Key areas in Environmental Management & Conservation:

Major key areas of NHPC in the field of Environmental Management include the following:

1. Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) :

Continuous soil erosion from the catchment of a reservoir may result in the sedimentation of the same, thereby reducing the efficiency of a project. The removal of top fertile soil from catchment also adversely affects the agricultural production. To check the menace of soil erosion, extensive Catchment Area Treatment measures have been adopted by NHPC at its projects. Various Engineering measures like check dams, gabion walls, catch water drains, DRSM works; bio-engineering measures like brushwood/ bamboo check dams, geo-textiling, Palisade structures and biological measures like plantation of native tree and horticulture species, patch sowing, turfing etc. have been implemented at different projects of NHPC. These measures have resulted into treatment of vast areas of degraded land and have checked soil erosion to a great extent. In some of the areas, natural regeneration and plantation have resulted into formation of luxuriant vegetation cover.

.......

Afforestation under CAT at Teesta V,Sikkim.......Crate works at Kishanganga HE ProjectJ&K

2. Biodiversity Conservation

NHPC’s Hydroelectric Projects are usually situated in remote hilly areas such as North and North Eastern States of India which are generally rich in biodiversity. These states harbour a large variety of floral and faunal species. At NHPC, this aspect is studied in detail during EIA which is undertaken during Survey and Investigation stage of a project. Based on the findings of EIA studies, project specific conservation measures for biodiversity conservation are suggested in the EMP. The activities include both ex-situ conservation measures viz. development of Botanical Garden, Biodiversity Conservatories like Arboretum and Orchidarium, Butterfly Park etc. and in-situ conservation measures like Habitat improvement, preservation of biologically rich area, anti-poaching activities etc. Some of the activities undertaken by NHPC at some of its projects for conservation of biodiversity are listed here:

Subansiri Lower HE Project, Arunachal Pradesh established two Orchidarium one at Gerukamukh in Assam and another at Tippi in Arunachal Pradesh to maintain and enhance floral and faunal habitat for conservation of floral species.

.

Teesta-V PS, Sikkim has developed a Butterfly Park in association with Sikkim State Forest Department for which partial funding was done by NHPC. Besides this, habitat improvement has been done to preserve local faunal species viz. flying fox. Further, a number of preferred food plants of butterflies and birds have been planted wherever possible in the green belt to conserve the butterfly fauna and its habitats.

.

Parbati-II HE Project is located in the vicinity of Himachal Pradesh's Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP). For conservation of flora and fauna in and around the National Park, a Parbati Valley Conservation Cell was created to look after conservation areas in the vicinity of existing protected areas and for surveillance of boundaries of the protected areas so that no harmful anthropogenic activities are carried out. The project implemented by the GHNP has undertaken afforestation, special habitat improvement projects for the conservation of Western Tragopan and other endangered species in the area.

.

3. Compensatory Afforestation

NHPC projects require diversion of forest land for project purpose. In order to compensate the forest land diverted, compensatory afforestation is undertaken on non-forest land equivalent to the area of forest land diverted or undertaken over twice the forestland diverted, if done on degraded forest land. Compensatory Afforestation is undertaken through concerned Forest Department at the cost of project. It includes soil conservation and moisture retention measures, plantation of tree species of local importance, which also provide with nesting grounds for birds, butterflies and local wildlife. These plantations are of aesthetics importance and also enhance the environment of the area.>

Massive afforestation has been undertaken over an area of 13011ha of degraded/non forest land, in lieu of diversion of 6910 ha of forest land required for 16 NHPC projects, and , against 2.80 lakhs trees affected, NHPC has planted more than 101 lakh trees at its 16 projects. Beside this, large scale afforestation has been untaken by NHPC at its projects under Green Belt Development plan and Voluntary Afforestation schemes, for which an amount of Rs. 6.41 Cr has been earmarked.

............Plantation of Apricot saplings at
......Chutak Power Station, Ladakh
......

4. Restoration of Muck Dumping Sites

Dumping of the muck may blemish the natural landscape, if the portion of the land is not restored properly. At NHPC projects, every possible effort is being made to restore the dumping areas/quarry sites. Muck generated, is piled up and stacked with proper slopes at pre-identified dumping sites for reclamation. Slope stabilization at the dumping sites has been done through Gabion structures. Retaining walls have been constructed / re-strengthened to prevent flow of muck into adjoining areas. Necessary afforestation/restoration measures have been implemented. The dumping sites have been converted into a lush green area and the treated area has completely blended with nature. Restoration of muck dumping sites through Biotechnological approach was implemented for the first time in the State of J&K with exceptionally good results. Presently, the dumping areas have luxuriant tree cover which has provided strength and stability to the dumping surface and has thereby prevented spilling over of muck either on land and/or river Jhelum.

