NHPC seeks ministry nod to chop over 23 lakh trees for hydel project in Arunachal, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• NHPC has sought clearance to divert 3,278 hectares of high-conservation-value forest for the Kamla hydro-electric project in Arunachal Pradesh.
• The proposed 1,720 MW project on the Kamla River will necessitate the felling of over 23.4 lakh trees across Kra Daadi, Kurrung Kumey, and Kamle districts.
• The Union Environment Ministry's Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) is scheduled to appraise the forest diversion proposal on October 23.
• Compensatory afforestation for the diverted forest land is proposed over 7,018 hectares in various districts of Madhya Pradesh.
• The Kamla hydro-electric project, a run-of-the-river cum storage project, involves a 216-meter-high dam and is estimated at Rs 2,400 crore.
• The project is expected to affect 5,440 families across 126 villages and impact wildlife habitats.

Detailed Insights:

• The Kamla hydro-electric project is part of a series of hydel projects planned within the Subansiri River basin.
• The project site, while not located in any protected area, will significantly impact local wildlife habitats and animal migration routes.
• The Forest Conservation Act permits compensatory afforestation in other states with lower forest cover if local non-forest land is unavailable.
• If equivalent non-forest land is not available, the Act mandates afforestation on degraded land twice the size of the diverted forest area.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change's expert panel had previously recommended environmental clearance, contingent on forest clearance.
• The project involves submerging nearly 2,960.49 hectares of forest land for its reservoir and dam top areas.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Forest Advisory Committee (FAC): A statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change that grants prior approval for non-forest use of forest land.
• Forest Conservation Act (FCA), 1980: A central legislation regulating the diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes, aiming to conserve forest ecosystems.
• Compensatory Afforestation: The practice of planting trees in an alternative area to offset the loss of forest cover due to developmental projects.
• Run-of-the-river project: A type of hydroelectric power generation that utilizes the natural flow and elevation drop of a river with minimal water storage.