The state?s environment is a cause of concern with the construction of big dams and irrigation projects. And it is evident from the fact that there is stress on obtaining an environmental clearance.

The impact of the projects on the environment also nagged the central empowered committee of the Supreme Court and it objected to the construction work of Ichha dam under Subernarekha Multipurpose Project (SMP).

The central empowered committee, constituted by experts in the field of environment and wildlife, has objected to the project saying the state water resource department authorities would have to again obtain a environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

Elaborating this, the SMP administrator B.K. Tripathi said, ?The environmental clearance for the project was already obtained in 1984 by the Union ministry of environment and forests. When we asked for suggestions from the state advocate general, he suggested to wait for a clearance from the MoEF. In our affidavit with the apex court, we have pleaded to allow continuation of the abandoned construction work of the Ichha project as we intend to complete it by 2008,? said Tripathi.

The SMP authorities is expecting a green signal for the construction of the Ichha dam once the apex court hears the matter in mid-July. ?Once we get a nod from the apex court, the construction work will be launched at a war-footing,? added Tripathi.

Last year, the apex court?s committee had visited the state to assess the environmental impact of the project in Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary area, under Ranchi wildlife division.

However, the Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary area falls under the districts of Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum. The commmittee has recommended several changes in the construction plan of the project including formation of nine elephant corridors, two underground tunnels, development of eco-sensitive zone in 500 metre area of Dalma South forests. The sanctuary serves as a natural habitat for the pachyderms. The committee has also recommended compensatory afforestation in 1800 hectare non-forest land in the districts of Seraikela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum.

A joint team of state forest department, district land acquisition machinery of Seraiklela-Kharsawan and East Singhbhum and SMP authorities has already selected the non-forest land. The proposed Ichha dam is located 8 km away from Chaibasa, the district headquarters of West Singhbhum.

The dam is located on the Kharkai river (a tributary of the Subernarekha). After completion, the dam will be 38 metre high and 1,216 metre long with a spillway of 301 metre. The Ichha dam will have a gross storage capacity of 1,043 million cubic metre.

The SMP project, which was initiated in 1978, was to be completed during the early 90s.

The World Bank, which was earlier funding the project through soft loans, pulled out after the authorities failed to achieve substantial progress aimed to irrigate a total of 2,55,000 hectare of cultivable plot in the states of Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. The project hung fire for almost 10 years between 1990 to 2000. After the creation of the new state, the Jharkhand government has taken up the project on a priority basis.

The funds for the project is now being fed by the state water resource department through National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard).

Amit Gupta