Why felling a forest near Mumbai could change the rain in Tamil Nadu

Torrent Power is building a 3,000-MW pumped-storage hydropower plant near Karjat, roughly 100 km from Mumbai. The project is designed to store electricity and release it when demand peaks. It matters because it promises to reduce Maharashtra’s dependence on coal-fired power, but it also threatens a forest that supports Katkari families and lies in a highly protected Western Ghats zone.

The plant needs 377 hectares along the Sahyadri range in Raigad district. Of this, 233 hectares belong to the forest department and 144 hectares fall within six hamlets. More than 32,000 trees are expected to be affected. Nearly 1,100 trees had already been felled before protests stopped the operation last week.

The cleared land would make room for the project’s infrastructure and water system. The plant will draw water from the Pej river and pump it uphill before releasing it through turbines. Construction is expected to cost Rs 13,505 crore and become operational by 2029, while villagers face lost access to forest income, food, medicine and firewood.

A pumped-storage hydropower plant stores energy by moving water to a higher level. When electricity is available, pumps use that power to push water uphill. The water then remains stored until the grid needs extra electricity. This makes the plant useful for balancing demand without continuously producing power.

When demand peaks, operators release the stored water downhill through turbines. The moving water spins the turbines, which generate electricity for the grid. In this project, the Pej river will provide the water, while the plant’s uphill storage system will function as the energy bank. The article describes this as banking electricity through water movement.

Torrent Power’s proposed plant is intended to help Maharashtra rely less on coal-fired power. It is planned to produce 3,000 MW and become operational by 2029. The trade-off is substantial land and forest use: the project requires 377 hectares and could affect more than 32,000 trees in the Sahyadri range.

The project is large enough to reshape a substantial part of the Sahyadri landscape. Torrent Power plans a 3,000-MW pumped-storage hydropower plant near Karjat in Raigad district. Its stated cost is Rs 13,505 crore, and operations are scheduled to begin by 2029. The project is presented as a way to reduce Maharashtra’s coal dependence.

Its land requirement is 377 hectares along the Sahyadri range. The forest department owns 233 hectares, while 144 hectares lie within six hamlets: Saidongar, Dhak, Pali, Potal, Ambot and Bhaliwadi. More than 32,000 trees are expected to be affected. Nearly 1,100 trees had already been felled before protests halted the operation.

The scale creates both energy and environmental consequences. A pumped-storage facility needs space for water storage and associated works, while the forest provides income, food and medicinal plants for roughly 150 families. The site also lies in a zone once marked for the highest protection by a Western Ghats panel.

The article’s central warning is that Western Ghats forests do more than occupy land: they influence moisture cycles. Scientists cited in the report say clearing forests on this scale can alter the movement of moisture that helps bring rain to regions far away. The source does not specify a precise effect on Tamil Nadu or provide a detailed climate model.

The basic mechanism is that a large forested landscape interacts with humid air, rainfall and water released through vegetation. Removing thousands of trees changes the surface through which moisture moves and is recycled. That can influence when and where rain develops beyond the immediate site. The article connects this concern to the Western Ghats’ wider role in regional rainfall.

The proposed clearing would affect more than 32,000 trees across 377 hectares. Nearly 1,100 trees were already felled before protests halted work. Because the possible changes extend beyond the project boundary, the issue is not only local forest loss. It raises wider questions about rainfall reliability and protection of the Western Ghats.

The Western Ghats form the Sahyadri range, extending 1,600 km through six states along India’s western coast. The article presents them as a landscape closely tied to rainfall, rivers and moisture movement. Scientists warn that clearing a large forest area there can alter moisture cycles that bring rain to distant regions. A panel had previously marked this zone for the highest protection.

The hills also shape local water and livelihoods. At Saidongar, the Pej river runs below the hamlets and supplies water for the proposed plant. During the monsoon, villagers catch fish and crabs from the river. The forest provides firewood, honey, fruits and medicinal plants. This shows how the mountain ecosystem connects rainfall, rivers and daily survival.

The article does not give a full explanation of India’s monsoon system or quantify the Western Ghats’ effect on every region. It does show that the forest’s removal could have consequences beyond the project site. The Pej river is already largely dry after poor rainfall this year.

The forest supports nearly every part of life for about 150 families across six hamlets. Most residents belong to the Katkari tribal community. Families earn Rs 150 to 200 a day by gathering firewood and carrying it to market. They also collect honey, mahua, jamun and guava, selling some and eating the rest. That income is now threatened because guards are keeping villagers out.

The forest is also their pharmacy. Villagers use neem, gulvel and adulsa for fever, respiratory illness, dental problems and wounds. The Pej river provides fish and crabs during the monsoon, while the forest supplies resources when poor rainfall leaves the river largely dry. Villagers say they have relied on these sources for generations.

The immediate reality is severe. Nearly 1,100 trees have been felled, firewood stocks are running out, and guards prevent collection from the forest. Vishnu Shankar Pawar said families do not know how they will sustain themselves after their stored firewood is exhausted. The project therefore threatens income, food, medicine and water access together.

India’s Forest Rights Act, 2006, gives communities living in forest areas the right to claim land where they traditionally collect produce. Under Section 6, the Gram Sabha begins the process, receives and verifies claims, and forwards its decision to a Sub-Divisional Level Committee. Forest land is not supposed to be handed over before these rights are settled. Recognised rights can support compensation and rehabilitation.

In Pali, officials said the Gram Sabha never submitted a record identifying families dependent on the forest. Without that record, the department cleared the land on the basis that no such families existed. The environmental clearance for Torrent Power therefore stated that no rehabilitation of families or villages was envisaged.

This process left roughly 150 families without the compensation they could have received under the Act. It also meant their traditional dependence was absent from the project’s clearance record. The trees have now been cut in part of the site, while protests have paused the operation and guards restrict access to firewood and other forest resources.