Tipaimukh dam has become a major concern for the people of Manipur and Mizoram and also a controversial political issue between India and Bangladesh. With India and Bangladesh sharing 54 rivers amongst them water has always been a point of contention between the two. The rock filled hydro electric dam to be located on the border of Kolashib district of Mizoram and Churachandpur district of Manipur near the confluence of Tuivai River and the Barak River has met with a lot of resistance on both sides of the border with a slew of objections from the Bangladeshi side as well as protests from the North Indian states.
The 163-meter dam has sparked controversy over India’s failure to provide public consultations and information sharing with both Bangladesh and indigenous communities. The Indian state-owned utility North East Electric Power Corporation Ltd. (NEEPCO) originally built the dam to control floods but now plans to generate electricity with the dam, which has a capacity of 1500 MW. Most of the electricity would be sold to cities outside the region. According to the Sinlung Indigenous People Human Rights Organization (SIPHRO) of India, “the process for choosing [the project premises] ignored both the indigenous people and the recommendations of the WCD.
Despite the countless petitions by affected people, rallies, and sit-ins protesting the project and India’s lack of meaningful public consultation, environmental clearances have been given by the Ministry and the Manipur government.
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