Tags:
Journalism of Courage
The Assam Government has urged the Centre to make an extensive analysis of the possible disasters that were likely to be caused to those districts of the state that are situated downstream of a series of mega hydel dams coming up in Arunachal Pradesh.
Assam Power Minister Pradyut Bordoloi on Thursday told the Assembly that there were genuine apprehensions in the state regarding possible disasters that might occur in some districts due to the dams in Arunachal Pradesh, and that what happened in Lakhimpur district in June was only an indication of what was in store for Assam in the future.
“Though the Government of India gives clearance to dams only after taking into account various aspects related to floods, irrigation, drainage and environment, the Assam Government has placed a demand before the Centre to examine and analyse what damages certain area in Assam were likely to face due to these dams,” he said, replying to a question by Brindaban Goswami (AGP).
Bordoloi said even as such a demand was placed before New Delhi, the Assam Government would also constitute an expert panel on its own to study various environmental aspects that the Arunachal dams were likely to cause to the downstream districts in Assam.
“We have also requested the Centre to include local environmentalists and experts in those panels that carry out environmental impact assessment studies for the dams,” he added.
He said the recent conference of the power ministers of the Northeastern region had also taken strong note of the fears and apprehensions arising out of the mega dams, some of which are already under construction in the highly-seismic region, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh. The state had in the past few months signed MoUs for as many as 30 hydel projects in the state, mostly with private sector companies.
Assam’s Lakhimpur district had in mid-June suffered heavy loss to life and property following flash floods caused due to release of huge volume of water from a dam on the Ranganadi in Arunachal Pradesh.
