From the terrace of the village school, you can see the new wall of the dam: a pale grey line across the valley, taller than anything for a hundred kilometres. In two years, the water behind it will reach the front steps.
Seven villages sit in the path of the reservoir. About 11,000 people have been told they will be moved. Most have been told where, but not when, and few have been told how their land will be valued.
“They gave us a map with a line on it. They did not give us a date.”
The government says compensation will be fair and the project will bring power to a million homes. Residents say they are not against power. They are against the way the rules were explained: late, in a language many do not read, and with a deadline attached.
