The images of flood waters slowly but surely submerging Chadong village area in the Ukhrul district even as the shutters of the Mapithel multi-purpose dam were lowered to begin the process of commissioning the dam. Quite obviously, a vast area of this beautiful vale will ultimately be converted to an artificial lake taking in all villages and farmlands in the area at altitude lower than the dam height. Even for those of us watching this, it is a heart wrenching experience, and we can imagine what agony it must mean for those for whom this place was once home. The authorities must also keep in mind these are homes and not houses or apartments which modern urban dwellers buy for convenience and sell for profits when work locations change. This distinction is important but often taken for granted and given little attention. The notion of land and home amongst traditional communities is quite different from non-traditional modern societies for whom land and accommodation have come to be defined by the lexicon of the new market order, therefore little more than other forms of commodities. In Manipur for instance, both in the valley where modern land revenue administration mechanism have been embraced and more so in the hills where these new norms are resisted and not made applicable, traditional home grounds of communities and clans are sacred spaces. These have been the homes of these communities for generations, and where their ancestors rested. The example of the Meiteis is interesting for though many are now adapted to the pace of city life in Imphal, they generally do not move out from where their forefathers laid the foundations of their homes. Even where city congestions have forced many to relocate, at the time of their deaths, they would still prefer to be cremated in their ancestral cremation grounds so that their ashes can mingle with those of their forefathers. Quite obviously, the values of these lands are different from the commodified city apartments.
The idea of modern development has always been problematic, especially so in modern times which have the advantage of hindsight to enumerate failed projects. There cannot be many who think development must not happen. The important question is, what should the acceptable price the communities pay? The United Nations Declarations on Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 2007, clearly states that land acquisition of indigenous land should be by Free, Prior, Informed Consent, FPIC. We do hope at least this rule was observed. Until an alternate and credible development model is available, and such prices have to be paid by ordinary citizens, compensation must be not just about rehabilitation at alternate sites or some monetary assistance to start life afresh. It must actually be enough to make those who are compelled to sacrifice for what are ostensibly pursued in the interest of the larger common good feel comfortably taken care of. Although the land they lose is priceless, they must at least not feel cheated.
After all these heartaches caused, we do hope the Maphithel Dam does not join the league of similar projects which have ended up as big failures or else with extremely short lives. The first major dam in Manipur, the Ithai Barrage which raised the water level of the Loktak and maintained it constantly at that level to drive the electric generating turbines inside the three tunnels through the Lamdan Hills to ultimately flow into the Barak river system at Leimatak valley, has met with a fair degree of success in terms of electric power generation, but it caused extensive damages to miles upon miles of fertile farmlands in the low lying areas of the Loktak hinterlands, inhabited by various indigenous communities such as Kom, Koireng, Chothe, Zeliangrongs besides Meiteis. These agricultural lands turned into marshlands, but human ingenuity is such that a strain of rice plants `Touthabi` which can grow and fructify in marshes reclaimed some of the lost lands. Fish culturing and duck farming reclaimed some more, but these were hardly enough. Forty years ago, rights awareness not being so acute in the state, those who lost land then to the Loktak Project received a raw deal and there are still some cases pending in the court of law for repackaging the compensations. We do hope the new projects the state takes up do not inflict such injustices again. There are some very successful dams too, at least so far. The Umiam Lake or Barapani in Meghalaya is one of these. The state is power surplus because of it, and the artificial lake has also become a major tourist attraction making it a livelihoods source for the people living in its vicinity. We do hope, the dams that Manipur build now and in the future turn out to be similar in nature.
Leader Writer: Pradip Phanjoubam