Empty the Land · Episode 10 of 12 · 22 min
Dams Displaced up to 80 Million People. Nobody Objected.
Large dams alone displaced an estimated 40 to 80 million people in the twentieth century, and development projects move 10 to 15 million more every year. It is the biggest number in the series and the one that generates the least outrage. Three cases follow: the Narmada in India, Ethiopia's Gibe III and Renaissance dams, and Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, with a real steelman for electricity and flood control.
Who's who
- Michael CerneaWorld Bank sociologist who modeled the impoverishment risks of resettlement
- Thayer ScudderAnthropologist who studied dam resettlement for six decades
- Medha PatkarOrganizer who built the Narmada Bachao Andolan
- Bradford MorseChaired the 1992 independent review of Sardar Sarovar
- Kader AsmalSouth African water minister who chaired the World Commission on Dams
- Abiy AhmedEthiopian prime minister who inaugurated the Renaissance Dam in 2025
- Joko Widodo+1 more episodeIndonesian president behind the Nusantara capital project
Where it happens
- Narmada Valley, IndiaSardar Sarovar dam submerged 244 villages
- Omo River, EthiopiaGibe III ended the annual flood half a million people relied on
- Blue Nile, EthiopiaSite of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam
- Nusantara, East Kalimantan, IndonesiaNew capital on Balik land
- Kariba Dam, Zambezi RiverDisplaced about 57,000 Gwembe Tonga in 1958
Timeline
- 1958Kariba Dam displaces about 57,000 Gwembe Tonga
- June 1992Morse Commission urges the World Bank to step back from Sardar Sarovar
- March 1993India cancels the remaining World Bank loan
- November 2000World Commission on Dams estimates 40-80 million displaced
- September 2017Sardar Sarovar dedicated with thousands of families unrehabilitated
- September 2025Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam inaugurated
Still debated
The 40-80 million figure rests on incomplete national counts and omits downstream livelihood loss. Gujarat credits Sardar Sarovar with irrigation and drinking water and says rehabilitation obligations are met, while the Narmada movement disputes that.