Dhamra Port Company – Atilla or Ashoka?

This article is with reference an article and subsequent comments written in the blog of Mr. Pankaj Seksaria. Please click on the title of this post to visit Mr Pankaj’s blog. The author is a environmentalist, freelance journalist, photographer and author. He has written several articles in newspapers and journals including an article about the Dhamra Port Project. The blog talks about the a report by Greenpeace to the project proposal by Dhamra Port Company (DPC), a 50:50 joint venture by L&T and Tata Steel, in Orrisa and the comment is in response to it by a manager of DPC. The project involves building a port at Dhamra between Gahirmatha, one of the world’s largest nesting sites for Oliver Ridley Turtles, and Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary, the second largest mangrove reserve in the country. The plot of the story is not out of the ordinary. A corporation proposes a project, the NGO’s stage a protest citing environmental concerns, the government delays but eventually gives its nod to the proposal. What are the two sides of the story?

Side 1 – Environmentalists and Conservationists including Greenpeace, WPSI, Wildlife Society of Orissa, Operation Kachhapa, etc

The environmentalists claim that the activities at the Dhamra port will have affect the surrounding environment in many ways.

• Dredging
  What it is? – It is the deepening of shallow waters so that ships can sail through them.
  What it does? – Dredging affects the movement pattern of the turtles and hence reduces or even possibly completely eliminates the nesting of turtles in the area.

• Oil spills
  What it is? – Oil spills from the ships that come to the port.
  What it does? – This is a no brainer, oil spills present problems of new dimension to all of marine life and especially the turtles. Oil spills also present a huge problem for the mangrove forests which are the only things between the people and the tornadoes.
  

• The traffic
  What it is? – The heavy influx of ships in and out of the port.
  What it does? – The traffic of ships will pass through the turtle congregation area and hence might adversely affect the nesting turtles. Greenpeace also claims that this could affect the population of horseshoe crabs on the coast and also other marine life. The change in marine life would affect the livelihood of fisherman in the area.
  

• The lights
  What it is? – The lights from the ship and the port
  What it does? – It attracts the new born turtles to the port and ships away from their actual path.

They also claim that the turtles did not come to nest in Gahirmatha this year because of the construction activities of the port.

Side 2 – Dhamra Port Company

The Dharma port company claims that the port and all its related activities will have absolutely no effect on the turtles and marine life. They further say that the findings of the environmentalists are mere speculation and not based on facts. They claim on their wesite the following to be the facts

• The site at which the port is being planned is the only range in the coast of Orissa where nesting of turtles does not take place.
• The site is well beyond the limits of Gahirmatha Sanctuary and National Marine Sanctuary.
• The site is not close to Gahirmatha beach and is about 30 kms away by sea and hence no actual damage can occur.

(Their entire defense can be accessed at http://www.dhamraport.com/turtles.asp)

Regarding the assertion that the turtles did not nest this year because of the port construction activities, the CEO of CEO of the Dhamra Port Company Santosh K. Mohapatra says "We are carrying out works under the guidance of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In the past also turtles did not come for nesting. It is mischievous and unfounded speculation that dredging is affecting nesting."

Who’s Right

The claims by the environmentalists are more right than those by Dhamra Port. The Dhamra port claim that their project will in no way harm the turtle population is an immature approach to avoiding the situation. As the IUCN team working on the dredging site so rightly put it, they are working together to minimize the impact of the port on turtles and other marine life. The port has been given the green signal by the government on a technical and legal standpoint. Although they are legally right in building a port there, they are turning a blind eye to certain possible repercussions to the environment and living in denial. Though working with IUCN is a positive step, the standpoint of the environmentalists should definitely be considered and further precautions should be taken. The solution is for Dhamra Port Compan to come to an amicable settlement with the environmentalist groups and the first step is for the company to not be in denial.

Tamil Nadu Government promises corridors for elephants

Finally, the elephants have managed to get some attention. A day after the OBC's received their quota's for higher education, a decision that is sure to change the educational roadmap of India, elephants in Tamil Nadu have been granted corridors that will reduce their interference with the humans. For over a month now, after the railway accident that killed a pregnant elephant in February, several wildlife and environmentalist groups have been lobbying with the government officials to look for a permanent solution to this problem. The government has alloted Rs. 2.68 crore for building a separate pathway that will reduce the interaction of elephants with humans.

