Jharsuguda District

The fight for the doomed land

Here's a video that tells the story of the struggle of the people displaced by the Hirakud dam and their right over the land. makarandpurohit posted 4 years 2 months ago

On January 13, 1957, the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated the Hirakud dam, calling it the temple of modern India. It has submerged more than 360 villages (1,23,000 acres of land) and displaced 26,561 families.

Hirakud Dam (Source: India Water Portal)

Green nod to Odisha's coal washery project cancelled

Policy matters this week Swati Bansal posted 4 years 5 months ago

Government cancels green nod to Odisha's coal washery project

Coal mines in Jharsuguda. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)

Black life: Impact of coal mining in Jharsuguda

Agricultural lands of thousands of people have been destroyed in Odisha and the growing need for power is trumping over the environment. Better regulation can help but it needs to happen soon. makarandpurohit posted 7 years 2 months ago

"The agricultural production in our region has deteriorated due to pollution. Haphazard mining has lead to serious drinking water problems in the area", says Indar Bilas Shah, a 56- year old resident of Obada village, Lakhanpur block in Jharsuguda, Odisha. He's not the only one. Thousands of villagers in Jharsuguda echo these sentiments.

Who's to blame?

Work in progress in coal mines in Jharsuguda

Doomed by displacement

The Hirakud dam in Odisha was supposed to control flooding and bring people water and power. Instead, it has taken away their livelihoods and only brought them hardship and misery. makarandpurohit posted 7 years 5 months ago

The Hirakud Dam project is the oldest of its kind in India. The dam was built across the Mahanadi river about 15 kms upstream of Sambalpur in the state of Odisha. It is the first major multipurpose river valley project in post-independent India and also one of its longest.

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