29-839: Tipaimukh Dam , officially "Tipaimukh Multipurpose Hydroelectric Dam Project", is a proposed dam on the Barak River at Sipuikawn (Tipaimukh) in Manipur , India . The purpose of the dam is flood control and hydroelectric power generation. The project was approved by the Government of India in 1999 and entrusted to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited , later switched to NHPC Limited . Due to environmental concerns as well as concerns in Bangladesh over downstream effects,
58-735: A maximum reservoir level of 178 m. and full reservoir level 175 m. The hydroelectric power generation will have an installation capacity of 1500 MW, supplied by six 250 MW Francis turbine -generators. According to the 2007 environmental impact assessment report, the reservoir formed by the dam would submerge 291.5 km (112.5 sq mi) area at full reservoir level, with 275.5 km (106.4 sq mi) in Manipur and 16 km (6.2 sq mi) in Mizoram. Independent estimates assessed 311 km (120 sq mi) area of submergence. Of this, 229.11 km (88.46 sq mi) area
87-399: A study that the dolphin, India's national aquatic animal is heading towards “local extinction” in the river system of the state. “Factors like poaching (for oil and meat) and accidental mortalities in fishing gear, gradual habitat degradation by sluice gates, embankments, disturbances like motorboats and aquatic pollution have resulted in the extirpation of the resident dolphin population from
116-635: Is 41723 km which is nearly 1.38% of the total geographical area of the country. It is on the north by the Barail range separating it from the Brahmaputra sub-basin, on the east by the Na Lushai hills and on the south and west by Bangladesh . The sub-basin lies in the States of Meghalaya , Manipur , Mizoram , Assam , Tripura and Nagaland . In Manipur, in its flow south-west to Tipaimukh, it
145-594: Is a trans-boundary river between India and Bangladesh. Soon after entering Bangladesh, it splits into Surma River and Kushiyara River , which merge again into the Meghna River before joining the Ganges Delta . The entire river system is often referred to as the "Barak-Meghna River System". The Surma and Kushiyara rivers water seasonal wetlands called haors in Bangladesh. During the monsoon period,
174-601: Is among the richest rivers in the world as to aquatic biodiversity, as it contains more than 2,000 species of fish. Other creatures include River Barak or Siamese crocodile (a rare and endangered crocodilian), the susu dolphin , smooth-coated otter and black mugger crocodile . From its origin to its bifurcation at the border of Nagaland producing the Surma River the Barak is 564 kilometres (350 mi) long. The biomes are extremely rich in wildlife and also very diverse in
203-521: Is envisaged to be built on the Barak River , which originates in northern Manipur and flows southwest till Tipaimukh in the present-day Pherzawl district . At Tipaimukh, the Tuivai River joins Barak from south. The dam site is 500 metres downstream from the point of confluence. After Tipaimukh, the Barak River flows north till Jirimukh, where it turns west into Assam. The Tuivai River and
232-662: Is joined by the Tuivai, and then flows northward to Jirimukh where it is joined by the Jiri river from the north. From here the flow is westward into Cachar , then Karimganj District of Assam, then to Sylhet in Bangladesh having a co-distributary the Surma River , the other later becoming the Meghna before the Ganga - Brahmaputra delta. The Padma joins it to become the Meghna. The Barak
261-531: Is populated by Hmar people , who are a section of the Kuki-Zo people and a Scheduled Tribe in Manipur. Zeliangrong Nagas inhabiting the Noney and Tamenglong districts may also be affected. Both the groups have opposed the project stating that it would submerge their shifting cultivation ( jhum ) fields, wet rice fields, forest and riverine habitats, and that it would destroy their way of life. The Barak River
290-522: Is said to be reserved forest and 81.89 km (31.62 sq mi) area is agricultural and settlement land. The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report prepared by the Agricultural Finance Corporation in 2007 calculated that 12 small villages would be submerged under the reservoir, containing 313 households and 2,027 persons. Independence estimates stated that 90 villages with 1310 families would be affected. The area
319-661: The Cachar district of Assam. It enters Bangladesh at Bhanga Bazar . The local rainfall run off of the valley along with that of adjacent hilly areas flows through river Barak and its various tributaries and is drained out to Bangladesh. The Katakhal(Dhaleshwari), Jiri , Chiri , Modhura, Longai , Sonai, Rukni and Singla are the main tributaries of the valley. The tributaries are mainly rain-fed and cause flood problems when precipitation occurs. The Barak sub-basin drains areas in India, Bangladesh and Burma. The drainage area lying in India
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#1732802233873348-939: The Jatinga , the Longai and the Madhura. Tipaimukh Dam is a proposed dam on the river itself. From its source at Liyai Kullen Village in the Manipur state where most people are of the Poumai Naga tribe, the river is known as Vourei . Near its source, the river receives streams such as the Vehrei originating from Phuba Village, the Gumti, Howrah, Kagni, Senai Buri, Hari Mangal, Kakrai, Kurulia, Balujhuri, Shonaichhari and Durduria. It flows southwest in Manipur , until Tipaimukh , where it makes an almost 180-degree U-turn. Then it flows north until Jirimukh , and turns west flowing into
377-465: The Barak River and other streams flowing down from Meghalaya . Thus the impact of the dam over Bangladesh's wetland cultivation is not likely to be significant. Bangladesh also worries that the dam is in a seismically active area. In the event of an earthquake that might damage the dam, densely populated cities in Bangladesh could be swamped under water within hours. Bangladeshi experts have said
406-495: The Barak river system of Assam,” M.K. Mazumder, corresponding author of the study, wrote. Surma River The Surma ( Bengali : সুরমা নদী , romanized : Śurmā nôdī , Sylheti : ꠡꠥꠞꠝꠣ ꠉꠣꠋ , romanized: Śurma gaṅ ) is a major river in Bangladesh , part of the Surma-Meghna River System . It starts when the Barak River from northeast India divides at the Bangladesh border into
