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Downloaded from
YTS.MX
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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX
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[sprightly music]
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-He is here.
-Hello.
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[woman] Hello.
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-Hello, Naseer.
-Hi. You are Valli?
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-Yes.
-Hi.
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-[man] Hi.
-And Marthand?
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-[Valli] Good to meet you.
-[Naseer] Hi, nice to meet you.
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[clears throat]
So, what have you got for me?
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So, um...
[in Hindi] This is our script.
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[in English] Um, the film is about
big energy projects
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and their impact on--
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"SuryaGanga."
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The story on the
epic conflict between India's...
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land, energy, water, and people.
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[paper rustles]
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[in Hindi] What is this?
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Rivers... people...
What has this got to do with energy?
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So, uh...
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[in Hindi] ...different energy sources
have different impacts
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on the environment and people...
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-Oh, come on.
-And that is--
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This is not the way to tell a story.
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[in Hindi] Huh!
Is this a way to tell a story?
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[in English] Where's the glory?
Where is India's growth story?
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-[in Hindi] But...
-No, no, no.
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We are talking about
all of that as well, you know.
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-Industrial growth and...
-Yes, yes... You environmentalists!
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[in Hindi] I know what you'll say.
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"Don't build this, don't build that.
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[in English] Go green."
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No, no, sorry. This is not for me.
I'm not doing this.
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[sprightly music]
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[Naseer] What's all this?
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-[Valli, in Hindi] This?
-Yeah.
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It's a hard drive.
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[Valli, in English] This is where we
have... shot and cut the footage so far.
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[Valli, in Hindi] Do you want to watch it?
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[in Hindi] Okay, let's watch it.
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[wind blowing]
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[reflective music]
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[Valli] It is easy to fall in love
with a river.
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Any river.
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This is Ganga.
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[reflective music]
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[Valli] Years ago, my family and I
used to holiday by this river
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at the foothills of the Himalayas.
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[Valli] One evening, sitting on the ghats
my mother had said
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that she had never dreamt of
being by this river,
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and that this was one of the most
tranquil times of her life.
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[reflective music continues]
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[kid singing] ♪E-I-E-I-O ♪
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♪ And on that farm he had a Anu. ♪
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♪ E-I-E-I-O ♪
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-♪ With a... ♪
-[Valli] With a?
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[Valli] As my child grew,
it was time for her to experience Ganga,
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about which she had heard
so many stories.
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[Valli] Only... we couldn’t
find the river.
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We learnt that a number of
hydroelectric dams had been built upstream
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and so, for most part of the year,
up in the Himalayas,
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the River Ganga, along with her
many tributaries didn’t flow anymore.
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[reflective music]
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[Valli] The little one had questions.
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[kid] You said it is a furious river.
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Where did all the water go?
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And if the river is not there,
why read stories about it?
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[Valli] We had to get some answers.
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So my brother Marthand and I
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set out to find
what was really going on and why.
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[tires screech]
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[Himanshu] See, India's hydropower
accelerated in 1990s.
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And after that it has continued to
maintain high growth rate.
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[Himanshu] And in that era
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there were demands
for more and more resources,
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including electricity.
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So, there was a push
for more hydropower projects.
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It started at that time,
but the movement really accelerated
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starting from the
initial years of this millennium.
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The central government was an engine
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for this kind of push for big hydro.
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They wanted to set up,
within a time frame
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50,000 megawatts of hydropower.
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[kid] Look, Mumma, so many rivers!
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[Valli] The Indian subcontinent
covers an area
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of over 3.2 million square kilometers.
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Barring a chunk of dry desert in the west,
this massive landmass is lush
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with hundreds of big and small rivers.
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Three major river systems
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the Indus, the Brahmaputra,
and the Ganga
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begin up here, in the Himalayas.
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[upbeat music]
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[music continues]
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[music ends]
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[Valli] In 2013,
at the time we began making this film,
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there was no clear defined number
of hydropower dams
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planned on the Ganga river basin.
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[Himanshu] Whatever figures are available,
one can say that
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anything between 80 to about 600 projects
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are likely to be taken up.
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[Valli] Already known to be one
of the most polluted rivers,
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now, its basin could become one
of the densest dam sites on the planet.
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[water flowing]
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[Valli] So how is a dam made?
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[man 1, in Hindi] Make some tea, brother.
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[man 1, in Hindi]
And add some ginger.
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[Valli, in English] Is it just a wall with
some machinery attached?
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How does it work?
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[man 1, in Hindi] Add more sugar.
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[Valli, in English] And what do
they do with the water?
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Our next stops,
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one to Maneri Bhali,
a 90-megawatt hydropower dam,
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and second to one of the country's biggest
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and most experienced
dam building companies.
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[Valli] Whoa! Nice!
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[engineer] Basically,
the hydropower project is...
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We are converting hydro energy into power.
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And potential energy into electricity.
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[dam official, in Hindi]
Let me show it to you.
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Just film this, okay?
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So... [clears throat]
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-I have to tell you how it works, right?
-[Valli] Very basic.
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[dam official, in English]
Very basic. Okay.
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Suppose, these are the mountains...
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From here, the river originates.
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[Valli] The dam is a wall
built across the river.
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As the river flows into the dam wall,
the water level rises.
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The dam has gates to
control this water level.
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A desilting chamber is built
before the dam wall.
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[music continues]
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A tunnel is dug out from this chamber.
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[engineer, in Hindi] This is the intake
of the tunnel during the construction.
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This won't be visible later.
The construction is ongoing.
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-[music continues]
-[both chatter]
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[Valli, in Hindi]
So, it will be filled with water.
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[engineer] Yes.
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[engineer] This is the tunnel.
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[Valli] This is also under construction?
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[engineer] Yes, and you won't be
able to see it later.
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[engineer 2] Because it will be
filled with water.
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[engineer 1]
If there is a maintenance issue...
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[engineer 1, in English]
Which nobody will like...
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[Valli] Hmm.
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[engineer] Well...
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civil efforts are taken care of
in these designs.
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[engineer 1, in Hindi]
These are the tunnels.
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[Valli] Wow!
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What a great idea!
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[in Hindi] The Ganges in the tunnel!
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Who will dare pollute it?
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[in Hindi] Meaning?
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[in English] Who will go into a tunnel
full of water to shit?
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Hmm?
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It's a great idea.
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[in Hindi] In my opinion,
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we should tunnel it all the way.
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All the rivers of this
country should be tunneled.
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[in English] "No shit."
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[in Hindi] "Protect it."
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See, I can also write.
Not bad, right?
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[in English] "No shit."
[in Hindi] "Protect it."
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-[Valli laughs]
-You can borrow it, if you like.
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Sure.
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[music continues]
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[Valli] A second tunnel is
blasted through the mountains
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taking almost all the
river water inside it,
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down towards the powerhouse.
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At Maneri Bhali Dam where we were,
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the river flows through this dark tunnel
within the mountains for 8.6 kilometers,
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to reach the powerhouse downstream.
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[car engine revving]
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[Valli] Outside, the riverbed is
left almost dry throughout.
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The turbines in the powerhouse use
the gushing water to generate electricity
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which is then fed into the main grid.
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[Valli] Job done, the water is allowed
to flow back onto the riverbed.
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[dam official] This is all we have.
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[Valli] If the plan of 80 to 600 big
and small dams was carried out,
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all densely packed
like cars in a traffic jam,
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most of Ganga's waters
would be within tunnels
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while outside
the river itself would remain dry.
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But for now, we had found
where our river had disappeared.
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[in Hindi] Wow!
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So big.
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[in English] You know,
Jawaharlal Nehru once said
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"Indiana Dams are the Temples of Doom."
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[Valli] He said modernity.
"Dams in India are temples of modernity."
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Doom, modernity...
It's the same thing.
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We did find some issues though.
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[Naseer] What issues?
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Let's see.
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[song playing over the car stereo]
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[Bijna, in Hindi] Ever since we heard
that a dam was being built,
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[Bijna] people in my village
wondered what it would be like
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[Bijna] so we all went to see it.
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[Bijna] And when we went and saw
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trolleys and buckets pulling concrete up
and down
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[Bijna] we were wondering
what's going on.
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When the destruction began...
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[Valli] At that time did you think
that the dam will benefit you as well?
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Yes. We thought there is a lot of
work here. Maybe, we will get jobs.
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Maybe, something good will happen.
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[Himalayan folk song
about King of Snakes]
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[Valli, in English] A public hearing is a
process that is part of the due diligence
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[Valli] that every dam building authority,
private or government needs to do by law.
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[in Hindi] Ideally, they should publish in
the local newspapers in the local language
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that we are talking about this
project in a public hearing.
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In the public hearing,
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you lay down the details of the
entire project in front of the public.
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Saying that we are coming
into your territory
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[Mallika] and we will
be doing all this work.
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[Mallika] This is what the
government is planning.
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[Mallika] These are the pros of the
project and these are the cons.
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[Mallika] Speak in their language
and help them understand.
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[Mallika] And then get their approval.
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There was an incident that
happened near Munshiari
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for a public hearing, the company
gathered the villagers saying...
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we are organizing a feast.
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And you are all welcome
to come and have food.
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Then they said, okay now it is all over.
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The feast is all over.
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We have to reimburse the
amount from our company.
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Please sign on this paper
and confirm your presence.
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And then they
furnished that document
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saying that so many people
attended our public hearing.
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[in English] One honest EIA One honest
EIA of hydro power project
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00:13:07,500 --> 00:13:09,125
-[Valli] None?
-Doesn't exist.
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-[Valli] In all these years?
-Yeah.
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You show me one honest EIA.
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You show me an EIA and I will
show you what is the problem.
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Fundamental problems,
not just tinkering here and there.
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[car engine]
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[Parineeta] Unfortunately,
the way
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the entire dam discourse
is happening in the country,
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which has no place for the affected
people to actually voice their concerns,
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not just voice their concerns
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but be at the decision-making
table about their resources.
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Till the time that's not going to happen,
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people stopping dams is
going to be the way out.
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[Valli] Or the courts.
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00:13:48,458 --> 00:13:49,750
Or the courts.
241
00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,416
And that's...
that's a very bad thing because...
242
00:13:53,541 --> 00:13:56,958
this is confrontation
at its highest.
243
00:13:57,541 --> 00:14:00,416
And it's especially bad
when this confrontation
244
00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:02,458
actually has to happen
with your own government.
245
00:14:02,791 --> 00:14:03,833
[farmer] Hiya!
246
00:14:03,916 --> 00:14:05,125
[Marthand, in Hindi] Is there
shortage of water here?
247
00:14:05,291 --> 00:14:07,000
[farmer, in Hindi] Yes, water is a
problem.
248
00:14:07,083 --> 00:14:08,833
-[Marthand] No water.
-[Farmer] There is no water.
249
00:14:08,916 --> 00:14:11,041
[Marthand] So what are
you going to sow here?
250
00:14:11,125 --> 00:14:12,958
[farmer] We will sow paddy here.
251
00:14:13,041 --> 00:14:14,000
[Marthand] And where
will the water come from?
252
00:14:14,166 --> 00:14:16,458
-[farmer] It's dry.
-[Marthand] Oh, it is dry.
253
00:14:17,791 --> 00:14:18,708
[Marthand] Will it grow if it is dry?
254
00:14:18,791 --> 00:14:20,666
Yes, if it rains the harvest will be good.
255
00:14:20,750 --> 00:14:22,208
[Marthand] Yes. The harvest will be good.
256
00:14:22,375 --> 00:14:24,833
Otherwise, it will be dry.
257
00:14:25,000 --> 00:14:27,291
[Marthand] And the
irrigated land you had...
258
00:14:27,375 --> 00:14:28,666
That is all barren now.
259
00:14:28,750 --> 00:14:30,416
[Marthand] How did it become barren?
[farmer] There is no water.
260
00:14:30,500 --> 00:14:33,958
[Marthand] Where did all the water go?
[farmer] The water dried up.
261
00:14:34,708 --> 00:14:38,541
It must have gone because of the dam.
Where else will it go?
262
00:14:38,791 --> 00:14:41,750
[Marthand] How much water
did you get in the past?
263
00:14:41,833 --> 00:14:48,250
It used to be a lot. We used to
irrigate all our farmland with it.
264
00:14:48,958 --> 00:14:52,333
[Bijna, in Hindi] Now we will not
let any more dams be made.
265
00:14:53,208 --> 00:14:57,916
2-3 years ago they came
and said, "give us your farms."
266
00:14:58,208 --> 00:15:03,208
We said no matter what you are after
we will not give our farms to anyone.
267
00:15:03,875 --> 00:15:06,750
It doesn't matter if
we have one farm or two.
268
00:15:06,833 --> 00:15:09,666
No matter what money you give...
how many years will money last?
269
00:15:11,583 --> 00:15:15,208
Two years, four years or five years...
but our farms will not go anywhere.
270
00:15:15,291 --> 00:15:18,750
Our farms will support
our children and our grandchildren.
