‘The project will submerge patches of the riparian forests’

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) constituted high-level working group (HLWG) headed by Planning Commission member K. Kasturirangan has said that the government should reassess the impact that the Gundia hydroelectric power project will have on the environment and proceed with it with “extreme caution”. The HLWG submitted its detailed report on the Western Ghats in New Delhi on April 15.

Static water-level has gone down in seven borewells in the taluk

The depleting water table in Hassan taluk is a matter of great concern. The records of the Mines and Geology Department show that static water-level has gone down in borewells, identified for observation, in Hassan taluk. In the last year, the static water-level has gone down in seven borewells in Hassan taluk.

The total capacity of the Hongadahalla and Yadakumari projects will then be 48 MW

The expert team from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, in its report, has said that the two mini-hydel projects being implemented in Sakleshpur taluk should be treated as one project with a total capacity of 48 MW.The project will then require clearance from the Ministry under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.