HP pollution board tells hydel plants to monitor discharge

SHIMLA: HP State Pollution Control Board has directed all hydel power projects in the state to put in place real time monitoring systems to ensure that the condition for the 15% discharge is monitored and even the small projects have been asked to put in place an appropriate system to ensure creditable data is generated about compliance with this provision.
The Himachal Pradesh high court in August last year noted that most projects had not made adequate provision for flow of this lean period discharge in the natural river bed of the rivers and streams.
They said that all the projects studied by the one-man Abhay Shukla committee, appointed by the HC were approved and designed prior to the formation of the hydel power policy of 2006. “However, quite a few projects have made the provision for 15% lean period discharge flowing in the river for the survival of the aquatic flora and fauna downstream of the project and also for the continuation of the drinking water and irrigation supply schemes downstream”, they contended.
However, they pointed out that in some of the schemes like the Rampur hydel power project, the provision was not relevant, since it has been designed to take the outflow of the Nathpa Jhakri project, and the water not used will continue to flow in the natural river bed.
Likewise the Uhl-III is based on the tail race of the Bassi river, which is based on the Shanan discharge, which represents a completely new course for the diverted UHL stream, they claimed.
Sources said that in the case of Kol Dam project, the power house does not involve any diversion away from the natural river bed and the winter generation from this project would automatically ensure discharge in the river.
They said that regarding the observation that some minim riparian distance must be maintained between the tail race of one project and the intake of the next in order to enable the river to recharge itself and to continue to sustain life along its length and until some expert body gives its advice, this distance should be kept at five kms and projects, which had not received clearances and which do not conform to this requirement should be put on hold, the state government through an affidavit filed in the HC had opposed putting on hold project allotment and clearances.
“As per the affidavit, an inter-disciplinary committee had been formed consisting of experts from hydrology, geology, environment and ecology, dam engineering and other relevant expertise had been constituted in November last year to consider and guide the government on the course of hydel power development in the state, keeping in view the advantages of comprehensive river basin development, ensuring minimal environmental impact and appropriate mitigation measures to ensure sustainable long term development, lean period discharge, riparian distance and environmental and ecological studies to be commissioned, besides other related matters”, they added.