Protect people and nature from controversial Tipaimukh Dam

Dr Nargis A Banu
Environmental Scientist (email: banu_nargis@hotmail.com)

Introduction:
Bangladesh is the lowest riparian country of more than 53 trans-boundary rivers that sustain the life
and living of millions of downstream Bangladeshis. Four-fifth of Bangladesh is made up of the
combined delta of Ganges, Brahmaputra, Meghna and Barak river system - one of the largest river
basins in the world. India has 400 storage dams of various sizes and the major reservoirs have a
total capacity of 2221 billion cubic feet. Upstream diversion due to Farakka Barrage on the Ganges
River flows in India has adversely affected the hydrology, river morphology, agriculture, domestic
and municipal water supply, fishery, forestry, wildlife, industry, navigation, public health and
biodiversity in north-western districts of Bangladesh. Now India has started another interventions on
the International River Barak at Tiapimukh village and will construct a dam at Fulertal (100 km
downstream from Tipaimukh) by 2012. This dam construction was originally started in 2007 but had
to postpone construction due to enormous protest by the surrounding villagers and pressure from
international bodies. With the construction of Tipaimukh dam, India would be diverting Barak water
flow from its north to its south and east, thereby putting Bangladesh under serious consequences. It
will have multifarious adverse impacts on nature and livelihood in the north-eastern districts in
Bangladesh. The River Barak feeds not only the Surma-Kushiyara Rivers (>600 km) in Sylhet
Division, but that also flows into the Meghna River, one of the three major rivers in Bangladesh.

Dam at Tipaimukh:
The proposed Tipaimukh dam is a 390 m long and
162.5m high earthen core rock filled dam at
downstream of the confluence of Barak and Tuivai
rivers near Tipaimukh village in Manipur state of
India (Figure 1). It is only 1km away from
Bangladesh border. To produce an estimated 1,500
MW electric power, the dam will permanently
submerge an area of 275.50 sq. km in India. The
dam will establish a reservoir behind the dam that
will catch water in the rainy season and release it in
the dry season. A list of benefits such as high-class
tourism, free power sharing, resettlement and
rehabilitation package has been offered by the Bangladesh
Indian project proponent (North East Electric Power
Corporation, NEEPCO) to appease the people of
Manipur state.

The geology on Tipaimukh and its adjoining areas

are basically made up of the Surma Group of rocks
that are well characterised by folds and faults with
regional strike. All these faults and fractures can
cause localised shifting or deflection at the confluence Figure 1: Location of Tipaimukh Dam
of Barak River and Tuivai river course. Such faults are potentially active and may be focal and/or
epicentres of any future earthquake. The north-eastern part of India is one of the highest
earthquake-prone areas in the world due to its tectonic setting. The Tipaimukh dam site has been
identified at the highest risk seismically hazardous zone (Figure 2). Analysis of earthquake
epicentres of Tipaimukh dam site reveals hundreds of earthquakes in the last 100-200 years. It is
found that within 100km radius of Tipaimukh, 2 earthquakes of +7M magnitude have taken placed
in the last 150 years and the last one being occurred in the year 1957 at an aerial distance of about
75km from the dam site. The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of India revealed that the design of
the dam contains many errors, omissions, gaps, lacks in and short of compliance of standards set
by the scientific and academic community in India and the world.

Dr Nargis Banu Page 1 o f 4 Seminar Presentation

3rd July 2009 The Australian National University
As part of the project planning process, India
conducted detailed studies, completed the final Dam area
design and Environment Impact Statement (EIS)
without consultation with Bangladesh as downstream
key stakeholder. Indian government has not clearly
stated the amounts of water that will be stopped or
diverted by constructing of Tipaimukh dam despite
having a water sharing agreement for the Ganges,
but there are none for the other 53 common rivers
indeed.

Tipaimukh Dam - Impacts on people and

nature of Bangladesh
About 7 to 8 per cent of total water of Bangladesh is
obtained through the river Barak to Surma-Kushyara
river basins. Agriculture, irrigation navigation,
drinking water supply, fisheries, wildlife in numerous
haors (wetlands) and low lying areas in entire Sylhet
division, some areas of Comilla and Mymensingh
districts, and some peripheral areas of Dhaka
division depends on this water. The river system also
supports local industries like fertilizer, electricity, gas
etc. Figure 2: Seismically Hazardous Zone

