Supreme Court panel clears five hydropower projects amid opposition

A Supreme Court-appointed panel has approved five hydroelectric projects (HEPs) on the Ganga and its tributaries in Uttarakhand, despite strong objections from the Ministries of Environment and Forest (MoEF) and Jal Shakti. The panel, led by Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan, concluded that the benefits outweigh the risks and align with national interests.

According to the report of Indian Express, the Supreme Court has been examining the viability of new HEPs since 2013, following the Kedarnath floods that killed over 5,000 people. Initially, the court imposed a moratorium on new HEP approvals and directed the MoEF to assess their impacts. Three committees formed over the years presented conflicting findings.

In 2014, the Ravi Chopra Committee reported that HEPs worsened the 2013 disaster and recommended halting 24 projects. A 2015 panel under IIT-Kanpur’s Vinod Tare flagged ecological concerns despite prior clearances for six projects. In 2020, the B.P. Das Committee recommended 28 projects, but in 2021, the Centre cleared only seven, restricting approval to projects with ongoing work.

The Somanathan-led panel was formed in August 2023 to reassess the B.P. Das Committee’s findings. Its November 8 report approved five projects: Bowala Nandprayag (300 MW), Devasri (252 MW), Bhyundar Ganga (24.3 MW), Jhalakoti (12.5 MW), and Urgam-II (7.5 MW). However, it rejected 15 projects, citing vulnerabilities to glacial lake outbursts and ecosystem impacts.

Concerns from the MoEF and Jal Shakti Ministries focused on landslides, flash floods, and seismic risks, particularly in the fragile Himalayan region. Recent disasters, including the Chamoli earthquake and Joshimath land subsidence, have intensified fears. The Jal Shakti Ministry also criticized the lack of cumulative impact assessments on major river basins.

While the Somanathan panel found no clear evidence linking HEP structures to landslides, it emphasized the projects’ benefits, such as energy generation and regional development.

On November 13, the Centre sought eight weeks to review the findings and submit its final decision to the Supreme Court. Both ministries declined to comment on the developments.

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