Lahaul-Spiti residents oppose power projects

Leaders and community organisations of the Lahaul valley have decided to hold a protest rally at Udaipur on May 23 against the construction of 18 mega hydropower projects in the region. These include major projects like Jispa (300 MW), Seli (400 MW), Miyar (120 MW), Duggar (380 MW) and Raholi-Dugli (420 MW), among other projects that can impact nearly every corner of the valley.

Local panchayat representatives and Sudarshan Jaspa, president of the Lahaul-Spiti Ekta Manch, raised concerns over the push for the development of large-size projects. Jaspa opposed the agreements signed between the Himachal Pradesh Government and the Telangana Government recently for the execution of the Miyar (120 MW) and Seli (400 MW) projects, calling the move dangerous for the valley’’s fragile ecology, tribal rights and unique climate.

Jaspa warned that the hydropower projects pose an existential threat to Lahaul’s fertile land, rare biodiversity and the traditional way of life. “No area of the valley will remain untouched,” he claimed. “If implemented, these projects will not only displace the local population but will also increase the risk of natural disasters in this already earthquake-prone region.”

Jaspa drew comparisons with the devastating effects of hydropower projects development in Kinnaur and Uttarakhand and cited several official reports that had warned against such projects in high-altitude regions. The 2009 Abhay Shukla Committee, formed on the direction of the Himachal High Court, and the National Disaster Management Authority had both recommended a complete ban on such projects in above 7,000 feet areas due to severe environmental risks. The Lahaul valley, with an average elevation of around 9,000 feet, clearly falls in this sensitive zone.

Further, Jaspa emphasised the recent climate upheavals and flashfloods in local streams like Miyar, Jahlma, Shansha, Tozing, and Shaks, underlining that reckless development could spell disaster for the entire region.

A protest rally would be held at 11 am on May 23, which would starting from the Mrikula Mata Temple premises in Udaipur. The rally would be led by all panchayat representatives of Udaipur subdivision. They have called upon womens’ groups, youth organisations, civil societies and the intelligentsia of Lahaul and Spiti to unite to defend their homeland.

Protest rally

• A protest rally against the power projects will be held at 11 am on May 23
• The rally, led by all panchayat representatives of Udaipur subdivision, will start from the Mrikula Mata Temple premises in Udaipur