The Tadadi port project threatens the ecological and bio diversity hotspot, that is the Aghanashini Esturay in Kumta, North Karnataka, but there are arguments both for and against it. Sandhya – Staff Correspondent at NewsKarnataka.com explores the impact it has on the lives of the people and the present economy of the region.
A blue expanse surrounded by pristine beaches and lush greenery. That’s my first impression of the Aghanashini Estuary – the not so well known, silent back waters of the Aghanashini at Tadadi in Kumta – North Karnataka. The calm, gently wavy waters hide a treasure trove of 77 species of fish that generate a livelihood to double that number of fishermen. Besides the fish, it is home to a number of species of birds, insects and animals in its mango groves and millions of shell fish in its sea bed.
But development is important for growth, and successive governments have, over the last fifteen years been eyeing this calm backwater for a variety of projects ranging from a power plant to a port or both, as one feeds off the other. The latest proposal seeks to convert what is a natural harbor into an all weather Greenfield port, which is intended to serve the coal and iron ore industry.
The local economy…. In a shell!
The fertile intertidal area of 1,854 acres was first acquired by the Karnataka government in the 1970s in the name of development and public interest. At the time, farmers grew a special salt-resistant variety of rice called “kagga” and their lands had the highest value in the district.
These lands were acquired for as little as Rs. 45 a gunta (1/40th of an acre). Some of the original landowners fought for better compensation and lost. The Land acquisition bill of 2013, then absent from the public discourse, may have helped them, through a social impact assessment, the need for majority consent and higher compensation. But times were different then –development was the mantra, and the concept of the government knows best, the guiding principle of public administration.
The land has remained unused all these years and a study by Karnataka Forest Department and the Centre for Ecological Sciences –IISC Bangalore, states that the area has turned into the best mangrove forests of the district, by size and diversity of species.
Currently, Aghanashini provides 92.93 per cent of the income of locals from fisheries in the estuary. The annual revenue is Rs 412 crore and 94.64 per cent of this comes from aquaculture activities in the estuarine belt.
Aghanashini estuarine villages have bivalve collection as a business, with a total income of Rs 5.7 crore. Total revenue from shell fish collection is Rs 7.35 crore, comprising of bivalves, clams, oysters, mussels and other molluscans. About 186 hectares of the estuary is used for bivalve harvesting. The annual income per hectare from bivalve harvesting is Rs 3.06 lakh.
Shell mining is done on 100 hectares per year, of the total area of 809.73 hectares. The shell mined is worth Rs 7.65 lakh per hectare per year, says a report from Deccan Herald. There is the Karwar port, around 50 km from Tadadi, from where mines, minerals and granite are exported, apart from that Kaggai rice and paddy are grown here, that also added into the income.
Porting development to a backward area
In 2009, the Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation (KSIIDC) announced their intention to develop a sea port on 1,416 acres at Tadadi to allow for the freight of 34.25 MT of cargo annually. The project was to cost Rs 38, 000 crores.
The government proposal says that the Tadadi port will have a capacity of 62.36 MT, per annum with eight berths, of which four berths are earmarked for iron ore and coal, three berths for general cargo and one for the LNG for KPCL by the year 2040-42.
The proposal s provides for connectivity to the hinterland via the road route, as compared to the railways. This would mean increasing the road width of NH 63 and would serve the dual purpose of increasing the viability of the port and improving connecting from the command region.
It is here that the viability of the port might hit a road block as the land acquisition bill 2013 has already come into effect and concerns of over the acquisition of mainly forest land would need to be suitably addressed.
Apart from this, the proposed port site falls under Coastal Regulation Zone-1, and the plan can move forward only once the Centre sanctions it.
The state government – moving full steam ahead
It would appear that the government is keen on moving ahead with the project quickly. The Karnataka State Industrial Investment and Development (KSIIDC) MD Naveen Raj Singh, the implementing arm of the government of Karnataka, told Newskarnataka.com, “It will be an all weather modern port. However currently it is only in the study stage – Techno economical feasible report, Environment Impact Assessment report and all other such studies have been conducted so far– as per the norms of the Pollution Board Control Board, the Forest department and the Environment department.”
“We had also conducted a public hearing on March 23, wherein the public has given an approval for the project and accordingly the report was given to the Ministry of Environment and Forest, the ball is in their court. We are awaiting the clearance to start the project”, he stated.
