Massive Landslide Affects Arunachal Pradesh Dam and Assam’s Subansiri River

Massive Landslide Affects Arunachal Pradesh Dam and Assam's Subansiri River

VoM News Desk | October 28, 2023 | 12:48 PM IST | Arunachal Pradesh | Follow on Google News

Massive Landslide Affects Arunachal Pradesh Dam and Assam’s Subansiri River

Massive Landslide Affects Arunachal Pradesh Dam and Assam’s Subansiri River

A massive landslide struck an under-construction dam in Arunachal Pradesh, impacting a 2,000-megawatt (MW) hydroelectric project and causing a significant reduction in water flow in Assam’s Subansiri river. The incident, captured in a viral video, showed chunks of the hill collapsing about 300 meters from the dam. The landslide blocked a diversion tunnel in the Subansiri river, leading to a drastic reduction in downstream water flow. Notably, this was the only diversion tunnel in use at the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, as the other four diversion tunnels had previously been blocked, as reported by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).

A Growing Concern in the Northeast

This event adds to a series of recent natural disasters in the Northeast region of India. Just weeks ago, a dam breach in Sikkim, triggered by a glacial lake outburst, resulted in massive flash floods and multiple casualties. The landslide has raised concerns among authorities in Assam’s Lakhimpur district, which is downstream of the dam in Arunachal Pradesh. In response, the government has issued an advisory urging people to avoid activities such as fishing, swimming, bathing, and boating. Additionally, residents have been advised to keep their cattle away from the river.

The NHPC has expressed confidence that the river will return to its usual flow by evening. According to their statement, the current river flow, at 997 cubic meters per second, is being stored in the reservoir, and the water level reached 139 meters by 1 pm. They anticipate the water level will reach 145 meters by evening, allowing the river to flow through the spillway normally.

Challenges in Dam Construction

Over the past decade, the construction of this dam has faced opposition from activists and locals who were concerned about potential downstream impacts. In April of the previous year, the powerhouse protection wall had collapsed due to tail race channel construction activities. Tail race channels are responsible for releasing water back into the river after it passes through turbines and are located on the right bank of the river in Arunachal Pradesh.

The project, initiated by NHPC in January 2005, experienced a significant hiatus between 2011 and 2019 due to protests. By 2020, the project’s estimated cost had escalated to around Rs 20,000 crore from the initial Rs 6,285 crore. These events underscore the complex challenges of large-scale infrastructure projects in the region.

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