1 / 17

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CONCERNING HYDROPOWER PROJECTS- NHPC PERSPECTIVE

PRESENTATION COVERS. PROCEDURAL ISSUES TECHNICAL ISSUES SOCIAL AND R

tekli
Download Presentation

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CONCERNING HYDROPOWER PROJECTS- NHPC PERSPECTIVE

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

    1. ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CONCERNING HYDROPOWER PROJECTS- NHPC PERSPECTIVE A.K. SARKAR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR (PLANNING) NHPC LTD.

    2. PRESENTATION COVERS PROCEDURAL ISSUES TECHNICAL ISSUES SOCIAL AND R&R ISSUES CONCLUSION

    3. Clearances required for Hydropower Projects Clearance for pre-construction activities and approval of TOR for EIA / EMP studies. Environmental Clearance Forest clearance (if forest land is involved) Wildlife clearance (if any part of National Park / Wildlife Sanctuary is involved)

    4. PROCEDURAL ISSUES

    5. Adhering to time period for Environment & Forest Clearance Procedure for environment and forest clearance from MOEF has been streamlined over the time. Period for each activity has been specified in revised EIA notification 2006 and Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003. Time period are generally not adhered to. MOEF has no direct control over the functioning of SPCB for conducting the Public Hearing and State Forest Department for forwarding of forest proposal to MOEF. Suggestion: Time limit specified in the EIA notification 2006 and Forest (Conservation) Rules, 2003 is required to be adhered to by State Govt./ MOEF for speedy environmental and forest clearances.

    6. Separate forest clearance for pre-construction activities As per EIA notification, 2006, for Category “A” Hydroelectric projects, clearance for the pre-construction activities is accorded by MOEF during scoping stage, for preparation of DPR, along with TOR for EIA studies. Pre-construction activities for hydroelectric projects include construction of temporary buildings, roads & bridges etc. which may involve forest land. The same can not be undertaken without forest clearance from MOEF. … cont.

    7. Separate forest clearance for pre-construction activities Proposal of forest clearance is submitted to MOEF at a much later stage, after detailed investigation and preparation of EIA/ EMPs viz. Catchment Area Treatment and R&R plan prepared as a part of EIA studies (which are to be submitted as a part of forest proposal also). Presently, forest clearance for the total forest land requirement of a project is accorded by MOEF. Suggestion: In order to meet the provisions and objectives of revised EIA notification, MOEF may evolve a mechanism for accord of forest clearance in respect of the forest land required for pre-construction activities separately, along with prior-environmental clearance.

    8. Multiple Stage Forest clearance At present forest clearance is accorded by MOEF in two stages i.e. In principle forest clearance agreeing to diversion of forest land subject to compliance of certain conditions viz. transfer of cost of compensatory afforestation, NPV etc. Formal forest clearance is accorded after receipt of compliance report from State Government in respect of compliance of stipulated conditions by user agency. Suggestion: In order to save time lost in correspondence between State Govt. and MOEF, Forest clearance may be accorded in one go mentioning therein that forest area would be diverted by State Govt. for project construction, only after compliance to the conditions mentioned in the forest clearance letter.

    9. Multiple scrutiny of EIA and EMP Various plans related to catchment area treatment, Bio-diversity Conservation, Fishery Management etc. submitted as a part of EMP for obtaining environmental clearance of a project, are discussed at length by members of EAC of MOEF. On the other hand, FAC as well as the Standing Committee of NBWL of MOEF also discuss the same aspects, thereby delaying the process of clearances. Suggestion: Once one of the technical / expert committees of MOEF i.e. EAC or FAC has deliberated upon certain issues, same should be considered as approved by MOEF and the same issues need not be discussed again by different wings of MOEF.

    10. Wildlife Clearance Procedure Whenever any part of National Park / Wildlife Sanctuary is involved, approval of Hon’ble Supreme Court is to be obtained after recommendation of Standing Committee of NBWL. Till then, no clearance for pre-construction activities or forest clearance or environment clearance is granted. This delays the implementation of the project. Suggestion: Procedure needs to be simplified. Hon’ble Supreme Court may be requested by MOEF for reviewing its order regarding reference of each and every case to it for de-reservation, once the case is recommended by the Standing Committee of NBWL.

    11. TECHNICAL ISSUES

    12. Minimum flow and downstream concerns A Working Group, constituted by WQAA on 09.9.2003, to advise WQAA on minimum flows in rivers, to conserve ecosystem. However, final report of the Working Group is still awaited. Recently issue of downstream impact studies are also being insisted upon the project authorities by MOEF Suggestion: Basic criteria for release of water downstream/diversion structure in light of Indian conditions for Himalayan and Non- Himalayan rivers needs to be evolved as a national policy, so the project developers may follow the same while undertaking power potential studies for the projects. Detailed guidelines for downstream impact studies need to be formulated by MOEF/ appropriate authorities specifying the extent of the area to be covered in downstream impact studies.

    13. Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment NHPC supports the idea of basin-wise cumulative impact assessment. However, the problem is that generally there are several developers in one basin and initiative for a cumulative study by a certain developer may not be accepted by other developers. Suggestion: It will be appropriate that MOEF identifies all such basins where cascade development has been proposed by CWC and take up cumulative impact studies beforehand so that environmental & forest clearances of individual projects do not get delayed

    14. SOCIAL AND R&R ISSUES

    15. Non availability of land records Non availability of land/ revenue record, outdated land record, ambiguous land records in terms of category of private land etc. leads to considerable time loss in verification of land ownership and determining clear titles, which is required for finalizing the number of Project Affected Families (PAFs). In States like Arunachal Pradesh, affected tribal population depends upon shifting cultivation and community forests. So there is no private land holding data by Revenue Department. As a result during implementation, the number of PAFs keeps on increasing, thereby increasing the cost of R&R plan beyond approved cost. Suggestion: Proper records and clear titles are required to be updated by concerned State Revenue Dept.

    18. THANK YOU

More Related