Centre Halts Sharavathy Hydro Project, Cites Severe Biodiversity Risks in Western Ghats
Kundapura, November 8, 2025: The Union government has placed on hold a contentious plan to divert approximately 54 hectares of pristine forest land within Karnataka’s ecologically fragile Western Ghats for the ambitious 2,000-megawatt Sharavathy Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project. This decision follows intense scrutiny by the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, which highlighted grave violations of forest conservation laws and irreversible damage to one of the world’s premier biodiversity hotspots.
The project’s proposed site is nestled deep within the Sharavathy Valley Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary, a critical habitat in the central Western Ghats. According to the detailed minutes from the FAC’s 11th meeting on October 27, the development would necessitate the axing of over 15,000 trees, including numerous species endemic to this unique region. The forests here are classified under “eco-class 1 and eco-class 3,” boasting canopy densities of 0.5 and 0.2, respectively. These encompass climax formations of tropical wet evergreen, semi-evergreen, and shola grasslands—intricate ecosystems deemed “highly vulnerable and complex,” where any destruction would render restoration to their pristine state impossible.
The sanctuary teems with rare wildlife, serving as a stronghold for the endangered Lion-Tailed Macaque, alongside tigers, leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, king cobras, Malabar giant squirrels, and a host of other endemic flora and fauna. A recent wildlife census documented 730 Lion-Tailed Macaques in the valley alone. The FAC warned that canopy loss and habitat fragmentation from the project could spell doom for these primates, exacerbating existing threats to their survival.
Compensatory afforestation proposals drew sharp criticism, with the committee asserting that the suggested sites fail to replicate the irreplaceable wet evergreen forests. “These are complex ecosystems quite difficult to replicate,” the minutes noted emphatically.
Engineering aspects of the project also raised alarms. It entails constructing two massive reservoirs, tunneling up to 3.2 kilometers, excavating to depths of 500 meters, and extensive drilling and blasting for underground components. Situated in Seismic Zone 3, the area is prone to instability; the FAC cautioned that slope cutting, explosive works, and torrential monsoon rains could trigger catastrophic landslides and erosion, endangering not just the ecology but downstream human settlements as well.
Regional authorities echoed these concerns. The Deputy Inspector General of Forests (Central) in Bengaluru outright rejected the proposal due to its sanctuary location and the Ghats’ sensitivity. Karnataka’s Chief Wildlife Warden went further, decrying the potential for “enormous damage” to the landscape’s biodiversity, arguing that ecological costs dwarf any economic gains from power generation.
Additional red flags included proposed transmission lines that appear to breach the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, with unclear forest clearances. The FAC demanded a robust, scientifically backed wildlife mitigation plan, comprehensive hydrological studies, minimal tree felling, and project layout adjustments in tandem with the chief wildlife warden and an approved management plan.
In a decisive move after exhaustive discussions, the committee deferred the proposal indefinitely, mandating the Karnataka government and project proponent to furnish detailed clarifications and supplementary data before any reconsideration.
This deferral underscores growing national priorities to safeguard the Western Ghats, a UNESCO-recognized biodiversity treasure trove facing mounting pressures from development. Environmentalists hail the decision as a victory for conservation, while energy proponents urge balanced alternatives to meet India’s renewable goals without compromising irreplaceable natural heritage.
