River Basin Friends denounces the MoUs signed between Arunachal Pradesh Government and Central Power Sector Undertakings (CPSUs)

Three Memoranda of Understandings (MOUs) for development of hydro electric projects to the tune of 15,000 MW were signed in Itanagar, between the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Central Power Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), viz NTPC, NHPC and NEEPCO in the presence of the Union Minister for Power, Shri Sushil Kumar Shinde.The combined capacity of these MOUs is almost equal of one third of the total hydro potential of Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the MOUs, NTPC will be taking up implementation of Etalin (4000 MW) and Attunli (500 MW) hydroelectric projects, NHPC will be taking up implementation of the Tawang-I (750 MW) and Tawang-II (750 MW) hydroelectric projects while NEEPCO will take up implementation of the Kemeng-I (1120 MW) and Pare (110 MW) hydroelectric projects. In addition, NHPC would take up implementation of the Dibang HEP (3000 MW) through a joint venture company between NHPC and Government of Arunachal Pradesh. Besides, the Middle and Upper Subansiri Projects (1600 MW and 2000 MW respectively) would also be developed by NHPC after resolution of certain issues relating to environment and neighboring state.
The contents of the MoUs reveal that the 7 projects undertaken have total installed capacity of 10,230 MW. As per the agreement, the state government would get 12 percent free power from the PSUs. 'According to Mr. Gagong Apang, Chief Minister Arunachal Pradesh, the annual revenue that Arunachal Pradesh will get will be Rs.1,254 crore (Rs.12.54 billion). It has been agreed that an amount of 1 paise per unit of electricity generated would be contributed by each project to the local development trust.
These are one side of the whole story said ravindranath of River Basin Friends. There is no concrete commitment on the MoUs on the R & R issues. It is merely saying that an obligation has been cast on the PSUs on the rehabilitation and resettlement issue which is done in any HEP project in India and it needs no elaboration how these R&R have been carried out by the CPSUs even in the mainland India. The power Minister said that a unique feature which has been agreed for these projects has been the creation of a Local Area Development Trust which would be set up to take up developmental activities for the people of the affected areas but it is still a fry cry because that will be undertook only completion of the project but uprooting the people from their homelands/alienating them from their livelihoods will be in parallel with the commencement of the construction works. The ecological damage out of mass destruction of forests, extraction of boulders and aggregates from the
hilly terrains and river beds, dumping of aggregates on the rivers have received rare attention in the whole process. It is beyond the understanding of the people of the region how the same GOI machineries which have banned logging in the name of ecological balance encouraged deforestation, extraction of boulders from the rivers, dumping of aggregates on the rivers for HEP and allied projects that too in such a massive way. The impact in demographic pattern due to influx of labor from outside is the other area of concerned, because Arunachal Pradesh has a unique demographic pattern and is a state which requires ILP for the outsiders. Let the state and the civil societies not forget the tense situation between the local and the Chakmas. Once the people are there the politically vested interest groups starts playing the fouls very systematically beyond understanding of the indigenous people.

What Assam will face in the whole developments has been very systematically and strategically denied from addressing. Assam is in downstream of every river basin where the projects are going to be implemented. In the pursuit of global evidences and findings it is easily understood that construction of the dams will lead to drying up of the river system i.e. desertification, affecting the livelihood of the people downstream in Assam. In the contrary, during the monsoon release of excessive water from the dams (a normal phenomenon) will trigger flood devastation in Assam. We have not forgotten the kurichu dam brusting incident of 2004. The bursting of the 60 MW kurichu HEP projects in Bhutan, constructed by NHPC affected 15 millions people in lower Assam in the year 2004. Hence onwards the live and livelihoods of the people of Dhemaji, North Lakhimpur as well as of Majuli in North bank as well as Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sibsagar and Jorhat in South bank of river Brahmaputra
will be under tremendous threat out of the Etalin, Attulin, Debang HEP project; similarly there is every possibility of that the project TawangI, TawangII to create havoc in Sonitpur District in North bank of Brahmaputra as well as Nowgaon and Morigaon District in South bank of Brahmaputra in Assam. The Kameng and the Pare HEP project will be DamoclesÂ’ sword to the people of North Lakhimpur and Sonitpur Districts in Assam.

Being in the down stream of almost 150 mega dams out of 168 planned to be constructed in North east India the River Basin Friends and other Civil Society Organizations of the region, on the ground of riparian rights, have been constantly demanding to stop the ongoing construction works and undertake down stream impact assessment in every river basins on which the dams have been planned and review the policy frame work on the basis of the finding through engaging civil societies of the region. The Civil Society Organizations has constantly demanding to take seismic factor into consideration as the region has witnessed major periodic earth quakes in recent decades. The demand of the people of Assam is in conformity with the global acceptance that damming of the rivers should be preceded by free prior informed consent of the people inhabiting the same basin.
But these concerns have been strategically and systematically ignored by the Central Government as well as on date by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh taking the advantage of the lukewarm dubious role playing by the Government of Assam. Hence itÂ’s the time for the Civil Societies of Assam to determine their fate in their own initiatives through collective action says ravindranath of River basin friends.

River Basin Friends
AKAJAN
District-Dhemaji.787059.
Assam. India