With self-proclaimed domain on matters of executive expediency, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has issued a "no- further- action- unless- clearance" notice to the Government of Nepal on the much debated West Seti Hydropower Project (WSHP).

On the one hand, this has sparked a never-ending debate as to how Nepal should develop its water resource. On the other hand, agitators of the troubled waters of Nepal seem to have received shots of extra energy, after having realised their guilt and remained moribund for quite some time following the Arun III debacle and, more particularly, after being beaten and driven out by the locals while trying to instigate the people against the Kali Gandaki ‘A’ hydro project.

Self-interest

Unfortunately, the waters of Nepal have been troubled by these agitators looking for their prey. And when any such opportunity comes, they hit it hard to fulfil their self-interest. Arun III is a project where the people have now realised how naive they had been at that time and were unable to differentiate between friend and foe. The pangs of the long hours of load shedding would have been non-thinkable had there been Arun III, which would have further opened the doors for other projects on the same river upstream and downstream.

Everyone knows that the WSHP was extensively vetted by the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources (NRC) wherein all the main political parties were represented. While screening the project, consultations were also made with the private and public experts. The committee finally concluded that the project must be built as proposed by the private developer. It did point out, however, that the government should be given 10 per cent free energy, not its price, at the delivery point at the plant which was subsequently agreed by the developer.

There is no rationale at this stage to once again vet the project by the PAC. This has raised many complications like conflict of jurisdiction between the parliamentary committees and the overall trust of the investors on the functioning of the Nepalese government and the state. If this sort of uncertainty at any stage of a project is to be the norm in our country, no foreign investor will venture to come and invest.

As regards the issue of lean season - flow regulation and its downstream- benefit - sharing the water resources was not only discussed earlier in the Natural Resources Committee but also litigated in the Supreme Court (SC). Both the NRC and the SC found that there was no issue of sharing the water resources or its benefits between the downstream country and Nepal. Nepal is not compromising its rights on the regulated flow. It has all the rights to divert the water in its territory wherever it likes and that the agreement entered between the government and SMEC, one of the investors, does not attract the jurisdiction of Article 156 of the interim constitution.

The court finally turned down the writ petition of the agitators, and the deck was cleared for the execution of the project. Against this background, the recent "status quo" notice by the PAC has in reality made a mockery of the system of governance in this country.

As regards the people of the far west and particularly of the project affected areas, their main concern is over issues of compensation and livelihood. It is a fact that the Far-western Development Region is less developed compared to other regions of the country. Due mainly to the centralised planning and operational system of the government, the potentiality of the far west was never unleashed. Hundreds and thousands of people have been habituated to seasonal migration in India in quest of menial jobs to make their ends meet due mainly to the lack of means at home. The WSHP was a hope of the people of the area, a dream they have been shown for the last 14/15 years.

The agitators have, as in the past in other projects, done their best in trying to create confusion, spread rumours and falsify the fact regarding the WSHP. However, people have now started to realise the hidden agenda of the agitators for enriching themselves with the fat money which they get from the thermal lobby in the world to doom projects of this type anywhere in the world. Thanks to the WSHP’s information strategy, which has focussed on the dissemination of information about the project door to door and educating the people of the area about the benefits and losses, their livelihood and compensation issues, this has been helpful in bringing out the truth and developing a better relationship between the project and the people.

On matters of resettlement of the project-affected people from the hills to the plains, some issues have been raised by the people of the plains. The issues mainly are concerned with the negative effects on the people of the plains such as their culture, tradition, land holding, pressure on the public utilities and so on.

Some of these issues are genuine and must be addressed to the satisfaction of the local people. The benefits of the project must go in some way or the other to the plains also where the up-rooted people from the hills are to be settled. This can easily be worked out through negotiation among the people. The agitators have been taking advantage of the federal structure of the would-be constitution and create a cleavage between the hill people and the people in the plains and their associated rights.

Structure of federalism

In the first place, nobody knows how the future federalism shall be structured in the country. Secondly federalism, no matter what kind, does not mean creating unnecessary conflict between the people of the same country. Moreover, interdependence is the key to the working of any federalism. The agitators have not been able so far to make a dent on this issue.

Hence, it is clear that no matter what the agitators against the development of water resources, in general, and WSHP, in particular, would do, the people of Nepal are different from what they were during the Arun-III debacle. This time, if they resort to the same tactics, trouble is waiting for them.

(A permanent resident of Dhangadhi, Kailali, the writer is a researcher on socio-development issues. He can be reached at ar.upadhyaya@gmail.com)