Environmental and Human Rights Mekong School, Chiangmai Thailand
Angteng (Sedaw ) village, Kalay district, Sagaing division, Burma September and October 2007
Introduction:
For a country to develop, energy sector plays important role. Dr. Salai Ngun Cung Lian, Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) consultant, once said in Chaingmai at our conversation," In well developed countries, dams are built in such away the consequences problems are minimized as much as it could be. They have safe guard policies planned ahead." I also used to think that producing Hydro Power Electricity can be done with low cost budget, and on the other hand, the country's income can be increased. Besides, the people can get sufficient electricity at low price. But very importantly, there should be precautions to be taken about the consequences brought by building the dams by doing Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Relocation Impact Assessment (RIA) in a very fair and proper way. Myanmar (Burma) country has got plenty of energy resources like Gas turbine, hydroelectric power and others. The country also makes plenty of foreign currency by selling that energy to its neighboring countries such as Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia. But very sadly, the energy has been sold out so much that there is no even enough energy to supply within the country. For example, even in the capital city of Myanmar (Burma), 5Yangon gets the electricity in A:B: C pattern and gets only 8 hours per day. If the electricity power cannot be supplied fully even in the capital city, it is obvious that the other towns and villages of the other States and Divisions will surely be not supplied sufficient electricity. Though it is said that the Manipur dam multipurpose project is for the development of the villages nearby especially for the Chin State, but the truth is only 66 mega watts which is to be supplying only to the three main towns from the northern Chin State of Hakha-Falam -Teddim. The military not only break the human rights of the villagers nearby the dam project by giving no prior-information about building the dam, no relocation and compensations for occupying some of the paddy fields. Because of the materials being stolen, the construction of the dam cannot be strong enough to hold such strong and powerful current of water flowing from far high mountains in the rainy season that the downstream villages and paddy fields are in danger of submerging one day under water. But the government takes no interest in the consequences of the negatives effects of the dam towards both the upstream and downstream villages, towns and paddy fields. Although the Myanmar Forest Law ( Law No.8/92 Chapter 3, in Article (a) Public article says Commercial Reserve Forest, under the Constitution of reserve forest and declaration of protected forest, the teak trees from the nearby dam project site have been cut down without any barriers. These teaks could have been used to draw foreign income in the future for the Chin people. But instead, the law is allowed to be broken without any consideration of the future country. Well, the government could have done the dam project to be out of danger from all these negative consequences effects of the dam. Or by planning first relocation and compensation plan, the inhuman government as State Peace and Development council (SPDC) will never take this thing in a slight flash of their mind to have to share humanity over the Chin people. Every profit that is received from the country's natural resources had been saving theirs own account and spent for buying weapons. Any problems occurred at the problematic dam sites or the nearby dams are nullified. The victims are not only given the compensations they deserved but they are rather forgotten and their news, information and communications are blocked up. Anyone who passes out the information is arrested for jail. Therefore, the dam project must be stopped. The Japan technical assistant and Germany financial supporter, if eyes only for the profit, should take into consideration of these mentioned consequences effects that could possibly bring upon the people upstream and downstream of the Manipur dam Multipurpose project.
Geographical Background of Manipur River
River Name Manipur River (Known as "Run” River the Chin People)
River Length 4459 miles (India side 2668 miles; Burma side 1791 miles)
Annual Rainfall Centigrade 64.66 ft (measured in Falam, Chin State)
Annual Water Flow 5.00 Acre ft million
Manipur River starts flowing from Manipur State, Northeast part of India along the Northwest part of Chin State and joins into Myittamyit River in Sagaing Division. Then the river continues to flow into Chindwin River near Kalaywa Town.
