Uttarakhand floods had a big toll on hydroelectric projects
The bursting of the glacier at Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand has caused severe damage to the Rishiganga and Tapovan hydroelectric projects in the region.
The bursting of the glacier at Joshimath in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand (Uttarakhand) has caused severe damage to the hydroelectric projects in the region. A 13.2 MW hydroelectric project on the Rishiganga River has been washed away due to the breaking of the glacier in Uttarakhand. On the other hand, the Tapovan Vishnuprayag project of NTPC has also faced severe damage.
The Rishiganga River hydroelectric project was not a government but a private-sector project which has been in controversy. Earlier this project was strongly opposed and even the door of the court was knocked to stop the project, but this could not happen.
The destruction of the glacier in the upper area of Rishiganga in Chamoli district caused major destruction. A private company Rishi Ganga Power Project near Raini village at the confluence of Rishiganga and Dhauli Ganga has suffered major damage when the river took a severe form in the Dholganga Valley and Alaknanda region due to floods.
Rishi Ganga Power Project
A power generation project is going on in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, which is named the Rishi Ganga Power Project. It is not a government but a private-sector project which has been in controversy. Despite all the controversies, power generation started in this area under the project started about a decade ago. The work of generating electricity from the water was going on here.
The project was built on the Rishi Ganga River and joins the Dhauli Ganga. The target was to create 63,520 MWH of electricity through the Rishi Ganga Power Project. Although no official information is available about how much was being produced at the moment. Talking about the initial claims, it was said that whenever the project works on its full potential, then the electricity produced from here will be supplied in some other states including Delhi and Haryana.
Tapovan Vishnuprayag project of NTPC
This three and a half thousand crores Tapovan Vishnuprayag project of NTPC has also suffered a loss of about 1500 crores. Union Energy Minister RK Singh visited the area on Monday to assess the damage caused by the glacier breakdown in Tapovan area. He made it clear that the project would not be closed under any circumstances.
He informed that a 520 MW power project of NTPC is being built at Vishnugarh in Tapovan. Some parts of it have been damaged. This power project of NTPC was to be commissioned in 2023 and was 80 percent completed. This event has caused a loss of about 1500 crores as per the assessment that has just been done. The situation will be clear in further investigation.
RK Singh said that at present, the first priority is to take relief and rescue operations. He added that there was tons of silt that has been filled in the project area. Despite this, the situation will be controlled in time. He made it clear in two words that the project will not be declared a scrap under any circumstances.
The Union Minister added that if there was no barrage of Tapovan Vishnuprayag Hydro Power Project, the loss would have been much greater to people and property in the region. Due to this barrage, the flow of water was reduced considerably. Which did not cause further harm. If there was no barrage, the loss would have been beyond Joshimath.
Rescue work has been expedited
More than 170 people were reported missing in the Rishiganga disaster in Chamoli district. Two hydropower projects and several bridges have been completely broken. Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said that more than 35 people were trapped in a tunnel blocked by debris in the under-construction NTPC project at Tapovan area, five km below Rishiganga.
A joint team of ITBP and Army was engaged in the rescue of the tunnel. Earlier, ITBP personnel rescued 12 laborers from another tunnel near Tapovan. 300 ITBP personnel are engaged in clearing the tunnel so that people can be evacuated. With the help of JCB, efforts are being made to open the way by reaching inside the tunnel.
According to reports, a total of 15 persons have been rescued so far and 14 bodies have been recovered from different places. The government will give a compensation of Rs. 4-4 lakh to the family of those who have had lost their lives in this accident.
Was this accident avoidable?
Even if this was an accident, the signs of this have been showing for many years. Geologists Dr. MPS Bisht (currently USAC Director) and the Institute of Himalayan Geology had made it clear in their research that more than eight glaciers of the Rishiganga catchment area are melting at a higher speed than usual.
It was obvious that the water will come down rapidly from them and the occurrence of an Avalanche will also be high. Not only this, the pressure of the water of these glaciers also falls on the Rishiganga alone, which further affects the waters of Dhauliganga, Vishnunganga, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi (Ganga).
