The Bhutanese people must offer thanks to Mr. Yoginder Sharma, former Technical Director at the Punatsangchu-I and Punatsangchu-II projects from 2010-2017, for finally having the guts to come out with the truth - that the project consultants to the two projects – Water and Power Consultancy Services (India) Limited (WAPCOS) and Central Water Commission (CWC) - are solely responsible for the disaster that remains an ongoing reality with our two largest failed hydro projects: P-I and P-II.
On Thursday, February 19, 2015 – that is one full decade back - in my article titled “My New Year Wish”, I wrote the following:
“Even if the two governments do not agree to scrap the Punatsangchu projects, they should accept that WAPCOS (consultants to all the hydropower projects in Bhutan) has proven to be anything but competent to undertake any further investigations in the case of these or future hydropower projects in Bhutan. Thus, while we must ensure that WAPCOS is barred from future involvement in our hydro power projects based on their terrible record so far, we should now look at engaging consultants from third countries to investigate if the geological make of the Punatsangchu areas is suitable for large hydro power projects. Through the engagement of better-qualified consultants, we should ascertain whether it is wise to continue with the projects - or scrap it, to prevent further losses”.
Two years later, on Thursday, June 22, 2017, I wrote another article on the matter related to WAPCOS resulting from a Seminar co-hosted by the Ugyen Wangchuck Institute for Conservation & Environment (UWICE), Bumthang, in collaboration with the New Delhi based International Rivers, USA.
Having been invited to participate in the said Seminar, I reported the following to the nation, through my blog titled: “Environmental Governance and Science of Hydropower Development in Bhutan and India":
“One of the speakers at the Seminar pointed out that he had seen a number of works done by the principal Consultants to the PHPA I & II – WAPCOS. They were so bad and shoddy that he had recommended that the WAPCOS be banned from undertaking any work in the hydro-power sector”.
Now that the truth is out in the open, is anybody listening?
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