Laureates Show Solidarity with Patkar’s Protest

1991 Laureate Medha Patkar (India) and her colleagues at Narmada Bachao Andolan have begun a six-day march through the banks of the Narmada river on 6 August. They are protesting the decision by the Indian government to raise the water level of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

The march culminated in a Jal Satyagrah, a method of protesting by standing in water, in the Narmada on 12 August. This will continue until the government reverses its decision to raise the level of the dam. The proposed plan would lead to the displacement of thousands of families and the denial of lawful rehabilitation and land ownership rights.

44 Laureates from 31 countries have signed a petition in support of Medha Patkar and her protest.