February 19: More than 14,000 trees are felled for the under construction Arun III Hydropower Project and for the expansion of various hydropower projects along the Koshi corridor in Sankhuwasabha. 

Earlier, the Council of Ministers had taken the decision to fell the trees of the community and private forests in the district. The trees were logged for the construction of 900 megawatt Arun-III Hydropower Project and 220 megawatt Koshi Corridor Transmission line.

As many as 14,627 trees of 18 community forests and some private forests were felled for the Arun-III Hydropower Project and Koshi Corridor Transmission Line, said Division Forest Office Sankhuwasabha Chief Dr Indra Sapkota.

Dr Sapkota said that 11 hydropower projects have used forest areas of six local levels. A total of 5,400 trees were felled for the expansion of electricity in the government forests.

Trees have been cleared at 123.22 hectares of the lands at Fyaksinda of Makalu Rural Municiplaity-5 and Diding Pukhuwa of Chichila Rural Municipality for Arun-III, according to Satluj, which is constructing the hydropower. 

Arun-III Hydropower project has used 44 hectares of the land at Makalu Barun National Park in Sankhuwasabha. The existing regulations have it that users of the forest users’ committees can use the felled trees. As many as 994 trees were cut down for the 33 KV transmission line of the Arun-III Hydropower project.

During the project construction and operation, if trees are cut down, tree saplings have to be planted in other places.  For the transmission line expansion, an agreement was signed to fell trees in the area having two kilometers length and 46 meters breadth. Hydropower will cut down the trees, said District Forest Office Sankhuwasabha.