CLIMATE CARE - NORTHEAST INDIA

MONOJ GOGOI   The 2000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project which construction work is undergoing at Gerukamukh ( the project site) in the West Siang of Arunachal Pradesh and Dhemaji districts Assam will be commissioned by December 2024. This was recently revealed to the media by Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi, Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd. All the eight units, comprising 250 MW each will be commissioned by the end of 2024. This one is one of the major projects of NHPC Ltd and after completion it will add 4 percent to the total hydro power generation of India.  A file photo of the project site. Earlier several deadlines were set to complete the project but each time it failed for several reasons. If the project is finished by the end of 2024, it would take more than two decades in developing the project. Due to time overrun cost overrun also took place. The estimated cost of the project Rs 21,274.54 crore

MONOJ GOGOI   Extreme summer heat waves in northern states of India poses a serious question on the human survivability threshold in India. The number of heatwave days, also the intensity, have been increasing over the years in the states such as Bihar, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,  Punjab etc. The Mercury level soars high and the human plight starts. People from vulnerable groups are dying.   The states of northeast India also suffered from high temperatures combined with high summer humidity in the month of June. Noticing the exposure of children to scorching heat, the Assam government advanced the school starting time from 9:00am to 7:30 am. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), heatwave occurs when the maximum temperature reaches 40C or above in plains and 30C in hilly terrains. Although Assam did not record 40C in the last month, but the heat compounded with high humidity became unbearable. People from vulnerable groups - elderly persons, children, pregnant wo

MONOJ GOGOI   Massive river bank erosion in Assam has been  displacing hundreds of thousands families across the state over decades since India's Independence in 1947. In recent years,  the intensity and frequency of floods and erosion have also been increasing in the state. A photo of the IAG meeting in Lakhimpur. According to experts the behavior of rivers in Assam changed just after the Assam Earthquake of 1950 which was measured 8.7 in the Richter scale. The earthquake and the aftershock elevated the river beds of all rivers in Assam. Some rivers including  Subansiri changed channels during the earthquake. It is estimated that since 1950 about 4.27 Sq km of land has been eroded by the Brahmaputra and its tributaries in Assam. In a recent statement CK Das, former Additional Chief Secretary of the state said that the size of the land that fell in river bank erosion would be about 5000 Sq km. But it is believed that the furious fast flowing rivers eroded mass more lands displacing

MONOJ GOGOI   It's the harvesting period of betel nut or supari (areca nut) in Assam. But the yield of betel nuts is discernibly low this year in all the districts of Assam compared to previous years.       Chandan Boro, who plucks betel nuts, with Ranjit Basumatary and Raju Basumatary in this season in various villages under Gogamukh revenue circle of Dhemaji district in Assam says that in this harvesting season of betel nuts they are not getting as much works as they did in previous years. He says in the orchards where we plucked 20 quintals last year, this year's yield in the same orchard is less than 5 quintals. In many trees not even a single nut is found and in which trees nuts are there, it's comparatively very few.    Ranjit Basumatary says we are roaming from village to village but the situation is the same. "We are shocked to see the drastic change in the crop yields", he adds.    Biren Pegu, a betel nut grower from Goroimari area under Kadam rev