Dimapur, April 24 (MExN): Twenty civil and Human Rights organizations from across India working as Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisation, have warned of swamping of agricultural lands and villages as well as the dangers of flooding from a number dams in the North East. The Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisation (CDRO) said to have undertaken a research into the impact of big dam projects coming up in the North Eastern states on the life and livelihood of the people.
“Reportedly more than 168 MoUs/MoAs have been signed by the Arunachal Pradesh government alone. CDRO believes that such projects, be they so called run of the river or storage dams, affect not only people whose land will get submerged upstream but also people living in the downstream area,” the CDRO stated in a press release today. The Ngo reminded that the affected people comprise those whose life and livelihood is intricately linked with the river beyond, since water flow will impact agriculture, fisheries, river transportation. “Construction of concrete dams in a high seismic zone with sedimentary rock is in itself a mark of utter irresponsibility,” the CDRO stated.
The CDRO study team split into two groups one each for upper Assam and another towards Tipaimukh dam site. The first team visited North Lakhimpur, Dhimaji in Assam and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh covering Lower Subansiri, Lower Siang and also downstream area of Lohit and Dibang river projects in Tinsukhia district. The second team visited Tipaimukh project which would affect people living in Manipur, Mizoram and Assam.
Some instances that the NGO gave were that of lower Siang. “Lower stream people, especially Mishing community, reside along the river bank. They along with others who live in the plains downstream apprehend that their livelihood would be wiped out since river flow would both impact cultivation as well as fishery on which most of the people depend,” the CDRO stated.
Likewise, for lower Dibang, the research said “the fear in the downstream area is once again that their life and livelihood would be adversely affected. We do wish to point out that the anti-dam movement is still in its infancy in these parts, but the fear is palpable.”
Further, the organizations stated that the proposed Tipaimukh project conceived in the 1970s and is being currently implemented by NHPC, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and Govt. of Manipur, despite serious opinions of the people to the contrary.
“It will submerge around 25,822.22 hectares of land ONLY in Manipur apart from Mizoram.
The project is going to destroy at least 7.8 mn full grown trees and bamboo bushes. It will be 162 mtrs in height and is supposed to produce 1500 MW of electricity. 12 villages with a population of 557 families /2027 ST people (of the Hmar and Zeliangrong tribes) will be displaced. Most of these figures were disputed by people and activists of organizations working in the area because effects of the dam on the people, land and environment of the down-stream areas have not been evaluated by the government agencies.”
‘We demand suspension of construction activities until the cumulative impact study of the entire north east, which involves engagement with the people who will get affected by construction of these dams,” the CDRO stated.
