Environment

MASSIVE DAM PROJECT IN DIBANG VALLEY WILL FELL 2.7 LAKH TREES

India’s largest hydropower project in biodiversity rich Dibang Valley will sound the death knell for the country’s remaining forests in Eastern Himalayas that is home to some distinctive and endangered wildlife species. The 3097 MW proposed project will result in diversion of 1150 hectares of forest land and result in felling of 2.7 lakh trees.

For 12 long years, the local tribal population of Idu Mishmi and civil society groups have been waging their protests against the implementation of the project that will result in submergence of paddy fields, villages and thousands of hectares of forestlands and in the process, destroy a natural  and unique heritage that can never be regained.

The 3097 MW hydro-electric project proposed in the Dibang Valley of Arunachal Pradesh is unique as it forms part of the Eastern Himalaya Global Biodiversity Hotspot. It is a prime habitat for Hoolook Gibbon, Clouded and Snow Leopards, Mishimi Takin, Red Panda, Musk Deer, Fishing Cat and many other species. They also include some rare birds like Blyth’s Tragopan, Rufous-necked Hornbill, Ward’s Trogon, Hodgson’s Frogmouth, Beautiful Nuthatch, etc. Alarm bells are ringing as the Etalain Hydroelectric project proposed in the verdant forests – is now before the Centre’s Forest Advisory Committee. Twice this project has been rejected by the Forest Advisory Committee – in 2013 and 2014.

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS

Dibang Valley is one of the 36 such global biodiversity hotspots across the world that contain 60 per cent of the planet’s faunal diversity. The region is a very important habitat for many Schedule-I endangered species including a genetically distinct population of tigers, 75 species of other mammals and over 300 species of birds.

The project will remove 2.7 lakh trees from dense old-growth tropical forest which can never be compensated through any afforestation program. Further, no land is available for any afforestation program in this region. Even as Covid-19 spreads across the world – scientists say that the rise in zoonotic diseases and acceleration of climate change is linked to biodiversity and forest destruction, however, the government seemed to have closed its eyes and ears to the  serious environmental impact of the project.

PUBLIC CAMPAIGN

In fact, a nationwide public campaign was taken up for the rejection of the Etalin Hydro-Electric Project in Dibang Valley. In this regard, scientists, Conservation NGOs, Citizens and Conservation India group [the country’s largest online forum for wildlife conservation which ran a campaign on its website seeking support for on this issue]  has submitted a memorandum to the Forest Advisory Committee and urged it to reject the project.

Ramki Sreenivasan of Conservation India says, “There has been overwhelming support from all over the country on this issue as in less than three days, the campaign attracted over 4300 signatures.”

Long-term research in Dibang Valley (including areas which will see impact of the proposed hydro-project) shows that the region is a very important habitat for many Schedule I endangered species as also hosting a distinctive faunal population. The proposed hydro-electric project will be detrimental to India’s biodiversity, opine many conservationists supporting the campaign.

It is the right time to recall and implement what C.K. Mishra, Environment Secretary recently stated, “There is a consensus among scientists that a rise in zoonotic diseases like Nipah, Avian Influenza, Zika and Coronavirus is linked to loss of biodiversity and forest.”  Keeping this in mind, such projects that cause heavy ecological costs should be rejected lock, stock and barrel

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