TODAY'SPAPEROPINION

Published:September1,201600:00IST|Updated:September1,201606:51ISTSeptember1,2016

Agreenrapontheknuckles
RitwickDutta

UNDERSIEGE:WehaveconstantlyseenfraudulentEnvironmentImpactAssessmentswhichunderminetheecologicalvalueofareas
thatareproposedtobedammed,minedordiverted.PictureshowsahydelprojectsiteinHimachalPradesh.FILEPHOTO:
SANDEEPSAXENA

RitwickDutta
TheNGTsnoticeonimplementationoftheBiologicalDiversityActistimely
ForthefirsttimesincetheenactmentoftheBiologicalDiversityAct,2002,morethanadecadeandahalfago,Stateshavenowbeenforcedto
lookintoitsimplementation.TheNationalGreenTribunal(NGT)hadrecentlyaskedforactionagainsttopStateofficialswhohadfailedto
respondtoanapplicationfiledbeforethetribunalforeffectiveimplementationoftheact.Theactcallsfortheprotectionandmanagementof
biodiversitythroughthesettingupofbiodiversitymanagementcommittees(BMC)formanagingbiodiversity,andmanagingpeoples
biodiversityregisters(PBR)todocumentbiodiversityineachdistrict.
RighttoInformationresponsesfrom15Statesrevealthestatusofimplementationoftheact.WhiletheseStateshavemorethan61,000
panchayatsormunicipalities,only14percentofPBRs(lessthan1,400)havebeensetup.
Biodiversitycrisis
TheissueacquiresimportanceasIndiaisfacingmassivebiodiversityloss:eachday,333acresofforestarelegallydivertedonanaverage
undertheprovisionsoftheForest(Conservation)Act,1980.Thisfiguredoesnotincludeforestswhichareillegallyfelledorencroached.
WhiletheSupremeCourthascalledforaspeciesbestintereststandard,lastyear,onerhinoceroswaskilledalmosteverytwoweeksinthe

