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Nabarralde | Nabarra Papers
Itoiz
revisited
The case against the Itoiz dam in the Irati
valley
Mila Parot Zubimendi.
The last time
I was in Nabarra, two months ago, was to participate in a march
in support of eight members of the group Solidari@s con
Itoitz whose trial had ended recently. They were prosecuted
for sabotage to stop the construction of a dam at village Itoitz
in the province of Nabarra (Nabarra), Euskal Herria.
Spain's National
Court in September 1995 suspended the government's project to
build the Itoitz dam, which the judge noted it lacks justification,
planning, and would have an impact on the environment. However,
the Court did not suspend the project works, which continued
in full swing. Surprisingly, the Court conditioned the stoppage
of works on the deposit of a bail of 24,000 million pesetas.
Seeing that the bail could not be secured, and that the works
continued, the eight solidarios thought that direct action was
the only option left to protect the land.
On April 6,
1996, the eight solidarios, in the presence of several journalists
they had asked to witness the action, cut the cables of a concrete
mixer system with radial saws, paralyzing the dam works for
a period of eleven months.
Before the action,
the solidarios reduced a guardsman, tied him up and kept him
in a gatekeeper's box for about five minutes during which time
they cut the cables. They did not harm the guardsman.
After cutting
the cables, the eight solidarios waited for the paramilitary
Civil Guard to arrive, and turned themselves in. They were handcuffed
and kept laying down on the floor, faced down, when two guardsmen--who
also had arrived to the dam-site--without warning or provocation,
began to beat the eight solidarios with batons, while the Civil
Guard forced the journalists to remain laying down on the floor,
and looking in opposite direction. After the beating, the eight
solidarios were taken to another village and kept in a police
truck without ventilation for more than eight hours, and denied
drink or food. After being brought before a judge, one of the
solidarios had to be taken to a hospital with serious injuries
from the beating. They were released on bail two months later.
The march in
support of the eight solidarios prosecuted was held in Iruñea,
considered the capital city of Euskal Herria by the unrepentant
Basques. This was the place where, in the ninth century, Eneko
Aritza was proclaimed king of Iruñea. By the beginning
of the tenth century, it became the kingdom of Nabarra, a Basque
sovereign state until invaded by Castile in 1512.
The Iruñea
march was undeniably Basque: massive popular participation,
traditional music and folklore, improvised verses, and humour.
More than 10,000
people showed up in solidarity with the Itoitz struggle, and
to demand the complete stoppage of works and the removal of
the dam.
A carnival zanpantzar
opened the march. Musicians played the small accordions or trikitixas.
Two bertsolaris sang improvised verses against the
background music of a txalaparta, a wooden instrument
which is beaten like a drum.
Banners and
signs carried by marchers displayed messages against the dam
and the central and regional governments, such as "Itoitzetik
ez dira pasako" and "Irati preso presarik gabe askoz
hobe;" in defense of the earth, "Hemen gaude Iratiren
alde;" and mocking the president of the regional government
of Nabarra, lehendakari Miguel Sanz, "Sanz naburro,
bajate del burro ," and "Me llamo Miguel Sanzguijuela
y pido dinero para poder terminar la obra del pantano."
A Solidarios
spokesman, Daniel Unziti, a resident of Itoitz imprisoned for
fifteen months after a protest against the dam, told the crowd
in lingua navarrorum (Euskera, the Basque language)
that Madrid and the regional government of Nabarra, the project
contractors and the dam promoters, should be prosecuted for
corruption, and destruction of the environment.
One month after
the Iruñea march, I travelled to Madhya Pradesh for a
village protest against the construction of the controversial
Maheswar dam. Thousands of villagers dodged police barricades
and took over the site. The police reacted with brutality firing
tear gas shells and beating the peaceful protestors with batons
and rifle butts, and charging them on horseback. They also prevented
drinking water tankers from reaching the protestors despite
the 42 degree centigrade heat and lack of shelter, forcing people
to drink oil-contaminated river water. By the next day, around
1,500 people were in jail and around 23 in hospital, some with
serious injuries
While in Madhya
Pradesh, I received news from home that the eight solidarios
had been convicted of illegal arrest and sentenced to a total
of 40 years in prison, and payment of 500,000 pesetas for having
cut the cables.
