US scientist questions green nod to Indian hydel projects

Kolkata, March 12, 2015: A top American researcher has questioned the scientific accuracy of environmental impact assessment reports for India's hydropower projects, criticising the process behind environmental clearances as being "manipulative". Kelly D. Alley, a professor of anthropology, Auburn University, U.S. has carried out research in northern India for over twenty years, focusing on public culture and environmental issues. "I took two sets of hydropower cases that are important projects -the Subansiri and Dibang projects in north east India. "My paper questions the EIA and the processes... how those (environmental) clearances are obtained. Basically the clearance process is corrupt in terms of rent-seeking. I wanted to highlight the clearance processes are manipulated so that in this dangerous situation we should do a better job," Alley told IANS here, after the study was released. Alley is the author of books such as 'On the Banks of the Ganga: When Wastewater Meets a Sacred River' that explores Hindu interpretations of the sacred river Ganga in the light of environmental problems. Some of her other notable publications include 'Water Wealth and Energy in the Indian Himalayas' and 'The Developments, Policies and Assessments of Hydropower in the Ganga River Basin' among others, a result of her work in the Brahmaputra basin and in Varanasi. She was in the city as part of a delegation for the two-day 'Building Pan Asian Connectivity' conference. Alley released her paper titled 'Challenges for hydropower governance in Brahmaputra basin: Informality, Documentality and Citizen Mandamus' which will be part of a book and will be put in the public domain soon