Despite claims of the Central Government regarding measures for cleaning the Ganga river and ensuring its free flow, blatant anomalies in the construction of a hydro power project continue to damage an important tributary of the Ganga in Uttarakhand. The construction waste already dumped in the recent past by Hindustan Construction Company working on the 444 MW Peepalkoti-Vishnugad power project in Chamoli district has narrowed the channel of the Alaknanda River near the barrage site. Environmentalists point out that this could prove to be dangerous by increasing the risk of flash flood.
Recently, gifts received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi were auctioned with the receipts to be used in Namami Gange- integrated Ganga conservation mission. The PM is also seeking cooperation of the public in this mission. However, these efforts are being ignored in the implementation of the Pipalkoti-Vishnugad power project where construction waste at the barrage site was dumped into the river, narrowing its channel.
The Forest Department had earlier in January this year penalised the company more than Rs1 lakh for such dumping in violation of rules. Though the company was penalised, the threat of flash flood posed by the narrowed channel of the river remains unresolved. Vimal Bhai of Matu Jansangathan opined, “Such actions amount to murder of a river and the probability of a disaster like flash flood in the future due to the narrowed channel cannot be dismissed. All areas along the banks of the Alaknanda would face this threat of flash flood with probability of greater damage in the Srinagar area,” he said.
The Nanda Devi national park divisional forest officer Rajiv Dhiman said that the area in question is a revenue area. The extent of narrowing of the channel will be known only after inquiring into the case. Sub divisional magistrate Anup Kumar Nautiyal said that the DFO will be asked to investigate into the dumping of construction waste into the river and its effect on the river’s dimensions. This correspondent phoned the company representative on the issue but got no response.