Allain Duhangan

Damming a Global Heritage

Jagatsukh village, India
Jagatsukh village, India Michelle Arevalo, IAP Until recently life in Jagatsukh, a village nestled in the Beas Valley among Himalayan peaks, followed its traditional course. Apple plantations and local tourism brought modest prosperity to many inhabitants. The irrigation channels were well maintained, and the sturdy houses withstood the region’s harsh climate. When we visited, the local farmers were happy to share their stories over glasses of hot chai with us. Jagatsukh’s culture and economic development are now being sacrificed for the glitzy middle class consumption which is on disp

CDM: Changing Lives for the Worse

Hydro makes up nearly a third of CDM Projects
Hydro makes up nearly a third of CDM Projects The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Secretariat organized a "changing lives" photo contest to raise awareness of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).  Was the photo contest a last ditch effort to spruce up the CDM's image and deflect criticism? The winners were announced on Monday at the UN Climate Change Conference here in Poznan.  The winning photos were of an urban housing energy upgrade project in South Africa, a wind farm project in Mongolia, and  bagasse cogeneration power projects in India and

Dam-Affected Peoples Launch Complaint Against the Allain Duhangan Project

Wednesday, September 15, 2004
To the IFC Compliance Advisor Ombudsman: We would like to lodge a complaint concerning the proposed 192 MW Allain Duhangan (Hydropower) Project (ADP) that IFC proposes to fund. We live in the villages near Manali in Beas river basin in Kulu district in Himachal Pradesh in Northern India. We do not wish our identity to be disclosed. The basis of the complaint is as follows: 1. The Environmental and Social Impacts Assessment (ESIA) of the project is fundamentally flawed as shown in a letter from affected villagers to the World Bank President dated May 21, 2004. This is clearly in violation of

Affected People to World Bank Regarding Allain Duhangan Hydro Project

Tuesday, October 5, 2004
Proposed IFC funding of the Allain Duhangan Project in India Dear Sir or Madam: We have learnt that International Finance Corporation is soon to put up the proposed IFC funding of the proposed 192 MW Allain Duhangan (Hydropower) Project in Kulu district in Himachal Pradesh in India before the IFC board. However, there are many issues and problems connected with this project that remain unresolved. We have been writing about this to the World Bank Group for numerous times. Some of the major such issues are: 1. Before taking up any project, as per law of the land, the project needs to take No Ob

World Bank Approves India Dam Against Wishes of Local People

Tuesday, October 12, 2004
On October 12, the World Bank’s executive board approved a $45 million loan from their private sector arm, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), for a controversial hydropower project in the Indian Himalayas. The loan was approved despite the launching of an investigation into the project by the IFC’s ombudsman. Local people and Indian non–governmental organizations had called for the project to be delayed until numerous grievances and irregularities are resolved. "We are afraid that with the dam in place, we will not have enough drinking water and that there will be too little wa

From the Swiss Alps to the Hilltops of Manali

Wednesday, December 1, 2004
By Peter Bosshard Originally published in Foreign Eye column, Tehelka Magazine, December 2004 Most Indian visitors who step outside Zurich airport will be struck by how different Switzerland is: the clean sidewalks. The trains that run on time. The bland food. The girls in skimpy dresses. Likewise, I always find myself overwhelmed by foreign impressions when I return to India. The beautiful colors. The deafening noise. The elephants making their way through Delhi’s rush-hour traffic. The poor contract laborers from Bihar huddled together in a crowded train compartment. My last t
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