435-842: The Surma River and the southern the Kushiyara River . This is where the river enters the Sylhet Depression (or trough) which forms the Surma Basin . The Surma is fed by tributaries from the Meghalaya Hills to the north, and is also known as the Baulai River after it is joined by the south-flowing Someshwari River . The Kushiyara receives tributaries from the Sylhet Hills and Tripura Hills to
464-779: The Surma and the Kushiyara rivers. It ends in Kishoreganj District , above Bhairab Bāzār , where the two rivers rejoin to form the Meghna River , which ultimately flows into the Bay of Bengal in Bhola District . From its source in the Manipur Hills near Mao Songsang, the river is known as the Barak River . At the border with Bangladesh, the river divides into two branches, with the northern branch being called
493-428: The ecological features and the cultivation patterns of the area. According S. Nazrul Islam, it is believed that the dam would lead to early submergence and delayed draining of the haors , reducing the possible cultivation period. Jaya Thakur of Observer Research Foundation believes that the main concern appears to be the fear of losing the source of water for wetland irrigation during the dry season. This would also be
522-466: The entire stretch of the river including: Environmentalists have expressed concern over the way aquatic creatures and their habitats are being destroyed in the upper reaches of river in southern Assam. Prominent nature conservation NGO Society for Activists for Forest and Environment (SAFE) has pointed out that the tribals living on both banks of Barak have developed the harmful practice of blasting small gelatin sticks smuggled from Mizoram to kill fish. In
551-668: The haors turn into lakes, but during the dry period (in winter) the water recedes and rice is cultivated. A major part of Bangladesh's 373 haors fall in the four districts of the Sylhet Division in the Upper Meghna basin . The best known among them, the Tanguar Haor , sustains 100 villages with 60,000 people. There are concerns in Bangladesh that, by changing the river flow pattern, the Tipaimukh Dam would affect
580-605: The massive dam will disrupt the seasonal rhythm of the river and have an adverse effect on downstream agriculture and fisheries. The government of Bangladesh has decided to send an expert team to the dam area to examine the features and likely impact of the dam on the flow of water into the Surma and the Kushiyara. In 2013, the two governments announced up to a 2-year delay, to allow Bangladesh to complete additional environmental studies. Barak River The Barak River or Barbakro flows 900 kilometres (560 mi) through
609-500: The north-flowing section of the Barak River form the border with the state of Mizoram . According to the 2007 environmental impact assessment, 275.5 km (106.4 sq mi) area in Manipur and 16 km (6.2 sq mi) area in Mizoram will be submerged under the reservoir created by the dam. The dam is planned to be 390m long and 162.8 m. high, from a base of 18 m. above mean sea level. The dam's crest elevation will be at an altitude of about 180 m. above mean sea level, with
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#1732802233873638-403: The period when the dam would have to close its gates for an extended period for the sake of electricity production. However, she finds that, according to Bangladesh's Water Resources data, the upstream portion of the Barak River above the Tipaimukh Dam contributes only 19 percent of the water to the wetland area during the dry season. The bulk of the water is contributed by the downstream portion of
667-410: The process, thousands of fish, young and mature, along with turtles, dolphins and other aquatic life organisms are killed. The Ganges river dolphin is endangered. The proposed Tipaimukh Dam on the river in northeast India – a political controversy between India and Bangladesh – could hasten its extinction, researchers warn. Making a plea for conservation, researchers from Assam state in
696-486: The project remains under discussion and no construction has yet taken place. The idea of a dam on the Barak River for flood control in the Cachar plains was first aired under the British Raj in 1926. A barrage on the Barak River was discussed in the first meeting of India–Bangladesh Joint Rivers commission in 1972. Bangladesh is said to have agreed with the idea and proposed some modifications in 1974. Tipaimukh
725-634: The south, the principal one from the Tripura Hills being the Manu. The Kushiyara is also known as the Kalni River after it is joined by a major offshoot (distributary) from the Surma. When the Surma and the Kushiyara finally rejoin in Kishoreganj District above Bhairab Bazar, the river is known as the Meghna River. The Surma passes through many haors . This article related to
754-599: The states of Manipur , Mizoram and Assam in India . It flows into Bangladesh where it bifurcates into the Surma river and the Kushiyara river which converge again to become the Meghna river before forming the Ganges Delta . Of its total length, 524 km (326 mi) is in India, 31 km (19 mi) in Bangladesh. The upper part of its navigable part is in India — 121 km (75 mi) between Lakhipur and Bhanga, declared as National Waterway 6, (NW-6) since
783-611: The year 2016. It drains a basin of 52,000 km (20,000 sq mi), of which 41,723 km (16,109 sq mi) lies in India , 1.38% (rounded) of the country. The water and banks host or are visited by a wide variety of flora and fauna. The principal tributaries are all in India: the Irang , Tuivai , Sonai (or Tuirial) , the Jiri , the Tlawng (or Dhaleswari, or Katakal),
812-458: Was chosen as the location of the dam at this time. Discussions continued till 1981, when India presented detailed explorations and investigations on the Tipaimukh Dam. Bangladesh's participation is said to have been patchy. In 1999, the Government of India approved a 163 metre-high dam as a multi-purpose project to serve the needs of flood control as well as hydro-electric power generation. The North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO)
841-486: Was initially entrusted with the project. NEEPCO carried out an environmental impact assessment in 2006–2007. The project was later switched to NHPC Limited and a joint venture company owned by NHPC, the Government of Manipur and Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited was agreed in 2011. Bangladesh raised serious concerns at this time, and the project has been under discussion between the two countries since then. The project
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