Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 4
When the earth quaked, little did the people of Tamenglong district know that they were rattling on the epicentre of the 6.7 Richter scale quake that jolted the North East awake on the morning of January 4.
According to the Sub-division wise administrative report as of 12:00 noon, Tamenglong district reported no deaths. Four persons were severely injured in Noney (Nungba sub division) and referred to RIMS Imphal for necessary treatment and one more casualty was reported from Tamei sub division. 25 houses were damaged in Khoupum sub division, 5 houses damaged in Tamenglong headquarters, 6 damaged in Nungba sub division and 23 houses damaged in Tousem sub division. Apart from these, a large number of buildings developed cracks and electric poles were damaged.
Though the Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur State hails from Tamenglong district, people have had to fight hard for the little roadways and electricity supplied to the district. Instead of improving the quality of the lives of people in Manipur, the Government has bigger plans for the State—mega dams, oil mining, national railways—all affecting Tamenglong in more jolts than one.
On August 28, 2014, the Government of Manipur signed four new Memorandums of Understanding with the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation for construction of four new mega-dams, namely the 60 MW Irang HEP, 67 MW Khongnem Chakha (Upstream Senapati, Downstream Tamenglong), 190 MW Pabram HEP (Upstream and downstream Tamenglong District) and 51 MW Tuivai HEP (Churachandpur District) projects over rivers of Manipur under the Manipur Hydroelectric Power Policy of 2012.
In addition, the controversial and highly opposed 1500 MW Tiapimukh Dam, currently under construction, will submerge large portions of Tamenglong district, while the 66 MW Loktak Downstream Dam (also under construction) is located partly in Tamenglong district.
All this, while Tamenglong area (and pretty much all of the North East) features on Seismic Zone V of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) 2000 seismic zone map of India. Zone V is the highest risk zone for earthquakes in the Indian subcontinent. However, “The plan to build these dams is fraught with absence of consultation and the free, prior and informed consent of communities,” said John Tingenlung Pamei, former president (and present tribunal general) of the All Zeliangrong Students’ Union, who has been at the forefront of claiming peoples’ rights in Manipur.
“Development and power generation needs have been defined exclusively to benefit corporate bodies only. The right to self-determined development has been undermined in the mega dams planned across Manipur,” he maintained. Moreover, “militarization in the proposed dam site and catchment areas is another concern among affected communities, as these military personnel are notorious for committing human rights violations.”
The governments of Manipur and India also have plans to mine oil on a mega scale from Tamenglong district (which is vehemently opposed by the people) as well as build the Jiribam-Tupul rail line passing through the district.
As we are reminded of the precarious geographies inhabited by the indigenous peoples living in Manipur State, scientists also remind us how rushed-up mega development projects without sound studies and geographical sensitivity can be “suicidal.”
“It will be suicidal if proper and detailed geological, geotechnical and earthquake analysis is not done before planning such projects in regions like these. Such projects are rendered useless if fault lines pass by these areas, for instance. Any development on seismic zone V needs proper analysis and relevant design,” stated a geotechnical expert speaking to The Morung Express from New Delhi.
