Etalin India’s Largest Hydropower Project In Trouble – Free PDF Download

Why in news?

• The Central Government has recommended a biodiversity study of the proposed 3,097 MW Etalin Hydroelectric Project in Arunachal Pradesh by a credible international institute since the current environmental impact assessment was found to be “completely inadequate”.
• The Forest Advisory Committee of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) recently took this decision

Significance

• The Project is in accordance with the Government’s push to fast-track projects in the north-east.
• It is expected to be one of the biggest hydropower projects in India in terms of installed capacity.

Location

• The Project is based on the tributaries of river Dibang.
• Dibang is a tributary of the Brahmaputra river.
• It envisages construction of two dams over the tributaries of Dibang: Dri and Tangon.

The Project

• Etalin HEP is envisaged as a run of the river type project
• The project shall include construction of two dams—

1. 101.5 metre high dam on the Dri river near Yuron village and
2. 80-metre high dam on Tangon river.
3. An underground powerhouse is proposed with 10 units of 307MW each.

• 2003 – First envisaged
• 2008 – Jindal Power
• 2017 – An expert panel of the environment ministry gave the green clearance to the project
• The project, estimated to cost ₹25,296.95 crore, is proposed to be completed in seven years

Why the objection?

• The FAC committee advised caution in pursuing the project since it falls under the “richest bio-geographical province of the Himalayan zone” and would be located at the junction of the Palaearctic, Indo-Chinese and Indo-Malayan bio-geographic regions.
• The panel also sought the views of the National Tiger Conservation Authority as the area is a big cat habitat with 12 tigers and eight clouded leopards having been spotted.

Issues related to the project

• Diversion of 1,165.66 hectares of dense forest land
• It would entail felling 2,80,677 trees.
• 18 villages consisting of 285 families are expected to be affected by the proposed project.
• Threatens the existence of 6 globally-endangered mammal species.
• The area has 680 species of birds, which is about 56% of the total avian species found in India.
• Global Biodiversity Hotspot

Birds

• 680 bird species have been recorded from this region which is about 56 percent of total bird species of India .
• Among them, 19 are globally threatened and 10 near threatened.
• It has 4 critically endangered, 2 endangered and 13 vulnerable species.
• It also has 3 very rare restricted range endemic bird species.

Note  –

• The north-east region has a hydropower potential of around 63,000 MW, of which about 50,000 MW is in Arunachal Pradesh alone.

• What is the classification of Hydro Projects based on Installed Capacity?

1. Micro: upto 100 KW
2. Mini: 101KW to 2 MW
3. Small: 2 MW to 25 MW
4. Mega: >= 500 MW

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