Date: 10/04/2023

Relevance: GS-2: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and Issues arising out of their Design and Implementation.

Relevance: GS-3: Environmental issues and Environment Impact Assessment

Key Phrases: Great Nicobar Island, Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island project, Coastal Erosion, Shoreline, Irreversibly Destroyed Ecology, Resettlement, Livelihood, Economic Growth and Socio-economic Sustainability, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), Campbell Bay National Park and Galathea National Park.

Context:

• Recently, The eastern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a stay on the ₹72,000 crores ‘Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island’ and constituted a committee to revisit the environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

Key Highlights:

• A High-Powered Committee (HPC) headed by the Secretary, MoEF&CC has been asked to submit its proceedings within two months.
  • The HPC will comprise of Chief Secretary, Andaman & Nicobar, Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Central Pollution Control Board, nominee of Vice Chairman of Niti Aayog, nominee of Secretary, Ministry of Shipping and Director, Wildlife Institute of India.

Timeline of Project:

• The process towards implementation of this project started in September 2020 when the NITI Aayog issued a request for proposals for preparing the master plan for the project.
  • In March 2021, AECOM India Private Ltd, a consulting agency, released a pre-feasibility report.
  • The MoEFCC’s Expert Appraisal Committee initiated the process of environmental clearance in April, and the project proponent contracted the Hyderabad-based Vimta Labs to prepare the environment impact assessment (EIA) report.
  • In December 2021, the Ministry placed the draft EIA report in the public domain for comments and discussion.
• The quick approvals, clearances, exemptions and de-notifications show that the Union government is keen to implement this project.

Main Disagreements in the Appeal:

• The main contentions in the appeals were that the project will have an adverse impact on the rich biodiversity of the area and damage the habitats of endangered species.
  • The Galathea bay in the island is a nesting ground for birds and the project area is part of Coastal Regulation Zones-IA and IB.
• Only one season data has been taken as against the requirement of taking data for three seasons for comprehensive impact assessment.
• Environmental impact assessment reports were not conducted as per Terms of Reference (ToR), turtle nesting sites will be disturbed, dolphins and other species will be harmed by dredging.

Major Observations by NGT:

• The tribunal noted that part of the project falls under the CRZ-IA area, in which construction of ports is prohibited.
  • The location of the proposed port also has a huge number of coral colonies.
• Andaman and Nicobar Island Integrated Development Corporation Ltd (ANIIDCO) is committed to complying with the Island Coastal Regulation Zone 2019 and tribal rights.
  • It has also planned compensatory afforestation and mangrove plantations.
• Thus, by and large, the project is compliant and EC does not call for interference.
• However, there are some unanswered deficiencies pointed out by the appellants which need to be addressed.

Potential Issues with the Project:

• Ecological and Environmental cost :
  • The Great Nicobar Island has a population of about 8,000.
    • Once completed, the project is expected to attract more than 3 lakh people, which is equal to the current population of the entire 1,000-km-long island chain.
  • The ecological and environmental cost of this urbanisation project in an area known for its marine and terrestrial biodiversity appears to have been set aside without any serious consideration.
    • Thus, it would be a misnomer to call this project ‘holistic.’
• Rights of Tribal Communities :
  • The island, which is spread over 900 sq km, was declared a biosphere reserve in 1989 and included in UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme in 2013.
    • More than three-fourth of it is designated as a tribal reserve under The Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Amendment Regulation.
  • The agenda to convert this pristine island into a commercial hub to compete with the international port in Singapore is nothing but ‘ecocide’.
  • This project will run counter to the rights of vulnerable tribal communities, such as the Nicobarese and Shompen, who have been living in these areas for thousands of years and who depend on the forests for survival.
• Far-field Afforestation :
  • To recommend afforestation as compensation for the loss of forest in the Great Nicobar Island is farcical.
  • The EIA report says compensatory afforestation will be carried out in Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
  • Far-field afforestation, that too in areas that have no ecological comparison, makes no sense.
• Loss of Coral Reefs :
  • The EIA report recommends ‘translocation’ of organisms of coral reefs which are facing an existential threat due to climate change-induced ocean warming.
  • But according to various studies, transplanted corals do not have a high survival rate and are susceptible to bleaching.
  • Therefore, the project will end up destroying vast stretches of coral reefs.
• Tectonic Instability :
  • The Great Nicobar Island is located close to the epicentre of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake which displaced the seafloor by 10-20m vertically as well as trillions of tons of undersea rock.
    • The EIA report itself admits that “Great Nicobar lies in close proximity to the Ring of Fire and the Tsunami of 26 December 2004 is a clear demonstration of how prone it is to severe natural disasters…”
  • The report, however, fails to mention scientific studies during and prior to the 2004 earthquake.
    • The coastline of the Great Nicobar Islands, which was raised earlier, sank several metres during the earthquake.
    • Post-earthquake satellite measurements show that the island topography is slowly regaining its original height relative to the sea level.
    • Massive earthquakes like this are inevitable in this region.
  • The repeated up and down movement of land in response to such earthquakes makes the Great Nicobar Island unsuitable to be developed as an urban port city, but the EIA report hardly considers the tectonic instability around Great Nicobar.

Need of Hour:

• On international fora, India’s leaders and representatives always highlight the country’s role in championing conservation, sustainability, and green development models.
  • But our optimism is dampened by unsustainable developmental projects such as the one being formulated for Great Nicobar- projects which dilute environmental laws to ease execution.
• There should be a proper mechanism to address these environmental issues in a holistic and comprehensive manner and to secure rights of tribal communities.
• Hopefully, the High powered Committee will address these issues in a comprehensive manner.

Conclusion:

• Growth in terms of GDP makes no sense if it ends up in the irretrievable loss of natural capital.
  • Therefore, it is high time that the vision of the ‘green developmental model’ becomes the guiding principle for future economic activities in our country.

Source: The Hindu

Mains Question:

Q. What are the potential issues in the 'Holistic Development of the Great Nicobar island project'? Suggest measures to solve these issues. (150 Words).