Centre tells SC no new hydel projects should be allowed in upper Ganga basin

Acknowledging the fragility of the Himalayan ecosystem, the Centre has told the Supreme Court that no new hydroelectric projects should be permitted in the upper reaches of the Ganga river basin in Uttarakhand, barring seven existing projects in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins that are at advanced stages of development.

In an affidavit filed before the apex court, the Centre said the seven projects — Tehri Stage-II (1,000 MW), Tapovan Vishnugad (520 MW), Vishnugad Pipalkoti (444 MW), Signoli Bhatwari (99 MW), Phata Byung (76 MW), Madhmaheshwar (15 MW) and Kaliganga-II (4.5 MW) — may be allowed to proceed, subject to stringent environmental safeguards and statutory compliance.

Represented by additional solicitor-general Aishwarya Bhati, the Union government argued that the Ganga river system required “special treatment” because of its ecological, geological and cultural importance.

“On behalf of the Union of India, it is respectfully submitted that only the seven hydro-electric projects, of which four projects are already commissioned and three projects have already achieved substantial physical and financial progress, may be permitted to proceed, subject to strict compliance with all applicable statutory provisions and environmental safeguards and that no other new hydro-electric projects shall be undertaken in the upper reaches of the Ganga river basin in Uttarakhand,” the affidavit stated.

The Centre told the court that the potential environmental damage, including harm to the health of the river system, outweighed the financial gains associated with hydropower generation.

Highlighting the ecological vulnerability of the region, the affidavit said the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins — which contain critical headstreams of the Ganga — are highly prone to landslides and flash floods and play a vital role in sustaining biodiversity and ecological balance.

The Centre also questioned earlier expert recommendations that favoured expanding hydropower development in the region, saying they did not sufficiently account for the cumulative environmental impact of multiple dams and other human interventions in the Himalayan terrain.

The submissions were made in ongoing proceedings concerning hydropower projects in the upper reaches of the Ganga, initiated in the aftermath of the devastating Kedarnath floods of 2013.

With PTI inputs