Dibrugarh: Eminent geologist and retired Dibrugarh University professor Jogendranath Sharma has raised alarm over China’s proposed 60,000-MW Medog Hydropower Project, calling it an ecological and geopolitical threat to Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, and even Bangladesh.
Speaking at a public lecture organized by the Dibrugarh Press Club under its “Aamar Alohi” series, Sharma raised alarm over the dam’s construction in Medog County, a fragile and earthquake-prone region through which the Yarlung Tsangpo (known as the Siang/Brahmaputra in India) flows.
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Sharma highlighted that the project, approved in December 2024, is 60 times larger than India’s biggest dam and could have devastating consequences downstream. “The sheer scale of the Medog dam poses a grave risk to river ecology, biodiversity, monsoon behavior, and groundwater systems across Northeast India,” he said.
According to Sharma, the dam could generate “hungry water” – a phenomenon where silt-free, dam-released water accelerates riverbank erosion downstream. This could drastically alter the course of the Brahmaputra, endangering farming communities, floodplains, and over 2 million fishermen.
He added that the Brahmaputra basin’s biodiversity faces irreversible damage, and any potential dam collapse triggered by seismic activity could lead to a disaster on the scale of the 1950 Assam earthquake.
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While the Yarlung Tsangpo contributes only 5% of the Brahmaputra’s volume in Bangladesh, Sharma argued that the geopolitical risks remain serious. He called for a transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) jointly conducted by India and China, warning that unilateral development could escalate tensions in the region.
He also noted that many view India’s proposed 11,000-MW Siang project as a countermeasure, but stressed that indigenous communities and environmental activists have also strongly opposed it.
The Siang Indigenous Farmers Forum (SIFF) of Arunachal Pradesh also participated in the event and voiced strong opposition to NHPC’s Siang Upper Multi-Purpose Project.
The group said the project would displace local communities, damage forests, and undermine tribal livelihoods.
Dibrugarh Press Club General Secretary Ripunjoy Das anchored the programme, which senior journalists and media figures from across Upper Assam attended, including representatives from All India Radio, Doordarshan, and sponsored by the NE Fire Services Academy.
In recognition of his contributions, Jogendranath Sharma was honored with a phulam gamocha, a memento, and a citation from the Press Club.