Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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-Timescrest.com
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&lt;br /&gt;
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
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The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Timescrest.com&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#039;,
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-Timescrest.com
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&lt;br /&gt;
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
&lt;/p&gt;
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The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Timescrest.com&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#039;
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Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


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                <strong>Watershed moment -Himanshu Upadhyaya</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Timescrest.com</div><p align="justify"><br />Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.</p><p align="justify">With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.</p><p align="justify">The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.</p><p align="justify">The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.</p><p align="justify">Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.</p><p align="justify">A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&quot;.</p><p align="justify">The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&quot;.</p><p align="justify">CAG noted, in conclusion, that &quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.</p><p align="justify">Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &quot;development intoxication&quot;.</p><p align="justify"><em>The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. </em></p>               </font>
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-Timescrest.com
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&lt;br /&gt;
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Timescrest.com&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#039;,
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-Timescrest.com
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&lt;br /&gt;
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
&lt;/p&gt;
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With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
&lt;/p&gt;
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The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;
&lt;/p&gt;&#039;,
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Timescrest.com&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. 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Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#039;
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building..."/>
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                <strong>Watershed moment -Himanshu Upadhyaya</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Timescrest.com</div><p align="justify"><br />Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.</p><p align="justify">With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.</p><p align="justify">The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.</p><p align="justify">The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.</p><p align="justify">Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.</p><p align="justify">A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&quot;.</p><p align="justify">The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&quot;.</p><p align="justify">CAG noted, in conclusion, that &quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.</p><p align="justify">Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &quot;development intoxication&quot;.</p><p align="justify"><em>The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. </em></p>               </font>
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    <link rel="canonical" href="https://im4change.in/<pre class="cake-error"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-trace').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-trace').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none');"><b>Notice</b> (8)</a>: Undefined variable: urlPrefix [<b>APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp</b>, line <b>8</b>]<div id="cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-trace" class="cake-stack-trace" style="display: none;"><a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-code').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-code').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Code</a> <a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-context').style.display = (document.getElementById('cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-context').style.display == 'none' ? '' : 'none')">Context</a><pre id="cakeErr67f9cd8c5bcde-code" class="cake-code-dump" style="display: none;"><code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB"></span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">head</span><span style="color: #007700">&gt;
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-Timescrest.com
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&lt;br /&gt;
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
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The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...&#039;,
	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Timescrest.com&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#039;,
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-Timescrest.com
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&lt;br /&gt;
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
&lt;/p&gt;
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The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.
&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;
&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...&#039;
$disp = &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-Timescrest.com&lt;/div&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The state&#039;s callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India&#039;s report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG&#039;s performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG&#039;s warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand&#039;s policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &amp;quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&amp;quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &amp;quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &amp;quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &amp;quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&amp;quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &amp;quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &amp;quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;CAG noted, in conclusion, that &amp;quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&amp;quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It&#039;s time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &amp;quot;development intoxication&amp;quot;.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;&lt;em&gt;The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&#039;
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Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


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                <strong>Watershed moment -Himanshu Upadhyaya</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-Timescrest.com</div><p align="justify"><br />Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.</p><p align="justify">With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.</p><p align="justify">The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.</p><p align="justify">The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.</p><p align="justify">Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.</p><p align="justify">A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&quot;.</p><p align="justify">The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&quot;.</p><p align="justify">CAG noted, in conclusion, that &quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.</p><p align="justify">Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &quot;development intoxication&quot;.</p><p align="justify"><em>The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. </em></p>               </font>
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-Timescrest.com
</div>
<p align="justify">
<br />
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
</p>
<p align="justify">
With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
</p>
<p align="justify">
The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
</p>
<p align="justify">
The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
</p>
<p align="justify">
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
</p>
<p align="justify">
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&quot;.
</p>
<p align="justify">
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&quot;.
</p>
<p align="justify">
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
</p>
<p align="justify">
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &quot;development intoxication&quot;.
</p>
<p align="justify">
<em>The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. </em>
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...',
	'disp' => '<div align="justify">-Timescrest.com</div><p align="justify"><br />Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.</p><p align="justify">With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.</p><p align="justify">The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.</p><p align="justify">The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.</p><p align="justify">Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.</p><p align="justify">A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&quot;.</p><p align="justify">The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&quot;.</p><p align="justify">CAG noted, in conclusion, that &quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.</p><p align="justify">Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &quot;development intoxication&quot;.</p><p align="justify"><em>The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. </em></p>',
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-Timescrest.com
</div>
<p align="justify">
<br />
Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.
</p>
<p align="justify">
With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.
</p>
<p align="justify">
The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.
</p>
<p align="justify">
The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.
</p>
<p align="justify">
Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.
</p>
<p align="justify">
A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&quot;.
</p>
<p align="justify">
The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&quot;.
</p>
<p align="justify">
CAG noted, in conclusion, that &quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.
</p>
<p align="justify">
Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &quot;development intoxication&quot;.
</p>
<p align="justify">
<em>The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. </em>
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-Timescrest.com



Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.


