Government and World Bank report had proposed construction of wildlife bridges, underpasses and overpasses along habitual migration tracks of wildlife to prevent their accidental deaths.
Mumbai: Everybody, including the government itself appear to have forgotten a little known report submitted four years ago that among other things had suggested construction of wildlife bridges, underpasses and overpasses along the habitual migration tracks of wildlife to prevent their accidental deaths in infrastructure projects like roads, railways and high tension power lines.
The report assumes significance as Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray himself an avid wildlife photographer and his son Minister for Environment, Aaditya Thackeray urging the Center to divert the proposed conversion of 176 Km Akola to Khandwa meter gauge line to broad gauge line as it passes through the Melghat tiger reserve. Citing need for realignment and expansion of the existing line and its effect on core area of the tiger reserve, the government has urged the government to consider taking the alignment to cover areas of neighbouring Jalgaon-Jamod and Sangrampur taluka’s.
Often key infrastructure projects like the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train, Mumbai Metro 3 car-shed project, Goregaon-Mulund Link Road and several other similar infrastructure projects have often been mired in controversies.
The report “Eco-Friendly Measures to Mitigate Impacts of Linear Infrastructure on Wildlife,” was jointly prepared by Wildlife Institute of India (WII), National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and World Bank Group. It was drafted by Dr V B Mathur and Dr Asha Rajvanshi in 2016.
The report had identified and surveyed key infrastructure projects like power lines, roads and railway lines that pass through wildlife areas. The report had also made several mitigation measures to reduce fatalities and accidents of wild animals caused due to fragmentation of their natural habitats.
In the case of high tension power lines, the report states that often the power lines have resulted in wild animals like Elephants getting electrocuted. The power lines have also affected the habitats of birds like the endangered Great Indian Bustard, Flamingoes, Kites and other bird species.
The recommendations of the committee report include focusing more on extinction prone taxa (vulnerable species), staining prey population, no go option in source area of threatened taxa (species), removal of bottlenecks in ecological corridors, specialised habitats and migratory routes of birds. One of the significant recommendations was the use of insulation material in fittings atop the towers of high tension power lines that would prevent birds perching on them from getting electrocuted.
In respect of the most fatalities and accidental hits that wild animals face are on the roads and railway lines. The report calls for routing of roads and railway lines in the landscape should be planned at strategic landscape level, in such a way that they are located and concentrated in areas of little importance to wildlife and not bisect their habitats.
The mitigation measures include – speed control, control on feeding of animals, prevent stoppage of vehicles along the highways, animal proof fencing, appropriately designed culverts, underpasses and overpasses, maintenance of hedgerows along the road to source as movement corridors.
Most prominent mitigation measure is the Land Bridge, also known as the Eco-duct or a Wildlife Bridge. The bridge is typically enhanced with habitat features such as natural vegetation, rocks, logs, local fauna in underpasses and overpasses. The fencing along the bridge should funnel the animals towards the structure and away from the roads and railway lines.
Canopy bridges, cattle guard fencing, visual and noise barriers, glider poles, box culverts, pipe culverts, passages for fish across waterways and fences are other constructions made to guide the wild animals towards much safer routes. Most importantly the report argues against allowing human habitation alongside the roads which it argues attracts birds and animals towards it.
The report recommends rail and road constructed elevated above the vegetation to minimize clearing and allow natural vegetation to grow under the infrastructure. In Nairobi, a railway line has been proposed to be constructed on viaduct that passes through the Nairobi National Park.
While constructing roads, highways and railway lines through wildlife areas, the report calls for the authorities to take into account the requirements and behaviour of local wildlife species. It argues that most of the wildlife species get distracted due to noise, light and vibrations caused by the moving vehicles. Many wild animals get discouraged to cross the road, railway line, or at times in the case of Elephants they are unable to quickly cross the track in the event of a train approaching.
The construction of Wildlife Crossings should depend upon the density of the wild animal population, wildlife habitat intersecting the transport corridor, habitat connectivity and their historic and habitual crossing zones. The dimensions of the construction of the bridges, underpasses and overpasses should correspond to the height and width of the wild animals. The report also calls for installation of Animal Detection Systems (ADS) along the road and railway lines to warn drivers of collision risk and detect large animal movement and warn drivers before they enter the crossing path of the road or railway line.
