The Hindu : Kerala News : Concern over dam proximity to Silent Valley

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 27, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Concern over dam proximity to Silent Valley

By G. Prabhakaran

PALAKKAD, JUNE 26. The main left bank wall of the proposed Pathrakadavu hydro-electric project dam forms the Nilikkal boundary of the Silent Valley National Park, contrary to the State Electricity Board's (KSEB) claim that it will be constructed at Pathrakadavu, 1 km downstream of the park boundary.

A trek across the four-km rock cliff terrain from the powerhouse site at Thathengalam to the dam site on the Nilikkal boundary reveals that the Pathrakadavu waterfall, where the proposed dam is to come up, is more than 700 metres downstream of the Nilikkal waterfall through the water body. Between the main Pathrakadavu waterfall and the one at Nilikkal, there is another waterfall, known among the local people as Pathrakadavu waterfall.

However, the KSEB, by generalising the entire stretch of the area as Pathrakadavu, is hiding the fact that the dam site (marked by it on May 2, 2003 to have the Full Reservoir Level (FRL) of 480 metres above the MSL is in the Silent Valley, allege environmentalists. According to the local people, the dam site at Nilikkal is known as Sairandhripuzha as the entire area comes under the Sairandhri forests forming part of the park. After Nilikkal, the area is known as Pathrakadavu and further down, the river is called Kunthipuzha where it joins the Thuthapuzha to form the Bharathapuzha.

Tony Thomas, an environmentalist, told The Hindu that if the dam was constructed at Nilikkal, all the three major waterfalls of the Kunti river would be lost. Besides, it would pose the threat of landslips.

The Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the project had noted that "towards north, (of the dam site), the mountains show a steady increase in elevation. The area forms a rugged mountainous terrain dissected by deep valley. The terrain stands out prominently from the adjoining midlands. This is exactly the reason for the hydrological pressure head, on which the present power project is based." Thus it shows that the dam is constructed at the Nilikkal waterfall and not at the one at Pathrakadavu.

Mr. Thomas said blasting of rocks for the construction of the dam would create serious seismic disturbance and drive away the animal and bird population in the Silent Valley and nearby Mannarkkad forests.

He said there was also an `elephant track' passing through the Pathrakadavu area, the lone elephant route from the Neelikkal section of the Silent Valley. This corridor would be lost if the proposed project came up and the elephants would enter the thickly-populated Thathengalam area.

The (EIA) report said that "No major landslides have been reported from the project area or its surroundings. High-standing slopes having soil, debris or laterite cover, without any anchoring features, mainly cause landslips. Such features are found along the alignment of the proposed approach roads whereas at the dam and power house sites, similar features are not seen. It implies that the terrain is geotechnically stable. No active structural features in the area conducive of any subsidence, even after the reservoir turns completely filled at FRL, is noticed. At the right bank, in the upstream portion of the reservoir, a weathered metagable joint place is seen. It can create mud fall during or after the construction of the dam, which, therefore, requires stabilisation before construction.''

The EIA further said that "minor tremors could be created by the movement of adjoining blocks over a fault or shear plane in the shallow depths. Since there are no such active planes in the area, the possibility of such movements is remote. Absence of major landslides in the area also indicates the non-existence of any seismic activity, which could have otherwise triggered landslides". However, environmentalists contest these claims of the EIA and have called for the shelving of the project, as it would destroy the unique ecosystem of the Silent Valley "which holds a biogeographical evolutionary history of over 50 million years".

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