The Dhamra Port - Term Paper Example

The of Orissa has a coastline of 480 km, and one of the most dynamic coastal environments in India due to its location and physical factors especially its network of large, powerful rivers with their delta and estuarine systems, each with a variety of ecological niches and habitats. The coastline traverses six coastal districts of Orissa, viz. Balasore (80 km.), Bhadrak (50 km.), Kendrapara (68 km.), Jagatsinghpur (67km.), Puri (155 km.) and Ganjam (60 km.). This study is concerned with the Dhamra port site in Bhadrak district, near the mouth of the Dhamra river and surrounding areas. The town of Dhamra is a small business centre with a fishing jetty and trawler base. The proposed port site is a unique habitat in that it has long stretches of inter-tidal mudflats from the site up till the river mouth. Orissa is home to a high diversity of marine and reptilian life. Of the seven species of marine turtles, five species are found in India. Of these, four are reported to occur in the coastal waters of Orissa. They are the Leatherback, the Green, the Hawksbill and the Olive Ridley, of which the Olive Ridley is the most common. Orissa is witness to the famous mass nesting or arribada year after year. The earliest report of the arribada at the beaches of Gahirmatha was made in the 1970s. It is the worlds largest nesting ground of sea turtles. From 1975 onwards a 100,000 to 700,000 nesting turtles came to Gahirmatha every year. The nesting beach is a protected area that forms part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. The near shore breeding area was also given protected area status by the State Government in 1997 and is known as the Gahirmatha (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary. The biodiversity of the port site includes sea turtles, snakes, mammals, Avifauna, Amphibian fauna, corals, marine shells, macro fauna, fishes, mangroves. Macro fauna, due to their interactions with sediments, are known to influence the productive potential of the system. Certain macro faunal communities serve as feed items for economically important and edible fin fishes and shell fishes. Further, macro and mega faunal species are now being perceived as reservoirs/ generators of bio-active substances that have applications in modern marine pharmaceuticals. The mangroves on Kanika Sands provide protection and stabilisation of the inter-tidal landscape from natural calamities and cyclonic floods. They also provide an optimum habitat for some threatened animals and serves as a nursery ground for many fishes, crabs and other animals thousands of fisherfolk from all categories of fishing communities are dependent on the marine resources of Orissa for their livelihoods.thus it’s really a paradise on earth “a rich natural wealth”. The Dhamra Port Company (DPCL) located north of the mouth of river Dhamra in Orissa is a 50:50 joint venture of L&T and Tata Steel. It is deepest all-weather port of its kind in India with a draught of 18.5 meters, which can accommodate super-cape size vessels up to 180,000 DWT. This will be a boon to the mineral hinterland of north Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chattisgarh which are in close proximity to the port and where a large number of steel plants and mineral based industries are located besides many more which are on the anvil. The Dhamra Port Project signifies the coming together of the largest steel industry in the private sector and the largest engineering and construction major. The port is located less than 5 km. from the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary (a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance) and less than 14 km. from the mass nesting beaches of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. The Dhamra port has a long and controversial history. The area was originally notified for inclusion in the Bhitarkanika National Park in October 1988. In June 1997, the Orissa state government officially instructed that the Dhamra area be excluded from the proposed Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. In December 1997, a fresh draft notification was issued for Bhitarkanika National Park, which excluded the port area. An Environment Impact Assessment study was undertaken by Kirloskar Consultants in 1997. In 1998 Orissa state government issued the final notification for the 145 sq. km. Bhitarkanika National Park, with the proposed port site now excluded from the park boundaries. The worries did not end here. In March 2000, the International Sea Turtle Symposium expressed its concern about the port being built so close to a major turtle nesting and feeding ground. In 2001, a study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, wherein 4 turtles were fitted with satellite transmitters. Of these, one was reported in the waters off the Dhamra Port. In 2000, the National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) upheld the port’s clearance. In 2005 Tata Steel agreed to a study to assess turtle presence in the area of the port site, to be conducted under the aegis of the Bombay Natural History Society, incidentally an IUCN member. It