Amid protests against big dams, CM Pema Khandu urges PSUs to focus on small hydro projects

Guwahati: Amid frequent public protests against big dams, Arunachal Pradesh government is focusing on small hydro power projects in order to generate electricity and address concerns about possible adverse impacts.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday asked the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) to explore the possibility of setting up small power projects with capacity to generate 100 to 300MW of electricity in the tributaries of five main rivers of the state.

Khandu was reviewing the work on construction of at least 13 mega hydro power projects, construction work of which has often been halted due to agitations by local organisations fearing adverse impact on the ecology and the environment.

Some of the big projects, which got affected due to the agitations include 2000MW Lower Subansiri hydro power project, 4,000 MW Dibang Valley hydro project and the Siang Multi-purpose project. Some projects missed the deadlines several times, mainly due to the agitations.

Khandu asked the PSUs to meet the deadlines as the delay costs loss of around Rs 9 crores per day in revenue and local area development funds.

Big or samll dams?

The state government had earlier signed agreements with several private companies for construction of mega hydro power projects.

But strong agitations by local communities halted the work, leading to cost escalation.

The Pema Khandu-led BJP government, however, cancelled the agreements and roped in at least 13 PSUs for the same. But frequent protests have affected their work too. Local communities fear that big dams could play havoc in case of a natural calamity like a big earthquake as the entire Northeastern region is sitting on a high seismic zone. Many environmentalists, instead, suggested that the government should focus on small hydro projects in its rivers in order to meet the demand for electricity.

But the government have stressed that Arunachal Pradesh has the potential of generating 50 per cent of the country’s hydropower potential.

The 13 projects could generate 12,500 MW electricity and can contribute revenue of Rs 10,000 crores. Khandu recently said big hydro power projects is necessary as China was constructing several similar projects on their side.