A Cruise On The Narmada River: Is It Legal, Just Or Justified?

The Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department proposed to start cruise ship services for tourists on the Narmada River, in early 2022. The cruise ships, yet to become operational, will go from Badwani in Madhya Pradesh to the Statue of Unity in Kevadiya, Gujarat, covering a distance of approximately 135 km. Each ship will carry 70 passengers in luxury and 56 passengers in the budget cruise vessels. These cruises will exclusively cater to tourists, providing facilities like bars, swimming pool, water sports and other leisure activities. Infrastructure for this project includes the construction of floating jetties and additional amenities to support tourists. Two additional sites, Hanfeshwar and Silarja, have been identified as stoppage points along the route. ​ This initiative is part of the government’s goal to develop luxury tourism in the region, with a 15-30% subsidy provided to attract investment in this sector. Periodically, the project was widely advertised in local newspapers and media, boasting about its economic benefits through potential tourism attraction and “foreign dollars” coming to the state.

However, this project seemed to have violated significant environmental protection laws and ignored key social concerns related to the pollution of drinking water sources, impacts on fisheries and fisher workers, irrigation for farmers and the communities’ rights on water sources. The intention of attaining such benefits to ‘economy’ is a worrying trend of disregarding ecological balance and community well-being in pursuit of profiteering tourism activities as business.

The Tourism Department of Madhya Pradesh enlisted WAPCOS Limited, a government-owned consultancy firm, to conduct a feasibility study for the project. Despite the voluminous reports generated by WAPCOS, the absence of any environmental or social impact assessments is something that should draw our attention. Such oversight points to evident neglect of ecological integrity to protect the Narmada river, and life and livelihoods of the communities that are dependent on it.

Environmental and social precedents of the project

Introducing cruise ships into the Narmada river, transformed into Sardar Sarovar, poses severe risks to its ecology. Increased water pollution from fuel and waste, disruption of aquatic life, and the potential for accidents, all threaten the river’s health. The local fisheries, a crucial source of livelihood for traditional fishing and a few thousand families are particularly vulnerable. The socio-economic costs, often marginalised in such projects, include pollution that renders water non-potable, and of air too, displacement due to loss to the traditional livelihoods, and their culture.

The impacts of such a project can be traced through the research done on houseboat projects in Kuttanad, Kerala. A study by Meebill Mathews, a lecturer at CMS College, Kottayan, shows problems with such projects leading to severe environmental damage and pollution that include dumping of plastics, discharge of human waste in water and diesel, oil and fuel spills in water causing polycyclic hydrocarbon pollution of water bodies. Economically, the cost of these damages accounts to much higher than the income generated from such tourism projects, as is concluded by expert researchers.

In the case of the cruise project on Narmada river, similar concerns were raised. If the plastic and other disposable waste and faecal matter produced by tourists is dumped in the river, it will be challenging to prevent it. The operation of cruises causes disturbance in the riverine ecosystem with noise pollution and sound waves absorbed down into deep water zones. These cruises may also release pollutants during operation and there could be leakages. Especially during monsoons and times of flood, any accident would cause huge oil spills and irreversible damage. Such an accident was also reported recently when parts of a cruise sank in the water in Badwani.

Shyama Jiji, a fisherwoman who lives in Pichhodi village in Badwani expressed the concerns of the fishing community, saying, “Such big cruises will break our nets in the river and destroy our fishing. It will pollute our drinking water, making it oily and greasy. This will impact our daily bread and butter. Big cruises are meant for oceans, not our holy river. People sitting in Delhi want cruises on our river, which will destroy our livelihood just for their amusement. Fishing is our right and our only designated work as fishers. Either give us land in lieu of that or leave our river.”

A legal fight and its verdict

Subhash Pandey, a well-known Bhopal-based environmentalist, filed a petition at the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the project. The petition cited multiple legal frameworks, including the Wetland Management Rules, 2017; the Environmental Protection Act, 1986; the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974; the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981; and the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The Bhoj wetland, a Ramsar site of international importance, was highlighted as particularly vulnerable to the proposed activities. In the proceedings of the case, the MP State Pollution Control Board presented a report, as asked by the NGT, showing no significant harm to the river. The report was not accepted as it had no technical backing. Further, the NGT invited a report from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), given its expertise and made its final decision in favour of the appellant, ordering an immediate halt to all developments related to the cruise project planned in several water bodies including Bhoj lake in Bhopal. The verdict highlighted the need to prioritise environmental conservation over commercial interests, setting a significant precedent for similar cases across the country.

Undeterred by the NGT’s ruling, the Madhya Pradesh Tourism Department appealed to the Supreme Court without any information to the original applicant, Pandey. However, through an order in March that reaffirmed the NGT’s stance, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal stating that NGT has rightly taken a step to protect various lakes in the state and protected lakes will attract more tourists.

This was a legal victory for the petitioner and local communities.

A controversial move by the Inland Waterways Authority

Despite these legal victories, the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) recently issued a tender for designing, constructing, supplying installation, testing and commissioning of two jetties on the Narmada for the cruise project in Kevadiya. Further, IWAI signed an MoU with Gujarat and the MP governments for river cruise tourism in April. The initial construction work at several sites in MP has begun.

This is an irresponsible move and comprises a contempt of the court, blatantly disregarding the Supreme Court’s decision. Construction is being conducted on the land acquired for the reservoir of the Sardar Sarovar dam, which can’t be utilised for any other purposes. Therefore, it raises a serious fundamental question on IWAI’s integrity about governance, accountability, and the rule of law in environmental conservation.

The proposed cruise project on the Narmada is another example of the broader conflict between economic development and environmental protection. While tourism is seen as a source of economic growth, it must not come at the expense of our natural ecosystems with injustice to the communities that depend on them. Many times, these costs are externalised, and the damages are realised later. We must learn from past mistakes and prioritise long-term environmental protection over short-term economic gains.

The MP government and IWMI, along with all concerned authorities, must adhere to the legal mandates and prioritise conservation of the Narmada, local communities and natural resources in its basin. Only through a concerted effort can we ensure that our natural and cultural heritage is safeguarded for future generations.

(Published under Creative Commons from Mongabay-India. Read the original article here)