22 organisations threaten Centre and state government against mega dam on Subansiri river on Assam-Arunachal border
by Bhupen Goswami
Guwahati : In Assam, more than 20 organisations have threatened to launch a protest against the construction of a mega dam on the Subansiri river on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border. Briefing reporters, Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad , AJYCP President Palash Changmai said that the protest will be launched from September 20. Changmai said 22 organisations have come together and decided to launch a series of protests including the blockade of the project site.
The Assam Jatiyatabadi Yuba Chatra Parishad , AJYCP against NHPC is demanding to stop the construction activities of 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project near Assam-Arunachal border. The deadline for completion of the country’s largest hydropower project was set for 2014, but the project came to a halt in December 2011 following widespread protests by anti-dam groups. The 22 social organizations of AJyCP and others strongly opposed the construction of the mega dam saying that the country’s largest hydropower project will be very dangerous for people living in downstream areas. In 2003, the Centre approved the Subansiri Lower Hydro Electric Project after which construction started in 2005. The Subansiri river originates in the Himalayas near the Porom Mountain in china’s Tibet Autonomous Region. It enters India near Taksing city and flows east and southeast through Miri Hills , then to the Assam Valley at Dulangmukh in Dhemaji district in the south, where it joins the Brahmaputra river at Jamurighat in Lakhimpur district.
The small tributaries of Subansiri include Rangandi, Dikrong and Kamala. Subansiri gives its name to two districts of Arunachal Pradesh: Upper Subansiri and Lower Subansiri.The observed discharge of Subansiri is a maximum of 18,799 cubic meters per second (663,900 cubic feet/hour). seconds), and minimum 131 meters 3/4″ Seconds (4,600 cubic feet/4,600 cubic feet) Second). It contributes 7.92% of the total flow of brahmaputra. On the other hand, the NHPC official said that the Lower Subhansi Hydro-Electric Project at Gerukamukh on assam-Arunachal border is incurring a daily loss of Rs 10 crore after anti-dam workers of Assam raised security issues. The 2000 MW project in subhansiri river, the largest in the country and being executed by NHPC, has gone into rough weather after work for the project was stopped in December, 2011.
