IMPHAL, April 22: The Human Rights Initiative, Manipur in collaboration with the JAC for the Mapithel Dam Downstream Affected People, Imphal East conducted a public meeting cum mass rally on the `UN declaration on the rights of indigenous people and Mapithel Dam`™ at Moirang Purel, Imphal East today.
Around 500 villagers of Itham Moirang Purel, Nungram and Tumukhong participated in the public meeting and mass rally voicing concerns against the construction of Dam which they claimed will submerged the land of people living upstream while those living downstream will face water scarcity.
Addressing the public gathering, HRI executive director W Joykumar expressed that the dam has instilled fear among the immediate downstream residents along the Thoubal River. The people are afraid at the same time that the dam may break raising concern over the quality of main dam`™s construction, he said.
During the meeting, phamplets were also distributed to the participants highlighting that the Irrigation and Flood Control department had started blocking the Thoubal River for filling up of the mapithel Dam since January 10. It said the reserved water of the dam has already submerged an extensive portion of agricultural land, grazing ground, forest areas of Louphong and Chadong village.
The public meeting was also attended by Mapithel Dam Affected Village Organisation (Upstream) chairman RS Sankhan, JAC members Rabi and L Okendro, village elders Mani and W Lukhoi and Moirangpurel Meira Paibi member T Kaboklei.
Meanwhile, during a brief meeting with media persons on the sideline of the public gathering, one of the site engineer identified as assistant engineer L Tamocharoi said the construction of the dam was sanctioned in the year 1989, however, construction started only in 2000.
He said there is also an arbitrary case ongoing in the court against a previously involved contractor for incompetence and fund misappropriation. The construction was later handed over to Delhi based progressive Construction Limited, he said.
He said distribution of compensation for the affected upstream areas had already been completed through the Ministy of Tribal Affairs and had been handed over to through the concerned DC, however, there has been no compensation for people living downstream as of yet.
Sharing some facts about the dam, he said that Mapithel Dam will have a gross storage capacity of 176.38 Million Cubic Meters. He said that the dam is Homogeneous Earth Filled and has a length of 1074 meters and is 66 meter high.
The estimated cost of the dam is stated to be Rs 1387.85 crores. The dam is set to commence from early 2016 and will have three 2.5 Mega Watt turbines which will generate 7.5 MW of electricity, he said.
He continued that the dam is only for the state of Manipur and it will benefit 21862 Hectares of irrigational land which will boost 153% in the annual agricultural yield.
He further said that the dam will be able to supply enough water for irrigation and will be able to control flood erupting from Thoubal River.
He also said that Mapithel Dam will have the capacity to supply 5 million gallons of potable water for the twin districts of Imphal.
The engineer also expressed that the construction has faced stiff opposition and there has also been cases of staff of the company being attacked, tools worth crores of rupees damaged by UG groups for which a dedicated Thoubal Dam Police Station has also been opened.