recommended to keep the project on hold pending. In December 2006, an IUCN team made a preparatory scoping visit to Dhamra and later, in 2007, Dhamra Port Company Limited announced the signing of a formal deal with the IUCN to undertake preparation of a mitigation plan and design environmental standards for the project. COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS COST BENEFIT A. Impacts on biodiversity of the port site and surroundings The port construction, involves raising the level of the port site, which will involve dumping sand/silt to a height of 10-20 m. It would wipe out all present life forms. The port site will be affected by the land use changes; increase the level of pollution.. Shipping operations will intensify sediment contamination in the area. Frequency of cyclones occurring will rise. B. Impact on marine diversity – turtles, dolphins. Dredging: Large amount of dredging will be required for initial construction as well as recurring maintenance of the 19 km. long and 18 m deep shipping channel, will have impacts on the turbidity of the water and light penetration as well. This will adversely affect the benthic habitat and therefore potential impacts on the entire food chain, including species such as dolphins and turtles. This will affect the primary productivity and will be responsible for the increase in BOD level in these waters. Noise levels: Port operation and shipping will also create underwater noise. Turtles are known to be sensitive to noise. Elevated noise may well deter adults from nesting sites and foraging areas and could also lead to other modified behaviour. Cetaceans are also known to be affected by increased noise levels due to shipping traffic and the waters off the port site are known to harbour several species of dolphins. Pollution: Accidental fuel oil leaks, cargo discharges, bilge cleaning and sundry other sources increase pollution. In addition, the evolution of methane gas in cargo spaces is a potential explosion hazard. Discharge of ballast waters can lead to the introduction of alien species. Illegal fishing- Besides, the local licensed mechanized fishing boats, several illlegal motorised vessels, both trawlers and gill netters, from West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Burma and Thailand fish in these waters and are difficult to police during the fishing holiday season that coincides with the congregation period.These vessels speed through the masses of turtles, they disturb the egg carrying females and mating pairs that leads to breeding failure. Moreover, the turtles get wounded or killed by the slashing of propellers of the mechanized boats and every year hundreds of turtles get entangled in trawl and gill nets and die of drowning. The lighting at the Dhamra port can pose a significant threat to nesting and hatching. Port will boost up the import of crude oil. Export of mineral resources inland together with steel products. Policy in Orissa of moving from a predominantly agricultural economy towards industrialization. Backward and forward linkages. Boon to mineral hinterland of north rissa,Jharkhand,W.bengal, And Chattisgarh. Employment opportunities. Lower incidence of sea freight on the landed cost. Users loading and discharge rates comparable to the best in the world. Tata Steel is a member of the UN’s Global Compact and abide by the principles of Convention on Biological Diversity 1992, which says that “[W]here there is a threat of significant reduction or loss of biological diversity, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing measures to avoid or minimize such a threat.” Debates about the role of science in policy–making, and that of scientists as policy advocates, are not new. While all sciences struggle with the tension between science and advocacy to a certain extent, this tension is inherent in the field of conservation biology given its normative goals; conservation is normative in that it promotes what ‘ought’ to be rather than simply describing what ‘is.’ A conflict of interest arises when a person with obligations to a particular organization, or to maintaining a particular standard, is compromised by other commitments and interests. ‘Other’ interests are typically portrayed as financial, but can also include more intangible gains. References: 1. TATA. 2008. Press statement by Tata Steel on the Greenpeace agitation. Retrieved from http://www.tata.com/article.aspx?artid=9jp9TJYavXw 2. Mangrove Action Project. Stop Port Construction-Save Ridley Sea Turtles (Orissa, India). Retrieved from http://mangroveactionproject.org/news/action-alerts/stop-port-construction-save-ridley-sea-turtles-sept-oct-2007/ 3. Mohapatra P (2007). Biodiversity Assessment of Dharma Port Site and Surrounding Areas. 4. Epperly S & Frazier J. Resolutions of the Members of the 20th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. Marine Turtle Newsletter. 5. Buncombe A (2007). Steel firms plan for megaport threatens rare Indian turtles. The Independent. Retrieved from http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/nature/steel-firms-plan-for-megaport-threatens-rare-indian-turtles-459952.html Read More