Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation Must Speak
WEST SETI HIGH DAM CONTROVERSY
AB Thapa
SNOWY MOUNTAINS ENGINEERING CORPORATION (SMEC) of Australia in the past had rendered invaluable service to Nepal by conducting comprehensive studies aimed at determining the potential of our water resources and also recommending the best way to utilize those potential in the genuine interest of the people of our country. Their vast studies including the Gandak basin power study are highly commendable. Recommendations of the SMEC have proven to be very useful in development of our water resources. Engineering community of our country must be very grateful to SMEC.
In recent years the decision of the SMEC to play the role of a private hydropower developer of the West Seti storage dam project has sparked off widespread controversies about the appropriateness of taking the decision to implement this highly sensitive West Seti High Dam project when still some major problems associated with this project remain unsolved. I am sure engineering community of our country would like to hear the opinion of the SMEC on this issue not as a private developer of hydropower but as an institution providing since a very long period valuable advise to our Government in the field of water resources development. We hope the SMEC will present its view on this very important matter for our country in subsequent issues of this journal SPOTLIGHT. Similarly, it is urged that the Embassy of Australia in Kathmandu taking a great deal of interest in various works undertaken to improve the economic condition of our people will help to deliver a copy of this article to the SMEC.
Submergence of Nepalese Terai
After completion of the West Seti project the regulated flow of this river is going to flow straight into the reservoir of the Laxmanpur barrage built just across the Indo-Nepal border close to the Banke district. The pond water level of the Laxmanpur reservoir extends deep inside Nepalese territory. The Laxmanpur barrage, few other barrages including the Girjapur barrage across the Karnali river, and the Saryu Canal are the direct extension of the West Seti High Dam Project proposed to be built in Nepal. The year-round operation of the Saryu Canal ( drawing regulated flow of the West Seti from the Girjapur barrage) earmarked to irrigate a vast area of agricultural lands of the north-east UP would be totally dependant on implementation of the West Seti. High Dam Project.
The Saryu Canal has been built too close to our country’s border with India. As a result, people of our Western Terai particularly those living in the Banke district have already started to suffer from submergence. Now, instead of reliving the suffering of the people of the Western Terai by holding dialogue with Indian Government to make, if necessary, adequate modifications in alignment of the Saryu Canal including relocation of the Laxmanpur barrage to avert submergence of Nepalese territory, we are going to greatly worsen the plight of our people by supplying all year round the West Seti regulated flow into the Saryu Canal that would cause widespread submergence and uprooting of people in Banke district in far greater number.
We understand the SMEC will not disagree that the issue about the submergence of Western Terai is a very serious environmental problem. This problem must have been properly addressed by private developer of the hydropower before applying to get the final approval to implement the West Seti project. SMEC as an engineering consultant must judge itself and clearly convince people that the operation of Laxmanpur barrage and the Saryu canal will in no way adversely affect Nepalese territory if we like to opt for the decision to implement the West Seti project.
Large Downstream Irrigation Benefit
Based on the study carried out by the SOGREAH of the West Seti project and the feasibility study of the Karnali High Dam Project the total net discounted irrigation benefit of the West Seti Project could be comparable to net power benefit. Nepal must complete all formalities to recover downstream benefits before we take final decision to implement this project unless our country deliberately decides to forego such benefits.
Sharing West Seti Downstream Benefits
India must be approached to share with Nepal a certain percentage of the downstream benefits to accrue to that country from the use of the regulated flow of the West Seti. It is a practice followed by the USA and Canada while implementing the Columbia River dams in Canada. At present Canada is receiving 50% of the net downstream benefits from the USA in perpetuity for the use of the regulated flow of the Columbia River in the USA. It should be noted that Canada had declined to take a decision to implement the Columbia River projects until the USA agreed to sign a treaty on downstream benefits sharing.
India Willing to Pay for Water
Few years back important news had appeared in the Indian news media. It was reported that the Government of India had appointed a three-member task force headed by the former power minister Suresh Prabhu. The task force was expected to address the issue to obtain the consent of Nepal (also Bhutan ) through a revenue sharing pact to divert water of the major rivers for irrigation across the India. Until that time India was seen to be somewhat hesitating to accept the idea of buying water stored in the reservoirs proposed to be built in Nepal.
Now it is the duty of SMEC to recommend our Government to hold negotiations with India to reach an understanding about the downstream benefit sharing before deciding to implement the West Seti project. It would be our greatest blunder if the downstream benefit sharing matters remained ignored. Our people will never forgive us if they learnt that we decided to forgo our country’s entitlement to downstream benefit at a time when the Government of India has been showing flexibility to accommodate our demand to get a reasonable share of the downstream benefit.
At the Question of Dam Safety
The proposed West Seti Dam is going to be the highest in the World among the CFRDs. Needless to say that there is a need for great caution in adopting very high CFRD. According to J. Barry Cooks, Consultant USA ( Development in High CFRDs, Hydropower & Dams, Issue Four 1997), this type of dams are of empirical design and based on precedent design and experience. Unfortunately only very recently relatively high CFRDs have been introduced
WECS had recommended the Water Resources Ministry to constitute a panel of few renowned foreign experts to seek their opinion. It was proposed that any further action in the direction of taking the decision to implement the project should be deferred until the panel gives its absolutely positive opinion. Does the SMEC consider unnecessary to constitute a panel of few renowned experts in the field of CFRDs to seek their opinion before taking final decision to implement the West Seti High dam project? It need not be told that the incidences, like that of Malpasse ( France) and Vajon ( Italy), could devastate the economy of our country.
