Kozhikode: The KSEB project to enhance the power generation from Kakkayam reservoir has been met with green concern. The project was to pump water from the Shankaran Puzha to the reservoir and make the optimum utilization of the generator. But eco concern has caused a hurdle as the entire area comes under the Malabar wildlife sanctuary.
According to the KSEB proposal, water to a height of four metres would be stored in the Shankaran Puzha by means of a weir and it would be pumped back to the reservoir which is 40 metres away.
The reservoir has usually less water so pumping the water from the river will increase water quantity thereby producing more electricity. “Approximately, 35 million more units of energy could be produced. The only requirement is the construction of the weir and laying of the pump,” says KSEB Kodenchery (Investigation sub division) assistant engineer Shibu P.
KSEB sources say that the construction of a weir does not affect ecology and besides, the sanctuary was not yet in place. They pointed out that there was only a draft proposal. But District Forest Officer (DFO), K.K Sunil Kumar asserts that the Kakkayam area falls in the total 7400 hectares of the sanctuary which has been in existence since 2007. “For any construction inside the sanctuary, the permission of the National Board for WildLife (NBWL) in New Delhi is mandatory,” he said.
KSEB is on the lookout for more power production from Kakkayam as the reservoir overflows once a year during a heavy monsoon. “The generator capacity of Kakkayam is 250 MWs. But it is not being utilized because of the shortage in the water level,” said a KSEB official. The project is waiting for approval from the state government.
