Supreme Court ने Uttarakhand के Upper Ganga Basin में नए जलविद्युत परियोजनाओं को सीमित करने वाला affidavit दायर किया

Key Insight

Supreme Court bars new dams in Upper Ganga, allowing only seven existing projects

Key Facts

1. Supreme Court received an affidavit from the Union restricting any new hydro‑electric projects in the Alaknanda‑Bhagirathi basin of Uttarakhand.
2. Only seven hydro‑electric projects – four commissioned and three under construction – are permitted to continue.
3. The seven projects are: Tehri PSP (Stage‑II), Tapovan Vishnugad (NTPC), Vishnugad Pipalkoti (THDCIL), Singoli Bhatwari (L&T), Phata Byung (Lanco), Madhmaheshwar (UJVNL), and Kailganga‑II (Chamoli Hydro).
4. The affidavit is backed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Power and Ministry of Jal Shakti.
5. The Court gave the Union three months from January 2026 to decide on the recommendations of a Court‑constituted Committee.
6. The affidavit criticises the earlier EB‑II expert panel for omitting disaster‑related parameters such as landslides, flash floods, glacial lake outburst floods and seismic activity.
7. The decision follows the 2013 Uttarakhand flood disaster that highlighted the basin’s ecological fragility.

Background

The upper Ganga basin is a disaster‑prone Himalayan region where hydropower projects can trigger landslides and floods. The Supreme Court's intervention links constitutional adjudication with environmental clearances, a key theme in GS‑2 (Polity) and GS‑3 (Environment).

UPSC Syllabus

• Essay — Environment and Sustainability
• Prelims_CSAT — Decision Making

Mains Angle

In a GS‑3 answer, discuss how the Supreme Court’s affidavit reflects the need to balance renewable energy goals with disaster‑risk management in fragile ecosystems. A possible question could ask about policy measures to ensure sustainable hydropower in the Himalayas.