Shivamogga: The Karnataka government has decided to implement the ambitious Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project (PSP) in the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats of Shivamogga district. Aimed at generating 2,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy, the project has triggered widespread debate, with supporters hailing its role in sustainable power generation and environmentalists warning of irreversible ecological damage.
The Sharavathi basin is already home to major hydropower infrastructure. The Linganamakki dam in Sagar taluk, constructed across the Sharavathi river, currently generates 1,469 MW of power from four plants. Water released from Linganamakki is stored in the Talakalale balancing reservoir, from where it flows downstream to the Gerusoppa dam, which produces an additional 240 MW before emptying into the Arabian Sea through Honnavar in Uttara Kannada district.
The proposed project, being implemented by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL), will pump water stored in the Gerusoppa dam back to the Talakalale reservoir using surplus electricity during off-peak hours. The stored water will then be released during peak demand to generate an additional 2,000 MW of electricity. A tender has already been floated, and contracts awarded for preliminary work.
Environmentalists have strongly opposed the project, calling it a threat to the fragile Western Ghats ecosystem. Environmental expert Sripathi cautioned, “The Linganamakki reservoir had already submerged thousands of hectares of forest decades ago. Now, with the Sharavathi PSP, another round of large-scale destruction is inevitable. Using explosives to dig tunnels will damage biodiversity and increase the risk to existing dams.”
Sripathi also drew comparisons to global trends. “Many countries are decommissioning dams because of environmental costs. Hydropower is declining worldwide. Instead of destroying more forests, we should restore them or provide rehabilitation to earlier project victims. India does not need another destructive hydropower project,” he said.
Retired lecturer B.M. Kumaraswamy expressed alarm over the impact on wildlife. “Near Talakalale, 150 acres of forest was declared a lion-tailed macaque conservation area when BS Yediyurappa was Chief Minister. Yet, forest clearance has been given here for a tunnel-based power project. This will threaten rare habitats of lion-tailed macaques and Malabar civets. I fail to understand how the Forest Department permitted such destruction,” he said.
Local opposition
The project has also drawn criticism for displacing communities. Many fear that families already uprooted by Linganamakki and Gerusoppa will once again lose their land. “People are becoming homeless for the third time due to pumped storage. The government has not even clarified where the electricity will be supplied. Sixteen thousand trees are being cut down. If the Western Ghats are destroyed, the climate of South India will be altered forever,” warned environmentalist Thyagaraja Mithyanta during a public hearing held at Kargal and Honnavar.
He added, “If this project goes ahead, the next generation will not forgive today’s policymakers. Development cannot come at the cost of ecological disaster.”
KPCL has dismissed the criticism, insisting that the project will have minimal impact. In an official statement, the corporation clarified: “The Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project will not create a new reservoir or alter river flows. Only 54.155 hectares of forest land and 24.31 hectares of private land will be used. Of this, only 34.173 hectares will be surface area. No villages will be submerged.”
It further stated, “The project uses just 0.37 TMC of water, which will be continuously recycled. There is no threat of landslides or earthquakes as safeguards will be in place. Both the State Wildlife Board and the National Wildlife Board have given in-principle approval. This is renewable energy for the future.”
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