Article 2: Nicobar Project’s Strategic & Ecological Consequences
Why in News: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has cleared the ₹81,000-crore Great Nicobar mega infrastructure project citing its strategic importance.
Key Details
- NGT upheld the environmental clearance for the Great Nicobar mega project despite ecological concerns.
- The project aims to build a strategic and economic hub near the Malacca Strait.
- It involves diversion of about 130 sq km of forest and felling of nearly one million trees.
- Concerns relate to impacts on biodiversity, indigenous tribes, and fragile island ecology.
Great Nicobar Project: Key Features
- Integrated Strategic Hub: The project seeks to transform Great Nicobar into a combined economic, logistics, and defence hub, reflecting India’s push for maritime capacity and island development.
- Four Core Components: It includes an integrated township (~149 sq km), transshipment port (7.66 sq km), dual-use airport (8.45 sq km), and a gas-solar power plant, indicating multi-sector infrastructure expansion.
- Scale and Investment: With an estimated cost of ₹81,000 crore, it is among India’s largest island infrastructure projects, initially driven by NITI Aayog and now implemented by ANIIDCO.
- Location Advantage: Situated near Indira Point, the project area lies close to key international sea lanes, enhancing its perceived strategic and commercial value.
Strategic and Geopolitical Significance
- Proximity to Malacca Strait: Great Nicobar lies near one of the world’s busiest maritime choke points through which about 94,000 ships annually and nearly 30% of global trade passes.
- Maritime Trade Ambitions: The proposed transshipment port aims to reduce India’s dependence on foreign hubs like Colombo, Singapore, and Port Klang, strengthening logistics sovereignty.
- Defence Preparedness: Integration with existing military assets such as INS Baaz and the tri-services Andaman & Nicobar Command enhances India’s maritime surveillance in the Indo-Pacific.
- Act East and Indo-Pacific Strategy: The project aligns with India’s broader geopolitical vision of becoming a net security provider and major maritime power in the region.
Ecological Sensitivity of Great Nicobar
- Biosphere Reserve Status: Most of the 910 sq km island forms part of the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, recognised for its rich and fragile ecosystems.
- Biodiversity Hotspot: The Nicobar Islands lie within the Sundaland biodiversity hotspot, hosting unique littoral forests, evergreen forests, and endemic species.
- Critical Wildlife Habitats: Galathea Bay is a major nesting site of the Leatherback turtle (largest sea turtle), while the island hosts the endemic Nicobar megapode bird.
- Island Fragility: Being a remote oceanic island, Great Nicobar is highly vulnerable to coastal erosion, seismic activity, and climate change impacts, raising sustainability concerns.
Environmental Concerns
- Large-Scale Deforestation: The project requires diversion of 130 sq km of pristine forest and felling of nearly one million trees, potentially causing irreversible habitat loss.
- Wildlife Disruption: Construction at Galathea Bay threatens turtle nesting beaches and megapode nesting mounds, affecting species found nowhere else.
- Land Reclamation Impacts: Nearly 33 million cubic metres of material will be used for reclamation, which may damage coral reefs, alter sediment flows, and disturb marine ecology.
- Cumulative Ecological Risk: Experts warn that multiple infrastructures together may exceed the island’s ecological carrying capacity, a key concern in island ecosystems.
Impact on Indigenous Communities
- Vulnerability of Shompen Tribe: The Shompen are a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) with a population of about 250 and limited external contact, making them highly susceptible to disease and displacement.
- Nicobarese Concerns: Nicobarese communities in Campbell Bay fear loss of traditional lands and delayed rehabilitation in pre-tsunami villages.
- Population Surge Pressure: The island’s population may rise from about 8,500 to 6.5 lakh by 2050, potentially overwhelming local resources and cultural systems.
- Free, Prior and Informed Consent: Tribal councils have raised concerns about inadequate consultation, highlighting issues under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and tribal protection norms.
Governance and Regulatory Issues
- NGT’s Strategic Balancing: The tribunal accepted the project citing national security importance, which may set a precedent for projects in ecologically sensitive zones.
- Denotification of Protected Areas: Parts of Galathea Bay Wildlife Sanctuary and Megapode Sanctuary were denotified, raising questions about weakening conservation safeguards.
- Mitigation Measures Proposed: Authorities plan alternative sanctuaries on Little Nicobar and other islands, but experts question their ecological equivalence.
- Need for Cumulative Impact Assessment: Critics highlight gaps in long-term climate, disaster, and carrying capacity assessments for such a mega project.
Conclusion
The Great Nicobar project reflects India’s legitimate strategic and economic aspirations in the Indo-Pacific. However, island ecosystems and vulnerable tribal communities demand a precautionary, science-based development approach. Strengthening environmental safeguards, ensuring genuine tribal consultation, and conducting rigorous cumulative impact assessments are essential to balance national security with ecological sustainability. Development in fragile geographies must follow the principle of “strategic but sustainable” growth.
EXPECTED QUESTIONS FOR UPSC CSE
Prelims MCQ
Q. Great Nicobar Island is strategically important primarily because it is located near:
(a) Strait of Hormuz
(b) Malacca Strait
(c) Bab-el-Mandeb
(d) Lombok Strait
Answer: (b)
Descriptive Question
Q. Discuss the strategic importance of the Great Nicobar infrastructure project. Examine the ecological and tribal concerns associated with it. (150 Words, 10 Marks)