To inspect all the major river basins of Satluj, Pabbar, Beas and Ravi to ensure proper disposal of muck which can potentially cause serious damage and create havoc in the event of heavy rainfall and floods, the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (HPSPCB) has constituted interdisciplinary Committees, which will monitor waste disposal by these projects.
The committee will visit the dumping sites of most of power projects in state along with other sites of development activity and expected to submit its report within week. They have been asked to recommend action wherever any major steps need to be taken.
The unscientific dumping by hydro-power projects and cement or other industries caused damage to ecology, geography or topography and Pollution control board has decided to act tough against the violators.
Kuldeep Singh Pathania, Chairman, HPSPCB said
These committees would inspect the dumping areas of hydro electric projects and other units responsible for generating muck in each river basin
Pathania said that during the construction phase, management of construction debris and muck arising out of the earth work involved in the hydel projects and other units was a major environmental issue. He said that all project proponents engaged in activities, which generate muck need to adopt appropriate and well designed engineering, techniques and structures for retaining debris and should be monitored regularly for stability of dump sites and their vulnerability to stress failures due to erodability, strong water currents and earth pressure.
The Chairman said that hydro power development was a major thrust area of development in the State but there was emergent need to harness this potential in a sustainable manner.
Many environmentalists have already expressed their concern over the unscientific dumping of muck and debris by various independent power producers in river basins and small nullah, which can pose a major threat especially in monsoon season. Experts too admit that there is an urgent need to have well-designed engineering structures for retaining the construction debris and muck which need to be monitored regularly for stability of the dumping site.