271
00:15:18,833 --> 00:15:22,416
Our farms will not go anywhere.
Leave our farms alone.
272
00:15:24,833 --> 00:15:27,416
[Valli, in English] It isn't just
farming that gets affected.
273
00:15:27,625 --> 00:15:32,166
[Valli] When a river disappears, it marks
the beginning of the end of the culture
274
00:15:32,250 --> 00:15:35,833
[Valli] the ethos, the very identity
of the people living around it.
275
00:15:37,416 --> 00:15:39,125
[Valli] We were filming in January
276
00:15:39,208 --> 00:15:43,125
[Valli] just days after an important
and a most beautifully celebrated
277
00:15:43,291 --> 00:15:46,041
harvest festival
called Makar Sankranti.
278
00:15:47,625 --> 00:15:49,458
[village women laughing]
279
00:15:49,541 --> 00:15:50,750
[melancholic music]
280
00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:54,708
[Shiela, in Hindi] Traditionally, we get
up at four in the morning, bathe, pray...
281
00:15:54,791 --> 00:15:58,291
[Shiela] and head down
to the Ganges for a dip.
282
00:15:58,375 --> 00:16:01,500
All the women of the village would go.
283
00:16:01,875 --> 00:16:04,208
We used to dip ourselves
fully in the river.
284
00:16:04,333 --> 00:16:10,625
Some would dip three
times, some five or twelve.
285
00:16:10,708 --> 00:16:15,291
Last year, they released
at least some water.
286
00:16:15,416 --> 00:16:16,791
But this time,
they didn't release it at all.
287
00:16:16,916 --> 00:16:20,166
This time, they did not release
even a drop of water of Ganga.
288
00:16:20,541 --> 00:16:22,708
We went searching for water.
289
00:16:22,791 --> 00:16:24,125
There was no water.
290
00:16:24,208 --> 00:16:26,458
We just hit rock and more rock.
291
00:16:28,375 --> 00:16:29,791
What should we do?
292
00:16:34,083 --> 00:16:37,458
Our traditions are
293
00:16:37,791 --> 00:16:41,250
vanishing before our eyes.
294
00:16:42,791 --> 00:16:44,666
[Valli, in English] Over the
centuries, we have made
295
00:16:44,750 --> 00:16:47,750
the river Ganga embrace our dead
rather intimately.
296
00:16:48,500 --> 00:16:51,125
[Valli] It is an age-old
tradition to cremate bodies
297
00:16:51,208 --> 00:16:53,500
and immerse the
ashes in her waters.
298
00:16:53,708 --> 00:16:56,000
[Valli] So over millennia
millions of people
299
00:16:56,083 --> 00:16:59,541
from across the country have come
to this river to do just that.
300
00:17:00,666 --> 00:17:04,708
[Valli] Today, downstream of
a dam when a person dies
301
00:17:04,791 --> 00:17:08,750
[Valli] the villagers have to write to the
dam authorities to release some water
302
00:17:08,833 --> 00:17:10,916
[Valli] so they can cremate their dead.
303
00:17:11,208 --> 00:17:14,958
[Valli] Because, it is the dam company
that holds the power to control the water.
304
00:17:15,041 --> 00:17:17,500
[Bharat, in Hindi] No, they don't
release the river. They don't listen.
305
00:17:17,791 --> 00:17:19,291
[Bharat] No, they don't release the river.
306
00:17:19,375 --> 00:17:24,291
When there are deaths,
307
00:17:24,375 --> 00:17:27,500
we write letters to them.
308
00:17:27,833 --> 00:17:29,458
No, they don't release the river.
309
00:17:30,583 --> 00:17:32,583
[kid chatters]
310
00:17:34,541 --> 00:17:38,166
[Valli, in English] On the day we left,
an old woman from the village, died.
311
00:17:38,250 --> 00:17:40,333
[folk drums]
312
00:17:40,958 --> 00:17:43,541
[Valli] The villagers
cremated her by the Ganga.
313
00:17:44,125 --> 00:17:45,875
[Valli] No water was released.
314
00:17:46,166 --> 00:17:50,333
[drums cymbals]
315
00:17:54,291 --> 00:17:56,416
[Parineeta, in English] Listen,
I'm going to write about this judgment.
316
00:17:56,500 --> 00:17:57,916
Because you know it's just...
317
00:17:58,000 --> 00:17:59,708
so fantastic,
it's just amazing.
318
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,791
And I hope it sets precedences
throughout the country, it will.
319
00:18:03,916 --> 00:18:07,041
[Valli, in English] We learnt that
the Ganga river basin wasn't alone.
320
00:18:07,125 --> 00:18:10,791
[Valli] The rivers flowing in northeastern
India were meeting a similar fate,
321
00:18:10,875 --> 00:18:12,250
if not more dramatic.
322
00:18:12,333 --> 00:18:14,791
[Parineeta] This is the
Brahmaputra river system
323
00:18:14,875 --> 00:18:19,083
with three of its important
tributaries which come together
324
00:18:19,166 --> 00:18:22,416
to form the Brahmaputra in
Assam in Dibru Saikhowa National Park.
325
00:18:22,500 --> 00:18:25,583
[Parineeta] One is the Lohit river system.
There is the Dibang river system.
326
00:18:25,708 --> 00:18:27,583
There is the Siang river system.
327
00:18:27,666 --> 00:18:32,166
Let's take an example of Dibang
Valley or the Siang District...
328
00:18:32,416 --> 00:18:34,666
where you have the lower
Siang Dam coming up.
329
00:18:34,875 --> 00:18:39,125
Uh, just downstream is a very,
very beautiful sanctuary.
330
00:18:39,291 --> 00:18:40,541
It's called the
Daying Ering Sanctuary
331
00:18:40,625 --> 00:18:44,000
which then flows out into
Dibru Saikhowa National Park
332
00:18:44,416 --> 00:18:47,583
[Parineeta] In a single day,
in lean season, when the flows are low...
333
00:18:47,666 --> 00:18:49,291
here hydropower
will be generated
334
00:18:49,416 --> 00:18:53,500
because of the sheer amount of
water which you will need to impound
335
00:18:53,666 --> 00:18:57,333
for the entire day and then
release it for two hours or four hours.
336
00:18:57,416 --> 00:19:00,625
Two hours in the morning, two hours in
the evening to generate hydropower.
337
00:19:01,083 --> 00:19:03,416
But these are big rivers.
These are huge rivers.
338
00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:07,458
The entire channel itself
defies our perception of rivers.
339
00:19:07,583 --> 00:19:11,750
It's braided.
It goes on for 20-25 kms.
340
00:19:11,833 --> 00:19:14,750
[Parineeta] That's how these rivers behave
and have evolved.
341
00:19:14,833 --> 00:19:19,083
Now when you hold it back,
when lower Siang dams and upper Siang dams
342
00:19:19,166 --> 00:19:22,375
and Siang valley dams,
right to SIOM. They hold back water...
343
00:19:22,583 --> 00:19:25,083
and they would release the water in a
gush,
344
00:19:25,208 --> 00:19:29,708
the entire level difference in
one day at Daying Ering Sanctuary
345
00:19:29,791 --> 00:19:35,625
which is about 30 kilometers downstream of
the last dam on Siang, that is lower Siang
346
00:19:35,708 --> 00:19:39,458
would be more than 20 feet... 20 feet.
347
00:19:39,625 --> 00:19:41,250
[Valli] This is on a daily basis?
348
00:19:41,333 --> 00:19:42,666
This is on a daily basis.
349
00:19:42,750 --> 00:19:47,625
So, in winter what will happen to
the river is that it will behave...
350
00:19:48,416 --> 00:19:51,708
in drought in distress for 22 hours
351
00:19:51,916 --> 00:19:56,000
and it will have the highest of
its monsoon flows for two or three hours.
352
00:19:56,291 --> 00:19:58,833
[Parineeta] This is a situation
which is happening nearly everywhere.
353
00:19:58,958 --> 00:20:01,583
It is happening in Siang,
in Dibang and Lohit.
354
00:20:01,666 --> 00:20:05,875
You can't choke a person and then
say but we released him after one day.
355
00:20:07,583 --> 00:20:10,333
[Steve] If we talk specifically
about fish then typically...
356
00:20:10,416 --> 00:20:13,166
[Steve] you have fish that
live on the bottom of the river.
357
00:20:13,750 --> 00:20:15,500
[Steve] Then fish that
live in the middle of the river
358
00:20:15,666 --> 00:20:17,250
and fish that
live at the surface.
359
00:20:17,791 --> 00:20:20,041
That's in simple terms.
360
00:20:20,875 --> 00:20:25,750
Usually, they will be in that position
because that's where they get their food.
361
00:20:26,208 --> 00:20:28,833
So, the fish are adapted
362
00:20:29,625 --> 00:20:33,125
to fill the ecological niche... let's say
it like that.
363
00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:39,416
When you dam a river, instantly you
change the whole ecology of the river.
364
00:20:39,791 --> 00:20:42,625
The fish which previously were there
365
00:20:43,958 --> 00:20:48,125
either they have to adapt or they die out.
366
00:20:48,958 --> 00:20:52,250
I know from a scientist
colleague who's done work
367
00:20:52,708 --> 00:20:59,666
in a dam where the river impoundment
368
00:20:59,750 --> 00:21:03,000
was put in place maybe 30-40 years ago.
369
00:21:04,291 --> 00:21:10,125
When he samples fish in the dam,
he finds around 20 species of fish.
370
00:21:10,875 --> 00:21:14,291
When he goes into
the river upstream
371
00:21:14,416 --> 00:21:20,833
sampling in the natural river,
he finds 200 species of fish.
372
00:21:22,083 --> 00:21:25,125
Something has gone very wrong
with that environment, clearly.
373
00:21:25,625 --> 00:21:28,250
[flowing water]
374
00:21:29,875 --> 00:21:35,208
The impact of dams on fish is
something we've absolutely not studied.
375
00:21:35,291 --> 00:21:36,625
We don't want to go there.
376
00:21:36,708 --> 00:21:41,708
Throughout the country, the
impacts have been heartbreaking.
377
00:21:42,166 --> 00:21:44,208
[Parineeta] We don't want
to build fish ladders.
378
00:21:44,291 --> 00:21:45,875
We don't want to
discuss fish ladders.
379
00:21:45,958 --> 00:21:48,458
We don't want to discuss
any of these...
380
00:21:48,916 --> 00:21:52,291
possible interventions
which may hold some promise.
381
00:21:55,083 --> 00:22:01,958
[Jason] Large hydro is often a
very alluring part of the mix.
382
00:22:02,916 --> 00:22:05,541
[Jason] Once you make the
intervention in the river system,
383
00:22:05,625 --> 00:22:08,875
so long as the water flows
those turbines are going to spin
384
00:22:08,958 --> 00:22:10,375
and money will be made.
385
00:22:10,750 --> 00:22:13,166
Large projects tend to
invite corruption.
386
00:22:13,250 --> 00:22:15,500
You see this in pockets all
throughout the world.
387
00:22:15,666 --> 00:22:18,458
So, government interests
that are approving these...
388
00:22:18,541 --> 00:22:23,833
[Jason] are also liable to personally
benefit or at least politically benefit
389
00:22:23,916 --> 00:22:28,416
[Jason] from so much money billions of
dollars moving through their coffers.
390
00:22:28,500 --> 00:22:33,083
These are the kinds of alluring
elements of the economy that are pushing
391
00:22:33,166 --> 00:22:38,791
this large dam boom and again what is
most necessary is to stop and say wait...
392
00:22:38,875 --> 00:22:43,125
What are we trying to grow?
What is this electricity used for?
393
00:22:43,208 --> 00:22:49,500
At least, be honest and suggest that
it's about further industrial expansion
394
00:22:49,583 --> 00:22:54,333
and let's not hide behind this...
this greenwashing that...
395
00:22:54,625 --> 00:22:57,208
that this is somehow
sustainable that more dams
396
00:22:57,291 --> 00:23:00,000
will lead to a greener
and brighter future
397
00:23:00,083 --> 00:23:05,166
and that all boats will somehow rise
that the poor will somehow benefit...
398
00:23:06,916 --> 00:23:09,541
[Valli] We drove up and down
the Ganga river basin
399
00:23:09,666 --> 00:23:12,166
[Valli] and found that the intense
developmental activity
400
00:23:12,250 --> 00:23:16,416
[Valli] was taking its toll on not just
the river, but the mountains as well.
401
00:23:17,041 --> 00:23:20,791
[Valli] Around construction sites of
these massive developmental projects
402
00:23:20,958 --> 00:23:24,166
[Valli] as the earth below trembled
due to continuous blasting
403
00:23:24,250 --> 00:23:26,500
[Valli] and absorbed water
from the reservoirs.
404
00:23:26,583 --> 00:23:28,958
[Valli] Massive chunks of
land had broken away.
405
00:23:29,125 --> 00:23:30,875
[Valli] Houses had been ripped open.
