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Ref:
European Parliament: DSAS_0J (2012) 0619
Brussels,
19 June 2012
European
Parliamentary session on 'Water management issues in
South Asia
focusing particularly on Teepaimukh
Dam was held on Tuesday, 19 June
2012.
Dr. Hasanat Husain MBE, Convenor
Voice For Justice World Forum, was invited as its
keynote speaker.
Dr. Husain made presentation on
water management challenges globally and in South Asia
and then
highlighted the issue of the
Teepaimukh Dam.
The session was chaired by Euro MP
Mr. Thomas Mann.
At
the meeting, delegation for relations with the countries
of South Asia were told:
'In the light of findings of Sichuan
earthquake in China, which killed 68,000 people and
left 11 million homeless (Zipingpu Dam was the cause
of this devastation), seismic vulnerability,
tectonic plate formation and the presence of
geological faults; Tipaimukh Dam India is building
in its North East corner bordering Bangladesh, is
technically, financially, ethically, morally,
environmentally not viable.
Teepaimukh
Dam, with a water weight of 15.9 billion tons,
(compared
to Zipingpu's 1.12 billion, which is 13 times less)
is a
water bomb in the making.
In the event
of a medium size earthquake in that area, the Dam will
vanish in miniutes and
10 million lives will
perish.
The 163m high Dam itself will submerge
more than 286 sq. km. of prime farmland.
One-third
of Bangladesh and lives of 40 million Bangladeshis will
be affected.
Indian states of Tripura, Manipur,
Nagaland and Myanmar will be affected.
Indian authorities ought to remember
that the most powerful earthquake recorded triggered
by filling of a Dam is a magnitude 6.3 tremor
flattened the village of Koynanagar in Maharashtra,
Western India on 11 December 1967
and
also, the
strong earthquake, measuring again 6.3
on the
Richter scale and of long duration, was the fifth in a
row in 40 days, that hit Northeastern
India in
September, 2009.
Dr Husain
pointed out that the European Union succeeded in
resolving one of its own water
management issues (the
damming of the Danube) with the signing of the London
protocol.
The
EU should, therefore, be proactive in helping South Asia
resolve similar issues, he said
Euro MEP Dr.
Phillip Bennion and Dr. Genoveva Hernandez
Uriz, representing the European External
Action
Service,
took part in
the discussion that followed.
The session was also attended by diplomats from India,
Pakistan & Bangladesh missions in Brussels.
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