PROJECT FOR GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND

• Recently, the Environment Appraisal Committee which flagged concerns over the project has now ‘recommended’ it ‘for grant of terms of reference’ for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies.
• In August, 2020 the Prime Minister had declared that the Andaman and Nicobar islands will be developed as a “maritime and startup hub”.

Important points:

• The proposal includes an international container trans-shipment terminal, a greenfield international airport, a power plant and a township complex spread over 166 sq. km. (mainly pristine coastal systems and tropical forests).
• It is estimated to cost Rs. 75,000 crore.

Issues with Project:

• Lack of details on seismic and tsunami hazards, freshwater requirement details, and details of the impact on the Giant Leatherback turtle
• No details of the trees to be felled—a number that could run into millions since 130 sq. km. of the project area has some of the finest tropical forests in India.
• A number of additional issues include about Galathea Bay, the site of the port and the centrepiece of the NITI Aayog proposal.
• Galathea Bay is an iconic nesting site in India of the enigmatic Giant Leatherback, the world’s largest marine turtle—borne out by surveys done over three decades.
• Ecological surveys in the last few years have reported a number of new species, many restricted to just the Galathea region.
• These include the critically endangered Nicobar shrew, the Great Nicobar crake, the Nicobar frog, the Nicobar cat snake, a new skink (Lipinia sp), a new lizard (Dibamus sp,) and a snake of the Lycodon sp that is yet to be described.
• The site selection for the port had been done mainly on technical and financial criteria, ignoring the environmental aspects.

Action Points listed out by the Committee:

• There is a need for an independent assessment of terrestrial and marine biodiversity, a study on the impact of dredging, reclamation and port operations, including oil spills.
• The need for studies of alternative sites for the port with a focus on environmental and ecological impact, especially on turtles, analysis of risk-handling capabilities.
• A seismic and tsunami hazard map, a disaster management plan, details of labour, labour camps and their requirements, an assessment of the cumulative impact, and a hydro-geological study to assess impact on round and surface water regimes.

Great Nicobar

• Great Nicobar is the southernmost island of the Nicobar Islands Archipelago.
• It covers 1,03,870 hectares of unique and threatened tropical evergreen forest ecosystems.
• It is home to a very rich ecosystem, including 650 species of angiosperms, ferns, gymnosperms, bryophytes, among others.
• In terms of fauna, there are over 1800 species, some of which are endemic to this area.
• The Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve harbours a wide spectrum of ecosystems comprising tropical wet evergreen forests, mountain ranges reaching a height of 642 m (Mt. Thullier) above sea level, and coastal plains.
• The Mongoloid Shompen Tribe, about 200 in number, live in the forests of the biosphere reserve particularly along the rivers and streams.
• They are hunters and food gatherers, dependent on forest and marine resources for sustenance.
• Another Mongoloid Tribe, Nicobarese, about 300 in number, used to live in settlements along the west coast.
• After the tsunami in 2004, which devastated their settlement on the western coast, they were relocated to Afra Bay in the North Coast and Campbell Bay.

 

SOURCE: THE HINDU , THE ECONOMIC TIMES , MINT