Sharavathi PSP: Analytical Review of Env Impact Assessment
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has released the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the proposed Sharavathi Pumped-Hydro Energy Storage Project for public comments. Public hearings on the project are scheduled for 16th September in Sagara and 18th September in Gerusoppa, Honnavar Taluk. This page presents an analytical review of the EIA document, highlighting […]
Mapping Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project Components
The 2000 MW Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project (PSP) seeks to divert over 287 acres of evergreen forest within the Sharavathi Lion-Tailed Macaque Sanctuary. Its inseparable components—roads, bridges, transmission lines, quarries, tunnels, and powerhouses—are being fragmented into separate proposals to evade environmental scrutiny. This deliberate segmentation undermines legal due process and creates a fait accompli, a […]
Losing Power to Make Power
Pumping water uphill for the Sharavathi and Varahi Pumped Storage Project (PSP) will consume 24% more electricity than the project produces. The source electricity for pumping, coming from the grid, may or may not be renewable. Additionally, the cost of pumping and Cost-Benefit analysis remains hidden behind the red tape of national security and trade […]
Mapping the Over-Engineered Sharavathi and Varahi Basins
India’s environmental laws treat the Sharavathi and Varahi pumped storage projects as if they are being proposed on a tabula rasa— a blank, untouched terrain. In reality, they are layered onto an already burdened landscape shaped by decades of dams and diversions. This map traces that dense web of over-engineered hydropower infrastructure across an evergreen […]
Report: Western Ghats is NOT a Power Plant
Legally Protected Wildlife Sanctuaries in the Western Ghats Are Under Direct Threat from Pumped Storage Projects. This report examines how the diversion of evergreen forests and critical wildlife habitat violates key environmental laws, highlights governance failures at both state and national levels, and debunks the project’s claim of being green, clean, and renewable. Click here […]
Open Letter to UDD on Drain Buffer Reductions
On September 1st, the Urban Development Department issued draft regulations reducing court-mandated drain buffers for Bengaluru, inviting public comments. We responded with an open letter placing on record our analytical review and evidence-based objections. Reducing buffers around drains (and lakes) will intensify floods, accelerate water loss, and foster encroachments already flagged by CAG audits. It […]
Analytical Review of KTCDA, 2025 Amendment
Karnataka’s rush for peak power infrastructure in the Western Ghats undermines the very foundations of climate resilience and risks driving species to extinction. If the current pace of projects continues—breaching environmental laws—the extinction of the Lion-tailed Macaque (LTM) is inevitable. This won’t just be the loss of a species; it will mark a dangerous collision […]
Deccan Herald Op-Ed: Don’t Compromise Western Ghats for Energy
Karnataka’s rush for peak power infrastructure in the Western Ghats undermines the very foundations of climate resilience and risks driving species to extinction. If the current pace of projects continues—breaching environmental laws—the extinction of the Lion-tailed Macaque (LTM) is inevitable. This won’t just be the loss of a species; it will mark a dangerous collision […]
Blog: What are we building — and what are we burying to build it?
MEIL, JSW, NTPC, Adani—India’s biggest players are all in. Their collective ambition around pumped storage is fast becoming the centerpiece of the country’s energy strategy, bulldozing laws in the process. But ambition without accountability cannot deliver sustainability. It cannot deliver energy security. And it will certainly not deliver water security. This is the moment to […]
The Risk of Landslides
Karnataka’s rush for peak power infrastructure in the Western Ghats undermines the very foundations of climate resilience and risks driving species to extinction. If the current pace of projects continues—breaching environmental laws—the extinction of the Lion-tailed Macaque (LTM) is inevitable. This won’t just be the loss of a species; it will mark a dangerous collision […]