NGT directs hydropower company to plug leakage in its water channel in Tehri district

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Alaknanda Hydro Power Company Ltd to take steps to plug leakage in the waterchannel of its hydropower plant in Tehri district of Uttarakhand.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel took note of a report filed by a committee comprising representatives of the Department of Power and Energy, Uttarakhand State Pollution Control Board and District Magistrate of Tehri Garhwal that water leakage was observed from underground channel of Srinagar Hydroelectric Project at Supada village.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Uttarakhand resident Uttam Singh Bhandari seeking directions to take proper measures to plug the leakage from the power plant channel and to ensure safety of the lives of the residents of Mangsu, Surasu and NaurThaapli villages in Tehri Garhwal District Uttarakhand.

"We direct the Alaknanda Hydro Power Corporation Ltd. to ensure further action at the earliest in a time bound manner which may be overseen by the Committee which has furnished the report to be coordinated by the state pollution control board," the bench said.

The Srinagar Hydroelectric Project is located on the banks of Alaknanda river in Uttarakhand and the company had set up a 4-km-long channel to carry water from the river to the power house to generate electricity.

A barrage is made on river Alaknanda to divert river water to power house for production of 330 MW electricity through four turbines of 82.5 MW each. From barrage to power house, the river water is passes through 1.1 km-long underground channel and 3.2 km-long open channel.

According to the applicant, Srinagar Hydroelectric Project is located on the bank of river Alaknanda in Uttarakhand and has set up a channel which is 4 kms long to carry water from the river Alaknanda to the power house to generate electricity.

The plea said that in the year 2015, there was a serious breach in the canal causing damage to the crops and the houses.

An enquiry was held and report submitted by Wadia Institute on December 30, 2015 recommending re-strengthening of the power channel and investigation of the structural design. However, in absence of requisite action, serious breach again took place in December 2018, it said.