[Assam] [WaterWatch] PM laid foundation stones for Dibang Multipurpose project

[mc mahant]

<Current data reveals that 104 large hydroelectric projects of a cumulative capacity of 55,556 MW have been proposed in Arunachal Pradesh. This suits both the Centre, which looks at the Northeast as India’s ‘future powerhouse’, and the state government, which hopes to earn a whopping Rs. 8760 crores annually( and live happily?ever after?) through power(To where?_)once the projects are completed. As of September 2007, the state government had signed agreements ( these are dime a dozen MOUs) with public and private sector developers for 39 projects to generate 24, 471 MW; more have been signed since then.>(To corner Subsidies and promptly transfer to Switzerland?)
 
These are schoolboy dream/essays-not technologically /politically sustatainable assessments:
Where are pre-feasibility Treatises of last 50-100 Years' rain/snowmelt runoff data?
Where are   the best  flooding/filling patterns of the backup pools?
How about 365 days' back-of -dam  level analysis?
"MultiPurpose"? -- Delhi's impostors trying fooling somebody:  "It will dampen your flooding in Assam?"  Oh Really?We saw what happened in  Dhemaji 2008!
What if China says "Stop and Scram"
What if ULFA says " Thou shalt not steal my energy".
What If the Assamese say " Do not block my natural flow pattern--I have developed my lifestyle based on 365 days' flow patterns"
How many Dams  even 100m high have India built on its own --without some Foreign Designers?
A 288 m high Dam will be logistically 1000 times as complex as a 100m  high one.Ever heard of Cascades?
What Happened To Manmohan's  TASK FORCE on Assam Floods?
What happened to(conceived in1973) Bogibeel Bridge?  trying to cross Brahmaputra with a 11 Km long bridge when near Jorhat -there is a point where it is 1Km?
What happened to "Assam Gas Cracker"=--still Cracking? What Cracking to what?
Best of Luck for AlmostSuperPower  Mera Bharat Mahaan
 
