The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), ministry of power, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) and the state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh on the issue of releasing minimum sustenance water at the rate of 450 cumecs from the Lower Subansiri dam throughout the year in order to ensure the river's ecological health.
The tribunal asked the respondents to file their replies within January 29.
The notice came after the Assam Public Works (APW), an NGO, moved the tribunal seeking clarifications on how the project will affect the Subansiri river which is located downstream of the dam site. The project is believed to have an adverse impact on riparian areas and aquatic life.
The APW approached the tribunal after the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the case saying it is a technical matter requiring expert opinion in September last year.
"As per initial RTI information, the NHPC and MoEF planned to release water at the rate of six cumecs for 20 hours when the project will be 'off-grid' (not generating electricity). This implies that no water would be released into the river, home to our national aquatic animal-the river dolphin, for a long period of time," said Abhijeet Sarma, who petitioned on behalf of APW.
Sarma added, "After constant public pressure, the NHPC announced that it will release between 220 to 250 cumecs of water by keeping one turbine running. This is far less than the minimum sustenance flow of the river. Who can guarantee that the turbine will be kept running continuously? Any disruption of flow, even for a short period, will annihilate the downstream biota of the river."
In the petition, APW asked for an opening in the dam at a suitable level so that the sustenance flow of 450 cumecs can be maintained without human control. It also requested that a 'fish ladder' be located at the dam's opening for fish migration.
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