Athirappally hydel power project
HEADLINES:
Kerala government gives go-ahead to Athirappally hydel power project
WHY IN NEWS:
Decision elicits angry response from a cross-section of society
SYLLABUS COVERED: GS 3:DAMS : Infrastructure
LEARNING:
For PRELIMS go through the rivers and the tributaries . UPSC is fond of asking right bank or left bank tributaries 😉
For MAINS look out for the vulnerabilities and possible environmental solutions for such mega projects. Do you think such projects are viable in the midst of pandemic ?
ISSUE:

THE CONTROVERSIAL DAM :
BACKGROUND
- Silent Valley was an ecological movement with huge mass participation, that forced the Kerala government to abandon dam construction across the Kunthri River in Palakkad district during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- This is a death knell for what remains of endemic species of flora and fauna in the Athirappally-Vazhachal region.
BIODIVERSITY
- Around 168 hectares of biodiversity-rich forests in the Western Ghats would be submerged if the project got implemented.
- “Athirappally is home to some rarest species of birds, animals and plant species.
- The project would be an environmental disaster in the making and would sever the only link between the Peechi Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary and the Idamalayar basin of the Periyar river.
- Apart from being home to hornbills, tigers and leopards, the forests also host the Nilgiri langur, the lion-tailed macaque and the rare Cochin forest cane turtle.
TRIBAL BELT
- The fresh move is even violative of the forest rights granted to the Kadars under Forest Rights Act,” .
IASbhai WINDUP:
- “The latest decision is purely bureaucratic.
- On the tourism front, the project would wipe out the majestic Athirappally and Vazhachal waterfalls, which draw 0.6 million domestic and foreign tourists every year.
SOURCES:THE HINDU & PIB/DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS for UPSC CSE Prelims & Mains
DISCOVER MORE : Important GS-3 Articles
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