Barak – A river of life

Z K Pahrii Pou *

A view of Barak River : World Tourism Day photo Competition 2012 :: Pix - Shijagurumayum Deepak

In India, Barak (Avouri) covers nearly 600 km starting from its source (Liyai Village) till it falls into Bangladesh after crossing Assam. In this long stretch, it serves as a source of life for human beings, animals, birds, reptiles, plants and trees. Millions of people of depend on it for survival. It provides water for household consumption and agriculture. It supplies fish, crab, frogs, etc. throughout the year. It sustains the life of uncountable flora and fauna. Millions of cattle graze along its bank and both wild and domesticated animals quench their thirst from it.

Eatable leafy vegetables grow throughout the year in its entire river bank. This river gives scenic beauty to its landscape. Barak, like many other rivers, serves as sign-post for demarcating boundary of various inter-village and inter-tribal communities. Some people use this river for transportation purposes. It also serves as a recreational place for picnic. It provides fertile soil for cultivation all along its bank. In the past, it served as an ideal place of worshipping god/spirit. Its water is used in many religious occasions with great significance.

It helps them to understand the goodness and greatness of God. God did not give big ocean to the people of Senapati but gives them Barak River. We must thank God for this gift and take care of this beautiful Barak River.

So far, Barak is a river of everybody. It is commonly owned by whoever lives nearby it. It is a river of both the poor and rich alike. Anybody can use its water. Anybody can depend for their livelihoods and survival. Barak River needs to be protected from global market forces. Under the dominant development paradigm water sources are considered a 'commodity', something that can be bought and sold, resulting in a life crisis for many today.

Rivers are strangled through construction of mega-dams. Water is privatised, bought and sold by TNCS and MNCs through the bottled-water and soft drinks industry. Timber logging for trade is destroying river sources. Use of chemicals and pesticides destroys life in the rivers and seas. Ruthless development of tourist spots too often pollutes river sources. Inter-linking of rivers would change the course of normal river flows, resulting to human and environmental problems in the long run. In the Bible (starting from creation story in Genesis to a vision of the new earth and new heaven in Revelation), water is seen as essential for sustaining life. Flow of water in rivers portrayed life in its abundance. Let Barak live and flow ceaselessly -giving life to earth and all its inhabitants.

The mighty Brahmaputra-Barak river systems and their tributaries make northeast India as one of the world's biodiversity hotspots. The region is rich in natural resources, covered with dense forests and is a treasure house of flora and fauna. The vast river systems and small rivulets are a means of livelihood for a large number of people in the region. India with its new Look East Policy (LEP) is trying to connect with many Asian countries through the construction of dams, new roads, river linking, and railways, all of which will result in ecological destruction.

The Government of India is planning to construct nearly 200 dams whereas 11 projects are already in operation in Northeast India. There is proposal for construction around 168 big dams in Arunachal Pradesh alone. Two mega projects on the Dihang (also called the Siang), the main stem of the Brahmaputra, and the Subansiri if constructed would pose great threats to tribal people. The Siang project, a 294-meter-high rockfill dam, would submerge 490 square kilometers, including three towns and 91 villages, and displacing 35,000 people.

The Subansiri project, a 257-meter-high rockfill structure, would submerge 13 villages and one town, displacing 7,500 people. This is apart from environmental loss. Arunachal would lose 540 square kilometres of forest, and submerge some of the smaller tribes' traditional homelands as well as some prestigious urban settlements.

In the name of development Barak is on great threat today. A major dam is being constructed on the Barak river at Tipaimukh in Manipur near the junction of that state with Mizoram and Assam. There is a strong opposition to it on the ground of displacement of vulnerable tribes (Hmars and Zeliangrongs), damage to plantations, and lose of biodiversity and cultural heritage. The tri-junction where the dam is constructed is also 'sacred place' by indigenous people.

Interestingly it is estimated that Rs. 2,800 million cost would be required for raising and maintaining four battalions of any central force to provide security against the depredations of various insurgent groups. This kind of 'development' then justifies further militarisation in the region.

The Northeast region is considered as one of the hotspots of global dam building. Around the world, nearly eighty million people have been displaced from their lands by large dams. In India, although there is no consensus, it is assumed that around 3.7 million have been displaced by its 3,300 large dams. Huge population of tribal people and adivasis are displaced in this process. Apart from displacement and loss of livelihoods, dam safety remains a most important consideration in the highly seismic Northeast.

This region is situated in seismic Zone V, which has the highest risk of seismic activity, the building of big dams naturally poses great danger to people living downstream. The Northeast is also prone to glacial lake and debris dam outbursts which can cause flood anytime dams are constructed. It is also found that large dams trap organic materials and rotting vegetation from submerged lands, which in turn creates methane gas, a major source of greenhouse gas emissions contributing significantly to global warming.

Forests are the lungs of water system, absorbing pollution and preventing flooding. Indiscriminate deforestation for commercial purposes and uncontrolled use in kitchen is destroying water sources of Barak and its tributaries at fast pace. Many streams and rivers are drying up. Social tension is increasing over lack of water. Fresh water is at peril due to excessive use of pesticides, fertilizers, dumping of waste at river sources by tourists, industrial waste, and so on. Sadly, we are turning rivers of life into rivers of death. We must protect Barak River from money-oriented global market that is destroying everything.

Celebrating Barak Festival is of great significance today. Nagaland State celebrates Hornbill Festival but with no Hornbill birds to be seeing around. Manipur State celebrates Sangai Festival which animal is on the verge of extinction too. Barak River is a river of life-ceaselessly flowing day and night, feeding millions of people. It is hoped that the organisers of this Festival will bring out some concrete follow-up action in the near future. It will be meaningless to celebrate Barak Festival without water flowing in it.

To keep alive the Barak River, let us say "NO" to the construction of mega-dams on its course. Damming of rivers by constructing dams, railways or roads, displaced and kills millions of people especially the poor. It destroys the habitats of millions of seen and unseen flora and fauna. We must protect Barak from commercialisation and privatisation. Establishment of tourism spot along the Barak give the right of ownership to few rich people at the expense of the whole community.

To keep the river alive, use of chemicals in fishing should be strictly prohibited. To protect the source of Barak and its tributaries, plantation of trees is of urgent need. Let this Festival be a starting point to know more about the importance of Rivers and waters as source of life. Let Barak River be in the heart of all people of Senapati as the River Ganga is to the people of mainland India.