MP Demands Compensation for those Affected by the Polluted Brahmaputra

On December 14, the contamination of the Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh figured in talks during the meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. The issue emerged when Lok Sabha MP from Arunachal Pradesh, Ninong Ering, wrote to the Prime Minister stating that the water of the Siang had become ‘muddy’.

The State Water Quality Testing Laboratory in Itanagar declared the water unfit for human consumption. By December 10, Assam was also reporting that the Brahmaputra had become ‘dirty’. Wasbir Hussain in the Asian Age on December 15, mentioned causes such as the 6.4 magnitude earthquake that hit Nyingchi on November 17, as well as the various dams and water projects in China as reasons for the turbidity of the water.

The human cost of pollution, however, is another matter. On December 14, Lok Sabha MP Ninong Ering met Union Water Resources Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal. Ering demanded compensation for the losses incurred by farmers and fishermen due to the contamination of the river. Arunachal Times quoted Ering as saying “I have requested the minister to compensate the state governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam in order to help the local fishermen and farmers overcome their losses.” According to Arunachal Times, the MP said that the minister has assured him that he would take cognizance and look into the matter on an urgent basis. Ering also said that he will soon write to the Union Home Minister and seek compensation for the farmers and fishermen.

The loss of livelihoods due to the pollution will be another fallout with fish stocks disappearing, and cattle dying after drinking the river water. Locals living near the river showed media persons the ‘cement-like’ sediments deposited on the shoreline.