'23 lakh trees to be felled’: Expert panel suggests environmental clearance for Arunachal dam project

The project involves the construction of a concrete gravity dam on Kamala river, which is a tributary of the Subansiri and part of the Brahmaputra basin

• 23 lakh trees to be cut for Kamala hydro project in Arunachal Pradesh
• Expert panel recommends environmental clearance; final forest clearance pending
• Project to affect 126 villages and 30,000 people across three districts

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Stating that more than 23 lakh trees will be felled for the Kamala hydroelectric project, an  expert panel from the Centre has recommended environmental clearance for the 1,720-MW storage dam proposed in the forested districts of Arunachal Pradesh.

Proposed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited NHPC Ltd, the project involves the construction of a concrete gravity dam at a height of 216 metres on Kamala river, which is a tributary of the Subansiri and part of the Brahmaputra basin.

According to a report in News18, the expert appraisal committee (EAC) recently examined the proposal and noted that the dam project falls in Category ‘A’ of the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification, 2006, mandating clearance at the central level.

“The project is located in a very dense forest area," the committee observed, stressing that such large-scale deforestation will require carefully planned mitigation and ecosystem restoration measures.

The expert panel necessitated the need for a detailed action plan, prepared in consultation with state forest and wildlife departments, ecological experts and local communities before forest clearance can be considered.

The dam and its reservoir will spread across 3,858 hectares in Kamle, Kra Daadi and Kurung Kumey districts, most of which are covered by dense forests. According to official documents, 126 villages across these three districts will be affected with at least 30,000 people living in the impacted area.

While the EAC’s recommendation clears a key regulatory hurdle, final forest clearance remains pending.

The project has been in the pipeline for nearly three decades with initial investigations carried out by the Brahmaputra Board in 1996. This was followed by feasibility and detailed project reports by NHPC in 2004. Several alternative dam sites and designs were examined before the current alignment was finalised, with engineers citing better geology and safety as key reasons for the final choice.

The estimated cost of the Kamala hydroelectric project is Rs 23,764 crore.

On completion, the project will generate 6,869.92 MU of green energy annually, thereby contributing to the Government of India’s energy transition initiatives and its Net Zero target by 2070. In addition to power generation, the project also envisages to provide flood relief in the Brahmaputra valley.