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Kathmandu Tuesday June 20, 2000 Ahsad 06, 2057.
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Address the problem
The construction by India of an
afflux dam in South Laxmanpur barrage across the Rapti river without Nepal’s consent
is an indication that India does not apply to itself the same standards that it expects
from others. Technically, this amounts to gross violation of international law since it
has affected Nepal in a very adverse manner. The construction of the afflux dam has
submerged hundreds of hectares of arable land and dislocated thousands of people. This is
proof once more, if ever proof was needed that India continues to violate the
understanding reached between itself and Nepal to consult with one another before
launching river projects along border areas. It also goes against accepted international
practices. Environmentalists who raised hue and cry at the time of the construction of the
dam were unheeded. Had our pliant government taken the right steps at the right time, so
many Nepalese would not have been rendered homeless and the human disaster could have been
prevented.
Report state that the
construction will inundate some 15,000 settlements, over 200 houses in Holya VDC alone.
Over 500 people living on the Nepali side have already been affected. Before undertaking
the afflux dam, India should have acted on the recommendation of the Standing Committee on
Inundation between Nepal and India (SCINI). However, the fact that it did not pay any heed
to SCINI speaks volumes about the Indian attitude. Unfortunately, the Nepalese government
failed to recognise the threat of the afflux dam to people as well as its territory and to
take up the issue with New Delhi at the right time. As a result, the people of the area
have been pushed towards the wall and there seems to be no way out for them except to
abandon their ancestral lands. We had earlier warned the government that such a situation
could develop if it failed to settle the issue with India.
The initial study when the
afflux dam was under construction showed that the 22 kilometre long barrage would inundate
at least nine village development committees displacing thousands of people. India had, as
precautionary measure, resettled 52 villages but failed to provide similar land for
resettlement on the Nepali side of the border.
It is strange that India, which
often stresses the bilateral agreement governing projects, should itself build such a huge
dam without our notice that too so near the international border without even consulting
the Nepalese government? Was the government asleep at the time of the construction? The
government cannot remain silent when thousands of citizens are being displaced and India
continues to violate international norms. The government must not delay taking up this
issue with India. Neither should it hesitate to take recourse to appropriate international
forums including the International Court of Justice at the Hague to remedy the situation.
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