Shimla,

The 775-MW Luhri Hydroelectric Project has run into rough weather with the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry for Environment and Forests for river valley projects expressing concern over its environmental fallout in view of the extremely long head race tunnel (HRT) and reservoir, which will affect a large number of people due to submergence of land.

It has advised the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) to consider options like reducing the length of the tunnel, decreasing the height of the dam and allowing larger increase environmental flows as mitigating measures.

The 38.14-km twin HRT through which water will be diverted to powerhouse for power generation will effectively render dry about 50-km stretch of the Sutlej.

“The terms of reference of the project were decided in May 2007 when the water environment and issues were not as conspicuous or serious as they are in current times. Otherwise, such a long diversion of river water through the HRT would have been objected to at that time,” the committee observed.

Consultants to the project, who have been interacting with the Ministry, and the committee should have advised the project proponents and alerted them regarding the recent criteria of the EAC and they should have been more cautious. The only remedy now available was to consider mitigating measures.

It noted that most of the dumping sites were at less than 30 m from the HFL (highest flood level) at which 88.73 lakh cubic metre of the total 126.75 lakh cubic metre of muck will be dumped over 64.71 hectares. Most of the muck-dumping sites lack prevailing norm of the EAC and they need to be relocated.

Total land requirement of land for the project is 380 hectare, including 271 hectares of forest land and 109 hectares of private land and a population of 68,463 persons of 14,574 households in 168 villages, which was quite large, will be affected.

If all the mitigation measures are taken, the generation capacity will be reduced considerably and the project may be rendered unviable.

However, General Manager of the project Satish Sharma said the SJVN would respond to the objections raised by the EAC with full justifications.

Residents have been opposing the tunnel-based project and agitating under the banner of the Sutlej Bachao Jan Sangharsh Samiti.

Residents of some gram sabhas have already passed resolutions for stopping the testing work in the area. As per the provisions of the Forest Right Act, no activity that impacted the forest rights of the community can be carried out without the consent of the gram sabha concerned.