In 2006 a tour with Medha Patka, a spokeswoman for the NBA, angered and empowered people to support this iconic struggle for social and environmental justice.
The struggle against the construction of mega-dams on the River Narmada in India is symbolic of a global struggle for social and environmental justice. It has inspired people around the world to advocate sustainable and equitable resource allocation rather than short-term big dam projects which leave many people and ecosystems in tatters. There is an international coalition of individuals and organizations in support and solidarity with the Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada movement) which has been fighting for the democratic rights of the citizens of the Narmada Valley. Indeed, to global pressure the World Bank were forced to step back from the project in 1993, but the fight is far from over.
The controversy over large dams on the river Narmada has come to symbolise the struggle for a just and equitable society in India and simultaneously how people across the world can act in solidarity. The story is long and complicated and takes a long time to tell. In brief, the government's plan is to build 30 large, 13 medium and 3000 small dams to harness the waters of the river Narmada and its tributaries. The proponents of the dam claim that this would provide large amounts of water and electricity which are desperately needed for development. Instead, still today, communities find themselves without access to basic fundamental human rights, such as clean water, whilst their resources are reallocated to support industry rather than the indigenous communities.
Medha drew lessons from the displacement of resources in Indian marginalised communities to the increasing diffference in access to services and resources in the UK, empowering the audience to make the connections between systems of oppression here and abroad.
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