406
00:23:30,958 --> 00:23:32,958
[Valli] Entire villages had sunk.
407
00:23:33,375 --> 00:23:36,416
[reflective music]
408
00:23:37,083 --> 00:23:40,708
[Valli] The mountain face seemed
brittle and dangerously unstable.
409
00:23:40,833 --> 00:23:44,291
[Valli] All along the river scars
of old and recent landslides
410
00:23:44,416 --> 00:23:47,666
[Valli] passed by too close
and frequent for comfort.
411
00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:53,083
[reflective music]
412
00:24:10,625 --> 00:24:14,041
[Valli] And then, there was that
thread one rarely talked about.
413
00:24:14,375 --> 00:24:17,083
The seismological threat is very real.
414
00:24:17,500 --> 00:24:21,333
And this is conceded
even by the developers.
415
00:24:21,916 --> 00:24:26,375
[Simon] And so, everywhere
from a main frontal thrust...
416
00:24:28,166 --> 00:24:34,125
north... 200 kms to the Sutia zone,
417
00:24:34,416 --> 00:24:36,500
the boundary between Indian
rocks and Asian rocks.
418
00:24:37,833 --> 00:24:40,791
This fault, it's not a
vertical line through the earth
419
00:24:40,875 --> 00:24:43,666
it's a very gently dipping
line through the earth.
420
00:24:43,791 --> 00:24:49,333
So, everywhere along this belt
is underlain by a huge fault.
421
00:24:50,041 --> 00:24:54,208
This is an old picture now but it shows...
422
00:24:54,291 --> 00:24:58,250
where the big earthquakes had
happened in historic memory.
423
00:24:58,333 --> 00:25:03,041
1950 in Assam 1934 in Nepal.
Much bigger than the Kathmandu earthquake.
424
00:25:03,666 --> 00:25:08,458
And it shows the size of earthquakes
that we expect along the Himalayan front.
425
00:25:08,625 --> 00:25:11,750
That is to say we do expect earthquakes.
426
00:25:11,833 --> 00:25:15,333
The size of the 1950 earthquake,
the size of the 1934 earthquake
427
00:25:15,416 --> 00:25:18,375
to happen periodically along this front.
428
00:25:18,750 --> 00:25:21,791
[Valli] So, when you say a big
earthquake what are we talking about?
429
00:25:21,875 --> 00:25:24,416
A magnitude eight or larger.
430
00:25:24,500 --> 00:25:28,708
[Valli] So, all the big red
bars, those are eight and plus?
431
00:25:28,791 --> 00:25:33,000
That's right.
They come up to an eight. Yes. Yes.
432
00:25:33,541 --> 00:25:37,041
And we're certain those will happen
because we're certain those have happened.
433
00:25:37,458 --> 00:25:43,791
There is every reason to believe
that these dams and projects
434
00:25:43,875 --> 00:25:46,500
should be sited far more carefully.
435
00:25:46,583 --> 00:25:50,916
Unfortunately, a proper realistic analysis
of these dams have not been done.
436
00:25:51,041 --> 00:25:56,416
Although, there are engineers who
have been designing these dams and...
437
00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,583
quite unethically they were also
the advisors to the government.
438
00:26:01,666 --> 00:26:06,250
So, they were not only providers of
designs
439
00:26:06,333 --> 00:26:08,166
but they also advised the government.
440
00:26:08,250 --> 00:26:12,625
And they were on all the committees. They
convinced the government of the day...
441
00:26:13,041 --> 00:26:15,583
that whatever they had
designed was safe enough.
442
00:26:15,666 --> 00:26:18,875
Although, no serious
analysis has been done.
443
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,625
[flowing water]
444
00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,958
[Valli] It was becoming
clear that the odds
445
00:26:25,041 --> 00:26:28,250
were stacked up high against
big dams in the Himalayas.
446
00:26:28,625 --> 00:26:30,416
[Himanshu] Because,
you are going into
447
00:26:30,500 --> 00:26:33,083
inaccessible areas and
difficult to access areas.
448
00:26:33,166 --> 00:26:36,000
[Himanshu] Your cost in those areas
will be higher than the other areas.
449
00:26:36,958 --> 00:26:41,333
[Himanshu] Secondly, see the
climate change is also making...
450
00:26:41,708 --> 00:26:44,625
them realize that the water
flow is unpredictable.
451
00:26:45,125 --> 00:26:48,083
And the whole hydropower
generation depends on that.
452
00:26:48,416 --> 00:26:52,833
Thirdly, they also realize whether
they don't accept it publicly that...
453
00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:58,416
the chances of disasters are
going up... for hydropower projects.
454
00:26:58,500 --> 00:27:02,000
During the construction phase
particularly, but even subsequently.
455
00:27:03,083 --> 00:27:07,333
[band plays]
456
00:27:08,833 --> 00:27:10,750
[storm rumbles]
457
00:27:12,375 --> 00:27:14,750
-[man 1] Is that a man or a cow?
-[indistinct chatter]
458
00:27:14,833 --> 00:27:16,625
-[man 2] Is that a man?
-[all] Yes, it's a man.
459
00:27:17,375 --> 00:27:18,708
[man 2] He is stuck.
460
00:27:18,791 --> 00:27:19,708
[indistinct chatter]
461
00:27:19,791 --> 00:27:20,666
[whistle]
462
00:27:20,750 --> 00:27:21,958
[man 1] There's another one there.
463
00:27:22,958 --> 00:27:23,833
[man 2] He won't get out.
464
00:27:23,958 --> 00:27:25,666
[man 3] How will he get out?
465
00:27:25,750 --> 00:27:28,250
[man 2] He won't get out now.
466
00:27:28,500 --> 00:27:33,000
[band drums beat]
467
00:27:36,708 --> 00:27:41,750
[Valli] June 2013 marked a shift in the
hydropower discourse in the country.
468
00:27:42,875 --> 00:27:45,458
[Valli] Cloud bursts are
not new in the Himalayas.
469
00:27:45,583 --> 00:27:49,791
[Valli] Only this time, the millions
of tons of dam and mountain debris
470
00:27:49,875 --> 00:27:52,250
[Valli] that had been dumped
all along the basin
471
00:27:52,333 --> 00:27:55,250
[Valli] turned the water flow
into a monstrous deluge.
472
00:27:55,833 --> 00:27:57,083
[Valli] So we went in.
473
00:28:02,791 --> 00:28:05,166
[Valli] The riverbed had
risen almost everywhere.
474
00:28:05,250 --> 00:28:08,333
[Valli] At some places, over 50 to 65
feet.
475
00:28:08,500 --> 00:28:10,375
[pensive music]
476
00:28:11,166 --> 00:28:14,583
[Valli] During the cloudburst,
part of a glacier broke away
477
00:28:14,666 --> 00:28:16,666
[Valli] and crashed into a mountain lake
478
00:28:16,750 --> 00:28:20,166
[Valli] which then emptied
itself into Kedarnath Valley.
479
00:28:21,250 --> 00:28:24,125
[Valli] The raging floodwaters
then headed downstream
480
00:28:24,208 --> 00:28:28,208
[Valli] for Lanco's 76 megawatt
Phata Byung dam in Sitapur
481
00:28:28,291 --> 00:28:32,000
[Valli] choking its diversion tunnels
with tons of silt and boulders.
482
00:28:32,291 --> 00:28:36,041
[Valli] The torrent then flattened the
barrage before moving down to Kund,
483
00:28:36,125 --> 00:28:39,375
[Valli] the site of L&T's
Singori Bhatwari plant.
484
00:28:39,458 --> 00:28:42,833
[pensive music continues]
485
00:28:43,625 --> 00:28:46,708
[Valli] L&T's powerhouse
was completely wiped out.
486
00:28:49,791 --> 00:28:54,000
[Marthand] Is this from where
the helicopter was swept away?
487
00:28:54,125 --> 00:28:56,250
[Durban] The second helicopter
was swept away...
488
00:28:56,375 --> 00:28:57,208
[Marthand] In the night.
489
00:28:57,291 --> 00:28:58,375
[Durban] I think it
happened in the morning.
490
00:28:59,708 --> 00:29:03,333
[Durban] The helipad broke
away at three in the morning.
491
00:29:03,416 --> 00:29:05,541
[Marthand, in Hindi] Did it happen
because of the rain?
492
00:29:05,708 --> 00:29:11,125
[in Hindi] It rained. And then there
was a Jaypee dam upstream.
493
00:29:11,250 --> 00:29:16,250
The gates didn't open in time.
The flood increased because of that.
494
00:29:16,333 --> 00:29:19,833
If they had kept the gates open,
the water would have flowed more easy.
495
00:29:19,916 --> 00:29:21,833
-[man 1] They did not open the gates.
-[man 2] They opened it all at once.
496
00:29:22,041 --> 00:29:23,541
-[man 1] It broke?
-[man 2] Yes. It did.
497
00:29:23,916 --> 00:29:27,083
-[man 1] They kept the gates closed.
-[man 2] Yes, because...
498
00:29:27,166 --> 00:29:29,583
-[man 1] The closed gates couldn't hold...
-[man 2] The water pressure...
499
00:29:29,791 --> 00:29:31,958
It couldn't hold the water
pressure and so it bursted.
500
00:29:32,041 --> 00:29:32,958
All at once.
501
00:29:33,166 --> 00:29:38,583
The dam burst towards the National
Highway Road and then the floods came by.
502
00:29:38,666 --> 00:29:40,625
The flood lasted for a long time.
503
00:29:40,708 --> 00:29:42,250
[Marthand] It lasted for 10-12 hours?
504
00:29:42,333 --> 00:29:45,791
Yes, this was not like earlier times when
the flash floods lasted for 10-15 minutes.
505
00:29:45,875 --> 00:29:49,333
No... this continued for hours.
It was quite a sight.
506
00:29:49,416 --> 00:29:54,500
[Valli, in English] The dams at Srinagar,
DhauliGanga, Motighat, Madhyamaheshwar
507
00:29:54,625 --> 00:29:59,166
[Valli] Asiganga 1&2 Maneri Bhali
1 and 2 suffered damages as well.
508
00:29:59,250 --> 00:30:03,791
[man, in Hindi] 2 turbines were swept away
some equipment from the dam site too.
509
00:30:03,875 --> 00:30:08,000
[man] Yes, that was expensive equipment.
510
00:30:08,083 --> 00:30:11,625
[Hemant] Another dam was the
400 MW Vishnuprayag Project.
511
00:30:11,875 --> 00:30:14,416
The Alakhnanda river filled
up that dam in such a way...
512
00:30:14,500 --> 00:30:16,541
[Hemant] And the river cut
open a side of the mountain.
513
00:30:16,666 --> 00:30:19,250
[man] The dam got left here and
the river made its way around it.
514
00:30:19,333 --> 00:30:23,750
[Marthand] Wherever the river goes,
they will have to take their dam along.
515
00:30:23,833 --> 00:30:26,666
[dam official] Nowadays, it is very
difficult to construct a hydro dam.
516
00:30:27,125 --> 00:30:28,041
Hydro power project.
517
00:30:28,333 --> 00:30:33,458
[dam official] You very well know that...
because of Eco-sensitive zone, the NGOs...
518
00:30:33,541 --> 00:30:36,000
[dam official] So,
we have to protect them.
519
00:30:36,250 --> 00:30:38,458
[Marthand] Because of the floods?
[dam official] No, no...
520
00:30:38,666 --> 00:30:43,875
[dam official] It is totally foreign
funded... all these agitations...
521
00:30:43,958 --> 00:30:46,333
[dam official] Hydro has
nothing to do with that...
522
00:30:46,875 --> 00:30:48,958
-[Marthand] Floods?
-[dam official] With floods.
523
00:30:49,041 --> 00:30:51,000
[reflective music]
524
00:31:00,041 --> 00:31:03,208
[flowing water]
525
00:31:06,625 --> 00:31:10,500
[reflective music continues]
526
00:31:19,250 --> 00:31:22,875
The future of this
technology is very bleak.
527
00:31:23,916 --> 00:31:30,333
And if you realize the total cost
that we are paying as a society
528
00:31:30,541 --> 00:31:32,208
for any one of these projects
529
00:31:32,458 --> 00:31:35,666
then there should be no question
of such projects going ahead.
530
00:31:35,750 --> 00:31:37,375
[flowing water]
531
00:31:38,875 --> 00:31:40,583
Dam it.
532
00:31:41,708 --> 00:31:44,041
You still think so? Of course.
533
00:31:44,458 --> 00:31:46,541
How else do we make power?
534
00:31:46,625 --> 00:31:48,625
[in Hindi] Well, there is coal.
535
00:31:48,708 --> 00:31:50,166
[in English] Most of the developed nations
536
00:31:50,250 --> 00:31:53,375
generate electricity with
coal and so it is in India.
537
00:31:53,458 --> 00:31:57,625
Brilliant! Coal it is then!
Coal is the goal.
