Tipaimukh Dam: Facts and Potential Consequences for Bangladesh

1. Tipaimukh Dam: Facts and Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Dr M Hasan ShaheedLecturer, Queen MaryUniversity of London

2. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Tipaimukh Dam at a glance: Location: Tipaimukh,Manipur, India, on Barak river, around 100 km from Jakigang, Sylhet) Length: 390 meterHeight: 164 meterCost: $1.35 billionCompletion: 2012Reservoir C: 15.9 BCM average Tipaimukh is located in Churachandpur district in Manipur state. It is in the south-western hilly region of Manipur bordering the Indian state of Mizoram.Tipaimukh means the confluence of the Tuivai and Barak rivers. The word “Tipai” is the corrupted name coined for the river “Tuivai”, and “Mukh” meaning “mouth” in Bengali.

3. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Tipaimukh Dam at a glance Time line1954: First thought of the Tipaimukh dam to manage flood in Barak basin1984: Site identified1995: Plan revised and protest began1999: The central govt handed over the project to NEEPCO 2001: The project approved2003: Public Investments Board & Central Electricity Authority cleared the Pjt2006: Foundation stone laid in December 16, by Santosh Mohan Dev, Shilchar representative in the 14th Lok Sabha and Minister of Heavy Industry and Public Enterprises in the Union Cabinet2007: Construction halted due to protest in India and international uproar No information was shared with Bangladesh Bangladesh requested information about the Dam few times including a request in 2003 and another in 2005

4. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Tipaimukh Dam at a glance Aim:Production of1500 MW ElectricityOther potential use:Flood Control in Asam, Irrigation (Proposed Fulertal Barrage is just 100 km away Law:According to 1997 UN Watercourse convention Article 5(1) Equitable Utilization, (7) No Harm Principle, (9) Exchange of Information. This implies that without the consent of the downstream river nation no one country can control the multi-national river Thus construction of Tipaimukh Dam is a Clear violation of co-riparian rights of Bangladesh. (Barak-Shurama-Kushiara is an International river)

5. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • What Consequences for Bangladesh?: Mirror Image of Farakkah • Rajshai-Khulna vs Sylhet-Dhaka • Padma vs Shurma, Kushiara

6. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Farakkah: Facts and Figures • Built in 1974-74 to divert Ganges water into Hooghly river during the dry season (Jan-June) to flush out the accumulating silt • Indo-Bangladesh river commission met over 90 times without any results due to high-level Indian Hegemony and week Bangladeshi response • Bangladesh agreed the test operation of Farakka for 41 days from April 21, 1975 to 31, May 1975 to divert 1100-1600 cusecs of water with an assurance of receiving 40,000 cusecs of Ganges water in dry season • India took advantage of political change in Bangladesh in 1975 and diverted all 40,000 cusecs to Hooghly rivers • The matters was brought to the attention of UN General assembly and on November 5 1977 Ganges water agreement was signed assuring 34,500 cusecs for Bangladesh

7. Tipaimukh Dam: Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Farakkah: Cheating and Control in relation to Farakka • 1977-1991: Bangladesh didn’t get it’s due share of Ganges water • 1991-1996: Bangladesh got 10,000-12,000 (Extreme case, 9000 cusecs) • 1996-2001: Situation improved a bit due to political change, a treaty was again signed to receive 35,000 cusecs • 2001-2009: at Teesta barrage point against 10,000 cusecs requirements Bangladesh received • 2001: 1406 cusecs • 2002: 1000 cusecs • 2003: 1100 cusecs • 2006: 950 cusecs • 2007: 525 cusecs • 2008: 1500 cusecs Dry in need, flood in rains • India dishonoured each and every treaty it signed with Bangladesh

8. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Farakkah: The Death Trap for Bangladesh • 100 rivers almost dried up turning the nearby land to desert like • Increased salinity threatening crops, animal life and drinking water • River transporting problem in dry season • Agricultural land becoming waste land due to shortage of water • Thirty million lives are affected • Estimated annual income loss of half a billion in agriculture, fisheries, navigation and industries • Frequent flooding due to imbalance and changes in the flow of natural Ganges water • Root cause of arsenic poisoning in Bangladesh and in West Bengal • Greatest man-made echo-disaster of our time • But this is not the last – now we are going to face the consequences of Tipaimukh Dam

9. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • Dissertation and drought in Sylhet and nearby areas • Considerably reduce water flow in four major rivers of Meghna-Basin: Shurma, Kushiara, Kalini and Meghna for a long period in the dry season • Most of the Haors and around 70 small rivers will be dried-up significantly • Ground water level will be lowered affecting Dug-Well and Shallow Tube-ell

10. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • Livelihood: Agriculture, Fisheries and Wildlife • Transformation of cultivable agricultural land to dry waste-land especially in the north-eastern region • Surface irrigation will be affected hence the agriculture • Change of rainfall pattern and hence the agriculture pattern • Change the habitat conditions of People, Fisheries and Wild life

11. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • Livelihood: Navigation, Transportation and Trade • Change the navigation and river transportation system • In turn this will affect the trade and commerce on a vast scale

12. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • Disaster: Flooding • Increase Flooding in rainy season and lack of water in the dry season due to siltation and sedimentation of river beds • Unusual flooding will occur

13. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Disaster: Earthquake The area is vulnerable to Earthquake, in the near past two earthquakes of Richter scale 8 and the dam will increase the probability of more earthquakes

14. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • Salinity and Arsenic poisoning of Water • Cause Arsenic poisoning of water like that of North Bengal in Bangladesh and West-Bengal in India due to Farakka Barrage • Increase the Salinity of Water affecting drinking Water and Fisheries

15. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Overall Impact on Ecosystem Cumulative effect of dissertation, drought, unusual flooding, salinity and arsenic poisoning will severely damage Ecosystem, Ecological balance and Biodiversity

16. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Political Impact Giving India the ability to full control the water through Barak River itself is dangerous as they can use it as a weapon against Bangladesh as and when necessaryThis has been done in the past using the Farakka Barrage

17. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh Overall Impact on Bangladesh 50 million people will be affected directly or indirectlyPolitical freedom of Bangladesh will be curtailed significantly due to the influence and control of India

18. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • Impact on India: Manipur • A total area of land 286.20 sq. km will be submerged forever • More than, 40,000 people will be rendered landless • Eight villages situated at the Barak Valley will be completely underwater • Around 90 villages mostly of Tamenglong district will be adversely affected • About 27,242 hectares of cultivable land will be lost.

19. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • What can we do? • Individual, Organisation and National level • Keep the movement against Tipaimukh project alive by holding TV Talk shows, writing newspaper articles and organising procession and demonstrations • Pressurise BD Government by individuals, various pressure groups and organisations to take the matter seriously and to formulate national consensus on the issue

20. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • What can we do? :Bilateral, regional and International level • Dialogue with India through JRC about the issue and try to convince them the danger of the project • Joint programme and Dialogue with the organisations and people in Manipur who have been actively and effectively protesting against the project For example, 20 influential organisations in Manipur have united in the banner of ‘Action Committee against Tipaimukh Project’ • Involve other regional/SAARC countries like Nepal, and Myanmar to protest against the Project • Involve various international pressure groups, Human rights organisations, environmental organisations to persuade India to abandon the project • Involve UN

21. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh • Role of Expatriate Bangladeshis • Formulate non-political platforms to raise the matter to various international bodies, human rights groups, British Parliament and so on and also to pressurise BD govt to take immediate steps • Expatriate Bangladeshi Individuals need to write articles and make lobby where possible

22. Tipaimukh Dam:Potential Consequences for Bangladesh What to do? Tipaimukh dam is a question on our country's Sovereignty, Tipaimukh dam is a life and death case for Sylhet All intellectuals left and right, patriotic political leaders and people are in agreement: We don’t want our Sylhet and Country to be destroyedand unsecured