Environmental Movements in India 

Several environmental movements at various levels (local, state, regional,

national and international) campaign for sustainable development. Green
Movement and Conservation Movement demand protection and conservation
of the environment that aims at safeguarding human rights.
Harsh Sethi classifies environment movements/struggles into three types such
as:
- struggles for entitlement of different social groups to environmental resources
- struggles are those seeking to change the public policy pertaining to
environmental resource use, and
- struggles focusing on the man nature relationships that criticise the dominant
development paradigm which exploit natural resources
(Harsh Sethi, Survival and Democracy: Ecological Struggles in India, 1993)
The Environment Movements such as Chipko Movement to save forests, Save
Silent Valley to save the valley from flooding of hydroelectric projects in the
evergreen tropical forest in Palakkad district of Kerala, Anti-Tehri Dam
Movement in Uttarakhand, Narmada Bachao Andolan, other Jangal Bachao
Andolan in Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, Jhola Andolan Chutmarika (fighting
polythene) and other Green Movements are important
The Chipko Movement/ ‘hug the tree movement’ in 1970s confronted the state
as the local people of Tehri-Garhwal village demanded that they should get the
benefits of the forests (especially the right to fodder)
Many women faced police firings and a committee was set up to look into the
matter, which eventually ruled in favour of the villagers
Ramchandra Guha argues that Chipko Movement had a powerful message
against the violation of customary rights by state forestry which focused on a
wide range of issues in forest policy and the debates on environment
(Ramchandra Guha, Environmentalism: A Global History, 2000)
Save Silent Valley Movement was against the hydroelectric dam in early 1970s
as it would have submerged huge area of untouched moist evergreen forest
Several NGOs supported the movement and in 1983 the Silent Valley
Hydroelectric Project was called off
Jungle Bachao Andholan by the tribals of Singhbhum district of Bihar protested
the government’s decision to replace the natural sal forests with the highly-
priced teak and later the movement spread to Jharkhand and Odisha

Inspired by Chipko Movement the local people in Uttara Kannada

district of Karnataka Province in southern India were part of Appiko Movement
as a protest against the cutting of trees by contractors of the forest department
The protesters raised awareness through foot marches in the interior forest, and
organised folk dances and street plays to promote afforestation and demanded
rational use of ecosphere through introducing alternative energy resource to
reduce pressure on the forest
Narmada Bachao Andholan (NBA) was initially a protest for adequate
rehabilitation and resettlement for the displaced people due to construction
of Sardar Sarovar Dam
Later it focused on the preservation of the environment and the eco-systems of
the valley
However, the Supreme Court approved construction of the Dam with a
condition that its height could be raised to 90 mts. which is lower than the
proposed height of 130 mts.
The Tehri Dam, a hydro-electric project that withholds a reservoir for irrigation,
municipal water supply and the generation of of hydroelectricity saw protests
against submergence of forest areas along with Tehri town
The protest was against the displacement of large sections of inhabitants
alongside the disastrous environmental consequences due to weak ecosystem
Large hectares of forestland across the country have been diverted for non-
forestry activities
Appropriation of forests for development projects such as defence projects,
dams, mines, industries, power plants, and roads, deprived the tribals of their
customary rights
Almost 75 per cent of the displaced people due to the development projects are
tribals

