In a way forward towards implementation of three major lift irrigation projects taken up by the Telangana government as part of redesigning and re-engineering the irrigation schemes planned earlier, the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has recommended scoping/clearance for terms of reference for Kalaeshwaram, Pranahita and Kanthanapally projects.
Recommendation for scoping or ToR (terms of reference) is considered a major step before examination of the projects for environmental clearance (EC). The minutes of the EAC meeting held earlier this month were uploaded on the MoEF website on Tuesday night.
CWC data
The standard ToR for river valley projects include utilisation of Central Water Commission (CWC) data on hydrological studies, annual water yield and 10 daily flow series with 90%, 75% and 50% dependability in the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environment Management Plan (EMP) report and others. After holding detailed deliberations with the officials of Irrigation Department of Telangana and considering data/documents placed before it by the project proponent, the EAC recommended for scoping/ToR clearance for the project with a condition that in principle clearance of the CWC be submitted along with the EIA and EMP report.
Land acquisition
The EAC also noted that “since land acquisition is involved, people whose land is acquired for the project shall be suitably compensated in accordance with the law of the land and the prevailing guidelines”.
On the issue of CWC clearance, the EAC said the project proponent had clarified at the meeting that the CWC clearance was not necessary now as the project was at the scoping stage for conducting the study and collecting the data for the project within 10 km radius and the it had already submitted the application to CWC.
Similarly, the EAC cleared Pranahita project, link-one of the erstwhile Pranahita-Chevella project and also Kanthanapally project for scoping and ToR. The panel suggested additional scoping of Pranahita project, including on the concept of conjunctive irrigation, inventory of flora and fauna and others.
Recycled water
For Kanthanapally, it has suggested reports on use of recycled water for industries and horticulture, efficiency of irrigation and others. The panel, however, held that the arguments of the project proponent that it would provide employment to a large number of people in the rural areas depending on agriculture was not tenable since it overlooks the norms of benefit-cost ratio.
Further, the EAC wanted reassessment of the provision of 50 tmc ft water for drinking.
