HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT IN THE INDIAN HIMALAYAS

Hydropower plays a central role in India’s renewable energy strategy, particularly in the Himalayan region where river gradients and hydrological potential are high. However, large-scale hydropower development in the Himalayas has increasingly generated environmental conflicts due to ecological fragility, climate-induced hazards, and governance shortcomings. This paper critically examines the relationship between hydropower expansion and environmental conflict in the Indian Himalayas using a political ecology and environmental justice framework. Drawing upon peer-reviewed literature, policy documents, disaster assessments, and legal interventions, the study analyzes how cumulative ecological impacts, procedural deficits in environmental governance, and uneven distribution of risks and benefits contribute to persistent contestation. Case studies from Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Northeast India illustrate how disasters such as floods and landslides have intensified public scrutiny of hydropower projects. The paper argues that hydropower conflicts are not merely technical or ideological but are rooted in structural governance failures and socio-ecological vulnerability. It concludes that sustainable hydropower development in the Himalayas requires basin-scale planning, robust environmental assessments, meaningful public participation, and integration of climate risk into infrastructure planning.