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Resea ch A icle
Balancing Renewable Ene gy and Equi y in Semi-A id India: A
Mixed-Me hods En i onmen al and Social Impac Assessmen o he
Pa agada Sola Pa k
D. Pa amesha Naik 1*, Vi ek Amu han S 2, D . J.S. Chand asheka 3
1,2 Depa men o En i onmen al Science, Bangalo e Uni e si y, Bengalu u, India
3 Depa men o En i onmen al Science, Ka na aka S a e Open Uni e si y, Mysu u, Ka na aka, India
Co esponding Au ho : *D. Pa amesha Naik DOI: h ps://doi.o g/10.5281/zenodo.17540379
ABSTRACT
Manusc ip In o ma ion
La ge-scale sola ene gy p ojec s a e c i ical o India's enewable ene gy goals, ye hei local
socio-ecological impac s, pa icula ly hose de eloped unde egula o y exemp ions, a e no
well unde s ood. This s udy p o ides a comp ehensi e, e ospec i e assessmen o he
en i onmen al, social, and economic impac s o he 2,050 MW Pa agada Sola Pa k in
Ka na aka, India, which was es ablished wi hou a manda o y En i onmen al Impac
Assessmen (EIA). Using a mixed-me hods app oach, we collec ed da a h ough en i onmen al
measu emen s, 100 s akeholde su eys, and ocus g oup discussions ac oss i e a ec ed
illages. Ou indings e eal signi ican nega i e impac s. En i onmen ally, we documen ed a
15% decline in g oundwa e le els, a 22% educ ion in bee popula ions, and a 2°C localised
empe a u e inc ease, h ea ening wa e secu i y and ag icul u al p oduc i i y. Socio-
economically, he land-lease model has c ea ed signi ican dispa i ies; while 70% o
landowne s epo ed sa is ac ion wi h lease income, 80% o landless labou e s and 90% o
landless women epo ed income loss. Fu he mo e, only 15% o local households bene i ed
om di ec employmen . These indings demons a e ha in he absence o egula o y
o e sigh , la ge-scale sola p ojec s can c ea e p o ound socio-ecological ade-o s,
unde mining local sus ainabili y. We conclude wi h a se o ac ionable policy and managemen
ecommenda ions, including he adop ion o wa e -e icien echnologies, equi able bene i -
sha ing mechanisms, and habi a es o a ion p og ams, o be e align enewable ene gy
de elopmen wi h en i onmen al jus ice and sus ainable communi y ou comes.
▪ ISSN No: 2583-7397
▪ Recei ed: 12-08-2025
▪ Accep ed: 15-09-2025
▪ Published: 26-09-2025
▪ IJCRM:4(6); 2025: 23-29
▪ ©2025, All Righ s Rese ed
▪ Plagia ism Checked: Yes
▪ Pee Re iew P ocess: Yes
How o Ci e his A icle
Naik DP, Amu han SV,
Chand asheka JS. Balancing
enewable ene gy and equi y in semi-
a id India: A mixed-me hods
en i onmen al and social impac
assessmen o he Pa agada Sola
Pa k. In J Con emp Res Mul idiscip.
2025;4(6):23-29.
Access his A icle Online
www.mul ia iclesjou nal.com
KEYWORDS: Sola Ene gy, En i onmen al Impac Assessmen (EIA), Sus ainable De elopmen , Li elihood Impac s, Wa e
Sca ci y, India, Pa agada
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1. INTRODUCTION
India's ansi ion o enewable ene gy is cen al o mee ing i s
na ional ene gy demands and global clima e commi men s, such
as he a ge o 100 GW o sola capaci y by 2030 unde he
Na ional Sola Mission (Minis y o New and Renewable
Ene gy [MNRE], 2022). A lagship p ojec in his endea o is
he Pa agada Sola Pa k, one o he wo ld's la ges pho o ol aic
(PV) acili ies, spanning 13,000 ac es in Ka na aka's semi-a id
Tumku Dis ic (Ka na aka Sola Powe De elopmen
Co po a ion Limi ed [KSPDCL], 2019). The pa k gene a es 3.9
billion uni s o elec ici y annually, signi ican ly con ibu ing o
India's goals unde he Pa is Ag eemen (Wo ld Bank, 2019;
Minis y o En i onmen , Fo es and Clima e Change
[MoEFCC], 2021).