mm> To: waterwatch at yahoogroups.com> From: amritnarayan7 at gmail.com> Date: Sun, 3 Aug 2008 06:12:37 -0700> Subject: [WaterWatch] PM laid foundation stones for Dibang Multipurpose project> > Rumble In The Jungle> > From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 5, Issue 14, Dated April 12, 2008> > A slew of mega dams proposed in Arunachal Pradesh are drawing stiff opposition from the locals, reports NEERAJ VAGHOLIKAR> > ON MARCH 12, 2008, tranquil New Anaya, in the Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, saw its peace disturbed by an unusual event: a convoy of government vehicles were being blockaded by an angry crowd of protestors. The source of their ire was a public hearing on the proposed 3000 MW Dibang Multipurpose Project in New Anaya, which they wanted cancelled. Organised by the Arunachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (APSPCB), the public hearing was to be attended by several officials, including those from the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC), the project developer. The protestors, mostly local villagers and members of the All Idu Mishmi Students Union (AIMSU), lifted the blockade only after the officials turned back.> > On January 31, 2008, Prime Minister Manhoman Singh, who also holds the Environment and Forests portfolio, laid the foundation stones for five projects including the Dibang Multipurpose project. The 3000 MW project is planned for generation of hydropower and flood moderation, and is the largest hydel project to be undertaken in India. It will involve a 288 metre high dam, also making it the tallest dam in the country to date. It has been a focus of public attention since April 2007, when the public hearings were first announced.> > Two days before the PM’s arrival, the first public hearing was held in Roing, Lower Dibang Valley district, where local people voiced severe opposition against the project, citing its social and environmental impact. The law requires minutes of a public hearing to be agreed to by the public and signed on the same day by the District Magistrate, but people here still don’t have access to the proceedings of the first public hearing. This was one of the reasons cited by AIMSU for its boycott of the second hearing on March 12, calling it ‘cosmetic’, alleging its purpose was to merely complete procedural requirements than to hear the concerns of people. It accused the government of treating the Dibang project as fait accompli, since the foundation stone was laid before public consultation was completed and mandatory environment related permissions were received.> > Current data reveals that 104 large hydroelectric projects of a cumulative capacity of 55,556 MW have been proposed in Arunachal Pradesh. This suits both the Centre, which looks at the Northeast as India’s ‘future powerhouse’, and the state government, which hopes to earn a whopping Rs. 8760 crores annually through power export once the projects are completed. As of September 2007, the state government had signed agreements (MoUs) with public and private sector developers for 39 projects to generate 24, 471 MW; more have been signed since then.> > The government and proponents of large dams in Arunachal paint a win-win picture: exploiting the country’s largest perennial water system to produce plentiful power for the nation, economic benefits to the state through power export to other parts of the country, flood control in Assam and relatively small displacement of local communities. However, several unique features of Arunachal — fragile rock structure; location in a highly seismic zone; diversity of ethnic communities, a large percentage of which is dependent on traditional natural resource-based livelihoods; unique socio-cultural and agro-ecological practices; and the area’s rich biodiversity — all pose a challenge to these ambitious plans.> > AIMSU and the Idu Cultural and Literary Society (ICLS), the apex body of the Idu Mishmi tribe, have repeatedly raised concerns about the cumulative impact of the 13 large dams planned in the Dibang Valley. Dr Mite Lingi, general secretary of ICLS, says, “We have been given constitutional and legal protection for our land rights and entry of outsiders is restricted. The Idu Mishmis are only 12,000 in number and 13 large projects in the Dibang Valley will bring in outside labour upwards of 100,000 people for long periods of time. We are concerned about the demographic changes and the socio-cultural impact associated with this.” In June 2007, NHPC paid the state government an advance of Rs. 225 crores for three large hydroelectric projects proposed, out of which Rs. 150 crores was for the Dibang Multipurpose project alone. There were protests in the Dibang Valley then, as people felt that receiving advance money for the project before holding public hearings and receiving mandatory clearances was not acceptable. Dr Lingi adds, “The state government has mortgaged our lands without consulting us. The Centre is also a party to forcing this project on us as NHPC is a public sector company.”> > ONE MAJOR concern is the serious gaps in project documents such as the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report and the Detailed Project Report (DPR). Dr Anwaruddin Choudhury, renowned naturalist, says, “Dibang and Lohit valleys contain some of the last large contiguous tracts of tropical, subtropical and temperate forests in India. These forests have potentially large populations of many rare species, from the hoolock gibbon to the clouded leopard, apart from threatened birds.” Choudhury was shocked to come across the part of the EIA report that states, “no major wildlife is observed.”> > Ecologist Dr SK Barik had similar comments on the botanical aspects of the report, “Considering the wrong methods adopted, lack of expertise in collection and interpretation of ecological data, and presenting data with intentional ambiguity, it should be recommended that the study should be carried out afresh, which will bring out the real impact of the dam on biodiversity.” He finds it remarkable that in an area traversed by two global biodiversity hotspots, the Himalayas and Indo-Burma, impact assessment studies for such mega projects are being done so casually.> > The EIA report also claims that there are only 301 Project Affected Persons (PAPs), but activists say that the project’s impact has been grossly underestimated and the number of PAPs is far higher. They have also expressed grave concerns about the downstream livelihood and ecological impact of large dams. It’s the local students’ unions that are spearheading opposition to the projects. Keen as they are on increased economic activity in the region, they are also worried about the impact of the projects on this ecologically fragile, and culturally sensitive landscape. A banner sums up their collective sentiment: “Mega dam means mega risk. No dam, no tension.”> > > ------------------------------------> > Yahoo! Groups Links> > <*> To visit your group on the web, go to:> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WaterWatch/> > <*> Your email settings:> Individual Email | Traditional> > <*> To change settings online go to:> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WaterWatch/join> (Yahoo! 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