Grave threat to Brahmaputra because of Peaking Type of Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs) in Arunachal :
All the 150 or so Hydro Electric Projects (HEPs) of Arunachal are proposed as Peaking Type of projects that hold up water in the dam for 20 hours or so to a trickle and release all the water held up in 4-5 hours time in peakload demand period in the evening by running all the turbines in the winter lean months. This type of Peaking dams totally destroy the downstream ecology & environment of the dam. The riparian people, mostly tribal communities, whose lives revolve with the flowing river, are devastated.
Brahmaputra, as we know it, starts near Dibru Saikhowa National Park in upper Assam, when the 3 constituents of the river, - Siang, Dibang & Lohit meet. When the lower dams of these three constituents of Brahmaputra will hold up water for 18-20 hours in a day to 20% of the normal winter flow, as fixed now as environmental flow, then during winter lean months, the water flow of Brahmaputra will be only 20% of its natural flow for 18-20 hours of a day and a tsunami every evening / night when all the turbines will release the held up water in 4-6 hours. What will happen to the great river with this unusual flow pattern is anybody’s guess.
Alternative suggestion for Subansiri HEP :
Shri Pradip Kumar Bhuyan, senior citizen and IITan (1954-58) has given an Alternative Dam Proposal to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for the 2000 mw Subansiri Lower Dam, work of which is stalled since Dec 2011 due to public protest concerning the safety consideration of a high dam and affect of the project in the downstream of the dam as a Peaking HEP, and as per the proposal of Sri Bhuyan, the existing construction of the intake, Power House etc. should be retained but dam should be converted to a true run of the river 24x7 baseload HEP to generate adequate sustainable Power. The Hon’ble NGT, in its judgment of 16th Oct’17 in case No. 346/2013 has directed for study of the alternative proposal, to a 3-member Expert Committee.
Sir, Bhuyan has filed a case No: 29/EZ/2015 before NGT, Kolkata challenging all the peaking type of Hydro Electric Projects in Arunachal to be replaced by free flowing Baseload HEPs View