News Excerpt:
The construction of the Pong embankment was completed in 1974, but those displaced by the construction are yet to be rehabilitated and are protesting the declaration of Pong Dam eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
Why Locals are protesting?
- For more than five decades, over 25,000 individuals displaced by the Pong Dam on the Beas River in Himachal Pradesh have been awaiting relocation. Most of them sustained their livelihoods through farming in the dam vicinity.
- A draft policy suggesting the designation of the Pong Dam as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) could pose a new challenge to displaced individuals who have been waiting for relocation.
- The declaration will affect the livelihood of millions of people, the residents said. It will also complicate the process of carrying out any development work in the region, leading to long delays.
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PONG DAM
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Main Grievances:
- Locals said that the dam is filled with water for four months in a year. Once the water levels reduce, the residents carry out farming in the region.
- The locals are often harassed by wildlife conservationists, they alleged.
- The ESZ policy will impose more restrictions on these activities within a radius of 1-1.5 kilometers of the dam area.
- This potential setback has prompted them to prepare for a protest against the decision by the Union Ministry of Forest, Environment, and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
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What is Eco Sensitive Zone?
Purpose:
Objective:
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Ecological Importance of Pong Dam area:
- Pong Dam area is considered to be the resting place of hundreds of thousands of exotic birds every year and was declared a Ramsar Wetland Site in 2002 and notified as a wildlife sanctuary in 2013.
- Every year more than 100,000 birds migrate here from Central Asia, Mongolia, Siberia and China. Some of the birds that migrate here are bar-headed geese, gray light goose, common teal and cormorants.
Way forward:
- Overall, the situation surrounding the Pong Dam ESZ is complex and requires sensitive handling.
- The government should engage in genuine dialogue with the displaced people to address their concerns and find solutions that ensure both environmental protection and their well-being.