The people’s movement against nuclear energy can be traced back to the
Network to Oust Nuclear Energy (NONE) which campaigned against
displacement of communities
However, critics of these movements blame the NGOs and protestors for
creating an anti-foreign investment atmosphere
The movements against nuclear plants such as Kundankulam Nuclear Power
Plant (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu since 2002, is important
The opposition from local fishermen and protests since 2002 is against the
impossibility of evacuation of people in the event of a nuclear disaster
Though in 2011 a PIL was filed in the Supreme Court against the nuclear power
plant as unsafe, in 2013 the court ruled in favour of the plant stating that nuclear
power plant was in the larger public interest
Forests are disappearing due to land acquisition for development projects
Other than Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), plantations like teak,
eucalyptus, bamboo make forests a good source of income for the government
Therefore, forest departments have diverted large acres of forest land for such
plantations
Over the years, commercial exploitation of forests and large developmental
projects resulted in depletion and undermining of forests that disrupted the
livelihood of tribal people
The consequential effect of state policies to tap forest resources for
development alienated tribals from the forest land resulting in loss of livelihood
resources and severe disruption of their culture, identity, dignity and freedom
Since forests remain an integral part of the tribal culture and economy, tribal
people and forest dwellers continue to be morally responsible for preserving and
sustaining the forests
As a tradition of faith, they worship the forests and tribal resistance has been
growing all over the country to protect the forests and their rights to forest
The PESA (Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas), Act 1996 prohibits the
state to make any law which is not in consonance with the customary law, the
social, religious and community practices and traditions. There can be no
universal approach to manage natural resources keeping the social diversity in
mind. Community management of common resources (E. Ostrom) will lead to
efficiency and development and thus development projects should take
cognizance of their right to livelihood.
In order to correct the historical injustice done to millions of tribal and other
forest dwellers across the country, Forest Rights Act was passed in 2006
which recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other
traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were
dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other
socio-cultural needs.
FRA, 2006, aims at providing restitution of deprived forest rights which
includes both the individual right to cultivate forest land and the community
right over common property resources. Though FRA has been implemented for
more than a decade, and is held as a landmark fortitude at recognizing the rights
of adivasis, it has failed to benefit majority of the deprived. It is conservation of
the forests that can only protect their right to livelihood. Therefore conserving
forests is the common objective of both wildlife rights based groups and forest
dwellers whose rights have been recognised by the Scheduled Tribes and Other
Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. It is
important not to be see the biodiversity conservation and community-based
conservation as binaries.
The narratives of the villagers, in particular women, who were in the forefront
of the protests against POSCO, a South Korean Company, that proposed to
build a steel plant, captive power station and port in Erasama block of
Jagatsinghpur district, are important. They unmasked how the development
projects of the state that handed over vast areas of natural resources such as
mining, fertile land, water and forest reserves to the corporate sector and
international finance capital to secure industrial and economic growth, resulted
in deprivation and alienation of large mass of the villagers from their livelihood
resources.
Since 2008, the Villagers in Dhinkia, under the banner of the POSCO Pratirodh
Sangram Samiti (PPSS), protested land acquisition in order to protect the
resources of livelihood. They opposed the acquisition of their land by POSCO,
as cultivating betel, cashew nut, mango, and other fruits, pisiculture, and fishing
in the Jatadhari Muhana (estuary) where the port was proposed, was a source of
livelihood to almost 20,000 people in eight villages in Dhinkia, Nuagaon and
Gadakujanga Gram Panchayats.
Similarly, the order of the Supreme Court in 2013 which made the consent of
the Gram Sabha/Village Council mandatory to acquire land in scheduled areas
is an important step that respects the customary rights of the tribals over the
natural resources. For the first time an environmental referendum was
conducted on the directive of the Supreme Court to find out whether mining in
the Niyamgiri hills will tantamount to an infringement of the religious,
customary, community and individual rights of the tribals and forest-dwellers.
Niyamgiri hills in Odisha is home to primitive tribal groups (over 8000 Dongria
Kondhs, a few hundred Kutia Kondhs and other forest dwellers) who consider
the hill as sacred as it is the abode of Niyamraja/ King of Mountains, their
presiding deity.
The Palli Sabha/ Village Council unanimously passed a resolution opposing
the proposed $ 1.7 billion mining project by Vedanta Aluminium Limited
(VAL) and Orissa Mining Corporation as it is in violation of the rights of the
tribes under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006. The verdict of the Gram Sabha
will certainly influence the decision of the central government to grant forest
clearance for mining lease.
Thus, the Supreme Court’s judgement affirms the decision-making powers of
the smaller units of local governance /Village Councils.
Several people’s rights groups such as the All India Forum of Forest
Movements, National Advocacy Council for Development of Indigenous
People, Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, Campaign for Survival and Dignity, and
National Alliance for People’s Movement argue that degrading and shrinking
forest cover is because of the mining industries, timber industries, development