538
00:31:57,708 --> 00:32:00,166
Not exactly, but let's watch.
539
00:32:00,416 --> 00:32:02,416
[muffled train announcement]
540
00:32:02,541 --> 00:32:05,666
[journey music]
541
00:32:06,375 --> 00:32:08,791
[in Hindi] Spicy treats! Spicy treats!
542
00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,958
[journey music continues]
543
00:32:16,625 --> 00:32:19,750
Nuts lemon lentils! Nuts lemon lentils!
544
00:32:20,208 --> 00:32:24,000
[journey music continues]
545
00:32:53,291 --> 00:32:57,166
[train horn]
546
00:32:57,291 --> 00:33:01,291
[train wheels]
547
00:33:07,541 --> 00:33:12,000
[Valli] Energy and water now seemed deeply
entwined. More questions cropped up.
548
00:33:12,666 --> 00:33:16,125
[Valli] How do rivers get affected
when electricity is made with coal?
549
00:33:16,500 --> 00:33:20,375
[Valli] Where is coal mined?
And then what do we do with it?
550
00:33:20,458 --> 00:33:23,166
[Biswajit] This is the general
structure of a coal field.
551
00:33:23,250 --> 00:33:29,500
So while drilling we found that
coal layers are at a depth of...
552
00:33:31,333 --> 00:33:33,916
200 meters... here.
553
00:33:34,750 --> 00:33:38,916
Whereas, here it is only 25 meters.
554
00:33:39,708 --> 00:33:43,416
[Valli] Which means either we scoop the
coal out from just below the surface
555
00:33:43,500 --> 00:33:45,791
[Valli] by a method
called open cast mining.
556
00:33:45,875 --> 00:33:50,000
[Valli] Or dig tunnels and drill it
out from deep under the ground.
557
00:33:50,166 --> 00:33:52,750
[train wheels]
558
00:33:54,583 --> 00:33:57,791
[Valli] We had entered the heart
of Central Indian coal fields.
559
00:33:57,875 --> 00:33:59,958
[Valli] The color of the
soil looked different.
560
00:34:00,041 --> 00:34:01,875
[Valli] Cargo trains look busier.
561
00:34:01,958 --> 00:34:04,416
[Valli] Everything looked very industrial.
562
00:34:05,250 --> 00:34:08,291
[Valli] How many years of
formation are we talking about?
563
00:34:08,375 --> 00:34:13,833
It is several million years.
It is several million years.
564
00:34:15,458 --> 00:34:21,958
Out of death comes life as Lord Shiva
said - renewable is the future.
565
00:34:22,625 --> 00:34:26,083
Shiva said that?
Oh, no, no, no, this is...
566
00:34:26,166 --> 00:34:29,458
this is coal. This is...
coal is not renewable.
567
00:34:29,791 --> 00:34:32,250
Coal... you burn it.
Poof it goes into the air.
568
00:34:32,333 --> 00:34:33,875
It never comes back
to its original state.
569
00:34:34,625 --> 00:34:36,125
-Coal.
-[Valli] It remains in the air as smoke.
570
00:34:36,250 --> 00:34:37,666
Coal is renewable.
571
00:34:38,750 --> 00:34:40,291
It is renewable.
572
00:34:41,041 --> 00:34:43,000
You tell me, what will
happen to you when you die?
573
00:34:43,750 --> 00:34:45,291
I don't know. I'll be dead, right?
574
00:34:45,375 --> 00:34:47,333
Yes... and you will be buried.
575
00:34:48,041 --> 00:34:51,208
And in a million years,
you will become a fossil.
576
00:34:51,916 --> 00:34:53,875
My friend, you will become coal.
577
00:34:54,291 --> 00:34:55,791
Renewable.
578
00:34:56,083 --> 00:34:57,625
[sigh]
579
00:34:59,583 --> 00:35:01,250
Anything else?
580
00:35:01,791 --> 00:35:02,750
There's some more.
581
00:35:04,625 --> 00:35:05,833
[sigh]
582
00:35:08,291 --> 00:35:12,250
[Shripad] A lot of them are in the
eastern and central part of India.
583
00:35:12,333 --> 00:35:16,291
Chhattisgarh has huge deposits.
Odisha has large deposits.
584
00:35:16,375 --> 00:35:18,958
Then you have Jharkhand
which has large deposits.
585
00:35:19,041 --> 00:35:21,833
Some parts of Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh border...
586
00:35:21,916 --> 00:35:24,666
These are the Singrauli
coal fields and...
587
00:35:24,791 --> 00:35:27,625
nearby coal fields and then you
have West Bengal...
588
00:35:27,708 --> 00:35:30,166
and then you have northeast
and Meghalaya and you have some
589
00:35:30,250 --> 00:35:32,750
other coal deposits
in the northeast.
590
00:35:32,833 --> 00:35:34,416
[Valli] All the
electricity that we have,
591
00:35:34,500 --> 00:35:37,833
it's a huge percentage
that coal gives, right?
592
00:35:37,916 --> 00:35:40,000
Yeah around 70-71%.
593
00:35:40,083 --> 00:35:43,458
[Valli] So, how much coal
reserves do we have?
594
00:35:43,541 --> 00:35:47,500
In India, we have a total reserve
595
00:35:47,583 --> 00:35:50,708
of 301 billion tons of coal.
596
00:35:51,000 --> 00:35:56,250
Yes... as per present exploration.
And it is increasing.
597
00:35:56,500 --> 00:35:59,375
[Valli] What this means is,
at the current rate of use,
598
00:35:59,708 --> 00:36:03,250
[Valli] the country's coal reserves
would last almost 500 years.
599
00:36:03,791 --> 00:36:06,375
That's brilliant! Black gold.
600
00:36:07,166 --> 00:36:10,083
Now nobody can stop us
from becoming a superpower.
601
00:36:10,416 --> 00:36:13,083
I wouldn't say that at this point.
602
00:36:13,208 --> 00:36:16,625
This dark rock comes with a dark story.
603
00:36:16,708 --> 00:36:19,291
How can be a dark story
when it lights up my house?
604
00:36:19,375 --> 00:36:22,666
Well, world over coal is
being considered dirty energy.
605
00:36:22,791 --> 00:36:25,000
Oh okay... now they tell us.
606
00:36:25,708 --> 00:36:27,583
They burnt their own
coal and developed.
607
00:36:27,666 --> 00:36:29,708
Now, when it is our turn it
has become dirty energy.
608
00:36:31,083 --> 00:36:33,166
This is all a conspiracy.
609
00:36:33,958 --> 00:36:35,541
-[Valli] This...
-They want to keep us backward.
610
00:36:35,625 --> 00:36:37,083
They don't want us to develop.
611
00:36:37,166 --> 00:36:39,125
They want to control us.
612
00:36:39,208 --> 00:36:40,916
That may not be entirely true, you know.
613
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:42,416
And you both... with this film.
614
00:36:43,375 --> 00:36:44,916
You are talking the same language.
615
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:47,625
You are also anti-nationals.
You are also traitors.
616
00:36:47,958 --> 00:36:48,958
Sir, you are wrong.
617
00:36:49,041 --> 00:36:50,208
Where are you getting the funds from?
618
00:36:50,583 --> 00:36:52,583
Well, many people are helping
in many different ways.
619
00:36:52,916 --> 00:36:54,375
-Foreign agents.
-[in Hindi] Who are you calling?
620
00:36:54,458 --> 00:36:56,541
Wait. You are making
serious allegations here.
621
00:36:56,791 --> 00:36:58,125
At least, finish watching the film.
622
00:36:58,208 --> 00:36:59,750
-Are you bugged?
-No, I am not.
623
00:36:59,833 --> 00:37:00,791
What is that?
624
00:37:00,958 --> 00:37:02,000
-[Naseer, in Hindi] Why is it kept here?
-[Valli in Hindi] This...
625
00:37:02,333 --> 00:37:03,458
This... this is my hair clip.
626
00:37:06,458 --> 00:37:07,875
-[Valli] It's a hair clip.
-[Naseer, in English] Looks dangerous.
627
00:37:07,958 --> 00:37:09,416
[Valli, in English] It's not dangerous.
628
00:37:10,083 --> 00:37:13,458
Look, you have to... you have
to know more about coal.
629
00:37:13,541 --> 00:37:16,375
And its impacts on the environment
and the people the world over.
630
00:37:16,458 --> 00:37:18,708
Not just in India... everywhere.
631
00:37:20,041 --> 00:37:22,500
[sighs] Alright. Show me.
632
00:37:24,583 --> 00:37:28,708
[Shripad] A lot of the coal that we
have is in very thickly forested areas.
633
00:37:28,791 --> 00:37:31,083
[Shripad] Areas which harbor
a lot of wildlife...
634
00:37:31,166 --> 00:37:33,583
[Shripad] you know, which harbors
rich ecology and biodiversity
635
00:37:33,916 --> 00:37:36,291
which are the
areas that provide...
636
00:37:36,416 --> 00:37:41,208
and recharge groundwater and of course
they are home to many tribal communities.
637
00:37:41,291 --> 00:37:44,833
[Shripad] So, when you want to mine
them then you to clear-fell these areas...
638
00:37:44,916 --> 00:37:47,250
[Shripad] and access the coal
below the ground. So...
639
00:37:47,333 --> 00:37:50,875
[Valli] In a nutshell, coal is dug
out, taken to washeries
640
00:37:50,958 --> 00:37:54,916
[Valli] where it is crushed and washed
then transported to the power plant,
641
00:37:55,000 --> 00:37:59,666
[Valli] to be burnt to produce steam to
turn the turbines to generate electricity.
642
00:38:00,375 --> 00:38:01,625
[Valli] Throughout this process,
643
00:38:01,875 --> 00:38:05,291
coal shares a rather close
relationship with water.
644
00:38:05,541 --> 00:38:07,875
[Valli] So, we planned our
visit during the monsoons
645
00:38:07,958 --> 00:38:10,708
[Valli] to see how intimate this
relationship could get.
646
00:38:10,791 --> 00:38:12,791
[music]
647
00:38:13,666 --> 00:38:16,416
[Sanjit] This is it. We are here.
648
00:38:18,833 --> 00:38:23,375
[Sanjit] Come... move fast...
because if someone notices us then...
649
00:38:27,250 --> 00:38:29,125
[thunder rumbles]
650
00:38:31,458 --> 00:38:34,500
[Valli] In its various stages
of making electricity,
651
00:38:34,583 --> 00:38:36,291
[Valli] from mining till it is burnt,
652
00:38:36,375 --> 00:38:38,625
[Valli] whenever coal debris meets water,
653
00:38:38,708 --> 00:38:42,583
[Valli] it releases a toxic cocktail
of heavy metals in our waterways
654
00:38:42,666 --> 00:38:46,000
[Valli] polluting our rivers,
streams, our groundwater,
655
00:38:46,083 --> 00:38:49,500
[Valli] water that we all drink
and use on a daily basis.
656
00:38:49,916 --> 00:38:51,916
[heavy rain]
657
00:38:54,083 --> 00:38:55,333
[Valli gasps]
658
00:38:57,541 --> 00:39:01,166
[Sanjit] Huh... is this good?
659
00:39:02,333 --> 00:39:03,750
[Valli] This is crazy.
660
00:39:03,833 --> 00:39:06,875
[Sanjit] Is this good enough?
661
00:39:06,958 --> 00:39:10,708
[Valli] That morning while the heavy
rainstorm kept the guards indoors,
662
00:39:10,791 --> 00:39:13,916
[Valli] we had entered areas
that are usually off-limits.
663
00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:17,458
[Valli] The mix of coal debris
and water was complete.
664
00:39:19,041 --> 00:39:20,375
[man] All this flowing
water goes into the river.
665
00:39:20,833 --> 00:39:23,666
[Valli] Into the Damodar river?
[Sanjit] Yes. Into the Damodar river.
666
00:39:25,958 --> 00:39:28,625
[Valli] These were not leaks or spills.
667
00:39:28,833 --> 00:39:30,541
[Valli] The plunder was
out there in the open
668
00:39:30,625 --> 00:39:32,541
[Valli] with nothing to
contain millions of tons
669
00:39:32,625 --> 00:39:35,708
[Valli] of coal sludge from
entering our waterways.
670
00:39:36,125 --> 00:39:38,875
-[indistinct chatter]
-[man] The AC is not serviced.
671
00:39:39,125 --> 00:39:42,125
[Valli] Khan Sahib,
what are you doing today?
672
00:39:43,916 --> 00:39:47,291
[Sanjit] We should take you inside as
well.
673
00:39:48,083 --> 00:39:54,291
[Sanjit] Inside the
washery, the water is all black.
674
00:39:55,500 --> 00:40:00,458
Anyway,
you are seeing it out here.
675
00:40:00,958 --> 00:40:03,291
[Khan] Today, your wishes have come true.
676
00:40:03,375 --> 00:40:06,666
[Valli] Khan Saheb, you are
doing an amazing job today.
