Green Minute News:
People of Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts are up in arms, demanding cancellation of the public hearing meeting on Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project (PSP). The notification for the “Environmental Public Hearing Meeting” on the Sharavathi PSP that is slated for September 16, 2025 has been issued by Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB).
The 2000 MW Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project proposal has faced controversy, litigation and opposition since inception as it is located inside a Protected Area (Sharavathi Valley Lion Tailed Macaque Sanctuary) and further, in the World’s Hottest Biodiversity Hotspots – Western Ghats which is the lifeline of Karnataka.
The Environmental Public Hearing scheduled for September 16th is being held at the project site near Kargal post, Shivamogga district. However, environmentalists, activists, power experts and ecologists say this is not consistent with the letter and spirit of the EIA notification rules, 2006, Section 7, III. Stage (3) – Public Consultation, as issued by Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and hence, this needs to be urgently reviewed in the public interest.
In a representation to Member Secretary, KPSCB, concerned ministries , DCs of Uttar Kannada, Shivamogga, and departments, Shankar Sharma, Power and Climate Policy Analyst says, “The ASSOCIATED DPR (DETAILED PROJECT REPORT) has been intentionally kept away from the public despite repeated requests for the same even under RTI Act.”
HIDDEN DPR
Even during the geo-technical drilling and study done by KPCL inside the Sharavathi Valley Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) Sanctuary, it had caused irreparable damage to the ecology and habitat of this precious protected area and further, the drilling had been done during monsoons and the Covid period, throwing all rules and regulations to dust.
Shankar Sharma adds the detailed information about the project proposal components and its impacts on our society, including flora, fauna and ecology are not available for the public. This is essential for the public to effectively participate in such a Public Hearing.
Another shocking aspect of the Sharavathi PSP is – the main components of the project proposal are not in the public domain and till date, nobody knows what Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd (KPCL), the project proponent is doing.
The following details have been kept away from the public, says Shankar Sharma:
- ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS: locational details, the kind of forest, whether within a Protected Area (PA), costs and benefits analysis, details of flora, fauna, endangered/ endemic species in the project area, view of IUCN on such species, the very need for the project, its true relevance to the people of the state, climate change considerations, impact of the same on the state’s welfare w.r.t the inadequate area of forest and tree cover in the state, length of the water pipe line, details of the tunnels, additional power lines, muck disposal sites, environmental management plan etc.
- ECONOMIC ASPECTS: Capital cost, cost of additional transmission lines, O&M cost, pumping energy costs, project construction time and economic life time of the project etc.
- LEGAL COMPLIANCE: The PSP’s compliance with the relevant Acts, such as IE Act, Environmental Protection Act, Wildlife Protection Act, Forest Conservation Act etc.
- FOREST COVER: The project’s compliance w.r.t the letter and spirit of National Forest Policy targets, and from the Climate Change perspective. As per FSI 2023, Karnataka’s Forest cover is just 21% which even includes plantations.
- OTHER ALTERNATIVES: There is need for objective comparison with other suitable alternatives for the project proposal.
- PROJECT BENEFIT: There is urgent need for objective analysis of all the direct and indirect costs & benefits to the society from the project; such as through economic indicators such as NPV, IRR, Payback period etc.
- POWER DEMAND: The larger scenario of electricity demand/ supply in the state/ country in the present context, and credible projections for the next 10, 20, 40 years, & why is this project proposal considered essential, even within a Protected Area (PA)?
- WESTERN GHATS DESTRUCTION: Why is the project considered essential in the context of considerable potential threats to the tropical river valley ecology in the Western Ghats, which is a global biodiversity hotspot?
- IMPACT STUDY: The details of cumulative impact study on Sharavati river valley, which has already been reported as devastated because of 6-7 dams and multiple hydro power plants in Karnataka.
- IMPACT ON WESTERN GHATS: The details of the carrying capacity study on the entire Western Ghats (WGs), and specifically on the WGs in Karnataka, and the central Western Ghats of which the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka is a part.
- FOREST OFFICERS RECOMMENDATIONS: There is need for making public – the details of the studies, site inspection reports, and recommendations given by the concerned DCFs, CCFs, and from the regional office of MoEFCC, Bengaluru on the impact of Sharavathi PSP.
FOREST ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
In the minutes of 7th Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) meeting, held one on 30th July 2025 – Item 7 (xxx) says that “the submission by the project proponent – KPCL does not highlight the cumulative impact of the projects existing and upcoming hydro-power projects in the basin and carrying capacity of the river basin. So, the User Agency may be directed to take up both the studies as part of the EIA report.”
In fact, the 7th FAC meeting also has noted that the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL)in its 84th meeting held on 26.06.2025 has observed that: “More than 12,000 trees out of 13,756 trees enumerated to be felled for 12.3 km road from Nagar Basti kere to Begodi can be saved, if the road that is proposed underground till pump house can be extended from Nagar Basti kere to base of pump house.”