Once again,
those who dared to defend the land against destruction had been
thrown in jail.
Spain's
National Hydrologic Plan
During the late
seventies and early eighties, a group of Spanish government
officials had a dam-dream, that being the Ebro river the one
with the highest volume of water in the Spanish state, it would
be quite feasible to divert its waters southeast from the Pyrenees.
The Ebro river
(575 mile long) is the longest river entirely in the Spanish
state. It rises in the Cantabrian mountains in northern Spain,
and flows southeast between the Pyrenees and the Iberian mountains
to its delta on the Mediterranean. The Ebro system feeds several
large hydroelectric power plants.
The Plan Hidrologico
Nacional (PHN, National Hydrologic Plan) centers in the Ebro
basin. Its project for interbasin water transfer would divert
massive amounts of water from the Ebro basin into the basins
of the Jucar and the Segura rivers, and other river basins in
Catalunya, to satisfy the water demands for tourism in Catalunya,
Valencia, Alicante and Murcia.
To facilitate
this interbasin transfer, the Ebro's minimum average volume
of water would have to be constant in both summer and winter.
According to the PHN, this could be attained by building the
Itoitz dam to regulate the Irati river in Nabarra, enlarging
a dam in Yesa (Aragon) and building 40 dams in the Ebro basin.
This project
will flood 5,000 hectares of land in Aragon, 2,000 in Catalunya,
and 1,100 in Nabarra, displacing families and harming the livelihood
of many.
The Itoitz dam
project, financed by the regional government of Nabarra, was
approved even though it violated three national laws: the Law
of Waters (1985), the Law of Hydrolic Public Domaine (1985),
and the Law of the Public Administration of Water and Hydrologic
Planning (1988).
While the Itoitz
dam project was being developed it was quite obvious and recognized
from the beginning that there would be opposition from various
segments of the Basque Country, but it was felt that would be
easily overcome with the enticement of profit and material gain.
What was not considered was the unrepentant people of the land.
For these, the Itoitz dam is another example of blatant act
of genocide against their land, culture and history. And a plan
this big would require massive resistance and direct action.
The few that will benefit from this project have at their disposal
all the machinery of the state, with all the corruption that
characterizes the system. What the Spanish government, as well
as its regional, neo-Requetes allies, don't seem to
understand yet is that when the unrepentant Basques' very existence
and life and all that they hold sacred is threatened, the response
will equal that threat.
The
Itoitz dam project
The dam at village
Itoitz would consist of a 135 m high wall, a quota of 590m above
sea level, a capacity of 418 hm3, and a reservoir 35 km long.
The dam would submerge 1,100 hectares of land, the habitat of
many endangered species including the nutria, the Royal owl,
and the Leonard vulture, which find refuge in this area. In
fact, the extraction of materials for the dam construction,
deforestation, earth movement, and blasting, in the Nature Reserve
of Txintxurrena, caused the disapperance of the nutria and is
bothering the Royal eagle and the Leonard vulture.
The area affected
by the dam is located in a transition zone between Pyrenees
mountains climate and Mediterranean climate resulting in a unique
diversity of plant and animal species, considered of important
ecological value to be preserved.
Given that almost
all dams will inevitably alter riverine ecosystems and thus
fish habitats, and given the available evidence of the impacts
of dams on fisheries, it is assumed until proved otherwise that
Nature fisheries that cannot adapt to a strong volume of waters
would fade away. It is also assumed that far fewer fish species
are suited for reservoir than riverine habitats and therefore
fish diversity is almost reduced by reservoirs.
In all, the
Itoitz dam would flood over the vallys of Arce, Longuida, and
Irati, in which three Nature Reserves, and two Zones for the
Protection of Birds designated by the European community, are
located. The dam would consume the villages of Artozqui, Itoitz,
Ulozi, Orbaitz, Gorriz, Ezkai, Muniain, and affect the villages
of Nagore, Osa, Usoz, Lakabe, Aloz de Longuida, Rala, and Oroz-Betelu.
