Guwahati: National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has sought approval from the Union Environment Ministry to divert 3,278 hectares of forest land in Arunachal Pradesh for its proposed 1,720 MW Kamala hydroelectric project, a move that could lead to the felling of 23.4 lakh trees.

The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union Environment Ministry is scheduled to examine the forest diversion proposal on October 23, according to its official agenda.

The proposed diversion covers forest areas across Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey and Kamle districts. Official documents show that 23,40,213 trees have been earmarked for felling, including 15.08 lakh in the Hapoli forest division and 8.31 lakh in the Kra Daadi division.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 2,400 crore, is designed to harness the waters of the Kamala River, a right-bank tributary of the Subansiri River. Conceived as a run-of-the-river project with storage, it will involve the construction of a 216-metre-high concrete gravity dam with flood moderation features. The reservoir and dam-top areas are expected to occupy nearly 2,960.49 hectares of forest land.

As compensation for the proposed forest diversion, NHPC has proposed afforestation across 7,018 hectares in several districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Under forest conservation rules, forest land diverted for non-forest purposes generally requires compensatory afforestation on an equivalent area of non-forest land. However, provisions under the Forest Conservation Act allow such plantations to be undertaken in other states with lower forest cover when suitable non-forest land is unavailable in the state where the diversion is proposed.

Where equivalent non-forest land cannot be provided, compensatory plantations must be raised on degraded forest land covering twice the area diverted. The proposed afforestation programme in Madhya Pradesh will be subject to the applicable requirements.

The Kamala project is part of a series of hydropower projects planned in the Subansiri River basin. In January, the Environment Ministry’s expert appraisal committee for river valley and hydroelectric projects recommended the proposal for environmental clearance, subject to the condition that final clearance would be granted only after in-principle forest clearance.

A site inspection report prepared by officials of the ministry’s regional office in Shillong noted that the project site does not fall within any national park, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or elephant corridor.

However, the report warned that the project would affect wildlife habitats. It also observed that the increased width of the submerged area could hinder the movement of wild animals between the two banks of the river. The officials consequently called for a wildlife mitigation plan or biodiversity conservation plan.

The Kamala River valley is predominantly hilly and covered by dense forests. According to the project’s Social Impact Assessment report, 5,440 families across 126 villages are expected to be affected by the project.

Of the 3,278 hectares of forest proposed for diversion, 439 hectares are classified as very dense forest and 1,119 hectares as moderately dense forest.

Field surveys conducted across different seasons recorded 155 plant species belonging to 69 families in the study area.