Ken-Betwa river link project's EIA inadequate and flawed, say environmentalists

In a scathing letter to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), environmentalists and former senior bureaucrats have exposed inadequacies in the environment impact assessment (EIA) of the ambitious Ken-Betwa river link project. The South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), who have authored the letter, sent it to the environment appraisal committee (EAC) of the MoEFCC as they considered the project for the environmental clearance on August 25. The letter has been endorsed by former power secretary EAS Sarma and Ramaswamy R Iyer, former secretary of water resources ministry, who had a major role in drafting the National Water Policy, 1987.

The Ken-Betwa link project is the first proposed river-linking project in the country. The project involves transferring 591 million cubic metres of surplus water in the Ken basin in UP through a 231.45-km canal to the Betwa river in MP. Land needed for acquisition is an estimated 6,000 hectares and the cost of resettlement Rs 333 crore. But, according to environmentalists the project will reduce 30% of the Panna Tiger Reserve and almost 10 per cent of the 54,266 hectare of its area will get submerged.

The letter to the EAC highlights the violations in the public hearing process that was held in December 2014. According to the letter, a majority of the citizens present at the meeting had opposed the project despite being shouted down by activists of the rulung party. SANDRP notes in detail the inadequacies of the EIA report. The report, SANDRP says, fails to assess impact of reservoir which will effectively cut areas of the Panna tiger reserve to the west and also the notified forests beyond.

The EIA says that "no operation and activity is proposed in Panna protected area except the submergence." But, the dam to be for water diversion will be built inside the Panna national park. As far as enlisting vulerable and threatened species is concerned, the EIA enlists species that are not found anywhere close to the project site. According to the EIA, Philippine pangolin, found only in Philippines is found at the project site along with animals such as slender loris, slow loris and even sagai, all animals not found in the area. The EIA is also completely silent about the existence of Ken Ghariyal Sanctuary in the downstream area, which will be adversely impacted due to the project.

"We have sent this letter to the EAC so they are informed abut the incorrect information and flaws in the EIA report. They should apply their mind while considering environmental clearance and we have demanded that a fresh EIA is needed," said Himanshu Thakkar of SANDRP.

The river-linking project has garnered significant protests. The project's impact on Panna tiger reserve even prompted the ex-field director R.Sreenivasa Murthy to write to the Madhya Pradesh state government.