Gahirmatha's seas are one of the world's largest breeding areas for the Olive Ridley Turtle. The Dhamra port could signal the end of this habitat forever.
Speaking to the media, Belinda Wright, Executive Director of
WPSI, said "The olive ridley turtle is a species that enjoys the
same legal protection as the tiger. Yet despite its ecological
significance, the Dhamra area was purposely excluded from
Bhitarkanika and Gahirmatha Sanctuaries to facilitate the Dhamra
Port [3]. It is amazing that while trawling is rightly banned to
protect the turtles, the Orissa state government is bending over
backwards to assist a huge industrial project in the same area,
which will probably drive away the turtles for good."
The Dhamra Port is coming up less than 5 km from Bhitarkanika
Sanctuary and less than 15 km from Gahirmatha's beaches, one of the
largest mass nesting sites for the olive ridley turtle in the
world. Conservationists highlighted the Port's potential
environmental impacts when it was first proposed in the 1990s. In
April 2004, the Supreme Court appointed Central Empowered Committee
had recommended that the Dhamra Port be relocated.
Over 100 leading scientists from India and across the world have
also called on TATA Steel, the joint promoters of the Dhamra Port,
to halt the project in light of potential impacts on sea turtles
and the environment, through a petition campaign [4] hosted by a
coalition of conservation groups [5]. The list includes over 20
scientists from the Marine Turtle Specialist Group of the Species
Survival Commission of the IUCN, besides other renowned
conservationists and researchers. The petition also urges the
Orissa state government to protect the Dhamra area.
Conservationists charge that in the absence of a credible
Environment Impact Analysis and baseline ecological data, no
mitigation plan, even if prepared by the best experts, will be an
adequate safeguard. Significantly, there has been no mass nesting
at Gahirmatha this season. In the past, even minor disturbances
have been enough to prevent turtles nesting, so the influence of
ongoing dredging for port construction cannot be ruled out.
"There are alternatives to Dhamra that TATAs must explore. A
study commissioned by the Government of Orissa and conducted by the
Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, has identified several
potential port sites [6]" said Biswajit Mohanty, Secretary of WSO
"The ongoing expansion of Paradip Port will also provides the
state with sufficient cargo capacity. If TATAs are as environment
friendly as they claim, they must make the effort to shift to
another location further away from the turtle nesting grounds,
rather than seeking to hide behind mitigation plans that can never
be a proper safeguard against the impacts", he added.
In 2007, a survey commissioned by Greenpeace and conducted by
Dr. S.K. Dutta of the North Orissa University established the
presence of rare species of amphibians and reptiles at the port
site [7]. The study also revealed the presence of over 2,000 turtle
carcasses on and near the area. TATA is yet to respond to these
findings, despite earlier committing to reconsider their role in
the project if evidence of ecological significance was
presented.
The pressure on TATA is
mounting, with Greenpeace's cyber campaign providing a
platform for the public to voice their concerns on this issue. Over
9,000 people have already written to Ratan Tata within three days
of its launch.
"The scientific community is advising against this port,
fishermen have opposed it [8], science has shown the presence of
rare species in the area, and now the public is adding its voice to
the conservation community. What more does Mr. Ratan Tata need? As
a global corporation with a growing presence overseas, TATA needs
to show that its commitment to the environment goes beyond mere lip
service, by halting work on the port immediately", said Ashish
Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace India.
For further information, contact
Ashish Fernandes, Oceans Campaigner, Greenpeace, 99801 99380 
Belinda Wright, Wildlife Protection Society of India, 98111 90690 belinda@wpsi-india.org
Biswajit Mohanty, Wildlife Society of Orissa, 94370 24265 
Saumya Tripathy, Greenpeace Communications, 93438 62212 
Notes to Editor
[1] The Dhamra Port Company Ltd is a 50:50 JV between TATA Steel and Larsen & Toubro.
[2] http://www.unglobalcompact.org/AboutTheGC/TheTenPrinciples/principle7.html
[3] The Orissa State Govt. in December, 1997 issued a fresh proclamation under Section 21 of the
Wild Life (Protection) Act to exclude the proposed port area from Bhitarkanika Sanctuary. When the final notification for Bhitarkanika was issued in September 1998, the area was reduced from 367 sq km to 145 sq km. Further, when the proposal for the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary was being drawn up by the Wildlife Department in 1997, the Orissa state government ordered (vide letter 11693 dated 20/6/97) that the proposed Dhamra Port area be excluded from the draft notification of the sanctuary.
[4] For the petition and a list of signatories, visit http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1541/t/4058/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=835
[5] Organisations include:
Wildlife Protection Society of India www.wpsi-india.org
Wildlife Society of Orissa http://www.wildlifeorissa.org/
Sanctuary Asia www.sanctuaryasia.com
Global Response www.globalresponse.org
WILD Foundation www.wild.org
Oceans and Communities www.oceansandcommunities.org
Mangrove Action Project http://www.mangroveactionproject.org
Greenpeace India www.greenpeace.org/india
[6] Identification of Potential Sites for Development of Ports along the Orissa Coast – A report by the Ocean Engineering Centre of the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, May 1996.
[7] The complete report is available at www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/greenpeace-biodiversity.pdf
[8] Refer to http://www.globalresponse.org/gra.php?i=3/07, where the Orissa Traditional Fishworkers’ Union have voiced their opposition to the Dhamra Port Project.