THE endangered lion-tailed macaque has become the mascot of the environmental agitation against the Sharavathy Tail Race Hydroelectric Project in Karnataka. Concerned about its negative impact on local biodiversity, environmentalists like Kusuma Sorab, G S Bhat, Ranganath and Mahabaleshwar have been agitating against the project ever since it was mooted. The 240 mw hydro-electric project will be constructed under the auspices of the Karnataka Power Corporation (KPC). To be located in a deep valley in Uttara Kannada, the project envisages replacing a 700-ha forest with a 60 m high storage dam and a power house.
The forest to go under the axe is inhabited by 3 troops of macaques, who total about 40. As over Rs 400 crores have already been spent on the project, the ministry of environment and forests has asked KPC to minimise possible environmental damage and commence work as soon as possible. Although environmentalists had provided extensive studies of how the valley's rich biodiversity would be negatively affected, political pressure has prompted the state government to renew felling at the proposed site
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