Protest against Exemption from Wildlife clearances to Goa’s Mollem forests
IN NEWS
Three infrastructure projects passed through Goa’s Mollem forests without wildlife clearance from any wildlife protection bodies of central and state government.
ABOUT
- Three major infrastructure projects planned to pass through Bhagwan Mahavir Sanctuary and Mollem National Park in Goa.
- These three projects are:
- a power transmission line
- a double tracking of a railway line
- a highway expansion
- These three projects have potential impact on local ecology.
- These projects will amount to felling of 30,000 tress which will severely impact the environment.
- All this threaten Schedule I and Schedule II endangered species like tiger, mouse deer and Indian Pangolin.
- According to a paper published in Biological Conservation in May 2020, says the power transmission line will act as a barrier to movement and will impact the gene flow, seed dispersal and sagging wire will cause electrocution of wild animals.
- Mollem forest is in Western Ghats, which is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.
- These forests feed Goa’s lifeline that is Mandovi river, it is the major source of potable water for Goa.
- These infrastructure projects are exempted from Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) because for EIA minimum 50ha area is required but here the area concerned is only 48 ha.
- Goa forest department approved the project by citing the reason ‘in public interest’.
- National Board for Wildlife’s standing committee also approved it without any suggestion for mitigation measures.
- National highway 4A will be made four lane and it is exempted from wildlife clearance by an order passed by MoEF in 2017.
- The ‘Save Mollem’ campaign is joined by prominent people of varied domain like politicians and celebrities, etc.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT (EIA)
- It is a tool used to identify the environmental, social and economic impact of a proposed project.
- It is done to predict environmental impact at an early stage in 7 steps: screening, scoping, assessment, reporting, review of the report, decision making and monitoring.
- It started as a movement in 1960s in USA inspired by a book known a Spring Silent by Rachael Carson.
- In India it started in 1976 – 77.
