Centre puts Sharavathy project on hold, warns of 'enormous damage' to biodiversity in Western Ghats
New Delhi (PTI): The Centre has deferred a proposal to divert around 54 hectares of forest land in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats for the 2,000-megawatt Sharavathy Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project in Karnataka after members flagged serious ecological concerns and violations of forest laws.
According to the minutes of the 11th meeting of the Environment Ministry's Forest Advisory Committee held on October 27, the proposed project area lies within the Sharavathy Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary, which is located in the central regions of the Western Ghats.
The committee said the project involves the felling of more than 15,000 trees, many of which are endemic to the Western Ghats, one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots. It said the forest tracts fall under "eco-class 1 and eco-class 3" with canopy densities of 0.5 and 0.2.
The area has "climax forests of tropical wet evergreen, semi-evergreen and shola grasslands", which are "highly vulnerable and complex ecosystems", which, "if destroyed, cannot be restored to their original state".
The minutes said the project site supports Lion-Tailed Macaque, Tiger, Leopard, Sloth Bear, Wild Dogs, King Cobra, Malabar Giant Squirrel and other rare and endemic species.
It referred to a wildlife census that recorded 730 Lion-Tailed Macaques in the Sharavathy Valley Sanctuary and warned that "loss of canopy and habitat would intensify this fragmentation, posing a serious risk to the survival of LTMs".
The panel recorded that the compensatory afforestation site offered by the project proponent will not be able to compensate for the loss of habitat of the Lion-Tailed Macaque and that "wet evergreen forests are complex ecosystems and are quite difficult to replicate".
The committee examined the engineering design and said the project involves two reservoirs, tunnels up to 3.2 km long, excavation to depths of up to 500 metres, and drilling and blasting for underground works.
It said the area falls in Seismic Zone 3 and that the combination of slope cutting, blasting and heavy monsoon rainfall could aggravate landslide and erosion risks.
It warned that such work can be disastrous not only to the ecology of the area but also to human habitations.
The minutes said the Deputy Inspector General of Forests (Central), Regional Office Bengaluru, "has not recommended the proposal" because of its location inside the Sharavathy Valley Sanctuary and the ecological sensitivity of the central Western Ghats.
The Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka also raised objections, warning that implementation of the project can cause "enormous damage" to the flora and fauna of the landscape.
The FAC cited his observation that the ecological fallout far outweighs the economic benefits that may be accrued by commissioning this project.
The committee further said that transmission line routes proposed for the evacuation of power prima facie appear to be in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and that forest clearance for those lines is not clear.
According to the minutes, the committee expressed concern over the proposed compensatory afforestation areas, saying that "the CA sites proposed are ecologically different from the wet evergreen forests being lost."
It said the project proponent must prepare a scientifically designed wildlife mitigation plan and conduct a detailed hydrological study before the proposal can be considered.
The FAC directed that tree felling be avoided or reduced to the bare minimum and that the layout of the project shall be finalised in consultation with the chief wildlife warden and as per the approved wildlife management plan.
After detailed deliberations, the committee decided to defer the proposal and sought additional information and clarifications from the state government and the user agency.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
