Recently, a document was published by Assam Forest and Environment Minister for conservation of the bird species in which it came into notice that the construction of large dams in Arunachal Pradesh for hydro power projects, is found to be threats to white-winged duck, an endangered duck species and Assam’s state bird.
According to the sources, flow of rivers such as the Lohit, Dibang, Siang, Subansiri and Kameng in Arunachal Pradesh would seriously impact breeding sites of the duck in Dibru Saikhowa National Park and Nameri National Park in neighbouring Assam,major habitats of the duck species, white-winged duck.
Also, the white-winged duck was declared as the state bird of Assam in 2003 and locally called as Deo Hanh.
Assam Forest and Environment Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary released a document which said, “Construction of a series of large hydropower projects are going on or planned in the upstream of major rivers in Arunachal Pradesh. This will directly affect rivers and water channels downstream, eventually adversely affecting lowland forest and wetlands habitats of white-winged duck in the Brahmaputra valley.”