Restoration of Muck Dumping Site at Parbati-II Project, H.P

Restored Muck Dumping Site at Uri Power Station using Biotechnology

5. Restoration of Quarry Sites

Quarry activities leave an unpleasant scar on the landscape if the quarry sites are not reclaimed with appropriate engineering and biological measures. At NHPC, proper restoration measures are implemented on the quarry sites to restore the environmental resilience of the area. At Rangit Power Station, Sikkim, five hectares of private land was acquired near Rishi (Jeel Block), about 10 km away from the dam site and 4 km away from the Powerhouse complex. This was the most important stone quarry located adjacent to the State Road linking higher reaches of South Sikkim, Legship and Jorethang with Siliguri. Top soil cover of the selected area was poor and the area was completely rocky. During the construction period when stone collection was in operation, the area looked barren and degraded. However, the plantation was done on the top portion and with the development of suitable terraces, the whole quarry area got reclaimed. Although, all the scars and disturbed areas have been fully restored, the restoration of Rishi quarry particularly invites much appreciation. The whole area has been converted into dense vegetation.

Restored Rishi Quarry Site at Rangit Power Station, Sikkim Restored Sheri Quarry Site at Uri-I Power Station, UT of J&K

6. Landscaping and Development of Herbal Parks

NHPC, at its various projects, has also aesthetically reclaimed vast portions of land through landscaping, in the form of children parks, gardens etc. Plantation in and around the project colonies has also been done by NHPC to make the environment conducive for healthy living. In order to conserve and propagate the floral species of medicinal and economic significance, NHPC has developed Herbal Parks at its various projects and Power Stations. At Chamera Power Station Stage-I, two Herbal Parks have been developed in the township complex with the help of experts from Research Institute in Indian System of Medicine, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. These Herbal Parks are helpful in conservation of biodiversity, particularly medicinal plants in the area. The Herbal Parks have enhanced the interest of the people in the area towards the concept of good health as well as in maintaining the environmental harmony of the surroundings. A greenhouse of 100 sq.m has been erected to provide controlled environmental conditions for germination and propagation of plants. Gardening and landscaping is an integral part of the Herbal Parks. At Indira Sagar Project, M.P, a ‘Grah-Nakshatra-Rashivatika’ has been developed. A swampy area was selected in order to treat the land and to utilize it for plantations. Nine plants representing 9 graha (Planets), 12 plants representing 12 rashi (zodiac signs) and 27 plants representing 27 Nakshatra (lunar mansion in hindu astrology) have been planted at site. In order to create awareness regarding medicinal/ rare and endangered sp. ‘Deerghayu Path’ has been constructed with circular path of about one kilometer. In the central area of the Deerghayu Path and along the sides, various plant sp. of medicinal/ rare and endangered value have been planted.

...

Herbal Park at Teesta-V .......Herbal Park at Chamera Power
Power Station, Sikkim....... Station Stage-I,Himachal Pradesh

7. Solid Waste Management & Treatment of Domestic Sewage

At NHPC Projects, it is ensured that no domestic or municipal waste is left unattended and untreated, which may severely pollute the land. Proper arrangement for collection, transportation and dumping of solid waste at designated sites is ensured. At Kishanganga HE Project, J&K, domestic waste is collected and disposed off through Municipal Committee, Bandipora. The waste from the collection site is collected and transported by the Municipal Committee to the designated municipal land fill areas. For treatment of domestic sewage, the project has installed a Sewage Treatment Plant of 20kl/day capacity at the project township. The treated water is being got tested from the registered laboratory of J&K State Pollution Control Board and the test results show that the treated water is within the permissible limit for designated use like irrigation and inland disposal. Presently, the treated water is being used for watering of in-house greenery / gardens/plants.

.........

Sewage Treatment Plant and Collection & Disposal of Domestic Waste through Municipal Committee, Bandipora at Kishanganga HE Project,UT of J&K

At Chamera Power Station Stage-I, 5 Sewage Treatment Plants (two of 250 kld, one of 10 kld and two of 2 kld capacities) have been installed for the treatment of effluent from colony, powerhouse, switchyard and Dam. The hospital wastes as well as cotton waste from the Power House, Workshop and Switch Yard are disposed of through incinerators. Himachal Pradesh State Environment Protection & Pollution Control Board, Shimla has authorized Chamera Power Station, Stage-I, for operating a facility for Generation, Collection, Storage, Treatment/Disposal and/or Handling of Bio-Medical Wastes under Bio-Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998 of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. The Power Station carries out disposal of various categories of Bio-medical waste generated strictly as per the provisions/standards prescribed under the said Rules.

