Environmental Impacts of Hydro Power Projects in : Governance & Audit Issues

Ravi Chopra People’s Science Institute

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Uttarakhand – Land of a thousand Gangas

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Glacial Rivers

Bhagirathi at Gaumukh

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Spring-Fed Rivers

R. Kosi in Almora district

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Hydropower Development Potential in Uttarakhand

Installed Capacities of Commissioned & Under Construction HEPs in Uttarakhand S. Project Status Micro-Mini Small Medium Large Total No . ≤ 1MW >1MW >2MW ≥5MW ≥25MW ≥ 100 ≤2 <5 <25 <100 MW 1 Commissioned 11.96 7.15 31.3 121.6 246.15 3206 3624.16 (54) (5) (9) (9) (5) (10) (92) 2 Under 2.78 3.5 20.4 76.5 175 3014 3292.18 Construction (15) (2) (5) (8) (2) (6) (38) Total 14.74 10.65 51.7 198.1 421.15 6220 6916.3 (69) (7) (14) (17) (7) (16) (130) Source: UJVNL, December 2013: S & I= Survey and Investigation Under Consideration Installed Capacities (MW) S. Project Status Micro-Mini Small Medium Large Total No. MW ≤ 1 >1 >2 MW ≥5 MW ≥25 ≥ 100 MW MW <5 < 25 MW < MW ≤ 2 100 1 Awaiting 1 1.9 7 303.8 196 2808 3317.70 Clearance (1) (1) (2) (22) (3) (9) (38) 2 S & I Stage 21.28 32.85 101.25 1086.25 2233.8 13330 16805.43 (58) (18) (28) (84) (63) (31) (282) GrandTotal 37.02 45.4 159.95 1588.1 2850.9 22358 27039.4 (128) (26) (44) (123) (73) (56) (450) Source:UJVNL, December 2013 Figures in () give the number of projects iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Hydropower projects in Uttarakhand

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Life-cycle environmental and social impacts of HEPs - Ia

ACTIVITY IMPACT Pre-Project Construction Construction of approach Land acquisition (displacement, loss of lands, homes, and roads livelihoods) Deforestation (loss of tree cover, access to CPRs, soil erosion and landslides, loss of flora and fauna, changes in micro-climate) Disposal of debris and earth (loss of trees, river water pollution) Construction of housing Deforestation for staff and labour Pollution due to sewage releases Quarrying Noise pollution, slopes destabilization, disruption of underground seepages and damage to houses Project Construction Tunneling Air and noise pollution, destabilization of slopes, damage to houses, disturbing wildlife, drying of springs, disposal of muck into the river, psychological trauma to people and animals due to the repeated blasts

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Life-cycle environmental and social impacts of HEPs - Ib

Dam Construction Disruption of river flows (biotic changes, disruption of natural functions, e.g., sediments disposal, land shaping, nutrient cycling), river pollution, loss of aesthetic, cultural, economic and recreational values. Project Operation Testing of Tunnels Slope destabilization (loss of tree cover, land, livelihoods, water sources and access to CPRs) Water Storage and Sedimentation (effect on river water quality) Release Disruption of river flow Secondary effects (release of greenhouse gases, warming of valleys, increased risks, floods, downstream urban and industrial development Laying of Power Lines Deforestation (loss of wild life habitat), soil erosion

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 CAG Report - 2009

• Reviewed 48 projects (~2423 MW) of IPPs allotted between 1993 and 2006. Till March 2009 only 5 completed (418 MW). • Delays due to land acquisition, forest clearance and capacity enhancement problems. • Poor quality pre-feasibility studies (loss to the state). • No punitive action against developers for defaulting on IA. • Poor monitoring of project execution, lack of environmental & safety concerns, generation losses. • Dry river beds, muck disposal into rivers & poor afforestation. • Inadequate state government support for timely land acquisition, forest clearance, R&R and installation of grid infra.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Expert Body ToRs

An Expert Body (EB) was set up by MoEF in October 2013 on the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court. ToRs (SC) • Assess whether the existing and ongoing/under construction hydropower projects have contributed to the environmental degradation • Make a detailed study and evaluate as to how far HEPs have contributed to the aggravation of damage caused by downstream floods. • Examine, as observed by WII, whether the proposed 24 projects in Uttarakhand are causing a significant impact on the biodiversity of the Alaknanda & basins.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: River Flows (a)

Minimal flows released downstream of HEPs leading to loss of river integrity, disruption of fish migration, loss of acquatic biota and diversity.