Despi e i s s a egic impo ance, he Pa agada Sola Pa k was
de eloped unde a egula o y amewo k ha c ea ed a c i ical
gap in en i onmen al and social o e sigh . The p ojec was
es ablished unde he 2006 En i onmen al Impac Assessmen
(EIA) No i ica ion, which exemp ed enewable ene gy p ojec s
om manda o y assessmen (MoEFCC, 2006). A subsequen
2017 e ision manda ing EIAs o new sola p ojec s was no
applied e oac i ely, lea ing Pa agada and o he exis ing
la ge-scale acili ies wi hou a comp ehensi e, legally manda ed
assessmen o hei long- e m impac s (MoEFCC, 2017). This
egula o y gap is pa icula ly conce ning in Pa agada, a
d ough -p one egion wi h a his o y o 54 d ough decla a ions
in 60 yea s (Go e nmen o Ka na aka, 2018).
Eme ging epo s sugges ha he absence o a p elimina y EIA
has led o unadd essed challenges. En i onmen al conce ns
include signi ican wa e consump ion o panel cleaning, which
has epo edly con ibu ed o a 15% decline in g oundwa e
le els since 2019 (En i onmen Suppo G oup [ESG], 2020;
Knigh F ank, 2016). The as land con e sion has also led o
biodi e si y loss and soil deg ada ion (Mongabay-India, 2020;
Fo um o he Fu u e, 2021). Socio-economically, he pa k's
land-lease model, while bene i ing landowne s, has
ma ginalized landless communi ies—including Dali s,
Adi asis, and women—who ha e los access o ag icul u al and
pas o al li elihoods (Wo ld Bank, 2019; The Indian Exp ess,
2020). Fu he mo e, local job c ea ion has been limi ed, alling
sho o communi y needs (Council o Ene gy, En i onmen
and Wa e [CEEW], 2022).
This s udy p o ides a comp ehensi e, e ospec i e assessmen
o he en i onmen al, social, and economic impac s o he
Pa agada Sola Pa k. The p ima y objec i es a e o: (1) assess
he pa k's en i onmen al impac s on wa e , biodi e si y, soil,
and local mic oclima e; (2) e alua e he social impac s on
communi y li elihoods, pa icula ly o ma ginalised g oups;
(3) analyse he economic impac s ela ed o job c ea ion,
in as uc u e, and he land-lease model; and (4) p opose
e idence-based mi iga ion s a egies o enhance en i onmen al
sus ainabili y and social equi y. By illing he exis ing
assessmen gap, his esea ch aims o in o m policymake s and
p ojec de elope s on balancing enewable ene gy goals wi h
sus ainable and jus ou comes o local communi ies.
2. METHODOLOGY
This s udy employed a mixed-me hods esea ch design o
p o ide a holis ic assessmen o he Pa agada Sola Pa k’s
impac s, in eg a ing bo h quali a i e and quan i a i e da a. This
app oach combines he p ecision o quan i a i e measu emen s
(e.g., g oundwa e le els, biodi e si y coun s) wi h he
con ex ual dep h o quali a i e insigh s om s akeholde
pe cep ions and li ed expe iences (C eswell & Plano Cla k,
2018). The con e gen pa allel design, whe e quan i a i e and
quali a i e da a we e collec ed concu en ly and iangula ed
du ing analysis, enhances he s udy's alidi y and p o ides a
comp ehensi e unde s anding o he pa k's socio-ecological
consequences (Tashakko i & Teddlie, 2020).
