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. |
Description:
Basic Data
| Name of conflict: | Tipaimukh Dam, India |
| Country: | India |
| State or province: | Manipur |
| Location of conflict: | Tipaimukh |
| Accuracy of location | HIGH (Local level) |
Source of Conflict
| Type of conflict. 1st level: | Water Management |
| Type of conflict. 2nd level: | Dams and water distribution conflicts |
| Specific commodities: | Electricity Water |
Project Details and Actors
| Project details | The dam on the Mizoram-Manipur border is expected to generate 412 MW of hydel power and tame floods in south Assam. The proposed dam will be 163 metre high and will submerge at least 275 km2 of land. |
| Project area: | 120000 |
| Level of Investment for the conflictive project | 1600000000 |
| Type of population | Rural |
| Start of the conflict: | 2005 |
| Company names or state enterprises: | National Hydro Power Company of India from India Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. from India |
| Relevant government actors: | Manipur government, Government of India, Government of Bangladesh |
| International and Finance Institutions | World Commission on Dams (WCD) |
| Environmental justice organizations (and other supporters) and their websites, if available: | The Tipaimukh Dam Affected People’s Association in Mizoram, International Rivers |
Conflict & Mobilization
| Intensity | MEDIUM (street protests, visible mobilization) |
| Reaction stage | In REACTION to the implementation (during construction or operation) |
| Groups mobilizing: | Farmers Local ejos Local government/political parties Neighbours/citizens/communities |
| Forms of mobilization: | Community-based participative research (popular epidemiology studies, etc..) Development of a network/collective action Development of alternative proposals Public campaigns Street protest/marches 0 |
Impacts
| Environmental Impacts | Potential: Biodiversity loss (wildlife, agro-diversity), Floods (river, coastal, mudflow), Food insecurity (crop damage), Loss of landscape/aesthetic degradation, Soil erosion, Deforestation and loss of vegetation cover, Large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems |
| Socio-economical Impacts | Potential: Loss of livelihood, Loss of traditional knowledge/practices/cultures, Violations of human rights, Land dispossession, Loss of landscape/sense of place |
Outcome
| Project Status | Proposed (exploration phase) |
| Conflict outcome / response: | Negotiated alternative solution Strengthening of participation New Environmental Impact Assessment/Study |
| Proposal and development of alternatives: | As the area is earthquake prone, all kind of large dam construction should be stopped. |
| Do you consider this an environmental justice success? Was environmental justice served?: | Not Sure |
| Briefly explain: | The Tipaimukh Dam Affected People’s Association in Mizoram has warned against any move to build the Tipaimukh dam as a newly constituted India-Bangladesh sub-committee is preparing to give the long-stalled project a fresh impetus. The Bangladeshi civil society groups, media as well the opposition parties have come out strongly against the project especially after the signing of the Promoters Agreement and have put pressure on its government to take up the issue with India. Although India has assured Bangladesh that it would not have any adverse impact on the country but a strong sentiment against the dam is already prevalent there. Government of India also invited group of Bangladeshi experts to survey the proposed dam. India on its part has been giving repeated assurances to Bangladesh about the safety of the project and it not adversely impacting it in any way. Tipaimukh features in the Joint Communiqué that was signed between India and Bangladesh during Shaikh Hasina’s visit in 2010. The Indian government in the 37th meeting of the Joint Rivers Commission in March 2010 gave the assurance that they would not take any step under the Tipaimukh project that might harm Bangladesh. The Indian PM during his September 2011 also gave the same assurance. |
Sources & Materials
| References to published books, academic articles, movies or published documentaries |
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| Related media links to videos, campaigns, social network |
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Meta information
| Contributor: | Swapan Kumar patra |
| Last update | 18/08/2019 |
| Conflict ID: | 932 |
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