Mega hydro projects cleared in Arunachal Pradesh biodiversity hotspot

Hindustan Times

3 days ago

New Delhi: The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) has given its 'in-principle' approval to Etalin Hydropower Project (3097 MW) on Dri and Talo rivers in Arunachal Pradesh's Dibang Valley, a ' high conservation value area' , according to minutes of FAC's meetin on May 26.
FAC is a statutory body under the Union environment ministry. High conservation value areas are natural habitats of significant importance due to their high biological, ecological, social or cultural worth.
FAC has also approved, in principle, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd's plan to divert 313.88 ha. of unclassed forest for construction of Tato-II Hydro Electric Project (700 MW) on Siyom river and deferred a decision on the the diversion of 261.53 ha of unclassed forest for construction of Attunli Hydro Electric Project (680 MW) on Talo river in Anini to a next date. Unclassed or deemed forests enjoy protection under a Supreme Court ruling of 1996.
Tato II is in Shi Yomi district, while Etalin and Attunli projects are in the Dibang Valley.
FAC's decision on Etalin is a lifeline for a project that was scrapped in 2023 following widespread protests by local people and concerns raised by scientists about the loss of biodiversity. At the time, FAC asked Arunachal Pradesh to submit a revised proposal addressing these concerns. The state government submitted this and it was considered by FAC in its meeting on May 26.
The Etalin hydroelectric project was proposed as a joint venture between Jindal Power and the Hydropower Development Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh but it is currently under Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd, a state-owned company.
The minutes, reviewed by HT, show most concerns related to loss of subtropical evergreen and rain forests, wildlife, and biodiversity remain. For example, they state that the project will involve felling of 2.7 lakh trees and diversion of 1175.03 ha of unclassed forest land. And that the area harbours important wildlife including the Himalayan Serow, Asiatic Golden Cat, Leopard Cat, Indian Wild Dog, Assam Macaque, Himalayan Black Bear, Barking Deer, Wild Boar, Hoary Bellied Squirrel, Bengal Monitor Lizard, Burmese Python, and King Cobra.
About six globally threatened mammal species are found in this region of which three are endangered and three are in the vulnerable category. And around 680 bird species have been recorded from this region which is about 56% of total bird species of India, the minutes state. Among them 19 are globally threatened and 10 near threatened. There are four critically endangered, two endangered and 13 vulnerable species. 'This makes this area a very important place in terms of conservation of globally threatened bird species. It also has 3 very rare restricted range endemic bird species,' the minutes add.
A wildlife and biodiversity management/ conservation plan prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India has been approved for an amount of ₹29.50 Crores.
'The area falls into the high conservation value zone. Out of total forest area proposed for diversion, 212 ha of land is classified as very dense forest, 310 ha as moderately dense forest, 506 ha as open forest, 84 ha as water and 60 ha as without forest cover,' the minutes state.
The proposal was earlier submitted by the state government in 2014 which was considered by the Advisory Committee in various meetings in 2015, 2017, 2019, 2020 (two meetings), and 2022.
The minutes of the 2022 meeting said that 'AAfter going through the facts of the proposal and submissions made by the Nodal Officer, and in view of the various issues viz. wildlife, observations made in the reports of the SubCommittee, concerns raised by the locals, the committee opined that the instant proposal cannot be considered in the present form and the revised proposal may be submitted for further consideration by the state government.'
But after the new plan was submitted, on May 26, FAC said it has ' recommended the proposal for grant of in-principle approval subject to fulfilment of general, standard and following specific conditions.' The conditions include handing over 424.83 ha of forest land proposed to be used to construct temporary structures, back to the forest department; and implementation of the mitigation and wildlife management plan developed by WII.
FAC has also said that a high-level empowered committee, constituted by the state government under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner, Dibang Valley shall address the concerns raised in the various representations received on the proposal and take appropriate steps to resolve and settle issues in accordance with the relevant statutes and norms.
HT reported on April 25, 2020 that several scientists have written to the six-member FAC after they came to know that the panel is considering granting forest clearance. These included scientists from Indian Institute of Science, Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF), and National Institute of Advanced Studies and they cited a number of peer-reviewed studies that highlighted the ecological and biodiversity richness of the Dibang Valley.
The scientists sought a cumulative impact assessment of all the hydropower projects in the region, including the 3,097 MW Etalin and 2,880 MW Dibang multipurpose projects --- two of the country's biggest hydel ventures in the same region. 'We respectfully submit that the impacts of multiple projects placed in close proximity on the same river limb must be assessed together because these impacts will be cumulative and not independent,' they wrote.
The Attunli Hydro Electric Project will involve felling of around 47000 trees and Tato-II HEP will involve felling of 1.5 lakh trees.
Elsewhere in Arunachal Pradesh, Siang Valley has made headlines in recent months for the opposition of local, tribal communities to the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP). On Monday, a collective of scientists, researchers, and practitioners issued a statement of solidarity with the Indigenous Adi communities of Beging and the wider Siang Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.
A total of 114 signatories have endorsed the statement, which is rooted in a deep and nuanced understanding of the ecological, cultural, and social implications of the project. The statement underscores that the proposed dam is situated in one of the most biologically and culturally rich regions of the Eastern Himalayas and calls for a serious re-evaluation of how such infrastructure projects are planned and executed in sensitive areas.
The Siang River—revered as Ane Siang or 'Mother Siang' by the Adi people—is central to their identity, livelihoods, and cultural practices. The proposed SUMP project would submerge terraced rice fields, interrupt gravity-fed irrigation systems, and dismantle complex agroecological practices rooted in generations of traditional ecological knowledge, the statement said.