West Seti Hydro

Project Details

Environmental Impact

Land Use
An estimated 2,322 ha of land will be acquired for permanent project features and 678 ha for the transmission line. This includes:

  • 659 ha of cultivated land
  • 1,202 ha of forest
  • 246 ha of grassland
  • 206 ha of shrubland

The total land area permanently required by the project has been minimised by:

  • limiting the number and length of project roads
  • locating the power station underground
  • minimising the size of permanent sites

Lower value production land will be used where options exist and land degradation will be minimised by:

  • locating temporary facilities on permanent project sites
  • stockpiling topsoil and re-using it for site rehabilitation
  • strictly controlling potential pollution
  • minimising vegetation clearance by using helicopters to string transmission lines
  • restricting road clearing to minimum width

Flora and Fauna

A propagation and planting program will be undertaken for species of conservation significance that will be cleared from (or inundated on) project sites. After construction, project sites will be re-vegetated using locally propagated native species.

The forest and scrubland cleared along the transmission line will be converted to low growing shrubs, grasses and pruned trees. A small section of the line - less than 3 km - will cross the Shukhalaphata Wildlife Reserve. Although this area does not contain conservation significant habitat, it does serve as an occasional migratory route for wildlife, including the Asian elephant.

Bird numbers are likely to benefit from the creation of the reservoir, while migratory species are expected to use it as a resting place.

The dam will prevent migratory fish species from reaching upstream spawning grounds and so they will disappear from the upper Seti River. The reservoir will support various species, while cold water varieties could decline or disappear.

The Seti River between the dam and the tailrace will resemble a stream for 8-11 months of the year when spill flows do not occur, causing fish numbers to decline during this period. Flow fluctuations from power station discharges will also reduce fish numbers downstream of the tailrace outlet.

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Natural Hazards

The dam will reduce flooding due to the diversion of water through the power station.

The dam spillway has been designed to safely release the probable maximum flood flow, including surges caused by glacial melting and landslides.

The dam has been designed to withstand major earthquakes. Such an incident may cause substantial but repairable damage to the dam, but not total failure.

Resettlement and compensation

Under the Project Resettlement Action Plan, approved by the Government of Nepal 1,383 households will require resettlement from the Hills to the fertile Terai plain in southern Nepal, with most of these coming from the reservoir area. A further 186 households in the transmission line right-of -way will also need relocation, generally to an adjacent site outside the right-of-way.

Replacement Cost

All private land losses will be compensated at full replacement cost.

Equal Productivity

Households in the reservoir area, which are resettled to sites in the Terai, will be provided with replacement land of equal productivity.

Extra Compensation

In addition, households will receive extra compensation to the value of 20% of their acquired land.

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Additional Land

If households resettle at project sites in the Terai on land that is equal to their old lots but less than Terai subsistence level, then they will be given additional land. It is estimated that 38% of people being resettled will enjoy this rise in living standards.

Additional Allowances

Affected residents will also receive:

  • a resettlement/relocation allowance
  • household and business displacement allowances
  • cultivation disruption allowances for non-displaced households
  • rehabilitation allowances for vulnerable households
  • a rental stipend for tenant households

Only a few households in the transmission area will need to be resettled. Of the 224 ha of private agricultural and residential land within the transmission line, only 1.5 ha will be permanently acquired and settlement will be prohibited on just 4.7 ha.

Residential or business structures on titled land in the transmission line will be relocated, but the owners will retain title over the land and will be allowed to cultivate the land with only minor restrictions.

They too will be compensated at full replacement cost for the affected land, houses and structures.

Households downstream - between the dam and the re-regulation weir - will be affected to varying degrees by the permanent reduction in the flow of the Seti River as well as river level fluctuations as a result of discharges from the power station.

An estimated 9,000 people will have access to secure potable water by improvements to existing village-based systems as well as the construction of new facilities.

Villages will be electrified and a sanitation program will be introduced to improve public health.

Where fish stocks have diminished, the Action Plan promises a mitigation program to cover this economic cost and a nutrition program to ensure people are not adversely affected.

Footbridges and cable slides that are inundated by the reservoir will be replaced by six suspension bridges, improved walking tracks and boat access to the reservoir.

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Consultations

Since 1997, West Seti Hydro Ltd has pursued open and regular public consultation with affected people, Government ministries and departments, Non-Government Organisations and other interested parties.

Discussions with affected communities at the project site were initially conducted over a 21 month period (1997-1999). These included:

  • formal and informal community meetings
  • discussions with elected members of the Local Consultative Forum
  • meetings with landholders, district officials and other stakeholders
  • a three-day field trip of potential resettlement areas by community representatives
  • two public hearings
  • the publication and distribution of seven Information Sheets to affected communities

Consultation recommenced in 2006-07 in accordance with the transmission line Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and these discussions also involved an update of the earlier EIA.

These consultations included:

  • five community meetings in November 2006
  • four community meetings in April 2007
  • the publication and distribution of two Information Sheets to affected communities

A comprehensive, transparent system of checks and balances has been established by West Seti Hydro Ltd to facilitate the project’s resettlement, relocation and compensation issues.

Local Consultative Forums are the backbone of the consultative process, providing residents and villages with an open forum for information, support and the airing of grievances.

The Resettlement Steering Committee will include representatives from the district Government, members of the Village Development Committee, community groups and other interested stakeholders.

Affected communities will also be represented on the Compensation Determination Committees so that procedures are open to full public scrutiny and comply with Government legislation.

Finally, Grievance Redress Committees - whose membership overlaps some of the other committees - are entrusted to resolve disputes concerning resettlement, relocation and compensation.

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