Conservationists call on TATA to save the Olive ridleys
5 April 2008, New Delhi,
A
coalition of Indian conservationists, comprising Wildlife Protection
Society of India (WPSI), the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO) and
Greenpeace India, held a press conference urging the TATAs to reconsider the construction of the Dhamra Deepwater Port [1]
in Orissa, citing the threat it poses to endangered sea turtles and two
important Protected Areas. Construction on the Port is proceeding in
the absence of a comprehensive Environment Impact Analysis and with
disregard to the Precautionary Principle, which TATA Steel professes to
adhere to as a member of The Global Compact[2].
Speaking
to the media, Belinda Wright, Executive Director of WPSI, said “The
olive ridley turtle is a species that enjoys the same legal protection
as the tiger. Yet despite its ecological significance, the Dhamra area
was purposely excluded from Bhitarkanika and Gahirmatha Sanctuaries to
facilitate the Dhamra Port [3]. It is amazing that while
trawling is rightly banned to protect the turtles, the Orissa state
government is bending over backwards to assist a huge industrial
project in the same area, which will probably drive away the turtles
for good.”
The Dhamra Port is coming up less than 5 km from
Bhitarkanika Sanctuary and less than 15 km from Gahirmatha’s beaches,
one of the largest mass nesting sites for the olive ridley turtle in
the world. Conservationists highlighted the Port’s potential
environmental impacts when it was first proposed in the 1990s. In April
2004, the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee had
recommended that the Dhamra Port be relocated.
Over 100
leading scientists from India and across the world have also called on
TATA Steel, the joint promoters of the Dhamra Port, to halt the project
in light of potential impacts on sea turtles and the environment,
through a petition campaign [4] hosted by a coalition of conservation groups [5].
The list includes over 20 scientists from the Marine Turtle Specialist
Group of the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN, besides other
renowned conservationists and researchers. The petition also urges the
Orissa state government to protect the Dhamra area. Conservationists
charge that in the absence of a credible Environment Impact Analysis
and baseline ecological data, no mitigation plan, even if prepared by
the best experts, will be an adequate safeguard. Significantly, there
has been no mass nesting at Gahirmatha this season. In the past, even
minor disturbances have been enough to prevent turtles nesting, so the
influence of ongoing dredging for port construction cannot be ruled
out. “There are alternatives to Dhamra that TATAs must explore. A
study commissioned by the Government of Orissa and conducted by the
Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, has identified several
potential port sites [6]” said Biswajit Mohanty, Secretary
of WSO “The ongoing expansion of Paradip Port will also provides
the state with sufficient cargo capacity. If TATAs are as environment
friendly as they claim, they must make the effort to shift to another
location further away from the turtle nesting grounds, rather than
seeking to hide behind mitigation plans that can never be a proper
safeguard against the impacts”, he added. In 2007, a survey
commissioned by Greenpeace and conducted by Dr. S.K. Dutta of the North
Orissa University established the presence of rare species of
amphibians and reptiles at the port site [7]. The study
also revealed the presence of over 2,000 turtle carcasses on and near
the area. TATA is yet to respond to these findings, despite earlier
committing to reconsider their role in the project if evidence of
ecological significance was presented.
The pressure on TATA is
mounting, with Greenpeace’s cyber campaign
(www.greenpeace.org/india/turtles) providing a platform for the public
to voice their concerns on this issue. Over 9,000 people have already
written to Ratan Tata within three days of its launch.
“The scientific community is advising against this port, fishermen have opposed it [8],
science has shown the presence of rare species in the area, and now the
public is adding its voice to the conservation community. What more
does Mr. Ratan Tata need? As a global corporation with a growing
presence overseas, TATA needs to show that its commitment to the
environment goes beyond mere lip service, by halting work on the port
immediately”, said Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace
India. Notes
[1] The Dhamra Port Company Ltd is a 50:50 JV between TATA Steel and Larsen & Toubro. [2] The Global Compact [3]
The Orissa State Govt. in December, 1997 issued a fresh proclamation
under Section 21 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act to exclude the
proposed port area from Bhitarkanika Sanctuary. When the final
notification for Bhitarkanika was issued in September 1998, the area
was reduced from 367 sq km to 145 sq km. Further, when the proposal for
the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary was being drawn up by the Wildlife
Department in 1997, the Orissa state government ordered (vide letter
11693 dated 20/6/97) that the proposed Dhamra Port area be excluded
from the draft notification of the sanctuary. [4] For the petition and a list of signatories, visit
[5] Organisations include: Wildlife Protection Society of India Wildlife Society of Orissa Sanctuary Asia Global Response WILD Foundation Oceans and Communities Mangrove Action Project Greenpeace India
[6]
Identification of Potential Sites for Development of Ports along the
Orissa Coast – A report by the Ocean Engineering Centre of the Indian
Institute of Technology, Chennai, May 1996. [7] The complete report is available here [8] Refer to http://www.globalresponse.org/gra.php?i=3/07, where the Orissa Traditional Fishworkers’ Union have voiced their opposition to the Dhamra Port Project.
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