Another worrying factor, he says, is that the project being a peak-load station, the Chalakudy river will experience heavy fluctuations of water flow. The dam will function for four to five hours in the evening. When power is not being generated the flow will be below 10 cumec. But for the four to five hours when power is generated the release can be as high as 130 cumec. This may result in overflowing and will pose problems for irrigation projects downstream, including the Chalakudy River Diversion Scheme, which irrigates and provides drinking water to at least 22 gram panchayats in Trissur and Ernakulam districts.

The project is also being referred to as one of the least efficient hydropower projects in India. With the project’s installed capacity being 160 mw and taking into account the reduced water flow, experts say the project will generate only 26.7 mw, or 234 million units of energy. They say the state loses 3,020 million units in just transmission of power, so even if 10 per cent of the loss can be prevented, the board will be able to save 302 million units of energy.

Tribals, biodiversity
It is alleged that two settlements of the Kadar tribe comprising around 80 families will be the worst affected. “Ward no 6 of Athirapally panchayat has about 21 Kadar families living in less than 400 m from the proposed dam site and yet the ministry claims that the families will not be affected. We informed the committee of the perils but they do not show in the recommendations,” says V K Geetha, a Kadar schoolteacher and a member of the Athirapally village panchayat.

A Latha, research coordinator of Chalakudy-based River Research Centre, says the problems threatening the area’s ecology cannot be summed up in a few pages by suggesting some mitigation measures. “The recommendations of the expert committee are flawed,” she says, adding that a stretch of 28.5 hectares of riparian forest falls under the submergence area.

“The Vazhachal stretch of the Chalakudy river has the highest fish density and diversity in the state. The project area also falls under the habitat of the rarest and highly endangered Cochin Forest Cane turtle (Heosemys silvatica). The National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources in Lucknow has recommended this stretch as a fish sanctuary,” she adds.

V S Vijayan, chairperson of Kerala Biodiversity Board, agrees: “The Vazhachal forest division is the second most biodiverse area in the state. The International Bird Association has declared it an ‘Important Bird Area’ and the Asian Nature Conservation Foundation has recommended that the area should be declared a sanctuary or a national park. The Wildlife Trust of India, too, has named it one of India’s best elephant conservation efforts. Any disruption to this fragile ecosystem will spell disaster.”

Amita Bachchan, research consultant with the state forest department, says the area is the only nesting site of the endangered Malabar Pied Hornbill. “Three of the four species of the hornbill nesting sites fall within the submergence area of the dam,” he said.