Oceans and Communities

Scientists' Statement Opposing Dhamra Port Project

Background

The Orissa state government in India is permitting construction of a massive deep-water industrial port less than 15 kilometers from one of the world’s most important Olive Ridley sea turtle nesting beaches. If completed, the Dhamra port will be one of the largest in South Asia, with 19-kilometer channels dredged deep and wide enough to accommodate Panamax and Capesize vessels.

The original environmental assessment failed to adequately address the impacts on the Olive Ridleys suggesting that there would be no impact from the massive dredging and acknowledged light pollution that will come from the project. Recent studies have also linked ports to increase human mortality rates due to the high levels of pollution.

Environmental organizations and local fishermen’s unions are asking the international community to help them stop construction of the Dhamra port at this location where its impacts on the sea turtles could spell extinction and its impacts on local fishermen could spell ruin.

For more background on this issue, see the websites of:

Operation Kachhapa

Greenpeace India

Sanctuary Asia

Mangrove Action Project

Global Response

The Wild Foundation

Get Involved

We are asking scientists to add their name to a statement opposing the Dhamra port project, calling for a new environmental assessment, and urging the relocation of the port from sensitive and biologically critical sea turtle nesting habitat. Please add your name to the statement below.

An International Call by Leading Scientists to Halt the Dhamra Deepwater Port Project in Orissa, India November 2007 Addressed to: Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons Mr. Shri Naveen Patanaik, Chief Minister, Orissa, India Ms. Julia Marton-LeFevre, Director General, IUCN As scientists concerned about the health of our oceans worldwide, we have joined together in support of sustainable development policies that protect the livelihoods of artisanal and small-scale fishers, endangered marine species, and commercial and subsistence fish populations. We are making this statement to express our concern over the proposed Dhamra port project in Orissa, India, funded and managed by Tata Steel in collaboration with Larsen & Toubro. It will have serious environmental, social and economic impacts. The Dhamra port will be one of South Asia's largest all-weather deepwater ports, with 13 berths projected to handle 80 million tons of cargo annually, comprising mainly coking coal for steel production and iron ore exports. The construction of the port facility and a 19 km entrance approach to deepwater will require 60 million cubic meters of dredging initially, with more on for annual maintenance. In addition to the direct impacts of the port, ancillary settlements and industries will have catastrophic effects on sea turtles, since the amount and intensity of lighting would disorient nesting sea turtles and hatchlings. Despite the project first being proposed over ten years ago, to date no comprehensive, scientifically competent Environment Impact Assessment has been conducted. The only EIA conducted in 1997 by Kirloskar Consultants is widely acknowledged to have major scientific flaws and lacunae, including lack of baseline scientific data, particularly on the biodiversity values of the area, no oil spill response plan, an overall failure to identify fully the potential ecological impacts and a failure to consider potential extreme weather events and impacts of climate change. The present site is not suitable for port construction since it has the potential to seriously impact the rich marine environment of the region, particularly the endangered populations of the olive ridley sea turtles, and coastal fishing communities. The port site, where construction is now commencing, is in a known turtle habitat. Various studies have also recorded evidence of turtle presence in the offshore waters. In addition, rare species of reptiles and amphibians have been recorded on the port site itself. Impacts on Sea Turtles The world famous Gahirmatha nesting site of the olive ridley sea is just 15 km from the proposed port. Every year, approximately 200,000 olive ridley sea turtles [a protected species under Schedule I of the Indian Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1991, and an endangered species according to the IUCN] nest on the Nasi islands and the coastline of Kendrapara district. In 1997, these nesting beaches and habitats were granted legal protection as part of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary in 1997. The close proximity of the port site poses a clear and significant risk to the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary and the surrounding turtle nesting and breeding habitats. Risks of damage come from, but are not limited to, dredging, light and chemical pollution, oil spills, and shipping traffic. Impacts on Fishing Communities Further, the waters off the Dhamra port site are an important fishing ground for the local fishing communities of Dhamra, Talchua, Chandnipal and other nearby areas. The construction of a mega port will definitely impact access to traditional fishing grounds. There is also the possibility that frequent dredging, shipping traffic, and increasing levels of pollution, will impact fish productivity, and therefore local food supply. Impacts on Biological Diversity The project site is just 5 kilometres from the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary and National Park and less than 15 from the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. These three critical sites and their surrounding areas abound in coastal and marine biodiversity -- several species of mangroves, the horseshoe crab, olive ridley sea turtles, salt-water crocodiles, monitor lizards, dolphins, porpoises, shore birds etc. The Bhitarkanika forest is a Ramsar site with a high diversity of mangrove species (>60). These mangrove forests are the second largest in India. The estuarine region of Dhamra river and Maipura river are rich in marine organisms as a result of these significant protected areas. The first record of the frog Fejervarya cancrivora, on the Indian mainland comes from the proposed Dhamra port site. It also has the second record on the Indian mainland, after the Sundarbans, of the mangrove snake Fordonia leucobalia. Recognizing that the proposed Dhamra port project poses significant threats to sea turtles, the marine environment, and coastal communities; and recognising that there has been no comprehensive, scientific impact assessment of the port, We the undersigned: 1. Call on the State of Orissa to immediately require a new comprehensive and independent Environmental Impact Assessment that recognizes and properly assesses the impact of the port project on the local ecology including such species as the olive ridley sea turtle; and in the interim, halt all ongoing and planned construction work until such time that the study is complete. 2. Protect one of the world's largest sea turtle mass nesting site by keeping the nearby areas free from any kind of developmental activity; 3. Urge Tata Steel and Larsen & Toubro to consider relocating the port to a less ecologically sensitive site, away from turtle nesting and foraging grounds; and comply with their respective commitments to the various international agreements to which they are signatories, such as the Global Compact. 4. Urge IUCN not to accept the port as a fait accompli, and to stop preparation of the mitigation plan without first carrying out an environmental impact assessment study. 5. Furthermore call on the IUCN to uphold the precautionary principle and not to accept unproven mitigation measures that may threaten a major population of an endangered species. Sincerely,

