The Tipaimukh High Dam – past & present:
With the increasing population and accelerating economic development activities in the Lower Barak Valley, a sustainable water management in the Upper Barak catchment has been more critical then it was in the past few decades. Historically, Barak has always been considered as a very important river from the point of indigenous people and their sustaining socioeconomic resources. In addition, it is genetically considered the vital river system for all sources of natural heritage of the region. Hence, experts in different fields could quietly and objectively explore the genuine potentials for cooperation for the sustainable development of the Barak region, keeping in mind the water and land potentialities of the whole Barak watershed area along with the biotic resources. Only then draw up a plan for the infrastructure requirements. Considering all these potential elements, developmental decision should be taken with the principle of ECO-FRIENDLY and EQUAL-AREA DEVELOPMENT PLANING. However, decisions without these potentials may lead to suicidal policies for all generations of the region Neither the present generation of the region nor the concerned developmental agencies are the owner of this region and its resources.

The present generation of this region is only the custodian of the future generation of this region, entrusted to maintain the region and its natural heritage in a sustainable manner.

Further any action on harnessing the Barak water will certainly be treating as sharing of water between the two nations i.e. India and Bangladesh and in between Manipur and Assam.

Questions raised:
Neglecting the resources potentialities and the people of the region, a tortuous hydropolitical gambling on Barak River has been initiated since 1926 under different names and different location points along the river. Very recently, the Tipaimukh High Dam Projects entrusted earlier to the Brahmaputra Flood Control Board has been handed over to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO). Frequent change made in the dam site selection has raised the eyebrows of the concerned ones. Why was the first site of Mainadhar (1955) shifted to the second site of Naraindhar (1964) and then to the third site of Bhubander and again to the fourth and the present site of Tipaimukh, which has been the bone of contention between the program propagandists and their non-buyers? Switching over of the implementing agencies of the Brahmaputra Flood Control Board to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation is also questionable. May be, the BFCB was in troubled water which compelled the change. But, why? Again, the sudden change was affected in the project title from Tipaimukh High Dam (Multipurpose Project) to Tipaimukh Power Project. Why again? The people of Manipur have the right to seek answers to these questions. Further, we may also ask why only a few people are interested on the implementation of this dam as proposed by the project authority? Is it for the meager amount of compensation the State is going to get or a few select who will be benefited with the technical jobs as of project manager or anything else? On the other hand, is there something behind the screen of the project? Are there vested interests greasing the palm of some powerful treacherous hands? These are some of the questions on the hydropolitics of Tipaimukh dam.

About the author:
To answer all these questions, the author explored the region academically and socially since 1974, through his involvement with various organizations such as the Himalayan Eco-development Project (Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India), the Manipur Cultural Integration Conference (MCIC), the Manipur Association of Science and Society (MASS) and the action Committee of Tipaimukh (ACT). The author traveled the entire river course of the Barak and visited almost all the villages on both banks of the Barak in the districts of Tamenglong and Churachandpur –and also along the Manbahadur road, the downstream site in connection with the hunt for environmental, ecological and geomorphologic studies of the Barak region. Further ,the author was also associated with the Satellite Remote Sensing Survey of Upper Barak River watershed conducted by Remote Sensing Agencies of Hyderabad in 1976. Moreover he has carefully studied the Tipaimukh High Dam Project Report of 1984, Rehabilitation and Environmental Aspect (1989) of Tipaimukh high Dam proposed by the dam authority. Hence, the author has adequate information, related potentialities of the whole of the Upper Barak watershed area and serious consequences of the Tipaimukh High Dam/ Tipaimukh HydroElectric Project to the right to environment of the people of Manipur.

What we have learnt:
The contractor, politics, bureaucrats nexus siphons off money and natural heritage away – sometimes Government undertaking projects and corporation gain at the cost of indented objectives, as with the Loktak Multipurpose Project in Manipur. Local interests are not kept in mind – there is a suggestion that the Tipaimukh High Dam/ Tipaimukh HydroElectric Project will benefit the neighboring North Eastern States at the cost of the land and people of Manipur.

Seismically, the whole of Barak region in the state makes the wisdom of Tipaimukh Project suspect. What is needed is the transparency of a development project and the involvement of indigenous peoples in the process and more rigorous viability studies. People would not belief blindly on the highlighted prospects of the Tipaimukh High Dam/Power Project like generating 1500 MW of power and a firm power production of 401.25 MW, opening the possibility of industrialization of the State of Manipur and overall development of the region. These were the same promises, if remembered, made at the time of implementation of the Loktak Multipurpose Project. Now, we all know and understand and have learnt enough lessons from the Loktak Project. We are neither industrialized nor have a good power supply (electricity) in the real sense. We neither reclaimed arable land nor protected the only floating National Park of Keibul Lamjao for the critically endangered Brow-Antlered Deer (Sangai). We are betrayed to the hilt and exploited by the so-called development project. We are deprived of our right to environment and natural heritage.

