Gerukamukh dam issue likely to take a sharp turn in Assam

13 June, 2012

The state government in Assam has failed to take the right step about National Hydroelectric Power Corporation's (NHPC) 2000-MW mega dam in Gerukamukh, and this is causing large scale fear among citizens.

ASSAM'S CHIEF minister Tarun Gogoi, as it turned out, wanting to come across as the biggest expert on mega dams recently. His random and contradictory remarks regarding NHPC’s 2000 MW Lower Subansiri dam at Assam–Arunachal’s bordering area of Gerukamukh - makes it clear that the chief minister has suffered from the dearth of vision and perspective as to what should practically be done to save the state from the probable negative impacts from the said project, adding speculation at a time the NHPC has completed more than fifty percent of the construction work - fueling fear among civic society in Assam.

Due to the massive protest by civic society and some organizations of the state, NHPC had to stop construction activities in December, 2011.The state government of Assam now seems to be adamant enough to gear up the construction work despite the confusion and fear looming large about the future of the citizens due to its probable down-stream negative impacts.

The chief minister has recently suggested that the need for the Piano Key Weirs (PKW) technique doesn’t come to the surface as the water flow of river Subansiri through the dam is supposed to be the same - another hypothesis that reflects how much expert he has become about the issue these days. It is likely that a team of foreign experts will visit the dam site to investigate the feasibility norms of the project, a step which is categorically opposed by NHPC on the ground that the foreign experts don’t have proper experience as to how big dams are constructed in sensitive areas like one in Gerukamukh.

Now, a series of questions have arisen. How can NHPC question the knowledge and experience of the foreign experts? Does it mean that NHPC wants to complete the construction of the dam paying no heed that the international bodies may reject it at any moment? Why doesn't NHPC consider the level of its sustainability in one of the most a seismologically volatile zones in the world, and forget about the downstream impact?

The situation, at present, in Gerukamikh, is rife with anger and apprehension, causing mass protests and democratic movements by civic bodies. Dispur’s power pressure, accompanied by natural law and order situation, will not be the right step to contain them.