Activists protest against Assam dams

With last month’s flashfloods in Lakhimpur causing a loss of over Rs 100 crore, besides taking a heavy toll of cattle and other domestic animals...

With last month’s flashfloods in Lakhimpur causing a loss of over Rs 100 crore, besides taking a heavy toll of cattle and other domestic animals, Assam is witnessing a growing opposition to construction of dams in Arunachal Pradesh where most of the Brahmaputra tributaries originate.

Some groups like the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), headed by Manjunath Sanmugam and award winner social activist Akhil Gogoi, have demanded shelving of all dam projects either coming up or in the pipeline, while others like Pune-based Kalpvriksh have called for a total review of the environmental impact of the proposed dams in order to prevent loss to human lives and properties in the riparian downstreams.

“We may have to even prepare for sacrificing our lives in order to stop the disastrous dams that the Government is putting up without taking into consideration of people living downstream of these projects,” said Akhil Gogoi of KMSS. He was speaking at a convention held here on Monday to raise awareness about the negative impact of the numerous dams coming up in Arunachal Pradesh.

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Gogoi said the dams — more than 100 at various stages of construction and DPR preparation — were of no use for the people of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. “The governments, at the two states here and at the Centre, are only looking at the power potential of these dams. Nobody has given a thought to what would happen to the communities that are already experiencing the negative impact of these projects,” Gogoi said.

Neeraj Vagholikar of Kalpvriksh, on the other hand, called for a moratorium on dams till proper environmental impact assessments were made. “In most cases environmental impact assessment was done without taking into account the ground realities. There are instances where such studies were carried out only after the construction work had begun,” he said.

Professor Arup Sharma from IIT Guwahati said that flood moderation should be made a must while clearing the dams. “What is the cost of the damages caused by floods downstream? What is the rate of natural siltation in the Brahmaputra and other rivers?” he asked.