In Spiti, hydro power projects seen as threat to fragile ecology

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 23 April 2014 | 22.33

TABO (LAHAUL-SPITI): "At last they entered a world - a valley of leagues where the high hills were fashioned of the mere rubble and refuse from off the knees of the mountains... Surely the Gods live here. Beaten down by the silence and the appalling sweep of dispersal of the cloud-shadows after rain. This place is no place for men." This was what Rudyard Kipling had said about Spiti Valley in his book Kim. But now same valley is facing threat from the proposed hydro power projects which has left tribals restless.

To save their valley from being plundered by hydro power projects, tribals in a meeting of gram sabha held recently have decided not to give NOC to the project being proposed in their area. They already have approached state government and National Commission for Schedule Tribe on the issue.

In a gram sabha held in Tabo on April 7 last year tribals had passed the resolution to stop the 104 MW Lara-Sumte hydro project. In the resolution villagers had submitted that execution of project in cold desert would result into global warming and would result into faster melting of glaciers on which natural water resources of area depends.

After informing the local authorities about the decision of gram sabha, tribals under the banner of Shamas Sangarsh Samiti had also met National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Vice-Chairperson, Ravi Thakur who also happens to be the MLA of Lahaul-Spiti on february 25 this year.

In his letter written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, Union Ministry of Tribal Affairs and Chief Minister Himachal Pradesh, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, Vice-Chairperson, Ravi Thakur has stated that construction of dams and power projects definitely will destroy the cultural, ecological, environmental, economic and political environment and equilibrium of the district which is presently being enjoyed by the indigenous tribals of the area. Thakur has also requested them not to grant any permission for the construction of dams over the Spiti river.

Sanctioning of project at around 10500 feet height has left tribals worried as project is coming despite one man committee of then Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) Avay Shukla, appointed by green bench of high court to monitor the impact of hydro power projects on environment in his report submitted in 2010 recommending that sanctioning of projects above a height of 7000 feet requires a more detailed examination by the experts in the fields of hydrology, geology, forestry, environment and zoology.

In his report Shukla had said that this committee is strongly of the view that the government's present practice of indiscriminately allotting hydel projects all over the state without any consideration to their impact on the larger environment-which mere environment impact assessments (EIAs) and environment management plans (EMPs) cannot address- is short sighted, unplanned and could result into serious depletion of the state's natural resources in the long run.


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