Page - 657 - in Book of Full Papers - Symposium Hydro Engineering

The environment portion discussed in already accepted feasibility study was based on Environment Protection Act (EPA) Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) where the biggest challenge was resettlement/ relocation of 128 households, for which Mira Power management was vigorously thinking to change the project design so that to minimize the relocations. In the meanwhile, after acquisition of the project it was pointed out that the full length of Poonch River has already been declared as National Park by local environmental authorities, which through legislation restricted various forms of species exploration to ensure that the habitat remains pristine and congenial for the indigenous species. The nomination of this National Park was promoted and/or endorsed by a number of reputable environmental NGOs, including but not limited to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), WWF, Himalayan Wildlife Foundation, and Snow Leopard Foundation, as they argued that the Poonch river is essential for the global survival of Kashmir Catfish, and presents a unique natural abundance of the Mahaseer fish, an endangered species whose population has been consistently declining all over Himalayan rivers. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of rivers classifies the Pooch River into the most critical category. A total of 37 fish species are associated with the Poonch River. Of these six fish species are listed in International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List with their status as: 1. Kashmir Catfish – Critically Endangered, 2. Golden Mahseer – Endangered, 3. Pabdah Catfish – Near Threatened, 4. Butter Catfish – Near Threatened, 5. Common Carp – Vulnerable, 6. Twin-banded Loach – Vulnerable Fig. 3 Photographs of Golden Mahaseer and Kashmir Catfish 657