Mysore : Several environment groups have urged the Union Environment Ministry to reconsider the proposed Yettinahole drinking water project.
The South Asia Network on Dams Rivers and People (SANDRP), Delhi and Pune has urged the government to withdraw the No Objection Certificate given to the project. It has even described the project as “ill-conceived and skewed.”
The organization along with other signatories, has in a letter to Union Minister of State for Environment and forests Jayanthi Natarajan, demanded that the Ministry should seek a detailed project report that includes the plans for phases two and three from Karnataka and appraise the project for environmental clearance in its entirety.
“Though the project claims to be a scheme for drinking water in Kolar and Chikkaballapur districts, the actual dedicated drinking water allocation for these districts is only 2.81 tmc ft, out of the 24.01 tmc ft diverted. The rest will be used for irrigation, river rejuvenation, urban areas and industrial areas,” the letter said.
The SANDRP argues that as the project aims to supply water to 337 minor irrigation tanks and zilla panchayat tanks in Kolar and Chikkaballapur and as the command areas of these 337 minor irrigation tanks comes up to 29,182 hectares it will have to be considered a ‘A’Category Project which comes under the purview of EIA Notification 2006. “Therefore, it will have to be considered for Environmental Clearance by the EAC,” observes the SANDRP.
Referring to the project report which claims that it can generate 125-150 mw of power through gravity canals, this being higher than 25 MW, the same comes under purview of EIA Notification 2006, the SANDRP contended.
The SANDP also urged that the project should be considered by the EAC and any letter sent to the State Government that the project does not require an Environmental Clearance as per EIA notification 2006 must be withdrawn.