Disaster in the making
Warn experts; no steps that will adversely affect Bangladesh, insists Delhi; we're in constant touch with India, says Dhaka
Ignoring bilateral agreements and international laws and conventions, India presses ahead with plans to build the controversial Tipaimukh dam on the Barak river in its northeastern Manipur state, causing worries to millions in lower riparian Bangladesh.
Environmental experts keep warning that the dam will spell disaster for the environment and induce an economic crisis downstream.
Since Barak-Surma-Kushiyara is an international river, Bangladesh should have an equitable share of its water and access to detailed information about the project, as per United Nations conventions and other international water-related laws.
Article 9 of the Ganges water sharing treaty, signed by Bangladesh and India in 1996, states that both sides will implement a no-harm policy and refrain from taking unilateral steps concerning any shared rivers.
An impact assessment on the Surma-Kushiyara river systems, conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Water Modelling in 2005, says that a dam like Tipaimukh will surely cause long- and short-term effects.
"Some of the effects will be noticed even after a few hundred years," notes the study, titled "Hydrological Impact Study of Tipaimukh Dam Project".
The dam will certainly lead to the loss of riverine habitats and species. The free-flowing Surma and Kushiyara will run dry and remain so for a major portion of the year (Nov-May), badly affecting agriculture, irrigation, navigation and drinking water supply, the impact assessment says.
But the latest developments on the Indian side -- signing of an agreement to set up a joint venture company to implement the Tipaimukh project without any joint study -- worries Bangladesh.
New Delhi, however, seeks to allay Dhaka's anxiety by saying that it will not do anything on the Tipaimukh project that will adversely affect Bangladesh.
Shameem Ahsan, director general of the foreign ministry's external publicity wing, yesterday told The Daily Star, "We are in constant touch with the Indian external affairs ministry. Our high commission in New Delhi is also in touch with the Indian government, and the Indian side has assured us that it will not do anything harmful to Bangladesh."
On October 22, an investment agreement was signed among NHPC Ltd (formerly National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and India's premier hydropower company), the Manipur state government and another state enterprise SJVN (formerly Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd) to form a joint venture company to build the 1,500-MW Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Tipaimukh Dam on the Barak river.
The website of SJVN says the dam will be 162.80 metres high.
It also says the project has been conceived as a multipurpose storage project with the main objectives of hydropower development and flood moderation at its downstream regime.
The project will deliver a large number of socio-economic benefits to people living in and around the project area.
Back in 2003, India had started construction of the Tipaimukh dam on the Barak to generate electricity. But it had to stop the work in the wake of national and international uproar and resistance against probable environmental degradation in and outside India.
Talking to The Daily Star last night, Asif Nazrul, an expert on international water treaties, said India had shown the same attitude while building the Farakka barrage on the Ganges.
"The government of newly independent Bangladesh conveyed several strong protests to the then Indian government against the Farakka barrage, but it could not get any information regarding Farakka. The Indians had bilateral talks with Bangladesh only after the completion of the project," he added.
Though Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has held out the assurance several times that his country will not harm Bangladesh, Asif Nazrul said, "We cannot rely on his statements as his government has yet to take any steps along that line."
In joint declarations made after summits between the two prime ministers in 2010 and 2011, Manmohan assured Sheikh Hasina that New Delhi would not take any step regarding the planned Tipaimukh Dam that might harm Bangladesh.
The Convention of Biological Diversity, ratified by both Bangladesh and India, states a country will not take any measures that could be harmful to the biodiversity of its neighbour.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=210846
http://sonarbangladesh.com/blog/shakilmunni/76002
Agreement for Tipaimukh project signed
NEW DELHI, Oct 28 – Despite opposition, the National Hydro Power Company has inked a Promoter's Agreement with SJVNL andGovernment of Manipur for execution of the 1,500 MW Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Project in Manipur.The Promoter's Agreement was signed in the presence of Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh by chairman and managingdirector, NHPC ABL Srivastava here on October 22.
NHPC signed the Promoter's Agreement with SJVN Limited and Government of Manipur for setting up a Joint VentureCompany (JVC) for implementation of the projectin Manipur.
The Tipaimukh Hydroelectric Project has been conceived as a multipurpose storage project on the Barak river with the main objective of hydropower generation along with flood moderation of downstream area.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=oct2911/oth07
On Sat, Nov 19, 2011 at 12:04 PM, Isha Khan<bdmailer@gmail.com>wrote:India will build Tipaimukh dam: Bangladesh in darkDuring his visit to Dhaka in September, Dr. Manmohan repeatedly assured Bangladesh that India wouldn't do anything harmful to Bangladesh. The project's work is progressing silently without taking Bangladesh on board.
When contacted, a high official of the Ministry of Water Resources preferring anonymity told The New Nation that they are not aware about such deal.He said the joint communiqué signed by Bangladesh and India during the Bangladesh's Prime Minister's visit to Delhi, said that India does not do anything at Tipaimukh without notifying Bangladesh
http://thenewnationbd.com/newsdetails.aspx?newsid=23331
http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2011-11-19/news/202026
Desh-Bondhu,
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