BENGALURU: An expert committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the proposal for diversion of forest and non-forest land from the Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary and its eco-sensitive zone, has strongly recommended against approving the proposed 2000MW Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project.
The National Board for Wildlife Site Appraisal Committee notes that the proposed activities are likely to result in habitat fragmentation, disturbance to wildlife, cumulative stress on forest and riverine ecosystems, and long-term degradation of ecological integrity in an area already under pressure from existing infrastructure.
“The present proposal lacks compelling technical merit, environmental sustainability, or alignment with public interest. Accordingly, in adherence to statutory conservation mandates, the committee does not recommend its approval,” said the report submitted by the committee comprising Dr HS Singh, Prof Raman Sukumar, members, Shivakumar CM, Inspector General of Forests (NTCA, Bengaluru) and Site Appraisal Committee member-convener.
The report was placed before the division bench of Chief Justice Vibhu Bakhru and Justice KS Hemalekha on Friday, during the hearing of the public interest litigation filed by Akhilesh Chipli and others challenging the project.
Upon comprehensive examination of the proposed Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project, including its stated objectives, technical justification, ecological setting, statutory considerations, and concerns raised during field inspections and stakeholder interactions, the committee observed that the project primarily involves temporal shifting of electricity generation rather than contributing to any net increase in power generation.
The project is situated within a legally protected and ecologically sensitive landscape that supports the northernmost viable population of the endangered Lion-Tailed Macaque, functions as an important tiger movement corridor, and sustains a high diversity of rare, endemic, and threatened species.
Key findings of the committee
The construction of three dams -- Linganamakki at the upper level, Talakalale at the mid-level, and Sharavathi (Gerusoppa) at the lower level -- across the Sharavathi river and its major tributary has already fragmented the landscape of Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining forest tracts in the central Western Ghats of Karnataka. This has resulted in extensive loss of prime, highly productive valley habitats for wildlife. At present, wildlife is largely confined to hilly terrains and narrow valleys along upper-order streams.
Species affected include the Lion-tailed Macaque (LTM), tiger, leopard, and ungulates such as Indian gaur, sambar, barking deer and mouse deer. In forest ecosystems, large mammals typically occur at higher densities in plains, valleys, and low hills or gently sloping terrains due to greater primary productivity and resource availability. The loss of these productive habitats is therefore a likely explanation for the present low density of wild ungulates observed in the Sharavathi Wildlife Sanctuary and its surrounding areas, following construction of the three dams.
With implementation of the project, there is a lowered possibility of LTM crossing between the northern and southern populations.
Five long years of construction, movement of vehicles and establishment activities lead to disturbance, which is likely to leave very limited scope for survival of the southern population of the LTM and other major wildlife species, particularly ungulates.
Replacement of the existing transmission line with a new higher-capacity line is likely to result in the felling of a large number of trees, destruction of natural ecosystems, and prolonged disturbance to wildlife.
Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the project, particularly with respect to ecology and wildlife, is inadequate and fails to comprehensively assess the impacts of the project on the ecosystem and flora and fauna therein.