northeast dammed 1
Subansiri Soliloquy
The river of gold, Subansiri, is now being hounded for hydroelectricity. Over 73 dams in the Northeast, 42 in Arunachal. This is a recipe for catastrophe, says Shripad Dharmadikary
Subarnasiri - subarna meaning gold, and siri meaning water, is so called because its flow was supposed to bring gold with it. The Subarnasiri - ease of articulation now changing it to Subansiri - is among the biggest tributaries of the mighty Brahmaputra. As I look up the gorge where the river leaves the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh and comes onto the plains, it presents a breathtaking picture. We are told that till about 50 years back, the river actually brought minute quantities of gold along with its flow and people would collect whatever they could recover, hoping that lady luck would shine brightly someday. A landslide faraway in upstream Tibet is said to have cut off the source of gold, and the Subarna now remains only in name.
But Subansiri, and numerous other rivers in Arunachal, are now at the centre of another gold rush. Desperate seekers are flocking in droves to another kind of gold carried by the rivers - hydroelectricity. The gold rush began with the prime minister launching the ambitious 50,000 mw initiative in May 25, 2003. This envisaged the fast tracked preparations of pre-feasibility reports of 162 hydro schemes totalling to 50,000 mw. This should be seen in light of the hydropower policy of the government of India (1998) which has among its objectives "exploitation of vast hydroelectric potential at a faster pace", arguing that 78 percent of the hydropower potential of the country remains outside any plans of exploitation.
It may be noted that the total hydropower capacity installed in the 50 years after Independence is about 25,000 mw. The hydro initiative pre-feasibility studies were completed ahead of schedule and firmly established the Northeast and Arunachal in particular as the new potential power centres of the country. Out of a total of
162 schemes of 47,930 mw, 72 schemes totalling to 31,885 mw are in the Northeast. Arunachal alone has 42 schemes with 27,293 mw capacity. No wonder, the state, long known to be high in potential hydropower resources, has emerged as the new goldmine.
Even in mid-June, with the monsoon still not in sight, the numerous small and large rivers we pass in Arunachal are full of water. The land is green with forests and vegetation. Data handbooks put 82 percent of the state as under forests, with this single state having about 11 percent of the country's forests. As the vast bounty of natural resources unfolds in front of me, I realise that not just Subansiri, but all the rivers of the state have brought gold with them - not the gold that glitters maybe, but the gold that has enormous capacity to sustain life, livelihood and prosperity. How to make use of this capacity is the most crucial question not just for Arunachal but also for the whole region.
The 50,000 mw initiative is posited as the great utopia. Dam the rivers and produce enormous quantities of hydropower. The region will roll in "hydrodollars" as West Asian countries are rolling in petro-dollars. This is the promise. According to a young Nyishi leader (Nyishi is a major ethnic tribe), "The impression created is that once these power projects are built the people won't have anything to do but just sit and count money."
The reality appears to be quite different. The Ranganadi is a tributary of the Subansiri. In 1988, the Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project (rhep) Stage I was initiated and it was commissioned in 2001. The rhep Stage I scheme involves a dam to divert the flow of the river into the Dikrong river, creating a 300m head and generating power. With just the 405 mw installed capacity of the rhep Stage I, Arunachal now has three times installed capacity per capita compared to the national average. Yet, long periods of powercuts seem to be a norm.
Subansiri Soliloquy
The river of gold, Subansiri, is now being hounded for hydroelectricity. Over 73 dams in the Northeast, 42 in Arunachal. This is a recipe for catastrophe, says Shripad Dharmadikary
Subarnasiri - subarna meaning gold, and siri meaning water, is so called because its flow was supposed to bring gold with it. The Subarnasiri - ease of articulation now changing it to Subansiri - is among the biggest tributaries of the mighty Brahmaputra. As I look up the gorge where the river leaves the mountains of Arunachal Pradesh and comes onto the plains, it presents a breathtaking picture. We are told that till about 50 years back, the river actually brought minute quantities of gold along with its flow and people would collect whatever they could recover, hoping that lady luck would shine brightly someday. A landslide faraway in upstream Tibet is said to have cut off the source of gold, and the Subarna now remains only in name.
But Subansiri, and numerous other rivers in Arunachal, are now at the centre of another gold rush. Desperate seekers are flocking in droves to another kind of gold carried by the rivers - hydroelectricity. The gold rush began with the prime minister launching the ambitious 50,000 mw initiative in May 25, 2003. This envisaged the fast tracked preparations of pre-feasibility reports of 162 hydro schemes totalling to 50,000 mw. This should be seen in light of the hydropower policy of the government of India (1998) which has among its objectives "exploitation of vast hydroelectric potential at a faster pace", arguing that 78 percent of the hydropower potential of the country remains outside any plans of exploitation.
It may be noted that the total hydropower capacity installed in the 50 years after Independence is about 25,000 mw. The hydro initiative pre-feasibility studies were completed ahead of schedule and firmly established the Northeast and Arunachal in particular as the new potential power centres of the country. Out of a total of
162 schemes of 47,930 mw, 72 schemes totalling to 31,885 mw are in the Northeast. Arunachal alone has 42 schemes with 27,293 mw capacity. No wonder, the state, long known to be high in potential hydropower resources, has emerged as the new goldmine.
