The Fate of Subansiri River and Its Communities: A Looming Hydroelectric Dilemma
By Parag Jyoti Saikia
In a serene village in rural northeast India, the monsoon season had brought a bounty of fish, and a neighbor offered some to Rupam’s household. The fish-filled Subansiri River sustains many local livelihoods, especially during monsoon. But this natural bounty is under threat from the impending Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, one of India’s largest dams set to be fully operational by 2026.
This hydropower initiative promises energy security but poses severe risks to downstream communities. It will disrupt the river’s natural flow, releasing water only during peak hours at night, mimicking monsoon floods but withholding during the day. This regulation threatens to alter the ecosystem, impede fish migration, and affect local agriculture and fishing practices, essential to the livelihoods of indigenous and lower-caste communities.
Experts warned of various risks like increased flooding, erosion, and an adverse impact on species such as river dolphins. Despite adjustments mandating the release of some water during non-peak hours to ensure aquatic life survival, the drastic variability in water flow will likely render traditional farming and fishing practices untenable.
Critics argue that the hydroelectric project overlooks the cultural and economic importance of the Subansiri River to local communities, who fear they may no longer experience their "mother river" as before. The central question remains: will these communities manage to adapt to the transformed river dynamics and sustain their livelihoods?
Parag Jyoti Saikia, a Ph.D. candidate in Socio-Cultural Anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, examines these looming changes and their impact on riverine societies.
This article was originally published on The Conversation and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Original Story https://nenow.in/opinion/new-mega-dam-in-arunachal-will-roil-lives-downstream-with-wild-swings-in-water-flow-every-day.html
Category : Environment,Opinion
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