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CWC backs Athirappilly project, KSEBL upbeat

The CWC arrived at the figures after studying the data available till 2013
Kochi: The attempts by the Kerala State Electricity Board Limited (KSEBL) to set up a hydro-electric power project at Athirappilly in Thrissur district have made some headway with the Central Water Commission (CWC) sending a report to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) supporting the claims of the Kerala utility with respect to water availability and flow in the river.
The CWC has said in its report that that 1055 million cubic feet water is available in the river, which will ensure sufficient flow even after the project is implemented.
The CWC arrived at the figures after studying the data available till 2013.
The KSEBL had approached the centre for the permission to construct a 163-MW power project at Athirappilly in the Chalakkudi river. Environmentalists estimate that the project would inundate 140 acres of virgin forest and destroy the rich biodiversity of the region.
The central government had on July 18, 2007 given the clearance for the project, which expired after five years since the state government decided to hold the project due to protests from environmentalists. The state government, however, last month told the Kerala High Court that it had decided to go ahead with the project after getting the necessary environmental clearances from the central government again.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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