ITANAGAR, 28 Feb: Expressing grave concern over safety of mega dams, the North East Human Rights (NEHR) has appealed to the state government to reconsider and halt all the upcoming and the 12 MoAs signed in August last year for dam projects in Arunachal Pradesh.
The human rights organization cited the example of the recent breach of the Chungthang dam in Sikkim due to the glacial lake outburst floods of the South Lhonak Lake.
“For years, numerous scientific studies have highlighted the rapidly growing size of the South Lhonak Lake and marked it as highly susceptible to a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF). It is imperative to note that these concerns were raised not only by scientific communities but also the local communities, activists and indigenous research organizations. Unfortunately, these warnings were not heeded in a timely and effective manner,” the letter read.
The organization said that the flash-flood in Chamoli, Uttarakhand in 2021, which resulted from a GLOF, and the infamous 2013 North India flood, the country’s worst natural disaster since the 2004 tsunami, were the consequences of melting glaciers and the eruption of rivers.
“These tragic events resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and devastating environmental consequences. The vulnerability of our regions to such natural disasters must not be underestimated,” the letter read.
The organization also drew the attention of the Chief Minister towards a meeting, which was held on 9 June, 2022, when the members of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) had visited Roing, Lower Dibang Valley.
During the meeting, the NEHR said, the Dibang Resistance and the Indigenous Research Advocacy Dibang (IRAD) & NEHR team pointed out significant flaws and the presence of ‘copy-paste’ details in the Wildlife Institute of India’s (WII) Etalin Wildlife Conservation plan.
This plan had been peer-reviewed by a group of 16 institutions and scientists from various fields of expertise, it said.
“The mountains upstream of the proposed Etalin dam contain 300 glaciers and 350 glacial lakes that feed the rivers. These glaciers have already thinned out due to climate change. With predictions of a further loss of up to 60% of their current volume by 2050, the electricity production capacity of these hydro power projects is likely to fall considerably. Thinning of glaciers also gives rise to the unnatural formation of lakes on their surface, which has been known to cause sudden outburst floods,” it said.
As per study, there are 1532 glacial lakes in Arunachal Pradesh with highest concentration in Dibang Valley, followed by Anjaw and West Kameng districts.
“These findings underscore the urgent need for careful consideration and mitigation measures in the face of potential GLOFs,” it said.
The NEHR appealed to the Chief Minister to initiate a thorough review of the environmental impact assessments, safety measures and community consultations related to these dam projects.
“Engage with local communities, experts and activists to ensure that all concerns are addressed adequately and transparently. We must avoid repeating past mistakes and prioritize the long-term well-being of our state and its inhabitants,” the letter added.
