Deep Sea Mining, Early Indus Farmers, Indus Basin Dams

Some readings over the past couple of weeks- 

1) The Promise and Risks of Deep-Sea Mining: In late 1988 I visited the National Institute of Oceanography in Goa for a job interview. The buzz in the marine geology labs was about the discovery of manganese nodules on the deep sea bed of the Indian continental shelf. At that time, exploration had just started and the technology was not advanced enough to mine these lumps which contained, besides manganese, other metals like cobalt, nickel, and copper.  The nodule deposits were being looked at as a future resource. 

That day is upon us. Many countries have expressed an interest in mining the deep-sea bed for metals required for the transition away from fossil fuels. Metals concentration of Mn, Co, Ni, and Cu also occurs around hydrothermal vents. Not much is known about the ecology and biodiversity of these remote sites. Most experts feel that mining will result in extensive damage to the sea floor ecosystems and to life in the surrounding water column.

Daisy Chung, Ernest Scheyder, and Clare Trainor describe what is at stake in this beautifully illustrated article published by Reuters. 

2) Indus Valley farming started later than thought, radiocarbon study shows:  Mehrgarh, in Balochistan, Pakistan, was thought to be South Asia's oldest farming settlement going back to around 8000 B.C. New carbon dating of grains using a more robust dating method called Accelerator Mass Spectrometry has revised the date of earliest occupation to around 5200 B.C. Subhra Priyadarshini writes about the implications of this new date with regards to the origins and spread of farming in South Asia and cultural linkages of Mehrgarh to the Indus Civilization. 

3) Water Towers of the Indus Basin: Last month's heinous terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, India, has refocused attention on the Indus Water Treaty between India and Pakistan and the many hydropower projects that India is planning on the Indus and the Chenab rivers. These rivers provide water security to vast areas of India and Pakistan. 

Despite the importance of these rivers to local livelihoods, hydropower projects are being built without due  consideration being given to the impact dam construction and climate change will have on the Himalaya ecosystem..  

Parineeta Dandekar (story), Abhay Kanvinde (photos), and Michelle Hooper (story map) meticulously document the completed and planned hydropower projects along the Chenab river and point to the lapses in science and environmental governance that have taken place during the project planning process.

Readings: India Dams, Geology Videos, Parsis in India

 Sharing some readings.

1) Neeraj Wagholikar, Parineeta Dandekar and Himanshu Thakkar weigh in on the dam building epidemic that is afflicting India. These three experts cover issues of environmental governance, destruction of fisheries and livelihoods, and a perspective on their irrigation potential and economic logic.

The deep political drive to push through permissions to build dams is best highlighted by an example of a malign recommendation in a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on energy published in January 2019. It seems to view in favor Himachal Pradesh's suggestion to the committee to help declare large hydropower projects as linear projects, thus enabling them to bypass Gram Sabha consent. The statement reads, “If it is done, then, to a large extent, the problem of FRA, which the Secretary also mentioned, will get resolved because the stringent provisions of FRA will get diluted. It is not our purpose to subvert them. Our only purpose is to get them more liberalised.” 

FRA is the Forest Rights Act which gives local forest dwellers a say in the site selection of infrastructure projects. 

Makes you despair and shake in anger, doesn't it?

India, Dammed.

2) Geology fans! I highly recommend Rice University Professor Cin-Ty Lee's YouTube Channel. He has a very informative collection of short videos on rocks and minerals and geologic processes. 

Here is one of my favorites.. Isostacy and what controls the elevation of mountains?

Email subscribers who can't see the embedded video, can view it here - Elevation of Mountains.

3) Like Sugar in Milk.. was the memorable assurance given by the Zoroastrian refugees to the King of Gujarat. We will assimilate in Indian society. And they have in many ways, while maintaining a distinct identity. 

What does genetics tell us? Fine post by Razib Khan.

Endogamy and Assimilation. Parsis in India.

Insufficient Assessement: Pancheshwar Dam Uttarakhand

Environmental implications of Pancheshwar dam in Uttarakhand (Central Himalaya), India.

A warning from earth scientists that sufficiently detailed studies of seismic risks and potential environmental consequences have not been undertaken.

Map from the linked paper shows the location of the Pancheshwar Dam and the future backwaters in red.

Extract:

We have assessed the likely environmental consequences of the proposed Pancheshwar high dam in  Uttarakhand Himalaya (Indian Central Himalaya) in the light of current geologic and geomorphic   understanding. The study suggests that if executed in its current  format, the proposed  dam  raises  concern  about  safety  and  its sustainability due to seismicity, reservoir-induced  seismicity,  slope instability due to reservoir draw down effect, and unpredictable large volume sediment  mobilization from paraglacial zones. The study therefore, highlights the pressing need to re-assess the feasibility and its  geo-environmental implications through multidisciplinary studies.

During my recent travels in Kumaon I met locals who were also expressing fears over loss of livelihoods as large tracts of fertile land will be drowned. 

Open Access.