Dams, barrages pose threat to sensitive Himalayan region

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, August 16

The risks of disasters due to bursting or leakages in artificial barrages of hydroelectric projects have increased manifold since these projects have mushroomed in the state over the last two decades.

Four persons were stranded in a tunnel of Malana Hydel project-I and 29 employees of the power house were marooned on a hill after the barrage gave way due to a cloudburst upstream on July 31. A few houses, two temples, some buildings, besides arable land were washed away at Chowki and Baladhi villages due to the flooding in Malana nullah. The road from Jari to Malana in Parvati valley had suffered major damages.

The flood in the Pin Parvati river in the Sainj valley due to sudden release of water from the Niharni dam of 100-MW Sainj Hydro Power Project of Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited on July 31 and simultaneous opening of gates of Siund dam by NHPC’s 520 MW Parvati Hydroelelctric Project-III downstream led to massive destruction in the Sainj market and other areas along the river till Larji.

Even last year, the valley had suffered enormous damage due to the same reasons, the wounds of which are still fresh and unhealed. As per residents, despite repeated requests the power projects had failed to instal early flood warning systems. Om Prakash from Sainj valley said the dam authorities should keep in mind exigencies while maintaining the water level in the reservoir, especially during the rainy season.

On July 24, 2023, the barrage of Malana Hydel Project II was breached due to jamming of the gates. The villagers downstream had sleepless nights till the snag was fixed after a couple of weeks. The reservoir of the newly built hydro project on Aleo nullah, a tributary of the Beas river, collapsed during the trial run on January 12, 2014.

Twenty-four students of Hyderabad’s VNR Vignana Jyothi College of Engineering and Technology and one tour operator were washed away in the Beas near Thalaut in Mandi district due to sudden release of water from the dam of Largi Hydel Project on June 8, 2014.

Environmentalist Guman Singh said all dams in the Himalayan region need a safety audit, considering the risks due to the climate change. “Safety needs to be ensured by upgrading the technology. Appropriate early warning systems like Doppler radars must be installed for more localised and real-time alerts. Construction of mega hydel projects should be completely restricted in such fragile and high-risk regions. High rise artificial barrages should be regulated.”