The development of a breach in a coffer dam of a mega hydro power project being built on Alaknanda river on Monday has once again brought to the fore the issues governing the development of hydro potential in Uttarakhand.

While the Uttarakhand government has expressed its concern and seriousness on the issue, the activists are once again questioning the hydro power policy of the Uttarakhand government.

Uttarakhand’s power secretary Shatrughan Singh told ‘The Indian Express’, “We are very serious on the issue. I will be sending a team of officials to the site to investigate what has happened and what needs to be done in the future.”

The breach had developed on the coffer dam following the sudden rise in the levels of the Alaknanda river following incessant rains over the last two days. Although, no loss of life was reported, experts feel that such breaches can lead to washing away of human settlements.

“The first question that arises is the lack of a monitoring mechanism on hydel projects. The government should involve the local people in the exercise as they have personal stakes are present near the dam sites all around the year,” said Dr Ravi Chopra, an expert on the water resource management who has been actively working in Uttarakhand.

A former IITian holding a doctorate from the United States, Chopra told ‘The Indian Express’, “It has been my personal experience that the companies constructing hydro power projects are indulging in shoddy construction practices and the planning and designing of such projects is based on inadequate data.”

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