677
00:40:07,541 --> 00:40:09,291
[Sanjit] Take this road on the right.
678
00:40:09,375 --> 00:40:10,833
-[man] Where?
-[Valli] To the right.
679
00:40:13,125 --> 00:40:16,125
[Sanjit] Look out here on this side.
680
00:40:16,208 --> 00:40:17,083
[Valli] Whoa!
681
00:40:17,250 --> 00:40:19,541
[Sanjit, in Hindi] Can you see the fire...
the smoke?
682
00:40:20,875 --> 00:40:22,250
[Sanjit] Can you see it?
683
00:40:22,333 --> 00:40:23,791
[Valli] No, let me step out.
684
00:40:23,875 --> 00:40:27,000
[Sanjit] Right... film from the
inside first, as much as you can.
685
00:40:27,083 --> 00:40:29,333
[Sanjit] Look down at all the fire...
climb up. Why don't you climb up?
686
00:40:29,416 --> 00:40:31,583
[Valli] I'm climbing, bro!
687
00:40:32,041 --> 00:40:34,166
-[Valli] Oops!
-[Sanjit] Come on, fast...
688
00:40:34,666 --> 00:40:37,541
[train horn]
689
00:40:38,416 --> 00:40:40,916
-Do you see all these cracks?
-[Valli] Yes.
690
00:40:41,500 --> 00:40:42,791
Gas is coming out
from all these cracks.
691
00:40:42,875 --> 00:40:44,333
[Valli] Is this also a subsidence area?
[Sanjit] Yes.
692
00:40:44,416 --> 00:40:48,958
[Sanjit] But do not go near
because the gas is fatal.
693
00:40:49,041 --> 00:40:51,500
It can kill a man.
694
00:40:52,250 --> 00:40:54,666
[Valli] How much of inhaling does that?
695
00:40:55,458 --> 00:40:57,166
-One long...
-[Valli] Really?
696
00:40:57,250 --> 00:40:58,416
A long inhale and you are gone.
697
00:40:58,500 --> 00:41:00,458
[Valli] So, if the
winds change, we should run.
698
00:41:01,916 --> 00:41:03,916
[Valli shudders]
699
00:41:04,583 --> 00:41:05,416
Look there.
700
00:41:05,916 --> 00:41:08,458
-[Valli] Oh, right.
-[Sanjit] You can film there.
701
00:41:11,083 --> 00:41:13,541
[Sanjit] Don't go too near.
Don't inhale the gas.
702
00:41:14,375 --> 00:41:16,666
[Valli] I'll stop breathing. [laughs]
703
00:41:18,791 --> 00:41:21,833
[Sanjit] Take the photo. Not the gas.
704
00:41:25,750 --> 00:41:29,958
[machine sounds]
705
00:41:36,041 --> 00:41:38,541
[Sanjit] All this area... wherever
we are standing is on fire.
706
00:41:39,250 --> 00:41:41,250
-[Valli] All these cracks...
-[Sanjit] Hmm.
707
00:41:41,833 --> 00:41:43,250
-[Valli] will make this land sink?
-[Sanjit] Yes.
708
00:41:43,333 --> 00:41:44,958
[Sanjit] All this will sink.
709
00:41:45,500 --> 00:41:49,541
[Sanjit] Look... another puff
of smoke just came out.
710
00:41:49,625 --> 00:41:52,500
[Valli] Whoa... what happened?
711
00:41:52,583 --> 00:41:54,666
-[Sanjit] There was a blast underground.
-[Valli] We didn't hear anything.
712
00:41:55,166 --> 00:41:56,375
[Sanjit] This was a natural one.
713
00:41:57,166 --> 00:41:59,083
-[Sanjit] It blew on its own.
-[Valli] When...
714
00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:02,791
The fire underground
released the gas.
715
00:42:06,041 --> 00:42:11,583
[Sanjit] You saw this happen twice just
now. The first one was a while back.
716
00:42:14,458 --> 00:42:20,625
[Sanjit] There are different variations.
It goes up till 20,000 ppm.
717
00:42:21,000 --> 00:42:22,458
[Valli] How much should it be?
718
00:42:22,541 --> 00:42:24,958
-[Sanjit] It should be less than 0.2 ppm.
-[Valli] Huh!
719
00:42:26,833 --> 00:42:30,750
It is 20,000 ppm.
Parts per million.
720
00:42:32,041 --> 00:42:32,916
[Valli] Of carbon?
721
00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:39,166
[Sanjit] Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide,
hydrogen... other gases are also there.
722
00:42:39,625 --> 00:42:41,208
[Valli] Has it increased
in the last 10 years?
723
00:42:42,208 --> 00:42:43,083
[Sanjit] Hmm.
724
00:42:43,333 --> 00:42:45,416
[Valli] Was it tolerable before that?
725
00:42:45,958 --> 00:42:47,333
[Sanjit] It wasn't tolerable.
726
00:42:47,416 --> 00:42:53,583
But as the mining activity increased,
727
00:42:53,666 --> 00:42:58,208
the fire and subsidence
has also increased.
728
00:43:00,000 --> 00:43:01,875
[Sanjit] It's a huge loss to natural
environment.
729
00:43:02,625 --> 00:43:06,250
[Sanjit] If they are mining,
730
00:43:06,791 --> 00:43:13,041
they should rehabilitate and plant trees.
731
00:43:13,541 --> 00:43:16,208
There is nothing around. Just you see.
732
00:43:17,083 --> 00:43:19,833
They have left overburden out in the open.
733
00:43:20,083 --> 00:43:23,708
They should dump
734
00:43:24,208 --> 00:43:28,875
and regenerate the soil
again.
735
00:43:29,083 --> 00:43:31,625
Do some plantation...
736
00:43:31,750 --> 00:43:33,583
[Valli] But they are required by
law, right?
737
00:43:33,833 --> 00:43:36,208
The laws cover everything.
738
00:43:36,791 --> 00:43:39,041
[Valli] And that is the reason
they are so secretive about it.
739
00:43:40,166 --> 00:43:41,541
[Valli] Because, they don't follow the
law.
740
00:43:45,333 --> 00:43:48,500
[Shripad] Now, Indian coal
typically has very high ash content.
741
00:43:48,958 --> 00:43:51,708
It can be up to 35-40%.
742
00:43:52,166 --> 00:43:54,291
[Shripad] The idea is that
you have these washeries.
743
00:43:54,708 --> 00:43:57,666
I mean washeries is a little
simplified way of understanding it.
744
00:43:57,750 --> 00:44:00,583
It's not that you put coal in
water and wash off the dust.
745
00:44:00,666 --> 00:44:03,375
It is a mix of physical
chemical processes
746
00:44:03,458 --> 00:44:05,666
[Shripad] by which these
impurities are separated out
747
00:44:05,958 --> 00:44:08,125
and what comes out
is called clean coal
748
00:44:08,208 --> 00:44:10,541
which is a misnomer because
it's not really clean.
749
00:44:10,791 --> 00:44:13,416
It's slightly better
than the earlier ones.
750
00:44:13,666 --> 00:44:17,458
[Shripad] You know, say from 35%,
it may go down to 20% or 22%.
751
00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:21,208
[reflective music]
752
00:44:23,041 --> 00:44:25,458
[Shripad] Many of the washeries are
supposed to be zero-liquid discharge
753
00:44:25,541 --> 00:44:26,833
so this is not
supposed to go out
754
00:44:27,166 --> 00:44:29,666
[Shripad] but we have seen blatantly
this water just let down
755
00:44:29,750 --> 00:44:33,500
into rivers and into streams
which has very serious impact.
756
00:44:35,458 --> 00:44:39,791
[reflective music continues]
757
00:44:46,916 --> 00:44:48,791
[Valli] We drove
around a power plant
758
00:44:48,875 --> 00:44:51,208
[Valli] which for some reason guarded
itself like a fortress.
759
00:44:52,250 --> 00:44:56,333
[Valli] In a power plant, the washed
coal is burnt to generate electricity.
760
00:44:58,625 --> 00:45:00,958
[Valli] Well... not just electricity.
761
00:45:01,208 --> 00:45:04,583
[Shripad] We are generating ash
in terms of millions of tons.
762
00:45:04,666 --> 00:45:08,625
[Shripad] I think last year, we
probably generated 160 million tons.
763
00:45:08,708 --> 00:45:12,166
[Shripad] Just to put a figure on that,
I think it is more than two times,
764
00:45:12,291 --> 00:45:16,625
[Shripad] the total municipal solid
waste generated in the country
765
00:45:17,250 --> 00:45:19,166
[Valli] Hey brother...
can you call him for a minute?
766
00:45:19,375 --> 00:45:20,416
[man] Yes.
767
00:45:21,458 --> 00:45:24,333
[Valli] I have to ask him something
about the trucks.
768
00:45:25,416 --> 00:45:27,250
[man] 700 in a day.
769
00:45:27,333 --> 00:45:29,166
[Valli] How many times
do you come and go?
770
00:45:29,250 --> 00:45:30,833
[man] We come 3-4 times.
771
00:45:30,958 --> 00:45:32,875
[Valli] The entire day?
772
00:45:33,541 --> 00:45:35,250
[Valli] And what is the truck's capacity?
773
00:45:35,333 --> 00:45:39,125
[man] This carries around 15 tons.
774
00:45:40,041 --> 00:45:45,625
[Valli] Hmm. So here you will keep
dumping and move forward?
775
00:45:45,708 --> 00:45:47,166
[Valli] All this land that has sunk?
776
00:45:47,291 --> 00:45:49,291
[man] Yes, all this mined
area will be covered.
777
00:45:49,500 --> 00:45:52,250
[Valli] Alright. Wonderful!
778
00:45:54,208 --> 00:45:55,541
[man] We will leave now, sister.
779
00:45:56,458 --> 00:46:00,708
[Shripad] If you go to coal mining
areas and areas where coal is burnt,
780
00:46:01,083 --> 00:46:05,625
[Shripad] it is supposed to be disposed
in a wet process in the ash ponds.
781
00:46:06,458 --> 00:46:08,416
[Valli] This you could just go and film?
[Shripad] Yeah.
782
00:46:08,500 --> 00:46:09,541
[Valli] Which location is this?
783
00:46:09,625 --> 00:46:12,833
This is Chennai, north Chennai.
See the size of the pond.
784
00:46:13,958 --> 00:46:16,583
This is only one part of the pond. There
is another behind this...
785
00:46:16,666 --> 00:46:20,125
[Valli] So what happens to the
groundwater in and around these places?
786
00:46:20,666 --> 00:46:23,041
All contaminated. That's the big thing.
787
00:46:23,125 --> 00:46:27,000
Now, this is supposed to be lined.
It's not lined at all.
788
00:46:27,083 --> 00:46:27,916
[Valli] Lined means?
789
00:46:28,000 --> 00:46:29,041
[man] Lined meaning put
a plastic underneath.
790
00:46:29,125 --> 00:46:32,750
No, I mean that requirement also came
in only in the last eight to ten years.
791
00:46:33,666 --> 00:46:35,458
[ash water falling]
792
00:46:37,375 --> 00:46:42,875
So, you see the consistency. So, now it
falls in, some of the water will evaporate
793
00:46:42,958 --> 00:46:46,458
some will seep in,
at some places the ash will dry...
794
00:46:47,208 --> 00:46:49,750
then it starts blowing...
795
00:46:50,583 --> 00:46:52,875
[Valli] No smoking? [laughter]
796
00:46:52,958 --> 00:46:56,000
-[Valli] Ironical.
-[doctor] We don't need cigarettes.
797
00:46:56,083 --> 00:46:57,541
-[Valli] We don't need...
-[doctor] Cigarettes.
798
00:46:57,625 --> 00:46:59,750
-[Valli] Everyone is smoking.
-[doctor] Everyone is smoking.
799
00:46:59,833 --> 00:47:01,833
[both laugh]
800
00:47:02,708 --> 00:47:04,583
[patient, in Hindi] It burns here.
801
00:47:04,833 --> 00:47:06,583
[doctor, in Hindi] You
have problem of the heart?
802
00:47:07,583 --> 00:47:09,875
[patient] Yes, a little of that.
[doctor] Yes, you are right.
803
00:47:11,958 --> 00:47:13,958
-[doctor] You have problem breathing too?
-[patient] Yes, a little of that too.
804
00:47:14,041 --> 00:47:16,041
[doctor] How many years have
you had this breathing problem?
805
00:47:16,166 --> 00:47:20,041
[Valli] We read that
there are a huge number of deaths
806
00:47:20,125 --> 00:47:21,666
this is all over India figure.
807
00:47:21,833 --> 00:47:26,666
[Valli] 100,000 that die due to
respiratory problems...
808
00:47:26,750 --> 00:47:28,625
so what are they dying of?
809
00:47:28,708 --> 00:47:29,875
[Valli] Is it pneumoconiosis?
