Guwahati, Sept. 4: Dispur has asked the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) to prepare a detailed project report on the cumulative environmental impact of the various river valley projects in the Northeast and the neighbouring countries on Assam.
The government has set up a committee to monitor the impact of the proposed dams on Assam?s physio-chemical, biological and cultural environment.
As Assam is located on the downstream of all the power projects, it will face maximum threat to its biodiversity. The study will also determine whether it is necessary to redesign or relocate the projects to minimise the environmental costs.
?Environmental impact assessment might have been conducted before these projects received clearance. But the interest of Assam was not considered as the projects were located outside Assam,? said a committee member.
A concept note prepared by A.K. Baruwa, ASTEC director, elaborating on the repercussions of the hydroelectric projects on Assam, was submitted to the government.
The note stated that unprecedented floods in the northern districts of lower Assam in July 2004 resulted from a breach in the Kurichu Dam in Bhutan.
Satellite imageries showed destruction of Kadam Reserve Forest located on the downstream of Subansiri hydroelectric project in Lakhimpur district.
?We must be able to quantify the losses, so that an adequate compensation can be demanded from the Centre,? a senior government official said.
The note alleged that the projects were based on inaccurate and inadequate information. They violated all environmental laws and offered little scope for local participation in the decision making process.
It further stated that downstream ecological impact of the proposed dams on the rivers and the wetlands in the Brahmaputra plains has been completely overlooked. Seasonal inundation of wetlands by rivers is essential to the nutrient cycle of local aquatic ecosystems, and therefore, crucial for the fisheries. The proposed dams will disturb the local aquatic system.
