No consensus yet on Uttarakhand dams, ministers engaged in consultations

Even as the water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation ministry under Uma Bharati had categorically told the Supreme Court in June that they opposed construction of new dams, the Power, Environment and Uma's ministry are now locked in consultations to arrive at a common ground, attempting to overturn the hard view of not building any new dams.

The matter before the SC pertains to a suo moto one where in August 2013, the apex court had halted work on all hydro-electric power projects in the wake of the 2013 Uttarakhand disaster. It had asked the environment ministry to review 24 projects and currently, the SC is only looking at six projects. The promoters of the six projects are – NTPC (Lata-Tapovan-171 MW), NHPC (Kotlibhel IA-195 MW), THDC (Jhelum Tamak-108 MW), GMR (Alaknanda-300MW), Super Hydro (Khironi Ganga-4 MW and Bhyunder Ganga-24 MW).

Top officials in the water resources ministry said that following environment ministry's request before the SC, seeking 13 weeks of time to arrive at a common ground, a couple of consultations have happened between the three ministries but consensus has remained elusive as yet.

Secretaries of all three ministries put forth their view before Uma, Piyush Goyal and new environment minister Anil Dave during these meetings. Although, there is no specific consensus, the environment and power ministry is largely attempting to push water ministry to agree on making a 1916 pact between British government, six princely states and members of Hindu Mahasabha as the focal point of the Centre's revised view, sources said. The century old pact said that dams could be built only if there is 1000 cusecs of uninterrupted flow in Ganga. This was to be done primarily to provide water for people who took a holy dip at Haridwar.

But, even as the water ministry is being engaged to turn back on its affidavit presented to the SC, sources said that the 1916 pact is impractical. "The 1916 pact was designed only with a view to provide enough water at the Ghats of Haridwar. In today's times, 1,000 cusecs does not mean much," a source from the water resources ministry said. Sources also informed that as part of the consultations, power ministry is trying to ascertain the feasibility of the six hydropower projects with regards to their potential tariff structure. The environment ministry as well as the water ministry want to give a nod to the Lata Tapovan-NTPC project as it is already in the construction stage.

The 1961 pact impractical: Sources

Even as the water ministry is being engaged to turn back on its affidavit presented to the SC, sources said that the 1916 pact is impractical. "The 1916 pact was designed only with a view to provide enough water at the Ghats of Haridwar. In today's times, 1,000 cusecs does not mean much," a source from the water resources ministry said. Sources also informed that as part of the consultations, power ministry is trying to ascertain the feasibility of the six hydropower projects with regards to their potential tariff structure. The environment ministry as well as the water ministry want to give a nod to the Lata Tapovan-NTPC project as it is already in the construction stage.