With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building...'
$disp = '<div align="justify">-Timescrest.com</div><p align="justify"><br />Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored.</p><p align="justify">With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning.</p><p align="justify">The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax.</p><p align="justify">The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report.</p><p align="justify">Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season.</p><p align="justify">A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the &quot;potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects&quot; since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, &quot;Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. &quot; CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that &quot;glacier lakes can pose significant hazards&quot;. In the past, the state had witnessed &quot;bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences&quot;.</p><p align="justify">The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that &quot;Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods&quot;.</p><p align="justify">CAG noted, in conclusion, that &quot;the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities&quot;. In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes.</p><p align="justify">Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, &quot;development intoxication&quot;.</p><p align="justify"><em>The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation. </em></p>'
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Watershed moment -Himanshu Upadhyaya

-Timescrest.com Three successive CAG reports warned the Uttarakhand govt about the consequences of multiple hydropower projects, and their unpreparedness in the face of disaster. The advice was ignored. With aim of turning Uttarakhand into Urja Pradesh, the state has committed to building 680 dams, currently in various stages of commissioning, construction and planning. The powers that be have expedited the clearances for these projects. However, when it came to the issue of credible prefeasibility studies, environment impact assessments, monitoring and evaluation, and compensatory afforestation, the authorities and nodal agency Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (UJVNL) have been extremely lax. The state's callous political class drowned criticism articulated by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India's report on 48 hydropower projects being constructed through private sector participation in 2010. CAG's performance audit of UJVNL in 2011 was similarly censured. More recently, the state ignored CAG's warnings about their utter failure in disaster preparedness and risk reduction in a March 2013 report. Over the past few years, both private and public investment in the state has concentrated on two sectors - power and infrastructure. If pursued without proper scrutiny and regulation, both can be seriously harmful for the fragile ecology of the region. While the National Disaster Management Authority guidelines ask state governments to conduct floodplain zoning, Uttarakhand's policy on hydropower projects does not address the vital issue of maintaining downstream flow in the diversion reach (ie the distance between dam and hydropower turbines where water flows through tunnel). Dried-up riverbeds, where the water flow became a trickle, exposed floodplains to rampant construction activity, which was further encouraged by unregulated tourism. Interestingly, in September 2008, neighbouring Himachal Pradesh issued notices to hydropower projects asking a minimum water flow of 15 per cent be maintained in the lean season. A 2009 CAG report also asked the state to assess the "potential cumulative impacts of multiple hydropower projects" since 42 projects had been commissioned and another 203 were underway or in clearance stage. Without mincing words, CAG officials said, "Given the current policy of state government pursuing hydropower projects indiscriminately, the potential cumulative effect of multiple run-of-river projects can turn out to be environmentally damaging. " CAG officials also underlined the need to integrate disaster preparedness, risk reduction and management plans in hydropower construction, reminding authorities that "glacier lakes can pose significant hazards". In the past, the state had witnessed "bursting of glacial lakes causing flash floods with catastrophic consequences". The audit report mentioned several instances of damage caused by flash floods - in September 2002, Rajwakti dam halted power generation for 28 days;in July 2005 Hanumanganga dam was closed for four months and in August 2008, power generation was stopped for 15 days at Loharkhet dam. CAG also mentioned that a coffer dam at 330 MW Srinagar project burst a few months ago, due to a flood-like situation following incessant rains, creating considerable alarm in downstream areas. During the 2011 performance audit of UJVNL, CAG once again reiterated that "Urgam hydropower project remained damaged for almost four years (August 2004 to May 2008) in the aftermath of flash floods". CAG noted, in conclusion, that "the above shows inadequate construction practices being followed by project developers who failed to cater for such eventualities". In addition, they said, it also highlights the ineffective monitoring by the government of Uttarakhand and nodal agency. The state authorities had failed to regulate the indiscriminate disposal of muck generated from excavation and construction activities from hill sides into rivers, and monitor compensatory afforestation activities committed while obtaining forest clearance. The report states that 38 per cent projects were scanty plantations, and posed a serious hazard to the stability of hill slopes. Despite observations made in the CAG report, which also touched on tourismrelated infrastructure, the state appears to have learnt no lessons. Officials even failed to act on recent audit reports that exposed their utter failure for disaster preparedness, management and risk reduction even as the Char Dham Yatra started with much fanfare earlier this year. It's time for the state to do an honest assessment of the unbearable cost of, as one of my Gandhian friends puts it, "development intoxication". The writer is a researcher of environmental policy and regulation.