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1,500MW
35,000trees to be felled
60.88ha of forest land
4villages named
| Trees | 35,000 Documented“approx. 150 trees/la. A total of around 35000 trees and saplings are likely to be sacrificed.”EAC 32nd meeting minutes, 29 May 2025: sub-committee site-visit report, 'around 35000 trees and saplings' on 60.49 ha, page100 · 29 May 2025 Documented |
|---|---|
| Forest (ha) | 60.88 Documented“out as 166.0646 ha. Out of which, 105.1879 ha is private land and 60.8767 ha is forest land.”Malshej Ghat Bhorande PSP draft EIA executive summary (MPCB), May 2026, page18 · May 2026 |
| Total land (ha) | 166.06 Documented“out as 166.0646 ha. Out of which, 105.1879 ha is private land and 60.8767 ha is forest land.”Malshej Ghat Bhorande PSP draft EIA executive summary (MPCB), May 2026, page18 · May 2026 |
| Capacity (MW) | 1,500 Documented“The proposed 1500 MW Malshej Ghat Bhorande Pumped Storage Project envisages”Malshej Ghat Bhorande PSP draft EIA executive summary (MPCB), May 2026, page3 · May 2026 |
| Storage (GWh) | 9 (estimate) DocumentedDerived on this siteStorage implied by us from capacity × rated hours or annual generation; see the project note.Malshej Ghat Bhorande PSP draft EIA executive summary (MPCB), May 2026 · May 2026 |
| Cost (₹ crore) | 7,048 Reported“…y Limited) is on the Adoshi plateau (in Ajanawale village). The lower reservoir is in Bhorande village. With an investment of Rs. 7,048 crore, the capacity addition of this PSP is targeted for 2030-31. The Environment Impact Assessment report for the project has be…”Sanctuary Asia: On the Precipice · October 2026 |
| Location | 19.2998°N, 73.6910°E (exact)Documented“d) Latitude N 19°17'59.3" N 19°18'43.1"”Malshej Ghat Bhorande PSP draft EIA executive summary (MPCB), May 2026, page4 · May 2026 |
| District | Pune, Thane, Junnar, Murbad |
| Villages | Adoshi, Ajanawale, Ghatghar, Bhorande |
| Nearest protected area | Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary, 10.8 km Official claim |
Resolved: the draft EIA names Adani Renewable Energy Fifty Two. SANDRP's table likely copied the developer from the Bhavali row above it.
The EIA used fish data from a different, dammed river and ignores known endemics on the Adoshi plateau, according to botanist Dr Sanjaykumar Rahangdale.
A sub-committee visited Adani's Malshej Ghat Bhorande site on 26 Apr 2025. It counted 60.49 haDocumented“6. Out of 166.26 ha, 105.55 ha is private land, 0.22 ha is government land and 60.49 ha is”EAC 32nd meeting minutes, 29 May 2025 (item 32.7), page263 · 29 May 2025 of forest at about 600 treesDocumented“approx. 600 trees/ha. A total of around 35000 trees and saplings are likely to be”EAC 32nd meeting minutes, 29 May 2025 (item 32.7), page263 · 29 May 2025/ha, 'around 35000 treesDocumented“approx. 150 trees/la. A total of around 35000 trees and saplings are likely to be sacrificed.”EAC 32nd meeting minutes, 29 May 2025 (item 32.7), page100 · 29 May 2025 and saplings' to be cut, noted local resistance at the upper reservoir and said no public hearing had yet been held. The EAC accepted the report.Documented“approx. 150 trees/la. A total of around 35000 trees and saplings are likely to be sacrificed.”EAC 32nd meeting minutes, 29 May 2025 (item 32.7), page100 · 29 May 2025
weak baseline ReportedNot yet reviewed
✅ The safeguard
An EIA must survey the actual site's species and river.