810
00:47:29,958 --> 00:47:33,500
[doctor] No, no...
pneumoconiosis is related to the coal dust
811
00:47:33,583 --> 00:47:36,708
and also coal dust gives
rise to a disease known as COPD...
812
00:47:36,791 --> 00:47:38,541
Chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease.
813
00:47:38,625 --> 00:47:40,458
[Valli] We listened for over two hours
814
00:47:40,541 --> 00:47:43,833
[Valli] as the doctors listed an
endless account of diseases
815
00:47:43,916 --> 00:47:46,458
[Valli] caused just by living
around the coal belt.
816
00:47:46,583 --> 00:47:49,083
[Valli] And we were talking
about people in the millions.
817
00:47:49,250 --> 00:47:51,291
[Valli] So, the deaths
are caused because of...
818
00:47:51,375 --> 00:47:53,500
[doctor] Environment is alien.
It is not natural.
819
00:47:53,583 --> 00:47:56,916
The workers suffer from
different aspects of diseases.
820
00:47:57,041 --> 00:47:58,875
They may be depressed
most of them are suffering
821
00:47:58,958 --> 00:48:03,250
from peptic ulcer
because of the hard job and frustration.
822
00:48:03,666 --> 00:48:06,333
And then, heart disease,
hypertension is very common here.
823
00:48:06,416 --> 00:48:08,541
The immunity of the
workers and immunity of the people
824
00:48:08,625 --> 00:48:10,583
in the surrounding
area comes down.
825
00:48:10,791 --> 00:48:14,916
So auto-immune diseases... the incidence
of rheumatoid arthritis is very high here.
826
00:48:15,583 --> 00:48:20,375
The incidence of leprosy, as I told you
like tuberculosis has increased because...
827
00:48:20,458 --> 00:48:23,666
cancer is related to the
duration of the dust exposure.
828
00:48:23,750 --> 00:48:29,250
-Yeah... it affects the GIT -
our Gastro Intestinal Tract.
829
00:48:29,333 --> 00:48:31,958
-[Valli] The heavy metals?
-Yes, heavy metals. It can
830
00:48:32,041 --> 00:48:35,875
lead to cancers of the GIT and of the
kidney also.
831
00:48:35,958 --> 00:48:37,875
It leads to cancers of
the urinary bladder...
832
00:48:37,958 --> 00:48:41,708
Nowadays in India, the average life span
of an individual is around 73 years.
833
00:48:41,791 --> 00:48:44,666
You could die a
decade or two before.
834
00:48:48,750 --> 00:48:51,333
[Valli] We headed out looking
for underground mines.
835
00:48:51,458 --> 00:48:56,375
[Valli] We were also eager to see what
groundwater really looked like down there.
836
00:48:56,791 --> 00:48:59,750
[Valli] You expect a mine and you
find a cricket field. [laughs]
837
00:49:00,875 --> 00:49:02,875
[Valli] Really? Dhoni has played here?
838
00:49:02,958 --> 00:49:06,041
[doctor] Yes, before being
selected in the Indian team.
839
00:49:06,916 --> 00:49:08,666
[doctor] We are going to look at this one.
840
00:49:09,250 --> 00:49:10,458
[Valli] Are we going in?
841
00:49:10,583 --> 00:49:11,416
[doctor] Yeah.
842
00:49:11,500 --> 00:49:13,333
-[doctor] If you want, we can.
-[Valli] Yeah, yeah. Sure.
843
00:49:13,416 --> 00:49:16,166
[doctor] Don't mention the place, okay?
[Valli] No, no.
844
00:49:16,458 --> 00:49:17,916
[doors closes]
845
00:49:18,458 --> 00:49:21,708
[doctor, in Hindi] It is barricaded.
So, we can go till here, at least.
846
00:49:22,166 --> 00:49:24,250
[ground water falling]
847
00:49:24,833 --> 00:49:27,583
[miner, in Hindi] Don't go too near.
You'll get a grease stain.
848
00:49:27,875 --> 00:49:29,041
[ground water falling]
849
00:49:29,583 --> 00:49:31,958
[Valli, in Hindi] Is this working now?
Yes.
850
00:49:32,125 --> 00:49:34,541
[Valli] Really?
Have people gone in there now?
851
00:49:34,625 --> 00:49:36,500
[miner] Yes. And they will go again.
852
00:49:36,583 --> 00:49:38,291
[Valli] What time will they go in?
853
00:49:44,416 --> 00:49:45,541
[Valli] Woo-hoo...
854
00:49:47,791 --> 00:49:49,041
[miners] It's like home inside.
855
00:49:49,125 --> 00:49:52,125
[miners] It is dark inside.
Why don't you go for ten minutes?
856
00:49:52,291 --> 00:49:55,458
Go in. Go and look
around for a few minutes.
857
00:49:55,958 --> 00:49:59,625
Manager sahib is sitting here.
He will make it happen. No problem.
858
00:49:59,916 --> 00:50:01,416
[manager] Shall we go now?
859
00:50:01,583 --> 00:50:03,250
[manager] Keep this permit with you.
860
00:50:05,041 --> 00:50:07,083
[footsteps approaching]
861
00:50:07,958 --> 00:50:09,833
-[shrill bell]
-[dog barking]
862
00:50:09,958 --> 00:50:11,416
[metal clang]
863
00:50:11,541 --> 00:50:14,625
[classical vocals]
864
00:50:15,000 --> 00:50:16,333
[Valli] Okay.
865
00:50:16,416 --> 00:50:19,500
[classical vocals continue]
866
00:50:23,500 --> 00:50:31,125
[classical vocals continue]
[ground water falling]
867
00:50:42,750 --> 00:50:45,375
[Pakhawaj drums]
868
00:50:46,208 --> 00:50:47,041
[cricket shot]
869
00:50:47,166 --> 00:50:48,375
[boy] Take it, Suresh!
870
00:50:48,458 --> 00:50:49,791
[boy] Ahaa.
871
00:50:52,166 --> 00:50:53,541
[knock knock]
872
00:50:55,208 --> 00:50:57,250
-Hello, Ram Singh, how are you?
-Am good, sir.
873
00:50:57,333 --> 00:50:59,333
[ground water falling]
874
00:50:59,791 --> 00:51:02,375
[Ram Singh] Loader means... hauling coal.
875
00:51:02,500 --> 00:51:04,750
Our job is to haul coal.
876
00:51:05,916 --> 00:51:07,458
We haul coal.
877
00:51:07,541 --> 00:51:09,541
[metal clanging]
878
00:51:09,708 --> 00:51:12,500
[doctor] It is very slippery here.
We have to be very careful.
879
00:51:12,666 --> 00:51:13,958
[ground water flowing]
880
00:51:14,041 --> 00:51:16,041
[Valli] How far does this go in?
881
00:51:16,458 --> 00:51:21,041
This goes in very far. We
can even reach Bagdevi mines.
882
00:51:21,416 --> 00:51:24,750
We can go around 12-10 kms inside.
883
00:51:24,833 --> 00:51:27,000
[water pump humming]
884
00:51:27,208 --> 00:51:31,541
This is the water pump that operates 24/7.
885
00:51:31,625 --> 00:51:34,083
Otherwise, this whole
mine will be submerged.
886
00:51:34,875 --> 00:51:39,250
[manager] 4000 gpm. This mine generates
887
00:51:39,333 --> 00:51:43,708
4000 gallons of water per minute.
888
00:51:43,791 --> 00:51:45,541
[water pump humming]
889
00:51:46,125 --> 00:51:48,500
[Marthand] When is the shift ending?
[miner] 4 p.m. sir.
890
00:51:48,625 --> 00:51:49,541
-[Marthand] 4 p.m.
-[miner] Yes, sir.
891
00:51:50,666 --> 00:51:55,458
[Valli] Did your father do the same work?
[Ram Singh] No, he was a supervisor.
892
00:51:55,541 --> 00:51:57,166
[Valli] He was over the ground?
893
00:51:57,250 --> 00:51:59,458
[Ram Singh] He was both. Supervisor.
[Valli] Yes. So...
894
00:51:59,583 --> 00:52:02,583
[Valli] What I mean to ask
is, he was a miner.
895
00:52:02,666 --> 00:52:03,958
-[Valli] So are you.
-[Ram Singh] Yes.
896
00:52:04,041 --> 00:52:05,708
[Valli] What do your kids plan to do?
897
00:52:05,916 --> 00:52:11,291
[Valli] What do they want to become?
Do they say anything?
898
00:52:11,375 --> 00:52:13,208
[Marthand] Go to the city?
899
00:52:13,291 --> 00:52:16,666
Yes, sir. They have
aspirations of doing things.
900
00:52:17,083 --> 00:52:19,666
It is up to them and what they
want to do in the future.
901
00:52:21,416 --> 00:52:24,083
[classical vocals continue]
902
00:52:47,666 --> 00:52:50,291
[Raghu] I don't want to
let him go underground.
903
00:52:50,791 --> 00:52:54,583
As soon as I get a job I will
not let him go underground.
904
00:53:05,416 --> 00:53:08,375
[Ram Singh] I want them
to study well and I
905
00:53:08,458 --> 00:53:11,125
will not want them to go into the mines.
906
00:53:12,833 --> 00:53:15,375
[Ram Singh] I wish they
never go into the mines.
907
00:53:17,750 --> 00:53:20,458
Why should I care about
the future generations?
908
00:53:20,708 --> 00:53:22,583
What have they ever done for me?
909
00:53:24,000 --> 00:53:26,458
-Groucho Marx.
-Huh?
910
00:53:26,666 --> 00:53:28,500
Groucho Marx had said the same thing.
911
00:53:28,583 --> 00:53:31,541
He is right. Who is he?
912
00:53:31,958 --> 00:53:33,416
A comedian.
913
00:53:34,750 --> 00:53:36,416
Why are you doing this?
914
00:53:36,625 --> 00:53:38,083
This is such a great country.
915
00:53:38,166 --> 00:53:41,416
We have had thousands
of great rulers.
916
00:53:42,000 --> 00:53:46,041
We invented yoga, zero, the calculator...
917
00:53:46,125 --> 00:53:47,791
Not the calculator.
918
00:53:48,375 --> 00:53:49,875
And now you give me this.
919
00:53:51,625 --> 00:53:55,125
No dams. No coal. No nuclear.
920
00:53:55,375 --> 00:53:58,750
You are taking me into a dark tunnel
at the end of which there is no light.
921
00:54:00,166 --> 00:54:04,208
Actually, there is a light.
A big, blinding light.
922
00:54:08,791 --> 00:54:10,333
[doorbell rings]
923
00:54:11,708 --> 00:54:12,875
[door creaks]
924
00:54:12,958 --> 00:54:15,291
[Tony] Energy is mostly about policy.
925
00:54:15,458 --> 00:54:17,625
It's not about technology, really.
926
00:54:17,708 --> 00:54:20,958
It's not about what makes
sense for the population.
927
00:54:21,041 --> 00:54:23,791
Traditionally, it's been about policy.
928
00:54:23,875 --> 00:54:25,000
[paper rustles]
929
00:54:25,083 --> 00:54:30,125
[Tony] In 1991, India had 5 million
phones.
930
00:54:30,208 --> 00:54:35,791
Today, there's 1 billion
telephones in India.
931
00:54:36,041 --> 00:54:39,791
Just 20 years. Now, how did India do this?
932
00:54:39,875 --> 00:54:42,500
How much did it cost the government?
933
00:54:42,750 --> 00:54:44,500
What it cost the government? Nothing.
934
00:54:45,208 --> 00:54:49,375
All the government had to
do is change the policies.
935
00:54:50,208 --> 00:54:55,083
And the beauty of cell phones
is that it did not need a grid.
936
00:54:56,041 --> 00:54:59,083
And that's the same thing with solar.
937
00:54:59,166 --> 00:55:03,125
[upbeat music]
938
00:55:17,708 --> 00:55:22,291
[upbeat music continues]
939
00:55:45,125 --> 00:55:48,250
[Ashwin] There are larger societal
benefits of renewable energy
940
00:55:48,333 --> 00:55:52,333
[Ashwin] which accrues to the society
as a whole in terms of cleaner air,
941
00:55:52,416 --> 00:55:56,625
[Ashwin] in terms of energy security,
in terms of lesser price volatility,
942
00:55:56,708 --> 00:55:59,541
because it does not have any
fuel cost associated to it.
943
00:55:59,625 --> 00:56:03,000
So, once you install a wind
turbine or a solar plant
944
00:56:03,083 --> 00:56:07,416
then for 20-25 years, you know it's going
to give you energy at a fixed price.
945
00:56:07,500 --> 00:56:09,041
[man, in Hindi] First, we had a
meeting in the village.
946
00:56:09,125 --> 00:56:11,416
[Valli, in Hindi] These panels...
how much power do they generate?
947
00:56:11,500 --> 00:56:15,500
[man] There are 24 panels.
Each panel is of 240 watts.
948
00:56:15,708 --> 00:56:20,666
These are 24 panels. 2 series of 12.
