A breathtakingly beautiful waterfall and parts of the accompanying forest in India are set to be submerged for the sake of a loathsome hydroelectric project with corruption’s stench all over it. Taking advantage of the government’s hidden agenda in the form of a dodgy EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) Draft 2020 and the blinding ignorance of the general population, corporate lobbyists are on track to make huge gains off the Athirappilly Hydro-Electric Project (AHEP) across river Chalakudy.

A majestic instance of nature’s artistry

Athirappilly Waterfalls situated in the southern state of Kerala, originating from the higher spheres of the Western Ghats, standing tall at 80 feet, and home to a variety of endemic species is an absolute epitome of picturesque locale. It crashes down in multiple tiers, attracting several million tourists year-round. The scenic site has set beautiful backdrops for several regional and international films. Touted a biodiversity hotspot, the dense forest and river that lines the falls is home to all 4 species of Western Ghats Hornbills, 215 bird species, 104 fish species, and a plethora of larger mammals such as langurs, lion tailed macaques, giant squirrels and tigers among others. The proposed project area will submerge parts of an elephant migratory route, the remnants of low elevation riparian forest habitat present here, and the habitats of more than a few endangered species.

Draft EIA-2020

Environmental Impact Assessment or EIA is a provision of the Environmental Protection Act that was set up by the Indian government after the infamous Bhopal Gas Tragedy. EIA approval is a necessary certification for industrial and infrastructure projects to get green clearances in India. In a striking blow to environmentalists over the country, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issued a draft of EIA in March of 2020 with quite a few peculiar adjustments:

• Post-Facto Approval

  Activities may commence prior to receiving environmental clearance.

• Reduction of Public hearing to 20 days

  Time allotted for public comments will be reduced from 30 days to 20.

• Public participation exemptions

  Guidelines violated cannot be reported by the general public. They must be reported by a government authority or the violators themselves.

• Strategic exemptions

  Projects with strategic importance and construction projects up to 150,000 sq.m (earlier 20,000 sq.m) will be exempted.

• Exemption of Hydro-electric projects up to 25 MW

  This provision allows all hydro-power projects with installed capacities totaling less than 25 MW to go without EIA checks. It also leaves loopholes for proposed projects to be split on paper into multiples of 25 MW.

Execution of EIA hasn’t ever been proper since its inception. With the loosening of restrictions and the questionable clauses included in the draft, EIA will be reduced to a mere namesake paperwork process used by consultants to deepen their pockets. It is clear that the 2020 EIA draft aims to only strengthen the bureaucratic grip over the environmental clearance procedure while limiting public engagement in the matter.

Relentless lobbying over the years

The idea of a hydroelectric project in Athirapally was first proposed in the early 80’s by the Kerala State Electricity Board. Environmental groups and local collectives have strongly opposed the proposal on account of habitat destruction, human rights violation, and weakening of forest conservation efforts. Post debates over several decades, the state government approved the project in 2005. This approval was subsequently annulled by the Kerala High Court in 2006. In 2011, the WGEEP released a report citing that Environmental Impact Assessment was shoddily carried out to manipulate results. In June of 2020, the state government issued a no objection certificate (NOC) to the State Electricity Board (KSEB) giving the thumbs up to proceed with the proposal.

Development vs Conservation dilemma

Development initiatives must be weighed giving due diligence so as to ensure that resources are poured into only the best most feasible projects. With something as key as electricity, development activities may be allowed provided the pros outweigh the cons. Unfortunately, with AHEP that’s not the case. The state which long used to be a power deficit one has launched several schemes to decrease power imports. KSEB’s ‘Soura’ program which aims to add 1000 MW of solar power is part of such efforts. The ecological impacts of AHEP were studied as part of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report. According to Madhav Gadgil, the renowned environmentalist who was chairman of the committee, “The project is financially unviable as there’s much less water in the dam than what is claimed in the project report.”

Endnote

Amongst solid opposition to the proposal, it is truly derogatory behaviour from the side of the state government to give the go ahead for such a scheme. The world’s first fully solar powered international airport is located in Cochin, the commercial capital of Kerala state. Numerous other projects have proved that solar among other renewable power sources can be feasible solutions for the state’s energy problems. The state categorises hydropower as green energy. Considering carbon emissions for each watt of power produced, this is appropriate. However, this categorisation ignores numerous other environmental implications put forth by such large-scale developments. The need of the hour is sustainable energy. Taking into account all the effects of the project as a whole, questions arise as to what can ideally be termed sustainable.