Arunachal's dam will wipe out many a livelihood in Assam

Anand Sankar The 'thwack' of axes hitting wood and the periodic grinding of saws is audible as one enters the village of Sunapur in Lakhimpur district in Assam on the banks of the River Subansiri. Here on the border of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, there is no jungle but there are trucks on the river embankment loaded with timber and men busy working away with wood. This is the beginning of the river Subansiri's journey into the plains flowing down from the hills of Arunachal Pradesh which is damming the river for a hydel power project.