Resistance and Conflict in Subansiri: A Mapping

A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or ground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only control floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua culture and navigability. Hydropower is often used in conjunction with dams to generate electricity. A dam can also be used to collect or store water which can be distributed between locations. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees (also known as dikes) are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. The Subansiri Lower Dam, officially named Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project is a gravity dam on the Subansiri river in North Eastern India of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. The Dam is designed to be 116 m (381 ft) tall, measured from the river bed and 210 m (690 ft) from the deepest foundation. It is expected that the dam will supply 2000 MW of power. But the project has gone through several problems during construction. It has to face severe landslides and public opposition. Even the shifting of people from that location to another place has brought troubles to villagers since most of them are dependent on aqua farming and on agriculture. Many farmers and locals residing on the bank of Subansiri River are living below poverty line and shifting to another location where government provides them land seems to evoke conflict. Hence, Subansiri dam can be termed as conflict creators. The present paper tries to focus on conflict that occurred during the construction of Subansiri Dam. The aim of the paper is to find out the reasons of conflict and opposition and also tries to find out the space of resistance.