GUWAHATI, July 18 � The 168 mega dam projects proposed to be set up in the neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh would wipe out the entire Assamese population and its civilization forever, warned Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) general secretary Akhil Gogoi in a statement here today.
The KMSS general secretary, who was quoting from the observations made by the experts of Lakhimpur Girls� College, environment group Aaranyak and IIT-Guwahati, Gauhati University (GU) and Dibrugarh University in making his assertions on the issue, said that in the case of dam failure, the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project�s (LSHEP) stored water will move at a speed between 47 km to 97 km per hour.
The surging LSHEP waters will rise in waves between 10 feet to 20 feet and breach the embankments of the river. The phenomenon will also have an adverse impact on the river island Majuli and even on the district of Sonitpur, he warned, quoting from the observations made by the experts of the IIT, Guwahati, GU and Dibrugarh University.
The 168 hydroelectric projects proposed to be set up in Arunachal Pradesh will ruin the northern and upper Assam areas and threaten the existence of the Brahmaputra.
The 168 hydroelectric projects proposed to be set up in Arunachal Pradesh will produce a significant amount of methane, which is a contributing factor to global warming. The virgin ecosystem of the NE region will be destroyed by these hydroelectric projects, warned the KMSS general secretary.
The Subansiri river alone is the home of 169 fish species. The dams being built over the Subansiri would have adverse impact on these species of fish and it is feared that subsequently, all these fish species will go extinct in the absence of natural nutrients being caused by the dams.
The LSHEP reservoir will release only six cubic metres of water per second for 20 hours in a day, while it is going to release 2,560 cubic metres of water per second during the peak load hours� generation. This will also result in the extinction of river dolphins from the Subansiri river.
The mega dam projects will also result in the sinking of the groundwater tables in the valleys of the respective rivers. Moreover, the natural process of formation of chars/chaporis (riverine areas) within the rivers would also be affected by these projects. The sediment flushing process of the dam authorities will destroy the entire ecosystems of these rivers. The projects will also result in the extinction of the wetlands, warned the KMSS general secretary.
