INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
KATHMANDU, JUNE 19For more than two years, Lakpa Angjuk Bhote and Karma Bhutia community activists and
conservationists have been knocking on every possible door in order to save nature and their indigenous property.
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However, three private companies-Shangrila Urja Pvt
Ltd., White Flower Energy Pvt
Ltd., and Summit Energy Solution Pvt
Ltd.-are looking to establish hydropower stations despite adequate electricity there, as claimed by Bhutia."We don't want electricity
We want our flora, fauna and rivers
We already have enough electricity
Afraid to build during the day, they carry out their cowardly activities after midnight, forcefully constructing infrastructure, encroaching
on our private and natural properties," he said.
"We are the guardians of this biocultural heritage landscape
We refuse to be displaced by profit-hungry extraction companies
We will not relent till they leave!" he added.Observing their relentless efforts for the conservation of the most pristine place on planet,
Hollywood legendary actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio raised his voice for the protection of rare animals found in
Sankhuwasabha and Taplejung areas, focusing on hydropower dam construction and how it has a adverse impact on Lungba Samba Biocultural
Heritage Special Conservation Zone.He took to social media yesterday and wrote, "Hydropower dam construction in Nepal threatens one of the
Earth's most pristine places-home to snow leopards and endangered red pandas
The local communities are urging the Nepalese Supreme Court to halt these construction plans on the sacred rivers of the Lungba Samba
Biocultural Heritage Special Conservation Zone.""The magnificent Chhujung, Chhunjam, and Bakhang Rivers are deeply sacred for the Lhomi
Singsa and Bhote people, who are among the most marginalised Indigenous Peoples of Nepal," reads his post
"These groups sustain their livelihoods through farming and collecting medicinal herbs and other non-timber forest products while honoring
the land."
Leonardo Dicaprio Facebook Post screenshot
DiCaprio
claimed in his post that if constructed, these dams would be a clear violation of the Lungba Samba Biocultural Heritage Special Conservation
Zone Act and Procedure enacted by the first elected local government in 2020, which prevents destructive hydropower, road building, and
mining practices."Help the Lhomi Singsa and Bhote people continue to be guardians of this vital landscape like they have for generations,"
he requested.They have lodged petitions in the Supreme Court against Shangrila Urja Pvt Ltd, White Flower Energy Pvt Ltd, and Summit Energy
Solution Pvt Ltd.However, their hearing has never been a priority
They were always slapped with another hearing when the date arrived."On top of that, local representatives appear to have colluded with
companies and zipped their mouths with muscles and money," they said.They also expressed that the planned hydropower construction on the
Chhujung, Chhunjam, and Bakhang Rivers of the Lungba Samba valley threatens one of Earth's last pristine places-home to endangered snow
leopards, red pandas, and tree frogs.
Lakpa Angjuk Bhote, Secretary, Chyamtang Kathmandu
Welfare Society
"We, the marginalised inhabitants of the Bhotkhola, urge them to honour the Lungba Samba
Biocultural Heritage Special Conservation Zone our lawmakers enacted and stop your plans for constructing hydropower on our sacred rivers
now!" said Bhote.The magnificent Chhujung, Chhunjam, and Bakhang Rivers, and the entire Lungba Samba Pass, between Makalu and Kanchenjunga
protected areas, are deeply sacred for the Lhomi Singsa and Bhote people, who are among the most marginalised indigenous groups of Nepal
with their own language, culture and customary laws."We perform rituals for safe passage in these holy rivers and surrounding forests with
the belief that living spirits reside in them
In our traditional belief system, humans are not even allowed to enter some of these forests out of reverence," he explained."We sustain our
livelihoods and survival through rearing yaks and naks, collecting medicinal herbs and other non-timber forest products, and honouring the
land."However, destructive activities initiated by three profit-hungry hydropower development companies ( Shangrila Urja Pvt Ltd, White
Flower Energy Pvt Ltd, and Summit Energy Solution Pvt Ltd ) include harassing and intimidating local community members, obtaining false
project permissions through illicitly influencing government officials and representatives, submitting fake 'copy-paste' Environmental
Impact Assessments (EIAs), encouraging their workers to kill endangered wild animals for bushmeat to show their power, and building an
illegal road from Chyamtang to the Chhujung River through our community forests, spiritual forests, and yak pasturelands, as well as
nationally protected forests under the pretence of an 'agriculture' road.
Photo credit: The
Lungba Samba Community
Karma Bhutia Community Activist and Conservationist said, "If allowed to proceed, over two
dozen glacial lakes would be completely destroyed, harming the overall ecosystem.""Their actions are in clear violation of the Lungba Samba
Biocultural Heritage Special Conservation Zone Act and Procedure enacted by our first elected local government in 2020, which prevents
hydropower, road building, mining and other such destructive activities, and was passed with the support of 235 households," he said and
added."Now, these hydropower companies, which use names like 'Shangri-La' and 'white flower,' want to dam all 3 free-flowing rivers, a move
that would devastate countless vulnerable species, including aquatic biodiversity, and displace us from our homeland forever
Our homeland is the real Shangri-La."
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
