A government study conducted by the North-Eastern Hill University, said that 11 Hydropower projects with a total capacity of 2,700MW can be executed in Tawang basin, Arunachal Pradesh.
The study ‘Perspective plan for development of Tawang river basin’ was carried out to assess the impact of 13 hydropower projects planned in the basin.
The projects are subject to strict environmental safeguards and mitigation measures.
It stated that due to possible impact on the environment and mountain ecosystem the other two hydropower projects ‘Tsa chu-I’ and ‘Thingbu chu’ with total capacity of over 100MW should not be executed.
The study further added that no human population or habitation will be displaced by these projects as a creation of the reservoir is not involved in the plan. However, environmental will be affected by the execution of these project.
In order to optimise power production with least environment damage, it suggested that balanced approach needs to be worked out at a basic level considering all the projects, instead of focusing on single ones’.
Hydropower is the least polluting source of power generation among other sources of power generation.
The study recommended that as the Tsa chu-I and Thingbu chu hydropower projects have a high cumulative impact at river basin level, they should not be executed.
It further added that six projects — Nykcharong chu, Tawang-I, Tawang-II, Nyamjang chu, Jaswantgarh Stage-I and Paikangrong chu should be implemented in the first phase (0-5 years). While Rho, New Melling, Mago chu, Tsa chu-I Lower and Tsa chu-II in next phase.
Any projects above 3200 metre elevation should not be implemented in the river basin.The Tsa Chu-I project falls under this category.
It stressed, the projects above 2,500 metre must follow strict environmental safeguards and adopt specific mitigation measures, subject to fulfilling other conditions.
The environmental flow of the river should be maintained by all the proposed projects, it concluded.
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