Assam & Meghalaya villagers protest proposed dam on Kulsi
Guwahati: Hundreds of people from Assam, joined by residents from adjoining Meghalaya, organised a protest march at Chaygaon in Kamrup district on Wednesday, opposing a proposed 55 MW hydel power project along the interstate border near Ukiam.
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The demonstration comes in response to the joint Assam-Meghalaya move to build the dam by evicting villages located near the Kulsi river.
More than a dozen organisations participated in the rally, including units of the All Assam Students' Union, All Rabha Students' Union, Assam-Meghalaya Joint Protection Committee, Ukiam-Kyrsai group, Garo National Council (Assam Zone), and Bongaon Anchalik Committee of the All Assam Tribal Sangha.
These groups represent a cross-section of tribal and non-tribal communities — Khasi, Gorkha, Bengali, Koch-Rajbongshi, Garo, Rabha, Bodo, and others.
Memorandums were submitted to Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, demanding that the project be scrapped.
Protesters said the proposed dam, located upstream on the Kulsi river — a major tributary of the Brahmaputra — would devastate agricultural livelihoods in Kamrup, affect wetlands such as Chandubi Lake, and destroy habitats of endangered Gangetic river dolphin.
The fishing community downstream has also voiced opposition, raising concerns after CM Sarma announced the proposed project following a meeting with his Meghalaya counterpart.
Kulsi is considered the agricultural lifeline of south Kamrup district. The river originates from the confluence of the Khri (Sri), Dilma (Ghoga), and Dron rivers at the "Tribeni Sangam" in Ukiam, flowing onward as a vital Brahmaputra tributary.
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"The crops and natural vegetation of south Kamrup depend on the Kulsi's flow. Installing a 62-metre-high dam at Ukiam would severely disrupt this ecosystem," read the memorandum sent to the CMs via the Chaygaon circle officer.
Protesters also warned of the risks during monsoon, citing past cloudburst incidents. They fear that in the event of excess rainfall, a sudden release from the dam's reservoir could cause large-scale devastation downstream.
According to the memorandum, the proposed project is expected to affect several villages in Assam's Kamrup district and Meghalaya's West Khasi Hills. These include Ukiam, Barjhar, Dighalbil, Warygrow, Krishnapur, Umthali, Mekhamdal, Darifang, and others.
Kulsi is home to the endangered Gangetic river dolphin, or Sihu, Assam's state aquatic animal, listed on the IUCN Red List, the memorandum stated.
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