Dam Specifications:
1. Location : Above 2.5 miles Kabani bridge Angteng villag
Kalay township Sagaing division Burma
2. Dam design : Roller compacted concrete (RCC)
(a) Height 527 ft
(b) Length 2444 ft
3. Full of water areas : 6785 acres
4. Diversion tunnel : (a) 39.4 ft cycle 2-hole
(b) Length 3940 ft
(c) Water flow 80530 ft / per second
5. Electric power tunnel : (a) 25.59 ft cycle 2- hole
(b) Length 3248 ft
(c) Water flow 5086 ft / second
6. Water irrigation : 50000 acres approximately
7. Install capacity : 95 MGW 95 x 4 turbine =380 MGW
8. Annual production : 1903 kilo hours’ million
9. Project Status : The plans for the dam in 2004-2005, estimates are that
construction will finish by 2010-2011.(sooner) But even
20% of construction can not finish yet.
10. The money : The overall cost of the Manipur Dam is estimated at
Burma Kyat-134900.00 million (US $ 152.00million
Electricity- where will it go?
At this point it is unclear. 66 mega watts which is to be supplying only to the three main town from the northern Chin of Hakha-Falam-Teddim.Though it appears likely that the rest of electricity 314 mega watt will be transmitted to centre Burma Mitthilar industrial zone.
Downstream villages
Manipur dam project site and, here are some of the villages which are in danger caused by the downstream river. These are the areas filled with paddy fields and the Chin people mainly relied on for their daily consumption of rice...1.Hmandaw2.Shiaph 3.Tintar 4.Kyuakphu 5.Dunywe 6.Ashihsi 7.Sedaw 8.Minhlah 9.Wyasiwyatar 10.Chinkin 11. Taingsi12.Kyawya 13.Myuaksithit 14.Myauksihaung 15.Khungtumyotar 16.Tanpu 17. Bogone18.Keciang 19.Helok 20.Ngapha 21.Nutchaung 22.Nutmyaung23.Chuangkhuah 24. Aungchiantar 25.Kyaintar.
The Manipur Dam Multipurpose Project (Who involved)
The Manipur Dam Multi Purpose project is situated between the Chin State and Sagaing Division. It is only 3 miles from Sedaw (Angteng) village and 36 miles from Kalay District, Sagaing Division. Manipur River flows between two mountains and a dam is planned to be built by blocking the river between the mountains in the side of Chin State. The Japanese Engineers came to do a research work on it in 2004. Japan is providing the machineries and technologies needed for it and the financial support is done by Germany. The project had been started in 2004-05 and is planned to finish by year 2010-2011. The budget estimation for the project is US$ 152 million (Kyat- 134,900 million)
The Geographical Background of Chin State
Longitude Between 92.15 degree East and 97 degree East
Latitude Between 18 degree North and 27 degree North
Capital Hakha
Region Northern Burma
Areas 36,018 km (13,907 square miles)
Population in 2009 518,144 (UNICEF estimated)
Ethnicities Chin
Religion Christian 90%
Where Chin get rice?
The main rice that the Chin State has been consuming is from the products of the many thousand acres of the paddy fields nearby the Manipur Multi Purpose Project areas. Many acres of the paddy fields will be lost under the water if the dam is to complete building. Therefore it will be a great lost for the people from the Chin State as to their nearest regular main import source of rice will be almost impossible to find none other than these places. Besides, there are many teak trees nearby the project site. The Ministry of Forestry Department has been cutting all the valuable teaks.
Downstream villages
Manipur dam project site and, here are some of the villages which are in danger caused by the downstream river. These are the areas filled with paddy fields and the Chin people mainly relied on for their daily consumption of rice...1.Hmandaw2.Shiaph 3.Tintar 4.Kyuakphu 5.Dunywe 6.Ashihsi 7.Sedaw 8.Minhlah 9.Wyasiwyatar 10.Chinkin 11. Taingsi 12.Kyawya 13.Myuaksithit 14.Myauksihaung 15.Khungtumyotar 16.Tanpu 17. Bogone 18.Keciang19.Helok20.Ngapha21.Nutchaung22.Nutmyaung23.Chuangkhuah 24. Aungchiantar 25.Kyaintar.