Also would be
lost one pre-Romanesque hermitage, three Romanesque churches,
three Gothic churches, and two medieval bridges, considered
of significant cultural and historical value by art historians
and archeologists. Besides the unquestionable value of the religious
constructions, the civil architecture of Lumbier-Aoiz represent
an important ensamble of the Gothic architecture of the Middle
Ages, with farmer houses, tower houses, and castles.
This Nabarrase
territory came to epitomize the anger and frustration of the
unrepentant people of the land. The situation was not difficult
to relate to. In the Middle Ages, the defense of the kingdom
of Nabarra was articulated in the tower houses and castles of
Ezkai, Artozki, and Urbaiz. The struggle against the invader
started then and continues to this day. The Itoitz project threatened
to destroy a cultural-historical patrimony of Nabarra.
In any case,
the threat of the dam over this area during the last 11 years
haulted any attempts to restore the constructions in decay --
some of them with 500 years of history. Most building owners
do not want to invest in restoration when the future of the
Itoitz dam is yet to be decided. Thus, the grave state of decay
into which many buildings have fallen.
The background
of the Itoitz river dam has been seen as an integral part of
Spain's National Hydrologic Plan to divert water southeast.
The government insists that the dam is necessary for irrigation
purposes, which would benefit farming. But enviromentalists
feel that irrigation is unnecessary given the reduction of the
active population in the agrarian sector, subject to European
Union population and agricultural policies.
A study of the
cost/benefit ratio of a canal system for the Itoitz project
(by prof. Pedro Arrojo, University of Zaragoza), showed that
the cost of building a canal system would exceed the value of
the benefits that would be obtained by irrigation.
Further clouding
the claim that irrigation will benefit farming is that statistics
on the extent of irrigated areas and of yields of irrigated
crops are well known to be unreliable, especially for the major
canal irrigation systems serviced by large dams. Also, yields
vary widely between different types of irrigation. For example,
research in India by irrigation experts showed that land receiving
groundwater irrigation produces roughly twice as much additional
foodgrains per hectare as land receiving water from dam and
canal systems.
In addition,
the associated problems of salinization and waterlogging are
a massive problem for irrigated agriculture and while they are
clearly not associated with dams which do not have irrigation
components they invariably accompany to at least some degree
large dam and canal irrigation projects. Researchers at the
Australian National University calculate that the salinization
of irrigated soils worldwide is costing some $11.4 billion a
year in lost income due to reduced yields.
There is a shared
belief among environmentalists that the intention behind Spain's
National Hydrologic Plan is to build all dams so they fit within
the eventual concept of interbasin water transfers. There is
no economic logic that justifies the daming of the Irati river,
other than to divert waters southeast.
The most important
thing is that the benefits of the Itoitz dam for Nabarra --
its public purpose -- have not been established. The cost of
the project itself has gone up from 16,500 million pesetas to
more than 30 million, which does not include the cost of building
a canal system.
The
Legal Battle
The independent
association Coordinadora de Itoitz, created in 1985,
has worked on raising awareness and support within the Basque
Country for the Itoitz struggle. They have mobilized thousands
of peole in peaceful protests, collected signatures, produced
technical reports, and taken the government to court.
After several
years of litigation, Spain's National Court in September 1995
declared the Itoitz dam project illegal and ordered its suspension,
but did not halt works on the dam. Thus, works continued in
full swing.
The Coordinadora
de Itoitz requested a complete stoppage of works pending a Supreme
Court decision. The National Court conditioned halting the works
on the deposit of a bail of 24,000 million pesetas (lowered
to 13,000 million in March 1996) which the Coordinadora did
not, could not, secure.
The National
Court in March 1996 allowed works to continue but lowered the
dam capacity to 9'7 hm3 from 418, pending a Supreme Court decision.
The regional
government of Nabarra responded to the lawsuit passing legislation
in June 1996, the Law of Nature Reserves, which eliminated the
protection bands of the Nature Reserves of Txinturrena, Iñarbe,
and Gaztelu affected by the Itoitz project.
