Environmental Science and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Environmental Science and Design - Essay Example The town of Dhamra is a small business centre with a fishing jetty and trawler base. The proposed port site is a unique habitat in that it has long stretches of inter-tidal mudflats from the site up till the river mouth. Orissa is home to a high diversity of marine and reptilian life. Of the seven species of marine turtles, five species are found in India. Of these, four are reported to occur in the coastal waters of Orissa. They are the Leatherback, the Green, the Hawksbill and the Olive Ridley, of which the Olive Ridley is the most common. Orissa is witness to the famous mass nesting or arribada year after year. The earliest report of the arribada at the beaches of Gahirmatha was made in the 1970's. It is the world's largest nesting ground of sea turtles. From 1975 onwards a 100,000 to 700,000 nesting turtles came to Gahirmatha every year. The nesting beach is a protected area that forms part of the Bhitarkanika Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. The near shore breeding area was also given protected area status by the State Government in 1997 and is known as the Gahirmatha (Marine) Wildlife Sanctuary. The biodiversity of the port site includes sea turtles, snakes, mammals, Avifauna, Amphibian fauna, corals, marine shells, macro fauna, fishes, mangroves. Macro fauna, due to their interactions with sediments, are known to influence the productive potential of the system. Certain macro faunal communities serve as feed items for economically important and edible fin fishes and shell fishes. Further, macro and mega faunal species are now being perceived as reservoirs/ generators of bio-active substances that have applications in modern marine pharmaceuticals. The mangroves on Kanika Sands provide protection and stabilisation of the inter-tidal landscape from natural calamities and cyclonic floods. They also provide an optimum habitat for some threatened animals and serves as a nursery ground for many fishes, crabs and other animals thousands of fisherfolk from all categories of fishing communities are dependent on the marine resources of Orissa for their livelihoods.thus it’s really a paradise on earth â€Å"a rich natural wealth†. The Dhamra Port Company (DPCL) located north of the mouth of river Dhamra in Orissa is a 50:50 joint venture of L&T and Tata Steel. It is deepest all-weather port of its kind in India with a draught of 18.5 meters, which can accommodate super-cape size vessels up to 180,000 DWT. This will be a boon to the mineral hinterland of north Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chattisgarh which are in close proximity to the port and where a large number of steel plants and mineral based industries are located besides many more which are on the anvil. The Dhamra Port Project signifies the coming together of the largest steel industry in the private sector and the largest engineering and construction major. The port is located less than 5 km. from the Bhitarkanika Sanctuary (a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance) and less than 14 km. from the mass nesting beaches of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. The Dhamra port has a long and controversial history. The area was originally notified for inclusion in the Bhitarkanika National Park in October 1988. In June 1997, the Orissa state government officially instructed that the Dhamra area be excluded from the proposed Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. In December 1997, a fresh draft notification was issued for Bhitarkanika Nati