Even as it moves ahead swiftly, the government seems keen to take all shades of opinion on board while making a decision. The Minister for Forest, Environment and Ecology, Ramanath Rai, speaking to Newskarnataka, said, “The Environment should not be harmed at the cost of development. There is a committee of experts set up to study the project in all its dimensions, and only after a thorough assessment, will the project be approved, and implemented”. He however refused to comment on whether the government has already taken a final view on the project, which he said would depend on the report of the experts.
But….not everybody is on board
It is not all smooth sailing for the government, though. There are several groups representing stakeholders – from farmers to fishermen – who are on the warpath against the port project. Some of them told Newskarnataka on condition of anonymity, “The government is keeping the public in the dark”. The people in the region were not told about the hearing, they say.
Members of the nearby Gokarna, Kagala and Hiregutti gram panchayats as well as fishermen and farmers’ organizations said they had received no information about the project. Even the public hearing on March 23 has not been publicized, they say. Anant Hegde Ashisar, former Chairman of the Western Ghats Task Force, who is spearheading the protest, said though the government was actively pursuing the project, the affected persons were unaware of the ramifications.
“The livelihood of the people will not be affected”
The Assistant Commissioner of Kumta –Shoba B, said, “The livelihood of the people will not be affected, even if it does, the KSIIDC has promised alternatives. But in future, the development is sure,” she added.
While people of the vicinity claim that there was no news about the public hearing, Shoba stressed that these are false reports, as people who are opposing it are mainly nonresidents. When told that the fishing community of the region is protesting, Shoba deflected the question to the KSIIDC “KSIIDC will be better able to speak on it”.
The KSIIDC MD Naveen Raj Singh, however, was clear about the outcomes and impact of the project, when he said, “Everything will be taken care of– we are aware that there are fisherman and people who are dependent on shells and bivalves, people who are living in the vicinity of the area, however when the project comes up there is a rehabilitation package that provides for them. The rehabilitation is built into the project cost itself. No one will be deprived of their livelihood, rather their opportunities’ will only increase”, he added.
On the environmentalists claim that the region is a heritage spot, he said, “Yes, we admit that there are unique characters in the Aghanashini Estuary, but every coastline has an exceptional character. However we must also understand that a port can be only constructed on an Estuary primarily because the connectivity of the region is exceptional. Singh added that as far as the biodiversity is concerned, it will have a minimal effect, as far as possible”
However the project demands that dredging be done to deepen the estuary and this would surely affect the large number of shell beds all through the coastline. Singh however brushed off this assertion, responding with the need for “development” and promised “alternative employment opportunities”.
Singh however denied reports that the establishment of the port would be followed by the construction of a thermal power plant to serve the area.
Environmentalists: Don’t destroy the shell bed
On the other hand, environmental scientists’ decry the move to dredge the estuary and upend the shell beds that have formed over years, and currently provide a livelihood of one kind or another to a large chunk of the local population.
Speaking to Newskarnataka.com, Prakash Mesta – an associate researcher at the Indian institute of Science said, “Shell beds are formed due to ecological succession, which is observed in a process of change, in the species structure of an ecological community over decades, or millions of years. The port will require major dredging of the estuary — from currently only a few meters to deep down, so that large ships can enter to load and unload cargo”.
Mesta said according to the proposal around 80 feet of the seabed will be dredged. He said, “The proposal does not specify shells, it only says ‘mud’ will be thrown 30 kms away into the sea. 30 kms away in the ocean will be international waters; whether they will be using this dredged shell or will they dump it there has not yet been specified by the government”.
Mesta also gives a rough calculation of the loss the government will incur. “If what the project report says is implemented, shells equivalent to 5 lakh trucks per day will be dumped in the outer ocean, the dumping will continue for more than 2 years, it is nothing but an immense loss to the government”.
He adds “rather than throwing these shells away, they can be used industrially as one tonne of these shells in the international market is valued at up to $120 or Rs. 7500. The shells contain Calcium Carbonate, a chemical composite used in a variety of applications, although sadly the proposal terms it as Waste material”
The ultimate question…To shell or to shelve?
There are 34545 families living in the area, according to the 2011 Census. At least 30 villages and its residents will be adversely affected if this project went ahead, say environmentalists. How? It is believed that around 1 lakh people would be displaced. While the local economy dependent on fishing and tourism will be adversely affected too.
The government on the other hand, seems keen on taking the project forward, having done its homework in trying to take the local people on board, apparently convincing a large section of them of the benefits of the development. There are pockets of resistance that could snowball into movement and the government is wary and non committal on a final view of the project, but all indications are that it is pressing ahead. In the meanwhile, the jury is out on whether the Aghanashini at Tadadi will be shelled or shelved.
