[1]‘Energy is engine for development’
Y. Harish Chandra Prasad, Chairman, Malaxmi Group
Every one of us feels sorrow for the devastation caused by the recent flash floods in Uttarakhand leading to loss of human lives and damage to infrastructure.
As expected, the blame game has kicked off and hydro power projects, which are either complete or in different stages of construction in Uttarakhand state, are being blamed for the catastrophe.
I am of the view that people pointing fingers at the power projects are only looking at one side of the coin. In the first place, cloudbursts and the resultant flooding in the Himalayan range is a feature that keeps happening to us, like cyclones. Secondly, global warming is having an impact everywhere and the Himalayan ranges are no exception.
It is a fact that meddling with nature has been compounding the loss but a scientific study should be conducted before the so-called environmental activists deliver their judgement that power projects did aggravate the calamity.
One should understand that the prime growth engine for development is energy. India, despite being branded as a fast-growing economy, still lags behind in the energy sector. As per estimates, 40 per cent of India still has no access to electricity and in the remaining 60 per cent area, quality, uninterrupted power supply is not available. The country requires at least one lakh MW of electricity to meet its suppressed demand.
Hydel power is the cheapest mode of energy which is less than half the cost of gas and thermal energies. India ranks at the top globally in terms of exploitable hydro potential. More projects are envisaged in the Himalayan ranges not only because of the presence of ice-fed and rain-fed rivers, but due to the natural incline that provides the required kinetic energy for generation at no or very low cost.
According to a MoU signed between the Centre and the Uttarakhand government at the time of the formation of the state, the unexploited potential for hydel energy is 20,000 MW which is nearly one-fifth of the nation's current requirement.
The debate over ecology versus development continues, and sometimes takes interesting turns and twists. The activists opposing the setting up of nuclear or thermal power stations in the country find it easy to defend their stand by questioning the governments on why the latter have been ignoring the cheapest energy source — Hydel.
In places where the dams are constructed or power projects are taken up like in Uttarakhand, another set of activists question why the government is not focusing on wind and solar energy. Don't we have other issues associated with solar and wind?
This is where the balanced growth is expected. The Ministry of Environment and Forests, the highest authority to protect nature, gave clearances for hydel projects after thorough studies and laid down clear instructions about disposal of muck and debris. The state agencies should put a strict vigil on disposal of debris and power companies should be penalised for violations, if any. Per se one should not oppose power projects.
I realised in my numerous visits to project sites in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim that felling of trees and construction of ghat roads, again a necessity for transportation to the peaks, are contributing substantially to the ecological imbalance.
In countries like China and Korea, highly advanced technology goes into the formation of ghat roads which of course comes with many times the project cost and our economies will not permit such huge expenditure.
As a result, landslides have been turning out to be a common feature in the region even during summer. Illegal tree cutting is rampant notwithstanding the ban.
Even pilgrimages have turned into tourist activity. There is no regulatory mechanism to prevent people with certain diseases from travelling to heights. There is plastic litter everywhere and the rivers are terribly polluted. These issues need to be addressed.
— The writer was instrumental in setting up the first private sector tariff-based power project in the country — Lanco
‘Damage severe due to power projects’
Vimal Bhai, Social activist and founder of Matu Janasanghatan
Natural calamities do happen. Rains, floods, earthquakes and landslides are not new to the Himalayan ranges. All that rainfall the region received, a few days ago, was 14-18 cms.
The gushing waters, left to their natural course, would have joined their ultimate destination, the sea, but thanks to the rough manhandling of the river course, unprecedented damage and destruction, destroyed many parts of Uttarakhand.
The region suffered one of the worst floods since the 1970s, but this time the damage is severe due to mega power projects, artificial tunnels, blasting of hills, dumping of lakhs of cubic meters of debris, on the river banks...among other damaging factors.
There is a strong nexus among the contractors, power companies, politicians and bureaucrats. The drama unfolds from the conduct of the public hearing, amidst police forces, which will not allow your voice to be heard.
The licenses are issued based on cooked up Environmental Impact Assessments. Permissions are granted and people are driven away from their own homes and works are grounded. There are about 100 mega power projects in different stages in the state.
The inhuman attitude of the state administration is evident from the authorities not mentioning about environment or rehabilitation for projects with capacity of below 25 MW which are hundreds in numbers. The companies flout whatever little conditions the Government imposes.
The Srinagar project was originally designed for 200 MW with a height of 65 mts and the capacity was increased to 330 MW with a height of 95 mts. There is constant dumping of debris on river banks which reduces its width. Today the mounds of slush, seen everywhere, in the flood hit areas, are nothing but the muck disposed by the power companies recklessly.
Even the companies have fallen victims to their own follies. The first PPP project in the state, Vishnuprayag, on Alaknanda, has been washed away and so is the case with the Phata Byung power project, on the Mandakini river.
Hundreds of crores just went down the drain in the gushing flood waters. People are again at a loss because it is their money that was invested in these projects. It is not just the rush of pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh, but we see the large presence of construction companies, from the state, executing works in Uttarakhand.
There are power houses like Lanco, GVK, GMR and construction companies like IVRCL and NCC. Even former Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, had his presence in Tehri dam works.
The project authorities are so reckless that they released water from Maleri dam twice without any warning, killing at least six people. This is nothing but murder of innocents by the power companies.
Whenever we talk of environment or its protection, a section of people immediately come up with the counter argument of development. I don’t want to be rhetoric stating that there should be a balance between development and ecology etc.
My straight question to these people is have they ever lived close to nature, on river banks, or in the forests? Have they ever been displaced, lost everything they inherited from ancestors and Mother Nature? Whose development are we talking about and at whose cost? Let them distribute their wealth to the common people who are the victims of the greedy power companies.
— The writer also leads peoples’ movements against over exploitation of Ganga River, for the Hydel energy generation, from the river, will not plead with mankind for protection. It will show anger against the indiscriminate and greedy who exploit the resources and teach a lesson, as bitter lesson, as we see now in Uttarakhand.
Links:
[1] http://archive.asianage.com/30flood00jpg-972