Vishnugadh hydropower project

In News: An independent panel of the World Bank is considering a plea by residents of Haat village, Chamoli district, Uttarakhand to investigate environmental damage from the under-construction Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project (VPHEP).

• The 444-MW VPHEP is being built by the Tehri Hydropower Development Corporation (THDC), a partially State-owned enterprise.
• The project is primarily funded by the World Bank and was sanctioned in 2011.
• It is proposed to be completed in June 2023. About 40% of the funds for the $792 million project (₹64,000 crore approx.) had already been disbursed.

Complaints

• Residents in their complaint to the bank panel have said muck dumping from the dam threatens the local Lakshmi Narayan Temple.
• Other than ecological damage the project had caused forced resettlement, loss of livelihoods and, in several instances, the amount of compensation offered was inadequate.
• This is the third such complaint to the bank panel by villagers with neither of them having triggered an investigation by the panel.

Hydropower projects in Uttarakhand

• Hydropower projects in Uttarakhand have been a controversial issue.
• Following complaints by local environmentalists, the Supreme Court ordered a review of hydropower electric projects and tasked a panel of experts with determining whether they were environmentally sustainable.
• Based on their reports, two ministries – the Environment Ministry and the Jal Shakti Ministry— concurred that most of the projects sanctioned by the Uttarakhand government needed to be junked, except for seven that were already over 50% complete. The VPHEP is one such.

Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project

• The World Bank’s assisted Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project to be developed by the THDC India Ltd (THDC) on the Alaknanda River in Uttarakhand.
• The Vishnugad Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project has been designed as a 444-megawatt, run-of-river hydropower scheme which, when completed, will generate an estimated 1,665 gigawatt-hours.

Source: The Hindu

Previous Year Question

Q.1) Consider the following pairs: (2022)

Reservoirs:                           States

1. Ghataprabha: Telangana
2. Gandhi Sagar: Madhya Pradesh
3. Indira Sagar: Andhra Pradesh
4. Maithon: Chhattisgarh

How many pairs given above are not correctly matched?

1. Only one pair
2. Only two pairs
3. Only three pairs
4. All four pairs

Q.2) Consider the following rivers: (2021)

1. Brahamani
2. Nagalwali
3. Subarnarekha
4. Vamsadhara

Which of the above rise from the Eastern Ghats?

1. 1 and 2
2. 2 and 4
3. 3 and 4
4. 1 and 3