There are no concerns over the ongoing hydropower projects in the country, including those in hilly areas, says Union power minister RK Singh.
The minister said land subsidence in Joshimath has nothing to do with NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad hydropower project and that 'the problem is Joshimath’s land' instead.
In his first reaction on the issue of Joshimath’s land subsidence, the Union power minster, in an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol, suggested there is no stopping of hydropower projects in the country, despite rising concerns over rampant construction in hilly regions, such as Uttarakhand. Singh was speaking on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Satellite images of Uttarakhand's Joshimath released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) show that the Himalayan town sank at a rapid pace of 5.4 cm in just 12 days, triggered by a possible subsidence event on January 2.
No review of hydropower projects
When asked whether the sinking of Joshimath has prompted the ministry to review hydropower projects that are coming up, Singh said, “No, no. The problem in Joshimath was detected in 1975. In 1976, a committee of top geologists was set up, and that committee reported that a town had come up unplanned on land, which is actually part of a landslide. And below the rocks were not solid but gravel.”
“They do not have sewage and all the drainage is seeping into the ground and loosening rocks. Therefore, you have cracks. This is in ‘76, mind you. Thereafter, again in 2010, a committee was set up and it also said the same thing. In 2022, another committee also said the same thing. The problem is that Joshimath is built on part of an old landslide. This is a very old landslide and rocks below it are not solid. They are individual rocks and that’s the problem,” Singh said.
Talking about the Tapovan Vishnugad project, the minister said it has been functioning since 2009 and is 15 km away from Joshimath. “There are numerous villages between the two spots. In fact, there is a village right above the NTPC project where nothing happened. So, nothing happened to the village nearby and the villages above the project, and nothing happened to all the villages in that 15-km stretch. So you think any impact skipped all those villages and attacked Joshimath? The problem is the Joshimath land,” he said.
723 houses developed cracks
Hundreds of houses in Joshimath developed cracks as the land in the region is sinking, which is called subsidence. According to official figures, as many as 723 houses in nine wards of Joshimath town developed cracks. Of these, 86 houses fall in the unsafe zone. Meanwhile, hundreds of families have been shifted to relief camps set up in safer locations.
The 12-kilometre-long head race tunnel (HRT) of the now controversial Tapovan project is a kilometre away from the main city of Joshimath and is at least 600 metres below the ground. This is what NTPC officials had informed the power ministry.
Joshimath is the gateway to famous pilgrimage sites like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib and international skiing destination Auli.
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