NTPC plugging leakages in Tapovan project

National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) today said it was plugging leakages in an underground tunnel of its 520-Mw Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project after the water discharge began receding considerably.

The water discharge from the underground tunnel is now 200 litres per second from 700 litres per second in December. NTPC has also conducted a survey with the help of Geological Survey of India (GSI) which found no relation between the water discharge from the tunnel and drying up of water sources in and around the hill resort of Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.

The project is facing the ire of local people and politicians of the district amid concerns by environmentalists that it is affecting the local sources of water and creating environment problems in the highly fragile zone. But NPTC said these concerns had no evidences and the construction would continue. “In another two or three months, we will be able to plug all the leakages,” said NTPC General Manger K K Singh.

An investment of Rs 800 crore is proposed in the project on the Dhauliganga, a tributary of Alaknanda, near Joshimath.

Last month, a delegation of the ruling BJP led by local MLA Kedar Singh Fonia had called on CM Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and expressed concern over excessive discharge of water from the 12-km long underground tunnel and alleged it was drying up the water sources of the area. The project is located nearly 1.5-km from Joshimath.

After hearing the plea of the delegation, the CM ordered an inquiry and asked the Secretary, Power, Utpal Kumar to submit a report in this regard. There had been a series of protests against the project at Joshimath during the past two-three months.

The work on the tunnel has been suspended following the discharge. Till now, NTPC has completed nearly 4.5-km of the tunnel. The Tapovan project is expected to be commissioned in 2012-13.

Significantly, NTPC received a setback last year after the Centre suspended the construction of its 600-Mw Loharinag-Pala under the pressure of religious organisations and social activists, who are claiming the project would create a negative impact on the ecology of the Bhagirathi river in Uttarkashi district.