Any interference in the normal flow of water in the Surma River in turn, feeds the River Meghna that
flows through Bangladesh would be seriously affected. Along with the people of India, civil society
groups, government and NGOs in Bangladesh have protested against the downstream impacts of
Tipaimukh dam. The following adverse impacts on nature and livelihood in Bangladesh have been
identified:

Flooding Pattern
The erosion just downstream of the Tipaimukh Dam would be excessively high and this erosion
would continue as long as hundred kilometers downstream or more in the Surma- Kushiyara River
system. The probable deposition during late monsoon and post-monsoon season will raise the
overall bed level of the rivers, and for an extreme case it would block the mouth of certain tributaries
originating from the Kushiyara River. Bed level would rise and that will induce the average monsoon
flood to become a moderate to sever flood in the floodplain of the Surma-Kushiyara.

On the other hand, Sylhet and Moulvibazar district has unique natural monsoon-flooding pattern.
During post-dam scenario, total 30,123 ha in Sylhet district and 5,220 ha inundated area in
Moulvibazar would be reduced due to change of flooding pattern of that region. About 71% of the
Upper Surma-Kushiyara basin area would no longer be flooded. The Kushyiara River would cut its
connection with its right bank floodplain for around 65 km and this part will become ‘Reservoir River’;
rather than a most valuable ‘Floodplain River’. The Kushiyara-Bardal haor (wetland) on the left bank
of the Kushiyara River would become completely dry. The Kawardighi haor (wetland) would also
lose around 2,979 ha (26%) of inundated areas of land.

Hydrology and Wetlands:

The Tipaimukh dam would lead to hydrological drought and environmental degradation. According
to the Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) - an autonomous research institute in Bangladesh, once
the Tipaimukh dam is fully functional, average annual monsoon inflow from the Barak River to the
Surma-Kushiyara-Meghna river system would be reduced around 10% for month June, 23% for
month July, 16% for month August and 15% for month September. Water level would fall by more
than 1 meter on average during the month July on the Kushiyara River and 0.75 meter on the
Surma River. During relatively drier monsoon year, the dam would have more impact on the

Dr Nargis Banu Page 2 o f 4 Seminar Presentation

3rd July 2009 The Australian National University
availability of monsoon water in the Barak-Surma-Kushiyara River than the average annual
monsoon year.

Groundwater and Irrigation

Millions of people are dependent on hundreds of water bodies fed by the Barak for agricultural
activities. The dam would cause the Surma and Kushiara to run dry from November to May. This
shortage of water in these few months would decrease the boost of groundwater. Over the years
this would lower the groundwater level, which in turn would affect all dug outs and shallow tube-
wells. Agriculture dependent on both surface as well as groundwater, would also be affected.
Arable land will decrease and production of crops will fall, leading to an increase in poverty.

Biodiversity and Ecology

One of the most serious and least-studied consequences of large dams are the long-term health
impacts due to drastic changes in the ecological balance, displacement and loss of livelihood and
sudden alterations in the demographic character of the area. These factors have not been
considered at all in the process of Tipaimukh project planning phase. It is a well-known fact that the
construction of dams invariably destroys the natural riverine ecosystem. As a result, it affects the
habitat of rare and endangered flora and fauna species in wetland. Construction of a high dam will
obstructs the migratory path of fish and other aquatic fauna, prevents the exchange of micro-
nutrients and silt between the upper and lower reaches of a river and has an overall adverse affect
on the riverine food chain. Above impacts would destroy the natural integrity of the ecosystem,
losing riverine habitat and species, and a lack of enrichment of land with the nutrient full silt. This
would lead to the ultimate decline in the natural productivity of the two most abundant resources of
Bangladesh - land and water.

Dam Break and Human Catastrophes

A detailed study by the World Dam Commission published in 2000 states that the adverse impacts
of any large dams are irreversible for the lower riparian region. A study on the trends of earthquakes
reveals that they mostly take place in regions which have experienced earthquakes in the past. If
the Tipaimukh Dam were to break, its ‘billions’ of impounded cubic metres of water will cause
catastrophic floods because of its colossal structure. The faults and fractures around Tipaimukh
dam axis belong to the category that may undergo strike-slip and extensional movements. If the
dam axis is displaced by a few centimeters, serious damage may occur causing a dam disaster
leading to huge loss of lives and property.

Water Quality
The erosion and sedimentation just downstream of the Tipaimukh Dam would be excessively high
and would continue as long as over 600 kilometers downstream in Bangladesh. This excessive
erosion downstream of the dam would increase the overall siltation and water turbidity in the
Surma- Kushiyara river system. These will adversely affects the water quality of the whole Surma-
Kushiyara-Meghna river system in Bangladesh.