( I was disclose the villagers and other person’s name during I do an interview about Manipur Dam for theirs security)
INTERVIEWS : The people voices
(Interviewed with the higher rank officer of MEPE)
The Manipur Multi Purpose project was started in 2004-2005.
The plan was to be able to supple 580 mega watts at first. But later it was changed to 380 mega watt. The reason is that the strong force of the river flow can destroy the dam especially in the rainy season. So the power supply is redesigned a new as to supply only 380 mega watts. Only 66 mega watts will be supplied for the Chin State. And only the main places such as Hakha, Falam and Teddim will get the power supply. The other northern part of the Chin State will not be given the power supply due to the difficulties of bringing in the concrete wire poles and the need of huge amount of expenditure for connecting the wire across the land.(1000 kilo watt is equal to 1 mega watts)There will be a Sub Power House at Kankaw Township in Sagaing Division. This will give the power supply to the Chin State. There will be a main power house in Mandalay, and this will give the power supply to Mitthilar Industrial Zone and other places of the Upper part of the Burma country. The project of the Manipur Multi Purpose Project will take 6 years.
The worker’s voices ( Dam site)
The concretes which have been sold only from Kyaw village and Mintaingpyi village already cost kyats 1000 million"said by who had worked as in charge for 2 years.2.5 million of Kyat is given as bribery for every audit. It was said that the concrete had been carried away by the strong current of Manipur River. But the truth was that the concrete had been stolen by the dam workers. The concrete that had been sold only at Kyaw Village costs Kyat 100 million. Therefore the concrete that have been in use for building the dam cannot be up to the standard. The technology and machineries support is given by Japan.
The villager’s voices
There will be no advantage we will share at all from the dam. The military will use it for their own advantage. We won't even get the electricity. We just have to be planting jathropha curcas plants ( Kyatsupin, SPDC's mega project) with forced labor. All the paid dam project workers are hired from the Burmese workers, we who are nearby the villagers are not hired. The Japanese Engineers came to see the Manipur dam in 2004.
The school’s voices
There are about 400 students with (7) teachers on government service and (4) local teachers have been hired by the villagers. The population of Sedaw (Angteng) village is only about 1800 people. The reason is that there is no much enough land besides the land is not good fertilizers. There is no electricity in the village as well. But there is a private electricity provided by own by a villager run by private generator that the power is released from 7:00 to 9:00 pm, and have to pay kyat 2000 per month. The technology support is given by Japan but we don't know who is giving the financial support. The Japanese came to the Manipur dam to do the survey on 20th January 2004 and said that they even brought him a gift of KANSAI KUROBE DAM calendar 2004."Mini Hydro Power will be better than this Manipur Dam as for our village because we don't know when will the project will be really over and we won't be benefited much by it rather will cause us more of troubles" they said. The rice that have been the people from the Chin State consuming is solely from the paddy fields from these area which will be lost in the water soon that the people from the Chin State will be starving to death. Our villagers have been often asked to do forced labor.
Passenger’s voices ( Kalay-Natchuang-Angteng- Kankaw local car-train)
We don’t have anything to criticize in regards to Manipur Dam Project. As for us generally we just want to have Private Mini Hydro Power in order to get electricity as quick as possible both for the villagers and students.
Evangelical pastor’s Voices
There is only one car train that makes our traveling very difficult. The people who stay nearby Kalay valley are mostly Chins. The rice that the Chin State has been consuming is mostly from our areas. The government has never done any development project for villages nearby areas but we have been only forced to do their project of Kyatsupin (Custard Plants) plantation without any wages given. I personally don't think that this Manipur Dam project will not give us no benefit at all for us.