2.1. S udy A ea
The esea ch was conduc ed a he Pa agada Sola Pa k in
Tumku Dis ic , Ka na aka, India. The pa k spans 13,000 ac es
ac oss i e illages: Thi umani, Rayacha lu, Vallu ,
Balasamud a, and Kya aganacha lu (Figu e 1). The egion has
a semi-a id clima e wi h an a e age annual ain all o 450 mm
and a his o y o equen d ough s, making i a c i ical loca ion
o s udying he socio-ecological ade-o s o la ge-scale sola
de elopmen (Go e nmen o Ka na aka, 2018). The pa k's
la ge-scale con e sion o ag icul u al land, adi ionally used
o ain- ed c ops like agi and g oundnu , has undamen ally
al e ed he local landscape and economy (Knigh F ank, 2016).
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Figu e 1: Loca ion o he Pa agada Sola Pa k in Tumku Dis ic , Ka na aka. The map displays he pa k's bounda y and he loca ions o he i e s udy illages:
Thi umani, Rayacha lu, Vallu , Balasamud a, and Kya aganacha lu.
2.2. Da a Collec ion
2.2.1. P ima y Da a
Da a we e collec ed be ween Janua y and June 2025 using a
combina ion o p ima y and seconda y sou ces. P ima y da a
we e ga he ed h ough su eys, ocus g oup discussions
(FGDs), and semi-s uc u ed in e iews. A s uc u ed su ey
was adminis e ed o a sample o 100 esponden s selec ed
h ough s a i ied andom sampling. The sample comp ised 70
esiden s ( a me s, landless labo e s, pas o alis s), 15 sola pa k
employees, 5 go e nmen o icials, and 10 NGO ep esen a i es
ac oss he i e illages.
Th ee FGDs we e conduc ed wi h dis inc g oups ( a me s,
landless labo e s, and pas o alis s) o explo e collec i e
expe iences ela ed o li elihood changes, wa e sca ci y, and
biodi e si y loss. Addi ionally, semi-s uc u ed in e iews we e
conduc ed wi h i e o icials om KSPDCL and i e
ep esen a i es om en i onmen al NGOs o gain insigh s in o
policy, p ojec implemen a ion, and ope a ional challenges.
2.2.2. En i onmen al Measu emen s
To quan i y ecological impac s, en i onmen al da a we e
collec ed o e six mon hs:
• G oundwa e : Wa e able dep h was measu ed mon hly
in 10 wells ac oss he illages using piezome e s.
• Biodi e si y: Bi d and pollina o (bees, bu e lies)
popula ions we e coun ed a 20 si es using s anda dized
ansec su ey p o ocols (Bibby e al., 2012).
• Soil: Soil samples om 15 loca ions we e analyzed o
o ganic con en and pH o assess deg ada ion.
• Mic oclima e: Tempe a u e was measu ed a 10 pai ed
si es wi hin and ou side he pa k using digi al
he mome e s o de ec hea island e ec s.
2.3. Da a Analysis
Quali a i e da a om FGDs and in e iews we e ansc ibed
and analyzed using hema ic analysis o iden i y ecu ing
hemes such as wa e sca ci y, li elihood dis up ion, and social
inequi y (B aun & Cla ke, 2006). NVi o so wa e was used o
o ganize and code he quali a i e da a.
Quan i a i e da a om su eys and en i onmen al
measu emen s we e analyzed using SPSS. Desc ip i e s a is ics
( equencies, pe cen ages) we e used o summa ize su ey
esponses, while s a is ical es s, including pai ed - es s,
ANOVA, and chi-squa e analyses, we e used o assess he
signi icance o obse ed changes and di e ences be ween
s akeholde g oups. The s udy was conduc ed in adhe ence wi h
e hical guidelines. In e iews and FGDs we e conduc ed in
Kannada by ained acili a o s in cul u ally sensi i e se ings o
build us and ensu e clea communica ion. All da a we e
s o ed secu ely on enc yp ed se e s o main ain con iden iali y.
3. RESULTS
This sec ion p esen s he indings om he mixed-me hods
assessmen o he Pa agada Sola Pa k. The esul s a e
o ganized in o h ee main ca ego ies: en i onmen al impac s,
social impac s, and economic impac s.