STANDING COMMITTEE OF NBWL
Further the Standing Committee of NBWL has stated, “This will also help the flagship species of the sanctuary i.e. Lion Tailed Macaque (LTM) to have free ranging tree canopy which would be otherwise broken due to widening of road. The road length in case of going underground would also reduce from 12.3 km to about 8 km. Maximum attempts should be made to take this road underground even if in part segments.”
In view of these two observations by MoEFCC, the project proponent – KPCL should clarify whether these two recommendations by MoEFCC will be implemented, and if so, the details of the associated reports and design changes will have to be included in the information made available to the public before conducting the public hearing.
If these recommendations by Standing Committee of NBWL are to be implemented, the public hearing should be conducted only after receiving the associated confirmation and the plan/ report from the project proponent.
In this context too, Citizens, people, biodiversity experts, power analysts and activists of Shivamogga and Uttar Kannada districts stress, “The public hearing date should be deferred to a date many months away.”
IS THIS A PUBLIC CONSULTATION?
It should be highlighted here, that a Notification dated 14th September, 2006 by the MoEFCC, New Delhi in accordance with the objectives of National Environment Policy, has been issued, and which is generally termed as EIA notification rules, 2006. Section 7, III. Stage (3) – Public Consultation, of the same notification says:
(i) “Public Consultation” refers to the process by which the concerns of local affected persons and others who have plausible stake in the environmental impacts of the project or activity are ascertained with a view to taking into account all the material concerns in the project or activity design as appropriate.”
(https://environmentclearance.nic.in/writereaddata/EIA_notifications/2006_09_14_EIA.pdf)
It should be evidently clear that the letter and spirit of this notification is “Public Consultation”, and, hence, not “Environmental Public Hearing Notification”.
It would be incorrect to surmise/ imply that the objective of ‘Public Consultation’ under these rules is aimed at seeking the views of the public only on the direct environmental impacts in the short term only.
SOCIAL, ECOLOGICAL, ECONOMIC IMPACT
Any project of such size and impacts like the Sharavathi PSP, which will be spread over a large geographical area, and across 45-50 years (including the construction duration) cannot be without social and economic impacts on the larger society.
For example, there would be the employment/ livelihood losses due to the reduced rainfall in the region and/ or inadequate quantity/ quality of Sharavathi River. Hence, the correct interpretation of these rules, and of the very basic tenets of the Constitution of our country, should mean the focus on the overall interest of the local community, as well as that of the entire state/ country.
ENVIRONMENTAL PUBLIC CONSULTATION
Since the project is meant to assist in meeting the power needs of the entire state, the restrictions on such narrow considerations, as implied in the terms “Environmental Public Hearing Notification” should be carefully addressed, so that the Presiding Officers of such a “Public Consultation”, who are generally designated as the Deputy Commissioner of the district, should not prevent the participating public from expressing their concerns on any aspect of their lives because of the project.
So, also is the apprehension of the public that they may not get adequate time/ opportunity to register their concerns. The overall objective of such a “Public Consultation”, hence, should be to provide adequate time/ opportunity to the public, to freely register their views on the Sharavathi PSP project in its entirety.
NEED FOR ACCESS TO DPR, OTHER DOCUMENTS
In view of the cascading impact of the PSP, Citizens say, “We are the interested/ affected party/ parties, since the various aspects of the above said project has the potential to impact/ devastate our lives; both in the short-term as well as in long-term. We need effective access to study all the associated details of the project, as contained in the DPR. We also need adequate time to study the DPR, and discuss many aspects of the same with the subject/ domain experts, and to ascertain how the project will impact our basic right to livelihood.”
Further, activists add, “We also need to be assured that the above said project is essential to our community/ state/ country from the long-time perspective of the ever-escalating threats from Climate Change, which are already impacting us directly/ indirectly, because of the devastation that has already been heaped on the Western Ghats in particular, and on the general environment of the state/ country.”
CONTINUING IMPACT ON WESTERN GHATS
Already, Western Ghats has been impacted immensely because of scores of projects in the region, destroying thousands of hectares of tropical rainforests since 1947. We need to be assured of the fact that the proposed project will not impact us further in any way, and that the same project is also essential for the true welfare of our communities.
In view of these concerns, the entire DPR, the associated annexures, tables, photographs, various associated submissions made to the MoEFCC by KPCL MUST be placed for public scrutiny on one or more relevant websites, such as that of KSPCB, or KPCL, or that of the state energy department for at least 6 months for us to study the same, before we can participate effectively in any of the associated public hearings.
CITIZENS’ DEMAND
- The cancellation of the scheduled Public Hearing notification for Sharavathi PSP on 16th Sept 2025 in Shivamogga district.
- A relevant notification that all the above-mentioned documents are placed in publicly available websites.
- A revised public hearing notification, if necessary, at a later date, 6 months after the publication of all the relevant details such as DPR on easily available Websites.
Hoping against hope, activists and citizens hope the controversial Sharavathi PSP which has seen years of opposition, and litigation, is dropped once for all and Western Ghats sees better protection. Further, they say if 12-15,000 trees are felled which is the one and only abode of critically endangered 30-40 groups of LTMs (an arboreal species) what will happened to this flagship species?