A pause for ecological balance

Beyond halting hydropower projects, fragile landscapes need lasting environmental safeguards and policy reform

In the Central government’s decision not to permit new hydro-electricity projects in the upper reaches of the river Ganga, there is a welcome recognition of ecological realities in the Himalayas. Three central ministries – handling environment, water, and power – told the Supreme Court, in an affidavit, that the government was not in favour of sanctioning new projects on the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers in Uttarakhand. They cited the region’s ecological vulnerabilities, disaster risks, and religious significance as reasons that prompted the decision. However, the government proposes to complete the seven ongoing projects in the region. So far, it has backed multiple infrastructure projects while ignoring credible ecological concerns. Some of them, including the Char Dham project, have run into opposition over their adverse impact on the terrain. Infrastructure projects in the region have been defended on the grounds of national security requirements, promotion of pilgrimage and tourism, power production, and flood control. Now, after multiple disasters, the government appears to have partially acknowledged the urgency in securing the region’s ecological balance.

In 2013, the Kedarnath floods showed the world the pent-up, destructive force of Himalayan nature. Since then, the region has experienced multiple landslides, cloudbursts, and subsidence in both urban and rural areas, and on highways. Glacial retreats, caused mainly by climate change but also aggravated by human intervention in nature, have led to major disasters and altered the topography of many areas along the Himalayan stretch. In 2023, a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) in north Sikkim washed away a hydroelectric project on the river Teesta. Apprehensions regarding hydropower projects underway on the Ganga basin have been placed before the Supreme Court since the 2013 flash floods. The government’s affidavit was in response to a Court directive seeking a status report of the projects.

The principle behind the Central government’s change in stance should apply to other projects under construction or consideration in the Himalayan states. The projects being planned in the eastern Himalayan region on the rivers Teesta, Siang, and Dibang have attracted criticism. India has proposed a mega hydroelectricity transmission plan centred on the strategically critical Brahmaputra. Geologists and environmentalists have repeatedly expressed concern not only over the massive construction activity but also over the expansion of human settlements. Notably, this is a region that lacks a comprehensive ecological plan. It should be prioritised, ensuring that its framework covers all construction activity, both in the fragile ranges and the lower regions.