TNPCB Cancels Public Hearing on Silahalla Power Project

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) cancelled the planned public consultation meeting aimed to gather public opinion on the Silahalla Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project at Kundha, Nilgiris.

About Silahalla Power Project

• Silahalla Power Project is a pumped storage hydroelectric project.
• Implementing Agency: Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO).
• Objective: To generate 1,000 MW electricity to meet peak power demand.
• Mechanism : Pumped Storage plants transfer water between two reservoirs to produce electricity.
• Rivers Associated with the project: 
  • Silahalla stream, a tributary of the Kundah River.
  • Kundah River feeds into the Bhavani River, which is a tributary of the Cauvery River.
    

About Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

• Location : Nilgiri Hills, Western Ghats.
• States Covered: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.
• Major Protected Areas: 
  • Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (Tamil Nadu).
  • Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary (Kerala).
  • Bandipur National Park (Karnataka).
  • Nagarhole National Park (Karnataka).
  • Mukurthi National Park (Tamil Nadu).
  • Silent Valley National Park (Kerala).
• Flora: Rare plants such as Adenoon, Calacanthus, and Frerea.
• Ecosystems: Tropical evergreen forests, montane sholas, grasslands, moist deciduous forests, and thorn forests.
• Fauna: Largest known population of endangered Nilgiri Tahr.
  • Presence of Lion-tailed macaques.
• UNESCO Recognition: 
  • India’s first UNESCO-designated Biosphere Reserve (1986).
  • Recognized under the Man and Biosphere Programme.
• Tribal Communities: Todas, Kotas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, and Adiyans.
  • They depend on forest ecosystems for their livelihoods.

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