Dams of danger

Protests against mega dams in Arunachal Pradesh continue to mount, with several student bodies of both Assam and Arunachal as well as environmental groups resorting to stirs against the Centre’s decision to implement over a hundred big hydro-electricity projects, mostly on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra. The Centre is apparently in a hurry to push through the projects despite the shoddy nature of the environment impact assessment (EIA) reports, and despite the fact that expert committees have been formed to study further the possible downstream adverse impacts like floods. Damages likely to be caused to the Himalayan ecology including forests and wildlife that form part of a global biodiversity hotspot are another grave concern. Then, the seismic vulnerability of the region puts yet another serious question mark over the viability of such a huge number of projects. The perils stemming from mega dams cannot simply be brushed aside as unfounded, and pending in-depth assessment from expert committees, the process of clearance should be held in abeyance. The scientific community, in fact, has called for a rethinking on the Centre’s hydro-power policy for the North-East, as it largely undermines the environmental and social concerns as well as downstream impacts. While power may be an urgent need for development, the colossal social and environmental costs of these mega dams could effectively negate all the benefits.

With Assam’s flood situation worsening in recent years, developments taking place on the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra are likely to have a bearing on the nature of floods in the coming days. Even the Assam Government has admitted that several of the worst spates of flood in the recent past had a lot to do with release of excess water from dams. If the State Government is under a constitutional obligation to protect the lives and property of the people, it should take up the matter of mega dams with the Centre, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. China too is reportedly planning large-scale interventions on the Brahmaputra which can have catastrophic consequences on Assam. Recently, a delegation of Bangladesh visited the Tipaimukh dam site in Manipur to examine the possibilities of any negative impact on their country. It is not understood what prevents the Government of India from exhibiting similar concerns over dams in Bhutan and China. Flood is regarded as Assam’s biggest concern inflicting damage worth thousands of crores of rupees every year. It would be in our collective interest to prevent anything that can worsen it further. ASSAM TRIBUNE