Hydropower Projects in the Hills

Himalayan plunder: How hydropower projects in the hills have increased disasters there.

There has been a mushrooming of hydro projects in the Himalayas, even though they are prone to landslides and earthquakes.
The Himalayan region is recognised as India’s powerhouse due to its large waterbodies and suitable geography for utilising electrical generation resources.

Overview
- Seven projects, all in Uttarakhand, were allowed to finish construction since they were more than 50% complete.
- The seven projects are as follows:
  - Tehri Stage 2: 1000 MW on Bhagirathi river
  - Tapovan Vishnugadh: 520 MW on Dhauliganga river
  - Vishnugadh Pipalkoti: 444 MW on Alaknanda river
  - Singoli Bhatwari: 99 MW on Mandakini river
  - Phata Bhuyang: 76 MW on Mandakini river
  - Madhyamaheshwar: 15 MW on Madhyamaheshwar Ganga
  - Kaliganga 2: 6 MW on Kaliganga river

The Himalayan region is recognised as India’s powerhouse due to its abundant water bodies.
As well as suitable geography for utilising the resource for electrical generation.
According to government estimates, the region’s capacity of 46,850 MW can generate 115,550 MW.
The region’s ten states and two union territories have 81 big hydropower projects (above 25 MW) and 26 projects under construction as of November 2022.
According to the Central Electricity Authority, part of the Union Ministry of Power, another 320 significant projects are in the works.

Vulnerability
- The Himalayas are located in a seismically active area.
- Although the Himalayas’ environment and seismic activity make its river basins prone to landslides, hydropower projects are springing up everywhere.
- On January 5, 2023, the government ordered a construction embargo in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town, where more than 800 buildings have developed fractures owing to subsidence.
- It focuses on the Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric project’s construction.
Impact
- In recent years, the region has seen a surge in the number of hydropower projects and tragedies associated with these projects.
- Flooding in the Assi Ganga River in 2012 caused damage to the Assi Ganga hydropower projects (HEPs) 1 and 2.
- Phata-Byung, Singoli-Bhatwari, and Vishnuprayag HEPs were badly damaged in the 2013 Kedarnath floods.
- A rock and ice avalanche in 2021 devastated the Rishi Ganga project and damaged the Vishnugad-Tapovan HEP, killing over 200 people and causing damages of Rs 1500 crore.
- According to several media accounts, Vishnugad-Tapovan had already suffered periodic damage due to terrain fragility.
- In December 2022, a large slope failure occurred at the Urni landslip zone in Himachal Pradesh’s Kinnaur district.
- The 1,091 Megawatt Karcham Wangtoo hydroelectric facility has been under construction.

One of the eight objectives under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) is the National Mission on Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE).
The mission is to develop strategies to sustain and conserve Himalayan glaciers, mountain ecosystems, biodiversity, and wildlife conservation and preservation.
Large hydropower plants’ environmental impact assessment.

Landslides in the Himalayas have become more dangerous and unsustainable in recent years, making hydropower projects more unsafe and unsustainable.
These initiatives must be re-evaluated based on current scientific evidence.
Most existing or under-construction Himalayan projects were planned 10-15 years ago.
The government should consider fresh science before making a decision.
Even if the government favours the project, the local panchayat must express their support in writing.
The formation of an expert committee to investigate the impact of HEP in the Himalayan region.
For example, the government formed the Ravi Chopra committee to examine the role of 24 such hydropower plants in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins.

Pic Courtesy: Down to Earth

Content Source: Down to Earth