My concern is all about the ditches they plan to dig and the solar powered electric fences they have in place. While they might act as deterrents for the mammoths to stray to places that are unsafe for them, the ditches themselves will probably cause more harm than good. The elephants could get seriously injured falling into these ditches and its not a humane solution to restrict their path by giving them shocks, even if they are mild one's.

Nevertheless, the government is at least not turning a blind eye to the issue and has taken some steps. Further improvements can be made as time goes by, but for now these giant pachyderms have a way to go. So as rajini would say "En vazhi, thani vazhi" translates into "I have my own separate ways".

P.S. Click on the title to read the report from "Times of India"

Autographs please - on a petition made out to the elephants

A request taken from the Wildlife Protection Society of India(WPSI) and petetions online

"Four elephants died a brutal death when they were hit by a speeding train in Kurumbanpalayam near Madukkarai, in the Coimbatore Forest division. Two tuskers, one pregnant female and a calf were hit and killed on the spot. The impact was so powerful that four bogies of the train were instantly derailed! One of the tuskers was then dragged for another 250 meters, the remains of which were hardly recognizable. The mishap took place in the early hours of the morning at 1.30 AM on 4 February 2008. The train was traveling at speeds in excess of 135 Kmph, which is way above the norm in India.

In this decade alone about 15 elephants have been killed in train hits on this stretch of railway track. The most recent examples prior to this incident occurred on 28 September 2007 where one tusker was killed by a train hit in Walayar and 2nd October 2006 when an elephant was killed under similar circumstances in the walayar forest. Elephants are not the only victims, large numbers of deer including Sambhar and Spotted deer, monkeys, and smaller mammals have fallen victim to trains on this deadly stretch of track.

Similar accidents are common all over India and are increasing in frequency by the day. The problem is acute especially in northern states like Uttarakhand, Bihar and Eastern and Northeastern states like West Bengal, Orissa and Assam. Countless animals have been killed in these areas in the last decade which include species like the Tiger and Leopard which are endangered species. States like Uttarakhand and Bihar have passed orders, the implementation of which will regulate train speeds in wildlife areas. An example of this is that speeds of trains passing though Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand have been restricted to 20Kmph. Train hit casualties have dropped to a great extent as a result of such initiatives. "
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1. "The short term solution will be to CUT THE SPEED OF TRAINS TO A MAXIMUM OF 20 Kmph IN WILDLIFE AREAS"

2. "The long term solution will be to RELOCATE RAIL TRACKS TO NON-FOREST/WILDLIFE AREAS."

Please visit http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/356770254 to sign the petetion and show support for the cause, the target is only about 1000 signatures.

"The same initiative and efficient implementation of laws is seriously lacking in most affected states. For example, it is well known that in West Bengal in spite of a high court order to regulate train speeds, the order has not implemented. The respective state governments and our organization (Wildlife Protection Society of India- New Delhi. http://www.wpsi-india.org/) are representing the matter to the Prime minister and others concerned. We hope that The Honorable Prime minister will take positive steps to address an issue as serious as this. We do hope that this issue of train hits will be taken up with the concerned authorities to rectify the gross mismanagement and flouting of existing laws which has led to the non-selective and brutal killing of animals. The Walayar-Coimbatore accidents have also been brought to the notice of the concerned officials and related departments and we expect some immediate measures to be taken to save the animals.

We have written a letter to state as well as the immediate Forest and railway authorities' concerned. The letter includes suggestions such as restricting the train speed to 20kmph in the wildlife areas and other forest areas, providing training to locomotive pilots officers of the railway in this regard, precautionary measures to be taken in wildlife emergencies, maintaining a database of wildlife presence and movement with the support of field level staff of railways as well as forest department, studying the mobility patterns of elephant and other wildlife at crucial points and elephant passages, immediate arrangements and a temporary mechanism in the same matter by co-coordinating forest and railway authorities, placing wildlife sign boards in areas prone to such accidents and to inform the passengers and locomotive pilots etc. Support and training can be provided by our organization in this regard.

The forest department on the other hand is planning to erect electric fencing and digging trenches in the passages in Walayar. This is not the solution to the problem and it will only serve to increase the intensity of Human-Elephant conflict in adjacent villages. Manipulating the movement of elephants and other animals will not serve any purpose.

Another problem faced by elephants face is the blockage and encroachment of habitat by big educational institutions, industrial and commercial companies, and the land mafia. This can be witnessed all along the ghat section and in hilly and forest terrains of the Walayar -Madukkarai belt. This has led to increased man-animal conflict in this area.

