ABSTRACT
Hydropower projects have been significantly considered as one of the alternatives of generating electricity from fossil fuels and it contributes to cut down carbon emissions. It is time to pause ‘green tagging’ the hydroelectricity projects in the Himalayan region as it is exceeding the controversial impacts in those surroundings by being a major contributor to the environmental hazards as well as a factor affecting the livelihood of the local community. These projects have been a part of Indian measures to promote a green economy since 1897 by being less polluting and as an institution of renewable resource energy, but the present stage seems to be compromising the detrimental impacts like inducing landslides, floods, loss of habitat, change of river flow and also affecting the local communities by loss of livelihood, agricultural land, livestock and emigration for survival purposes. The rapid need to combat the climate change by controlling the greenhouse gas emissions and the need to provide sufficient energy resource for the dense population has led to the immense increase in the number of hydropower projects in the Indian Himalayan region. The article addresses the existing drawbacks of the hydropower projects and how it has become a hitch rather than being a betterment to the environment along with the role of judiciary and policies with significant report references. Exhausting the nature would always be reflected in one way or the other and it is time to pitch out ideas of alternatives by significantly considering the impact on environment of potential future projects.
Key words: Hydro power projects, Himalayan region, Environmental hazards, green economy, loss of livelihood.
INTRODUCTION
Due to rapid increase in population, industrialization and urbanization the required rate of power supply to meet the needs of the population is also increasing. The global energy requirement is anticipated to double in the upcoming decades. This places the world nations in a position to seek alternatives to fossil fuel energy and sustainable generation of electricity. One of the most efficient renewable resources of energy is hydropower energy which generates electricity from the natural flow of water. They involve high capital investment and takes longer construction period.[1] Hydro electricity generation is considered less polluting than fossil fuel-based electricity generation. But is it that exceptional to ignore the environment hazards caused by it, is debatable. Increasing the rate of hydropower structure involve both green economy as well as it imposes wide range of impacts on the environment life loss of habitat, triggering disasters like landslide, floods etc. and alteration of river flow and effects on livelihood of communities of the project area.
Several environmental organizations have strongly opposed the construction of hydropower dams in ecologically fragile areas and it raises concern over the inefficient impact assessment and improper rehabilitations of the affected people. This article covers the basic knowledge on hydropower dams especially in the region of Himalayas along with the detrimental effects on environment. It also deals with the lacunae in regulation of these projects and exposes the role of the Indian policies governing the construction and management of hydropower projects along with legal precedents.
[1] BartleA. 2002.Hydropowerpotentialanddevelopmentactivities. Energy Policy 30(14):1231–1239.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0301-4215(02)00084-8.