao Andolan committee has welcomed the decision of state government to provide alternate source of water to Posco rather than providing water from river Mahanadi.
Friday, September 24, 2010
BIS Certification Mandatory for Packaged Drinking Water
No person is authorised to manufacture, sell or exhibit for sale, packaged drinking water and packaged mineral water except under Bureau of Indian Standards Certification Mark.
As per the Quality Control Order issued under Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Rules, 1955, Bureau of Indian Standards has formulated the following Indian Standards which provide quality norms for packaged water:
i) IS 14543:2004 Packaged drinking water (other than natural mineral water) (First Revision)
ii) IS 13428: 2005 Packaged natural mineral water (Second Revision)
There are 18 BIS licensees engaged in production of Packaged Natural Mineral Water, 2354 licensees producing Packaged Drinking Water through Reverse Osmosis, and 633 licensees bottling Packaged Drinking Water drawing water from natural resources.
Implementation of the PFA Act and Rules framed under the Act is the responsibility of State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. BIS also undertakes periodic surveillance inspection and testing of samples from the market for maintaining the quality of the products of its licensees as per the prescribed Indian Standards.
MP:SB:CP: mineral water (23.9.2010)
No person is authorised to manufacture, sell or exhibit for sale, packaged drinking water and packaged mineral water except under Bureau of Indian Standards Certification Mark.
As per the Quality Control Order issued under Prevention of Food Adulteration (PFA) Rules, 1955, Bureau of Indian Standards has formulated the following Indian Standards which provide quality norms for packaged water:
i) IS 14543:2004 Packaged drinking water (other than natural mineral water) (First Revision)
ii) IS 13428: 2005 Packaged natural mineral water (Second Revision)
There are 18 BIS licensees engaged in production of Packaged Natural Mineral Water, 2354 licensees producing Packaged Drinking Water through Reverse Osmosis, and 633 licensees bottling Packaged Drinking Water drawing water from natural resources.
Implementation of the PFA Act and Rules framed under the Act is the responsibility of State Governments and Union Territory Administrations. BIS also undertakes periodic surveillance inspection and testing of samples from the market for maintaining the quality of the products of its licensees as per the prescribed Indian Standards.
MP:SB:CP: mineral water (23.9.2010)
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Polavaram Politics
Orissa BJP seeks details of threat from Andhra dam
2010-09-21 15:20:00
Bhubaneswar, Sep 21 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists Tuesday staged a rally in Orissa demanding details of possible damage due to the Polavaram dam project on the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh, recently approved by the central government.
Carrying posters and banners, activists of the party's youth unit marched in Bhubaneswar from their office near Ram Mandir square to Raj Bhavan, the official residence of Governor M.C. Bhandare, police said.
They shouted slogans against the state government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the central government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a police official said.
'Arjun Sethi, a leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was the union minister in charge of central water resources from 2000-04 and he should have scrapped the project at that time. Now the same BJD is opposing the project but only after the centre scrapped the mining project of Vedanta,' a protest leader said.
'Both the state and central governments have not done any assessment about the possible damage the project will cause in Orissa,' former state BJP president Suresh Pujari said.
'The state and central governments should come out with a white paper on the project detailing the possible damage,' he said.
'If the government continues with the project, we will take this agitation to other parts of the state,' he said.
According to the Andhra Pradesh government, the Rs.10,150-crore Polavaram irrigation project will provide drinking water to 2.85 million people, produce 960 MW of power and give industry 23,500 million cubic feet of water.
The union environment and forests ministry gave the final clearance in July for diversion of 3,731.07 hectares of forest land for the project on the condition that no submergence of forest land should take place in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
The project, first envisioned by the British rulers in 1941 has, however, been facing opposition for decades from local residents who fear displacement, a concern shared by residents in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
2010-09-21 15:20:00
Bhubaneswar, Sep 21 (IANS) Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists Tuesday staged a rally in Orissa demanding details of possible damage due to the Polavaram dam project on the Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh, recently approved by the central government.
Carrying posters and banners, activists of the party's youth unit marched in Bhubaneswar from their office near Ram Mandir square to Raj Bhavan, the official residence of Governor M.C. Bhandare, police said.
They shouted slogans against the state government led by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and the central government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a police official said.
'Arjun Sethi, a leader of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was the union minister in charge of central water resources from 2000-04 and he should have scrapped the project at that time. Now the same BJD is opposing the project but only after the centre scrapped the mining project of Vedanta,' a protest leader said.
'Both the state and central governments have not done any assessment about the possible damage the project will cause in Orissa,' former state BJP president Suresh Pujari said.
'The state and central governments should come out with a white paper on the project detailing the possible damage,' he said.
'If the government continues with the project, we will take this agitation to other parts of the state,' he said.
According to the Andhra Pradesh government, the Rs.10,150-crore Polavaram irrigation project will provide drinking water to 2.85 million people, produce 960 MW of power and give industry 23,500 million cubic feet of water.