949
00:56:20,750 --> 00:56:25,375
[man] The distribution is done
from... the control room.
950
00:56:25,458 --> 00:56:29,250
[man] The output that comes
from the energy meter there...
951
00:56:29,375 --> 00:56:31,125
it's all underground.
952
00:56:31,208 --> 00:56:35,291
It comes through the
ground till this meter.
953
00:56:35,750 --> 00:56:37,333
[Valli] So each house has a meter here?
954
00:56:37,416 --> 00:56:40,208
[man] Yes, each house
has a different meter.
955
00:56:41,250 --> 00:56:43,000
[Valli] And the wires go to each house?
956
00:56:43,083 --> 00:56:49,250
[man] Yes, each house. Here's the input.
And the output goes from here
957
00:56:49,333 --> 00:56:52,833
[man] and goes up above to each house.
958
00:56:54,208 --> 00:56:56,583
[Valli, in English] Is laying down
a grid very expensive?
959
00:56:56,666 --> 00:56:59,458
But we have about
80-90% covered, right?
960
00:56:59,541 --> 00:57:03,833
Yeah, most of the villages... over 95% of
the villages have the grid reaching there.
961
00:57:04,000 --> 00:57:05,500
[Ashwin] So, there's a distinction here.
962
00:57:05,583 --> 00:57:08,166
[Ashwin] So, when you say the
electricity lines
963
00:57:08,250 --> 00:57:09,458
have reached the village.
964
00:57:09,583 --> 00:57:12,083
[Ashwin] It does not mean every
house in that village has electricity.
965
00:57:12,166 --> 00:57:14,958
[Ashwin] And that's why,
the discrepancy that 400 million Indians
966
00:57:15,041 --> 00:57:16,250
still do not have electricity.
967
00:57:16,625 --> 00:57:21,250
I think there's an opportunity
here to leapfrog the grid entirely.
968
00:57:21,333 --> 00:57:25,958
And I believe that most
Indians and most rural Indians
969
00:57:26,041 --> 00:57:30,458
their energy needs are going to be best
served by clean distributed energy models.
970
00:57:30,541 --> 00:57:35,458
Instead of centralized generation and
expensive distribution and transmission.
971
00:57:37,291 --> 00:57:41,208
Local generation and local
distribution is really the model.
972
00:57:42,541 --> 00:57:44,833
[teacher] It's a common
myth that solar power
973
00:57:44,916 --> 00:57:46,750
[teacher] is only for... you
know one or two lights.
974
00:57:46,833 --> 00:57:49,208
[teacher] We have our
whole school 80+ classrooms.
975
00:57:49,458 --> 00:57:55,416
[teacher] More than 4,500 children
and the area is over eight acre area.
976
00:57:55,500 --> 00:57:59,250
[teacher] And we have all that being
powered by our solar power plant.
977
00:57:59,333 --> 00:58:02,916
[teacher] We have ACs,
we have lifts
978
00:58:03,208 --> 00:58:07,791
and have close to two to
three fans per classroom.
979
00:58:08,000 --> 00:58:11,875
[teacher] More than three tube lights
per classroom. It's just not that
980
00:58:11,958 --> 00:58:14,625
you're just lighting one
light or one fan with solar
981
00:58:14,708 --> 00:58:16,791
but the whole school is
actually powered with solar.
982
00:58:16,958 --> 00:58:22,208
We have more than six blocks here
which are taking power from the plant.
983
00:58:22,291 --> 00:58:24,333
The plant is intelligent
enough to decide
984
00:58:24,708 --> 00:58:27,125
if it's a cloudy day then
we take it from BESCOM.
985
00:58:27,208 --> 00:58:30,541
[teacher] And when the load is less
and we're generating good enough,
986
00:58:30,625 --> 00:58:32,666
[teacher] we export
it back to BESCOM
987
00:58:33,208 --> 00:58:37,166
and BESCOM compensates that
in our next electricity bill.
988
00:58:40,458 --> 00:58:45,166
[Valli] Oh, wow. It spreads out!
[Teacher] Yes, totally. 400 panels.
989
00:58:45,583 --> 00:58:47,083
Even a first standard child will know.
990
00:58:47,166 --> 00:58:49,166
[teacher] But a ninth standard child would
probably give you more details on it.
991
00:58:49,250 --> 00:58:50,750
[teacher] But everybody is aware that
992
00:58:50,833 --> 00:58:52,875
there is something like this in the
school.
993
00:58:52,958 --> 00:58:54,958
[teacher] Probably once a
week, the grade comes
994
00:58:55,041 --> 00:58:58,291
sees everything and you
know actually experiences,
995
00:58:58,375 --> 00:59:01,041
because we believe that
it's just not talking
996
00:59:01,125 --> 00:59:03,625
we have to actually
show them everything.
997
00:59:04,500 --> 00:59:08,666
[Sunita] If you really want solar to
become part of the energy future of India,
998
00:59:08,791 --> 00:59:13,125
then you have to think about how you can
have decentralized solar projects work.
999
00:59:13,208 --> 00:59:17,791
But then the challenge comes is
that nobody has an effective model.
1000
00:59:17,958 --> 00:59:23,125
Because everybody has done solar energy in
small little bits. They're cute solutions.
1001
00:59:23,250 --> 00:59:26,291
Okay. But not of the scale
that you need them to be.
1002
00:59:26,458 --> 00:59:29,458
And so now the big
challenge is to scale it up.
1003
00:59:29,541 --> 00:59:33,541
So, think of the grid as the Internet...
1004
00:59:33,625 --> 00:59:37,291
where anybody can come in and
be an Internet service provider.
1005
00:59:37,375 --> 00:59:40,541
where anyone can be a user
and anyone can be a seller.
1006
00:59:41,291 --> 00:59:45,833
If you do that if you think
about the grid in an open way,
1007
00:59:46,375 --> 00:59:49,583
you are basically opening
up the energy business,
1008
00:59:49,666 --> 00:59:51,666
[Tony] to a million entrepreneurs
1009
00:59:51,750 --> 00:59:56,791
[Tony] to come in and put up
solar on a billion rooftops.
1010
00:59:56,958 --> 01:00:00,750
[Tony] Provide storage, provide
energy generation and sell it.
1011
01:00:00,833 --> 01:00:02,166
[Tony] And also plug it into the grid.
1012
01:00:02,250 --> 01:00:03,666
What are they doing?
1013
01:00:04,833 --> 01:00:06,000
This is madness. So much destruction.
1014
01:00:06,083 --> 01:00:10,291
This will be the end of life.
The end of the universe. Everything.
1015
01:00:10,500 --> 01:00:11,333
Why, what happened?
1016
01:00:11,416 --> 01:00:13,791
The Sun. The Sun is the source of life.
1017
01:00:14,666 --> 01:00:17,250
And here these crazy fellows
are sucking out all its energy.
1018
01:00:17,333 --> 01:00:18,791
This will be catastrophic.
1019
01:00:18,875 --> 01:00:20,416
[Valli] Calm down, Naseer. [Naseer]
You got to stop them. No, no, no.
1020
01:00:20,500 --> 01:00:23,166
[Valli] Nothing of that sort will
happen [Naseer] How do you know how?
1021
01:00:23,500 --> 01:00:28,208
Well... the solar panels...
look how shiny they are.
1022
01:00:28,583 --> 01:00:30,958
They are going to reflect it all back.
1023
01:00:31,708 --> 01:00:36,541
These solar panels will keep the Sun
alive and burning for billions of years.
1024
01:00:38,833 --> 01:00:40,000
They are shiny.
1025
01:00:42,416 --> 01:00:44,791
Just make sure they
give it all back to the Sun.
1026
01:00:44,875 --> 01:00:47,666
After all, we have think
of future generations also.
1027
01:00:48,416 --> 01:00:49,833
You're right.
1028
01:00:50,041 --> 01:00:53,500
Where are the markets which will
actually reach energy to poor?
1029
01:00:53,583 --> 01:00:56,291
If the markets existed
to reach energy to poor,
1030
01:00:56,375 --> 01:00:58,333
you wouldn't have
millions in darkness today.
1031
01:00:58,416 --> 01:01:01,916
So, the first thing that
governments should do...
1032
01:01:02,000 --> 01:01:06,500
is to stop subsidizing and
protecting big energy companies.
1033
01:01:06,583 --> 01:01:08,416
Stop subsidizing. Um.
1034
01:01:08,875 --> 01:01:10,541
I'll give you one example.
1035
01:01:10,625 --> 01:01:14,666
India today, according to the
International Monetary Fund
1036
01:01:14,875 --> 01:01:18,541
um, gives 30 billion dollars a year
1037
01:01:18,625 --> 01:01:21,333
to the fossil fuel industry
in subsidies, right?
1038
01:01:21,416 --> 01:01:24,666
If you just stop subsidizing fossil fuel
1039
01:01:24,750 --> 01:01:27,083
and put that money into solar,
1040
01:01:27,208 --> 01:01:30,750
you would give 500
million people in India...
1041
01:01:31,250 --> 01:01:35,416
access to power for the
next few decades, right?
1042
01:01:36,791 --> 01:01:39,791
[introspective music]
1043
01:01:39,875 --> 01:01:42,125
[Eklavya] Now, if we only generate this...
1044
01:01:42,375 --> 01:01:45,125
[Valli] We were speaking with
renewable energy entrepreneurs
1045
01:01:45,208 --> 01:01:48,041
[Valli] authors, manufacturers and
planners
1046
01:01:48,166 --> 01:01:51,250
[Valli] an excited bunch of people
who were looking into a future
1047
01:01:51,333 --> 01:01:55,666
[Valli] where our climate and freshwater
systems could heal and sustain themselves.
1048
01:01:56,125 --> 01:01:59,541
[Valli] In most of our conversations,
one common thought was
1049
01:01:59,625 --> 01:02:02,041
[Valli] if our governments
have the political will,
1050
01:02:02,125 --> 01:02:03,958
[Valli] to make the right choices now,
1051
01:02:04,083 --> 01:02:06,833
[Valli] the switch to clean energy
could happen very quickly.
1052
01:02:06,916 --> 01:02:08,458
[Valli] What are the
big policy changes
1053
01:02:08,583 --> 01:02:11,125
you want to see any government
make to boost solar?
1054
01:02:11,250 --> 01:02:13,458
Get out of the energy business.
1055
01:02:13,583 --> 01:02:19,375
There is no reason,
today, in modern energy.
1056
01:02:19,458 --> 01:02:23,125
Modern energy is about technology.
1057
01:02:23,208 --> 01:02:27,833
[Tony] It's closer to telecommunications
1058
01:02:27,916 --> 01:02:31,666
or cell phones or internet provision.
1059
01:02:31,791 --> 01:02:35,500
[Tony] In the 20th century,
there were a lot of governments
1060
01:02:35,583 --> 01:02:39,583
[Tony] who were in the telecom business,
who were in the telephony business,
1061
01:02:39,791 --> 01:02:43,833
[Tony] but now there aren't because
it's essentially a technology business.
1062
01:02:43,916 --> 01:02:47,958
[Tony] So, the government should
get out of the energy business.
1063
01:02:48,041 --> 01:02:50,083
It should not own the transmission.
1064
01:02:50,166 --> 01:02:51,791
It should not own the distribution.
1065
01:02:51,875 --> 01:02:53,875
It should not own the grid.
1066
01:02:54,041 --> 01:02:56,000
[Brad] They are publicly traded companies
1067
01:02:56,125 --> 01:02:59,000
but they're not used
to really being dynamic
1068
01:02:59,083 --> 01:03:04,708
and competitive and changing the way...
people do in the technology business.
1069
01:03:04,791 --> 01:03:07,958
Where the half-life of
a product is 18 months
1070
01:03:08,041 --> 01:03:09,625
so you're constantly thinking forward.
1071
01:03:09,708 --> 01:03:12,208
These businesses are
like moving the Titanic.
1072
01:03:12,291 --> 01:03:15,625
They don't even steer.
They just do the same thing.
1073
01:03:15,833 --> 01:03:21,208
Either you're a government agency
or you're a for-profit company.
1074
01:03:21,291 --> 01:03:22,125
You can't be both.
1075
01:03:22,208 --> 01:03:24,750
[Valli] For solar entrepreneurs,
government
1076
01:03:24,833 --> 01:03:26,958
policy affects real issues on the ground.
1077
01:03:27,041 --> 01:03:28,666
Unless you have total clarity
1078
01:03:28,750 --> 01:03:31,250
you have to kind of figure out...
1079
01:03:31,333 --> 01:03:34,750
okay this is what I want to give
to these people.
1080
01:03:34,833 --> 01:03:38,208
this is how much conventional
electricity I have right now.
1081
01:03:38,416 --> 01:03:41,291
And this is how much I need to
supplement it through renewable sources.
1082
01:03:41,791 --> 01:03:44,000
And therefore I have an integrated plan.
