Context: An 804 megawaat Jangi Thopan Powari hydroelectricity project (JTP HEP) is coming up near Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh.

• The people of Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh have been protesting against the proposed project.

Key Features

• It is a run of the river project.
• Height would be 88 meters.
• Being built over the Satluj River.
• It lies in the old Hindustan-Tibetan Route, Jangram Valley.

Impacts

• Kinnaur district is mainly marked by its cold desert, tribal population, fragile topography, rich and diverse culture, apple orchards, off-season vegetables and the Satluj river.

Land Requirement

• The tentative land requirement for the project is 295.93 hectares, out of which 270.43 ha is forest land and 25.5 ha is private.

Cause disturbance

• A cumulative scale of disturbance with the river’s natural state drastically impacted the life, livelihood and ecology in the Satluj basin.

Livelihoods

• Almost two-thirds the working population in Kinnaur is associated with agriculture. Close to 85 per cent of agrarian livelihood is allied to horticulture and off-season vegetables.

Affect drinking water supply

• The only reliable source for drinking, domestic and agricultural water is mountain springs fed by glaciers. Tunnel for water diversion will affect water availability.

Prone to landslides

• Due to the geological fragility of the Himalayas, they are highly prone to landslides. The blasting and tunnelling have a high potential for triggering and / or accelerating the landslides in these regions.

Impact to Chilgoza pine

• The other major impact of HEP is connected to the forest of Chilgoza pine, which has a patchy distribution across arid mountain valleys in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Kinnaur has the largest Chilgoza forests, covering an area of around 2,000 hectares.
• Chilgoza pine is well-known for its edible seeds and is rich in carbohydrates, proteins, and other medicinal values. It is classified as an endangered and rare tree species. 

Scheduled Areas

• The project lies in the Scheduled Areas and tenders the Provisions of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996.