Struggles against Farakka Dam
new: Crisis looms as India plans water diversion
April 2003
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000
From: Mamun Quazi
From now it left only 11 days to observe the "Quarter Centuay years" of protest against the fonction of the Farakka Barrage build on the Ganges in India at the border of the Bengal (Bangla Desh) for unilateral withdral of water and by divert the course of the river violeting all international laws on rivers and maritimes.
This barrage two different affect during the two seasons. During the dry season India withdaw the water in huge quantity and in moonsoon period she opens the gets the this Farakka Barrage that Bengal is getting over floaded.
Consequence of this barrage : 40 millions peuple manily peasants are directly affected; 70 millions people have been infected withe arsenic desease as people compelled to utilise the underground water for their drinking and agricultural purpose.
India is not only withdrawing the water from the Ganges but also from other 53 common international rivers shared by two countries. More than one third territory of Bangla Desh The Farakka Barrage is not only threatening the very existence of Bengal but also provoking the wolrd ecolology.
India has decleared the ecological war against t he Bengal. The Farakka Barrage is the "Atom Bomb" for Bangla 'Desh'. It is the biggest crime against the humanity of this nature that ever happened in the World History. In 1998 30 million people were affected by the fload caused by the Farakka Barrage.
World Bank, I.M.F and other international financial institutions have got the involement and are the direct benificiaries of this catastrophing situation. The adverse affect of the globalisation on ecology and environment, the Bengal is the worst victime.
Bengal's major economy is based on the agriculture. Wihout water for irrigation and over floaded situation made Bengal one of the poorest countries of the World.
Whole social, economic and political systems are directly co-related with this Farakka Barrage. The decree of proverty has provoked to be victime the women and child smuggling. Five million Women and girls have been already smuggled and kidnapped and sold to the prostitute markets of the India and Pakistan. Every year thousands of the childreans are bieng stollen and kidnapped and their organs are smuggled to the forien countries. On proportion of these childrens are also sold to the oil-rich middle-est countries for the une of the camel race. (...)
I will send you the rest of the text tomorrow. But I need your help !! for this vast project. Our year long campaign programme starts from 16 May 2000. Two major focus part of this are : (1) Year 2000 is the international campaigne year against the Farakka Barrage, (2) Since 1976 every year the 16 May is being observed as "National Farakka Resistance Day" therefore, to focus on the consiquence of the advers affect of the barrages all over the world including the Farakka Barrage we want to coordinate other national and international anti barrage movement (for example: Narmada Dam of india) we propose to ovserve the 16 May as the "International Barrage Ressitant Day" from nest year of 2001. For this and we are going to summit a formal request to the international institutions like UNESCO, FAO, ILO etc. trough different people's and humantarian organisations and to convince the member-states of these organisations.With greetings.
QUAZI Abdullah Al Mamun
co-ordinator
Internation Committee for Campaign Against Farakka Barrage (ICCAF)
