Dams across the world have a history of being controversial, and this certainly holds true in this region. The latest dam trouble is taking placein the Gandak area, in the plains of southern Nepal, only a few kilometres from Uttar Pradesh. For much of June, local residents staged a sit-in a mere 150 metres from the sluice gates of the Gandak Dam, refusing to move until Kathmandu and New Delhi gave serious consideration to the 21-point demand they have put forth.

The protestors are complaining that the dam contributes to the flooding of their homes and lands every year during the monsoon. During the dry season, they say, the Indian government does not open the sluice gates to the canals on the Nepal side, thus redirecting all of the water to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Furthermore, the entire barrage is said to be in a state of disrepair. Under the bilateral Gandak Agreement of 1959, which led to the construction of the dam, India is responsible for the building and upkeep of the structure, with Nepal providing the land on which the barrage stands. Now, the local people of the area are demanding that the Gandak Agreement be repealed, and that another deal be renegotiated in its place.

With the issue heating up for a month, India finally agreed to address the matter. After reviewing suggestions forwarded by the Nepal government, New Delhi has agreed to meet 12 of the demands made by the local residents. With action thus promised, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu says the agitations should now be halted. However, leaders of the demonstration, corroborated by officials at the dam, say the site has not seen any activity to suggest efforts at improvement.

Source: Himal South Asian, Monthly, July 2008