JOIN USExpert panel against Gundia project
The Gundia Hydro Electric Project (GHEP) proposed by the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) should not be executed “as the loss of biodiversity and environmental impact would be significant,” says a report by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).
The report, prepared by the panel headed by noted environment scientist Madhav Gadgil, was submitted on August 31. It said the execution of the Gundia project in three stages and two phases would cause large-scale land cover changes in the Gundia river basin.
The project has been proposed in the Gundia river basin of Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts to generate 200 MW of power (613 MU).
The project proposes to utilise water from Yettinahole, Kerihole, Hongadahalla and Bettakumeri streams covering a catchment area of 178.5 sq km. The second stage will include Kumaradhara and Lingathhole streams covering 78 sq km of catchment area.
The third stage will involve six streams, including Kumarahole and Abilbiruhole covering a catchment area of 70 sq km.
The proposed Gundia hydro electric project falls in an area that has been classified as Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 (ESZ 1) by WGEEP. The WGEEP recommends that no large storage dams be permitted in ESZ 1.
The report states that the impact on the habitat and biodiversity would be not only from submergence, but also associated activity, including building constructions as well as roads to access the various project sites.
The project will alter the hydrological regime of the river basin. Kumaradhara River, a perennial source of water to the important temple-township at Subrahmanya, will lose water due to its diversion to the Bettakumeri Dam. This may have implications for the pilgrims visiting the temple.
The implications of land cover changes on the catchment yield as well as diversion of waters as envisaged in the project are not clear. Current perennial streams could become seasonal (as has happened in Sharavati River basin), while the altered hydrology downstream could affect livelihoods of local people.
The tunnel access to the main underground powerhouse is located in an area of primary forest cover. This location is not desirable as it would cause disturbance to one of the few remaining patches of primary evergreen forests of Gundia basin.
The recommendation of WGEEP is, therefore, not to permit the execution of the Gundia project, as the loss of biodiversity and environmental impact would be significant.
The salient features of the biodiversity of the Gundia basin are (Sukumar and Shanker 2011):
* Plants – There are 43 tree species. The tree richness of Bettakumeri and Hongadahalla submerge sites are higher than the average richness of the Gundia basin.
The biomass of the vegetation in the Gundia basin is much lower than other comparable forests in the Western Ghats such as Kudremukh and Silent Valley, presumably because of removal of large trees in Gundia.
* Insects – A new bee discovered by Renee M Borges and team in an ant plant, Humboldtia Brunonis, that is found in these forests and is endemic to the Western Ghats.
This cuckoo bee is Braunsapis Bislensis (named after Bilse forests where it was found).
* Fish – Three locally protected sites for Mahsheers in the downstream region of the Kumaradhara and Netravati indicate the fish richness of the region as well as the conservation priority given to these rivers by local people.
* Amphibians – Out of a total 21 species of amphibians recorded in this study, 18 species were endemic to the Western Ghats, while two species Nyctibatrachus Sanctipalustris and Indirana Gundia are presently known only from the Gundia basin.
* Birds – Of the 69 species of birds sampled in this study, six were endemic to Western Ghats.
* Mammals – Several species of mammals that are listed under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, are present in the Gundia basin though in low abundances. Lion tailed macaque, Travancore Flying Squirrel and Nilgiri Marten have been reported from the border region though they were not recorded in the bio-diversity study within the protected areas. The presence of tiger has been reported in the region. The Asian elephant has been recorded in the project area.
The Gundia basin lies outside the Pushpagiri Wildlife Sanctuary that is part of Project Elephant: Mysore Elephant Reserve.
The significance of Gundia basin for the movement of elephants between the Mysore Elephant Reserve and other areas to the north of Hassan-Sakleshpur-Mangalore highway has not been investigated so far. It has not been listed among the priority elephant corridors recognised by the Centre as given in the publication – ‘Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors of India’.
Background
The State government allotted the Gundia Hydro Electric Project (GHEP) to Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) on October 6, 1998.
KPCL has obtained clearances from departments including fisheries, culture, ASI, health and family welfare, Central Electricity Authority, water resources department. When KPCL wrote to MoEF twice in 2008, the ministry insisted on conducting a public hearing in Dakshina Kannada district also.
In 2009, when the matter came up for the consideration of MoEF again, the Malenadu Janapara Horata Samiti made an appeal before the Expert Appraisal Committee, while noted environmentalist and Chipko movement leader Sunder Lal Bahuguna held a protest at Bettakumari and Hongadahalla. Following this, MoEF asked WGEEP to visit the site and submit its recommendations. WGEEP visited the site in August and September 2010.