1083
01:03:44,083 --> 01:03:45,375
Otherwise, how will it work?
1084
01:03:45,458 --> 01:03:48,125
If you say that okay you go and do
renewables and then
1085
01:03:48,500 --> 01:03:49,875
two years later
somebody else will say no
1086
01:03:49,958 --> 01:03:51,500
now let's improve the conventional.
1087
01:03:52,250 --> 01:03:54,666
It's a recipe for disaster, right?
1088
01:03:54,750 --> 01:03:57,916
Because, there's always this fear
that if I go in put in and tomorrow
1089
01:03:58,208 --> 01:04:00,583
if some person comes in
and says something else...
1090
01:04:01,416 --> 01:04:04,333
a system which is going to recover
its money for me in 25 years.
1091
01:04:04,916 --> 01:04:06,500
You need policy certainty.
1092
01:04:06,583 --> 01:04:08,500
[Valli] Have you heard
about the solar cooker?
1093
01:04:08,791 --> 01:04:11,708
The one that
works with the sun.
1094
01:04:11,916 --> 01:04:13,916
-[Valli] Yes, yes.
-Lot of light.
1095
01:04:15,375 --> 01:04:20,083
[Valli] Renewable energy today is cheaper
than electricity provided by the grid
1096
01:04:20,166 --> 01:04:22,916
[Valli] in hundreds of
markets around the world.
1097
01:04:23,000 --> 01:04:27,291
[Valli] Even with all the subsidies that
conventional energy industry gets
1098
01:04:27,375 --> 01:04:29,333
[Valli] solar and wind come out cheaper.
1099
01:04:29,416 --> 01:04:32,000
You are seeing a huge movement of people
1100
01:04:32,083 --> 01:04:35,208
that are using water as the main argument
1101
01:04:35,291 --> 01:04:37,916
against coal and fossil fuel industries,
1102
01:04:38,041 --> 01:04:40,666
not actually climate change or pollution.
1103
01:04:40,750 --> 01:04:43,541
We're at a point in human history now
1104
01:04:43,625 --> 01:04:48,333
where we cannot afford to continue
along this path of dirty energy.
1105
01:04:48,958 --> 01:04:52,041
We see the many ways
in which it's actually
1106
01:04:52,125 --> 01:04:55,333
undermining our progress,
undermining our prosperity.
1107
01:04:56,166 --> 01:05:00,666
100% renewable energy
really must be the goal.
1108
01:05:00,958 --> 01:05:03,333
Really must be the goal.
1109
01:05:03,708 --> 01:05:08,166
[soothing music]
1110
01:05:22,333 --> 01:05:26,375
This fan will keep us cool
during global warming?
1111
01:05:27,458 --> 01:05:32,375
This is a wind turbine.
It generates electricity from the wind.
1112
01:05:34,125 --> 01:05:38,833
From wind? And who will blow
the wind towards this big fan?
1113
01:05:41,416 --> 01:05:42,833
It's a mystery.
1114
01:05:48,416 --> 01:05:51,958
[soothing music continues]
1115
01:05:54,250 --> 01:05:57,041
[Valli] We seemed to have
come to the end of one road
1116
01:05:57,125 --> 01:05:58,958
[Valli] and the beginning of another.
1117
01:05:59,916 --> 01:06:01,875
[Valli] Clearly, we had a choice.
1118
01:06:07,708 --> 01:06:09,875
[Vandana] I think in every sphere of life,
1119
01:06:09,958 --> 01:06:11,750
[Vandana] earth democracy means
1120
01:06:11,833 --> 01:06:15,875
[Vandana] that wherever the
earth provides the resources
1121
01:06:16,083 --> 01:06:18,583
[Vandana] and wherever people have a need,
1122
01:06:18,666 --> 01:06:21,125
[Vandana] whether it be
for food or water or energy
1123
01:06:21,208 --> 01:06:24,291
it be as decentralized as possible.
1124
01:06:25,250 --> 01:06:29,333
We can't let our limitations
be our convenience.
1125
01:06:29,416 --> 01:06:31,500
[Parineeta] It's our
limitation that we can't study
1126
01:06:31,583 --> 01:06:34,416
[Parineeta] or we can't respond to
the daily nature of the river flows.
1127
01:06:40,666 --> 01:06:42,291
[Shripad] If you define
your basic objective
1128
01:06:42,375 --> 01:06:43,750
of the power sector
saying that first I want
1129
01:06:44,083 --> 01:06:47,125
[Shripad] everybody to have
electricity for their basic needs.
1130
01:06:47,208 --> 01:06:49,291
Then the whole sector would
be structured differently.
1131
01:06:49,375 --> 01:06:51,500
Solar is the solution of the past.
1132
01:06:51,583 --> 01:06:54,166
Solar has been the
solution of the present
1133
01:06:54,250 --> 01:06:56,250
and solar is a solution of the future.
1134
01:06:56,708 --> 01:07:01,458
[soaring music]
1135
01:07:07,375 --> 01:07:09,958
What I know is we humans are
1136
01:07:10,458 --> 01:07:13,916
way more powerful than we want to believe.
1137
01:07:14,041 --> 01:07:17,291
We all like being small.
We like having enemies.
1138
01:07:17,375 --> 01:07:19,208
Look what they're doing.
1139
01:07:19,291 --> 01:07:21,916
We like being able to
point fingers because
1140
01:07:22,000 --> 01:07:23,875
then I don't have to look in the mirror.
1141
01:07:24,083 --> 01:07:26,208
Looking in the mirror is a lot scarier.
1142
01:07:26,291 --> 01:07:28,583
Being accountable is a lot harder.
1143
01:07:29,666 --> 01:07:33,708
[soaring music continues]
1144
01:08:23,000 --> 01:08:24,875
[loud knocking]
1145
01:08:26,166 --> 01:08:27,708
[loud knocking]
1146
01:08:28,791 --> 01:08:29,958
[in Marathi] What is going on here?
1147
01:08:30,083 --> 01:08:31,208
[in Hindi] What is going on?
1148
01:08:31,625 --> 01:08:33,500
Who is this Valli and Marthand?
1149
01:08:33,583 --> 01:08:35,041
That's us.
1150
01:08:35,458 --> 01:08:36,625
Hey, what are you doing?
1151
01:08:36,708 --> 01:08:38,333
You have been called
to the police station.
1152
01:08:38,458 --> 01:08:41,000
You are making a film?
And that too against the nation?
1153
01:08:41,083 --> 01:08:43,875
We are making a film alright,
but how is that against the nation?
1154
01:08:44,083 --> 01:08:46,166
Naseer you've got to tell them.
You've just seen the film.
1155
01:08:46,250 --> 01:08:49,291
No, I haven't seen anything.
It is not my film.
1156
01:08:49,375 --> 01:08:51,500
It is about giving power to the people.
1157
01:08:51,583 --> 01:08:52,416
Well...
1158
01:08:52,500 --> 01:08:55,000
Okay, you don't get involved in this.
1159
01:08:55,125 --> 01:08:56,375
Let's go to the police station.
1160
01:08:56,458 --> 01:08:57,666
This is not done.
1161
01:08:57,750 --> 01:08:59,250
-Let's go.
-Let's go.
1162
01:09:00,000 --> 01:09:01,333
Naseer, do something.
1163
01:09:01,416 --> 01:09:03,708
This... check this hair clip.
1164
01:09:04,125 --> 01:09:05,291
Let's go.
1165
01:09:05,625 --> 01:09:07,458
Not my film. I don't know anything.
1166
01:09:07,958 --> 01:09:11,666
[footsteps fading out]
1167
01:09:13,666 --> 01:09:14,958
[door shuts]
1168
01:09:26,708 --> 01:09:31,000
[street noise]
1169
01:09:42,833 --> 01:09:43,666
[door shuts]
1170
01:09:43,750 --> 01:09:49,041
[reflective music]
1171
01:09:52,958 --> 01:09:54,916
[reflective music continues]
1172
01:10:03,333 --> 01:10:07,583
[Ratna] ...talk for hours and at the
close, at last the elephant arose
1173
01:10:07,666 --> 01:10:11,416
[Ratna] and with a modest trumpet
call drew the attention of them all.
1174
01:10:11,500 --> 01:10:15,291
[Naseer] O Beasts of Bingle gathered
around
1175
01:10:16,916 --> 01:10:18,458
though in our search for common ground.
1176
01:10:18,541 --> 01:10:24,166
[Naseer] I would not dream of unanimity
at least our views may reach proximity.
1177
01:10:25,083 --> 01:10:29,416
[Naseer] I speak to you as one whose
plan has served
1178
01:10:29,500 --> 01:10:32,208
and therefore studied man.
1179
01:10:33,583 --> 01:10:38,791
[Naseer] He is a creature mild and
vicious practical minded and capricious.
1180
01:10:39,000 --> 01:10:44,000
[Naseer] Loving and brutal, sane and
mad, the good as puzzling as the bad,
1181
01:10:44,583 --> 01:10:50,625
the sticky center of this
mess is an uneasy selfishness.
1182
01:10:51,291 --> 01:10:57,708
He rips our flesh and tears our skin
for cloth without for food within.
1183
01:10:58,416 --> 01:11:04,375
The leopard spots his to wear
our ivory unknots his hair.
1184
01:11:04,541 --> 01:11:09,041
The tragopan falls to his gun,
he shoots the flying fox for fun.
1185
01:11:09,458 --> 01:11:11,500
[Naseer] The black bear dances to his
whim,
1186
01:11:11,583 --> 01:11:15,125
my own tame cousins slave for him.
1187
01:11:16,333 --> 01:11:21,041
Yet, we who give him work and food
have never earned his gratitude.
1188
01:11:22,166 --> 01:11:28,666
[Naseer] He grasps our substance as of
right to quench and spur his appetite.
1189
01:11:29,291 --> 01:11:34,041
[Naseer] Nor will he grant us truce or
space to rest secure in any place.
1190
01:11:34,875 --> 01:11:38,916
Sometimes he worships us as gods
or sings of us at Eisteddfods
1191
01:11:39,000 --> 01:11:43,458
or fashions fables, myths and stories
to celebrate our deeds and glories,
1192
01:11:43,541 --> 01:11:48,791
and yet... despite this fertile fuss
when has he ever cared for us.
1193
01:11:49,875 --> 01:11:56,291
[Naseer] He sees the planet as his fief
where every hair or leaf or drop,
1194
01:11:56,375 --> 01:12:03,291
or seed or blade or grain of sand
is destined for his mouth and hand.
1195
01:12:03,666 --> 01:12:10,041
If he is thirsty, we must thirst for
of all creatures, man comes first.
1196
01:12:10,291 --> 01:12:16,041
If he needs room, then we must
fly and if he hungers, we must die.
1197
01:12:17,625 --> 01:12:22,916
Think what will happen, when his scheme
to tame our valley and our stream
1198
01:12:23,000 --> 01:12:28,125
begins to thrust its way across
these gentle slopes of fern and moss
1199
01:12:28,208 --> 01:12:31,583
with axe, explosive and machine.
1200
01:12:32,875 --> 01:12:35,208
[Naseer] Since rhododendron logs burn
green
1201
01:12:35,291 --> 01:12:37,083
they will all be chopped for firewood
1202
01:12:37,166 --> 01:12:39,458
or logged and smuggled out for good.
1203
01:12:40,416 --> 01:12:42,791
[Naseer] As every bird and mammal knows
1204
01:12:43,041 --> 01:12:47,000
[Ratna and Naseer] when the road comes
the forest goes.
1205
01:12:48,083 --> 01:12:50,041
And let me say this to the trout...
1206
01:12:50,666 --> 01:12:53,416
the bamboo will be slashed no
doubt and what the tragopan and I
1207
01:12:53,500 --> 01:12:58,583
delight to eat will burn and die.
But what will happen to your stream?
1208
01:12:59,541 --> 01:13:03,750
[Naseer] Before the reservoir, your dream
of endless space can come about...
1209
01:13:03,833 --> 01:13:07,125
the soot and filth will snuff you out.
1210
01:13:07,791 --> 01:13:11,750
[Naseer] What tolls for us is your own
1211
01:13:12,583 --> 01:13:14,875
bell and similarly, let me tell...
1212
01:13:14,958 --> 01:13:19,625
the leopards who may fancy here,
a forest full of fleeing deer,
1213
01:13:19,708 --> 01:13:25,250
after your happy passing slaughter,
you too will have to flee from water.
1214
01:13:25,333 --> 01:13:27,458
[Naseer] You will be homeless like us all,
1215
01:13:28,500 --> 01:13:32,208
it is this fate we must forestall.
1216
01:13:33,833 --> 01:13:39,000
So, let me say to every single
endangered denizen of Bingle,
1217
01:13:39,083 --> 01:13:41,916
we must unite in fur and feather,
1218
01:13:42,333 --> 01:13:45,708
[Ratna and Naseer] for we
will live or die together.
1219
01:13:46,916 --> 01:13:51,208
[free flowing water]