tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post155544418598059433..comments2023-11-02T03:40:09.064-07:00Comments on Human Perspective on Development and Environment: Dams: After the FloodCIEE - Thailandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00702040572805817922noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-32209254377323539642012-04-30T18:57:13.729-07:002012-04-30T18:57:13.729-07:00Hannah what a beautiful post! I love the way you d...Hannah what a beautiful post! I love the way you describe how your family sees more in the forest than you! You really bring a human aspect to this issue and show how important the forest is to the villager’s way of life. I felt the same way when I went into the forest with Mea Ed. Seeing both these villages and it is easy to see the dam’s effects on Rasi Salai. You also show these effects really well in your post.Morgannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-70761672316635161762012-04-30T17:04:45.556-07:002012-04-30T17:04:45.556-07:00Similar to Mava, your first paragraph captivated m...Similar to Mava, your first paragraph captivated me. I can remember walking with my Mae in that first village, and where I saw some pretty pond flowers, she saw food for dinner. It was very interesting to be part of gathering their food in the forest. I also remembered her periodically mentioning that everything we saw would perhaps soon be under water—including when we were at her house. <br /><br />I remember thinking, over a meal of morning glory and sticky rice, how incredibly sad I felt that this community was probably going to lose everything they knew. No longer will they be able to walk on their land, pointing out those edible vines on trees, those lizards under the ground, and the morning glory in the ponds. I loved how you related the forest to their supermarket, as it really is the place where most of their food comes from, and on top of that, most of it is free. When the dam comes, their free supermarket will be under water, and ruined.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-5497265585750487322012-04-29T05:32:51.351-07:002012-04-29T05:32:51.351-07:00cHannah, you have such a way with words. I didn...cHannah, you have such a way with words. I didn't get the chance to go to Rasi Salai but the way you wrote makes me feel as if I had. Your piece is a good summary to the pressing issues there. Water is such a huge issue, and even though dams makes it a little more specific, I usually never know where to start with this problem. But the way you wrote the cultural significance of lovers meeting in the water and farmers relying upon the forest for their 'supermarket,' and how dams are changing all of these customs emphasizes the importance of preserving traditions of the local community. It's always hard to discern whether technological advances are good or not, but obviously the dam benefits others at the cost of local communities. I think it'll be interesting to work on the Isaan Development Plan final project and see how dams projects are connected to other major economic projects that will interrupt the villagers' traditions.Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03622770304063714794noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-78511639402077366882012-04-26T03:31:18.351-07:002012-04-26T03:31:18.351-07:00Fatuma Youb Said..
Hannah, I really enjoyed readi...Fatuma Youb Said.. <br />Hannah, I really enjoyed reading your piece. With such poetic language you explained in details the sense of attachment these communities have with their land. “Where I simply saw trees, they saw edible vines growing along their trunks, branches made heavy by red ant’s nests, all to be cooked later for dinner. Losing their way of life to the dams cannot be an option for these communities. And the government providing compensation will no solve those issues. Good Job!Fatumahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01643124879120091730noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-6627492619738288202012-04-26T02:57:41.731-07:002012-04-26T02:57:41.731-07:00Hannah I loved the way you left off this blog post...Hannah I loved the way you left off this blog post by saying.."Their self-reliance, self-sufficiency and connection to the land is something that cannot be figured into baht". This holds so true and it is a great point to make. It is so common these days that as a whole as a developing world we believe baht or any form of money can be seen as a sort of compensation for what is taken away. But it is obvious after not only living with these people but living off of their natural resources as well the type of connection that is made with their land and so on.brennkellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15998937455058148886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-67300072244504114012012-04-25T20:26:34.240-07:002012-04-25T20:26:34.240-07:00Hannah! This is a really wonderful mix between the...Hannah! This is a really wonderful mix between the cultural significance of the land for these villages and a lot of really useful and relevant information on what is happening legally/currently. I think that it is important to recognize these two factors as you have done because clearly compensation by the government, only monetarily, does not adequately address all the things that these villagers have either already lost or have the potential to lose. I like how you have also framed the issue according to the environmental impacts, such as the high increase in salinization/inability to actually use the water from the dam for irrigation. It is good to showcase how incredibly large this issue is and that it does not impact just one aspect of village life but three (if not more) huge ones that you have written about here. Thank you for giving such a well written and accurate portrayal of the issue so that readers can see the true meanings of dams in Northeast Thailand.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-80552045563856015992012-04-24T07:35:45.748-07:002012-04-24T07:35:45.748-07:00After reading your post I became very sad that I w...After reading your post I became very sad that I was not able to come with you all on this unit trip. It sounds like the communities you stayed with were truly amazing. Your first paragraph was beautifully written but it left me with a very eerie feeling. You and I are from states that we love for their nature and lack of over-developed big cities. I can’t imagine the government coming to Michigan and cutting down my beloved forests. Although I don’t rely on them for my livelihood like the communities in your post, I cherish them for their beauty and simplicity. Without that I am not sure what I would do. I can’t help thinking that the issues you think are a world away can just as easily appear on your doorstep. It makes me want to fight even harder for the communities affected by the dams. We are together in solidarity.MavaMarie Coopernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7145117592063944458.post-51562817042297334232012-04-24T02:22:33.012-07:002012-04-24T02:22:33.012-07:00Great post! You really gave it an emotional and se...Great post! You really gave it an emotional and sentimental feel to it. The salinization issue is huge and after reading this I was left wondering if there is any way fix this issue?Kyle Overmannoreply@blogger.com