KazirangaNationalPark.About30orlessgeneticallypurewildbuffaloesexistincentralIndiawhilethenumberofGreatIndianBustards
standsataprecarious150birds.Ourhungerforforestlandisalsoneverending:theconstructionplanforAmaravati,thenewcapitalcityof
AndhraPradesh,includesdiverting13,000hectares,or130sq.km,offorest.TheHimalayasaretodaytheworldsmountainrangewiththe
mostnumberofdams.
Indiaisinthemidstofanunacknowledgedbiodiversitycrisis.Therefore,itisironicthattheactisthemostneglectedofIndias
environmentallaws,andoneoftheleastimplemented.Thereisverylimitedjudicialpronouncementandinterpretation,actionbycivil
societyisvirtuallyabsent,andthegovernmentsapproachhasbeenoneofextremeapathy.ManyStatebiodiversityboardshaveIndianForest
Serviceofficers,manyofwhomarewaitingtobepostedinamoremainstreampostasbiodiversityisperceivedtobeadeadsubject.
ThisdespitethefactthattheacthasimmensepotentialtosafeguardIndiasthreatenedbiodiversity.
WhatthenisthescopeoftheBiologicalDiversityAct,2002,andhowcanitbeapotenttoolinhelpingtoconservewildlifeandwildlife
habitat?
Theactprovidesforbothcentralisedaswellasdecentralisedinstitutionalmechanismsforconservationandsustainableuseofbiodiversity.It
hastheNationalBiodiversityAuthorityattheapexlevelandBMCsatthelocallevel,withanintermediateStateBiodiversityBoard.The
problemisnotwiththeconstitutionofStateornationallevelauthorities.TheyhavebeensetupbyalltheStatesandprovideemployment
opportunitiesforofficersofthegovernmentwithlimitedresponsibilities.TheproblemisacuteatthelevelofBMCs.TheBMChasbeengiven
diverseresponsibilitieswhichincludeconservation,promotingsustainableuseandchroniclingofknowledgerelatedtobiodiversity.BMCs
aremandatedtopreparePBRs,whicharecomprehensiverecordsofbiodiversitythatoccurunderthejurisdictionoftheBMC.
Violationsandopacity
WehaveconstantlyseenfraudulentEnvironmentImpactAssessments(EIA)whichunderminetheecologicalvalueofareasthatareproposed
tobedammed,minedordiverted.Forexample,theMonpacommunityinArunachalPradeshsTawangdistricthadtostruggleforthreeyears
toprovebeforetheNGTthattheriverineareaproposedfortheconstructionofadamistheoneofthetwowinteringsitesoftheblacknecked
crane,aprotectedspeciesheldsacredbyBuddhists.Theenvironmentalconsultanthaddeliberatelyavoidedmakingareferencetothe
species.Similarly,tribalsinKinnaur,HimachalPradesh,arestrugglingtoprotectthelastremainingchilgoza(pinenut)treesfrombeinglost
toaseriesofhydropowerprojects.ForestDepartmentrecordsdonotmentionthesignificantrolethetreespeciesplaysinproviding
livelihoodsecuritytopeople.
Theactmandatesimpactassessmentstudiesforactivitieswhicharelikelytohaveanadverseimpactonbiodiversity,irrespectiveofthe
natureandscaleoftheproposedproject.Today,mostprojectsinecologicallysensitiveareasareabletocircumventtheEIAprocessasthey
arebelowthethresholdlimitsorarenotinthelistedcategory.Forexample,theLakhwarVyasihydroelectricprojectinUttarakhandis
almostthesizeoftheTehrihydroelectricproject,whichmeansthatanEIAshouldbeconducted.Butithasbeenexemptedbecauseofan
ingeniousandquestionableinterpretationofthelaw,whichstatesthattheprojectwasproposedin1987beforetheEIAActof2006.The
projectmayresultinstemmingtheflowofmorethan50kmoftheYamunariver,butnoecologicalstudieshavebeendone.Similarly,aseries
ofdamsintheHimalayasandtheWesternGhats,whichcouldhaveanadverseimpactonaquaticbiodiversity,havebeenallowedwithoutEIA
studiesthelawrequiresthatonlyprojectsabove25MWshouldundergoEIAstudies.Therefore,itisnosurprisethatmostminihydelpower
projectsinIndiaareof24.99MWcapacity!Thesameholdstrueforminingandotherprojects.Thecumulativeimpactoftheseprojectson
Indiasbiodiversityissubstantial,andattimesirreversible.
PBRscouldbeaneffectivetooltocounterfalseandmisleadingstatementsgiveninforestdiversionproposalsandEIAreports.Theycould
helpacommunitypresentthefactsbeforethedecisionmakerinordertohighlighttherealvalueoftheecologicalentityproposedtobe
sacrificed.Theycouldsaveareasfrombeingvaluedbasedonrapidassessmentdonebyinstitutionsofquestionableintegrityand
methodologyorprojectproponents,whosegoalsareonlytotakeprojectsthrough.Indiasfamedgreenjudge,JusticeKuldipSingh,had
observedinICELAv.UnionofIndia,1996thatenactingofalawbuttoleratingitsinfringementisworsethannotenactingalawatall.
Inthefaceofanunimplementedactandgeneralapathy,Indiasbiodiversityistooprecioustobelost.Contrarytoageneralviewpoint,we
shouldnotprotectourbiodiversityonlyforthepresentorfuturegenerations.Thisisananthropocentricapproach.Weshouldprotect
biodiversitypurelybecausewehavenomoral,legalandethicalrightstodestroysomethingnotcreatedbyus.
RitwickDuttaisanenvironmentallawyer.
Peoplesbiodiversityregisterscanhelpcounterfalseandmisleadingstatementsindiversionproposalsandassessment
reports
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