Hydroelectric power cannot be a long-term substitute for thermal power. There has to be a robust renewable strategy that can alleviate India’s energy needs

With a population of 1.35 billion, India is finding it hard to provide basic resources for the ever-growing needs of its people. Electricity is no exception. With 32 per cent of the population residing in urban areas, there is a never-ending demand for electricity, water and housing, among other basic amenities. The fact that renewable sources of energy are nowhere near the scale that is required to substitute for conventional sources of power, makes matters worse. About 65 per cent of the electricity consumed in India is generated by thermal power plants, 22 per cent by hydroelectric power plants, three per cent by nuclear power plants and 10 per cent from other alternate sources like solar, wind and biomass. Around 53.7 per cent of India’s commercial energy demand is met through the country’s vast coal reserves. In this evidently weak representation made by renewable energy and mounting opposition against the polluting thermal energy, hydroelectricity is fast gaining preference. But the point being missed is that this form of electricity needs dams to be constructed, which in turn have severe repercussions for the environment.

India is facing stiff opposition at home and abroad over its carbon emission levels which are expected to double by 2030 unless dependence on thermal energy is not reined in. To counter this and to cater to the rising power demand, the Government of India is aiming to construct 292 dams throughout the Indian Himalayas with the objective of doubling the current hydropower capacity and contributing six per cent to projected national energy needs by 2030. If all these projected dams are indeed constructed as proposed, in 28 of the 32 major river valleys, the Himalayas will have one of the highest average dam densities in the world, with one dam for every 32 km of river channel. One can only imagine the plight of the fragile ecology. Assuming that these dams do materialise, it may not mean a solution for energy demands alone. It will also be the source of some serious environmental problems. For instance, studies have recognised dam building as the most substantial human impact on riverine ecosystems.

This rampant development of the Himalayan range for hydro-electricity is not without its demerits and environmental costs are not the only ones. In the last few decades, hydel projects, developed at the cost of ecology and taxpayers’ money, have also been exposed to the vagaries of nature, especially earthquakes and landslides. During the 2015 Nepal earthquake, the hydropower sector experienced severe losses. The country temporarily lost about 20 per cent of its hydropower capacity and more than 30 hydropower projects were damaged. The projects, which were affected by earthquake triggered landslides, were the worst hit. Two years prior to that, the June 2013 flooding in Uttarakhand damaged at least 10 big hydropower projects in operation and under construction. Another 19 small hydropower projects, which collectively generated under 25 megawatts, were destroyed. These actual events have put the viability of hydel projects in greater doubt. Given these developments, it is crucial for the Government to understand that hydroelectric power is not and cannot be a long-term substitute for thermal power. There has to be a robust renewable energy strategy that can alleviate India’s energy needs.

The impact of hydroelectricity projects on environment and ecology is an irreversible one. The Government must be aware that despite the availability of systematic planning frameworks, it has not conducted a countrywide review of future energy and water requirements that consider alternatives beyond hydropower; such a study might reduce the assumed need for so many dams. For instance, India loses 20 to 30 per cent of total power generated, an amount greater than all current hydropower production. Reducing these losses, mainly due to poor grid transmission and theft, could help meet the hydropower targets out to 2030. In order to provide a much-needed impetus to responsible energy generation without penalising the environment, the Government must also strengthen its environment impact assessment (EIA) processes.

Conflict between federal and state decision-making, leading to a lack of institutional accountability, is a problem in all stages of EIA implementation. A first step would be to ensure that professional standards are followed for certification of private consultants who prepare EIA reports. Another improvement would be for the Government and private developers to embrace new protocols released by the International Hydropower Association. These standards could help identify problems early in the EIA process, include more stakeholder public participation and better target national and state parties to be held accountable for implementation. India must choose what will comprise its energy mix. It involves carefully scaling down thermal power dependency while notching up on renewable energy usage, whose capability meanwhile has to be bolstered. While the renewable energy sector gathers muscle, hydroelectricity can be a stopgap option provided the environment and local population are accounted for. The cascading ill-effects of dams on the Himalayas will be felt for generations unless adequate steps are taken to prevent them.