Tipaimukh Dam Presentation by Nargis
Tipaimukh Dam Presentation by Nargis
Tipaimukh Dam Presentation by Nargis
Dr Nargis A Banu
Environmental Scientist (email: [email protected])
Introduction:
Bangladesh is the lowest riparian country of more than 53 trans-boundary rivers that sustain the life
and living of millions of downstream Bangladeshis. Four-fifth of Bangladesh is made up of the
combined delta of Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna and Barak river system - one of the largest river
basins in the world. India has 400 storage dams of various sizes and the major reservoirs have a
total capacity of 2221 billion cubic feet. Upstream diversion due to Farakka Barrage on the Ganges
River flows in India has adversely affected the hydrology, river morphology, agriculture, domestic
and municipal water supply, fishery, forestry, wildlife, industry, navigation, public health and
biodiversity in north-western districts of Bangladesh. Now India has started another interventions on
the International River Barak at Tiapimukh village and will construct a dam at Fulertal (100 km
downstream from Tipaimukh) by 2012. This dam construction was originally started in 2007 but had
to postpone construction due to enormous protest by the surrounding villagers and pressure from
international bodies. With the construction of Tipaimukh dam, India would be diverting Barak water
flow from its north to its south and east, thereby putting Bangladesh under serious consequences. It
will have multifarious adverse impacts on nature and livelihood in the north-eastern districts in
Bangladesh. The River Barak feeds not only the Surma-Kushiyara Rivers (>600 km) in Sylhet
Division, but that also flows into the Meghna River, one of the three major rivers in Bangladesh.
Dam at Tipaimukh:
The proposed Tipaimukh dam is a 390 m long and
162.5m high earthen core rock filled dam at
downstream of the confluence of Barak and Tuivai
rivers near Tipaimukh village in Manipur state of
India (Figure 1). It is only 1km away from
Bangladesh border. To produce an estimated 1,500
MW electric power, the dam will permanently
submerge an area of 275.50 sq. km in India. The
dam will establish a reservoir behind the dam that
will catch water in the rainy season and release it in
the dry season. A list of benefits such as high-class
tourism, free power sharing, resettlement and
rehabilitation package has been offered by the Bangladesh
Indian project proponent (North East Electric Power
Corporation, NEEPCO) to appease the people of
Manipur state.
Any interference in the normal flow of water in the Surma River in turn, feeds the River Meghna that
flows through Bangladesh would be seriously affected. Along with the people of India, civil society
groups, government and NGOs in Bangladesh have protested against the downstream impacts of
Tipaimukh dam. The following adverse impacts on nature and livelihood in Bangladesh have been
identified:
Flooding Pattern
The erosion just downstream of the Tipaimukh Dam would be excessively high and this erosion
would continue as long as hundred kilometers downstream or more in the Surma- Kushiyara River
system. The probable deposition during late monsoon and post-monsoon season will raise the
overall bed level of the rivers, and for an extreme case it would block the mouth of certain tributaries
originating from the Kushiyara River. Bed level would rise and that will induce the average monsoon
flood to become a moderate to sever flood in the floodplain of the Surma-Kushiyara.
On the other hand, Sylhet and Moulvibazar district has unique natural monsoon-flooding pattern.
During post-dam scenario, total 30,123 ha in Sylhet district and 5,220 ha inundated area in
Moulvibazar would be reduced due to change of flooding pattern of that region. About 71% of the
Upper Surma-Kushiyara basin area would no longer be flooded. The Kushyiara River would cut its
connection with its right bank floodplain for around 65 km and this part will become ‘Reservoir River’;
rather than a most valuable ‘Floodplain River’. The Kushiyara-Bardal haor (wetland) on the left bank
of the Kushiyara River would become completely dry. The Kawardighi haor (wetland) would also
lose around 2,979 ha (26%) of inundated areas of land.
Water Quality
The erosion and sedimentation just downstream of the Tipaimukh Dam would be excessively high
and would continue as long as over 600 kilometers downstream in Bangladesh. This excessive
erosion downstream of the dam would increase the overall siltation and water turbidity in the
Surma- Kushiyara river system. These will adversely affects the water quality of the whole Surma-
Kushiyara-Meghna river system in Bangladesh.
Climate Change
The Tipaimukh dam will permanently submerge an area of 275.50 sq. km in India. Tipaimukh dam
will have warming impact due to methane degassing from the reservoir. Mass human displacement,
land use change on macro and micro climate and carbon emissions of large dam construction itself
is enough to reconsider constructing of Tipaimukh dam.
The unilateral construction of Tipaimukh dam by India on this international river Barak is a violation
of UN Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses. At a
Joint River Commission (JRC) meeting in September 2005, India formally assured Bangladesh that
they would not divert any water for their irrigation project. If India constructs the dam without the
consent of Bangladesh, it will also be violation of the article 9 of Bangladesh-India Ganges Water
Sharing Treaty 1996. Interestingly, a dam across the Barak was first mooted in 1928. But after 87
years, India has failed to produce all the necessary data and research on the impacts of the dam on
the people and the environment of both countries.
Summary:
Construction of the Tipaimukh Dam must STOP now until the experts from both countries
undertaking further studies and investigations.
Sources:
Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) - An autonomous research institute in Bangladesh.
Zakir Kibria, The Case of Tipaimukh Dam in India and Concerns in Lower Riparian.
Anna Pinto, Tipaimukh Dam likely to cause climatic change?
Mohiuddin Alamgir India’s Tipaimukh dam: another Farakka for Bangladesh in the offing? The New Age Extra, 24 June 09.
Dr. Soibam Ibotombi, Tipaimukh Dam Is A Geo-tectonic Blunder Of International Dimensions. Dept. of Earth Sciences,
Manipur University.
World Dam Commission Report 2000.