The Forest department, on its part can do a lot to solve the problem. One among the many ways is to constitute eco development committees comprising nearby villages where the presence of wildlife, especially the movements of elephants is high. The forest department can organize awareness programmes and Wildlife protection programmes during the migratory period. The Government should encourage such initiatives and fund them adequately. In turn people will see the need to protect these poor creatures.

The biggest solution lies in the hands of the Indian Railways and policy makers. The policy makers have to pass stringent laws regulating train movement in wildlife areas and the onus of implementation lies with the Indian Railways.

We cannot be mute spectators and watch the Railways add to the injustice being meted out to the wildlife in India. "

Please visit http://www.thepetitionsite.com/petition/356770254 to sign the petetion

The Olive Ridleys and their Social Gathering

The Olive Ridley Turtles, one of the smallest species of its kind is known so olive colour of its heart shaped shell. Its major nesting locations are eastern India, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Nicargua and Costa Rica. These turtles have one of the most interesting nesting rituals known as arribadas. Adult female turtles congregate in numbers of upto thousands and nest at the beach. The male turtles after they hatch never come back to the beach and always stay in the sea. Isn't it amazing. What follows is a video of an arribada in Ostional, Costa Rica.

An interview excerpt of Belinda Wright

The speaker is Belinda Wright, Executive Director of Wildlife Protection Society of India, a conservation organization dedicated to the cause of wildlife preservation in India. Belinda Wright comes from a family of wildlife lovers and conservationists. Her mother Anne Wright was a founder trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature, a member of the Indian Board for Wildlife and of the Indian government's Tiger Task Force, and chairman of the Rhino Foundation in Assam. Anne was also actively involved in the passing of the Wild Life (Protection) Act in India in 1972. Belinda's father Bob Wright, founded Kipling Camp at Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh where visitors can still see wild tigers. Belinda Wright, not a person to be pushed to the background of her accomplished parents, is the winner of two Emmy Awards and 14 other major international awards for her National Geographic film 'Land of the Tiger'. Belinda has co-authored five books , including 'Through the Tiger's Eyes: A Chronicle of India's Wildlife'. Her photographs and writings have appeared in books, exhibitions, magazines and scientific journals throughout the world, including the National Geographic Magazine.

Plight of the Tigers - The Indian National Animal

The most recent census of the tiger population in India put their numbers anywhere between 1165 to 1657 (excluding Sunderbans and Jharkand). The 3642 figure from the previous census carried out in 2002 was marred by both an inconsistent method of using pug marks and also manipulation of the data to report higher than true numbers. Given the misgivings of the last census, the tiger population has not gone down half in number, but it has definitely seen a decrease. Tiger conservationists say that the major reasons for this decrease in tiger population are poaching and decrease in forested area. WPSI, a wildlife conservation organisation in India, says that 80% of the tiger reserves do not have an armed strike force or basic infrastructure and equipment to combat poaching. As for habitat loss, it is mainly due to claiming land for agriculture and development. Another problem is destruction of natural habitat by tribals and their livestock in the tiger reserves. The Indian Government under the direction of President Dr. Manmohan Singh has proposed the following schemes to improve the situation.

• Rs 600 crore sanctioned for conservation in the next five years with 50 crore to be spent specifically on tigers
• Conservation of tigers to become responsibility of the Chief Ministers
• An elite, well-trained protection force in Tiger Reserves
• An intelligence network to check poaching
• Relocation of the tribals living in tiger habitats
  
• Centre to take over sanctuaries and parks in Naxal controlled areas
• No permission for big projects like mining and industries in tiger habitats
• Push for more convictions in poaching cases
• Appoint a chief for the Wildlife Crime Bureau

NDTV recently launched an awareness campaign about the dwindling tiger population and submitted a petition of about 5 lakh signatures to Dr. Manmohan Singh. Involvement from the media and various quarters of the International community has served as a wake up call for the people involved in the decision making.

The government has responded well and in a timely manner to the crisis. The plans put forth address the issues plaguing the tiger community, but the fruitfulness lies in effective implementation of the plan. This in turn depends on the key appointment of the Chief of the Wildlife Crime Bureau and how committed each chief minister is to protect the tigers. In the past, our government has always been an expert in drafting plans but not in orchestrating them. If they will take a different turn now, only time will tell. Until then, the tigers will be on the prowl looking for their prey, ignorant of the fate that looms ahead of them.