Bodhghat Hydro-Electric Project

Project Profile

The site of the proposed project is located at latitude 19o12’ and longitude 81o24’ on Indravati river near village Barsur in Bastar District of M.P. The project involves a construction of 90 m high concrete gravity dam. This project is purely a hydroelectric project having a firm power potential of 107 MW and an installed capacity of 500 MW (4 units of 125 MW) to provide peaking potential to the power system of Madhya Pradesh. The project will require a total land take of 13783.147 ha of which 5704.332 ha is a forest land under Reserved, Protected and Orange (or undermarcated) forests. The project will submerge 12840.477 ha of land of which 5433.862 is a forest land. The project will result in the full submergence of 28 villages, partial submergence of 5 villages, submergence of only lands in 5 villages and submergence of 4 deserted forest villages leading to a displacement of total population of 8775 from 1748 families.

Predicted Impacts

• The submergence of dense forests (sal-mixed and miscellaneous with bamboo), grasslands and riparian vegetation will result in the loss of prime habitats for some of the wildlife species that are typical of Central Indian fauna. These include gaur, chital, barking deer, giant and flying squirrels, porcupines, leopard, jungle cat, hyena, sloth bear and otter among the mammals and gangetic soft shell turtle, python and other species of snakes and a few lizards among the reptiles.|
   

• Bastar has been a home to a variety of birds representing Central Indian and Malabar avifauna. Presence of 127 bird species recorded during the survey is only a reflection of already depleted numbers of Bastar avifauna brought about by past development projects. The more significant impacts of the past projects and the deleterious forest practices have already led to local extinction of hill myna or bastar myna. The clearance of forest for the project related construction activities and the creation of reservoir will lead to the destruction of habitats of most terrestrial bird species and of habitats of hornbills, woodpeckers, flycatchers, crested hock eagle and crested serpent eagle and orioles in particular. The project will also submerge the riverine habitat used by open bill stock, white stock, black ibis and lesser whistling teal.
   

• The wild buffaloes of Bastar are purest of all population of this species in the country. The project will jeopardize the survival of one of the two Bastar population by the flooding of the riverbed grassland in the project area that are extensively used by the buffaloes. The project will have additional impact on wild buffalo of Bhairamgarh Sanctuary located down stream due to heavy discharges as a result of peaking power generation.
   

• The people of the project area greatly depend on the forest of the project area for food, fuel, fodder, fiber, timber, agriculture, medicines and cottage industries. The project will bring about major shifts in their dependency patterns and economic status.

Mitigation Measures

The impacts of the project on flora and fauna are too significant to be easily mitigated. The present plan for rehabilitation of oustees and compensatory afforestation are too inadequate to assure the well being of the ousted people and much less the conservation of biological values lost to the project. The diversion of the land particularly the `commons’ will lead to further decimation of the biological values of Bastar.

Project Analysis

The Bodhghat Hydel Project can not be appraised in isolation from the other projects (Kutru - I & II, Nugur I & II and Bhopalpatnam Hydel Projects) that are being justified downstream on `hydel engineering sense’. All the projects together will completely alter the free flowing river system into lake ecosystem of dubious conservation values, will cut off gene flow and animal movement corridors as well as impose human hardships of colossal proportions.

Decision on Environmental Clearance

The project has not been granted environmental clearance and has therefore been abandoned.

Location Map

State Map