Massive landslide continues to affect Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project at Gerukamukh

A CORRESPONDENT

LAKHIMPUR: Natural calamity, of late, has created massive havoc at the contentious Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project (SLHP) with 2000 MW installation capacity, being constructed by the NHPC Limited at Gerukamukh of the Dhemaji district.

Landslides in enormous proportion continue at the mega river dam project site, affecting its construction works. On Tuesday afternoon, a large part of the hill, made of soft, sedimentary rock, located at the left bank of the River Subansiri, slid down heavily and violently in the river basin by producing a robust sound and affecting the Diversion Tunnels of the project adversely. The proportion of the landslide was so heavy that it produced big waves in the river basin by raising the water up to several meter height. The natural calamity has already put the NHPC Limited to a troubled situation, drenched with massive havoc in the project site though SLHP authority has not disclose anything about it.

Notably, the SLHP is being developed as part of India's hydropower program to generate a total of 50,000 megawatts. The run-of-the-river project will consist of a concrete gravity dam, which will be 116 meters high from the river bed level and 130 meters from the foundation with a length of 284 meters. The construction of the project started in 2005. While constructing the project, NHPC Limited, till date, has to combat severe natural calamity, which is still raising questions and apprehensions about the feasibility of the project, since the day the construction work started. As a result, the construction work of the project came to a grinding halt from 2011 to 2019 due to protests over its environmental impact. After the verdict of the National Green Tribunal, though the NHPC Limited resumed the construction work, it has to tackle the natural calamity at present too as it did earlier.

Of late, natural calamity like landslide triggered by incessant rain, other disastrous phenomenon like flood have hit the project since the mid days of the month of September, which resulted in the collapse of Diversion Tunnel-2, collapse of the Power House guard wall, halt of the construction work in the main dam etc. Due to landslide, and massive force of the overflowing water in the catchment area of the project, the Diversion Tunnel- 1 and the Diversion Tunnel- 2 had already merged with one another. As per report, landslide was going on the aforementioned hill on Wednesday too.

The reports about the landslide and other disastrous phenomena that have taken place in the project these days, have created havoc among the people living downstream of River Subansiri under Dhemaji, Lakhimpur, Majuli and Biswanath districts of North Assam. Nature's fury hitting the SLHP has made them apprehensive once again regarding the safety, feasibility of the project which is being constructed in a zone that is highly prone to seismic activity. It is also apprehended that the water being reserved in the catchment area of the project too will play the role of catalyst to cause massive landslides in the hills made of sedimentary rock, centering round which the project dam has been constructed. It will pose a threat to the existence of the hills made of soft sedimentary rock.

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