Khuga Dam canal breach
June 21, 2016 :
The Centre for Research and Advocacy, Manipur (CRAM), an indigenous
people’s organization, promoting sustainable development and human
rights of indigenous peoples, would like to express our concern
regarding the recent breach of the right canal of Khuga dam on
Saturday, 18th June 2016 at Moulbem village, Churachandpur district
and subsequent submergence of several homestead and agriculture land.
The breach at Moulbem village have submerged cornfield, granaries,
piggery stays, fish farm, along with plant saplings, covering an area
of approx. 1.5 hectares. Affected villagers have repeatedly asserted
that the quality of the Khuga dam canals are sub-standard and there
has been frequent breach of canals in the year 2009, 2015 and 2016,
causing hardships to the villagers from destruction of property and
flood. Gripped by fear psychosis of further canal breach, many
villagers have shifted their home looking for safety.
The Khuga Multipurpose Hydroelectric project commissioned in 2011 and
constructed at a cost of 2.5 billion rupees to generate hydro-
electricity and to provide irrigation and drinking water, has failed
to serve its purposes and remained marred with repeated failures of
its key components. Irrigation canals, one of the key objectives of
Khuga Dam constructed at huge public expense has failed to function,
rendering the Khuga dam irrational and impractical.
Instead of providing regular water and to promote food sovereignty for
the villagers in Churachandpur, the Khuga dam canals have destroyed
their land. As the Khuga dam also failed to generate a single unit of
electricity, as per its defined objectives, the dam is already proven
to be another failed dam of Manipur. The State continues to remain
unaccountable for the lack of quality, substandard construction of
canals and the failure to serve the actual purpose of the canals,
including provision of irrigation water and generation of power.
Under such circumstances where the Khuga dam has failed to provide
power generation and water for irrigation, but rather caused
destruction to land and survival sources of villagers in
Churachandpur, the Centre for Research and Advocacy, would like to
urge upon the Government of Manipur to conduct a detailed
investigation and review of the functioning of Khuga dam and the
causes of repeated breach and failures of the Irrigation canals.
An
introspection to the minimal and negligible benefits from Khuga dam as
compared to the substantial loss of land, forest areas and other
survival sources of communities coupled with non-functioning of key
objectives of Khuga dam need be reviewed. The Government should also
initiate steps to prevent causing further hardship on villagers
affected by Khuga dam and also to take steps to preventing initiations
of such large scale projects that failed to function.
Centre For Research And Advocacy, Manipur (CRAM)
Sega Road Hodam Leirak, Imphal, Manipur - 795001, India
E-add: cra(Dot)manipur(AT)gmail(Dot)com
Website: www.cramanipur.org
Tele: + 91 – 385 - 244 4478
* This Press Relese was sent to e-pao.net by Centre For Research And Advocacy, Manipur (CRAM) who can be contacted at cra(Dot)manipur(AT)gmail(Dot)com
This Press Release was posted on June 22 2016
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