One report shows that hydropower projects act as force multipliers when cloudbursts happen close to them
The Himalayan region is regarded as the powerhouse of India. Government estimates show that the Himalayas, with an installed capacity of 46,850 MW, have the potential to generate 115,550 MW of power.
To tap this potential, hydropower projects are mushrooming in the Himalayan arc. Till November 2022, the 10 states and 2 Union territories in the region, barring West Bengal, had 81 large hydropower projects (above 25 MW) and 26 projects under construction, and another 320 large projects in the pipeline.
Both the eastern and western Himalayan regions in India are one of the world’s most thickly populated mountain regions. They are also part of a seismically active zone.
Disasters linked to hydropower projects in the Himalayan region have become more frequent in recent years. The latest example of this can be seen in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath town, where more than 800 buildings have developed cracks due to subsidence. One of the reasons for this was the ongoing Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project.
In 2021, a rock and ice avalanche destroyed the Rishi Ganga project and severely damaged the Vishnugad-Tapovan HEP, leaving over 200 dead, and with estimated losses of Rs 1500 crore.
In July 2022, flash floods following a cloudburst in Malana village of Himachal Pradesh’s Parvati Valley and another near Choj village damaged the 100 MW Malana II HEP and led to about 5 deaths.
The 2022 compilation report by South Asia Network on Dams River and People Experts shows that hydropower projects act as force multipliers when cloudbursts happen close to them.
In 2021, at least 11 hydropower projects had faced cloudburst-induced deluges and damages in lesser or greater degrees. Experts say that most hydropower plants being built in the Himalayas, particularly in their upper reaches, now follow run-of-the-river designs, which appear to have a low environmental impact.
Unlike conventional hydroelectric plants with an impoundment facility, run-of-the-river projects do not require large-scale displacement of people, forest diversion or land to be submerged. But the fact is, the impacts are not reduced but only delayed in such projects.
In Arunachal Pradesh, whose waters have the highest hydropower potential in the country, a series of disasters have marred construction works at the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri HEP — the largest run-of-the-river hydropower project under construction in the country.
Recurrent disasters, clearance hurdles, and opposition from residents have also made hydropower generation economically unviable and power generation from hydropower is showing diminishing returns for developers.
In the past six years, from 2016-17 to 2021-22, India’s large hydropower projects have contributed just around 10 per cent of the total power generation, going as low as 9.68 per cent in 2017-18.
Overdependency on hydroelectric projects can lead to more disasters. What we need instead is proper strategies and alternative measures to make sure the energy we need is produced responsibly and distributed equally.
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