NHPC seeks Forest clearance to fell over 23 lakh trees for Kamala hydel project in Arunachal

The Kamala project is a proposed 1,720 MW hydropower scheme in Arunachal Pradesh. NHPC plans to harness the Kamala River, a right-bank tributary of the Subansiri River. It is conceived as a run-of-the-river project with storage, meaning it would combine river flow with some stored water behind a dam.

A 216-metre-high concrete gravity dam would hold and regulate water. Water released through the project would flow through turbines, making them spin. Generators connected to those turbines would then produce electricity. The dam’s flood-moderation features would also help manage high flows, according to the proposal.

The project would cost about Rs 2,400 crore and require forest diversion across three districts. Its proposed clearance would allow construction and associated works, but the final environmental clearance depends on in-principle forest clearance. The project therefore links electricity generation with major land, forest, wildlife, and community impacts.

The proposed clearance would divert 3,278 hectares of high-conservation-value forest for non-forest purposes. This area lies across Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, and Kamle districts in Arunachal Pradesh. The scale matters because the project would replace dense Himalayan forest with dam, reservoir, and related infrastructure.

The proposal identifies 23,40,213 trees for felling. Of these, 15.08 lakh trees are in the Hapoli forest division, while 8.31 lakh are in the Kra Daadi division. The reservoir area and dam-top areas alone are expected to use nearly 2,960.49 hectares of forest land.

The affected forest includes 439 hectares classified as very dense forest and 1,119 hectares classified as moderately dense forest. Field surveys recorded 155 plant species from 69 families. These figures show that the impact involves both a large land area and biologically valuable forest, not simply isolated construction sites.

Forest clearance is required when forest land is used for a non-forest purpose. The Kamala project would need land for a large dam, reservoir, and associated facilities. Its proposed diversion covers 3,278 hectares across three Arunachal Pradesh districts, so environmental approval alone cannot authorize the full project.

The planned dam would be 216 metres high. The reservoir and dam-top areas are expected to occupy nearly 2,960.49 hectares of forest. The area includes 439 hectares of very dense forest and 1,119 hectares of moderately dense forest. Construction would therefore change forest land into infrastructure and a submerged reservoir.

The project was recommended for environmental clearance in January by the ministry’s sectoral expert panel. However, the panel specified that final environmental clearance would come only after in-principle forest clearance. NHPC must also address compensatory afforestation and wildlife concerns identified during official review.

Submerging forest would permanently change habitats across the reservoir area. An Environment Ministry inspection report said the project would undoubtedly affect various wildlife habitats. The wider submerged area could also make it harder for wild animals to migrate from one riverbank to the other.

The forest contains documented plant diversity. Field surveys conducted in all seasons recorded 155 plant species belonging to 69 families. The project site is not inside a national park, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve, or elephant corridor, but that status does not remove the reported habitat risks. Officials sought a wildlife mitigation or biodiversity conservation plan.

People would also be affected. The Social Impact Assessment identifies 5,440 families in 126 villages. The article does not specify their exact losses or resettlement arrangements. It does show that the project’s consequences extend beyond trees and wildlife, requiring decisions about communities, biodiversity, and migration before construction proceeds.

Compensatory afforestation is the creation of replacement tree cover when forest land is diverted for non-forest use. Normally, an equivalent patch of non-forest land must be found locally. The aim is to compensate for the forest area used by a project.

NHPC has proposed afforestation over 7,018 hectares across several Madhya Pradesh districts. The proposal concerns 3,278 hectares of forest diversion in Arunachal Pradesh. The article explains that Arunachal Pradesh already has high forest cover, so the Forest Conservation Act permits compensatory afforestation on non-forest land in another state with less forest cover.

If equivalent non-forest land is unavailable, the Act requires plantations covering twice the diverted forest area on degraded land. That rule also applies to the Madhya Pradesh programme proposed here. The arrangement addresses a legal compensation requirement, but it does not recreate the original Kamala valley forest in its original location.

The Kamala project is not an isolated dam proposal. The article places it within a cascade of hydropower projects planned in the Subansiri River basin. A cascade means multiple hydropower schemes are arranged within the same river system, so the Kamala project forms part of broader basin-level development.

Its direct water source is the Kamala River, described as a right-bank tributary of the Subansiri River. The proposed scheme would have 1,720 MW of capacity and use a 216-metre-high dam. Its forest diversion would span Kra Daadi, Kurung Kumey, and Kamle districts.

This wider setting makes cumulative planning important. Each project may have its own approval process, but several schemes can affect connected rivers, forests, wildlife movement, and communities across one basin. For Kamala, the expert panel recommended environmental clearance in January, subject to final clearance after in-principle forest approval.

A run-of-the-river project generally uses a river’s continuing flow to generate electricity, while a storage component holds some water for later release. A conventional large-reservoir dam usually depends more heavily on a large impoundment that can regulate water over longer periods. The Kamala proposal combines both approaches.

Its 216-metre-high concrete gravity dam would create a reservoir and regulate releases through turbines. Storage can help maintain electricity production when river flow changes, while run-of-the-river operation can reduce reliance on a very large reservoir. The project also includes approved flood-moderation features, according to the proposal.

The distinction does not make the project impact-free. The reservoir and dam-top areas would use nearly 2,960.49 hectares of forest, within a total proposed diversion of 3,278 hectares. Wildlife habitats, animal migration, plants, and thousands of families could still be affected. The exact balance between storage benefits and impacts depends on project operation and approvals.