Conservationists divided over Dhamra port

Members of the World Conservation Union (iucn) are sharply divided over the eco-friendliness of the port coming up at the mouth of river Dhamra in Orissas Bhadrak district. The huge port is a joint venture between Tata Steel and L&T. Speaking in two contradictory voices, conservationists are yet to come up with a verdict on whether or not the upcoming Dhamra port is fauna friendly.

At the centre of this controversy are endangered Olive Ridley turtles, which visit the Orissa coast for mass nesting. iucns Marine Turtle Specialist Group (mtsg) was invited by Tata Steelafter Indian conservationist groups declined to evolve measures to mitigate the impact of the upcoming port on marine turtles. Nicolas J Pilcher, co-chair of mtsg, believes the mitigation measures work perfectly and commends the project for being proactive.

The issue is not how good or bad the mitigation measures are, says Romulus Whitaker, an mtsg member from India. The issue, according to him, is location. The port is too close to Bhittarkanika national park (less than 5 km) and Gahirmatha marine sanctuary (less than 15 km), whose beaches are one of the largest nesting sites for Olive Ridley turtles in the world.

The mitigation measures are limited only to Dhamra Port, there are other ancillary industries which have come up and will have greater cumulative impact on the local ecology, states Whitaker. Pilcher argues that turtles and ports around the world are known to coexist. We have ensured all dredging proceeds according to the best international standards.