Climate Change
The Tipaimukh dam will permanently submerge an area of 275.50 sq. km in India. Tipaimukh dam
will have warming impact due to methane degassing from the reservoir. Mass human displacement,
land use change on macro and micro climate and carbon emissions of large dam construction itself
is enough to reconsider constructing of Tipaimukh dam.

Violation of Laws and Agreement

International rivers are naturally well designated and they flow through many countries. There are
international rules and conventions that guide modes of sharing waters of such rivers between
countries in the riparian regions. The UN International Water Management Convention 1997
adopted two key issues, in gist stated by two words - ‘no harm’ and the other ‘equitable sharing’. To
elaborate the implications of the two set of terms, one can safely state that the upper riparian
country must not do harm to lower riparian country by withdrawing or diverting normal natural flow

Dr Nargis Banu Page 3 o f 4 Seminar Presentation

3rd July 2009 The Australian National University
of water. If any such withdrawal and diversion is at all to be done, such mode must have prior
sanction of the lower riparian country subject to the condition of mutually agreed equitable sharing.
Under this convention, hiding any information by the upper riparian countries about the use of
common rivers is considered as violation of the UN Convention. The International Convention on
Joint River Water also states that without the consent of the downstream river nation, no single
country alone can control the multi-nation rivers. But India does not care for these international laws
despite being a signatory to this convention. The Tipaimukh Dam project was entirely developed
and approved without informing the government of Bangladesh or involving its people in any
meaningful exercise to assess the downstream impacts of the dam. Bangladesh was not invited to
participate, fully and actively in the decision-making process as a key stakeholder. This is clearly a
gross violation of co-riparian rights of Bangladesh.

The unilateral construction of Tipaimukh dam by India on this international river Barak is a violation
of UN Convention on the Law of Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses. At a
Joint River Commission (JRC) meeting in September 2005, India formally assured Bangladesh that
they would not divert any water for their irrigation project. If India constructs the dam without the
consent of Bangladesh, it will also be violation of the article 9 of Bangladesh-India Ganges Water
Sharing Treaty 1996. Interestingly, a dam across the Barak was first mooted in 1928. But after 87
years, India has failed to produce all the necessary data and research on the impacts of the dam on
the people and the environment of both countries.

What Can Be Done

Economists have estimated that Bangladesh will lose up to $32 billion in a year due to the
Tipaimukh dam construction. Taking into account the above impacts and recently developing
objections in the both countries, the following actions should be undertaken to reach an amicable
solution of this dispute:

Indian government needs to undertake a fresh review despite advancing the dam
construction works. Invite Bangladesh to take part in the whole decision making process
before its too late.

India must provide access to all technical information (design, drawing, EIS) to Bangladesh
to measure the total impacts of Tipaimukh dam on Bangladesh.

A joint team should be formed to study the adverse ecological and environmental impacts
on both countries.

Bangladesh must ratify the UN Convention as soon as possible in order to take advantage
and for it to be effective.

As the proposed site is one of the highest potential earthquake areas in the world, so
impacts from its tectonic setting risk must need to be investigated seriously.

Draw international community’s (Asian Development Bank, World Bank, UNEP) attention to
save our people and nature of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh government, political leaders, civil society bodies, environmentalists need to
join under a common umbrella to stop India constructing the Tipaimukh dam.

The World Commission on Dams report has shown that Indian dams do more harm than
help. Therefore, as per the report’s recommendation consider replacing dam-based
hydroelectricity with a “run-of-the-river” type project.

Summary:
Construction of the Tipaimukh Dam must STOP now until the experts from both countries
undertaking further studies and investigations.

Sources:
Institute of Water Modelling (IWM) - An autonomous research institute in Bangladesh.
Zakir Kibria, The Case of Tipaimukh Dam in India and Concerns in Lower Riparian.
Anna Pinto, Tipaimukh Dam likely to cause climatic change?
Mohiuddin Alamgir India’s Tipaimukh dam: another Farakka for Bangladesh in the offing? The New Age Extra, 24 June 09.
Dr. Soibam Ibotombi, Tipaimukh Dam Is A Geo-tectonic Blunder Of International Dimensions. Dept. of Earth Sciences,
Manipur University.
World Dam Commission Report 2000.

Dr Nargis Banu Page 4 o f 4 Seminar Presentation

3rd July 2009 The Australian National University