Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Sastra Sahitya Parishad (KSSP) has asked the government to shelve its decision to go ahead with the controversial Athirapilly power project.
The KSSP has said the proposed project would not only destroy waterfalls but also adversely affect 22 hectares of forest land along the river which is rich in biodiversity and 138 hectares of forest land. It urged the government to withdraw from the project.
KSSP said the project was being revived at a time when it is being widely felt that forests are the answer to climate change. "We will lose rare flora and fauna which are facing extinction, once and for all if the project becomes a reality," he said.
The Parishad said the environmental impact assessment study had not factored in these critical issues while finalising the report. KSSP had pointed out on several occasions that the report was totally unscientific and contained major lapses.
Moreover, there has been no study on changes that might occur in the river flow and its impact on areas below the dam.
KSSP said the river is already facing a dip in water levels and the salinity too was on the rise. This will also lead to shortage of drinking water.
Under these circumstances priority should be given to only those projects in which destruction of environment can been avoided to the maximum extent. Alternative possibilities like Run of the River (ROR) Hydroelectricity generation plants can also be explored, it said.
KSSP pointed out that the existing environment impact assessment study and project report were deficient for such proposals. There has been huge advancement in solar power technology and this could be looked into as an alternative solution to the present power crisis in the state.
It said without thinking about such alternative possibilities, going ahead with mega projects in the Western Ghat area would only prove disastrous to the state’s environment. The present proposal of the KSEB put forward for Athirapally project should be reconsidered and the government should shelve the project completely.
