Narmada Bachao Andolan Case study
International Dimensions of Ethics Education in Science and Engineering
Case Study Series
Narmada Dams Controversy – Case Summary
MJ Peterson with research assistance from Osman Kiratli and Ilke Ercan
Version 1; September 2010
The construction and maintenance of public facilities involves several sets of stakeholders: the political leaders who ultimately decide when, whether, and what to build; the engineers and other government staff who provide or oversee design, construction, and maintenance; the private firms supplying design, construction, or maintenance services; the taxpayers whose money will fund the project; the lenders who supply loan funds permitting the project to go ahead in advance of tax or toll collections; the users of the facility; and nearby residents. The question of which stakeholders should have what role and influence in the design, construction, and maintenance of public facilities has become more contentious as they have become larger and affected more people.
Proposals to construct large dams have inspired considerable contention in the last few decades as political mobilization of nearby residents who will be displaced by the reservoirs they create and of environmentalists concerned with the consequences of large dams for the river basin and nearby forests, wildlife habitat, or farmland have led to demands for greater public information and participation in project definition and design and greater transparency and accountability in construction, operation, and maintenance. Most dam projects proceed within a single country, meaning that stakeholders have to secure their influence within the national political system using whatever processes for citizen mobilization and input that system allows. Yet, some dam projects have transnational dimensions, either because the project itself involves more than one country or because the government hoping to build the dams needs loans from outside. These transnational
Case Study Series
Narmada Dams Controversy – Case Summary
MJ Peterson with research assistance from Osman Kiratli and Ilke Ercan
Version 1; September 2010
The construction and maintenance of public facilities involves several sets of stakeholders: the political leaders who ultimately decide when, whether, and what to build; the engineers and other government staff who provide or oversee design, construction, and maintenance; the private firms supplying design, construction, or maintenance services; the taxpayers whose money will fund the project; the lenders who supply loan funds permitting the project to go ahead in advance of tax or toll collections; the users of the facility; and nearby residents. The question of which stakeholders should have what role and influence in the design, construction, and maintenance of public facilities has become more contentious as they have become larger and affected more people.
Proposals to construct large dams have inspired considerable contention in the last few decades as political mobilization of nearby residents who will be displaced by the reservoirs they create and of environmentalists concerned with the consequences of large dams for the river basin and nearby forests, wildlife habitat, or farmland have led to demands for greater public information and participation in project definition and design and greater transparency and accountability in construction, operation, and maintenance. Most dam projects proceed within a single country, meaning that stakeholders have to secure their influence within the national political system using whatever processes for citizen mobilization and input that system allows. Yet, some dam projects have transnational dimensions, either because the project itself involves more than one country or because the government hoping to build the dams needs loans from outside. These transnational