Developing Great Nicobar: strategic imperative, ecological concerns- UPSC Daily Important Topic | 19 December 2022

Developing Great Nicobar: strategic imperative, ecological concerns-

✅Last month, the MoEF&CC gave environmental clearance for a development project on the strategically important Great Nicobar Island.

✅The project is to be implemented in three phases over the next 30 years.

● Proposal:

✅A “greenfield city” has been proposed

✅An International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT)

✅A greenfield international airport

✅A power plant

✅A township for the personnel who will implement the project

● Andaman & Nicobar Islands:

✅Cluster of ~ 836 islands in eastern Bay of Bengal.

✅The two groups of which are separated by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel.

✅Andaman Islands – north of channel, while Nicobar to south.

● Great Nicobar Island:

✅Southernmost of the Andaman and Nicobar Island

✅Area of 910 sq km

✅Indira Point – Great Nicobar – India’s southernmost point.

✅< 150 km from the northernmost island of the Indonesian archipelago.

✅Home to two national parks, a biosphere reserve

✅Home to Shompen and Nicobarese tribal peoples

✅Shompen – hunter-gatherers who depend on forest and marine resources for sustenance.

✅Nicobarese -lived along the west coast of the island – relocated after the 2004 tsunami.

✅Tropical wet evergreen forests

✅Mountain ranges – ~ 650 m above sea level

✅Many endangered species are found on the island .

✅Flagship species – Leatherback sea turtle

● Concerns:

✅Ecologically important and fragile region

✅Loss of tree cover may affect the flora and fauna

✅Increased runoff and sediment deposits in the ocean

✅Impacting the coral reefs in the area

✅Loss of mangroves as a result of the development project.