Hydropower Projects in Himalaya
Recently a World Bank panel has agreed to investigate the damage caused to the environment by the ‘Vishnugarh Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project (VPHEP)’.
This project is under construction on Alaknanda river in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand.
The Indian Himalayas have rich hydroelectric potential. The region is also the site of three major river basins (Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra).
After the Kedarnath floods of 2013, the Supreme Court had put the development of hydroelectric projects in Uttarakhand pending for review by the Environment Ministry.
The Environment Ministry had given permission to seven hydroelectric projects in advanced stages of construction, including VPHEP, in the Ganga river basin, based on the BP Das Committee report.
Source- The Hindu
