November 2007 Edition

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Civil Society News
New Delhi

KHANGCHENDZONGA, the world’s highest national park, lies in north Sikkim. Along its periphery is the Dzongu reserve, the sacred homeland of the Lepcha community. The park, of course, is famous for its ecological splendour. Dzongu too has been preserved by the Lepchas for centuries. Snowy peaks, glacial lakes, dense forestsand rare animals have lured admiring tourists here. Now a spate of dams on the Teesta river will cut through Dzongu. And the Lepcha community is naturally furious. “Dzongu is our Mecca, our Ayodhya,” explains Pemzang Tenzing of the Affected Citizens of Teesta (ACT). “Our community will die out if this region is harmed.” On June 20, two ACT activists went on a 63- day hunger-strike in Gangtok to protest dam construction on the Teesta and Rangit. Hunger strikes continue but aren’t making a dent. Then two ACT representatives, Pemzang Tenzing, a civil engineer, and Dawa Lepcha, a documentary film maker, journeyed to Delhi to ask activists in the capital for help. A meeting was arranged at the Indian Social Institute where Pemzang and Dawa presented their case with facts, figures and emotion. On a 175 km stretch of the Teesta, 25 hydro projects are to come up with a total generation capacity of 4,678 MW. The Sikkim government has worked out agreements with companies in the private and public sector. Some are joint venture projects where the state government’s equity is 26 per cent.

Pemzang wonders how dams on the hilly river’s steep incline from 5,000 m to 300 m will survive. The electricity is for energy starved India. As oil prices rise and the nuclear deal with the US is in limbo, the government will pin its hopes on hydro power. Sikkim needs money and it has water. In Dzongu, a region of around 500 sq km, the 280 MW Panan hydroelectric project is coming up. “We are saying don’t build these seven projects inside Dzongu. The total generation capacity will come down to around 3,000 MW,” says Tenzing.“Scaling down the project will not cause any loss to the government.” It will also bring peace. Dzongu is the spiritual lifeline of the Lepchas. Priests and priestesses begin prayers by invoking this region. Namthar, the holy book of the Lepchas, is engraved on a cliff in Dzongu. Mt Khangdendzonga, the third highest mountain in the world, is revered as the abode of the Lepcha diety, Dzo-nga. EachLepcha clan has a mountain in the Himalayas (Chyu) from where it originated, a lake (Da) and a path (Lep). All are invoked at birth, marriage and death ceremonies.

The Lepchas believe after they die their souls will return to their mountain, lake and path through Dzongu. The Lep is the entrance to a mountain or a lake. Monks too are sympathetic to the agitation. “Some of these hydel projects will destroy Dzongu, the heart of our sacred land…It is the responsibility of all monks of Sikkim to stop everyone who is ignorant from doing such harmful activities,” said senior monk, Sonam Paljor Denjongpa of the Chorten Gonpa Deorali, Gangtok. In fact, the Rathongchu project in west Sikkim had to be abandoned when lamas protested. Around 7,000 Lepchas live in Dzongu on the right bank of the Teesta. Altogether, says Tenzing, there are 40,000 Lepchas in Sikkim who are deeply concerned.“When Sikkim was ruled by the Chogyal, Dzongru was a protected region,” he says.“It was the Queen’s quarter and entry by outsiders wasrestricted.” In1975, when Sikkim merged with India, this north district was protected by the Chogyal’s Proclamation of 3069 which inhibited the settlement of non-indigenous people. Under the Indian Constitution(Article 371 F), it was agreed that old laws would hold. Dzongu, including Toong, Lachen and Lachung are by law restricted areas to safeguard tribal inhabitants, explains Dawa. So far the Lepcha community has been living peacefully. “We have no murders, rape or dacoity,” says Tenzing. “The influx of labour will change that and bring a flood of disease.” Invariably, infrastructure projects have shown indifference to cultural sensitivities. The Border Roads Organisation and the army inundated the area with labour to build roads and took away 40 per cent of cultivable land from people in Lachen, Lachung and Chungthang region, says Tenzing.

Then names of revered lakes, ridges and even villages were summarily changed. The sacred Guru Dongmar Lake was rechristened theGuru Nanak Jheel. The holy stone complex (Leydo) at Chungthang was encroached upon and overnight it became Changithang. The history of Sikkim’s patron saint Guru Padamsambhava was blithely attributed to Guru Nanak. Looking at the ham handed way in whichcompanies are carrying out Stage V of the dam project at Dikchu makes the Lepchas even more fearful.“Most of these private companies don’t have any experience of dam building,” says Tenzing. Dam building has been divided into stages. Stages 1 to IV is in north Sikkim, Stage V in north and east districts and Stage VI is downstream in the east and south districts. Run of the river projects are generally given a clean chit since displacement and submergence is minimal. But these fragile hills now reverberate with the sound of dynamite. Tunnels have to be burrowed to divert river water for long stretches.“The Teesta will become an underground river. Tunnels will reduce the flow of water. Already, tunnelling for Stage V has cracked homes, dried up water and caused landslides,” explains a paper written by ACT.

Tenzing says Lepchas in Dzongu will find it difficult to farm. Tunnelling will harm their homes. Their income and mobility will decline. Then the companies, NHPC, JPLL and Gammon India Ltd, are dumping debris in the river and forests sullying the countryside and reducing the river’s carrying capacity. The CEC has been alerted to this destruction. Even the chief secretary, Sikkim government, agrees this is happening, according to ACT members. Studies to gauge the carrying capacity of the Teesta Basin are incomplete yet Teesta V was cleared, says Tenzing. Amazingly, the Panan project has been granted clearance though it is close to the Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve. The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for Stage III of the project does not even mention the park, though it is one km from the hydro project and catchment area treatment will have to be done inside. Two important areas for birds are located here. ACT has challenged the EIAs for Stage III and Panan before the Central Empowered Committee. Information on glaciers and the impact of climate change are critical to gauge the long term viability of dams in north Sikkim. The Teesta river originates from the Zemu glacier and the Rangit river from the Rathing glacier. The Zemu glacier has been retreating eight meters every year. The Kangchenjhau glacier has been behaving differently.

There is the risk of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOF). Dams and infrastructure projects should be minutely designed with the people and be open to alterations to suit local sensitivities. But public hearings which are meant to take into account local concerns were reduced to a farce. Hearings for the Teesta V project were held in Gangtok, far from the dam site. Inputs by activists were ignored. In June 2006 the public hearing for the Teesta III project became a platform to make political speeches. The people who opposed the dams were told they were ‘anti-national, anti-social elements’ by the chairperson of the State Pollution Control Board.“We are a peaceful, docile people,” says Dawa, a frown creasing his face. “We did defend our sacred land in the past and we will do it again.”

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