GUWAHATI, Oct 9 – The day-long experts’ meet on the possibility of finding a solution to the probable problems in Assam from the Arunachal Pradesh dams held at the Vivekananda Kendra Institute of Culture here yesterday led to the conclusion that solutions to the problems likely to be created by the mega dam projects are there. There is no justification in sealing the mega dam projects in order to get rid of the problems being created by them, the experts felt.

Disclosing this after the meet, former Gauhati University (GU) Vice-Chancellor Prof N K Choudhury, who presided over the function, told newsmen this evening that the meet laid stress on removing the probable problems being created by the mega dam projects. The country needs the mega dam hydel power projects to meet its power demands.

However, some conditions are to be slapped on the hydel power project authorities in matters of implementing and running the projects. To make the projects safe and environment-friendly, the Government should have firm policies and the project authorities should also honour such policies, the participants of the meet suggested.

In this era of science and technology, nothing is impossible. The people of The Netherlands have built floating habitats and the people of Maldives have also gone to copy that culture to withstand deluges, said Prof Choudhury.

The conditions that are suggested to be slapped on the project authorities include the ones relating to operation of the projects, releasing their water, keeping intact the habitats of the aquatic animals including those of the dolphins and fish species etc intact.

Renowned earthquake engineer Prof DK Paul, Dean of Faculty Affairs of the Roorkee IIT, maintained that there are earthquake-resistant designs. He also dismissed the apprehension of reservoirs-induced earthquakes as baseless.

On the Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Power Project (LSHEP), Prof Choudhury said that 50 per cent of the project has been constructed and nearly Rs 4,000 crore has been spent on its implementation so far.

NHPC Director, (Technical) DP Bhargav said that it all depends on the beneficiary states as to whether the LSHEP should be run as a peak load hour power generation project or a base power station while replying to a question on maintaining the environmental flow of the river.

He also said that the LSHEP would be able to withstand the pressure of the inflow of water coming out of the glacier concerned and resulting from the heavy shower caused by cloudburst incidents. He was replying to a question on how the project would be able to endure the phenomenon of climate change.

Even for the rainy season, the project authorities have kept a provision of maintaining a free space of 15 metres in the reservoir to meet the eventualities of floods. Moreover, the project will have early warning systems and this will provide warnings ten hours ahead of the flood water reaching the reservoir, Bhargav said.

However, on reducing the height of the LSHEP dam, which is 116 metres, he said that the Central Government is the proper authority.

The organizers of the meet, GU PGSU Ex-GS Forum will finalise the suggestions of the meet and make them public. The authorities concerned will also be provided with the copies of the suggestions and it will be the duty of the people to mount pressure on the authorities, including the Government, for implementing them, Prof Choudhury said.

Besides Prof DK Paul, Prof Arun Kumar Sarma of the Guwahati IIT, Prof SP Biswas of Dibrugarh University, former MD NEEPCO SN Phukan, Prof Abani Kumar Bhagaboti of Gauhati University, consulting engineer JN Khataniar, NEEPCO’s Tarun Gohain, ex-ASEB Chief Engineer TC Bhattacharyya, Brahmaputra Board Chief Engineer DJ Bargohain, NHPC’s DP Bhargav, ASEB Chief General Manager (Hydro) Atul Barua, NEEPCO Executive Director Imran Hussain Hazarika, Assam State Disaster Management Authority’s Moon Chandra Deka, GU Controller of Examinations Dr PC Deka and its Deputy Controller ofExaminations Dr DJ Choudhury took part in the discussions.