Leakage from the tunnel carrying water to Parbati II hydroelectric plant in Kullu is just one way how the project threatens the landslide-prone area.
PRITHVI SINGH was half asleep in his house on a mountain slope on the evening of April 13 when he heard a loud rumbling sound and saw the roof develop a crack. There was water seeping out of the floor. Singh ran out of the house with his wife and two children and spent the night on the road. Six other houses in his village, Bhebal, in Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district also developed cracks the same evening.
The landslide was not caused by natural tremors. It was triggered by water that had leaked the previous day during the testing of the head race tunnel (HRT) of the 800 MW Parbati II hydroelectric project. HRT is the tunnel that carries water to a dam’s powerhouse, and the over 30 km Parbati HRT is the longest for any hydropower project in India. It runs from Pulga village to Suind village (see ‘Shaky ground’), near which the powerhouse is located. The tunnel collects water from the Parbati river—a tributary of the Beas—and five perennial streams. The tunnel started leaking in its last stretch, near the powerhouse, when officials released water from just one stream, Jiwa nallah.
The leakage caused thin trails of water at random places in the area and a 500m crack to appear on the mountain above Bhebal. The situation is still precarious because the water that seeped into the mountain is trickling out from various points in the lower parts of the mountain and can cause landslides. Fourteen villages, including Bhebal, that come under the Raila panchayat now face the threat of a landslide.
Slow to react
この記事は Down To Earth の June 1, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Down To Earth の June 1, 2017 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
A SPRIG TO CARE FOR
Punarnava, a perennial herb, is easy to grow and has huge health benefits
DIGGING A DISASTER
Soapstone mining near Dabti Vijaypur village has caused many residents to migrate.
REVIEW THE TREATMENT
Several faecal sludge treatment plants in Uttar Pradesh suffer from design flaws that make the treatment process both expensive and inefficient
MAKE STEEL SUSTAINABLE
As India works to double its GDP by 2030, its steel industry must balance growth with sustainability. By embracing policies like the Steel Scrap Recycling Policy 2019 and adopting green technologies, India is paving the way for a more sustainable future in steel production
Can ANRF pull off the impossible for India?
Anusandhan National Research Foundation is expected to reorient India's innovation goals but funding issues, old mindsets remain a drag
TROUBLED WOODS
Forests are a great bulwark against climate change. But this is fast changing. AKSHIT SANGOMLA travels through some of the pristine patches of the Western Ghats to explore how natural disturbances triggered by global warming now threaten the forest health
BLINDING GLOW
The science is clear: increased illumination has damaging consequences for the health of humans, animals and plants. It’s time governments introduced policies to protect the natural darkness and improved the quality of outdoor lighting.
GROUND REALITY
What happens when the soil loses the ability to grow healthy, high-yield crops on its own?
GM POLICY MUST BE FARMER CENTRIC
On July 23, the Supreme Court of India directed the Union government to develop a national policy on genetically modified (GM) crops for research, cultivation, trade and commerce through public consultation.
Vinchurni's Gandhi
A 96-year-old farmer transforms barren land into a thriving forest in drought-prone region of Satara
