Title : Athirappilly Hydroelectric Project

Date : Jan 31, 2022

Description :

GS III

 

Topic à Infrastructure related issues

 

• Background:

 

• The government of Kerala had recently suspended the proposed 163-megwatt Athirappilly hydropower project at the mouth of the Chalakudy River in Thrissur district.
• The Chalakudy River is the Periyar River and originates from the Anamalai region of Tamil Nadu.

 

• Why was it abandoned:

 

• The decision came amid growing opposition from environmentalists and traditional organizations against biodiverse formation and only one state forest.

 

• Key Points:

 

• The Kadar community is facing further evictions due to the installation of separate power projects along the banks of the Chalakudy River.

 

• Extra Info:

 

• Silent Valley was one of India's earliest ecological movements with extensive participation, during the late 1970s and early 1980s. It has forced the Kerala government to abandon the dam project across the Kunthi River, within the lush tropical forests of the Silent Valley in the Palakkad region of Kerala.
• Madhav Gadgil's report called the Athirappilly hydel project 'unpopular' and dismissed it as nonsense for technical and economic reasons.
• The Kasturirangan panel simply recommended that the project impact be re-evaluated for environmental reasons.

 

• Source à Down To Earth Magazine

Tags : Silent Valley, Kunthi River, Kerala