Dhamra PortStatus Report May 2009

Top map: India with Orissa and Dhamra. Bottom map: Location of existing

port, new port and Gahirmatha. Source: Google Earth

Orrissa

Dhamra Port

New Port

Gahirmatha

Existing Port

IUCN and Dhamra PortStatus ReportMay, 2009

Background Dhamra Port (www.dhamraport.com) is being developed by the Dhamra Port Company Ltd (DPCL), which is a 50:50 Joint Venture between Tata Steel Ltd and engineering and construction firm, Larsen & Toubro (L&T).The Port is located north of the mouth of river Dhamra, in the Bhadrak district in the eastern Indian state of Orissa.

The development of the port has raised concern among environmental groups, as it is located about 15 km north of Gahirmatha, a key mass nesting site of the Olive Ridley turtles, listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List. There has been significant opposition from some environmental groups, who hold that construction of the port would severely impact the habitat and endanger the existence of the Olive Ridleys. India does, of course, have a well-established legal system and decisions on the temporary stopping or permanent termination of the project can be made only by the government, the courts or the company.

IUCN Scoping MissionAt the invitation of Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman of Tata Group, IUCN undertook a Scoping Mission in November-December 2006 to develop a better understanding of the port project and its implications on the environment in general and on the Olive Ridley turtles in particular.

The mission comprised:1. Mohammad Rafiq, Head Business and Biodiversity

Program, IUCN HQ, Gland, Switzerland 2. T.P. Singh, Program Coordinator, Ecosystems and

Livelihoods, IUCN Asia Regional Office, Bangkok, Thailand

3. Nicolas Pilcher, Co-Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG)

The Scoping Mission highlighted the following key concerns:1. Artificial lighting and its potential impact on turtle

hatchlings.2. Potential impacts of dredging on turtles at sea.3. Broader and area-wide environmental impacts due

to the secondary industrial and urban expansions associated with the port development.

IUCN-DPCL AgreementSubsequent to the Scoping Mission, in October 2007, IUCN entered into an agreement with DPCL, the main objective of which is to avoid, minimize and mitigate the impacts of Dhamra Port development on turtles.

COVER: Olive Ridley turtle hatchlings at Rushikulya in Orissa, April 2009.

All photos © IUCN unless otherwise noted.

Dredging mission team with Dena Dickerson, Eric Hawk, Nicolas Pilcher,

Anjani Kant (DGM, DPCL) and Biren Bhuta (project manager, IUCN)

Turtle observers

The focus of IUCN’s current engagement is to carry out, through a consultative process:1. Stakeholder consultation on research needs and

conservation efforts2. Assessment of potential dredging impacts and

development of best practices protocols3. Assessment of potential lighting impacts and

development of best practices protocols

Consultation with IUCN India membersIUCN’s engagement with the project was discussed in detail in the meetings of the Indian National Committee for IUCN held on August 22, 2007 and on February 5, 2008. While the issue is complex, the majority of the members contend that development is inevitable and that they would much prefer it to be guided by mitigation efforts backed by sound science that IUCN brings to the table.

IUCN Dredging MissionIn December 2007, an IUCN mission visited Dhamra to assess potential impacts due to dredging and to develop approriate mitigation measures.

The mission comprised:1. Nicolas Pilcher, Co-Chair, IUCN Species Survival

Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG)2. Dena Dickerson, US Army Corps of Engineers &

MTSG member3. Eric Hawk, National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, USA

After interacting with the port as well as the dredging company officials in Bhubaneswar, the team visited the site and made the following recommendations: 1. Installation of a deflector on the drag-head to push the

turtles out of the path of the dredger2. Installation of screens in inflow and overflow pipes

of the dredger so as to monitor the number of turtle entrainments due to dredging

3. An observer programme to detect any such entrainments

4. Relocation trawling efforts to reduce the number of turtles in the vicinity of the dredger

Dredging Mitigation EffortsIn conformance with the Dredging Mission’s recommendations, all dredgers working at Dhamra have installed deflectors on all drag-heads and screens on inflow and overflow pipes. DPCL, with advice from IUCN, has recruited and trained local youth to act as observers. The training was conducted by IUCN scientists and DPCL’s dredging and environment experts.

Three observers stay on-board at any point, work in 8-hour shifts each and check the inflow and overflow screens after each load of the dredger.

Deflectors, screens and observers – all measures to make dredging, “turtle-friendly”. A ‘first’ in the history of dredging activities in India.

‘Antigoon’

The drag-head

Inflow screens

Overflow screens The hopper

Observers in overalls entering into the pipesDeflector fabrication under IUCN supervision

DPCL has also applied for permits from the Orissa State Government and the Indian Government’s Ministry of Environment and Forests to conduct relocation trawling exercises and other related research.

IUCN Lighting MissionIn March 2008, an IUCN mission visited Dhamra to assess potential impacts due to lighting and to develop mitigation measures for the same.

