Rangit Stage-IV project developer drains untreated sludge into river

Untreated sludge from Adit-III of Rangit Stage IV slimes into the Rangit at Rohtak

Rangit Stage IV project site

RESIDENTS COMPLAIN OF DEPLETED AQUATIC LIFE AND POLLUTED WATER AT ROHTAK
DISTRICT AUTHORITIES SHOWCAUSE COASTAL PROJECT Pvt Ltd, FOLLOW-UP INSPECTION SCHEDULED FOR TUESDAY
ANAND OBEROI
GANGTOK, 28 Feb: Coastal Project Pvt. Ltd, contracted by hydel developer Jal Power Development Corporation and engaged at the Adit-II tunnels of Rangit Stage- IV hydroelectric project at Rothak, West Sikkim, 7 kilometers from Jorethang towards Legship has been show-caused by the Department of Forests and the West district administration for “illegally dumping untreated waste” from the tunnels into the Rangit river.

The sludge seeps into the Rangit

A team of senior officials of the district administration, State Pollution Control Board , including the District Collector, [West] Santa Pradhan and DFO (T), Binod Yonzon last visited the area on 25 February in follow-up of complaints filed by the locals and found that all norms for environment conservation  to be initiated by the power developer at the site have been violated and also confirmed the “negative impact” of untreated dumping to all aquatic life in the river.

Cement mixers wash at the roadside and drain
directly off it

A major problem at the site is the direct release of slush and construction material from the under-construction tunnel into the river. The continuous flow of the muck into the river since the project work started a year back is manifesting now with the rocks and the riverbed turning a grayish black with the entire aquatic flora in the area almost on the verge of being wiped out. The situation here is so bad that even the fish ponds maintained by the local residents nearby which source water from the river are recording high mortality of fish.
Popular as a hotspot for angling and also a much-visited picnic spot, the marine life at Rothak has seen a drastic decline over the past one year, residents complain.
Like the villagers say, “Once we could see fish swimming below the bridge here but now there is only murky water. The river water and the riverbed have turned black and if this continues then there shall be no river left”.
The DFO (T), while speaking to NOW!, confirmed that the project developer was violating all SPCB norms and regulations in the area and said that this had led to the West District Collector ordering that the work be shut down for three days after the  visit on 25 February. This, so that the required facilities could be put in place.
“During our inspection we found that they were not processing the sludge before releasing the muck into the water. The disinfection tank was not being used, thus the DC ordered that all works be shut down for three days till the developer gets the disinfection tank operational,” explained the DFO (T).

A sludge-laden Rohtak khola drains into the Rangit

It may also be informed that the disinfection tank at the site is so small that it cannot, residents believe, handle the continuous flow of muck from inside the tunnels and requires cleaning every couple of hours. Also, when the tanks are being cleaned, the muck from the tunnels keeps on flowing untreated into the river. It takes almost two days to clean the disinfection tanks which is also not constructed in a “scientific manner”.
What is even more disheartening here is the sight of huge cement mixer machines being washed on the roadside with all the left-over cement and gravel being dumped directly into the forested area below the road. This has also caused serious damage to the flora below which is clogged with a suffocating coat of cement irresponsibly drained onto them.
The DFO (T) also stated that the district administration has given the project developer time till tomorrow [0I March] to segregate all “foreign components” in the water before releasing the muck into the river.
“Tomorrow we intend to carry out another inspection after which we will decide if stringent action needs to be initiated against the project developers or not,” he stated.
It may also be informed that the project developer have also chosen an alternative means to dump the slush directly into the river by channeling the muck from the tunnels to a smaller tributary down- river also known as Rothak Khola. The rivulet it is informed is in full flow at present bringing down the similar muck earlier being disposed from the project site on the road. It was also learnt that that the inspection shall also review this case during tomorrow’s inspection of the area.