Damning our wildlife
the Lower Subansiri hydel project
| It was late morning on May 4, 2004, when Manju Menon and I drove up to the dam site of the proposed 2000-megawatt Lower Subansiri (LS) Hydel Project. The project is on the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. Looking across the gorge towards the right bank, we saw a huge pile of muck and debris in the river. This was a clear violation of environment and forest laws and Supreme Court (SC) orders on the project. Local forest department staff had told us earlier that huge quantities of muck had already been washed down the river, affecting downstream stretches. The spectacular landscape of the area had changed considerably since the first time we had visited it in August 2002. Although final clearance under the Forest (Conservation) Act (FCA), 1980, was yet to come through at that time, construction work at the project headquarters was on in full swing. As we already knew, the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is the only law here. In its quest to build large dams in the fragile northeast, respecting environmental and social concerns (and laws) is not a priority. The NHPC has an unusual ally....... .......Read more |