Farmer’s voices (discussion with 10 people who are farmer from different villages)
We prefer Mini-Hydro Power to this Manipur Dam Project. I don’t think this Manipur Dam will last for long because the materials used for the Dam have been stolen such as the concrete, cement, iron etc. There are about 20 workers' camps. Many of our lands have been taken without giving any compensation because of building this dam. The richer villagers have 14 acres of farm land. We plant paddy only in rainy season and plant other crops in the rest of the seasons. We mostly plant peas and sesames in summer and the crops have been collected this year (2007) for Kyat 20,000 per barrel. They all are farmers but they plant different kinds of crops. They don't totally agree with the Dam project because the time taken for completing is too long besides they don't have trust in the government that they don't believe they will get electricity even when it's completed. The villagers who could effort use generator. Most of the villagers prefer their private Mini-Hydro Power. The government allotted one telephone each to each village but can get through only after contacting first to the auto-exchange. When I went to do the research there I could not use the telephone at all due to the lightning and heavy rain.
The cultural activities of the villagers nearby the Dam project site
The villages nearby the Manipur River are though in Sagaing Division, the people came from the Chin Hills that they continue to hold on to the culture and activities they used to have every year. They celebrate New Crops Festival called "Fangeer" on November 10 every year. The meaning celebrating this festival is to relax from the whole year work and thank to God for the blessings of crops they get in that year, and also to pray for better and more crops to get next year. This is one of the most beautiful cultures of the Chin people. Since the people who live nearby the river are mostly the Chin people that they also celebrate Christmas and New Year gathering the whole family. Almost all the Chin people are Christians. The two villages nearby the River are Sedaw (Anteng) village and Hmandaw village. The people who live at Sedaw village are migrated from Falam Chin and the people who live at Hmandaw village are immigrated from Hakha Chin. The Church buildings at every village prove how faithful religious they are to what they are worshipping.
Manipur Dam Multi Purpose Project and Negative Impact Of Chin
Since the Chin State is filled only with valleys and mountain ranges that there is no proper place for cultivating paddies, the plain areas in Manipur Dam site is the main backbone for the Chins to get rice. The dam project site along the downstream are full of the paddy field cultivated by the villages nearby that if the dam is to be built all the fields will be submerged in the water. Both the people in the Chin State and the villagers nearby the downstream will have no food to eat. It is very dangerous for the villages along the downstream of the Manipur River. The reasons are-
(1) Manipur River flows from the Chin State that the water current is very strong.
(2) There are very few qualified technicians.
(3) There are very few types of machinery and other necessary machines.
(4) The construction won't be up to a good quality as it's supposed to be because of too many corruptions.
(5) There is no enough workers' force.
The Chin people who are living along the upstream will not be able to eat the fish they used to get from the river. There is no big river other than the Manipur River in the Northern Chin State that the fish is available only from this river. This is the only river that the big towns in the northern Chin State such as Falam, Hakha, Thantlang, Tiddim and Tonzang and more than five hundred villages depend on this river. These are the direct negative affects that the Chins will get by building the Manipur Dam.
(1)The Chins won't be able get the fish anymore.
(2)All the teaks, hardwood and paddy fields will be submerged under the water.
(3)When the water is stored water bone disease will occur.
(4) There will be forced relocations of the nearby villages.
