Assam Subansiri Lower HEP

North Lakhimpur: Thousands of workers have been evacuated from the work site of the 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydro-electrical Project at Gerukamukh following inundation inside the powerhouse by overflowing river water.

Since the wee hours of Sunday huge amounts of water from the Subansiri has been spilling inside the powerhouse of the SLHEP site at Gerukamukh as heavy rain increased the water level of the river.

The guard wall protecting the powerhouse of the dam site collapsed on Sunday afternoon causing panic among the workers inside as speeding water entered inside.

By Sunday night about four thousand workers inside the powerhouse of the NHPC dam site were evacuated by the authorities to safer locations. This has prompted the NHPC authorities at Gerukamukh to halt their work for the near-completed dam indefinitely.

Meanwhile, the AJYCP took out a protest march against the SLHEP by NHPC at North Lakhimpur. The protesters burnt effigies and demanded immediate stalling of works at the dam site.

The rise of the water level of Subansiri at Gerukamukh has also threatened the right-hand embankment of the river at Ghansarai in the Lakhimpur district.

A considerable portion of the embankment at Bhimpora Na-Ali was damaged by the swelling river on Monday sending panic waves to residents of the nearby villages.

A team of Central Water Authority visited the damaged portion of the embankment at Ghansarai with district water resources department officials on Monday.

Farhana Ahmed is Northeast Now Correspondent in North Lakhimpur. She can be reached at: [email protected]