Comments on: Dam the River, Damn the People in India’s Northeastern State of Arunachal Pradesh http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/24/dam-the-river-damn-the-people-in-indias-northeastern-state-of-arunachal-pradesh/ News & commentary on sustainability, activism, urban planning, politics, and our world. Thu, 24 May 2012 14:07:14 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Govind Singh http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/24/dam-the-river-damn-the-people-in-indias-northeastern-state-of-arunachal-pradesh/comment-page-1/#comment-57332 Govind Singh Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:49:03 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/?p=1347#comment-57332 The Monkey! When I first clicked the monkey above, I had not idea this was the new species discovered. Though the yellow patches on its face and body were peculiar, I really could not make out. I could actually pat on its back, thinking this being a non-city monkey (unlike the ones in New Delhi ( http://delhigreens.com/2007/11/06/the-monkey-menace-turns-fatal/ ) was the reason why it's so docile! It was only when I got back home several weeks later, did I realize its the new species that I had spotted!! The Monkey!

When I first clicked the monkey above, I had not idea this was the new species discovered. Though the yellow patches on its face and body were peculiar, I really could not make out.

I could actually pat on its back, thinking this being a non-city monkey (unlike the ones in New Delhi ( http://delhigreens.com/2007/11/06/the-monkey-menace-turns-fatal/ ) was the reason why it’s so docile!

It was only when I got back home several weeks later, did I realize its the new species that I had spotted!!

]]> By: Govind Singh http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/24/dam-the-river-damn-the-people-in-indias-northeastern-state-of-arunachal-pradesh/comment-page-1/#comment-57333 Govind Singh Sat, 26 Jul 2008 03:44:20 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/?p=1347#comment-57333 It sure is a difficult call. We do need to power our laptops on which I write this, but does that have to be at the cost of indigenous people - who neither demand anything from our side, nor ask us for any "credits" for acting as the protectors of forests in regions beyond a city-dweller's reach. Developing a land-use database for a country as large as India is difficult, though attempts have been made to come up with similar databases at the regional level. Would help in strategic environmental assessments, but with the kind of Env Impact Assessments (EIA) happening in the country, I wonder if that would help :( The voices from the state of Arunachal Pradesh are now getting louder and that native people of the state have come out in the open, making it difficult for engineers, etc. to work in the state - something, we can't really blame them for. It sure is a difficult call. We do need to power our laptops on which I write this, but does that have to be at the cost of indigenous people – who neither demand anything from our side, nor ask us for any “credits” for acting as the protectors of forests in regions beyond a city-dweller’s reach.

Developing a land-use database for a country as large as India is difficult, though attempts have been made to come up with similar databases at the regional level. Would help in strategic environmental assessments, but with the kind of Env Impact Assessments (EIA) happening in the country, I wonder if that would help :(

The voices from the state of Arunachal Pradesh are now getting louder and that native people of the state have come out in the open, making it difficult for engineers, etc. to work in the state – something, we can’t really blame them for.

]]> By: Matt http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/24/dam-the-river-damn-the-people-in-indias-northeastern-state-of-arunachal-pradesh/comment-page-1/#comment-57334 Matt Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:43:39 +0000 http://ecoworldly.com/?p=1347#comment-57334 Aaaaaw lookadaliddlemonkey! Innecyuuuute! Seriously though, fascinating. I find it so difficult to know where to stand on this issue - we need energy, but the cost is incredibly high to indigenous people and the existing landscape. In the UK, we have for some time been developing a "land-use database" to inform our development decisions. I doubt these exist elsewhere in the world, but would argue a full survey of India (no mean feat!) is necessary to investigate the best options, before any decision to go ahead with the plans outlined above. The World Commission on Dams is worth a look, http://www.dams.org/ (and we must fight to make sure developers heed the learning from commissions such as this, while not taking them too seriously) Aaaaaw lookadaliddlemonkey! Innecyuuuute!

Seriously though, fascinating. I find it so difficult to know where to stand on this issue – we need energy, but the cost is incredibly high to indigenous people and the existing landscape.

In the UK, we have for some time been developing a “land-use database” to inform our development decisions. I doubt these exist elsewhere in the world, but would argue a full survey of India (no mean feat!) is necessary to investigate the best options, before any decision to go ahead with the plans outlined above.

The World Commission on Dams is worth a look, http://www.dams.org/ (and we must fight to make sure developers heed the learning from commissions such as this, while not taking them too seriously)

]]>