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Bane of Big Dams in northeast India

Nava Thakuria - 2/16/2012

The mass movement in northern Assam against the larger hydroelectricity projects primarily planned in Arunachal Pradesh has taken a brief lull following the intervention of the State government.

Following the initiative of State chief minister Tarun Gogoi, a group of ministers (GoM) sat for discussions with the agitating organizations and it had at least reduced tension in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji of upper Assam, where thousands of agitators came to streets to block all vehicles carrying machinery parts to the hydro-electric project site at lower Subansiri.

There may not be any debate that the dams on a river are useful for production of electricity, but often the larger project may impose enormous ill-affect on the people living in the downstream. Contrary to it, the medium and small hydroelectricity dams produce smaller volume of power, but its negative affect is very less. Technically Assam and Arunachal Pradesh have the capacity to construct larger dams on the mighty river Brahmaputra and its tributaries, but the general population is apprehensive about the after-affects of those dams.

So the conflict between the supporters of large hydroelectric projects (with more than 25 mega watts installed capacity), and the representatives of common people starts and it is still going on in northeast India. As most of the dams are planned in the State of Arunachal Pradesh, where the downstream comprises Assam, a kind of bickering emerges between the supporters of dams (read politicians) and the leaders of different Assam based active organizations. The conflicts meanwhile reaches to the Assam government and also the agency responsible for the construction of hydropower projects (read NHPC Limited, which was earlier known as National Hydroelectric Power Corporation).

Even the Assam Governor JB Patnaik did not forget to mention about the big dam issues in his last Republic Day speech in Guwahati. The governor emphasised on the State government’s commitment to address
the people’s apprehensions about the safety of the lower Subansiri dam.

“Regarding the lower Subansiri dam, it is the state government’s solemn commitment to ensure that all apprehensions are effectively addressed and all possible steps taken to ensure that people living in the downstream areas are not affected in any way,” added the Head of the State. It may be mentioned that the northeast India has now been identified as a huge hydropower potential by the central government. It is
estimated that the region, comprising eight States and 60 million people, can produce nearly 60,000 mega watts. The present installed capacity of large hydropower projects in the region is around 1,700 mega watts, which was only 215 mega watts in 1985-86. Meanwhile, a number of huge hydroelectric power projects have emerged in the region. But the question remains unanswered whether the indigenous people can face the consequences of all the dams, who are otherwise dependant on its natural resources.

“Considering the geo-seismic situation and fragile erosion-prone mountains of the eastern Himalayas and its silt-laden rivers, the appropriateness of large hydro projects has come under fresh scrutiny. Huge movements have built up in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and many other parts of the Northeast in view of the serious downstream impact of these projects, including changes in the flood characteristics of rivers. Poor appraisal and even poorer compliance are characteristics of such projects in India; in the Northeast the situation is much worse,” said Himanshu Thakkar and Bipin Chaturvedi in a recent presentation.
Both the environment activists, who represent South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, inform that the installed capacity of hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh itself is 423.5 mega watts, where Ranganadi (405 MW) is recognized as a large hydropower project (under the NEEPCO).

On the other hand, the installed capacity of large hydroelectric projects in Assam is 325 mega watts, where Karbi Langpi (100 mega watts) and Kopili (225 mega watts) contribute the electricity. For Manipur, the Loktak project contributes 105 mega watts electricity. The people of the State, mostly the habitants of northern Assam have been waging a war against the Congress ruled government at Dispur and also the NHPC Limited. Under the leadership of various student associations, farmer organizations and civil society groups, the people have come to the streets against the proposed over 150 mega dams in Arunachal Pradesh. The proposed production target of these dams is around 75000 mega watts, and surprisingly most of the electricity is designed to bring out of the region for industrial needs in central India. Another solid argument is that the region is under a highly seismic zone and the downstream affect will have to be borne by the people of Assam.

The protesters have taken the 2000 mega watts lower Subansiri project at Gerukamukh as a model case study and they are now raising voices against it democratically. Since the project was taken over by the
NHPC limited in May, 2000, the history of protest also began. Primarily led by the All Assam Students’ Union, an influential students association in the region, the anti-dam movement gained momentum with the hands of a farmers group named Krishak Mukti Sangram Samity (KMSS) with other like minded organizations.

The issue received political complexion and it was discussed many times with different references in the State Legislative Assembly too. Even a public hearing was organized at Guwahati on 10 September, 2010,
where the then Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh was present. The activist minister even reportedly wrote to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh arguing that ‘some of the concerns that were expressed (by the people) cannot be dismissed lightly’.

But all these initiatives could not dither the NHPC limited to stop the construction of the prescribed lower Subansiri mega dam. Then the AASU took 23 ethnic organizations as its allies and resumed a stronger
protest programme. The KMSS general secretary Akhil Gogoi, who is an RTI activist and a crowed puller added strength to the agitation. Finally the State government led by Tarun Gogoi called the agitating
groups for discussion. But Dispur made it clear that it would meet the teams separately. And the government did so. The first round of talks ended without any outcome. The agitating leaders demanded that the
construction of lower Subansiri dam be stopped, but both the NHPC and State government maintained that the construction at the site would continue.

Meanwhile, there emerges some difference of opinions among the agitating leaders. While the KMSS leader Akhil Gogoi vowed to resume full-fledged movement against the NHPC limited, the AASU leader Dr.
Samujjal Bhattacharya, who is also the chairman of North East Students’ Organization, insisted on ‘a peaceful resolution of the issue through talks’. The charismatic student leader also clarified that they ‘are not against development, but if it comes at the cost of the people’s life and civilization’, they would not allow it.

Meanwhile the Asia-Pacific Forum of Environmental Journalists (APFEJ) has expressed concern at the ongoing construction of a number of hydroelectric dams in Brahmaputra inside Tibetan region of China. The
umbrella organization of environmental journalists based in Asia-Pacific region argues that once the dams on the 2,900 km long trans-boundary river will be commissioned, there will be massive ecological affect in northeast India and also in Bangladesh. The APFEJ, in a statement issued by its chairman Quamrul Islam Chowdhury from its head office in Dhaka, cautioned that ‘if the government at Beijing diverts some volume of water from Brahmaputra, Bangladesh will be severely affected, as the saline water of Bay of Bengal will enter to south Bangladesh and destroy the aquatic life and agricultural field’.

The solution is however yet to be seen at large, as the group of State inisters, which negotiated with the agitators maintained their views hat the construction process at the Subansiri project should continue. The instant reaction of Assam power minister Pradyutc ordoloi, also the head of GoM after talking to 23 indigenous organisations on the issue was, “The work on the Subansiri project cannot be stopped like this.”

Meanwhile, the KMSS has organized a national convention on mega dams in Assam in the third week of February. Its leader Akhil Gogoi informed the media that the convention will be attended by some leading activists including Medha Patkar. He also criticized the State chief minister arguing that Tarun Gogoi wants to put his third consecutive victory to Dispur only as a license to build mega river dams in expense of environmental and public interest.