At Kishanganga HE Project, the agriculture and organic waste of domesticated animals is being converted into organic manure through vermi-composting. From the three commissioned vermi-compost units, the beneficiaries have produced around 30-45 quintals of vermi-compost and the same is being used as manure in the agriculture fields.

...

Incinerator installed at .......Vermicomposting unit at Kishanganga
Chamera-I Power Station, H.P ....... HE Project, J&K

A Sewerage Treatment Plant has been installed at Sapangani Colony of Parbati-III Power Station. The capacity of STP is 60 kilo litre per day. A composting machine has also been installed at Sapangani Colony of Parbati-III Power Station. Composting machine converts organic household and garden waste into compost. This compost is used as manure in the garden.

...

Sewerage Treatment Plant and composting machine at Sapangani Colony at Parbati-III PS, Himachal Pradesh

8. Reservoir Rim Treatment

In order to provide stability to the reservoir rim so that there is no dislodging of earth/soil from the unstable patches of land like landslides/slips, sheared zones, located around the reservoir periphery, reservoir rim treatment is undertaken. Green Belt Development around the reservoir periphery is also undertaken to arrest soil erosion which may result in sedimentation of the reservoir.

...

Reservoir Rim Treatment at Rangit Power Station, Sikkim Reservoir Rim Treatment at Geil Khola at TLD-III PS, West Bengal

9. Fisheries Management

To minimize the impact of damming of the river on aquatic system including fisheries, several mitigation measures are taken up at NHPC. The formulation of mitigation strategy depends on the nature and severity of the impact. In order to protect and conserve the migratory fishes, the fish passage facilities have been provided to restore the movements of fish across barrier i.e diversion structures (dam/ barrage) and allowing them to breed and proliferate. Fish passages vary in design depending on the site and the target species. Fish ladders or passages are provided across four of NHPC's Power Stations viz. Uri-I, Tanakpur, Teesta Low Dam Stage-III and Teesta Low Dam Stage-IV to facilitate the migration of fishes in the river whereas fish hatcheries or fish farms have been constructed at different Projects of NHPC under Fisheries Management Plan.

.......

10. Environmental Flows (e-flows)

Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEF&CC) in its Standard Terms of Reference (ToR) for conducting Environmental Impact Assessment study for Hydro Power Projects has provided norms for release of Environmental Flows (E-Flows) for sustenance of aquatic life. Accordingly, the minimum environmental flow shall be 20% of the flow of four consecutive lean months of 90% dependable year, 30% of the average monsoon flow. The flow for remaining months shall be in between 20-30%, depending on the site specific requirements. A site specific study is required to be carried out by an expert organization. These norms along with the site specific requirements for E-Flows releases are finally stipulated in the Environment Clearance letter of the projects for compliance. The quantum of E-Flow as prescribed either by MoEF&CC or the State Govts. during appraisal of Projects are ensured by NHPC by providing suitable design provisions in the diversion structures.

Further, in compliance of Hon’ble NGT’s orders on E-Flows to maintain minimum 15% flow in the river at the downstream of diversion structures (dam/ barrage/ weirs) for all the operating hydroelectric projects irrespective of its date of setting/ commissioning has become essential. Accordingly, suitable provisions have been provided in the operating hydroelectric projects of NHPC to ensure minimum flow release in the downstream of diversion structures.

.......

11. Post-construction Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Studies

Once the developmental activities and implementation of Environmental Management Plans etc. are completed, it is essential to carry out post construction Environmental & Social Impact Assessment (E&SIA) studies to ascertain whether the objectives envisioned during the conceptualisation and construction phase of a project have been achieved to the desired level and whether there has been a change in the environmental and social scenario of the area due to the implementation of environmental conservation and social developmental interventions. Post-construction E&SIA also essentially ascertains various benefits accrued over the time due to coming up of project in the area, determine the “lessons learned” and to apply those lessons in future decision making, so as to sustain the project in an environmentally benign and socially responsive manner.

As per the provisions of NHPC’s Corporate Environment Policy, 2016 and as per the requirement of Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MOEF&CC), post-construction E&SIA studies are being got conducted by NHPC for its Power Stations. Such assessment has been carried out earlier for Uri-I (480 MW), J&K; Rangit (60 MW), Sikkim and recently for Dhauliganga Stage-I (280 MW), Uttarakhand and Teesta-V (510 MW), Sikkim.

The findings of the Post- Construction E&SIA studies have shown that there has been a positive impact of the project on the environmental and social dynamics of the projects area and its vicinity. The performance evaluation undertaken based on certain indicators and parameters shows that various Environmental Management Plans implemented at the project fall under very good to excellent categories. Also, based on the calculation of Human Development Index of the affected villages, the quality of life of the PAFs residing in the affected villages is of good quality.

