Tipaimukh High Dam: Boon or Scourge
By Salam Rajesh
Background:
The Barak River, which originates near Liyai village in north Senapati district of Manipur and joins with the mighty Brahmaputra River in the lower plains of Assam and ultimately flows into the Bay of Bengal, is an important feature of Manipur's geophysical and geo-sociopolitical aspects.
The Barak, which starts as a small trickle in its source, meanders and flows through Senapati district, turns a sharp loop at Karong towards north-northwesterly direction and then flows through Tamenglong district in a north-south direction before reaching the Cachar plains in lower Assam. A number of tributaries contribute to the Barak. One of its important tributary is the Tuivai River, which flows in Churachandpur district in a south-south-western direction before joining the Barak at Tipaimukh. Another of the important attributing tributary is the Irang River, which flows through Senapati and Tamenglong districts. Other tributaries are the Jiri and the Makru rivers.
The Barak and its tributaries are relatively calm and flow smoothly during the lean season, whereas they turn into turbulent rivers during the monsoons, or as in periods of continuous rainfall for 3 to 4 days.
Importance of the Barak, Tuivai water resources:
The Barak is the source of livelihood and sustenance for thousands of people living in settlement areas along its river course, right from Liyai-Laii circle to Jiribam. Similarly, the Tuivai is highly important to the people in Churachandpur district.
The Barak and its tributaries provide supply of essential water for the people thriving off it, for their agricultural fields and for their commercial activities, while on a larger scale it provides the richest sources of biological diversity areas in the region. This is true of the Tuivai, the Irang, the Jiri and the Makru river basins, too. It may be said without the least hesitation that the Barak and its tributary river systems has the maximum area of rich biodiversity and natural resources in Manipur.
As compared to large tracts of lands in Ukhrul and Senapati districts that are shred of much of their forests cover, a major area in Tamenglong and Churachandpur districts still has good primary forests cover that inevitably becomes highly invaluable as some of the state's precious rainforest growth that not only moderates climatic conditions but also sustains life sources of many species of living beings, including homo sapiens. These rainforest growths occur in the watershed areas of the Barak and the Tuivai, and the other tributaries.
There are several agricultural fields along the river course of the Barak and the Tuivai rivers. These provides for much of the food requirement of the people living there. In many areas, people had taken up commercial activities like plantation of teak, citrus fruit bearing trees and harvesting of bamboo.
Villagers in the Thanlon-Parbung areas of Churachandpur district utilize the waterways of the Tuivai and the Barak Rivers of commercial purposes like transportation and exporting of ginger and bamboo products to Assam via Tipaimukh, Jiri Ghat and Lakhimpur. This provides them much needed revenue for their livelihood. The traditional system of ferrying by bamboo rafts is the most economical means of river transportation adopted here.
What might happen if a high dam comes up at Tipaimukh?
The questions raised today of what would be the consequences in the eventuality of a major high dam coming up at the Tuivai-Barak river confluence at Tipaimukh, had been holding center stage for some decades now. It has become an important issue of concern in the state, as it concerns the future of not only several thousands of people, but also the entire ecosystem of the Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru river systems, which, inevitably, poses to affect the geophysical and the geo-sociopolitical character and the environment of the region.
Firstly, the magnitude and proportion of the proposed Tipaimukh High Dam is such that a huge area of the Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru river systems would be permanently disturbed.
Secondly, the maintaining of constant high water level in the Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru river systems means inflicting a total change in the character and nature of life systems thriving on and in these rivers. For example, people would be affected - their settlement areas would be disturbed, their agricultural fields (their rice bowls) would be lost permanently, their low-scale commercial activities would be affected thus cutting down on their earning capability; the wildlife including micro and macro organisms, flora and fauna thriving in original habitats would be disturbed and lost forever.
Thirdly, the changes in hydrological regime in those areas would give rise to a different dimension of hydrological and atmospheric problems unmeasured before. For example, it may give cause to changes in temperatures, sometimes acutely, resulting in change of climatic conditions. It would permanently disturb the traditional methods of river transportation adopted by the locals for their low-scale commercial activities, thus affecting their quest for survival.
Fourthly, when the rivers overflow especially during the monsoons, added to the expected accumulated water volume in these rivers by the high dam, it would give cause to serious flood situations in the peripheral and in the upstream areas, and also in the downstream areas of the high dam.
Fifthly, it would provide a permanent headache to the Central and the State Government institutions in terms of series of lawsuits and/or public outcry for damages to people, land, forests, wildlife and the environment.
The importance for water resources management of the
Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru river systems:
Basically, the water resources of the Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru river systems sustain not only the life forms within and in the periphery of the river basins whereas it sustains life in the watersheds, too. An interrelated cycle of life exists in the regions where the water resources of these river systems provide means of sustenance and existence.
For instance, it is as important for the villagers in Liyai to protect the forests in the immediate proximity of the Barak river source to sustain their resources for livelihood as for the state of Manipur to protect and conserve the entire watershed areas of these river systems to sustain the ecological and the environmental character of the river basins. Similarly, it is as important for the rural poor in Churachandpur district to continue with their traditional commercial activities in the Tuivai-Barak river systems, as it is important for the state to protect and conserve the rainforest areas in these river basins, which provide life to the rivers and the living organisms thriving on them, and also sustains the natural resources in these regions.
Conclusion:
In any program of the State or the Center towards harnessing of the water resources of the Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru river systems, with specific reference to the proposed Tipaimukh High Dam, great attention has to be paid to the many dimensions of dependence and interdependence on these river systems, as had been pointed out here. It has to be brought to mind that in the eventuality of a major change in the hydrological regime of these river systems, there can possibly be major repercussions, as had been experienced with what had happened to the central Manipur valley, and more importantly, to the Loktak lake system after the Loktak Hydroelectric Power Project was commissioned in 1983.
Today, we are witness to several forms of irreparable physical damages and changes that has taken place. We are saying today that the largest freshwater lake in the Indian subcontinent, the Loktak Lake is dying gradually. Several hundred families are still suffering even after nearly 20 years of the project. Several thousand hectares of agricultural lands and fish culture farms had perished.
Numerous indigenous fish, bird and plant species had disappeared. There is considerably change in the ecological character of the lake. All these had been the end result of misadventure in the management of the water resources of the Loktak Lake and its feeder river systems.
In talking of the proposed Tipaimukh High Dam, which is said to be the second largest high dam proposed to be built in the country, after Tehri High Dam in the Garhwal regions, it cannot be said that the Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru river systems shall not fare the same fate as of the Loktak lake; or that the state shall not be subjected to a major blunder yet again.
In concluding, it must be said that for any government's program on the water resources management of the Barak-Irang-Tuivai-Jiri-Makru rivers systems, first and primary is the need for a thorough investigation of these river systems before committing to the program.
(Courtesy: The Imphal Free Press)
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