Water - Matters…..From ‘Free Tibet’…..BBC Pics. of Scotland….
by Bernie Bell - 07:58 on 03 August 2024
Water - Matters…..
Good News….
https://x.com/RobGMacfarlane/status/1819040350553424086
Plus….
A short film from ‘Theatre for the Earth’…
https://theaterfortheearth.org/
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From ‘Free Tibet’….
“Dege County. By now, many of you will be familiar with the name.
Over the past weeks, we have shared key information from Tibet Watch’s groundbreaking report: Occupying Tibet’s Rivers: China’s hydropower ‘battlefield’ in Tibet, which spotlights the multiple threats that the Kamtok hydropower dam poses to the residents of Dege County.
Previous emails have described how this massive dam will see thousands forcibly displaced, how precious Buddhist monasteries will be submerged and how peaceful protests against the construction were met with violence and mass arrests.
In this fourth and final email in the series, we focus on perhaps the most surprising risk that the hydropower dam poses: to the environment and ecosystems in Dege County and beyond.
To break down how a so-called green energy project puts Tibet’s environment in peril, we present an interview with Tibet Watch Senior Researcher, Tenzin Choekyi, one of the authors of the report, and whose passion and concern for the Tibetan environment runs deep.
Free Tibet:
In a world affected by the climate crisis, what makes the situation in Tibet unique?
Tenzin Choekyi:
It’s the pace at which it is heating up. If heat is the most widely communicated indicator of climate crisis, then the Tibetan plateau is warming two to three times faster than the global average. This scientific consensus on Tibet is what makes the situation unique.
Free Tibet:
We have heard how the people of Dege County are going to be displaced by the Kamtok Dam project, but what impact could it have on the local environment?
Tenzin Choekyi:
By removing the Tibetans from their land, such projects are eradicating the Tibetan way of life which has, to this day, allowed the river to flow free, and protected its surrounding mountains. Tibetans believe that these mountains are sacred, they must not be blasted, and their own lives and livelihoods are intertwined with the wellbeing of non-human beings, mountain deities, that inhabit earth.
Here’s an anecdote from Dege which illustrates this connection. After eight Chinese workers were killed in a landslide on a sacred mountain, the local Tibetans gave a telling name to that area- Gya Sey Gang - the valley where the Chinese were killed. The local Tibetans, who have known the mountainous area for its sacredness and as a pilgrimage site, now also remember it through their unfortunate death.
As you mention, there are also negative environmental impacts: for any human activity that involves digging up earth, turning up stones (a direct translation of Tibetan expression for extraction), or disrupting the river flow, it entails the destruction of other living beings and their environment. Construction projects aren’t carried out without this knowledge. Therefore the land is chosen with care, and permission taken from the earth-deities before construction. Even in exile, Tibetans followed this practice in the land they are seeking refuge in. I was raised by refugee parents to respect the land, even if it’s not one’s own.
Free Tibet:
Is the issue of hydroelectric dams just occurring in Dege County, or is it indicative of a greater issue across Tibet?
Tenzin Choekyi:
Yes, it is indicative of a greater issue across Tibet.
The World Commision on Dams published a report in 2000 which highlighted the scale of China’s dam building. It said that by the end of last century China alone had built around 22,000 large dams, or close to half the world’s total number.
What is happening in Dege County, as well as Drakkar County, demonstrate how China’s dam building is reaching upriver in Tibet, where all the great rivers of Asia originate.
Free Tibet:
Does the possible impact on Tibet’s environment of these hydroelectric dam projects have global implications?
Tenzin Choekyi:
Billions depending on the rivers originating in Tibet already live in increasing uncertainty about water supply. When the rivers are dammed, it further reduces water flow.
The disruption of river flow also deprives communities downstream of clean water, communities who are already bearing the impact of the cascades of other hydrodams.
The Chinese government knows this all too well, since it issued its first national drought emergency in summer 2022 as Drichu dried up like never before, causing food, water and energy insecurity of millions living in the Tibetan region of Kham.
On top of this, there’s also the risk of reservoir induced earthquakes and flooding of reservoir dams.
Free Tibet:
As hydroelectric dams are a renewable source of energy, do you think the CCP is using this as an opportunity to ‘Greenwash’ their actions in Tibet?
Tenzin Choekyi:
Not only are they Greenwashing the mass expulsion of entire villages, they are not addressing the root problem of greed and overconsumption. The materialism and ideologies of capital prosperity with which they mask the suffering of Tibetans, of their culture, language and religion being suppressed and uprooted from their minds.
You can read the full report on Tibet Watch's website:
We would like to thank Choekyi for taking the time out of their busy schedule to speak about Dege County.
If you would like to learn more about Dege and the Kamtok Dam, you can read the full report on Tibet Watch’s website.
And for those who are now ready to take action, and challenge this reckless project, watch this space.
Thank you for your continued support.
John Jones
Head of Campaigns, Policy, and Research
P.S. Every piece of news you read from occupied Tibet is retrieved against the odds. To support human rights monitoring in Dege County, you can donate on our website: https://www.freetibet.org/donate. Thank you.
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BBC Pics. of Scotland….
26th of July - 2nd of August 2024…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3gvywr6194o
Judith Davies’ old phone box appealed to me….
http://www.spanglefish.com/berniesblog/blog.asp?blogid=16467
Jamie Oliver’s holiday pic. from North Uist brought back good memories...
https://theorkneynews.scot/2018/06/03/the-western-isles-or-there-and-back-again-vii/
Marshall Calderwood’s pic. of caterpillars on Ragwort prompted me to post this…..it’s worth knowing the facts about Ragwort. We've got a few in the meadow, and we'll wait until they're over and done with, then pull them before the meadow is strimmed and sent to our neighbour for his pigs. This way -everyone's a winner. We see the flowers, the bugs get what they get from them, and the pigs get some nice hay to roll about in, then eat. And then.....sometimes...we get pig-shit for our veg patch!
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