At Gerukamukh, Subansiri river dries up as landslide blocks tunnel

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At Gerukamukh, Subansiri river dries up as landslide blocks tunnel

North Lakhimpur: River Subansiri suddenly dried up on Friday morning, causing panic among the people of north Assam’s Lakhimpur district.

Blockage at the No. 1 diversion tunnel on the left bank of the dam of the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Power (SLHEP) plant of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) is suspected to be the cause of the drying up of the river.
The diversion tunnel is diverting the flow of Subansiri water through a two kilometer long course downstream from the dam site.
This diversion keeps the normal amount of water in the low lying areas of the river. The diversion tunnel was blocked due to landslides last night.
“Out of the 5 Nos. 9.5m diameter diversion tunnels, the only Diversion Tunnel No. 1 which is in use has been blocked due to landslides at around 11:30 am today.
The other 4 Diversion Tunnel Nos. were blocked. As a result, the flow of the stream downstream has reduced drastically,” NHPC said in a statement.
The dam spillway bay level is 145m msl. The current flow in the reservoir is 997cm/sec and the water level in the reservoir is rising.
The water level reached 139 meters at 1 pm. The water level is expected to reach 145m by evening and the river will again flow normally downstream through the spillway,” NHPC added.
Sudden drying up of the river due to the blockade is likely to cause the diversion tunnel to collapse from the impounded water and may result in a disaster like the recent disaster in Sikkim.
The SLHEP dam, which is slated to become operational from January 2024, has been a source of concern for the public here as frequent landslides affect its construction at regular intervals.
These frequent landslides indicate the fragile nature of the region where the hydropower dam is being constructed.
Although the dam is claimed by the NHPC to be safe, it is out of place on the hills.
NHPC allegedly took charge of SLHEP from Brahmaputra Board and did not carry out any geological survey of the dam site.
The sudden drying up of the Subansiri has also raised concerns about the biodiversity of the river in the low-lying area.
Subansiri has a population of endangered Gangetic Dolphins and Golden Masheers, which are facing the threat of extinction due to the current situation.
Subanseri, which currently flows just 5 km from the district headquarters of North Lakhimpur, could cause a large-scale disaster if the situation is not addressed immediately.
The district administration has issued a warning to people living near the river to move to safer places.
NHPC officials are working to remove the blockade of the diversion tunnel and restore the normal flow of the river as soon as possible.

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