Several tribal groups have renewed their opposition to the 55 megawatt Ukiam hydropower project planned jointly by the governments of Assam and Meghalaya on the Kulsi River, a natural habitat of the endangered Gangetic river dolphin.

The dam for the project is planned at the confluence of the Dron, Shree, and Dilma Rivers, which form the Kulsi. The location is on the Assam-Meghalaya border, about 80 km southwest of Guwahati.

Hundreds of villagers, who will be affected by the project, gathered at the Ukiam picnic spot on Thursday (September 25, 2025) to underscore the adverse impact of the dam on the ecology and livelihoods. The Assam-Meghalaya Joint Protection Committee, comprising groups such as the Garo National Council (GNC) and the Rabha National Council (RNC), organised the protest meeting.

Vowing to resist the project “under any circumstances”, GNC president Enindra Marak said the work on the project could be deliberately delayed until after the 2026 Assembly polls. “The two State governments claim that only about 15 villages would be affected. This is misleading; the impact will extend from the hills of Meghalaya to the Brahmaputra,” he said.

The Kulsi is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.

The RNC’s chief convenor, Gobinda Rabha, said some 1.9 lakh bighas (25,418 hectares) of land would be lost if the project materialises. He accused the Assam government of ignoring indigenous voices to push the project in tribal areas without local consent.

“The Kulsi hydropower project will cause irreversible ecological damage like two other projects being pursued by the Assam government in this region,” he said. The projects he referred to are the Dorabeel Logistics Park at Kukurmara-Palashbari and a satellite township at Borduar, both near Guwahati.

The Assam-Meghalaya Joint Protection Committee leaders lamented the indifference of the two governments to several memorandums submitted against the Kulsi project. The Meghalaya part of the project is somewhat insulated, as the land tenure system empowers only the traditional chiefs to give a no-objection certificate.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad K. Sangma announced the plan for the 55 MW hydropower and irrigation project after a meeting on June 2 to resolve disputes along the 885-km interstate border. Of the 12 disputed sectors along this border, six areas of difference were resolved through an agreement in March 2022.

“The two governments will take up the 55 MW Kulsi project after consultations with the local people. The project is envisaged to generate electricity for the two States, while Assam will benefit from its irrigation part,” Mr. Sarma told journalists four months ago.