This nuclear power project will jeopardize thousands of people and their ways of life.  Around 2,335 land owners, their families, and other laborers who rely on the land will be affected by the construction of this power station.  The Jaitapur nuclear plant will have far reaching consequences that endanger the nearby  fisheries and mango and cashew groves, rice fields –- and anyone relying on these industries. 

The project threatens valuable fishing activity due to the discharge of hot water used to cool the nuclear reactors.  The water, which is released 5 degrees centigrade warmer than the water at the intake, could drive the fish away by destroying a habitat which was not meant to withstand the abrupt, significant temperature change.  In addition, the nuclear park alters the rain and water fall patterns and thus jeopardizes the shallow streams most valuable to fishermen.

Pravin Gavankar, President of Sanhit Seva Samiti, a local activist organization opposed to the plant, comments, "[t]he village is a solace for some 650 odd trawlers. Each trawler provides work for 12 men, which means finance for 12 families. If and when JNPP comes here, the warm reactor waters that have been proposed to be released a few kilometers deep in the sea will destroy the catch and in one shot all the 12 families will be affected." (1)

Gavankar continues, "“All of these workers are on daily wages earning around Rs.250 to Rs.400 per day [$5-$9 USD]....Over all the fishing business over here will be affected in huge ways, and the repercussions will be huge, affecting the lives of over 5000 villagers or more.”(1)

According to the Maharashtra Macchhimar Kruti Samiti, seven fishing villages—Sakhari Nate, Tulsunde, Ambolgad, Sagwa, Kathadi, Jambhali and Nana Ingalwadi—will be threatened by the project. The annual fish catch in Ratnagiri district is 1,25,000 tonnes. About 40,000 tonnes of this comes from Sakhari Nate.(2)  Overall, at least 15,000 people in the area depend on fishing. Moreover, even if the fish do not disappear from the Jaitapur region, the fishing industry may be irreparably harmed by the presence of the nuclear plant. A large amount of the catch is exported to Europe and Japan, where "catch certificates" - or affirmations of the quality of the fishing grounds - are required. These developed countries may reject the fish caught in range of a nuclear reactor.(3)

The area’s fisherfolk are aware of the plight of the original inhabitants of the villages around Tarapur, the site of India’s first two nuclear reactors, which is not far away. Three fishing harbours there have vanished, once-prosperous farmers have become poor, and there has been no rehabilitation worth speaking of.(3)

Field laborers affected by the nuclear plant may include rice cultivators, Alphonso mango growers, cashew nut growers, and many others. These farmers of the region will be drastically affected by the nuclear park.  The Jaitapur project will change the pattern of water flow upon which these regional crops rely.  In addition, the park will take in an astounding quantity of water each day that can no longer be used for farming purposes. 

The plateau ecosystem is one of delicate water-flows. From the high, flat tops of the plateaus, rains circulate down to streams that straddle the site of the nuclear park on either side. Not only are these streams rich beds for fisher-folk, but their nutrient rich banks provide ground for a variety of crops that are uniquely well suited to the area's soil - and in the case of Alphonso mangoes, are one of the only places in the world in which they grow. Further out, the flow of water from the site of the plant will feed the groundwater system for all of the adjacent valleys, on which farmers rely for rice crops. No serious scientific study has been made on the effects of the plant on this entire ecosystem (the Environmental Impact Assessment issued by the plant was devoid of actual ground studies)(2), and so it is impossible to say exactly how much damage the plant will cause to the farming community. However, locals know of their brethren in Tarapur to the North, where nuclear reactors notably and repeatedly leaked waste into the ground water that killed their cattle and put the entire region into a state of fear.

The Maharashtra government declared Ratnagiri a “horticulture district” in 2003. Farmers have invested big amounts of money in mango, cashewnut, coconut, kokum and betelnut cultivation. Ratnagiri (the wider Jaitapur region) has 15,233 hectares under mango cultivation, with an estimated annual turnover of Rs. 2,200 crores. The mango crop is extremely sensitive to the minutest changes in temperature and soil chemistry. People apprehend that a good deal of mango would be lost if the project comes up.(3)  For these reasons, and many more, locals have been protesting the plant vehemently for years.

Trying to buy off the locals, the government of Maharashtra and the Nuclear Power Company of India have offered a package of 10,000 rupees/acre (~$220 USD) in compensation to affected landowners. To their credit, nearly all of the affected landowners have refused this compensation, and continue to protest.(4)

In addition, the Supreme Court has recently criticized state governments around the country for misusing the Land Acquisition Act, which allows for the taking of land for "public purposes," but has instead frequently been used to provide land that serves private interests, such as shopping malls and hotels. The land being acquired for the Jaitapur project was acquired under this provision, and similarly benefits the private corporations responsible for the project.(5)

Sources:
1:  "Over My Dead Body."  Afternoon Despatch and Courier.  May 2011.  Web.
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2: Konkan Bachao Samiti. "Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP) - Stop a Disaster in the Making."  21 January 2011. 
3: Praful Bidwai.  "People vs Nuclear Power: The Environmental Struggle in Jaitapur."  February 2011. 
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4: Sandeep Ashar.  "Jaitapur Won't Relent."  The Times of India: Mumbai.  26 February 2011.  Web.
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5: "Supreme Court slams government for misusing Land Acquisition Act." Lawyers Club India. 6 July 2011. Web.
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