Uttarakhand State PCS

• 18 Apr 2024

Rebuilding a Hydropower Project in Uttarakhand

Why in News?

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEFCC) has started the process of granting environmental clearance to rebuild a hydropower project in the upper reaches of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand that was almost completely washed away during the 2013 flash floods that killed over 6,000 people.

Key Points

• The ministry’s expert appraisal committee for river valley and hydroelectric projects approved the grant of terms of reference (ToR) to the Phata Byung Hydroelectric Project (76 MW).
• The Phata Byung project aggravated the damage caused by the 2013 cloudburst and flash floods by constricting the flow of the Mandakini river.

The Mandakini River

• It is a tributary of the Alaknanda River in Uttarakhand.
• The river runs for approximately 81 kilometers between the Rudraprayag and Sonprayag areas and emerges from the Chorabari Glacier.
• The Mandakini merges with river Songanga at Sonprayag and flows past the Madhyamaheshwar temple at Ukhimath.
• At the end of its course it drains into the Alaknanda, which flows into the Ganges.