"“We are made homeless”: Fishermen lose their livelihood and home due to Omkareshwar Floating Solar", 4 May 2024

This 600 MW floating solar project is developed on the backwaters of Omkareshwar dam in the Khandwa district of Madhya Pradesh.

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1877 members of the fisher community are reported to be affected by the project. Out of 6 lakh 20 thousand total solar plates to be installed in the project, 2 lakh 2 thousand plates will be installed in Subhan Singh's village Ekhand, alone.

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Important to note that most of these people lost their homes and land during the construction of the Omkareshwar Dam in the early 2000s. And, as an alternative they learned fishing.

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the  Final Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Report of the Floating Solar Project acknowledged the impact on the livelihood of 312 fishermen from six villages namely Gunjari, Bilaya, Chhota Ekhand, Ekhand, Indhawari and Saktapur. Furthermore, the report mentions that these families don’t have any other means of employment. According to the same report, almost all the 312 affected fishermen fall in the vulnerable category and will be displaced the second time. The report emphasises formulating and implementing rehabilitation plans for the affected people.

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a senior official of project implementation company Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited told Ground Report,

“We have installed this plant in 12 square km. Even after that, there is still a lot of space left in the reservoir. Therefore, the question of livelihood crisis or displacement does not arise. This is the personal ambition of some people. We had also taken consent from the fishermen committee. We did not started any project all at once.”