Ministry Rejects Rajasthan’s Proposal
Ministry rejects Rajasthan’s proposal on hydropower projects
By: Janaki Lenin
Feb 8, 2009
New Delhi (PTI): The Environment Ministry has shot down a Rajasthan government’s proposal to construct a series of hydropower dams on Chambal river noting that it will prove disastrous for the highly endangered dolphins and crocodiles besides aquatic bird species found in the region.
The refusal came after a two-member team comprising wildlife experts Ranjitsinh and BC Choudhary from Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in their report said that the proposed four hydro dams would destroy half of the Chambal sanctuary on the river which demarcates the border of MP, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. The river is also home for Gangetic river dolphins and crocodiles.
The issue had come up for discussion at a recent meeting of the standing committee of the National Board of Wildlife chaired by Environment Minister S Raghupathy.
To stress the negative impact of the proposed dams, the members in the report also highlighted that the three already existing such hydropower projects on the river had wiped out dolphins, turtle and crocodiles in the surrounding areas.
Rajasthan had sought construction of four Hydropower projects on Chambal river under its Chambal development scheme to meet the power needs of the nearby villages.
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The announced rejection of the three hydropower dams on the Chambal River is good news for the gharial and many of the species that call the Chambal River home!
According to Janaki Linen the Executive Director of the Gharial Conservation Alliance;
“Dams have contributed to the demise of the gharial and other river species in India and it’s a rare day when a mega-project gets shot down for conservation reasons. About 6 months ago, we heard to our dismay that 3 more major dams are planned for the Chambal River (there are already 3). These dams were going to submerge most of the major basking and nesting areas of one of the two last major populations of the critically endangered gharial. Also negatively affected, had the projects been approved, were the endangered Ganges river dolphin, and critically endangered turtles such as red-fronted roof turtle. Due to the efforts of some of our colleagues including B.C. Choudhury of the Wildlife Institute of India and Dr. M.K. Ranjitsinh, the dam projects proposed by the Rajasthan Government, have been rejected. However, as pointed out by some of our GCA correspondents, we have to be eternally vigilant because the dam projects never really go away; they may re-surface any time.”
Article link: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200902081502.htm
