India may change Tipaimukh plan
India had informed Bangladesh they might bring changes to the shape of the controversial Tipaimukh hydroelectric project on an international river, a minister told the House yesterday.
In reply to lawmakers' queries, Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud also said talks at various levels were going on to ensure that Bangladesh faced no negative impacts if India implemented the proposed interlinking river project.
“A joint survey is being carried out to find out possible impacts of the project. India has recently informed that they might bring changes to the shape of the Tipaimukh hydroelectric project,” the minister said in a written statement.
“The joint survey would be finalised based on the data provided in light of changes in the shape of the project,” Anisul added.
Construction of the proposed 1,500MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric project downstream the confluence of the Barak and the Tuivai rivers in Manipur of India, just around a kilometre north of Jakiganj area in Sylhet, would lead to huge destruction of ecology and biodiversity in Bangladesh as well as in the Indian state, environmentalists warn.
Information available in different websites shows that implementation of the project would lead to chopping off of more than 78 lakh trees and 27,000 bamboo columns from more than 25,000 hectares of forestland in the state.
Green activists say these forests are critical habitats of many endangered species including barking deer, gibbons, leopards, grey sibia, serow and the rufous-necked hornbill, the state bird of Manipur.
The project was signed in October 2011 in presence of the then power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh and top National Hydro Power Company officials.
It is being executed as a joint venture of the NHPC, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited and the Manipur government.
The project envisages construction of 162.8-metre high rock fill dam with an installed capacity of 6X250MW, with firm power generation of 434.44MW.
Bangladesh will face adverse impacts of the Tipaimukh dam, including environmental deprivation, economic crisis and drought, Bangladeshi green activists say.
Water might dry up from the Surma and Kushiara rivers and its 60 branches and distributaries that support agriculture, irrigation, navigation, drinking water supply, fisheries, wildlife in numerous haors and low lying areas in the entire Sylhet division and some peripheral areas of Dhaka division.
The river system also supports internal navigation, wildlife in haors, and industries like fertilisers, electricity, gas, etc.
Comments