What we stand to lose?
It is crystal clear, now, that the basic and the primary objective of the Tipaimukh High Dam is only to prevent frequent occurrences of flood in the Cachar plain of Assam by making a permanent submergence of 275.50 sq. Km. of land surface in the State of Manipur. This primary objective itself is against the National Policy of Land Used. The project is really a hydropilitical project. Because, even if the title of the then Tipaimukh High Dam has been changed to Tipaimukh Power Project, the same dam height is maintained as it was/is. Therefore, the Tipaimukh Power Project does not aim at the overall growth and development of the whole upper Barak catchment area.

On the contrary, the proposed Tipaimukh Project will doom all potentialities located near the Barak catchment area forever. Therefore, implementation of the project means starting the countdown for the doomsday of this region. Instead of making good road communication network in the area, the project will submerge the National highway No.53 (Imphal-Silchar road), the only alternative to the Imphal-Dimapur lifeline (NH No.39), at three different points with two major bridges (Map 1). Hence, new alignment of the submergible points on the road will add another 60 Kms. to the existing Imphal-Jiribam-Silchar road. The directly affected people by this proposed dam will be displaced from their own traditional settlement area to a new rehabilitation centers and hence, there is no question of as equitable share in the development to be brought by the project. It is unfortunate that there is no rehabilitation policy in the country. Provision for "Land for Land" and basic infrastructure amenities for the displaced population are a serious and extremely difficult problem. The meager compensation cannot sustain a family for long. Hence, the settlement and rehabilitation problem is a recurring process. Considering all these factors, in short, Tipaimukh High Dam does not aim for the development of the effected land and people but an absolutely one-sided on, i.e. to control frequent flooding of the Cachar plain area. Hence, the dam has not met with favor in Manipur for these reasons and its lake of detailed studies on geo-tectonic, bio-diversity and environment, health, socio-economic and hydrological impacts in the region. These points mentioned above were not clearly studied by the Dam authorities. Hence, some of the points stated in their project report may be referred to have to prove that the project proposal is not based on detailed studies, true facts and analysis of the land to be submerged area.

The project report did not study the area geo-tectonically, a vital flaw in the planning. Existing records and analysis establish that the whole of upper Barak watershed area is full of thrust fault lines. Even the point of the proposed Tipaimukh Dam axis fall on the ‘Taithu thrust fault line’ (MAP 2). Therefore, the proposed dam site itself is questionable and must be subject to detailed analysis.

Secondly, the project area is within the seismic zone No. V characterized by earthquake of magnitude 7 or more on the Richter Scale. More then five earthquakes of magnitude greater than 5+ were recorded in the area within 6-100 Km. radius during the last five years .The epicenter of the maximum magnitude of earthquake (8+M) recorded in this region lies at 80 Km. towards ENE of the Dam site. There is no technological knowledge to design the structure that can withstand an earthquake of 8+. Even the epicenter of the recent earthquake that occurred on April 5,1999 measuring 5M on the Richter scale lies within Surma group of rocks in which the Dan is supposes to rest. The catastrophic 1984 Silchar Earthquake (5.6M) was well within the Surma Basin. Moreover, the propose Tipaimukh Dam rest on a fault occupied by the river itself, which may be reactivated any time causing considerable vertical as well as lateral displacement. In the recent years, earthquake monitoring conducted in and around Manipur reveal active phenomena along the pre-existing fault/thrusts in the western half of the State e.g. Nungba Thrust, Barak-Makru Thrust, etc. Therefore, a potential danger, in the form of an impending earthquake, causing damages to the proposed Tipaimukh dam cannot be ruled out in the long run. Even the rock-filled dam up to a dam height of 162.80 meter is not yet attempted anywhere except on this dam. Normaly, earth dam’s height is targeted only up to 25 to 30 meter dam heights. Hence, the dam’s structure design in the area, more specifically, a geological unstable area is questionable.

Thirdly, the proposed dam did not assess the environmental impact of the area to be submerged by the dam water. In a peculiar way, the project authority referred to an early Botanical survey record of the region (vide Flora of British India 1872 – 1897). There is no record of plant gathering and animal hunting with reference the Tipaimukh project .We know that Manipur along with other Eastern Himalayan neighboring states fall under one of the genetic Hot Spot zones of the world where rare bio-diversity resources are existed. Number of flora and fauna of the region including medicinal plants, mare particularly, are yet to be recorded. It is also a fact that during the investigation works of the project the environmental impact assessment was not taken care of .As a person well acquainted with the region, the author recognizes many rare species of flora and fauna thriving still in the region. Therefor, a systematic scientific documentation on flora and fauna of the area shell has to be recorded before the dam construction work proceeds further.