The union environment and forests ministry gave the final clearance in July for diversion of 3,731.07 hectares of forest land for the project on the condition that no submergence of forest land should take place in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
The project, first envisioned by the British rulers in 1941 has, however, been facing opposition for decades from local residents who fear displacement, a concern shared by residents in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
Salinity rise in water driving crocs to stray from habitats
PTI, Sep 21, 2010, 10.57am IST
KENDRAPARA (Orissa): Rising salinity in the waters of the Bhitarkanika river system is driving crocodiles towards other water bodies close to human habitation.
The recent killing of a woman by a crocodile at a village bordering Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary has brought into sharp focus the increasing forays by the reptiles into rivers and water bodies in thickly populated areas.
The straying of crocodiles away from their habitats was earlier attributed to scarcity of food in the sanctuary, especially during monsoon months, but now wildlife experts have said extreme salinity in the Bhitarkanika river was the reason.
"The reptiles were never earlier sighted at villages surrounding the Bhitarkanika sanctuary," Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, divisional forest officer, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, said.
The Bhitarkanika river system, home to about 2,000 estuarine crocodiles, is now undergoing a hyper-salinity process not conducive to their habitation, Mohapatra said.
He said the crocodile attacks on humans mostly take place during new moon and full moon periods when their habitation corridors get hyper saline.
PTI, Sep 21, 2010, 10.57am IST
KENDRAPARA (Orissa): Rising salinity in the waters of the Bhitarkanika river system is driving crocodiles towards other water bodies close to human habitation.
The recent killing of a woman by a crocodile at a village bordering Bhitarkanika wildlife sanctuary has brought into sharp focus the increasing forays by the reptiles into rivers and water bodies in thickly populated areas.
The straying of crocodiles away from their habitats was earlier attributed to scarcity of food in the sanctuary, especially during monsoon months, but now wildlife experts have said extreme salinity in the Bhitarkanika river was the reason.
"The reptiles were never earlier sighted at villages surrounding the Bhitarkanika sanctuary," Manoj Kumar Mohapatra, divisional forest officer, Rajnagar mangrove (wildlife) forest division, said.
The Bhitarkanika river system, home to about 2,000 estuarine crocodiles, is now undergoing a hyper-salinity process not conducive to their habitation, Mohapatra said.
He said the crocodile attacks on humans mostly take place during new moon and full moon periods when their habitation corridors get hyper saline.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Brutang
No rethink on green nod to Orissa irrigation project: Ramesh
Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, September 15, 2010
Even as Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has maintained that there is no rethink over the green nod to Brutanga irrigation project proposed in Orissa, sources said it is under the scanner of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). "Wildlife in Satkosia tiger sanctuary would be under
threat due to the proposed project. NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal would soon visit the sanctuary to study the impact it would have on the wildlife particularly movement of elephants and tigers," sources in the ministry said.
When asked, though Ramesh said that the project has received first phase clearance at the Forest Appraisal Committee last month, he, however, admitted that there are some minor issues to be sorted out.
"But, I categorically say that there is no rethinking over the project which would help lakhs of farmers and villagers in the state," he said.
The project is aimed at providing irrigation in 50,000 hectares of cultivable land in Nayagarh district.
Ramesh said the order granting forest clearance includes a large number of conditions intended to safeguard the wildlife, such as building overpasses to allow elephants to cross the canal.
However, local NGOs and wildlife activists have been up in arms against the nod to the project, saying it would affect movement of elephants across river Brutanga, on which a reservoir will be build submerging 1,500 hectares of land.
The FAC had met again last week expressing reservation over its impact on the wildlife as well as a huge chunk of tribal population, which would be displaced due to the project.
Sources say that further action in the proposed project would depend on the view taken by Gopal, head of the NTCA, which oversees Project Tiger in the country.
Press Trust Of India
New Delhi, September 15, 2010
Even as Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has maintained that there is no rethink over the green nod to Brutanga irrigation project proposed in Orissa, sources said it is under the scanner of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). "Wildlife in Satkosia tiger sanctuary would be under
threat due to the proposed project. NTCA member secretary Rajesh Gopal would soon visit the sanctuary to study the impact it would have on the wildlife particularly movement of elephants and tigers," sources in the ministry said.
When asked, though Ramesh said that the project has received first phase clearance at the Forest Appraisal Committee last month, he, however, admitted that there are some minor issues to be sorted out.
"But, I categorically say that there is no rethinking over the project which would help lakhs of farmers and villagers in the state," he said.
The project is aimed at providing irrigation in 50,000 hectares of cultivable land in Nayagarh district.
Ramesh said the order granting forest clearance includes a large number of conditions intended to safeguard the wildlife, such as building overpasses to allow elephants to cross the canal.
However, local NGOs and wildlife activists have been up in arms against the nod to the project, saying it would affect movement of elephants across river Brutanga, on which a reservoir will be build submerging 1,500 hectares of land.
The FAC had met again last week expressing reservation over its impact on the wildlife as well as a huge chunk of tribal population, which would be displaced due to the project.
Sources say that further action in the proposed project would depend on the view taken by Gopal, head of the NTCA, which oversees Project Tiger in the country.
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