The mission comprised:1. Nicolas Pilcher, Co-Chair, IUCN Species Survival

Commission Marine Turtle Specialist Group (MTSG)2. Blair Witherington, Florida Fish and Wildlife

Conservation Commission, USA & MTSG member3. Erik Martin, Ecological Associates, USA & MTSG

member

After interacting with DPCL officials and its lighting contractors in Bhubaneswar, the team visited the site and came up with the following set of recommendations:1. All lights with full cutoff luminaries2. All lights of minimum lamp voltage to achieve required

safety3. No fluorescent lamps, mercury vapour lamps, metal

halide lamps or other high-intensity discharge lamp types

4. No lights aimed above the horizon5. Where possible, use sodium vapour lamps or other

light sources that exclude wavelengths less than 520 nm

Lighting Mitigation EffortsBased on the inputs by the expert team, the lighting contractors engaged by DPCL namely, L&T and ABB, have placed an order on Philips Electronics India Ltd. Philips has designed the lights for the port and has suggested some luminaires. The lighting plan as well as the individual luminaires have been sent to IUCN’s lighting experts for their approval. Only after it is approved by IUCN, will the lights be manufactured and installed. This will make Dhamra the first port in the country to install “turtle-friendly” lights.

Temporary lights being currently used at the construction site were completely switched off for one whole week in May 2009 during the hatchling emergence at Gahirmatha, so as not to disorient the hatchlings while finding their way to the sea at night.

Gaps in ResearchIUCN commissioned a study to compile all past and on-going studies on Orissa’s olive ridley turtles, collate all existing literature and identify the gaps in research. The study was undertaken by the Wildlife Institute of India, an IUCN India member organisation. The study will form the basis for all future research efforts on the olive ridleys in India.

Stakeholders’ MeetingIUCN organised a technical consultative workshop in February 2009 at Bhubaneswar, with a field visit to the port site at Dhamra. The workshop was attended by 70

participants, representing various stake-holder groups – IUCN member organisations, IUCN commission members, the concerned Government departments, the scientific community, NGOs, academia, DPCL and its promoters, and most important, the fishermen community. Whilst the participants lauded IUCN’s work at Dhamra as a commendable exercise in sustainable development, they also gave valuable suggestions that will guide the way going forward.

All reports i.e. the Scoping, Dredging and Lighting Mission reports, the Wildlife Institute of India’s report on the gaps in research and the Workshop Proceedings report can be accessed at the IUCN website.

Conservation MeasuresApart from mitigation measures, IUCN is also helping DPCL adopt the following conservation measures:

1. Generating awareness among school students for the need to protect and conserve turtles. IUCN scientists and staff have trained local youth, who, in turn, travel to schools in remote areas – on motorbikes; sometimes, on bicycles and at times, even by country boats – and interact with students, spreading the message of turtle conservation. Since August 2008, more than 9000 students across nearly 50 schools have been made aware of this fascinating animal and the imperative need to ensure its survival. An essay competition further internalised this message in impressionable minds. This programme will be further intensified during the new academic session beginning in June 2009.

2. Using theatre to spread the message of turtle

conservation. IUCN conceptualised and convinced DPCL to commission a special theatrical production that travelled from one fishing hamlet to another, performing to audiences totalling more than 15,000. The play used the imagery of turtle as an incarnation

of Lord Vishnu, according to ancient Hindu mythology and exhorted audiences to worship turtles and not kill them. It also coined a slogan “Our turtles, our pride” to instil a sense of pride and ownership for Orissa’s olive ridleys.

3. Creating awareness among fishermen for “turtle-friendly” trawling to reduce turtle mortality. IUCN and DPCL staff conduct regular meetings with fishermen groups to build rapport, understand their issues, discuss alternate livelihoods and encourage use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs)

Future Plans By July 2009, IUCN will scope the elements for the next phase of engagement with DPCL, which will commence from August 1, 2009. These will include:• Continuing mitigation efforts• Continuing and intensifying conservation efforts• Supporting relevant State Government agencies to draft

lighting legislations which would be applicable to any development that takes place not just at Dhamra, but along the entire Orissa coast, where turtles nest.

• Initiating a few research projects, based on the gaps in research identified by the Wildlife Institute of India

• Preparing and helping implement a comprehensive world-class Environment Management Plan for the construction and operation phases of the port

• Setting up a Turtle Trust for a long-term sustainable research and conservation programme for the olive ridley turtles

IUCN has received a mandate from its member organisations to engage businesses in conservation agendas. IUCN believes that the Dhamra Port project will develop valuable standards to guide engagements between the private sector and conservation organizations, and that these will lead to more environmentally sustainable business practices not just in India, but across the world.

IUCN Dhamra Port Technical Consultative Workshop in, Bhubaneswar, February 2009. Left to right: Santosh Mohapatra, Meena Gupta, Aban Marker Kabraji, Upendra Nath Behera, B K Patnaik, Priya Nath Padhi, P R Sinha, Dr. Anmol Kumar

More than 9,000 students in nearly 50 schools have been made aware of the fascinating Olive Ridley and the imperative need to ensure its survival.

IUCN and DPCL staff hold regular meetings with the fishing community to build rapport, understand issues, discuss alternate livelihoods and encourage use of Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs) to reduce turtle mortality.

A special theatrical production was commissioed which travelled from one fishing hamlet to another, performing to more than 15,000 people. The play used the imagery of turtle as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, according to ancient Hindu mythology and exhorted audiences to worship turtles and not kill them. It coined the slogan “Our turtles, our pride”.

Michael Dougherty IUCN Asia Regional Communications Coordinator

Asia Regional Office63 Sukhumvit Soi 39Wattana, Bangkok 10110 ThailandTel: + 66 2 662 4029 ext. 142Fax: + 66 2 662 4387Email: michael@iucnt.org

www.iucn.org/india/dhamra

International Union for Conservation of Nature