ASSIGNMENT 1 – READING OVERVIEW

COM-7: Natural Resource based Livelihoods.

Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Hyderabad.

UNIT 1: Linking Natural resources and Livelihoods.

Reading: Ecological conflicts and the environmental movement in India.

GROUP NO. 7:

1. Abraham Noel Gandhamalla (PPG) – H2017PPGM037

2. Lenminsei Kipgen (RDG) – H2017RDGM033
3. Rakesh Ramteke (RDG) – H2017RDG031
4. Subhasis Samal (PPG) – H2017PPG028
5. V G Krithika (RDG) – H2017RDGM032
Titled as “Ecological Conflicts and the Environment Movement in India”, this article written
by Madhav Gadgil and Ramachandra Guha in the year 1994 attempts to draw a
comprehensive list of environmental movements that occurred in various parts of India on
various domains. It looks at these movements through the lens of the ideology that has
propelled them and tries to highlight the different ideological trends that prevail in the
environmental movements. They have also spoken of the strands and the ideologies which
contrast among the first world environmentalism and the third world environmentalism. Guha
and Gadgil in this work have systematically studies the issues of resource conflict and also
the influence and affinity that man has linked with the nature by the dependence for
livelihood purposes.

In this article, they have elaborated on the conflicts stating them to be elements of
social conflicts and the need for environmental sustainability to be preserved alongside
ensuring distributive justice and economic efficiency. The list of conflicts has been classified
based upon the various categories of resources such as the forests, dams, fisheries and mines.
In terms of forests, they state the conflicts to have begun in the 1970’s-80’s with violence
erupting over the control of them. Large tracts of land being taken up by the Colonial
government under the forest laws leading to increased dissatisfaction among the forest
dwellers. This caused an intense conflict among the state and the users of these forest
resources. While the conflicts prevailed in colonial period, post-colonial period flagged off
community based mobilisations against the state. The development discourse of the state
being focussed on achieving maximum efficiency and productivity out of the forest
resources. Chipko movement is one among those iconic movements where the community
untied and hugged the trees protesting against the deforestation. They then elaborate on the
category of dams and explain in detail the various protests and controversies that many of the
dam construction projects in India have faced. There has been opposition from the people
citing the ecological and social factors. Displacement of mass population and deprivation in
terms of cultural, economical and psychological factors have also been discussed. The
authors also explain the case of Mulshi Satyagraha and discuss various other cases of
people’s resistance against the construction of dams. In the case of fisheries, the authors have
explained the conflicts that exist between the users of trawlers and those who use the small-
scale gill netters. They also elaborate on the conflicts occurring on the coastal lands. The
authors further elaborate on the category of mines and the various resistance that followed the
announcement of some projects in India. While they stated that these mines threaten the
livelihood and distort the fertility of the area, they have justified it under the development
discourse.

The authors further write on the major trends in the ideological front of these
environmental movements. The three key ideologies being the Crusading Gandhian, Marxists
and the Appropriate Technology. The Crusading Gandhian category focuses on the moral
aspect while the Marxist category focuses on the idea of environmentalism in order to address
the distributive injustice in terms of the resources. The third category of appropriate
technology looks at the possibility of using efficient and advanced methods of technology to
have a sustainable model of development. Further towards the end, the authors have
discussed the concepts on first world environmentalism and the third world environmentalism
where the differences between these on the areas of economic, social and political trajectories
have been discussed. Ecology being viewed as a conservation strategy and on the other hand
being protected due to its linkage to livelihood as a threat. Overall, the article has explained
the different ecological movements, the perspectives on the conflicts between the state and
the stakeholders involved with the resources.

With respect to the other works written by the authors their work titled “This fissured
Land: an ecological history of India” has attempted to draw the entire set of ecological
historiographies in India and has listed the various movements and events that have shaped
the environmentalism in India. “The Unquiet Woods: ecological change and peasant
resistance in the Himalayas” by Ramachandra Guha in 2000 looks at the patterns and
trajectories of environmental related activism in India with a special focus on the grassroot
mobilisation of communities and its role in shaping the government policies.

When one looks at this article, it can be argued that if the lives of the numerous people
affected are subsistence oriented and would not make much impact on their political position;
they go through with it. Whereas if the few people affected are influential and can impact on
their political position then they shelved the project making their statements more valid. It is
quite indicative that it is the right time for the government to find technological-economical
alternatives for generating the required energy. But the government does not seem to explore
on a more viable and acceptable means. While the former is driven by subsistence, the latter is
driven by economic opportunity of the influential people, or aesthetic reasons.

Additionally, it can also be argued that it gives opportunity to the government (whether
they take it or not is another issue) to address the high poverty rate in India. Because, it revealed
a set of population who are more vulnerable than the rest so identifying shouldn't be an issue
now. We can recommend a more inclusive development approach where people who pays the
prices understands that they are part of the development and thus benefit to an extent where
their vulnerabilities are reduced.

Gadgil, M., & Guha, R. (1994). Ecological conflicts and the environmental movement in India.

Development and change, 25(1), 101-136. Retrieved from

http://wgbis.ces.iisc.ernet.in/biodiversity/pubs/mg/pdfs/mg129.pdf

Gadgil, M., & Guha, R. (1993). This fissured land: an ecological history of India. University

of California Press.

Guha, R. (2000). The unquiet woods: ecological change and peasant resistance in the

Himalaya. University of California Press.