Environmentalists allege irregularities in assessments of mini-hydro projects

By Devin Jayasundera 

With mini-hydro power plants beginning to dot up the upcountry river landscape, a group of environmentalists said that the majority of these projects were launched despite serious irregularities in their environmental assessments. 

Currently, mini-hydro power plants contribute to 4% of the total energy generation, producing around 180 MW. With major hydro schemes being exhausted to maximum potential and due to the negative environmental and economic impact of thermal power plants, mini-hydro power plants have increased in significance in recent years as a likely clean-energy alternative. 

However, the environmentalists argue that Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) reports of many projects are frequently tampered with, inaccurate, false or contain inadequate information despite gaining the approval of the Project Approving Agency (PAA). 

The IEE is the principal environmental clearance document under the stipulated approval process set by the Sustainable Energy Authority (SEA). The IEE is conducted by a consulting team hired by the developer and is evaluated and approved by a PAA that is generally designated by the CEA. 

The PAA is case-specific and determined by the location and scope of the project. It is selected from a portfolio of agencies from the Department of Forests to the Department of Archaeology. To evaluate the IEE report a special technical committee consisting of subject matter experts is appointed by the PAA according to an environmental collective. 

Environmental Foundation Ltd. Director Dr. Sevvandi Jayakody alleges that conflicts of interest often arise in the approval process. “To do an IEE, consultancy firms generally hire experts from the university. Later when the Government sector has to do the technological evaluation of the documents they tend to hire the same type of people because the experts are in the universities. Sometimes what happens is that the same person can represent the consultancy firm and also be in the technical consulting committee.”

Reputed environmental lawyer Jagath Gunawardena believes that the erroneous accounts in IEE reports are not due to a lack of technical competence or subject matter expertise but are a result of the absence of professional integrity among the consultants who conduct the assessment. “There are certain people whose professional integrity is in question,” he said.

When Daily FT enquired about the possible motivations behind the alleged irregularities of environmental assessments, Gunawardena said: “What we can say by looking at it and making an inference is that they may be profiting from doing consultancies for these places (mini-hydro developers). So they don’t want to lose it by putting an honest assessment to the application. There are also issues with conflict of interest but most of the time it is professional integrity that is at stake.”

Dr. Jayakody echoed similar sentiments, telling Daily FT: “The main culprit is none other than the so-called technical experts, the educated crowd who are selling their expertise for money.”

The responsibility for the failure to uphold good practises in establishing min-hydro power plants should be shared by multiple Government stakeholders, especially the Government agent and the district secretary, the SEA and the CEA, according to Gunawardena.  

Producing an approved IEE assessment of a proposed project below the Samanalawewa reservoir, Dr. Jayakody pointed out a series of flaws in the report. The first was the unfavourable weather conditions given as a prime reason by the evaluators for not performing the required fundamental tests in assessing the feasibility of the environment. “Such excuses question the validity of the report,” she said. 

Secondly, inflow rates which determine the health of the ecological system of rivers are adjusted in favour of the project by manipulating the said assumptions without a legitimate justification. 

The same IEE report of the project states that no animal movement or migratory roots were recognised. Dr. Jayakody negated the factual basis of the comment by saying that the area contains a natural salt mine which attracts a string of mammals, including the famed elephant Kaluthota Raja. 

Currently, mini-hydros, once the flag bearers of clean energy, have come under scathing criticism around the world for obstructing water flows and jeopardising the natural ecosystems of river basins. The environmentalists collective are of the position that no more licences should be given for mini-hydro projects in the country.  

To ensure environmental regulations are strictly followed Dr. Jayakody proposes three urgent measures. “We have to revise the current policy which has lots of loopholes. Secondly, we have to assess the cumulative impact on the environment of mini-hydro projects and finally the IEE procedure should be rigorous with clear guidelines on how the data got collected, the specific time period and also the technical expertise that is required.”