Current Electric Power Supplying in Chin State
| No. | Town | The name of hydro Electric power | Started hydro electric power supplied date | Started diesel Engine Power supplied date |
| 1. | Hakha | Dongva hydro electric power | 3.9.1984 | 14.4.1958 |
| 2. | Hakha | Laiva hydor electric power | 6.4.1994 | - |
| 2. | Thlantlang | Laiva hydro electric power | - | 4.9.1986 |
| 3. | Falam | Nalsihva hydro electric power | 14.12.1986 | 15.8.1955 |
| 4. | Tiddim | Zalwi hydro electric power | 27.1.1984 | 12.4.1957 |
| 5. | Tonzang | Toisawm hydro electric power | 9.1.1998 | 21.6.1986 |
| 6. | Mindat | Chichaung hydro electric power | 25.6.1997 | 25.6.1964 |
| 7. | Matupi | Nunlawng hydro electric power | 2.5.1992 | 28.4.1982 |
| 8. | Paletwa | Tinte hydro electric power | 7.6.1986 | 30.12.1956 |
| 9. | Kanpalet | - | - | 7.10.1986 |
| 10. | CiKha | - | - | 28.4.2003 |
| 11. | Rih | - | - | 15.3.2003 |
| 12. | Ruazua | - | - | 15.4.2003 |
Burma Capital City Yangon Current Electric Power Situation
YESB (Yangon Electricity Supplying Board) said that there are 79 kinds of supplying Electricity. The system that has been used in supplying the electricity since March is divided into A.B.C groups. The destroyed pipes by the bombs have been repaired that the power supply will be able to continue for 24 hours till the month of November. Yangon city needs to get at least 6 hours of power supply a day to draw the water. Since 2006, the power supply that Yangon city needs is around 500 mega watts but only 400 mega watts had been being supplied. The power supply that Yangon city has been receiving is from the natural gas supply and hydro electric power. (Ref: Seven day journal 2007)
The ResearcherRemark About Manipur Dam Multipurpose Project
All the villages nearby the Dam Project are farmers who make their living by cultivating paddy fields. There are some educated ones but they don't have vivid knowledge about the affect of the dam. Moreover the government controls strictly that they don't know anything to complain about. The villagers are under forced labor by the government for their mega project of planting jathropha curcas (Kyatsupin) plants to produce bio-gas. Since they are all farmers that they couldn't even find time to do their farming. Because most of their time has gone for doing the forced labor of planting jathropha.
The weather of project areas is wet and mild-hot that teak plant and many other priced hardwoods grow. Now because of the project the trees around the areas have been cut down. One of the saddest things is that the railway between Kankaw town and Kalay town used to be slippery in rainy season that the hardwoods which had been used are being replaced by the teak woods. Because the selfish business people wanted to take the teak woods for their own that they gave such false reason because the teak wood from that area is with high quality. This is one of the places in Burma from where teak wood is mostly produced. Now the plan is handled by the Ministry of Forestry working hand in hand with the teak brokers from Kankaw Township and Kalay Township.
There is no security guard of soldiers for the Dam's security, but there is one camp of soldiers to oversee the jathropha curcas (Kyatsupin) plantation, although there are three biggest battalions of soldiers' camp in the Northern part of Burma at 36 miles away from the Dam site. The new highway between Hakha-Hmandaw-Kalay had been designed in such a way that should go near by the dam site.
There is also Malaria disease around the dam site. There are dispensaries in every village for name sakes but there are no medicines available at all. All the villagers nearby the dam site are all migrated from the Chin State and they are all Christians that there are good Church buildings in every village. There are also Primary and Middle schools in every village. There are high schools at Natchaung and Chaungkhuah villages. Especially Hmandaw and Angteng (Sedawa) villages are the nearest villages from the Dam site. One village has got one telephone line and all the villagers have to share that one. But the line doesn't work when it rains and when lightning occurs. Each house in Angteng(Sedaw) village's land title is 150 square ft in order to prevent from fire. This is the bylaw of the village since the settlement was begun at the village. The main crops that the downstream villages grow in the rainy season are paddies and in winter and in summer they grow crops such as peas, sesames, chilies, etc… I got different responses from the villagers when I went to interview them regarding the Dam and the electricity. Some of them hope that they will get electricity in cheap price for 24 hours. But some of them don’t believe in getting proper electricity because even the capital city of Burma, Yangon can't get the electricity for 24 hours that there will be no way such as the small villages as theirs will be facilitated with such advantages by the government. Most of the villagers' interest is in getting Private Mini-Hydro Power electricity.
