Thrivikramji, the Silent Valley Project & Dept.

of Environment (from archives) The controversial SV project is with the DST of GOI whose findings will change the energy future not only of the state but of the nation The new depart!ent of environ!ent under the "ri!e #inister$ and guided and captained by Dr S % &uasi!$ 'for!erly of (IO$ GO)* I believe will be called upon to e+a!ine this issue$ by either "rof #enon$ or the "# #y conviction says that the #enon ,o!!ission and the Dept $ of -nviron!ent will be dispassionate because of the people involved in the co!!ittees and their past record One should agree that both the #enon ,o!!ission and Dr &uasi!.s Depart!ent are involved in a uni/ue decision !a0ing process$ uni/ue because the Valley project has ac/uired world wide attention and propaganda 1owever$ our scientist involved in the #enon ,o!!ittee will not play with the e+patriate ideas or ideas of e+patriate scientists The V" needs to be considered very dispassionately If the concerned govern!ental agencies can guarantee the protection of e+isting forests in 2erala$ then construction of power projects can continue uninterruptedly and the nation and posterity will benefit e/ually There can be an argu!ent that the scientists can for!ulate a new or alternate energy plan for the nations energy needs 3ut one should reali4e that the 3o!bay 1igh Offshore too0 about 56 yr after independence$ to be discovered$ developed or tapped If this is the rate at which scientific discoveries and brea0through will occur in India$ our posterity will be put to hardship$ une!ploy!ent$ distress and brea0down of national spirit I would urge the #enon ,o!!ittee and the DO-( to e+peditiously deal with the !atter of V"$ 7 a great service to the nation and posterity The V" had done a great service to the nation and posterity$ however !uch of it is bloated 3ut the alar!ist scientists groups and special interest groups opposing the V" did a great disservice in that the hydel project proposals in 2erala are torpedoed by so!e vested interests in the na!e of environ!ental destruction Dr &uasi! $ the secretary has before hi! a !onu!ental tas0 of disposing the V" The secretary is already well aware of the environ!ental ha4ards associated with the V"$ and should also be concerned about the energy needs of the nation and prosperity of the posterity The wind$ wave$ tidal and solar energy or what ever one !ight say as alternatives$ in the scientists parlance all these are on the drawing board only$ and are yet to beco!e co!!ercially viable -ven in the countries where these have been discovered

I believe that it should be possible to have develop!ent in the energy sector and at the sa!e ti!e to have and a clean environ!ent free of any threats )fter all the V" will ta0e only a fraction of the SV reserve forest area8

G9 as an alternate source The G9 reservoirs of 2erala are confined to the coastal plain sedi!ent and the lateritic !id7land The crystalline roc0s of upland are poor sources of G9 The area under /uestion$ the #alabar region is well 0nown for very deep weathering and thic0 aprons of laterite ,ertainly the s!all /uantities of water occurring in the lateritic terrain are insufficient as a substitute for surface irrigation #ore over the trend of foliation of roc0s are such that what ever water that !anages to tric0le down through the bedroc0 e+posed areas would find their way to the lateritic !idland 1owever$ the upland has suitably sloping surfaces that would go against the above argu!ents The sheet flow in such terrains does not get enough ti!e to part with a portion to the crevices and crac0s feeding into the G9 a/uifer The valleys of #alabar are very peculiar and special in that they are filled in with the colluviu! and strea! sedi!ents )nd the latter is generally of silty clay nature and well 0nown for their poor storativity of G9 9herever$ strea!s li0e 3harathapu4ha are noted$ the valleys are co!posed of several terraces$ of varying ages The terrace sedi!ent again is silty clay type sedi!ent 'flood plain sedi!ent* and hence they are bad a/uifer roc0s to be depended on for large scale irrigation needs I therefore content that the suitability of G9 for large scale irrigation needs does not arise They !ay be sufficient for s!aller areas but not for :6s of:666s of hectares I !ay add as below I had visited at least half a do4en river valleys south of (ila!bur$ and to !y surprise I had co!e across every bed roc0 e+posed slope had atypical stratified vegetation cover They are fro! the top$ bedroc0 covered su!!it$ and steep slopes followed by grass land probably on thin soil cover$ and then bush growth of trees$ e+tending so!eti!es down to the low water !ar0 in the strea!s These forests are typically riverine forests$ and I would i!agine that by flooding this flora will !igrate upslope to a li!it dictated only by the soil thic0ness The reservoir also would tend to change the ground water regi!e upslope and should then help a revitali4ed growth of forests and its !igration "rof #enon$ I than0 you very !uch for the invitation e+tended to !e and your desire to 0now !y views as a geoscientist thrivi0ra!ji;g!ail co! circa :<=: 'In this ca!paign I was aligned with "rof Dr 3 2 (air$ "rof George Vargheese$ "rof '>ate* ?ajappan$ "rof Dr 2? Sadasivan (air$ "rof 'late* Stephen -r 3ala0rishnan (air '2S-3* was our guide 9e study7toured the valley at least thrice and individually

presented our studied points of view to the "rof #enon ,o!!ission in the Divya "rabha 1otel$ "ala00ad