On May 19, the Centre submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court stating its opposition to new hydroelectric projects in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River basins, apart from the existing seven projects that are either commissioned or in advanced stages of construction.
The Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers merge to form the Ganga River, and these river basins supply food, nutrients, and critical biodiversity to the ecosystem.
The joint affidavit was filed following a consensus among the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Ministry of Power (MoP), and the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) in response to a notice issued by the Supreme Court in January 2026. The Supreme Court has been examining the upper Ganga situation since the catastrophic floods in Uttarakhand in 2013, which resulted in the loss of thousands of lives and property.
Union Govt’s stand
In the affidavit, the government outlined the reasons for limiting the number of hydropower projects in the upper Ganga River basin. It emphasized that additional hydropower projects could significantly increase the risk of floods, particularly glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), disrupt river flow critical for nearly half of the country’s population, and undermine the river’s spiritual significance.
The government stated: “Only the following seven hydroelectric projects, of which four are already commissioned and three have achieved substantial physical and financial progress, may be permitted to proceed, subject to strict compliance with all applicable statutory provisions and environmental safeguards. No other new hydroelectric projects shall be undertaken in the upper reaches of the Ganga River basin in the State of Uttarakhand.” The government also provided a status update on all seven projects. The Tapovan Vishnugad project on the Dhauliganga river has completed over 75 per cent of its work, the Vishnugad Pipalkoti project on the Alaknanda river is at 80 per cent completion and the Phata Byung project on the Bhagirathi River is 74 per cent ready. The other four projects, commissioned in the past six years, are at advanced planning stages.
Expert body recommendations
Following a Supreme Court directive in May 2015, the Central government constituted an expert body (EB) on June 3, 2015, comprising hydrologists, technology experts, blasting and tunnelling specialists, biodiversity experts, seismologists and social scientists. This body recommended 28 projects in the upper Ganga region. However, out of these, only 7 projects have been approved for construction and are in advanced stages. The remaining 21 projects have a total hydropower capacity of approximately 2,100 MW. On August 8, 2024, the SC formed a committee comprising the cabinet secretary, along with the secretaries of MoEFCC, MoJS, MoP and the chief secretary of Uttarakhand to deliberate on the remaining 21 projects recommended by the EB.
The committee found that proceeding with the seven hydroelectric projects would increase vulnerability to GLOFs. These projects include Alaknanda, Tamak Lata, Lata Tapovan, JelamTamak, Bhilangana-IIA, Bhilangana-HB, and Bhilangana-HC.
Moreover, the committee decided against proceeding with another eight projects situated in high aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems including Kotlibhel IB, Kotlibhel IA, Melkhet, Dewali, Kai1 Ganga, Khiraoganga, KotBudhaKedar and Suwari Gad.
Additionally, two projects, Bowala Nandprayag (300 MW) and Nandprayag Langasu (100 MW) were deemed to be in close proximity. The Uttarakhand government chose to proceed with the Bowala Nandprayag project.
After considering all aspects, the committee recommended only five hydroelectric projects from the 21 examined: Bowala Nandprayag (after shifting the project downstream), Devsari, Bhyundar Ganga, Jhalakoti, and Urgam-II in the upper reaches of the River Ganga.
Opposition from two ministries
Ministry of Jal Shakti emphasized that if the five recommended projects were implemented, they would impact the free flow of the river. It criticized the EB’s report for failing to assess the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic pressures beyond hydropower development. It also pointed out that the report did not consider the detrimental effects on water-bearing layers caused by blasting during tunnel construction which can lead to drying out of water sources. It highlighted that severe environmental risks, including the health of the river, outweigh the economic benefits of the proposed hydro power projects.
The MoEFCC agreed with the views of the MoJS. The report indicates that all 28 projects recommended by the expert body are situated in areas prone to landslides and fall within seismic zones IV or V. Catastrophic events including landslides flash floods, GLOF, tunnel collapses and seismic activity, have occurred in the vicinity of these project sites. The Central government then decided against the five out of the 21 proposed projects and took the significant step of rejecting all projects recommended by the expert body.
The government cited that the Ganga river basin is unique and distinctly different from other river basins due to its cultural, historical and geographical significance.