Guwahati: A Union Environment Ministry panel has recommended environmental clearance for the 1,200-MW Kalai-II hydroelectric project on the Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh’s Anjaw district.
The move comes amid criticism from environmentalists and local residents, who say the project’s environmental assessment ignored the presence of the critically endangered white-bellied heron in the area.
The expert appraisal committee (EAC) had previously requested a detailed conservation plan for the heron while clearing the 1,750-MW Lower Demwe project on the same river in 2020.
According to official records, the EAC approved clearance for Kalai-II during its December 19 meeting.
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was prepared by WAPCOS Ltd, a government enterprise accredited for such studies.
Concerns were raised just a day before the meeting. Soblam Malo from Chengung village and Assam-based environmentalist Bimal Gogoi wrote to the panel, pointing out that the EIA “failed to make even a single mention of the under-threat species” despite the area being “contiguous habitat with recent records of the bird in the Lohit River basin, including Kamlang Tiger Reserve.” Gogoi also noted that “surprisingly” the report only recognized Kamlang as a sanctuary.
The EIA’s avian chapter lists 28 species from 19 families but makes no reference to the white-bellied heron, which is protected under Schedule-I of the Wildlife Protection Act.
The bird is critically endangered according to the IUCN Red List, with sightings documented upstream and downstream of the Kalai-II project site.
Rohit Naniwadekar, a scientist with the Nature Conservation Foundation who has studied the species in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, said, “In Arunachal Pradesh, their population is found in Lohit, Anjaw, and Changlang districts, including in Kamlang and Namdapha tiger reserves. We do not completely understand the causes behind the dip in their population and in Namdapha, despite relatively little disturbance to its habitat.” He added, “While the IUCN Red list suggests there are less than 250 birds in the wild, experts speculate there might be only about 60 birds left in the wild, with 4-5 breeding pairs in Bhutan and fewer in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.”
Attempts to get comments from EAC chairperson Prof Govind Chakrapani, member secretary Yogendra Pal Singh, and WAPCOS went unanswered.
Another researcher who requested anonymity said, “Walong is the only nesting site in India other than Namdapha Tiger Reserve. We have records of direct and indirect sightings along the entire stretch of Lohit River from Kaho to Parshuram Kund. In Walong, we have recorded nest abandonment due to anthropogenic disturbances. Currently, hunting and habitat loss are the primary issues in Arunachal Pradesh, while studies from Bhutan show the wider impacts of dams on the species.”
The heron’s nesting sites in Walong and Namdapha are also mentioned in the June 2023 edition of Indian Birds. The journal notes a sharp decline in population due to habitat destruction, hunting, human interference, and risks like dams and power line collisions.
The Kalai-II project, which will be built by THDC India Ltd at an estimated cost of Rs 14,176.26 crore, is planned in Hawai village on the Lohit, a Brahmaputra tributary.
The project involves constructing a 128.5-meter concrete gravity dam with pondage and an underground powerhouse.