SOS Alarm from Dibru-Saikhowa

Alarming findings about the loss of more than 36% of the protected area of Dibru-Saikhowa National Park due to erosion, highlighted in Monday’s edition of this newspaper, call for urgent measures to check further loss of landmass of the park. Conservation of the national park, which forms the core area of the Dibru-Saikhowa Biosphere Reserve, and its rich ecology is critical to bolstering climate change mitigation initiatives in Assam. A satellite survey of the park area has revealed that the core area of the park has shrunk from 340 sq. km. to 216 sq. km. due to erosion caused by the rivers Brahmaputra, Lohit, and Dibru in the past few decades. The state government mulling a 10-year plan to check erosion has raised conservation hopes, but the sense of urgency is missing as effective mitigation measures are yet to be taken up. An ecological catastrophe triggered by a blowout and subsequent fire in a natural gas well at Baghjan in the vicinity of the park about four years ago seriously impacted its biodiversity. The ravaging images of the catastrophe are grim reminders of the urgency to restore the ecosystem and undertake a long-term conservation plan to protect the biodiversity. Unbated erosion threatens to derail the restoration efforts and jeopardise the long-term conservation action plan. The conservation of the Biosphere Reserve dates to the colonial era, when the area under the park was notified as Dibru Reserve Forest in 1890, and subsequently more areas were added to it. Notification of the Biosphere Reserve in 1997, with a total area of 765 sq. km. under it and 340 sq. km. under Dibru-Saikhowa wildlife sanctuary in its core. The declaration of the sanctuary as a national park in 1999 gave a new dimension to the conservation regime. The country’s efforts to increase self-reliance on fossil fuels led to intensification of oil, gas, and coal exploration and mining in Assam. Exploration-leading finding of reserves below the surface in protected areas brought new challenges to conservation efforts. Economic liberalisation and the push for more production of oil and gas led to dilution of forest conservation norms and allowing exploration and mining by oil majors in the protected area landscape. The push for ease of doing business led to granting mining licenses to oil companies to carry out operations in biodiversity-rich areas until the Supreme Court directive issued in 2006 led to a blanket ban on mining inside national parks, sanctuaries, and forest areas. The apex court also directed in 2023 that mining within the National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary and within an area of one kilometre from the boundary of such National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary shall not be permissible. The Forest Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to recommend rejection of a proposal submitted by the Oil India Limited for non-forestry use of 0.069 sq. km of the national park for seven Extended Reach Drilling (ERD) sites in accordance with the standing SC directive. Oil companies and the Directorate General of Hydrocarbons insist the ERD technology is the best technology to tap hydrocarbons from beneath the protected area or its Eco Sensitive Zone without disturbing the biodiversity on the surface. Wildlife experts, however, argue that there is no quantitative and scientific data to substantiate this claim. With a Public Interest Litigation related to the issue pending before the Gauhati High Court, the final word about the ERD mining proposal is yet to be said. Nevertheless, the checks and balances for diversion of forest areas for development needs like mining projects or linear projects like construction of highways, bridges, and other infrastructure act as a shield against rampant destruction of forest and biodiversity in protected areas. The authorities can reject any proposal to divert forest in protected areas if it is found to cause irreversible damage to the ecosystem. A natural disaster like erosion poses a tougher challenge, and failure to address it in a pro-active manner will also result in the loss of rich biodiversity and raise an existential threat to endangered wildlife species in a protected area. Anti-erosion measures require massive funding for using available technology to check the progression of erosion. The anti-erosion measure for protected areas must consider adequate precautionary measures to prevent adverse effects on wildlife and biodiversity. More scientific studies need to be carried out to evolve the appropriate technology for effective anti-erosion measures for Dibru-Saikhowa or any other protected areas in the state. The central government extending adequate financial assistance will be crucial to expediting undertaking such studies and implementing anti-erosion measures. Conservation success of the national park and the Biosphere Reserve will go a long way towards conservation initiatives under the Assam State Climate Action Plan, such as increasing forest cover, wildlife conservation, etc. The pace at which Dibru-Saikhowa landmass is wiping out has pressed the alarm bell for expeditious action on preventive measures planned and finalised.