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References on Dhamra port issue:
1. Resolution of the 20th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation in 2000, asking that the Indian government requesting that the Government of India to review the Dhamra port project, subject the proposal to objective Environmental Impact Assessment and have the proposal passed through the proper channels of the Ministry of Environment and Forests; and that the alternative sites for port construction are objectively considered and evaluated.
http://www.seaturtle.org/mtn/archives/mtn88/mtn88p22.shtml

2. Scientific critique of the EIA for the Dhamra port by Dr. David Santillo and Dr. Paul Johnston, Exeter University, UK
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/critique-of-the-environmental

3. Biodiversity Assessment of the Dhamra Port Site by Dr. S.K. Dutta
http://www.greenpeace.org/india/press/reports/greenpeace-biodiversity

4. Cyber campaign hosted by Global Response, Colorado, USA, acting on behalf of Orissa Traditional Fishworkers’ Union
http://www.globalresponse.org/

5. Steel firm's plan for megaport 'threatens rare Indian turtles', August 2, 2007, The Independent, London, UK
http://environment.independent.co.uk/nature/article2826218.ece

6. ‘No Port for Turtles’, Sanctuary Asia, August 2007
http://www.sanctuaryasia.com/sanctmagazine/archivedetail.php?id=841

7. ‘India – Tata in troubled waters’, Ethical Corporation, November 2007, London, UK
http://www.ethicalcorp.com/content.asp?ContentID=5515

0-25 of 227 signatures

Number	Date	Name	Organization
227	September 15, 2009	shreya dhame	-
226	May 08, 2009	shreya dhame	-
225	May 08, 2009	shreya dhame	-
224	April 29, 2009	Gaby Hoebart	Nature Guide
223	March 28, 2009	Vaishakhi Lahoti	Regal Beloit Corporation
222	February 27, 2009	dilip patel	builder
221	February 18, 2009	Rowena Wingfield Davies	Trading Company
220	February 17, 2009	Paresh PAREKH	Thomson Reuters
219	December 14, 2008	Stephen Verchinski	New Mexico State Parks
218	November 12, 2008	dayalan sagadevan	anyparts south africa
217	August 24, 2008	Thiagarajan Badri Narayanan	Private
216	June 20, 2008	Rathnasree Nendivada	Nehru Planetarium, New Delhi
215	June 19, 2008
214	May 29, 2008	Emma Smart	Wadifish
213	May 28, 2008	Shital Nath	M M AGHA Ltd.
212	May 25, 2008	Abigail Powell	Victoria University of Wellington
211	May 20, 2008	Naeeda Crishna	SISTech Ltd.
210	May 17, 2008	Chaitanya Sakhalkar	Dr. D.Y.Patil Institute of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics
209	May 16, 2008	Kartish Vanga	Vidya Jyothi Institute of Technology
208	May 12, 2008	Kuljit Singh Tomar	Avanthi Institute of Engg & Tech
207	May 09, 2008	Sagarmoy Dutta	IIT Kanpur
206	May 08, 2008	Arin Basu	University
205	May 08, 2008	Ingrid Knapp	Victoria University of Wellington
204	May 08, 2008	Nitya Hariharan	None
203	May 07, 2008	Jennifer Moore	Victoria University

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