OPINIONLEAD

Published:March27,201301:00IST|Updated:March27,201301:00ISTMarch27,2013

Thepast&presentofIndianenvironmentalism
RamachandraGuha

Pollutedskies,deadrivers,disappearingforestsanddisplacementofpeasantsandtribalsarewhatweseearoundus40yearsafterthe
Chipkomovementstarted

Onthe27thofMarch1973exactly40yearsagoagroupofpeasantsinaremoteHimalayanvillagestoppedagroupofloggersfrom
fellingapatchoftrees.ThuswasborntheChipkomovement,andthroughitthemodernIndianenvironmentalmovementitself.

ThefirstthingtorememberaboutChipkoisthatitwasnotunique.Itwasrepresentativeofawidespectrumofnaturalresourceconflictsin
the1970sand1980sconflictsoverforests,fish,andpastureconflictsaboutthesitingoflargedamsconflictsaboutthesocialand
environmentalimpactsofunregulatedmining.Inallthesecases,thepressuresofurbanandindustrialdevelopmenthaddeprivedlocal
communitiesofaccesstotheresourcesnecessarytotheirownlivelihood.Peasantssawtheirforestsbeingdivertedbythestatefor
commercialexploitationpastorialistssawtheirgrazinggroundstakenoverbyfactoriesandengineeringcollegesartisanalfisherfolksaw
themselvesbeingsqueezedoutbylargetrawlers.

Socialjusticeandsustainability

IntheWest,theenvironmentalmovementhadarisenchieflyoutofadesiretoprotectendangeredanimalspeciesandnaturalhabitats.In
India,however,itaroseoutoftheimperativeofhumansurvival.Thiswasanenvironmentalismofthepoor,whichmarriedtheconcernof
socialjusticeontheonehandwithsustainabilityontheother.Itarguedthatpresentpatternsofresourceusedisadvantagedlocal
communitiesanddevastatedthenaturalenvironment.

Backinthe1970s,whenthestateoccupiedthecommandingheightsoftheeconomy,andIndiawasclosetotheSovietUnion,theactivistsof
ChipkoandothersuchmovementsweredismissedbytheircriticsasagentsofWesternimperialism.Theyhad,itwasalleged,beenfunded
andpromotedbyforeignerswhohopedtokeepIndiabackward.Slowly,however,thesheerpersistenceoftheseprotestsforcedthestateinto
makingsomeconcessions.WhenIndiraGandhireturnedtopower,in1980,aDepartmentofEnvironmentwasestablishedattheCentre,
becomingafullfledgedMinistryafewyearslater.Newlawstocontrolpollutionandtoprotectnaturalforestswereenacted.Therewaseven
talkofrestoringcommunitysystemsofwaterandforestmanagement.

Meanwhile,journalistsandscholarshadbegunmoresystematicallystudyingtheimpactofenvironmentaldegradationonsociallifeacross
India.ThepioneeringreportageofAnilAgarwal,DarrylDMonte,KalpanaSharma,UshaRai,NageshHegdeandothersplayedacriticalrole
inmakingthecitizenrymoreawareoftheseproblems.ScientistssuchasMadhavGadgilandA.K.N.Reddybeganworkingoutsustainable
patternsofforestandenergyuse.

Throughthesevariedefforts,theenvironmentalismofthepoorbegantoenterschoolandcollegepedagogy.Textbooksnowmentionedthe
ChipkoandNarmadamovements.Universitydepartmentsrancoursesonenvironmentalsociologyandenvironmentalhistory.Specialist
journalsdevotedtothesesubjectswerenowprintedandread.Elementsofanenvironmentalconsciousnesshad,finally,beguntopermeate
themiddleclass.

Changingperception
In1991theIndianeconomystartedtoliberalise.Thedismantlingofstatecontrolswasinpartwelcome,forthelicencepermitquotaRajhad
stifledinnovationandentrepreneurship.Unfortunately,thevotariesofliberalisationmountedanevenmoresavageattackon
environmentaliststhandidtheproponentsofstatesocialism.Undertheirinfluencethemedia,oncesosensitivetoenvironmentalmatters,
nowbegantodemonisepeoplelikeMedhaPatkar,leaderoftheNarmadamovement.Influentialcolumnistschargedthatshe,andher
comrades,wererelicsfromabygoneera,oldfashionedleftistswhowishedtokeepIndiabackward.Inasinglegeneration,environmentalists
hadgonefrombeingseenascapitalistcroniestobeingdamnedassocialiststooges.

Environmentalistswereattackedbecause,withthedismantlingofstatecontrols,onlytheyaskedthehardquestions.Whenanewfactory,
highway,orminingprojectwasproposed,onlytheyaskedwherethewaterorlandwouldcomefrom,orwhattheconsequenceswouldbefor
thequalityoftheair,thestateoftheforests,andthelivelihoodofthepeople.Wasdevelopmentunderliberalisationonlygoingtofurther
intensifythedisparitiesbetweencityandcountryside?BeforeapprovingtherashofminingleasesincentralIndia,orthelargehydelprojects
beingbuiltinthehigh(andseismicallyfragile)Himalayas,hadanyonesystematicallyassessedtheirsocialandenvironmentalcostsand
benefits?WasasysteminwhichtheEnvironmentalImpactAssessmentwaswrittenbythepromoterhimselfsomethingademocracyshould
tolerate?These,andotherquestionslikethem,werebrushedoffevenastheywerebeingasked.

