Among the areas where wind turbines have been erected in Karnataka are the hills and highlands of eastern parts of Chitradurga district and in western parts of Tumkur district. We saw these windmills first hand this month and I am sad to say that these windmills have had a very immediate negative impact in the forests where they have been setup.
- Each such wind mill has a concrete base of at least 30 feet by 30 feet.
- Each one of these has an individual road.
- Hundreds of trees have been removed to accomodate these giant "fans".
- The transportation of giant equipment requires huge trucks and causes enormous disturbance to the local flora and fauna.
Due to their destructive nature, there already have been protests against the setting up of wind farms in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, namely Bababudan Giris (adjoining Bhadra Tiger Reserve) and Kudremukh National Park.
As a nature lover I have opposed hydro dams as being detrimental to forests. But, by witnessing the damage done by wind farms in Karnataka's forests, I doubt if wind energy in our country is really that green.
wind power, wind energy, wind farms, environment, environmentalism, animal rights