Region: Manipur, 500 meters downstream of the confluence of the Tuivai and Barak Rivers in The District of Churachandpur in the State of Manipur, near the Assam- Manipur - Mizoram border. Lat/ Long: 24º14' N and 93º1.3' E

Physical Characteristics: 390 m long, 162.8 m high earthen core rock filled dam on the river Barak for generation of 1500 MW (6units X 250 MW) of power. It is also hoped that the project will help to moderate the floods in the plains of Barak in Assam. Date of completion of the project: 2008
Implementing agencies: NEEPCO

Total cost: The project cost as estimated by the North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation is Rs. 5225.70 crores. It was reported last year that the revised cost of the project was Rs 4,421 crores, With 12 percent interest; the project cost would rise to Rs 6,351 crores. The project has to be completed within 10 years and, by that time; the project cost could rise up to Rs 8,867 crores. (The Telegraph Northeast, February 1, 2002, Power giant to sign MoU Neepco woos Manipur with relief offer)

Status: Environmental and forest clearance: The project has not been granted either. Site visits have been undertaken by officials of the state government and Ministry of Environment and Forests.

Regarding the status of the techno economic clearance and the signing of the MOU between the states and NEEPCO, there have been many reports in newspapers, some of which contradict each other. The Manipur Govt had not signed the MoU for a long time and various reasons were quoted in the press for this. One of them being that the state "feared large-scale submergence of farmlands of Hmar, Kuki and Naga tribals, in the Tipaimukh sub-division". (Source: The Telegraph: Guwahati edition, December 12, 2001, MANIPUR CLEARS JINXED HYDEL PROJECT) Several groups and NGOs have been seeking information regarding the impacts of the project from the State and NEEPCO; however, no project reports have been shared with them.

The government of Manipur finally signed the MoU with NEEPCO in January 2003 despite loud and persistent protests by local groups and communities. Due to the efforts of CCDD and Committee against Tipaimukh Dam, the Power Minister, Mr. T. Phungzathang, made a copy of the MoU available. However, project reports are still being maintained as classified documents. Such lack of transparency makes a mockery of the gazette notification (under section 29 (2) of the Electricity (Supply) Act, 1948) that was issued on January 20, 2003 wherein citizens are given two months (from 18 Jan 2003) to submit any representation regarding this project.

Ecological impacts: Total submergence area is 293.56 sq.km. The total reserved forests (RF) of Manipur amounts to1463 sq km and the rest of it is under Unclassed State Forests (USF). Since 217 sq km of reserved forests will be submerged by this project alone, it may be sought that an equal area which is presently under shifting cultivation be brought under RF. Total area required for construction including submergence area is 30860 ha of which 20, 979 is forest land, 1,195 ha is village land, 6,160 ha is horticultural land, and 2,525 is agricultural land. It is feared that 40% of the Kaylam Sanctuary that was declared by the State Forest dept in 1997 will be submerged. The area is home to at least three of the five Hornbill species found in Manipur, the Capped Langur and Hoolock Gibbon. Interestingly, the prime hornbill habitat in the Tipaimukh area is located just above the sharp south-north bend in the Barak river (where the river bends sharply north from Tipaimukh in Churachandpur district to enter the Jiribam subdivision in Imphal East district) This sharp bend is where the dam is to be built, notes Salam Rajesh, an explorer, writer and naturalist of Manipur, who has traveled this region extensively.

The catchment area is 12, 75, 800 ha. The other river valley projects in the catchment area are the Tuivai (a tributary of Barak) and the Loktak Downstream HEP on Leimatak River, a tributary of Irang. The report by Botanical Survey of India states that a number of flora specimens could not be collected as the Vangai Reserve forest occupies the area along the Barak River and area between the Barak and Irang rivers is the Irangmokh Reserved Forest. Both these are impenetrable and have steep hilly terrain. They are also rich in wildlife like elephants. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) report attached with the project documents was found to be very inadequate by officials in the MOEF. It was felt that the area needs to be re-assessed for faunal diversity before the project is granted clearance. Even the floral diversity needs to be assessed. The dam site is located on a major seismic zone characterized by earthquakes of magnitude 7 or more on the Richter scale and which has experienced more than five such earthquakes. The most recent earthquake that took place on April 5, 1999 measured 5 on the Richter scale. The project authorities have quoted studies (1981-82) by CWPRS Pune, which states that the area is prone to an earth quake of 7+/- .25 and an earthquake of 7.5 is to be expected. The project authorities had planned to take up further seismic studies through recognized institutions. It remains to be found if these studies were subsequently done.

Social impacts: As per estimates of the authorities themselves, the project will totally affect 311 sq.km and 8 villages, 1461 Hmar families in all. The project will submerge altogether 60 kms of National Highway No 53, the only alternative lifeline to NH-39 (the Imphal-Dimapur road) at three different points with two major bridges.

There are varying reports about the total submergence area and the number of villages that will be impacted. The BSI report states 31 villages and 1310 families living along the course of the river on the S-W part of Manipur will be under direct impact of the reservoir.

The main sources of livelihood of the people are agriculture and horticulture. With the construction of the Tipaimukh high dam more than 67 villages will be deprived of their source of livelihood. The people use the river extensively for transportation as the road connectivity is poor. They carry bamboo and ginger through the Tuivai River to Barak and then all the way to Lakhipur in Lower Assam. The indigenous peoples like the Hmar and the Zeliangrong possess ancient historic sites and monuments, which are threatened by this project. The high watermark of the dam will also destroy five most important lakes located just above the Ahu waterfall where the magical sword of Jadonang, the national hero of the Nagas, is believed to be hidden. However professors of Manipur University who were consulted regarding this issue categorically stated that there are no site that are archaeologically important in the submergence area. The confluence of the Tuiroung and Tuivai called Rounglevaisuo by the indigenous peoples is located about 500 meters upstream of the purposed dam site. Rounglevaisuo is a historical and sacred site of not only the Hmar tribe but also of the Unau-Suopui's, the kindred tribes of the Hmar; the Hrangkhawls and Darlongs of Tripura, the Bietes of Meghalaya, the Sakecheps of Assam and the Komrem tribes of Manipur. It is at Rounglevaisuo that the kindred tribe parts ways after staying together for centuries during their long travel in the central and Southeast Asia. From Rounglevaisuo all the kindred tribe started to have their own distinct separate identity. Thus it is a place where they originate and as such are spiritually and historically connected. The Unau-Suipui tribes left the place to the Hmar to treasure and preserve for all generations to come. Since then, the Hmar have lived and died through many generations taking great care to fulfill their role as trustee and custodian of this priceless heritage.

Further upstream is the sacred river island of the Hmar. This small river island, which is a few distance upstream from the Dam Axis, is called THILEDAM, in Hmar it literary means Death and Life. In the Hmar traditional religious belief the island is the place where the soul of all human beings goes as soon as they die. From this island the soul proceeds either to paradise or hell or comes back to earth to be reborn (Hmar, 2003). The project authorities categorically claim that there are no downstream users (human, irrigation, industry) of the water!!! The dependence of the communities living by the river on the local aquatic fauna like the prawn, fish, snails and crabs has also not been considered. These need to be documented and their loss to the community factored in the assessment studies. Malaria is already a cause of concern in the region. The possibilities of whether the proposed reservoir will increase the incidence are yet to be ascertained.