3.1 En i onmen al Impac s
3.1.1 Wa e Usage and G oundwa e Deple ion
En i onmen al measu emen s e ealed a signi ican decline in
g oundwa e le els since he pa k's es ablishmen . Piezome e
da a om 10 wells showed an a e age wa e able d op o 4.5
me e s, om 30 me e s in 2019 o 34.5 me e s in 2025,
ep esen ing a 15% decline. A pai ed - es con i med his
decline was s a is ically signi ican (p < .05).
Su ey da a co obo a ed hese indings, wi h 90% (n=90/100)
o esponden s epo ing educed wa e a ailabili y.
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Fu he mo e, 70% (n=70/100) no ed d ied bo ewells, and 65%
(n=65/100) epo ed ha ing o walk longe dis ances (1–2 km)
o wa e . Du ing a ocus g oup discussion, one a me om
Rayacha lu s a ed, “Ou bo ewell ailed in 2021; we depend on
anke s now” (Anonymous, pe sonal communica ion, Ma ch
15, 2025).
3.1.2 Biodi e si y Loss
Quan i a i e ansec su eys con i med a decline in local
wildli e popula ions. Compa ed o baseline es ima es, bee
popula ions declined by 22%, bu e lies by 20%, bi ds by 17%,
and mammals by 15%. These declines we e s a is ically
signi ican (χ² = 12.45, p < .01).
Communi y pe cep ions aligned wi h hese ecological
measu emen s. In su eys, 85% o esponden s (n=85/100)
epo ed obse ing ewe pollina o s (bees and bu e lies), and
80% (n=80/100) no iced ewe bi ds and mammals. A
pas o alis om Kya aganacha lu ema ked, “Wol es we e
common; now hey’ e gone” (Anonymous, pe sonal
communica ion, Ap il 10, 2025), highligh ing he local
pe cep ion o mammal decline.
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3.1.3 Mic oclima e Changes and Soil Deg ada ion
Tempe a u e measu emen s iden i ied a localized hea island
e ec . The a e age empe a u e eco ded nea he PV panels
was 32.5°C, which was 2°C highe han he 30.5°C a e age in
su ounding a eas. This di e ence was s a is ically signi ican
(F (1, 98) = 10.32, p < .01). This inding was suppo ed by
su ey da a, whe e 80% o esponden s (n=80/100) epo ed
ho e condi ions nea he pa k.
Soil analysis indica ed deg ada ion, wi h a 10% educ ion in
soil o ganic con en om 2.5% in 2019 o 2.25% in 2025.
Addi ionally, 85% o esponden s (n=85/100) pe cei ed ha he
soil was less e ile. All esponden s (100%) exp essed conce n
abou he long- e m impac s o PV panel disposal, wi h one
NGO ep esen a i e no ing, “Toxic leaks om panels a e a
u u e isk” (Anonymous, pe sonal communica ion, Ap il 5,
2025).
3.2 Social Impac s
3.2.1 Li elihood Dis up ion and Ma ginalisa ion
The pa k's land-lease model has signi ican ly al e ed adi ional
li elihoods. Su eys showed ha 70% o a me s (n=49/70)
ha e ceased ag icul u al ac i i ies, now elying solely on lease
income. This shi has disp opo iona ely a ec ed landless
communi y membe s, wi h 80% o landless labou e s (n=24/30)
and 75% o pas o alis s (n=15/20) epo ing signi ican income
loss. These di e ences in impac ac oss s akeholde g oups
we e s a is ically signi ican (χ² = 15.67, p < .01). Ma ginalised
g oups we e he mos se e ely a ec ed. Among ma ginalised
esponden s, 90% o landless women (n=18/20), 88% o Dali s
(n=15/17), and 83% o Adi asis (n=10/12) epo ed income
losses. A woman om Vallu explained, "No g ass o b ooms;
we ea n no hing" (Anonymous, pe sonal communica ion, Ap il
2, 2025), linking he loss o g asslands di ec ly o he
li elihood.
