Dams on All Rivers in Mizoram

By Adam Halliday

Aizawl, Jul 8 : Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Friday said dams would be constructed on all the rivers of the state to generate hydro-electricity.

"We plan to dam all our rivers and generate more than 2500 Mega-Watts of electricity," Lal Thanhawla said in a speech to party workers at Congress Bhavan.

The hill state, which currently requires less than 100 MW but imports about 90 per cent of its power requirements from other states, has 13 rivers in all.

Of these, work on building a dam has already begun on the 60 MW Tuirial hydel project.

Other dams planned across the Kolodyne river in southern Mizoram, slated to produce 460 MW, and Tuivawl river, which flows through Aizawl district and is expected to generate 42 MW, are at various stages of obtaining environment clearance, said officials.

The Centre had also granted approval to build a dam on the Tuivai river, which is expected to generate 210 MW, in northern Mizoram last month.

"Gas exploration is ongoing in different parts of the state, and the companies engaged in this activity estimate that there would be enough gas reserves to make the state a developed one," Lal Thanhawla said, adding that some oil is also believed to exist.