Saving Silent Valley

Sir, - This is with reference to the news report about the Kerala Government seeking to revive the Silent Valley hydroelectric project. Silent Valley is a truly rare Western Ghats paradise, renowned for its biodiversity values. Not for nothing was a veritable battle fought in the late 70s to save it from being drowned under the floodwaters of a mega dam. At a time when the world at large is rethinking its policy on large dams in general, for the Kerala Government to seek to revive this project will expose it to international ridicule.

The Silent Valley project was abandoned for a very good reason, a reason that continues to hold good today, and in fact is even more relevant: the valley is prime wildlife habitat. At a time when our forests, wildlife and biodiversity are facing ever- increasing threats from all quarters, what sense does it make to add to those threats?

Rather, the Kerala Government would do well to focus on the eco- friendly alternatives that do exist, such as small scale, decentralised power generation. As your report mentions, transmission loss is a major problem. Why not then first seek to eliminate such power losses before trying to build new projects? If a car starts giving low mileage, do we buy a new one or get the engine tuned?

Bittu Sahgal,

Mumbai

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