R. Bhagirathi upstream & downstream of MB-I

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: River Flows (b)

R. Alaknanda upstream & downstream of Vishnuprayag HEP

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: River Flows (c)

Courtesy: SANDRP

Construction of multiple projects fragments river length affecting the riverine biota & diversity. Between Maneri () and (Tehri Garhwal) 110 km of the Bhagirathi is disrupted, almost half its total length.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: Water Quality (a)

River water quality is severely impacted during the construction stage due to unscientific & unlawful muck dumping from roads & tunnel construction. Poor monitoring by regulatory authorities.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts : Water Quality (b)

A comprehensive study by NEERI has highlighted the deleterious effect of the Tehri on the unique self purifying ability of Gangajal in R. Bhagirathi.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts : Water Quality (c)

Cascading decline of self cleansing ability of R. Bhagirathi due to multiple .

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: Biodiversity (a)

The most serious impact on biodiversity is the loss of the riverine ecosystem along the rim of the Tehri reservoir .

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts : Biodiversity (b)

Courtesy: WII

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: Slope Stability (a)

The destruction does not end even after the dams are built. Landslides due to repeated raising and lowering of the water level in the Tehri reservoir.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: Slope Stability (b)

Courtesy: Navin Juyal Land subsidence and fissures in Mohan Negi village on the rim of the Tehri reservoir.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Environmental Impacts: Slope Stability (b)

Land subsidence at Chayeen village in Chamoli district after commissioning of the Vishnuprayag HEP

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Social Impacts

(a) (b) (a) Drying of springs and (b) Housing damages due to blasting

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Aggravate Disaster Impacts (a)

The Phata – Byung dam at Sitapur on R. Mandakini was not designed to take the flood of about 2000 cumecs that swept down the valley in June 2013.Water level rose almost 36 ft behind the dam.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Aggravate Disaster Impacts (b)

Ravi Chopra

Navin Juyal Himalayan rivers carry huge amounts of sediments besides water. But the dams in the IHR are not designed for the sediment loads. Destruction at the Vishnuprayag HEP due to the heavy sediment load. iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Aggravate Disaster Impacts (c)

Navin Juyal Temporal changes in the landscape at Srinagar. (a) 2007 when there was no muck dumped at the river bank. (b) 2009 muck dumping in progress and (c) after the flood when a part of the muck and the university stadium ground was washed away.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Aggravate Disaster Impacts (d)

Navin Juyal Geochemical analyses of flood sediments collected along the course of R. Alaknanda below the barrage indicate significant phyllite contribution (from muck) varying from 47% to 23% thereby raising the river bed during the flood and inundating the lower parts of Srinagar. MD indicates muck dumping sites. iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Glacier Impacts (a)

Distribution of glaciers in different river basin of Uttarakhand Himalaya (Raina and Srivastava, 2008)

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Glacier Impacts (b)

Navin Juyal

Hyperconcentrated sediment laden water was obstructed by the Vishnuprayag barrage which caused a temporary lake. The lake finally breached along the weak debris laden left flank. As a result the sudden sediment laden flood surge caused large-scale damage downstream (Pandukeshwar and Govindghat iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Projects in paraglacial zones

75 projects above the MCT

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Recommendations for immediate action – (a)

•Cancellation of 23 out of 24 Projects recommended for review by WII •Ensure Environmental Flows •No Dams in the Paraglacial Zone •Legislate Eco-Sensitive Zones and Pristine in the river system •Review EIA Procedure and insulate the EIA agency from the project developers. •All projects > 2 MW in the Ganga river system shall require prior ECs from MoEF and where necessary from the NBWL. •Fresh Clearances for old projects like Lakhwar (300 MW) and Vyasi (120 MW) that do not have the now mandatory EIA/EMP/DMP studies. •CEIA/REIA/SEA:should be done by MoEF for all rivers in the Ganga river system.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Recommendations for immediate action – (b)

•River Water Quality: Evolve technically better & ecologically sustainable methods for muck disposal at HEP construction sites. Strengthen MoEF’s personnel and procedures for post-sanction monitoring.

•Bumper-to-Bumper Dams: Scientific baseline studies required on diversity and populations of floral and faunal species in different rivers of the Ganga river system to decide the minimum distances between two consecutive HEPs.