Fourthly, if some one travels along the bank Barak, he could have seen vast areas of virgin plain that could be used for crop cultivation. This is also clearly visible in any of the photo imageries of the area. Once the area is under water, these land potentials will permanently be doomed. Over and above, there are certain sacred islands own by the indigenous peoples of the region. Hence, it is alarmingly to note that such kind of land potentials as well as natural heritage of cultural significance of the region will be lost permanently. After the construction of the dam, the down stream, particularly Jiribam may be affected by hydrological imbalances resulting in serious water scarcity.

Fifthly, the nature of listing the number of being affected villages mention in the project report(s) automatically instills suspicion to one’s mind. The number of being affected villages were listed as 31 (Thirty-one) in the project report submitted during 1984 and the same was also mentioned in both the two volumes of the Rehabilitation Report submitted by WAPCOS (April 1998). However, there has been sudden and unwarranted decrease in the number of villages being affected as shown in the Brief Report of the NEEPCO 1998 (December), in which the number of being affected is listed as only 15 (Fifteen) without even caring to identify the villages. Subsequently, some of the blind believer were carried away by these extremely twisted reports, in an attempt to capture the minds of the people to bank on the proposed dam ,propagate relentlessly by publishing in local dailies and journals and regional level papers the honey coated poisoned bee-hive of false promises. Very recently ,it was seen that a single author who published an ill-informed and non-technical paper/article in favor of the NEEPCO for Tipaimukh Dam in 2-3 local dailies and weeklies repeatedly the content, in a bid to woo the innocent.

What Mr. Priyobarta has learnt
In this context, the author, specifically, would like to mention about the fake report of Tipaimukh Project by a Silchar-based correspondent in a Calcutta-based daily. In almost all these reports/ articles, the pro dam contributors mentioned, stated and alleged that M.K.P.B.Singh objected to the Tipaimukh High Dam. This statement is irrelevant, misleading and temper the facts. I, as an active member of the Action Committee of Tipaimukh (ACT), would like to clarify that Maharaj Kumar Priyabrata, Convener of ACT only wanted to know the details about the Tipaimukh High Dam. He wrote to all the concerned authorities regarding the proposed dam. However, none of them respondent. (Some of the sentences are excluded here)

M.K.P.B.Singh had a bad experience on Loktak Lake. He does not need to see another replica of the disastrous Loktak Lake Project during his lifetime. All those people who really care for the state and its natural heritage have every right to be vigilant on such issues. Therefore, the people who live in the vicinity and core area of the project in particular should not believe at the sugar coated glamour of the project ant allow being wooed away by it.

Today, we, in Manipur are experiencing an unprecedented drought like situation in this little paradise known for abundant water (May 1999). Has one ever pondered upon this phenomenon to be linked with Loktak Lake? Yes, it is very much related with this natural wet land. Non-draining out of the Loktak water by this project at this juncture would lead to a disastrous end for the state fi not checked immediately, as humidity in the atmosphere is reducing daily because of water exhaustion.

Conclusion
The unanimous resolution adopted by the Manipur Legislative Assembly some years back against the construction of Tipaimukh Dam was/is considered as a positive step forward projecting the interest of the people of Manipur by the State Government and we as its citizens have every right to know and understand the true facts about this Project.

Considering all these critical points, it is also presumed that the proposed Tipaimukh High Dam/Tipaimukh Project is not initiated as per the requirement of the state of Manipur. It is politically super-imposed project with the idea of ‘grooming a center’ for the Surma region in the Cachar plain. The current trend also targets to this area in terms of Super Highway upto Silchar and second trade route initiated from Dhaka to Bangkok via Silchar are the focal points. With all these backdrops, the hydropolitic of the base headquarter of the Tipaimukh high dam has been incessantly trying to influence the resources of Manipur for their own growth and benefit only. However, we, particularly the local people, should necessarily try our level best to bring to light all these hidden circumstances and tricky politics. We may think for approaches like that of the Tennassi Valley Authority (TVA) of America and establish a Development Authority for the region to as per time and space of the current scenario. We may plan for more than 39 microhydal projects all over the Upper Barak region and commercialized the power resources of the State by the State. Barak is a golden egg laying goose of Manipur. Do not try to kill for the sake a single larger egg. The Tipaimukh High Dam/Tipaimukh Project alone. Let it continue to lay more and more Golden eggs for the benefit of the State and the people of Manipur and for the generation to come to whom the reason we are guarding belongs. So to avoid this unwanted slaughter of the golden goose, the State authority must first come out with a White Paper on the Tipaimukh High Dam /Tipaimukh Project. Mere mud slinging will not do any justice. A mass consensus on the dam needs to be taken, after due deliberation on the White paper, in the interest of the people before it’s too late. Let us remember, now we are in such a situation of "Heads, you win; tails, we fail to win."