Great Nicobar Island

Why in the News?

NITI Ayog prepared a Draft Report on Social Impact Assessment (SIA) Study for Greenfield International Airport – Great Nicobar. 

More about the News

• It is a part of proposed “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island (GNI) in Andaman and Nicobar Islands” project.
• Key-findings of the report
  • Positive Impact
    • Increase in economic, employment and business opportunities.
    • Land value will increase once the area gets developed.
  • Negative Impact
    • Loss of productive land for agriculture and own land for dwelling units.
    • More influx of outside population and loss of privacy.

About Great Nicobar Island (GNI) GNI, with an area of 910 sq.km is one of the largest islands of the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a group of 836 islands on the Bay of Bengal. Location: It is located in the southernmost tip of the Nicobar group of islands (520 km from Port Blair). The Indira Point, earlier known as Pygmalion Point, lies at the tip of the GNI and is the southernmost point of the country. Headquarter: Campbell Bay Ecological Characteristics: Tropical wet evergreen forests, mountain ranges reaching a height of 642 m (Mt. Thullier) and coastal plains. Fauna: Crab-eating Macaque, Nicobar Tree Shrew, Dugong, Nicobar Megapode, Serpent Eagle, salt water crocodile, marine turtles etc. Flora: Cyathea albosetacea (tree fern), Phalaenopsis speciosa(orchid), gymnosperms, bryophytes and lichens etc. Ecological Landscape:  Great Nicobar Biosphere reserve, Campbell Bay National Park and Galathea National Park. GNI was included in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves as part of the Man and Biosphere Programme of UNESCO in 2013. Socio-Economics Characteristics: Important Tribes: Mongoloid (Shompen, Nicobarese). The settlers and mainlanders, which number over 8 000, live along the southeast coast of the island, practising agriculture, horticulture and fishing.

About the “Holistic Development of Great Nicobar Island (GNI) in Andaman and Nicobar(A&N) Islands” Project

• The project is proposed by A & N Administration under the guidance of Govt. of India and NITI Aayog.
• The project was granted in-principal forest clearance and environmental clearance in 2022.
• Implementation Agency: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation (ANIIDCO) (incorporated under the Companies Act 1956).
• As a part of Integrated Development, the following projects are proposed:

Need for Project and Its Importance

• Strategic Location: Indira Point is about 25-40 km from the major international sea route which carries about 20-25% of global sea trade and 35% of world oil supplies. 
  • This strategic location presents immense opportunities to further strengthen India’s trading position in the world by developing an ICTT.
  • Currently, nearly 75% of India’s transhipped cargo is handled at ports outside India. Colombo, Singapore and Klang handle more than 85% of this cargo.
• Counter foreign power consolidation: As with respect to military expansion and port creation, foreign powers have increased its activities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). For instance, China’s String of Pearls to encircle India.
• Improving Connectivity: At present there is very limited connectivity of the GNI with the Indian mainland and other global cities. The prime modes of travel are shipping and helicopter.
  • Thus, need for setting up of a large Greenfield airport with a much greater capacity than the existing one (INS Baaz Indian Naval Air Station).
• Promoting sustainable tourism: To attract high-end tourists interested in tropical forests, adventure tourism, beach tourism, water sports as scuba diving etc. 
  • The Green Airport Project will put A&N on the global tourist destinations map due to proximity with upcoming Senang City, the Phuket Island and Langkawi Island etc.

Concerns related to the project

• Environmental concerns:
  • Loss of top soil in the construction areas.
  • Sewage waste generation at power plant site pollute the adjacent water bodies,
  • Mangroves on the eastern flank will be affected due to port construction.
  • Artificial illumination on the beach can affect the sea turtle nesting and hatchlings.
• Threat to fauna: ICTT which is expected to be developed at Galathea Bay, one of the world’s largest nesting sites for the leatherback turtle.
  • Both the leatherback turtle and the Nicobar megapode, species listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, face critical threats from this development.
• Social: In 2022, the Tribal Council of Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar withdrawn its No-Objection certificate (NOC) for the project due to the administration’s lack of transparency and the hasty consent process from tribal communities.
  • A portion of the land identified as “uninhabited” in the NITI Aayog plan is ancestral territory for the Great Nicobarese people.
• Health: The Shompen, who have had limited contact with the outside world, remain highly vulnerable to infectious diseases.
  • The proposed transshipment terminal overlaps with Shompen community areas, posing risks to their health and survival.
• Natural Disaster Vulnerability: A&N are situated in a high-risk seismic zone, raising fears that the development could lead to catastrophic environmental consequences.

Way forward

Mitigation Measures Suggested in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report:

• The planning will be in accordance with landscape planning concepts to ecogniz major landscape changes.
• During the breading seasons of leather back turtles i.e. between November to February construction activities on the offshore to be halted.
• Sodium vapor lights should be used for lightings, as sea turtles are less affected by it.
• Implement Integrated Solid waste management system has been planned in GNI development
• Strict measures will be adopted to ensure that none of the worker ever trespasses the Shompen area.
• Implement Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 for displaced people.