Restoration: River bed profiles at Phata-Byung, Singoli-Bhatwari, Vishnuprayag and Srinagar HEPs have changed significantly. Prior clearance from MoEF after fresh analysis of the project hydrology and necessary redesigning for river restoration.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Recommendations for medium term action

•Catchment Area Treatment: Community-based CA and CAT plan execution must be done by the State FD within the construction period of the project. •Redesigning Dams: Model studies of structures needed to withstand heavy sediment loads in the Ganga river system during floods. •Issue River Regulation Zone (RRZ) guidelines: Civil works along the banks of River Ganga and encroachments in its flood plains must be monitored and avoided. •Enforce a Total Ban on River Bed Sand Mining: In the main stem of the river and its major tributaries. •Assessing Cultural Impacts of HEPs on the Ganga: Assess the impacts of HEPs on age-old traditions associated with the flow of Ganga and impacts on holy sites, historical places.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 I hold that economic progress in the sense I have put it (of material advancement without limits) is antagonistic to real (moral) progress. --Mahatma Gandhi

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Thank You

Web : www.peoplesscienceinstitute.org 653, Indira Nagar Mail : [email protected] Dehra Doon - 248 006 Phone : +91 135 2763649, 2763650 Uttarakhand Fax : +91 135 2760334

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iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 fo’oL; ekrj% loZ loZ’pso egkQyk% A bR;srk lfjr% jktu~ lek[;krk ;FkkLe`fr AA “O king! Rivers are mothers of the world; all of them bestow great rewards. I have enumerated as many as my memory enables me to.” -- Mahabharat, Bhishma Parva, Ch 9, verses 37/38

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Social value

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Economic value

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Cultural value

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Aesthetic value

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Recreation Value

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Transporting water & sediment from the catchment to the sea

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Land forming

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Supporting aquatic biota

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Expected Climate Change Impacts

 Temperatures in the Indian sub-continent will rise between 3.5 and 5.5ºC by 2100 (Rupa Kumar et al. 2006)

 Impacts are expected to intensify in the – due to their being a very sensitive system.

 Many Himalayan glaciers are retreating faster than the world average.

 The rate of retreat of the Glacier over the last three decades was more than three times the rate during the preceding 200 years

 Rapid reduction of glaciers – impacting stream flows, hydrology and biodiversity downstream.

 Increased disasters, glacial lakes outbursts and landslides.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 The Retreat of the

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Houses are destroyed

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Trees & Forests are mowed down

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 River Flows

• Shrinking glaciers, loss of year round flows and construction of HEPs threaten river flows

• Hence reviving subsurface flows, minimizing short and long range threats to glaciers and environmental flows d/s of dams are essential.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Protection of Wild & Scenic Rivers

• Upper reaches of Himalayan rivers have high wilderness value • Legislation required to protect such wilderness and scenic stretches. • 135km Gaumukh to Uttarkashi eco-sensitive area and declaration of Tirthan river in HP as a wild river are important steps. • Wild & scenic river stretches offer livelihoods possibilities.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Safe & Sustainable Hydropower Development -- I • The current opposition is due to perceived loss of resources, threats to life and livelihoods, no direct benefits to local people and cultural issues. • Conceptual shift from maximum resource exploitation to sustainable & optimum resource use. • Environmental flows d/s of dams must be guaranteed; monitoring by local communities. • Sanctioning of projects only after approval by affected Gram Sabhas and open/transparent procedures • Priority to locally owned micro and mini hydro projects. • Community friendly R&R policies required; all villages lying above or below tunnels are project affected villages. • Need to reassess hydropower potential keeping in mind environmental and social aspects.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015 Safe & Sustainable Hydropower Development -- II

• Safe technologies – tunnel boring machines, insurance coverage, new dam designs and use of the Precautionary Principle. • Green restoration with CAMPA funds to be done locally through Gram Panchayats. • A Himalayan Rivers Commission to prepare a publicly accepted rivers conservation and hydropower policy is needed – first focus on demand management & alternate power sources. Basin-scale hydropower planning approach. • Honesty in compliances – EIAs, Jan Sunwais, approval conditions. Monitoring by local communities. • Shares in companies & investments in local SHGs, small production units as part of CSR activities. • Local communities must be partners in development.

iCED Jaipur – July, 2015