MoEF approves controversial Demwe hydropower project

Says environmental and social impacts too few as compared to potential for generating clean energy

Overruling the recommendations of the expert members of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL), the Union environment ministry, has given its nod to the controversial Demwe Lower Hydro Electric Project in Arunachal Pradesh. The Board is a statutory body that assesses the impacts of development projects on wildlife. In its meeting in December, the members of the standing committee of the Board argued, on the basis of a site inspection report prepared by one of the committee's members Asad Rahmani, that the project would have devastating impact on wildlife.

Keeping aside the findings of the site inspection report and the concerns of the expert members, the ministry on behalf of NBWL issued the order on February 11, recommending clearance for the project. The order says the project was cleared because it has huge potential for generating clean energy (mitigating 50 million tonnes of CO2 every year), which far outweighed environmental and social impacts.

Difference of opinion

	Rahmani in his report said the project will have harmful impacts downstream, especially on the grasslands of Dibru Saikhowa National Park and the chapories (riverine islands) of Lohit river. Both the areas are identified as Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International and are the remaining limited habitats of the critically endangered Bengal Florican. Ministry said the chapori islands do not get submerged even in monsoons and are not good habitats for birds Rahmani in his report highlighted the project's impact on the Gangetic River Dolphin, the national aquatic animal in the Lohit river in downstream areas in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Ministry said there were no reports of sighting of Gangetic Dolphins in the vicinity of the proposed dam site Rahmani also highlighted the project will submerge parts of the Parshuram Kund Medicinal Plant Conservation Area, identified for the conservation of Globally Significant Medicinal Plants. The ministry went by the state government’s claim and said the area was 150 metre above submergence level Rahmani said the environment impact assessment (EIA) was inadequate to analyse the impacts of the project downstream and had recommended comprehensive studies for the same before the project was cleared. Ministry said the studies will be conducted post clearance along with the construction of the project and mitigation measures proposed by these studies will be implemented concurrently

Impact on environment ignored

Wrong justification

Neeraj Vagholikar of non-profit Kalpavriksh said it was a dangerous order. “How can you legitimise post-clearance EIA in the name of a trade-off for the benefits of the energy generated from the project? Trade-offs imply decisions to be made with full comprehension of both the upside and downside of a particular choice,” he says. The downstream impacts of the project are yet to be ascertained and serious concerns raised by an overwhelming majority of the wildlife experts on the NBWL Standing Committee have been over-ruled, he says. Vagholikar also questioned the ministry’s stand that there are relatively fewer environmental and social impacts as compared to the benefits of supposedly clean energy. “In addition to the freshly commissioned studies as a condition of wildlife clearance, ongoing studies on ecology, riverine production systems and livelihoods in the downstream are yet to be placed before decision-makers and the public. What is the basis of the ministry’s claim of fewer impacts?” he asked.

An expert member of the standing committee of NBWL agrees. “If the ministry had made up its mind to clear the project, what was the need of commissioning a site inspection? They have just gone by the official views of the state government. I wonder what is the need of having non-official members in the standing committee then?” asked the member, who did not wish to be named.

Assam