Tipaimukh Dam: The Controversy between India and Bangladesh
TIPAIMUKH
Northeast India gets the highest rainfall in the country and its thick and extensive forests give birth to huge rivers. With a view to tapping the hydro power potential of these rivers, a nexus of policymakers, technocrats and contractors have mooted plans for the construction of dozens of dams. In the process, however, little regard is being paid to the short and long-term consequences on the ecosystem, biodiversity or the local people in the river’s watershed and drainage. One of the largest projects proposed for northeast India is the Tipaimukh dam on the river Barak in Manipur. This 162.8 m. high earthen-rock filled dam also has the potential to be one of the most destructive. Water is indispensable for all living organisms as well as for industrial growth and development. The last five decades have seen a quantum increase in water demand due to rapid population growth, consumptive lifestyles and the spurt in industrialisation and urbanisation. Developmental planning should primarily be based on the wise and judicious use of available natural water resources in the region. Any development work undertaken should have as its objective the upliftment of the majority of the people of the area, not just the benefit of a few better-off sections. In the case of northeast India, the lifestyle of different ethnic communities will need to be taken into consideration in an effort to evolve a sustainable system of development.
Background
The proposed Tipaimukh dam will be constructed 500 m. downstream from the confluence of the Barak and the Tuivai rivers in the southwestern corner of Manipur (24°14’ N and 93°1.3’ E approximately). The river Barak is the second largest drainage system in northeast India. It starts from the Lai-Lyai village in Senapati district of Manipur and meanders through the Senapati, Tamenglong Churachandpur districts and also through the Jiribam sub-division of Manipur. The upper Barak catchment area extends over almost the entire
Northeast India gets the highest rainfall in the country and its thick and extensive forests give birth to huge rivers. With a view to tapping the hydro power potential of these rivers, a nexus of policymakers, technocrats and contractors have mooted plans for the construction of dozens of dams. In the process, however, little regard is being paid to the short and long-term consequences on the ecosystem, biodiversity or the local people in the river’s watershed and drainage. One of the largest projects proposed for northeast India is the Tipaimukh dam on the river Barak in Manipur. This 162.8 m. high earthen-rock filled dam also has the potential to be one of the most destructive. Water is indispensable for all living organisms as well as for industrial growth and development. The last five decades have seen a quantum increase in water demand due to rapid population growth, consumptive lifestyles and the spurt in industrialisation and urbanisation. Developmental planning should primarily be based on the wise and judicious use of available natural water resources in the region. Any development work undertaken should have as its objective the upliftment of the majority of the people of the area, not just the benefit of a few better-off sections. In the case of northeast India, the lifestyle of different ethnic communities will need to be taken into consideration in an effort to evolve a sustainable system of development.
Background
The proposed Tipaimukh dam will be constructed 500 m. downstream from the confluence of the Barak and the Tuivai rivers in the southwestern corner of Manipur (24°14’ N and 93°1.3’ E approximately). The river Barak is the second largest drainage system in northeast India. It starts from the Lai-Lyai village in Senapati district of Manipur and meanders through the Senapati, Tamenglong Churachandpur districts and also through the Jiribam sub-division of Manipur. The upper Barak catchment area extends over almost the entire