In July 1997,
a decision of a Madrid Higher Court of Justice, independent
of the previous appeals from the Coordinadora, suspended the
government's Environmental Impact Study of the Itoitz dam for
the implementation of the project. The Supreme Court judge noted
that the dam would flood two Special Zones for the Protection
of Birds designated by the European Union, stating that this
community policy prevails over central or regional policy. The
state prosecutor and the regional government of Nabarra appealed
the Court sentence.
The Supreme
Court in July 1997 ruled against the flood of the three Nature
Reserves and the elimination of their protection bands. However,
the Supreme Court did not order stoppage of works. Works on
the dam continued.
The central
and regional governments appealed to the Constituional Court
which will have to decide if the Law of Nature Reserves is valid.
If the Constitutional Court reaffirms the Supreme Court decision,
the Itoitz dam would consist of a 24.8 m high wall, an installed
capacity of 9.7 hm3, and a 506 m quota, contrasting with the
official project to build a dam with a 135 m high wall, an installed
capacity of 418 hm3, and a 590 m quota.
However, if
the Supreme Court declares the Law of Nature Reserves valid,
the Itoitz dam project would materialized.
The
Force of Resistance
The government
has proven that it will use any means possible to enforce its
will on the people and the land. That they care little for the
land or the people, and do not have respect for the environment.
The machinery of the state has used all available artillery
to allow work on the dam to continue, and for its propaganda
to hide the truth and discredit anyone or any groups who challenge
the official version. 
The regional
government of Nabarra in June 1997 hired Burson-Marsteller,
a multinational "leading perception" management firm, to support
its public relations activities for the Itoitz dam project.
The scope of Burson-Marsteller's public relations work involved
the investigation of the activists against the Itoitz project
to discredit and divide them.
When looking
at the justice system, it's evident that the system is there
to protect the interests of the government first. The eight
solidarios were sentenced to 40 years for holding a guardsman
for five minutes. The judicial system saw it necessary to condition
the stoppage of works on a bail of thousands of millions of
pesetas that the Coordinadora Itoitz could not secure. The system
has no regard or respect for another language or culture. After
their arrest, the eight solidarios were thrown in prison until
the court came up with a Basque translator!
What is even
more of a disilusionment is that when the regional government
receives a court decision, even a higher court decision, they
can blatantly ignore it. The regional government continues to
ignore the court decisions as the dam wall nears completion.
How can one respect a system that can disregard so casually
its own laws?
The public opinion
has been told that the Itoitz dam is being built for "irrigation
purposes" or "very much needed water." The public opinion tends
to follow the belief that governments would not lie. When groups
or individuals stand up or speak out, they're labelled as radicals
and violents. These are the tactics used against the unrepentant
Basques, labelled violents and lawless -- that they have no
respect for the "rule of law." Yet upstream the regional government
along with Madrid are committing a far greater crime by building
a dam that the law has declared illegal.
As well, the
Spanish daily Diario 16 published information in 1996 stating
that one of the contractors, the LAIN company, had paid a regional
government official about 300 million pesetas for the concession
to build the dam. And this is the same system that allowed a
Civil Guard colonel implicated in the dirty war against
Basque refugees, and the alleged chief of the death squads GAL
in Nabarra, to be in charge of the project works security.
The frontlines
of the struggle to preserve and protect the land of Nabarra
have been the people of the land. This resistance comes not
from wanting to protect a vested interest, but a responsibility
and a duty to respond when the land is in distress. The people
of the Basque Country know and understand their place in protecting
the land, and one does not need a degree in environmental science
to know the consequences of diverting and changing the natural
flow of water. This insane plan to divert great masses of water
southeast will only be prevented by all environmentally concerned
people responding. A call already has been sent out by the people
against the Itoitz dam project.
May 1998
Related
websites:
Homepage of the
Coordinadora de Itoitz
Homepage of the
Solidarios con Itoitz
Suggested reading:
Estudio Coste/Beneficio del proyecto Itoitz-Canal de Navarra.
By Pedro Arrojo and Estrella Bernal, Universidad de Zaragoza,
1997.
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