The first-ever Cumulative Environmental Impact Assessment (CEIA) study of 38 hydro power projects in the Sutlej basin has recommended that the government should designate “the fish-rich khuds, mid-Sutlej, eco-sensitive Spiti, Upper Kinnaur area and 10 other protection areas as no-go zone for hydro projects”. The study further seeks to implement the environmental action plan (EAP) strictly by putting in place measures to mitigate the negative impact of the power projects on socio-cultural environment in the basin, which, at present is bursting at the seams with power projects. No fish is found upstream from Rampur till Karcham. The report shows that the barrage structure at Nathpa and Karcham, block the migratory route of fish and hit fish breeding. The downstream Kol Dam has good fish fauna, but the barrage has stopped migration upstream to Tattapani, the study found. The brown trout is restricted to the Baspa river in the Sangla valley. The fish is restricted to Chera, Pandoa, Behna, Nogli, Manglad and Ghanvi Khuds as change in the water current and temperature due to power projects has impacted fish fauna. The long underground head race tunnels of the projects impact the water springs. But their cumulative impact is “medium, but the barrage and tunnels hit the fish fauna badly”. The 10 protection areas in the Sutlej basin and its tributaries should be protected as project-free areas. These include the Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary, Pin Valley National Park, Rupi-Bhaba Wildlife Sanctuary, Lippa- Asrang Wildlife Sanctuary, Rakchham-Chhitkul Wildlife Sanctuary, Daranghati-I and II Wildlife Sanctuary, Daranghati-II Majthal Wildlife Sanctuary, Darlaghat Wildlife Sanctuary and Bandli Wildlife Sanctuary. The study was conducted by the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun. The Directorate of Energy, in association with the Hydro Power Producers Forum (HPPF) and other stakeholders, had awarded the study to the institute after the environment appraisal committee (EAC) of Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) directed the DoE to conduct the study. The ICRFE, in support with the Alternate Hydro Energy Centre (AHEC), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Roorkee, Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (DCFR), Bhimtal, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), Coimbatore, finalised the draft report, which was submitted to the state government for action recently. The experts studied six commissioned projects (2,956.5 MW), eight under-construction projects (1,691 MW), 15 other identified projects (1,729 MW) and nine under investigation projects (2,038.6 MW). These are all run-of-river schemes, except for the 800-MW Kol Dam. The study found that 16 out of the 38 hydro projects were small and medium designed with trench weir for the diversion of water, which did not modify the river bed. The cumulative impact had been assessed to be low in this case. The Sutlej has 17 tributaries, joining it at various confluence points in an area of 52,146 sq km, the Spiti river has 10,170 sq km, Baspa 1,102 sq km and Tidong 726 sq km and others 14 sq km to 374 sq km. The impact of the individual project on water quality is low. The cumulative impact on sediments on seven projects — Khab, Shongtong-Karcham, Baspa, Karcham-Wangtoo, Nathpa Jhakri, Rampur and Luhri — was low, the study showed. Recommendations The unemployed youth need skill development, farmers need market facilities and infrastructure under LADA and corporate social responsibility programme The BRO, forest, soil conservation and disaster management wings need integrated approach for good road management Projects should address the social and environmental problems caused by existing dams Spitians and Kinnauris in Morang tehsil, Jangi, Lippa and Asrang are culturally important as 2,000 tribals speak the extinct Zhangahung language Baspa valley, prone to landslides, needs quality health-care hospital as roads are closed due to heavy snow for months. Projects should adopt labour colony in such a way to have minimal interference with the local population. Do’s for the government Implement the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 for acquiring land from locals The technical data of projects should be documented under Technical Facilitation Unit (TFU) with DoE Project owners should send reports on parameters of the project to the state pollution control board and MoEF regularly.