Tipaimukh dam

— Sharing of river water has invariably been an exercise with a fair share of controversies amongst those seeking to put the water to good use. This is because rivers do not recognise manmade boundaries, and developments taking place during the course of a river in a particular State, region or nation invariably affect another. Also well-founded are the likely adverse ecological fallouts from large-scale interventions on river systems, and hence protests against such moves are understandable. The contentious issue of Kaveri water sharing between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is well-known as is the growing cry of dissent in Assam over the proposed mega hydel power projects in upstream Arunachal Pradesh. Now, Bangladesh has expressed strong reservations over the proposed cross-border Tipaimukh dam on the Barak river in Manipur, and a high-level delegation from the neighbouring country is to visit the project site and discuss the situation with the Indian authorities. Bangladesh’s fears relate to possible undesirable consequences on the ecosystem and livelihood in the lower riparian nation. To add to it, the issue is already a raging political controversy in Bangladesh, with the Opposition using it to slam the Government for allowing ‘uncalled-for concessions’ to India. Given that the issue had the impact of engendering a political polarisation within Bangladesh, India has a hard task ahead in convincing Bangladesh that the dam would not jeopardise its interests.

The intricate dimensions of inter-State and inter-nation river systems warrant a greater level of coordination in their management. Recent experiences have shown that higher amounts of rainfall and release of water from big dams in Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan do have an adverse bearing on Assam’s flood situation. Regrettably, unlike what Bangladesh is doing, India has rarely taken up the matter of dam-induced floods in Assam with Bhutan. The absence of cooperation in sharing of rainfall data, flood forecasting, and most importantly, making major interventions in upstream rivers without addressing the legitimate concerns of the downstream States, are factors that invariably complicate the flood situation in the lower riparian regions. The absence of an integrated water resource management policy – with due emphasis on the environmental concerns – has been at the root of the poor management of this vast asset. This has ensured that rather than the boons of this bountiful resource benefiting the people, recurring floods and erosion are denting a big hole in the State’s economy year after year. This situation is unlikely to change as long as our planners and policy-makers continue to ignore long-term concerns. SOURCE: ASSAM TRIBUNE