The deterioration of the flood scene in Lakhimpur district following release of excess water from the Ranganadi dam has once again raised serious questions over the viability of mega hydel projects without assessing their downstream impacts as also the very idea of constructing such projects on the Himalayan biodiversity zone. "The Centre's grandiose plans of generating hydro-electricity through big dams in Arunachal Pradesh completely ignore the immense dimensions of the issues involved.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday blamed the public-sector North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) for the flash floods in Lakhimpur district of eastern Assam on Saturday. NEEPCO had released water from its Ranganadi hydel project dam in Arunachal Pradesh without any warning.
At least 27 people are feared killed and more than 3 lakh people displaced in the northeast, particularly Assam, with the onset of monsoons. Not just the northeast, but large parts of northern Orissa are also under water, with the army and administration on overdrive to evacuate villagers in the flood-hit parts of the states.
The districts of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji and parts of Arunachal Pradesh have been totally cut off from the rest of the country following washing away of a portion of National Highway-52 by flood waters and it will take some time to restore road communication even as the flood situation in Lakhimpur district remained grave with as many as 11 breaches in the embankments. Talking to The Assam Tribune, Lakhimpur Deputy Commissioner, Manish Thakur said that though the weather condition improved today, the situation remained grave today.
Heed to the warnings of ill-planned approach Challenges thrown up by the Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project (rhep) stage I, commissioned in 2002, are lessons to be
Arunachal Pradesh is awarding hydroelectric projects to private companies at the breakneck speed of one every nine days without proper scrutiny. The government says hydroelectricity is the key to the state
The State is facing a short supply of around 50 MW of power these days. Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) Chairman A K Sachan told this newspaper here today that this is due to the rainless condition for the past several days and also due to the defects that have developed in two compressors of the Kathalguri Thermal Power Station of the NEEPCO.
The huge untapped natural resources in Arunachal Pradesh when harnessed would make it a front ranking State, Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu said today.
Development of hydropower projects alone, for which the State Government has signed MOUs with several CPUs and private players, would generate at least Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore revenue by 2018-20, Khandu told a press conference here.
