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Endangered Heron Ignored in Major Hydel Project Report
4 Jan
Summary
- Environmental report omits critically endangered white-bellied heron.
- Kalai-II hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh gets clearance.
- Concerns raised over impact on bird's habitat and nesting sites.
An expert panel from the Union Environment Ministry has recommended environmental clearance for the 1,200-MW Kalai-II hydroelectric project on the Lohit River in Arunachal Pradesh. This decision comes despite environmentalists and local residents pointing out a significant omission in the project's environmental impact assessment (EIA) report: the absence of any mention of the critically-endangered white-bellied heron.
The EIA, prepared by WAPCOS Ltd, reportedly failed to identify the bird's presence in the Lohit River Basin, an area contiguous to the project and including the Kamlang Tiger Reserve. The white-bellied heron, a Schedule-I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, is listed as critically endangered by the IUCN, with estimates suggesting only about 60 individuals may remain in the wild.
This oversight is particularly concerning as the project is situated in a region known to harbor the bird's nesting sites, such as Walong, which is upstream of the proposed dam. Past conservation efforts for other Lohit River projects, like the Lower Demwe project, had specifically requested conservation plans for this species, underscoring its vulnerability.
