 "Sardar Sarovar Dam")
The government has moved to raise the water level of the Sardar Sarovar Dam to its maximum height of 138.68 metres.
A meeting of the environment sub-group of the Narmada Control Authority (NCA) has been called on Wednesday to consider lowering the gates at the dam that would raise the water level to the highest mandated level.
| IN DEEP WATER |
|
A nod from the sub-group would be the first step towards a final approval from the NCA — the final executive agency on the matter. But a member of the sub-group, Shekhar Singh, has written to the authorities on holding the sudden meeting — it was last held in 2010 — without an independent review of the environment safeguards imposed on the project, as required by Supreme Court orders.
Business Standard reviewed both the agenda circulated for the meeting of the sub-group and the letter written by Singh to the authorities. Under the Supreme Court’s order of 2000, the Narmada Control Authority is permitted to raise the dam height after approval from its sub-groups on environment as well as resettlement and rehabilitation. The court had ordered that environmental safeguards and the resettlement and rehabilitation process would go together with the construction of the dam.
The NCA’s environment sub-group is chaired by the environment secretary and has 17 members on board, most of whom are government officials either at the Centre or the three states concerned. Singh is one of the few non-government experts in the expert group.
In 2014, the NCA had ordered the construction of spillway piers to its full height and installation of gates, which were to be kept in the open position at that time to ensure the waters do not reach the full reservoir level. The NCA has now decided to look at closing the gates and impounding waters to the full 138.68 metres. In its agenda note, it has circulated details of how all safeguards measures before filling the reservoir have been fully or nearly completely completed.
But, Singh has pointed out that the last independent evaluation of the reports from the state governments was carried out by the NCA’s sub-group in 2011. He has demanded that an independent review be carried out by experts.
He said in his letter to the environment secretary, also the chairman of the environment sub-group of NCA, such an independent review is the mandate of the sub-group. He also noted the discrepancy in some of the data on the catchment area submitted by the NCA on the matter.
He noted that in December 2015, the NCA had claimed 41 per cent of the catchment area treatment had been completed. But, in the agenda document circulated for the August 31 meeting, it has claimed that 85 per cent of the work has been completed — nearly doubling the catchment treatment target in merely six months, he has pointed out.
If the sub-group overrules Singh in its August 31 meeting and gives the nod, the next step for the government would be to approach the rehabilitation sub-group and then secure a final nod from the NCA.
