This specific case study revolves around The Narmada Valley Development Project which takes place in the Narmada River in India. This is the link to the case study; http://www.umich.edu/%7Esnre492/Jones/narmada.html. This specific case study is focused on the largest river development in India and considered one of the largest hydroelectric projects in the world. The goal of this development is to create over 3,000 dams in the Narmada River in order to produce power, control flooding, and maintain irrigation especially in an area known for monsoons. However, this developmental plan has major flaws and destructive issues to both the environment and the humans living in that area by destroying biodiversity. The major issue behind the construction of these dams involves economic justice. By creating these dams, many tribal families below the poverty level will be displaced and their homelands will be taken away from them. The downsides to this environmental development is not necessarily in the best interest of the people of the area or the environment in this area.
This case study takes place in Laguna San Ignacio, which is a lagoon on the west coast of New Mexico. This is the link to the case study; http://www.mhhe.com/Enviro-Sci/CaseStudyLibrary/International/CaseStudy_SavingaGrayWhale.pdf. This case study describes how a sea salt extraction facility was built in this bay. This facility is considered to be the largest in the world. Plans were made to construct an even larger facility that would surely endanger the Pacific Gray whales in this area. This case study does not specifically point out things such as economic justice, however it does relate to the idea of protecting biodiversity from environmental development. However, this case study could be related to the idea of sustainable development. This module talks about how much of the environmental resources are being depleted in order for the end product. No consideration is taken into account of how the environment is being depleted or being affected because all that is in mind is the end product which is exactly what is happening with the whales and the production of salt.
The place I picked to connect these two case studies was my hometown which is New Kensington, Pennsylvania. Just like the first case study which involves people with a low poverty level and a minority group, my hometown has a relatable situation for the area. Not too long ago, there was talks of tearing down an entire area of run down houses and buildings in downtown New Kensington. Just like my first case study, this would displace many people who couldn’t afford to live elsewhere. There was also lots of question as to where the money to do this would come from. The second case was about the conservation of a specific wildlife. For a decent amount of time, there was a lot of poaching and deer hunting in the area that was causing a sharp decline in the species. Action had to be taken in order to stop this decline, however the difference in the case study is that environmental development was causing this decline. This is about as close of a relation that I am able to make to the second case study because since the area is an area with a low poverty level; not often is a new development made in recent years. Examining different case studies and relating them to different areas and different times allows improvements for the future of developments. Also, knowledge about mistakes from previous developments will allow for better developments that have consideration for humans and the environment in order to create a sustainable environment.
2 thoughts on “Module 5- The Hidden Downsides to Developments”
Hi Julie.
I found the issues you discussed in your second case study as very similar to one that I did based in Ecuador. In Ecuador, shrimp farmers destroyed vital mangrove trees for better farming of shrimp. What they did not understand is that the mangroves served as a nursery for the shrimp. Now, they face the issue of declined shrimp harvests because of their destruction. Just like how no consideration was taken into thought in your study, the same happened in mine. Just like the whales suffering, the shrimp also suffer, as their numbers have declined drastically.
In my blog, I wrote about the traffic congestion in London and a system in Peru which provides credit to farmers in order to increase their farming. Although both my case studies were primarily to help human activities and the environment, I found it interesting that your case studies focused more on creating sustainability solely for the environment. I found your post intriguing because even though building dams to control flooding, produce power and maintain irrigation in India is a great idea, the fact that it forces families to leave their land is a huge ethical issue. Is it worth building these systems in that exact area, if hundreds of families suffer from it? I liked how you picked 2 case studies that were closely related to your hometown because it is important to see how these developments affect individuals and their lives, along with the environment.
Hi Julie.
I found the issues you discussed in your second case study as very similar to one that I did based in Ecuador. In Ecuador, shrimp farmers destroyed vital mangrove trees for better farming of shrimp. What they did not understand is that the mangroves served as a nursery for the shrimp. Now, they face the issue of declined shrimp harvests because of their destruction. Just like how no consideration was taken into thought in your study, the same happened in mine. Just like the whales suffering, the shrimp also suffer, as their numbers have declined drastically.
You can read my blog post below.
http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/24/the-downsides-of-development/
Hey Julie! My name is Caren, feel free to check out my blog:
http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/23/module-5-development/
In my blog, I wrote about the traffic congestion in London and a system in Peru which provides credit to farmers in order to increase their farming. Although both my case studies were primarily to help human activities and the environment, I found it interesting that your case studies focused more on creating sustainability solely for the environment. I found your post intriguing because even though building dams to control flooding, produce power and maintain irrigation in India is a great idea, the fact that it forces families to leave their land is a huge ethical issue. Is it worth building these systems in that exact area, if hundreds of families suffer from it? I liked how you picked 2 case studies that were closely related to your hometown because it is important to see how these developments affect individuals and their lives, along with the environment.