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The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has granted in-principle approval for the diversion of 142 hectares of forest land in the Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka, despite concerns over ecological damage and project feasibility and in the absence of forest clearance.
The sanctuary, located in the Western Ghats, is home to approximately 700 lion-tailed macaques — the highest population of the endangered species in any protected area. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, only around 2,500 individuals remain in the wild and the population continues to decline.
The land diversion proposal, amounting to 142.76 hectares, was approved at the NBWL Standing Committee’s 84th meeting on June 26, 2025. It included 39.72 hectares of land from the eco-sensitive zone surrounding the sanctuary and is meant for the construction of the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project (2,000 megawatts), to be implemented by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts.
According to the meeting minutes uploaded on the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s Parivesh portal, the proposal has been recommended by the state’s chief wildlife warden, the State Board for Wildlife and the Karnataka government.
“The dams are already constructed,” the document states. “The scheme envisages the use of water released from the Linganamakki dam to the powerhouse (55 MW) via a power channel into the Talakalale reservoir, which acts as a balancing reservoir for the existing 1,035 MW Sharavathi project.”
The new pumped storage project proposes to utilise the Talakalale and Gerusoppa reservoirs as upper and lower reservoirs, respectively, tapping a vertical head of over 460 metres. No modification of these existing structures is planned, the committee noted.
However, the project will entail the felling of approximately 15,000 trees for the construction of an access road and the laying of underground pipes connecting the reservoirs, the minutes said.
NBWL member HS Singh flagged several key issues, including media reports opposing the project. He raised doubts about the economic viability of pumped storage, which requires electricity to pump water uphill before generating power from its release. The process involves energy loss, and the entire potential energy cannot be recovered as electrical energy. This would not be an economically viable project, Singh stated in the minutes.
He further warned of significant “ecological damage” and recommended that the project first secure approval under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980. He also called for the constitution of an expert committee to conduct a site inspection before the proposal is placed before the NBWL Standing Committee.
The director of the Wildlife Institute of India also voiced concerns, emphasising that the sanctuary is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In response, the Karnataka chief wildlife warden clarified that the project involves using existing reservoirs and would not require the construction of new dams. The turbines and pumps would be the same, he said, and the system would rely on solar energy to pump water to the upper reservoir during daylight hours. Power would then be generated during peak evening hours by releasing water downhill.
“During the day hours, with the generation of solar power, water would be pumped up to the Talakalale, which is upper reservoir. During evening hours, which is peak time, water would be flowed to Gerusoppa dam which is a Lower reservoir to generate electricity,” the minutes noted his comments.
The chief wildlife warden called it a “green project”, and stated that it will not have much ecological impact on the area, according to the minutes. He added that the road construction would have some impact on tree cover, but mitigation measures — including the construction of canopy bridges — had been proposed to ensure unimpeded movement of the macaques.
NBWL member Raman Sukumar highlighted the dense forest cover of the Sharavathi Valley sanctuary and its significance as the single largest habitat of Lion-Tailed Macaques in the Western Ghats. The proposal lacks comprehensive details on the ecological impact, including the extent of forest loss, the number of trees to be felled, and the type and number of species that would be affected by the project, such as the construction of dams, roads and other associated activities, he stated
“The proposal should be carefully examined in detail. There should be a thorough environment impact assessment for the project,” Sukumar stated.
The member secretary of the NBWL clarified that processes for forest clearance, wildlife clearance, and environmental clearance are being carried out simultaneously. A site inspection has already been conducted as part of the forest clearance procedure. No new dams are to be built, and underground pipes would connect the existing structures, he noted.
The member secretary clarified that the processes of wildlife clearance, forest clearance and environment clearance were going on simultaneously.
“Site inspection has been carried out in this project proposal for forest clearance. No new dams are going to be constructed as per the project proposal. The existing two dams are going to be connected through underground pipes. The damage to the protected area would be caused due to construction of the road rather than any other activity associated with the project,” the member secretary stated.
The member secretary assured that while there would be some disturbance to the canopy, sufficient mitigation measures would be required. As per the Ministry's guidelines, a forest clearance proposal is considered only after receiving wildlife clearance if the project falls within a protected area.
The committee concluded that the proposal would be placed before the Standing Committee for final appraisal only after it receives approval under the Van Adhiniyam.
The chairman also recommended that the proposal be reconsidered by the committee after the requisite forest clearance is secured and additional conditions were placed on the in-principle nod.