of tourism industries, wildlife sanctuaries, and biodiversity parks that also
disturb the wildlife.
There is a need to conserve and regenerate the forest eco-system for a
sustainable livelihood. A coherent policy for enhancing the status of forest
alongside agro-ecological system by integrating patterns of land-use including
forest land, irrigation, and pastures is therefore important.
Women have always played an important role to save the forests Drawing
insights from the Chipko Movement in 1873, women continue to struggle for
their rights to forest in several regions of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal, Assam, Tripura, Himanchal Pradesh,
Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
They lead the protests against large hectares of forestland across the country
which have been diverted for non-forestry activities
The tribal women in several states have been active in the protests against the
exploration of mineral resources and destruction of forests by the Mining
Projects and against land acquisition. The consultation committee by the local
villagers protested land acquisition and forcible evictions by the mining
corporations after analysing its impact on the livelihood resources such as land,
forests, and water.
Women from the traditional forest communities across states play an important
role in All India Union of Forest Working People, a union of Adivasis and Dalit
communities, to collectively protect forests from poachers and encroachers and
protect community forest governance.
They have formed Women Forest Rights Action Committee to protect
community rights over forest land and its produce. Women protest
compensatory afforestation through plantations of trees, particularly
monocultures, which can never replace the diverse, complex flora and fauna
which is destroyed in forests.
Women actively participate in conservation and management of the forest.
Women have taken the initiative to protect their forest rights by forming a
Centre for Forest Rights Information to generate awareness about FRA, 2006,
and community rights over forests.
The tribal women have formed informal groups to replant the traditional crops
and conserve the forests to meet their diverse food habits. They argue that
dispossession of the traditional crops has resulted in increasing malnutrition and
hunger of their children. Adivasis and forest dwellers have always conserved
energy and sustained the soil fertility and biodiversity for generations.
Thus, there is a need to protect the rights of tribal and forest dwelling
communities to conserve and regenerate the forest eco-system for a sustainable
livelihood. The customary rights to forests alongside indigenous knowledge
about traditional forestry practices can only be protected when tribal
communities participate in the decision-making related to forest governance and
forest protection at the local level.
It is important to protect the symbiotic relationship between the tribal people
and forests – the right to protect, regenerate and develop forest, and the need to
be integrated in the conservation efforts. Intensification of climate change
impact has made the movement for positive change relevant and many young
activists are spreading awareness and motivating others to take action for a
cleaner, cooler and happier world.
Voicing environmental concerns, climate change activists across the country
oppose coal mining, thermal projects, and criticise mainstream energy choices
and development trajectories which are detrimental to environment.
Some of the recent environment movements such as Climate Action Strike
following Greta Thunberg’s call for mass protests in 2019 by students across
metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Chennai staged
peaceful protests -
They urged governments to take definitive action on the issue of climate change
and spread awareness about its impact on the planet.
Save the Sundarbans is a movement to save the huge area located in the delta of
the Ganga and the Brahmaputra which is home to Bengal tigers and saltwater
crocodiles among other species. It is the largest mangrove forest in the world
which is shrinking fast because of increased sea levels and beatings from
cyclones that are frequent due to climate change.
The Save Aarey protest rallies against the proposal for Mumbai Metro Rail
Corporation Limited’s (MMRCL) metro 3 car-shed are demanding protection of
the only national park located within the city limits of Mumbai which is home
to flora and fauna, and to many tribal communities displaced due to various
government projects.
Save Dehing-Patkai and the hashtag #SaveDehingPatkai online protests by
people across the country against the recent decision by the National Board of
Wildlife (NBWL) to allow North-Eastern Coal Fields (NEC) to do opencast
mining in 98.59 hectares of Dehing-Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is important.
Various movements on social media are part of #RighttoBreathe Protest due to
the plummeted Air Quality Index (AQI) as toxic smog choked Delhi violating
the right to health.The Supreme Court ordered the state governments to address
the crop and waste burning issue. The central government has also agreed to use
the Green fund to combat toxic air pollution.
Thus, various climate change activists, CSOs and action groups, such as the
Campaign for Survival and Dignity, Environment Action Group, and Nature
Conservation Society argue for the need to protect and conserve the natural
resources for securing the right to life and livelihood which is a human right.
References
Harsh Sethi, (1993), ‘Survival and Democracy: Ecological Struggles in India’, in Poona
Wignaraja (ed.) New Social Movements in the South: Empowering the People, Vistaar
Publications.
Ramachandra Guha, (2000), Environmentalism: A Global History, Oxford University Press.
Suranjita Ray ‘Women and Forest Rights’ in Women’s Watch, April-June 2018, (NFIW).
Suranjita Ray ‘Alienation of Rights to Forest’ in Mainstream, 13-19 July, 2018.
Suranjita Ray ‘Interpreting Forest Rights Act’ in Women’s Watch by NFIW, January-March
2019, National Federation of Indian Women, page 30-32.
Suranjita Ray ‘Interpreting FRA to Uphold Justice’ in Mainstream VOL LVII No 15, 30
March 2019, page 7-11.
Suranjita Ray ‘Regenerating The Forest Ecosystem: Few Concerns’ in Mainstream VOL 61
No 13, 25 March 2023 (Online Issue)