Uttarakhand power channel leak: Green tribunal seeks report on pollution in villages

Counterview Desk
Taking a serious view of the threat of pollution from the power channel of the Srinagar Hydro Electric project, situated in Pauri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Uttarakhand government for a report on the leakage in the power channel and the resulting problems. The tribunal has sought the report on a petition filed by Uttam Singh Bhandari and Vimal Bhai, senior activists with the civil rights group Matu Jan Sangathan in Uttarakhand.

A note by Matu Jan Jan Sangathan:

In the petition, it is stated that the power channel (open canal) of the Srinagar Hydro-electric project, which is on the bank of river Alaknanda in Uttarakhand, is four kilometers long. This channel takes Alaknanda's water to the powerhouse to generate electricity. In 2015, there was a serious breach in the canal, and this resulted in damage to crops and houses in Mangsu, Surasu and Naur Thaapli villages in Tehri Garhwal district.
After this, an inquiry was done by the Wadia Institute in Dehradun, which submitted its report on 30th December 2015. The report recommended re-strengthening of the power channel and an investigation into the structural design. However, due to lack of requisite action, there was another breach in December 2018.
In this context, letters were sent to the District Magistrate, Tehri Garhwal and the Uttarakhand Government, but no response was received. The Hon’ble Tribunal has sought a report within one month via email from the Department of Energy of the Government of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand State Pollution Control Board and the District Magistrate, Tehri Garhwal, before the next hearing. The State Pollution Control Board has also been given the responsibility for coordination and compliance.
The order has been sent to the three agencies via email so that they can immediately follow it. In addition, the applicants have been asked to furnish a copy of the petition to the three agencies. We have delivered the papers ourselves to all three places.
Uttam Singh Bhandari and Vimal Bhai filed the petition in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) through the lawyers of Life Society, Delhi, namely lawyers Rahul Chaudhry and Meera Gopal.
It is known that the power channel of the Srinagar dam has been continuously causing losses every monsoon since 2015. These villages, on the slopes between the power channel and the river, are always facing dangers. Residents of the area have raised these issues in their letters to the district administration and the company as well as in person.
The issue has also been raised through the local MLA. There has also been coverage of the issue regularly in the media. However, there have been no positive results yet. The dam company tried to repair the leakage then, but requisite action was not taken. The villagers were also not paid any compensation for their losses they suffered during this period.
The Wadia Institute is a reputable institute located in Dehradun, which was asked to study the situation in 2015 by the then MLA. However, the government took no cognition of the report upon submission and did not ensure that the company complied with the recommendations. This should have been done since the people in the three villages in the vicinity are living in constant danger. Since the government took no cognizance of the matter even after three years, we had to approach the National Green Tribunal.

The recommendations of the Wadia Institute:

About 200 wide zone (across the affected leakage site of the power Channel must be re-strengthened by consulting with the structural Geologist from Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun.
Further detailed investigation of the structural design of the Power Channel is needed by the agency like the irrigation Design organisation, Roorkee. During this exercise the consultation should be done with the structural geologist of Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun.

Our prayers to the National Green Tribunal:

Direct the Project Proponent to repair the power channel and plug all leakages, after conducting proper study of the power channel.
Direct the Project Proponent to implement the recommendations of the Wadia Institute vide its report dated December 30, 2015.
Impose environmental compensation on the project proponent, i.e. the Respondent No 4, for the negligence in not taking proper measures to plug the leakage from the power channel and on the authorities for not complying with their statutory duties in ensuring the safety of the lives of the residents of Villages Mangsu, Surasu, Naur Thaapli in Tehri Garhwal district, Uttarakhand who have suffered due to the said leakage.

We hope that soon the affected villages will be rid of the dangers of the power channel.

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Four women lead the way among Tamil Nadu’s Muslim change-makers

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* A report published by Awaz–The Voice (ATV), a news platform, highlights 10 Muslim change-makers in Tamil Nadu, among whom four are women. These individuals are driving social change through education, the arts, conservation, and activism. Representing diverse fields ranging from environmental protection and literature to political engagement and education, they are working to improve society across the state.

From water scarcity to sustainable livelihoods: The turnaround of Salaiya Maaf

By Bharat Dogra We were sitting at a central place in Salaiya Maaf village, located in Mahoba district of Uttar Pradesh, for a group discussion when an elderly woman said in an emotional voice, “It is so good that you people came. Land on which nothing grew can now produce good crops.”

When free trade meets unequal fields: The India–US agriculture question

By Vikas Meshram The proposed trade agreement between India and the United States has triggered intense debate across the country. This agreement is not merely an attempt to expand bilateral trade; it is directly linked to Indian agriculture, the rural economy, democratic processes, and global geopolitics. Free trade agreements (FTAs) may appear attractive on the surface, but the political economy and social consequences behind them are often unequal and controversial. Once again, a fundamental question has surfaced: who will benefit from this agreement, and who will pay its price?

Why Russian oil has emerged as the flashpoint in India–US trade talks

By N.S. Venkataraman* In recent years, India has entered into trade agreements with several countries, the latest being agreements with the European Union and the United States. While the India–EU trade agreement has been widely viewed in India as mutually beneficial and balanced, the trade agreement with the United States has generated comparatively greater debate and scrutiny.

Trade pacts with EU, US raise alarms over farmers, MSMEs and policy space

By A Representative A broad coalition of farmers’ organisations, trade unions, traders, public health advocates and environmental groups has raised serious concerns over India’s recently concluded trade agreements with the European Union and the United States, warning that the deals could have far-reaching implications for livelihoods, policy autonomy and the country’s long-term development trajectory. In a public statement issued, the Forum for Trade Justice described the two agreements as marking a “tectonic shift” in India’s trade policy and cautioned that the projected gains in exports may come at a significant social and economic cost.

Samyukt Kisan Morcha raises concerns over ‘corporate bias’ in seed Bill

By A Representative The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) has released a statement raising ten questions to Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan regarding the proposed Seed Bill 2025, alleging that the legislation is biased in favour of large multinational and domestic seed corporations and does not adequately safeguard farmers’ interests.

Search This Blog