Uttarakhand: 6,000 Mw of hydropower to be hit

The report of the inter-ministerial group (IMG) headed by Planning Commission member B K Chaturvedi would affect the hydropower sector in the Ganga river basin of Uttarakhand.

Generation of nearly 6,000 Mw of hydropower would be affected if the report was accepted, experts said. It was recently given to the Union ministry of environment and forests.

Declaring the Bhagirarthi valley between Gomukh and Uttarkashi as an ecosensitive zone had already impacted 1,743 Mw of planned generation.

A total of 69 hydropower projects with a capacity of 9,000 Mw were under review by the IMG, set up following an agitation by environmentalists and religious leaders against the hydel projects on the Bhagirathi, considered a holy river.

In its recommendation, the committee said no new projects should be taken up. On the 69 projects, the committee has recommendedt certain limitations and stopped the construction of projects worth 6,000 Mw.

It has okayed construction of 3,000 Mw of projects, with tough riders.

The committee also proposed that small tributaries of the Ganga - Nayar, Bal Ganga, Rihsi Ganga, Assi Ganga, Dhauli Ganga, Birahi Ganga and Bhyunder Ganga - be kept in pristine condition, without developing any hydel projects. In the IMG's assessment, this would mean a loss of 400 Mw of power to Uttarakhand.

The silver lining for power generation in the report was its recommending the Centre consider allocation of gas for setting up projects for 2,000 Mw.

Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna said he would urge the National Ganga River Basin Authority to allow the construction of the projects in question, keeping in view the huge shortage of power in the state. "In the next meeting of the Authority, we will urge it to allow Uttarakhand to develop the hydel projects to tap its power potential," he said.