The company implementing the 400 MW Vishnuprayag hydro power project in Chamoli district is blatantly violating the regulations by dumping debris in the Alaknanda river at the lambagad barrage site instead of dumping the debris at a designated dumping site.
While the district administration has so far remained apathetic to this anomaly, the Forest Department officials state that no such activity is being undertaken. With the advent of the monsoon and resulting rise in the level of water in the rivers here, the project proponent companies have started dumping muck and debris in the rivers.
The barrage of the Vishnuprayag hydro power project being implemented by Jaiprakash Associates had sustained serious damage due to flood and debris during the disaster in June last year. The debris from last year's disaster is still lying on the side of the barrage at lambagad. Now, the company is blatantly dumping the debris into the Alaknanda river.
According to observers, such dumping of debris in the river is not only a violation of regulations but is also likely to affect the flow and ecology of the river downstream. locals and environmental activists allege that such violations are being carried out blatantly with the knowledge of the administration officials.
When this correspondent asked the Nanda Devi national park sub divisional officer Sarvesh Kumar Dubey about the dumping of debris in the river, he outrightly rejected this and stressed that no such activity was taking place in the area. Earlier in June this year, the National Green Tribunal has directed the Jaiprakash Associates to file an affidavit in connection with the dumping of debris and muck of the Vishnuprayag project barrage in the Alaknanda river.
Such dumping was said to be posing an imminent threat to the villages downstream with the advent of monsoon, according to Vimal Bhai of Matu Jansangathan who had filed the application along with villagers living downstream of the project against the company in the National Green Tribunal. He had then alleged that the company had been unable to clear the debris properly and was waiting for the advent of the monsoon showers so that the muck is carried away by the river.
It will be recalled that the company implementing the Vishnuprayag project was accused by locals and activists of being responsible for the destruction wreaked in the downstream areas during the June 2013 calamity. On June 16-17 last year, floods had washed away properties in lambagad, Pandukeshwar, Govindghat, Vinayak Chatti, Pinolaghat and other areas downstream of the project reportedly because the gates of the barrage were not operated properly by the company staff.