Even in mid-June, with the monsoon still not in sight, the numerous small and large rivers we pass in Arunachal are full of water. The land is green with forests and vegetation. Data handbooks put 82 percent of the state as under forests, with this single state having about 11 percent of the country's forests. As the vast bounty of natural resources unfolds in front of me, I realise that not just Subansiri, but all the rivers of the state have brought gold with them - not the gold that glitters maybe, but the gold that has enormous capacity to sustain life, livelihood and prosperity. How to make use of this capacity is the most crucial question not just for Arunachal but also for the whole region.
The 50,000 mw initiative is posited as the great utopia. Dam the rivers and produce enormous quantities of hydropower. The region will roll in "hydrodollars" as West Asian countries are rolling in petro-dollars. This is the promise. According to a young Nyishi leader (Nyishi is a major ethnic tribe), "The impression created is that once these power projects are built the people won't have anything to do but just sit and count money."
The reality appears to be quite different. The Ranganadi is a tributary of the Subansiri. In 1988, the Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project (rhep) Stage I was initiated and it was commissioned in 2001. The rhep Stage I scheme involves a dam to divert the flow of the river into the Dikrong river, creating a 300m head and generating power. With just the 405 mw installed capacity of the rhep Stage I, Arunachal now has three times installed capacity per capita compared to the national average. Yet, long periods of powercuts seem to be a norm.
The project has become very controversial and strong protests
are brewing. The diversion of water from one basin (Ranganadi) to
another (Dikrong) is leading to massive disruption of the natural
flow. People downstream of the project are apprehensive of droughts
with their water cut off, those in the Dikrong basin are afraid of
flooding. The increased silt loads are also causing concern as the
riverbed levels are suspected to be rising. The combined effect is a
serious threat to the cultivable lands and human habitats. Other
projects in the Northeast, like the Loktak project in Manipur, have
also caused enormous social and ecological disruption.
Against this background, we now have the promise of 73 new
projects in the region. Large dams in the country have had a dismal
record of social and environmental impacts. Serious issues have been
raised about their performance, impacts and economic costs and
benefits. The situation in the Northeast is compounded by the social
and ecological diversity and complexities. The area is inhabited by a
large number of ethnic groups, each with its distinct identity,
culture, language and even territory. In many parts of the region,
land is held not individually, but by the community. This not only
makes normal land acquisition processes inappropriate, this also
means that people displaced by a dam may be settled only on land held
by their community.
Another important issue is that of identity. Many of the ethnic
populations are small in number. The total population of Arunachal
Pradesh is about 11 lakhs out of which 4 lakhs are outsiders. The
total local population of 7 lakhs is divided into 23 major and minor
tribes. Thus, populations of several groups could be a few
thousand. A dam project that displaces even a few thousand people
has the potential to threaten the very existence of that
community.
Many people in Arunachal have also expressed the fear of being
overwhelmed by outsiders. At the peak of activity, many of the
proposed dam sites could be employing labourers running into many
thousands. With sparse local population, the fear of the outsiders
out-numbering them is not unfounded. What this can do to local culture
and identity is well known, especially in the violent and troubled
zones all over the Northeast.
Among the 'outsiders', probably the ones seen with
most suspicion and apprehension, is the army. As is well known,
there are many struggles - including armed struggles - for
autonomy and identity going on in the region. This has raised serious
issues of safety of the hydel projects and people involved in
executing them. Locals are apprehensive that this will be used as
an excuse for heavy deployment of the military around the dam sites, a
backdoor militarisation of the region. Such suspicion is not
ill-founded. The proposed 1500 mw Tipaimukh dam in Manipur has been
stalled: who will bear the costs of the security? The executing agency
neepco has said that if the security costs are added to the project,
it would become unviable.
Thus, the situation is extremely sensitive, and any "development" thrust on the people is sure to lead to massive disruptions and increased mutual suspicion. The ecology of the area is also rich, diverse and complex. The river systems are closely connected with the wetlands in the plains. Any disturbance in this complex network is likely to have far reaching consequences. Dams will not only disturb, disrupt or destroy ecological hotspot areas, and impact the flora and fauna, they will also affect the quantum and pattern of the river flows with serious impacts on downstream areas. This is a Himalayan catastrophe waiting to happen, that is, if good sense doesn't prevail.
The writer works with Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, Badwani, MP
Thus, the situation is extremely sensitive, and any "development" thrust on the people is sure to lead to massive disruptions and increased mutual suspicion. The ecology of the area is also rich, diverse and complex. The river systems are closely connected with the wetlands in the plains. Any disturbance in this complex network is likely to have far reaching consequences. Dams will not only disturb, disrupt or destroy ecological hotspot areas, and impact the flora and fauna, they will also affect the quantum and pattern of the river flows with serious impacts on downstream areas. This is a Himalayan catastrophe waiting to happen, that is, if good sense doesn't prevail.
The writer works with Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, Badwani, MP
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