National Board for Wildlife urged to reject clearance for 2000 MW pumped storage project in Sharavathi Valley
In a strongly worded appeal addressed to the Chairperson and Members of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL), renowned power and climate policy analyst, Shankar Sharma, has urged the central government to reject wildlife clearance for the proposed 2,000 MW Pumped Storage Project (PSP) in the ecologically sensitive Sharavathi river valley of Karnataka.
Citing a comprehensive list of environmental, social, and governance concerns, Sharma’s letter warns that the project poses a significant threat to the Sharavathi Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot. The project, which requires the diversion of over 350 acres of pristine tropical rainforest, has already received endorsement from the Karnataka State Wildlife Board and is currently under review by the NBWL.
Sharma, a veteran electrical engineer with over four decades of international experience in the power sector, criticized what he describes as "falsification and misinformation" by the project proponent. He raised alarm over the lack of transparency in the project's Detailed Project Report (DPR), which has reportedly been withheld from public scrutiny despite multiple Right to Information (RTI) requests.
"The project proponent has consciously hidden key facts about the project's location within the sanctuary and its Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ)," Sharma states in his appeal. He contends that the project’s cost-benefit analysis is "thoroughly laughable," citing manipulated data that omits critical costs, including construction and operational energy expenses.
Sharma's representation highlights a host of overlooked alternatives, such as Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), which he claims offer less costly and environmentally damaging solutions to energy storage and grid management challenges. He argues that the Sharavathi PSP is unnecessary, particularly given its high ecological and social costs.
The letter references concerns raised by multiple stakeholders, including forest officials and environmental experts, about the undue political pressure reportedly exerted to fast-track the project’s approval. A recent media investigation revealed that the Karnataka Forest Department’s objections were overridden, prompting accusations of timber mafia involvement and corruption.
"This project will set a dangerous precedent," Sharma warns, "where linear infrastructure projects continue to carve through our protected areas under the guise of development, severely compromising India’s climate action goals and biodiversity conservation commitments."
The appeal points to data suggesting rapid forest loss in Karnataka's Western Ghats and highlights the compounded risks of multiple PSP proposals pending across the country. Citing UN reports and the Kasturirangan Committee recommendations, Sharma calls for an urgent course correction.
"There is a deepening trust deficit between civil society and the government when it comes to forest and wildlife governance," Sharma says. He calls on the NBWL to deny wildlife clearance for the Sharavathi PSP and to establish a more inclusive decision-making process that involves affected communities and civil society organizations.
Sharma concludes his letter by offering to make a detailed presentation before the NBWL, emphasizing the need for rational and scientifically sound policy decisions in the face of escalating climate and biodiversity crises.
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