⚠️ What happened
The Bhorande EIA used fish data from a dammed river of the same name in Ahmednagar, not the free-flowing Kalu, and is called 'vague' on endemic plants.
survey without permission AllegedNot yet reviewed
Residents say EIA survey permissions were never obtained; strangers taking measurements were chased away. The district has not shared proof of permission.
pesa not followed AllegedNot yet reviewed
Four objections: no PESA gram sabha approval; Fifth Schedule land cannot be acquired; FRA rights not settled; no LARR rehabilitation identified.
fra rights ignored Reported
Ganpat Mengal, a Thakar Adivasi, holds Individual Forest Rights on land proposed for the lower reservoir, plus Community Forest Rights awarded in 2019.
hearing postponed Reported
Over 500Reported“…s and agitations grew stronger. Ultimately, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) postponed the public hearing when over 500 people from Junnar gathered to protest outside their office in Pune, on August 17. Suresh Wajage, a Junnar resident, ended his ni…”Sanctuary Asia people protested; the 21 Aug public hearing was postponed and Suresh Wajage ended a nine-day hunger strike.
Protest Reported
Western Ghats / Sahyadri The 1,600 km mountain chain along India's west coast: older than the Himalaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a global biodiversity hotspot. More in glossary → Vachva Sangharsh Samiti is preparing legal action across 65 villagesReported“…l proposed PSPs before approvals proceed. The Sahyadri Vachva Sangharsh Samiti is now preparing legal action, mobilising across 65 affected villages. Khubi resident Avinash Supe summarised the conflict: "Amhala prashna padlay, Sahyadri Adani chi ka Sahyadri Ad…”Sanctuary Asia; counsel says gram sabha consultation and informed-consent rights are violated.
no response Reported
Pune and Thane Collectors, Adani Green, THDC, MPCB and the Forest Department did not respond to requests for comment.
Naneghat holds 45Reported“…to: Shatakshi Gawade. Dubious Siting Adoshi village is contiguous with the high-altitude Naneghat Plateau (NP), which harbours 45 Indian endemic plant taxa. In 2014, IUCN Global Assessors for Threatened Plants and senior researchers who specialise in biodiver…”Sanctuary Asia (citing Rahangdale 2014) Indian endemic plant taxa; Adoshi and Ajnawale plateaus hold six threatened endemics including Isoetes dixitei. Bhorande's upper reservoir is planned on Adoshi.
A devrai near Khubi shelters the Critically Endangered Ceropegia anantii; three Ceropegia species grow ~200 mReported“…ossum gujaratens – on the Adoshi and Ajnawale plateaus, and three Ceropegia species of flowering plants on the hill slopes barely 200 m. from Adoshi. Dr. Sanjaykumar, who dubbed the EIA ‘vague', shared that it ignores known endemic species! Meanwhile, the…”Sanctuary Asia from Adoshi.
One of the region's last free-flowing west-flowing rivers; about half its watershed is dense forest. It sustains the Katkari, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group. The Supreme Court has stayed a dam on it.
Citizen scientists have logged 5,500Reported“…rested, while the other half is dedicated to cultivation. The Murbad Taluka Biodiversity Project on iNaturalist has recorded over 5,500 observations of more than 1,600 species, from countless insects including butterflies, mammals such as rusty spotted cat, striped…”Sanctuary Asia (iNaturalist project)+ observations of 1,600Reported“…dedicated to cultivation. The Murbad Taluka Biodiversity Project on iNaturalist has recorded over 5,500 observations of more than 1,600 species, from countless insects including butterflies, mammals such as rusty spotted cat, striped Hyena, leopards, nilgai, and fo…”Sanctuary Asia (iNaturalist project)+ species, including rusty-spotted cat, striped hyena, leopard and Malabar trogon.
Sanctuary Nature Foundation
Ground report on Malshej Ghat PSPs: endemic plateaus, a free-flowing river, Adivasi forest-rights holders and a hearing postponed after protests.
ReportedEcosystemConsentAdivasiWater