Besides this, monitoring of the EMPs is also carried out periodically by a Multidisciplinary Environmental Monitoring Committee (EMC) comprising of representatives from MOEF&CC, concerned State Government Departments, District Administration, local NGO, Project Proponent etc. The EMC is constituted as per the condition of the Environmental clearance granted by MOEF&CC under the ambit of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 and its subsequent notifications.

Rangit Power Station, Sikkim

.......

After Construction ...........During Construction

Hydropower: A climate resilient power

Hydropower, being a renewable energy, is the main factor in the global energy transition towards mitigating anthropogenic climate change. Conventional hydroelectric power is a potentially important alternative to coal-based power stations in the country in terms of avoided carbon emissions Moreover, the massive afforestation activities undertaken in the project area not only bring out visible green transition, but will also act as carbon sink and improve carbon sequestration in the region. As a part of post construction EIA, Green House Gas (GHG) emission studies have been carried out for NHPC’s Power Stations viz. Dhauliganga St-I (280 MW), Uttarakhand and Teesta-V (510 MW), Sikkim.

In Dhauliganga reservoir, the gross GHG emissions predicted by the Green House Risk Assessment Tool (GRAT) model developed by UNESCO/IHA in 2012 to estimate the vulnerability of freshwater reservoirs to GHG emissions, have indicated that GHG emissions were high in initial phase of filling up of Dhauliganga reservoir i.e. in the year 2005 which gets reduced over a period in next 100 years and even in year of field assessment in 2017, after 12 years, the emissions show a significant decrease from the initial highs. The results of the model show that the Dhauliganga reservoir has a Medium GHG risk, therefore there is no need to assess the net GHG emissions. Similar findings have been found in the GHG emission study of Teesta V Power Station, Sikkim.

..............

Teesta-V Reservoir.......................... Dhauliganga Reservoir

GHG Sampaling

Thermal Stratification studies in the reservoir

As a part of post construction EIA, Thermal Stratification studies have been carried out for NHPC’s Power Stations viz. Dhauliganga St-I (280 MW), Uttarakhand and Teesta-V (510 MW), Sikkim.

For Dhauliganga Reservoir, the results of summer show the presence of a weak thermocline in reservoir where temperature marginally decreases along the depth from 13.40C near the surface to 12.2 – 12.50C at the bottom. Result of winter sampling show marginal increase in temperature along the depth of reservoir as temperature varied from 13.2 – 13.40C near the surface to about 13.6 – 14.00C at the bottom. The study concluded that no significant thermal stratification is observed in the reservoir.

.......

Dhauliganga Reservoir .......Teesta-V Reservoir

Sampling at Site to study Thermal Stratification

Assessment of Teesta-V Power Station through Sustainability Assessment Protocol of International Hydropower Association (IHA)

Hydropower Sustainability Assessment Protocol, developed by IHA, is a framework to assess the performance of a hydropower projects according to a defined set of sustainability topics, encompassing environmental, social, technical and financial issues. It provides a common platform that allows governments, civil society, financial institutions and the hydropower sector to talk about and evaluate sustainability issues. The Protocol covers a range of about 20-28 topics that are important to understand the overall sustainability of a hydropower project covering economic, social, environmental, technical and governance issues on a scale of 1 to 5. Key attributes of the Protocol are its “global applicability” and “consistency”.

This is the first official Protocol assessment in India. The objective with which the assessment of Teesta-V was done under the protocol was to document and benchmark key aspects of the project against internationally agreed considerations, through a comprehensive and evidence-based process.

Teesta-V meets basic good practice (Score of 3 & above) on all 20 topics. The Power Station meets proven best practice (Score of 5) on 6 out of 20 topics i.e Asset Reliability and Efficiency, Financial Viability, Project Benefits, Cultural Heritage, Public Health, Erosion and Sedimentation and exceeds Basic Good Practice on 9 topics against proven best practice (Score of 4). Teesta-V meets Basic Good Practice (Score of 3) on remaining 5 topics

Sustainability Profile of Teesta V Power Station

NHPC Blog

NHPC is regularly publishing a blog comprising of activities and actions taken in the field of environment at its various projects. Blog contains various articles, interviews, photographs and information’s related to various aspects of environment. http://nhpcintra.com/nhpcblog . It is an interactive social medium to convey the environmental friendly face and approach of NHPC.

“The environment and the economy are really both two sides of the same coin. If we cannot sustain the environment, we cannot sustain ourselves”.

- Wangari Maathai