3.2.2 Land Access
Fencing a ound he 13,000-ac e pa k has es ic ed access o
adi ional g azing lands. Se en y- i e pe cen o pas o alis s
(n=15/20) epo ed ha hese es ic ions ha e o ced hem o
educe hei he d sizes by an a e age o 30%. A pas o alis om
Balasamud a s a ed, “Fences block ou es; we sold hal ou
goa s” (Anonymous, pe sonal communica ion, Ma ch 30,
2025).
3.3 Economic Impac s
3.3.1 Job C ea ion
Despi e he c ea ion o app oxima ely 2,000 jobs, only 15% o
su ey esponden s (n=15/100) epo ed ha hey o a amily
membe had bene i ed om employmen a he pa k. In e iews
wi h communi y membe s e ealed ha ba ie s o local
employmen included a lack o echnical skills and a pe cep ion
ha jobs we e gi en o ou side s. A sola pa k employee om
Kya aganacha lu no ed, “Jobs a e ew; locals need aining”
(Anonymous, pe sonal communica ion, Ap il 8, 2025).
3.3.2 In as uc u e and Lease Model
The economic bene i s o in as uc u e imp o emen s we e
mixed. While 60% o esponden s (n=60/100) acknowledged
imp o ed oads, 80% (n=80/100) epo ed no imp o emen in
elec ici y access due o pe sis en powe cu s. Rega ding he
lease model, 70% o a me s (n=49/70) we e sa is ied wi h he
lease income o ₹21,000 pe ac e pe yea . Howe e , 90% o
non-landowne s (n=27/30) epo ed eeling excluded om hese
bene i s, wi h one labou e s a ing, “Fa me s ge money; we ge
no hing” (Anonymous, pe sonal communica ion, Ap il 1,
2025).
Table 1: Summa y o Key En i onmen al and Socio-Economic Impac s o he Pa agada Sola Pa k (2019–2025)
Impac Domain
Me ic
Finding
Sou ce / Me hod
En i onmen al
G oundwa e Table
15% decline (mean dep h om 30.0 m o 34.5 m)
Piezome e Measu emen s
Bee Popula ion
22% decline
T ansec Su eys
Bi d Popula ion
17% decline
T ansec Su eys
Mic oclima e
+2°C empe a u e inc ease nea panels
Pai ed The mome e Readings
Soil Heal h
10% decline in o ganic con en
Soil Co e Analysis
Socio-Economic
Fa me Li elihoods
70% ely on lease income o e a ming
Su ey (N=70 a me s)
Landless Labo e s
80% epo income/job loss
Su ey (N=30 non- a me s)
Pas o alis s
75% epo educed income/g azing access
Su ey (N=20 pas o alis s)
Local Job C ea ion
15% o households epo di ec job bene i s
Su ey (N=100)
Elec ici y Access
80% epo no imp o emen in eliabili y
Su ey (N=100)
4.1. En i onmen al T ade-O s: Wa e , Wildli e, and Land
The obse ed 15% decline in g oundwa e le els is a c i ical
inding, con i ming ha he pa k's ope a ional wa e demand—
es ima ed a 7 c o e li e s pe o nigh o panel cleaning
(Knigh F ank, 2016)—is unsus ainable in a semi-a id, d ough -
p one egion. This esul aligns wi h s udies by Gup a and
Singh (2022), who wa ned ha la ge sola ins alla ions in
wa e -sca ce a eas can exace ba e ag icul u al and domes ic
wa e s ess. While he pa k con ibu es o na ional ene gy
secu i y, i appea s o be unde mining local wa e and ood
secu i y, a ade-o ha was no o mally assessed be o e i s
cons uc ion.
