Road Project Offers Chance to Heal Forest Fragmentation

The proposed expansion of the Bhaniawala-Rishikesh road through a reserved forest is prompting a debate between development and conservation interests. Activists fear the project will further fragment a crucial wildlife landscape. However, the existing road itself, established decades ago, has already impacted wildlife movement, making the current discussion about improving the road an opportunity to address this prior ecological damage.

A joint inspection on April 1, 2025, following a Uttarakhand high court order, examined proposed wildlife mitigation structures. This inspection, involving officials from the forest department, wildlife, NHAI, and WWF-India, focused on the adequacy of elephant underpasses (EUPs) and other measures designed to facilitate wildlife crossings.

The inspection report detailed five elephant underpasses and other mitigation elements, confirming that proposed alignments match identified wildlife movement areas. This suggests the project can be redesigned to enhance ecological permeability, reducing the barrier effect of the old road and restoring connectivity between forest ranges and divisions.

While construction impacts like machinery, noise, and lighting must be managed through careful scheduling and controls, they are temporary. The long-term benefit of functional wildlife passages for potentially 50-80 years outweighs short-term disturbance. NHAI needs better public communication, highlighting the environmental objectives, such as the EUP network, as a restoration opportunity.

This project presents a chance for collaboration rather than confrontation. Transparent, independent monitoring of the implemented measures, including whether elephants are using the underpasses, is critical. The goal is to apply contemporary ecological knowledge to correct past infrastructure decisions, ensuring roads built today facilitate both vehicle and wildlife movement safely.