Activists point out dangers of highway through Bannerghatta National Park, demand shelving plan (India)
Activists point out dangers of highway through Bannerghatta National Park,
demand shelving plan (India)
M Raghuram, Down To Earth
February 6, 2024
See link
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/activists-point-out-dangers-of-highway-through-bannerghatta-national-park-demand-shelving-plan-94307
for photo.
A proposal for the construction of a six-lane elevated highway in
Bangalore’s Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) has evoked protests by
environmental activists over its potential adverse impacts on the
ecologically sensitive park. The environmentalists are rallying behind the
‘Save Bannerghatta’ campaign to protect the national park in Karnataka.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has proposed the ambitious
flyover project, set to bridge Bannerghatta and Jigani Road. The project,
which is a part of the satellite township ring road (STRR), will be built
on the 3.85 kilometre stretch of the existing road connecting Bannerghatta
and Jigani Road and has already received approval from the National Board
of Wildlife.
STRR will connect seven towns around Bengaluru, besides decongesting the
city roads. The project encompasses 27.45 acres of the core area of the
national park and 14 acres in the buffer zone. The elevated stretch is part
of the 280-km-long STRR and the work is expected to be completed by
December 2025.
While the intended purpose of the flyover is to alleviate traffic
congestion, concerns loom large over its potential repercussions on the
fragile ecosystem and the natural habitat of the park’s wildlife.
Bannerghatta National Park serves as a vital biodiversity hotspot, housing
endangered species like Asian elephants, Indian gaurs and sambar deer.
The national park is a very linear protected area with forest areas as
narrow as 300 metres in some parts, pointed out conservation biologist
Sanjay Gubbi. “Mitigation measures must be planned and designed in
accordance with scientific studies, rather than on an ad hoc basis. It
should also involve a good understanding of wildlife movement patterns,
especially those of elephants,” he said.
The project will reduce the habitat available for elephants and increase
human-wildlife conflict in the long run, as there are nearly 100 elephants
that use the landscape, he added. Bannerghatta also has two tigers, making
Bengaluru the only city in the country with tigers, a substantial
population of elephants, leopards, dholes and gaur all right at its edge,
said Gubbi.
The plan was under the consideration of the state government and
explanations from the department, NHAI and the BNP authorities have been
sought for more clarity on the issue, said Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar
Khandre.
“We have to find a way to protect the natural surroundings of the BNP while
still trying to find a viable way to cope up with the traffic snarls
between Bannerghatta and Jigani. My ministry has put the best minds on work
on finding solutions to the problems,” Khandre said.
The project also includes plans to fell 1,288 trees within BNP, with the
corridor cutting through the elephant habitat, claimed activists.
A robust social media campaign has been initiated, urging the urgent
withdrawal of permission for NHAI’s project in BNP. Green activists have
several demands to protect BNP’s fragile ecosystem, including urgently
withholding clearance for NHAI’s project within the national park,
exploring alternative routes or solutions that avoid construction within
the park’s core area and reconsidering the plan to cut almost 1,300 trees.
According to the activists, the NHAI has agreed to the installation of
effective noise barriers and the adherence to restricted construction
hours. The decision maker for the plan, Forest Advisory Committee, has also
proposed to study the impacts of the project on the ecosystem, they said.
Conservationists, on the other hand, argue that it may be more logical to
consider alternative routes or solutions that avoid construction within the
park’s core area and strike a balance between infrastructure development
and environmental conservation.
BNP is home to a variety of animal species, including endangered Asian
elephants, Indian gaurs, sambar deer, spotted deer, wild pig, sloth bear,
pangolin and black-naped hare. The forest now supports only a few species
of reptiles, mammals, amphibians, and birds.
The national park is also an important location on the northern edge of the
Mysore Elephant Reserve. It facilitates the migration of Asian elephants
from the nearby Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in Krishnagiri and the Hosur
Forest Division in Tamil Nadu. It is also an important watershed for
streams like Antaragange Hole, Rayathmala Hole, Hebbalahalla, and
Suvarnamukhi.