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Fear of Arunachal dams loom large over flood-hit Assam

Of late, the controversy regarding the impact of water released from the dams of Arunachal Pradesh leading to flooding of Assam has rocked the NE region.

By Oneindia
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Guwahati, August 3: Protest against dams built in Arunachal Pradesh has been growing shriller with each passing day in Assam.

Experts for long have indicated the negative downstream impact of Arunachal Pradesh dams in flood-prone Assam. This year, residents of Assam and politicians, mostly belonging to the opposition Congress, want the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre to take note of the issue.

Floods

On July 10, water released from the Ranganadi hydro-electric power project of the Northeastern Electric Power Corporation (Neepco) in Arunachal Pradesh created havoc in Lakhimpur district which led to the death of several villagers and destroyed huge amount of agricultural land.

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At a press meet in Guwahati on Wednesday, former Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi said the dams in Arunachal Pradesh will destroy Assam with their downstream impact.

"Water coming down from the hills of Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya always increases our flood problems and the dams being constructed in Arunachal Pradesh will destroy Assam," Gogoi said.

Since June, Assam has been reeling under floods. Although floodwaters have receded in most parts of the state, yet a few places are still submerged in water. Worst part is that floods have led to large-scale human and crop loss.

As per reports, a total of 84 people lost their lives during floods. A total of 13 people have died in Lakhimpur district, one of the worst hit areas. Officials say Lakhimpur has been badly-affected because of the water released from the Rangannadi hydro-electric power project last month.

It is not that only the current BJP governments--both at the Centre and in the state--are declining to publicly accept the adverse impact of dams in Arunachal Pradesh.

The Congress, which had ruled the state for 15 years before the BJP was voted to power last year, too had pressed for the hydro-electric power projects.

When reporters questioned about the Congress' recent U-turn regarding dams in Arunachal Pradesh, senior state Congress leader and former power and industries minister Pradyut Bordoloi said, "We had requested the Centre to halt the construction of the dams till a proper study on downstream areas was done."

During the press meet, Gogoi criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing "only Rs 2,000 crore as financial aid for floods in the Northeast although Rs 20,000 crore was sanctioned for the rejuvenation of the Ganga".

Modi visited Guwahati on Tuesday to take stock of the flood and landslide situation across the Northeast region.

"Floods are an annual disaster in Assam and the Brahmaputra and its tributaries cause havoc almost every year. Lakhs of bighas of land have been lost due to erosion and the problem is more serious than that caused by the Ganga.

The Modi government has sanctioned Rs 20,000 crore, of which already Rs 7,000 crore has been spent for the Ganga while he announced only Rs 2,000 crore for the Brahmaputra. They have not even clarified how much Assam will get of that amount," Gogoi said.

"Water has receded, but he could have gone to see the erosion-affected areas. Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh had visited the flood-affected areas, relief camps and those affected for first-hand information on the damage. He runs the Mann ki Baat programme but did not listen to what the people had to say to him," Gogoi added.

OneIndia News

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