State Government Urged to Provide Clarifications on Yettinahole Project Forest Land Diversion

Bengaluru : The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change has directed the state government to furnish full details about the controversial Yettinaholay Lift water project that has been executed in the eco-sensitive western Ghats region. The state governments that were in power between 2010 and 2023 were involved in constructing this pipeline, taking stormwater from the western ghats near Sakleshpur to the upghat districts of Bengaluru rural, Chikkaballapura, Tumukuru, and Kolar.

In the letter sent to the state government, the Deputy Inspector General of Forests has directed the state government In response to the State Government's letter dated June 19, 2024, regarding the Yettinahole Drinking Water Project, authorities have requested detailed clarifications and additional information on several aspects of the project, which is under scrutiny due to its environmental implications and procedural concerns.

The project, which aims to provide drinking water to drought-prone areas of Karnataka, including Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Ramanagara, Bangalore Rural, Devanahalli Industrial Area, and parts of Hassan District, requires 1,200 hectares (ha) of land. However, half of this area falls within forest boundaries, raising concerns about environmental impacts. The current proposal seeks to divert 10.1301 ha of forest land for the project, but officials have urged the state government to submit a consolidated proposal for any additional forest land required rather than submitting fragmented requests.

In 2016, the State Government submitted a similar proposal for the diversion of 13.93 ha of forest land in Sakleshpura Taluk, Hassan District, for the same project. However, it was later revealed that forest areas outside the approved zones had been utilized. Despite requests for a resurvey and a detailed report, no response has been received from the state government since November 2019.

A key concern is whether the current proposal is linked to the earlier forest diversion for the Yettinahole Project, and if so, why the proposals are being submitted piecemeal. The authorities have requested justification for this approach, alongside a status update on compliance with Stage-II approvals granted in 2016 for the 13.93 ha diversion.

Further analysis of the project’s Keyhole Markup Language (KML) file has raised uncertainties regarding the involvement of non-forest land in the project, with requests for more details on project components located outside the forested area. Additionally, the authorities have flagged the lack of information on alternative options examined by the project developers and urged the state government to submit relevant details, including a complete KML file.

Several other points of clarification have been requested, including:

- Submission of a site suitability certificate and a compensatory afforestation (CA) scheme for identified land.

- A non-encumbrance certificate for land identified for CA, as roads pass through some of the proposed afforestation areas.

- Clarification on reports suggesting that part of the CA land falls within Thirtharampura State Forest.

- Comments on the absence of a wildlife mitigation plan recommendation in the site inspection report.

The authorities have also drawn attention to a 2022 report from Down to Earth, which criticised the Yettinahole Project for environmental damage and alleged failure to deliver water, despite significant expenditure. Officials have asked the state government to submit a factual report addressing these concerns and assessing the project's overall feasibility.

The resolution of these issues is crucial for the continuation of the Yettinahole Drinking Water Project, which has already faced significant environmental and procedural challenges.