00:00The monsoon begins with this new struggle which would lead to sacrifice
00:07if the government dares submerge this land without the review as we are demanding
00:15and that is most likely to happen because the dam has already reached the height of 60 meters or so.
00:23Usually when the rains come to Gujarat and Maharashtra it's a cause for celebration.
00:32The land is irrigated, crops can be planted and wells are refilled.
00:38But for the village of Manabeli this will be the last monsoon. The Narmada valley is being dammed,
00:45the river will rise and in a few weeks this whole area will be underwater.
00:49The damming of the Narmada has sparked a huge protest movement in India that's become the
00:55focus of world attention. The Sardar Sarovar dam site is now a prohibited area under the Indian
01:01Official Secrets Act. Foreign journalists are immediately arrested and detained if found
01:06anywhere near. It testifies to the sensitivity of the huge project which is expected to cost
01:12more than six billion pounds to complete. The final height of the wall will be 480 feet,
01:18more than twice its current level. The government says the project will irrigate two million
01:23hectares of land, provide food and drinking water for 20 million people and supply electricity for
01:29industry. But as the waters rise villages up the valley will disappear. 150,000 people will have
01:40to be moved. They're known as tribals, indigenous rural farmers whose lifestyle has changed little
01:48over the centuries and who've resisted the blandishments of the big cities.
01:58Perhaps to the surprise of the authorities they've formed a vigorous protest organisation,
02:03the NBA or Save Narmada Movement. Reviving Gandhian principles of non-violent resistance
02:09they're determined to remain in their villages even if it means drowning.
02:18To defuse the protest the Indian authorities moved into the valley and moved out scores of
02:40families. Medha Patkar transferred her demonstration to a makeshift structure on a street corner in the
02:47centre of Bombay. There she started a well-publicised hunger strike. The Save Narmada
02:54Movement had acquired such a high profile that the World Bank, which had been financing the
02:59dam to the tune of $450 million, effectively pulled out. The non-party political struggle
03:06of this kind, which would be non-violent, which is the basic tradition of India,
03:13and still ready to face the rulers, the giant powers at any level, including the World Bank,
03:27is something which is a dream of people. The strength and dignity of Medha's protest inspired
03:34a huge demonstration which wound through the streets of Bombay. Displaced villagers from
03:39the Narmada Valley joined environmental groups, left-wing political parties and trade unions
03:45to protest at the state and national governments' involvement. Politicians, though, remain adamant
03:51that the benefits far outweigh the costs and that opposition, however widespread, is unfounded.
04:09Shouting their demands for a full review of the entire dam project,
04:19the Save Narmada protesters next staged an occupation of the central government's Ministry
04:24of Water Resources in Delhi. The police quickly moved in and arrested them. The tough action came
04:31as little surprise. The human rights group Asia Watch reported that opponents to the dam had
04:36suffered arbitrary arrests, illegal detention, beatings and other forms of physical abuse in the
04:41past. In the Narmada Valley, homes have been completely demolished and occupants forcibly
04:46moved to resettlement areas. The state maintains it gives generous compensation to these so-called
04:52Austis. The government of Gujarat has announced a very liberal package which is considered the
04:57most liberal rehabilitation package ever announced in the world. This package basically involves
05:02providing land for land. That is, if an Austi is losing land in submergence, he should be paid
05:08land in lieu of the land lost. The provision of land is five acres of irrigable land to each
05:15Austi. Austi is defined not only as a landowner, also his co-sharer, also his major son, also
05:22includes encroachers and landless labourers. This is one of the resettlement areas, just a few
05:29kilometres from the Sardar Sarovar Dam. The Austis here complain about lack of water supplies,
05:35poor grazing and inaccessibility to local markets. Communities and even families have been split up.
05:42Anti-dam campaigners say that far from being offered a liberal package,
05:46the Austis are being forced to move on to the worst land in the area.
05:53Meanwhile, their champion made a pack car and 80 members of the anti-dam movement were finally
05:58arrested in Bombay. Policemen and women moved in at two o'clock in the morning and dragged them away.
06:06But the government also announced concessions, not the full-blown review the movement wanted,
06:11but talks about a review. With made a pack car taken off to be force-fed in hospital,
06:16the authorities have gained a breathing space of a few weeks.
06:20But on the banks of the Narmada, they say that unless the dam is abandoned altogether,
06:25they remain prepared to drown.
06:4920th century industrialisation has collided with an indigenous people on the Narmada.
07:00For Indians, it's given a voice to a new style Gandhi.
07:04You should be ready to die to live so that you have a right to life and you can live.
07:10That's all I believe in. Medha's uncompromising stance has inspired the valley people.
07:16If the call for a halt to the dam is not heeded,
07:19their sacrifice in the waters of the river may follow in the summer monsoon.
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