Fresh green nod for Uttarakhand hydro project damaged in 2013 floods hinges on wildlife and forest clearances

“Vegetative screen and forests being a premier contented owed to their predominant presence, immoderate determination connected Environment Clearance volition heavy hinge connected the wood clearance (FC) and National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) clearance,” the sheet noted successful its September 27 meeting, arsenic per the minutes.

Envisaged arsenic a run-of-the-river project, it volition gully h2o from the Mandakini, a tributary of the Alaknanda, which is 1 of the headwaters of the Ganga. It is the archetypal hydropower dam located downstream of Kedarnath.

The task suffered extended harm during the 2013 floods, which were triggered by a cloudburst and consequent glacial water outburst. The dam operation was compromised, the reservoir country became filled with debris, and machinery was washed away. In 2021, the cardinal authorities recommended the resumption of enactment connected 7 under-construction hydropower projects successful Uttarakhand, with Phata Byung being 1 of them. Other notable projects see Tapovan Vishnugad (520 MW), Vishnugad Pipalkoti (444 MW) and Singoli Bhatwari (99 MW).

The Expert Appraisal Committee connected stream vale and hydroelectric projects, 1 of the 11 sectoral panels liable for granting anterior biology approvals, gave preliminary support for the hydropower task successful April this year. A caller exertion for biology support was submitted to the situation ministry aft Lanco Infratech, the erstwhile task proponent, went into liquidation.

Three members of the adept panel, officials from Mandakini Jal Urja Private Ltd, an authoritative from the situation ministry’s determination bureau successful Dehradun and the divisional wood serviceman of Rudraprayag were portion of the squad that conducted the tract visit, according to authoritative records.

The adept sheet directed the task proponent to transportation retired caller baseline studies to corroborate taxon diverseness and measure immoderate changes, including imaginable reductions owed to accrued quality enactment and contamination successful the precocious stretches astir the projected reservoir. The task is located on the Kedarnath temple pilgrimage route.

During the sojourn to the precocious catchment area, the committee noted that the task dam tract is situated adjacent to glacial lakes adjacent Kedarnath, making it susceptible to glacial water outburst floods.

“A full of 24 glacial lakes person been identified successful the vicinity of the task site, with 6 of these lakes classified arsenic captious owed to their imaginable to trigger floods,” the committee said.

“Detailed survey shall beryllium carried retired successful presumption of colonisation to beryllium affected during catastrophe specified arsenic caused successful 2013, clip to beryllium taken to evacuate, program shall beryllium prepared for drill successful each six months. A caller socio-cultural-economic survey should beryllium conducted with the assistance of section institutes/some reputed institute oregon to recognize the contiguous script arsenic compared to 2013,” the committee added successful its recommendations.

The committee observed during its sojourn that the instauration up to the riverbed has been constructed, with exposed alloy rods disposable from the factual foundation.

“It was noted that galore damaged vehicles/equipment are presently lying successful the river/stream. It was informed that these are spot of earlier contractor who were progressive and had been near during floods and the aforesaid has not been removed since then. It was advised to task proponent to attack State Government to region this instantly to further debar the blockage successful the stream,” the committee said successful its tract sojourn report.