Pumped storage hydropower projects are rapidly emerging as a key focus in India’s energy transition narrative. In the Western Ghats, however, these projects are being planned in ecologically sensitive and legally protected wildlife sanctuaries—posing serious threats to forests, rivers, wildlife, and local communities. By diverting rivers, blasting hillsides, and tunneling through biodiversity hotspots, these projects fragment habitats and disrupt water systems that sustain downstream ecosystems and livelihoods. Procedural lapses and the silent acceptance of inadequate, misleading, and prima facie flawed data further weaken regulatory scrutiny and undermine the integrity of the environmental clearance process. Mapping Malnad tracks these developments to inform, challenge, and advocate for alternatives that do not come at the cost of the commons.