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• It is not only the mining sector that will get affected by the report of Western Ghat Environment Panel. Hydro-power projects in the region stretching across five states of  Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Goa may also see red.According to officials, the Environment ministry’s panel recommended that the government should not give a go-ahead to at least two proposed hydel power projects in Karnataka and Kerala, together worth over Rs 1,700 crore.

• The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), set up by the environment ministry last year to assess the current status of ecology of the Western Ghats region has reportedly said that the Gundia Hydro Electric Project (GHEP) should not be executed. The panel had submitted its observations some months ago but the Environment Ministry is yet to make the report public.The Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) and the Kerala State Electricity Board proposed the projects.

• KPCL had proposed a hydropower project on the Gundia river basin of Hassan and Dakshina Kannada districts to generate 200 MW of power. The total project cost was estimated to be around Rs 1,050 crore.The panel said that the hydroelectric project at Gundia river basin would be ecologically and economically unviable, as it would weaken the food and water security of the region apart from enhancing human–wildlife conflicts, the panel said.Another venture to be hit is the 163 MW Athirapally hydroelectric power project in Kerala.The WGEEP is understood to have recommended that the Athirapilly area should be protected as such and the permission for the proposed hydroelectric project at Athirappilly should not be given.

• The project is a state government initiative. It is estimated to have a capital outlay of Rs 650 crore on completion. The proposal was mooted by the Kerala State Electricity Board.According to Dr Latha Anantha, Director of River Research Centre  (Kerala) “Both the project should not be granted Environmental Clearance by the Ministry. The region around the Athirapally project is biodiversity rich. The unique riverine ecosystem is not seen in other areas in the state. Moreover, both the projects fall under the ecologically sensitive zone one, where no industrial activity is allowed.”Besides the hydro-power projects, two drinking water dam projects in Maharastra, which were proposed by the state government, may also feel the heat. The projects include- Kallu and Shai - drinking water dam in Maharastra.

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