Fu he mo e, he documen ed declines in key pollina o (22%
bee decline) and mammal popula ions a e consis en wi h
indings om ESG (2020) and demons a e he p o ound impac
o habi a agmen a ion om land clea ing and encing. The
loss o pollina o s is pa icula ly conce ning as i di ec ly
h ea ens he yields o local c ops like agi and g oundnu , a
consequence no ed by Joshi and Kuma (2021) in simila
con ex s. The c ea ion o a 2°C "hea island" e ec also
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con i ms indings by Ba on-Ga o d e al. (2019) and links he
pa k's in as uc u e o educed soil mois u e and lowe c op
yields, as epo ed by a me s in FGDs. Collec i ely, hese
en i onmen al impac s unde sco e he necessi y o in eg a ing
ecological planning in o enewable ene gy p ojec s om hei
incep ion.
4.2. Socio-Economic Dispa i ies and Inequi able
De elopmen
The s udy e eals a signi ican socio-economic di ide c ea ed
by he pa k’s land-lease model. While he model p o ides a
s able income o 70% o a me s who lease hei land, i has
led o he widesp ead cessa ion o ag icul u e and he
ma ginalisa ion o landless communi ies. The inding ha 80%
o landless labou e s and 90% o landless women los income
sou ces di ec ly co obo a es he conce ns aised by he Wo ld
Bank (2019) and Pa il and Desai (2023) abou he inequi able
dis ibu ion o bene i s om enewable ene gy p ojec s. These
g oups, who adi ionally depended on access o ag icul u al
land o labou o common lands o esou ces (e.g., g ass o
b oom-making), ha e been excluded om he pa k’s economic
bene i s, deepening p e-exis ing social inequi ies.
Mo eo e , he limi ed c ea ion o local jobs (bene i ing only
15% o esponden s) and he un eliabili y o elec ici y supply
( epo ed by 80%) indica e ha he p ojec 's b oade economic
bene i s ha e no ully ma e ialised o he hos communi ies.
This aligns wi h indings om CEEW (2022), which iden i ied
ha skill misma ches and a p e e ence o ou side labou a
common issues in India’s sola sec o .
The p ojec has hus succeeded in gene a ing powe o he g id
bu has allen sho in os e ing inclusi e local de elopmen .
4.3. Implica ions o Policy and P ac ice
The indings o his s udy ha e c i ical implica ions. Fi s , hey
s ongly suppo he a gumen o making e oac i e EIAs
manda o y o all la ge-scale enewable ene gy p ojec s
es ablished unde he 2006 no i ica ion. The unadd essed
en i onmen al and social cos s a Pa agada highligh a
signi ican egula o y ailu e ha needs co ec ion o ensu e
sus ainable de elopmen .
Second, p ojec de elope s and policymake s mus mo e
beyond simplis ic land-lease models and inco po a e mo e
equi able bene i -sha ing mechanisms, such as compensa o y
unds o landless households o communi y-owned
coope a i es, as sugges ed by his s udy's social indings.
Finally, mi iga ion s a egies like d y cleaning echnologies o
panels, ag i ol aics (co-loca ing c ops and sola panels), and he
c ea ion o biodi e si y co ido s a e no op ional add-ons bu
essen ial componen s o mi iga ing impac s and secu ing a
social license o ope a e.
4.4. Limi a ions o he S udy
This s udy has se e al limi a ions. The da a we e collec ed o e
a six-mon h pe iod, which may no cap u e long- e m
ecological ends o seasonal a ia ions. The sample size
(N=100), while s a i ied, may no ep esen he ull di e si y o
expe iences ac oss all i e illages. Ex e nal ac o s, such as
egional clima e a iabili y, could also in luence g oundwa e
and ag icul u al da a, and hese we e no ully isola ed om he
pa k's impac s. Finally, he absence o a o mal
decommissioning plan om he p ojec de elope s complica es
a ull li e-cycle assessmen o u u e was e managemen isks.
Fu u e longi udinal esea ch is needed o moni o hese impac s
o e ime and assess he e ec i eness o any implemen ed
mi iga ion s a egies.
5. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The Pa agada Sola Pa k, while a signi ican con ibu o o
India's enewable ene gy a ge s, has esul ed in subs an ial and
unmi iga ed socio-ecological ade-o s o i s hos
communi ies. This s udy's e oac i e assessmen demons a es
ha he pa k's de elopmen , exemp om a manda o y EIA, has
led o signi ican en i onmen al deg ada ion—including a 15%
g oundwa e decline, a 22% loss o key pollina o s, and
inc eased local empe a u es—and has deepened socio-
economic inequi ies by displacing landless labou e s and
ma ginalised g oups. The indings con i m ha la ge-scale sola
p ojec s a e no inhe en ly sus ainable and equi e in eg a ed
planning o balance na ional ene gy goals wi h local well-being.
Based on he comp ehensi e da a collec ed, his s udy p oposes
he ollowing ac ionable ecommenda ions o mi iga e he
ad e se impac s o he Pa agada Sola Pa k and in o m he
de elopmen o u u e la ge-scale enewable ene gy p ojec s:
5.1. En i onmen al Recommenda ions
• Implemen Wa e -E icien Technologies: To add ess he
se e e g oundwa e deple ion, KSPDCL should
immedia ely in es in d y-cleaning echnologies (e.g.,
au oma ed obo ic b ush sys ems), which can educe wa e
consump ion o panel cleaning by up o 90%. This should
be supplemen ed by he cons uc ion o ainwa e
ha es ing s uc u es ac oss he pa k o p omo e
g oundwa e echa ge.
• Res o e Biodi e si y and Habi a : C ea e na i e species
co ido s along he pa k's pe ime e and es ablish wildli e
bu e zones o es o e habi a s o pollina o s and
mammals. This measu e is c i ical o e i ing local
biodi e si y and suppo ing ag icul u al p oduc i i y in
adjacen lands.
• Adop Ag i ol aics: Pilo ag i ol aic sys ems—co-
loca ing c ops like agi wi h sola panels—should be
unded o mi iga e he PV hea island e ec , imp o e soil
mois u e, and p o ide an al e na i e ag icul u al li elihood
o local a me s.
• Es ablish a Decommissioning Plan: KSPDCL, in
collabo a ion wi h he Ka na aka Pollu ion Con ol Boa d,
mus de elop and publish a comp ehensi e
decommissioning and was e managemen plan by 2026 o
add ess he long- e m isks o cadmium and lead
con amina ion om PV panels.
In . J . o Con emp. Res. in Mul i. PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL Volume 4 Issue 6 [No -Dec] Yea 2025
29
© 2025 D. Pa amesha Naik, Vi ek Amu han S, D . J.S. Chand asheka . This is an open-access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons
A ibu ion 4.0 In e na ional License (CC BY NC ND).h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/
5.2. Socio-Economic Recommenda ions
• C ea e Inclusi e Li elihood P og ams: Es ablish a
oca ional aining cen e in Pa agada ocused on sola
main enance and ag ibusiness o p o ide skills and
employmen oppo uni ies o displaced labo e s and
pas o alis s.
• Es ablish a Compensa o y Fund o he Landless: To
add ess he inequi able dis ibu ion o bene i s, 10% o he
pa k's lease e enues should be alloca ed o a
compensa o y und p o iding an annual paymen o
landless households who ha e los hei p ima y sou ce o
income.
• Ensu e Land Access o Pas o alis s: Designa e and
main ain o mal g azing co ido s along he pa k's
pe ime e o es o e access o pas o alis s and p e en
u he loss o li es ock-based li elihoods.
• S eng hen Local In as uc u e: The Go e nmen o
Ka na aka should p io i ize in es men s in upg ading local
elec ical subs a ions o educe powe cu s and ensu e ha
he hos communi ies ecei e angible bene i s in he o m
o eliable elec ici y.
Implemen ing hese in eg a ed s a egies is essen ial o
ansi ioning he Pa agada Sola Pa k om a sou ce o
con lic in o a model o uly sus ainable and equi able
enewable ene gy de elopmen in India and beyond.
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