In a major development on the protection of the fragile upper Ganga River basin and the Himalayan ecosystem in Uttarakhand, the Centre on Wednesday submitted to the Supreme Court that it is not in favour of permitting any new hydroelectric projects in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River basins, apart from the seven which are either commissioned or are in advanced stages of construction.
The seven projects are Tehri Stage–II (1000 MW), Tapovan Vishnugad (520 MW), Vishnugad Pipalkoti (444 MW), Signoli Bhatwari (99 MW), Phata Byung (76 MW), Madhmaheshwar (15 MW) and Kaliganga–II (4.5 MW).
The Supreme Court has been examining the question of allowing new hydroelectric projects in the upper reaches of the Ganga River basin since 2013, after the Kedarnath floods. The court is also hearing power companies in this matter, as they have opposed recommendations to halt certain projects.
The Centre stated that there is a considerable difference in the Ganga river system as compared to other river systems, adding that, hence, special treatment is required for this region. The geological and ecological integrity needs to be maintained for the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins, which harbour headstreams of the river Ganga, it further stated. “Headstreams are critical for supplying food/nutrients and critical biodiversity to the riverine ecosystem,” it added.
In January, the Supreme Court had granted three months to the Centre to take a final decision on this issue. The Jal Shakti and the Environment, Forest and Climate Change ministries filed a joint affidavit on behalf of the Union Government.
“…on behalf of the Union of India, it is respectfully submitted that only the following seven (07) Hydro-Electric Projects, of which four (04) projects are already commissioned and three (03) projects have already achieved substantial physical and financial progress, may be permitted to proceed, subject to strict compliance with all applicable statutory provisions and environmental safeguards and that no other new Hydro-Electric Projects shall be undertaken in the upper reaches of the Ganga river basin in the State of Uttarakhand,” the Centre’s affidavit stated.
“Apart from these seven projects the Indian government is not in favour of permitting any other new hydro-electric project in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi River in the upper reaches of the River Ganga in the state of Uttarakhand,” it was added.
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What the joint affidavit states
According to the submissions, the decision not to have any new hydroelectric projects in the upper Ganga basin was taken after inter-ministerial consultations and the concurrence of the power ministry. The ministry’s decision hinged on revisiting the recommendations of an expert body constituted in 2015, which had said that 28 projects could be allowed in the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi basins.
In late 2024, a committee chaired by cabinet secretary T V Somanathan had also revisited the recommendations of the Expert Body–II, headed by B P Das. The committee, comprising Jal Shakti and environment ministry officials, had allowed only five hydroelectric projects. However, the Centre’s current submission reverses that stand as well.
The Ministry of Jal Shakti reasoned in the joint affidavit that the Ganga River system is considerably different from other river systems and requires special treatment. It also highlighted the geological and ecological integrity of the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi river basins. It held that the Expert Body-II “completely ignored” the cumulative impact of hydropower projects, adding that if all 28 projects it had recommended were implemented, the river’s free flow would be “greatly impacted”.
“The report fails to capture the cumulative impact of anthropogenic pressures other than hydropower development. The aquatic/terrestrial impacts in the report are measured per megawatt, which fails to capture the full extent of forest/river damage from large,” the Centre stated in its affidavit.
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The environment flow or e-flow of the river, which refers to a certain minimum flow required to maintain aquatic health, the river basin’s religious-cultural importance, and crucially, its geological vulnerabilities, were all cited as factors for this decision.
The affidavit also pointed out the region’s geological fragility and recurrent disaster history. “The Ganga River basin wholly lies within the most vulnerable Seismic Zone IV and V of the young Himalayan Mountain system. It is inherently prone to landslides, flash floods, glacial lakes outburst floods, avalanches, cloud bursts. The biodiversity of the upper Ganga basin hosts critical riparian and aquatic biodiversity,” it was stated.
What expert bodies recommended in the past
The apex court has been examining the question of starting new hydroelectric projects on the Ganga since 2013, in a suo motu case it took up following the Kedarnath floods that killed over 5,000 people. Initially, the court put a moratorium on granting clearances for any new projects and asked the environment ministry to form a committee to first study the impact. Since then, the ministry has formed three committees:
* The first one, led by environmentalist Ravi Chopra, concluded in 2014 that hydroelectric projects exacerbated the disaster. It also recommended not going ahead with 24 proposed projects.
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* After six hydroelectric project proponents moved the Supreme Court for permission to resume their projects, the ministry formed a second committee in 2015 under IIT-Kanpur’s Vinod Tare. This panel found that the six projects had prior clearances but would pose serious ecological impacts.
* Then, a third committee formed under engineer BP Das recommended in 2020 that 28 projects be given a nod.
However, the Centre decided in 2021 that just seven of these 28 projects, on which work had already begun, would be given the go-ahead. This came on the back of a meeting held in the Prime Minister’s Office chaired by the principal secretary to the PM.
In August 2024, the Supreme Court asked the Centre why it had allowed only seven projects. It also formed a high-level committee, headed by Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, to revisit the BP Das committee report and decide the fate of the other 21 hydroelectric projects.
