Etalin Project: Green Light for Deforestation in Dibang Valley

In a significant policy reversal, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Environment Ministry has granted in-principle forest clearance to the 3,097-MW Etalin hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley. This move allows for the diversion of 1,175 hectares of forest land and the felling of approximately 278,000 trees, despite earlier ecological concerns raised by the FAC itself in 2022.

The Etalin project, one of India’s largest proposed hydropower ventures, has long faced opposition from environmental groups and the indigenous Idu Mishmi community. The affected forest area is home to a rich array of biodiversity, including endangered species such as tigers, snow leopards, Himalayan black bears, and over 680 species of birds.

Previously, in 2022, the FAC had rejected the project, citing insufficient biodiversity assessments and calling for a comprehensive multi-seasonal study — which was never conducted. Instead, the recent approval relies on existing studies, including one from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) that has been criticized for inaccuracies, including listing species not native to India.

Although the Etalin project is classified as a run-of-the-river scheme without large reservoir storage, experts remain concerned about its cumulative ecological impact on the sensitive Dibang basin, where several other hydropower projects are also planned.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.