Greens slam Sharavathi hydro-pumped storage plant

The state government’s initiative to implement the Sharavathi hydro-pumped storage plant in Sagar taluk of the district has come under severe criticism from environmentalists and scientists. 

Prof T V Ramachandra, coordinator of the Energy and Wetlands Research Group (EWRG) at IISc, questioned the need to implement the hydro-electric project in the Sharavathi Valley, an ecologically sensitive area, given the availability of viable energy sources.

Pointing out that the ecology of the area is already fragile, he questioned, “All sensible people, including me, will oppose the project. We can’t take more risks in ecologically sensitive areas. We have already burnt our fingers in Wayanad of Kerala, in Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Shirur in Uttara Kannada district. Why should we make the same mistakes?”

He said solar energy is emerging as a big player. The project is aimed at looting natural resources, he stated.

He said a team of scientists from IISc conducted a survey in Sharavathi Valley between 2000 and 2003 and submitted a report to the state government stating that any giant project in the region would cause irreparable damage to the ecological balance of the region. 

State Western Ghat Task Force former chairman and environmentalist Anant Hegde Ashisara told DH that a pumped-storage project involves two reservoirs, one atop a hill and another at the bottom. Excess electricity is used to pump water uphill to the upper reservoir. When electricity demand spikes, the water is released to the lower reservoir through a turbine, generating power. It also involves the construction of an underground tunnel and the eight power-generating units. 

He pointed out that the construction of reservoirs and tunnels in Sharavathi Valley must not be approved, given that the stakes involved the survival of not just the flora and fauna of the Western Ghats, but of mankind. 

The initiative has been approved by the Union Energy Ministry and the officials are drafting the detailed project report (DPR). The tender process has been initiated and the state government could not proceed without obtaining clearance from the Union Minister of Environment and Forests, Ashisara pointed out.

He expressed hope that the Union ministry would refuse permission for the diversion of 125 acres of forest land in the wake of recent landslides reported in various parts of the state and Kerala, besides considering IISc’s report on Sharavathi Valley.