Tag: Muck

Vyasi Hydro: Village Drowned; River Dried but little power generation
Yamuna River

Vyasi Hydro: Village Drowned; River Dried but little power generation

SANDRP2 Comments

(Featured Image: Submerged Lohari village houses in Vyasi HEP ‘RoR’ dam reservoir. SANDRP, June 2023)

The 120 Mw Vyasi HEP built by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (UJVN Ltd.) in Vikas Nagar tehsil of Dehradun is on its way to become the textbook example of how thoughtlessly pushed hydro power projects are proving a nightmare for local people, a costly affair for the state and the nation and a disaster for free-flowing living river.

The project offers some bitter lessons for the policy-makers, experts and society who have been assuming that hydro power is a cheap, green source of energy and the Run of River (RoR) projects don’t dam and cause much harm to the environment, people or rivers.

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Uttarakhand: Ensure safe disposal of Rural Road debris
Ramganga

Uttarakhand: Ensure safe disposal of Rural Road debris

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Road connectivity is essential in accessing basic amenities and better life in remote hills of Uttarakhand. Particularly during medical emergencies when each and every minute counts, timely access to nearest road turns decisive factor for survival of grieving persons. For these reasons, many see road construction and connectivity as single point development agenda in rural Uttarakhand.

Syunsal village in Thailisain block of Pauri district is no exception and after years of struggle a 7 km long road is under construction here since first week of December 2021. The village is located in buffer zone of Dudhatoli reserve forest in Chauthan Patti which shares its border with Almora and Chamoli districts. The region is also birth place of several perennial streams forming Binnu river a tributary of Ramganga river.

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Rishiganga HEP: A foretold disaster for River, People and Chipko legacy
Hydro Disaster

Rishiganga HEP: A foretold disaster for River, People and Chipko legacy

SANDRP5 Comments

The February 7 2021 Chamoli deluge has completely destroyed Rishiganga Hydro Electric Project (HEP). The 13.2 MW run of the river project has also become graveyard for over 50 innocent workers and villagers. The damages to homes, bridges, forest and river eco-system is additional which cannot be restored easily.

In fact, the disaster is among the threats against which experts and locals had been warning the authorities time and again. Sadly, the past history of struggle and destruction shows that not only the state government but the judiciary also failed miserably to address the pleas of locals and assess the disaster risks in a timely manner.

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Vyasi Hydro is draining muck and Rs. 40 lakh geo jute work into Yamuna
Dams · Hydropower

Vyasi Hydro is draining muck and Rs. 40 lakh geo jute work into Yamuna

SANDRP2 Comments

During the night of June 20, 2020 pre-monsoon showers left series of gully formations on one of the muck dump sites of the under construction 120 MW Vyasi Hydro Electric Project (HEP) in Hathiyari area of Vikas Nagar tehsil, Dehradun district in Uttarakhand. Huge amount of muck washed down into Yamuna River, exposing the credibility of the Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd. (UJVNL), the developer of Vyasi HEP. 

Local people said that since June 2019, the UJVNL has spent over Rs. 40 lakh on geo jute and hydro seeding (grass slope protection) work at Hathiyari muck dumping yard. The project has already missed several deadlines, the work is far from complete. The careless handling of muck generated during the construction of 2.7 km long, 7-m dia tunnel in last eight years has added -+to the woes of local people and Yamuna river.

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चारधाम राजमार्ग परियोजना: ग्रामीणों के लिए त्रासदी बना गंगा -यमुना घाटी सुरंग निर्माण
Char Dham Highway

चारधाम राजमार्ग परियोजना: ग्रामीणों के लिए त्रासदी बना गंगा -यमुना घाटी सुरंग निर्माण

SANDRP1 Comment

अतिथि लेख ओंकार बहुगुणा द्वारा

यह रिपोर्ट बड़कोट के निकट धरासू बैंड पर सुरंग निर्माण कार्यों में नियमों की अवेहलना किये जाने से स्थानीय पर्यावरण और ग्रामीणों पर हो रहे विपरीत प्रभावों को दर्शाती है। इस सुरंग का निर्माण चार धाम राजमार्ग परियोजना के तहत किया जा रहा है।  साढ़े चार किलोमीटर लम्बी सुरंग के माध्यम से यमुना-गंगा घाटी को आपस में जोड़ा जाना है। वास्तव में यह निर्माण कार्य हाल ही में शुरू किया गया है जबकि चार धाम राजमार्ग परियोजना में पर्यावरण को हो रहे नुकसान का मामला माननीय उच्चतम न्यायालय में विचाराधीन है। अपने फ़रवरी 2019 में जारी आदेश में सर्वोच्च न्यायालय ने स्पष्ट तौर पर कहा था कि जब तक जब तक मामले पर अंतिम निर्णय नहीं आ जाता तब तक परियोजना के तहत नए कार्य शुरू नहीं किया जाना है। इस तरह यह सुरंग निर्माण कार्य सर्वोच्च न्यायालय के आदेश में अवमानना है। साथ में निर्माण कार्य के दौरान तय मानकों का खुलेआम अवेहलना की जा रही है सो अलग।  

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Lakhwar & Vyasi Dam: Different reality before the window dressing for EAC
Yamuna River

Lakhwar & Vyasi Dam: Different reality before the window dressing for EAC

SANDRP1 Comment

Field Observation Report, 20-21 April 2019 at Lakhwar Multipurpose Dam Project, Lohari and Vyasi Hydro Electric Project, Juddo. This author, also an applicant in NGT petition, visited the Lakhwar and Vyasi project area before the sub committee of MoEF’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley Projects visited the site on Apr 22, 2019.

The proposed site of Multipurpose Lakhwar dam project was seen affected with multiple landslides. One such fresh landslide was seen right at the site where the 204 meter high dam is supposed to be built. Locals revealed that many of the landslides in and around the location have become perennial. 

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East Nayaar River: The Scenic Stream of Ganga in Trouble
Ganga

East Nayaar River: The Scenic Stream of Ganga in Trouble

SANDRP2 Comments

The East and West Nayaar rivers[i] of Uttrakhand are small natural streams feeding the National River. They may meet the fate of Ganga and Yamuna, if the current trend damaging them remain unchecked. This pictorial report highlights the plight and beauty of East Nayaar river.  The River is also spelt as NAYAR by a number of documents. 

Degradation of Ganga river and its big tributaries gets adequate attention amongst concerned, while such small natural streams feeding the National River, largely remains absent in the mind and memory of stakeholders.

These perennial streams are making the River Ganga living and flowing in founding basin area. They seem healthy and living, however the problems of dumping of solid and liquid waste, construction debris, road cutting, water abstraction and hydro projects are rapidly catching up with the smaller streams.

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