Steadydeterioration

Meanwhile,theenvironmentcontinuedtodeteriorate.ThelevelsofairpollutionwerenowshockinglyhighinallIndiancities.Therivers
alongwhichthesecitiesweresitedwereeffectivelydead.GroundwateraquifersdippedalarminglyinIndiasfoodbowl,thePunjab.Districts
inKarnatakaweredevastatedbyopencastmining.AcrossIndia,theuntreatedwasteofcitieswasdumpedonvillages.Forestscontinuedto
decline,andsometimesdisappear.Eventhefateofournationalanimal,thetiger,nowhunginthebalance.

Amajorcontributoryfactortothiscontinuingprocessofdegradationhasbeentheapathyandcorruptionofourpoliticalclass.Abirdwatcher
herself,friendlywithprogressiveconservationistssuchasSalimAli,IndiraGandhimayhavebeenthePrimeMinistermostsensitive(orat
leastleastinsensitive)tomattersofenvironmentalsustainability.Ontheotherhand,ofallPrimeMinisterspastandpresentDr.Manmohan
Singhhasbeenthemostactivelyhostile.Thisispartlyaquestionofacademicbackgroundeconomistsaretrainedtothinkthatmarketscan
conquerallformsofscarcity.ItispartlyamatterofideologicalbeliefbothasFinanceMinister,andnowasPrimeMinister,Dr.Singhhas
arguedthateconomicgrowthmustalwaystakeprecedenceoverquestionsofenvironmentalsustainability.

AnenvironmentallyliteratePrimeMinisterwouldcertainlyhelp.Thatsaid,itisStatelevelpoliticianswhoaremostdeeplyinvolvedin
promotingminingandinfrastructureprojectsthateschewenvironmentalsafeguardsevenastheydisregardthecommunitiestheydisplace.In
myownState,Karnataka,miningbaronsaredirectlypartofthepoliticalestablishment.InotherStatestheyactthroughleadersofthe
Congress,theBJP,andregionalparties.

In1928,45yearsbeforethebirthoftheChipkomovement,MahatmaGandhihadsaid:GodforbidthatIndiashouldevertaketo
industrialisationafterthemanneroftheWest.Theeconomicimperialismofasingletinyislandkingdom(England)istodaykeepingthe
worldinchains.Ifanentirenationof300milliontooktosimilareconomicexploitation,itwouldstriptheworldbarelikelocusts.

ThekeyphraseinthisquotationisafterthemanneroftheWest.GandhiknewthattheIndianmasseshadtobeliftedoutofpovertythat
theyneededdecenteducation,dignifiedemployment,safeandsecurehousing,freedomfromwantandfromdisease.Likewise,thebest
IndianenvironmentalistssuchasthefounderoftheChipkomovement,ChandiPrasadBhatthavebeenhardheadedrealists.Whatthey
askforisnotareturntothepast,butforthenurturingofasociety,andeconomy,thatmeetsthedemandsofthepresentwithoutimperilling
theneedsofthefuture.

Inthe1980sand1990s,thefinestmindsintheenvironmentalmovementsoughttomarrysciencewithsustainability.Theysoughttodesign,
andimplement,forest,energy,waterandtransportpoliciesthatwouldaugmenteconomicproductivityandhumanwelfarewithoutcausing
environmentalstress.Theyactedintheknowledgethat,unliketheWest,Indiadidnothavecolonieswhoseresourcesitcoulddrawuponin
itsownindustrialrevolution.

Inthemid1980s,asIwasbeginningmyacademiccareer,theGovernmentofKarnatakabeganproducinganexcellentannualstateofthe
environmentreport,curatedbyatoprankingbiologist,CecilSaldanha,andwithcontributionsfromleadingeconomists,ecologists,energy
scientists,andurbanplanners.Thesescientificarticlessoughttodirectthegovernmentspoliciestowardsmoresustainablechannels.Suchan
effortisinconceivablenow,andnotjustinKarnataka.Fortheprimevictimofeconomicliberalisationhasbeenenvironmentalsustainability.

Corporateinterests

Awise,andcaring,governmentwouldhavedeepenedtheprecocious,farseeingeffortsofourenvironmentalscientists.Instead,rational,
factbasedscientificresearchisnowtreatedwithcontemptbythepoliticalclass.TheUnionEnvironmentMinistrysetupbyIndiraGandhi
has,astheEconomicandPoliticalWeeklyrecentlyremarked,buckledcompletelytocorporateandindustrialinterests.Thesituationinthe
Statesisevenworse.

Indiatodayisanenvironmentalbasketcasemarkedbypollutedskies,deadrivers,fallingwatertables,everincreasingamountsofuntreated
wastes,disappearingforests.Meanwhile,tribalandpeasantcommunitiescontinuetobepushedofftheirlandsthroughdestructiveand
carelesslyconceivedprojects.AnewChipkomovementiswaitingtobeborn.

(RamachandraGuhasbooksincludeHowMuchShouldaPersonConsume?Hecanbereachedat
ramachandraguha@yahoo.in)

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