Local residents allege use of explosives at Sillahalla Project site in the Nilgiris

Local residents and activists protest against the destructive Sillahalla Pumped Storage Hydro-Electric Project, raising concerns over lack of public consultation.

Local residents and activists have claimed the Sillahalla Pumped Storage Hydro-Electric Project site is already being destroyed by the use of explosives though public consultation has not been completed.

Local whistle-blowers, who are part of the Silahalla Protection Committee and other organisations fighting to prevent the implementation of the project, recently visited the tribal village of Bellathy Combai in Kundha, where local residents informed them of “regular explosions along the project site” over the last few months.

Arun Bellie, an activist and member coordinator of the Sillahalla Protection Committee, told The Hindu local residents had become concerned at the increasing activity along the Sillahalla River. “There has been no clarity so far from the government as to whether the project has begun to be implemented,” said Mr. Bellie. He said it was concerning that explosives were being used along the gorge surrounding the river, even before any public consultation had been held, much less consensus over the benefits of the project.

“What makes us suspicious is how previous government projects were implemented in the Nilgiris, with scant regard for existing rules. For instance, the setting up of the adventure park facilities at the Ooty Lake and Boat House were rushed through even before permissions were procured for the projects, and as a consequence have come to a standstill,” said Mr. Bellie.

Local residents from Manjoor and surrounding villages cutting across ethnic and community lines, staged a protest on March 30 in Manjoor town opposing the project in its entirety. One of the main organisers of the protest, senior lawyer K. Vijayan, director of the Tamil Nadu Chapter of the People’s Legal Forum, told The Hindu it was ironic that while plastic products were banned in the Nilgiris, and severe restrictions to tourism were being implemented to ostensibly “protect and preserve the environment,” that the Sillahalla project was even being considered.

“The project site, less than five aerial kilometers away from the Mudumalai and Mukurthi National Parks, is located in an area known to be geologically unstable and prone to landslips and will destroy livelihoods of thousands of families,” he said, highlighting past tragedies in the area, such as the Geddai landslip in 1992 which claimed the lives of 36 people.

Another conservationist from the Nilgiris said the project jeopardised the natural hydrology of the Nilgiris district, which should ideally only be comprised of swamps and wetlands. “This unique hydrology took tens of thousands of years to evolve and is characterized by ensuring absorption of large quantities of water during spells of plentiful rainfall, and ensuring water availability during spells of drought. The construction of more dams will further jeopardise the water security of the district and the lives of its residents,” he said.