Efforts to destroy natural wealth continues, after Aarey Forest, now it’s Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve

Mumbai: After keeping it on back burner for last five years the state government has suddenly become active and started pressing for speedy completion of the Human Dam project in Chandrapur district. The project, since it was proposed in 1983 has invited stiff opposition from environment experts and had been held back.

Noted wildlife conservationist and member of State Wildlife Board (SWB) Kishor Rithe who has been opposing the project said, “Chandrapur city and district is known for its man-animal conflict. There have been 140 human deaths in the region since 2007. The proposed Human Dam will completely destroy the tiger corridor, through which the big cats migrate to areas such as Umred, Ghodazari and Gadchiroli.

Submergence of the corridor will completely stop dispersal of breeding tigers and they will have nowhere to go but to Chandrapur city.” The issue was on agenda of the meeting of expert subcommittee formed by the State Wildlife Board held last week. Wherein, the experts again opposed the project. Now, the report will be submitted to the State Wildlife Board for further action.

According to BNHS report, the fully submerged villages such as Palasgaon, Pipara-Perna, Sirkada (south of Palasgaon) and villages such as Vihirgaon, Manemohadik, Khambada, Gondeda, Kewada, Pendheri (on north of Palasgaon) is the narrowest tiger corridor that exist between Chandrapur and Brahmapuri forest divisions’ forest. The entire area has very good forest cover.

There are ample evidences to suggest that the area under submergence have good population of endangered species such as tigers, leopards, sloth bears and wild dogs. The report has enlisted the details of cattle kills in the corridor villages, which are under submergence, and villages adjoining the corridor that are not under submergence. The report also has enlisted the complete checklist of birds, plants, butterflies and other insects and fish fauna respectively in the area under submergence and also mentioned the results for quadrate studies.

It is considered opinion of the BNHS that it would be unwise to allow the Human Project in its present form to proceed, due to the environmental impacts it would have on region’s forests, wildlife and bio-diversity.

The ambitious Human Dam project got administrative approval on March 31, 1983 and was sent for forest clearance since it would need 29062.26 ha forest land. Activists also claim that the project is against prescribed government policy on eco-sensitive areas (ESA). Maharashtra state has deliberately delayed issuing notification of ESA around Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) as they want to permit mining and dams.

The project was challenged in court and the Supreme Court, in 2008 refused to approve the irrigation project for the time being. The SC had in its judgment then stated that “as regards to the Human River Project – it is noticed that it involved felling of very large number of trees and have serious environmental repercussions therefore for the time being this project as proposed is not cleared.”

However, after the Assistant IG (Forests) filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court on Nov 21, 2008 assuring that the Net Payable Value (NPV) would be deposited in the CAMPA fund and compensatory aforestation would be done according to Wildlife Institute of India (WII) guidelines.