Will Barak remain a valley of sorrow?
SILCHAR, July 28: With the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MOFE) refusing to give clearance to the 1,500 MW Tipaimukh Multipurpose Project in Manipur, the question now making round in civil circles is, will Barak remain a valley of sorrow? It is a well known fact that the river Barak with its more than 10 tributaries in the event of heavy rains in the catchment areas and along the down–streams spells doom and disaster in the valley. Official reports in the aftermath of floods speak of colossus losses in terms of agriculture, standing crops, human dwelling places, livestock, communication network and even human life.
Tipaimukh Hydel Power Project was designed to produce 1,500 MW of power which besides meeting the peak hour requirements of this valley will also cater to the demand of the north east states and even contribute to the central grid. Thousands of acres of agricultural land will get irrigation facilities during dry season. It was also to moderate and control floods, an annual scourage.
The grounds for refusal by the subcommittee of Ministry of Forest and Environment are that 24,329 hectares of forest land with 78,16,931 trees and 27,000 bamboo columns will be destroyed, resulting in adverse impact on ecosystem. It will eventually tell heavily on the habitats, flora and fauna, biodiversity, microclimate and environment. It will also have negative impact on the livelihood and culture of the affected people. Being located in the seismic belt, disastrous consequences are foreseen in the event of an earthquake. The lessons of Uttarakhand could hardly be overlooked.
It is surprising that the project mooted more than 40 years ago and given environmental clearance in 2008 should now be caught in controversy. Moreover, rehabilitation package for the 557 families in 12 villages to be displaced in the event of the construction of the dam was also prepared and approved by the MOFE. It is also on record that in order to build up infrastructure facilities at the site, Rs 6 crore was allotted for the purpose when Vidya Charan Shukla, killed in Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh a few days ago, was the Union Minister of Water Resources. It is also significant that the foundation stone of this project was laid by Sushil Kumar Shinde, then Union Minister of Power, in the presence of other Central Ministers who included Sontosh Mohan Dev, Oscar Fernandez and Prithviraj Chauhan and Chief Minister of Manipur, Okram Ibobi Singh, on December 17, 2006.
The multipurpose project is located 500 metres downstream of river Tuivai from Mizoram and Barak from Manipur near Tipaimukh village in the Tamenlong district of Manipur. In fact, its strategic location makes it the most favoured power project with abundant water resources and of high velocity. After all the detailed survey and study to commission the project, the refusal of the Ministry of Forest and Environment to give it the environment clearance brings into fore certain relevant facts for reconsideration and relook. It has to be noted that there are 4,536 large dams in the country which are now embarking upon adopting emergency action plan to avert the possible cascading effect of dam failure in view of the Uttarakhand tragedy and disaster. Similar, emergency action plan can be prepared to meet any critical situation. In respect of the forest lands being destroyed, it has been suggested that additional non forest areas in the affected or adjoining districts of Mizoram, Manipur and Assam can be taken up for compensatory afforestation. More than the disaster signal being sounded is the wreckless and merciless felling of trees and destruction of forests across north east as a whole by man itself.
The State of Forest Report, 2011, released by Forest Survey of India (FSI) shows the region has lost 549 sq km of forest cover in the last two years, while another 1,229 sq km forest land has also been degraded into scrub with canopy density of less than 10 per cent. Assam has lost the maximum forest cover in the entire country of the very dense category of forest, 17 sq km in last two years. The moderately dense type of forest in Assam has also decreased by 152 sq km – the highest in the country, according to the report. All the reserve forests of this valley are today nothing more than the replicas of their past greenery. The apprehension of forested land, it is clear, is rather unconvincing. To reject environment clearance on this ground is far from reasoned. It is quite relevant to refer here to the saga of success of Damodar Valley Corporation in West Bengal which once predicted to spell doom and disaster has turned the Damodar Valley earlier known as “sorrow of Bengal” into the “rice bowl of India.” The entire lower Damodar area below Durgapur barrage covering the districts of Burdwan, Hoogli and Howrah have benefitted due to flood moderation by DVC Dam. This fast multipurpose power project in India has drastically changed the socio–economic scenario of the Damodar Valley area. Now, according to the chairman, Rabindra Nath Sen, DVC is taking up remedial measures to avoid catastrophe like the Himalayan Tsunami at Uttarakhand.
Source: The Sentinel July 29, 2013
