New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) A river link project spanning more than 3,800 hectares (ha) in Maharashtra’s Nashik district, requiring diversion of over 900 ha of forest land and situated partially in the Western Ghats, has received a preliminary clearance.
The initial nod was given during the meeting of the Environment Ministry’s expert appraisal committee (EAC) on July 30.
According to the minutes of the meeting, the nearly Rs 7,400-crore project, called the Nar–Par–Girna River Link Project, will affect nine villages with 516 houses and about 2,580 persons.
It will divert surplus water from the west-flowing Nar, Par, Auranga and Ambika river basins to the water-deficit Girna sub-basin of the Tapi river basin to provide assured irrigation to about 50,000 ha of agricultural land in Nashik and Jalgaon districts.
The proposed project was recommended for the grant of standard “terms of reference (TOR)”, which is the first step in the approval process, during the meeting of the Environment Ministry’s EAC on July 30.
TOR refers to a formal document that defines the scope, objectives, methodology and reporting requirements of an environmental impact assessment study for any proposed project.
The Nar–Par–Girna River Link Project comprises construction of several infrastructures, including nine dams, three links, pump houses and tunnels, among others, and result in the submersion of more than 1,600 ha of 3,800 ha of land, the minutes of the meeting noted.
According to the project’s pre-feasibility report, proposed dam sites at Ukhedmal, Rakshasbhuvan, Umbarpada, and Sarnya Aawan fall within villages under the eco-sensitive area (ESA) of the Western Ghats.
Notified by the Environment Ministry, ESAs are areas with unique biological resources, which require special attention for their conservation.
The Ghats’ ESA was declared through the ministry’s draft notification issued last month. This was its seventh iteration since March, 2014.
Note that hydro-projects are permitted in the ESA of the Western Ghats, according to a 2013 notification.
The pre-feasibility report also noted that the project’s three links traverse areas falling within the ESA, and also intersect reserved forest areas.
A portion of the command area, and all the identified tunnel lines/drainage channels associated with the project alignment also pass through area within the ESA.
The proposed project is being managed by the Girna River Valley Division of Maharashtra government’s Water Resource Department. PTI ALC PRK
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