Conclusions
The Manipur dam multipurpose project is a very unique project being carried out in Buma. The reason for its unique is that the other entire dam project can be accessible either one internet or any others media but not this on at all. This capture so much of my interest upon the project is the only mega dam project ever done closest to my native land Chin State. Though the exact location is known to be in the land of Sagaing diveison according to history the land had been in the Chin State and till now the people who are residing at the areas are mostly the Hakha ethnic Chins and Falam Ethnic Chins. The area is also known as Kalay valley because it is situation between the mountains like a vast valley. Manipur river is the only river as such flows though Chin State and till it reaches the plain area of the Kalay valley and joins to Myittamyit river and continues to flow into Chindwin River. When the project was about to plan there was no consultation or information given to the villagers who live nearby at all. The villagers will have no way to be aware of the consequences that will bring by the dam. The only thing they know is they will get electricity in cheaper cost and will get it longer. Considering the educational background which is just middle school level and the poor communication situation of the valley areas that the villagers are just very simple. But after I giving some information about the negatives effects that could be brought by the dam, almost all the villagers prefer to have mini hydro power for electricity rather than living in the nightmare of their paddy fields to be washed away in over night in the flood along with them all. Because there had been example in 2002, that when Sedawgyi dam near Mandalay was flooded, because there was no safeguard policy and the government didn’t give precautions to the civilians, two villages were lost under the flood while they were sleeping and the villagers on the way along from Mandalay to Myitkyina railway had been flooded that they could no longer work as farmers but now they have to make their living as fishermen. Even that Sedawgyi dam which was built on a tributary of Ayarwaddy River, and it was designed to build to produce only 25 mega watts, when face with problem they don't care for the citizens and could destroy so much, it's unimaginable how immensely will the dam designed to supply 380 mega watts do so much destruction to the whole valley. Besides around 95% of the population that live in the valley is not the Bumans but various Chin ethnic people. Why should the government take these Chin populations into their consideration of care while they didn't even care for their nearest kin of blood? As already discussed, there are also possibilities of accident due to the concretes which are stolen by the workers and the officers working there that the quality of the dam will not be up to the standard. The current of the Manipur river is dangerously strong. And whenever there is heavy rain in the upper part of the river, there are always possibilities of strong and much water to fill in the river. Since the future weather of rainfall is unpredictable, taking the risk without keeping the negative consequences that could bring by the dam will be like annihilation of the Chins population. Moreover, though the dam is built at Kalay valley, the electricity is to supply not the nearest towns and cities' development, but for the junta Military government’s own business use to supplying the industrial zone nearby centre Burma Myithilla. But according to the researcher's estimation, the government having built so many dams around Mandalay, even the Yeywa dam (the world third largest RCC dam) supplying 790 mega watts, the question is why they should still need to take more power supply for this nearby areas from such far place without taking into consideration about the development of the citizens nearby the dam. The thought left in mind to answer that they could have had another plan bigger than just for the industrial zone power supply considering the serious visits of the top chaps from the government sector and the cost that they risk to spend for the poles and wires cost to take the power supply from the west to the middle part of Burma.Not only the downstream villages and paddy fields will be affected but also the upstream people will no longer have the chance to eat the most delicious fish they ever get once a year. If the paddy fields were to submerged under water the Chin State will starve from getting rice. Land transportation will be almost impossible anymore for the Chins with the other cities, unless the government continues their plan to build aircraft in Chin State. At least the waterborne disease will be another contagious killer besides the annual unpreventable killer, Malaria in Kalay valley. The researcher has had experienced of the people who live nearby Maemoh Coal mine, and Pakmon dam in Thailand that they were excited about getting electricity in a very cheap and plenty in quantity but as the years passed by, the negative impact brought them such devastating. The crops nearby dried out and died, caused by acid rain and eventually they could no longer do plantation. The people were affected by the toxic in the air that they suffer much from lung cancer and many of them were killed. Though Thai government thought for their country's betterment, the result brought by the dam was such terrible and unforgettable scene.
