Citizen’s body moves NGT against drilling at Hollongapar Wildlife Sanctuary
Challenging the NBWL's approval on the ground that even exploratory drilling would cause damage to the sanctuary.
Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, in Mariani, Jorhat.
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Guwahati, Jan 19: Voicing strong opposition to the National Board for Wildlife's approval for oil and gas exploratory drilling in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary at Mariani in Jorhat district, the Brihattar Jorhat Nagarik Samaj—a citizens' body—has moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Challenging the NBWL's approval on the ground that even exploratory drilling would cause damage to the sanctuary, which boasts of India's highest primate diversity, including the country's only ape, the hoolock gibbon, the citizens' committee also voiced apprehension that exploratory drilling would eventually pave the way for commercial drilling in the days ahead.
The sanctuary also houses a sizeable elephant population besides other wildlife. The NBWL decision taken during the 81st meeting of its standing committee has triggered concerns over long-term conservation prospects of the iconic sanctuary, which is already grappling with growing anthropogenic pressures besides a railway track that cuts through its heart.
The oil exploration project of the Vedanta group spans 4.4998 hectares, including a 1.44-hectare well pad and a 3.0598-hectare access road in the AA-ONHP-2017/4 block. The site is located 13 km from the sanctuary, which is home to the endangered hoolock gibbon and six other primate species. The 20.98-sq km sanctuary has an extended ESZ of over 264.92 sq km that is also critical to its connectivity with also critical to its connectivity with adjacent forested areas in Assam and Nagaland.
The Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary, named after the country's only ape species, the Hoolock gibbon, is a vital refuge for biodiversity. It provides critical forest diversity. It provides critical forest corridors that connect to the Dissoi Valley Reserve Forest and habitats in Nagaland, underscoring its ecological importance.
A site inspection conducted on November 15, 2024, by representatives from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and Assam's Forest Department had concluded that exploratory drilling would have limited immediate environmental impact. They, however, strongly opposed commercial drilling within the ESZ.
By
Staff Reporter