Sharavathi valley power projects gets nod with riders | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) extended in-principle approval to the energy department’s ambitious pumped storage project within Sharavathi Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque (LTM) sanctuary along the fragile Western Ghats. The 84th meeting of NBWL’s standing committee, which reviewed impact of the project, especially on the endangered LTM species, set 28 conditions for its execution.The project, envisaged by Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL), involves building a powerhouse between Talakalale reservoir (upstream) and Gerusoppa reservoir (downstream) to generate 2,000MW of power. It requires over 350 acres of land (133.8 acres of which is forest land), according to the proposal.Despite concerns expressed by two members of NBWL over the cost-to-benefit ratio and seeking physical site inspection, the board advised KPCL to find ways to reduce the number of trees marked for felling. “More than 12,000 out of 13,756 trees identified for axing to build a 12.3km road between Nagar Basti Keri and Begodi can be saved if the proposed underground road is extended from Nagar Basti Keri to the base of the pump house. This will ensure a free-ranging canopy for LTMs…” the committee said. One of the members, R Sukumar, argued that KPCL’s proposal doesn’t provide full details of the ecological loss, including forest cover, and demanded an environmental impact assessment to assess the extent of damage. Representing the govt, then chief wildlife warden Subhash Malkhede said the project requires no new dam and the powerhouse will also be built underground. “It will be a green project with not much ecological impact on the area,” he said at the meeting.Some of the conditions set include control measures during blasting, drilling to stabilise landslides, soil moisture conservation measures.