leading environment protection organisations, Citizen Action Forum (CAF) and Foundation Ecological Security, have urged Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to raise the issue of environmental impact due to depleted water flow in the Mahanadi in the wake of construction of barrages on the inter-State river by the Chhattisgarh Government at the tripartite meeting in New Delhi on September 17.
“Depletion of water flow in river Mahanadi will have a serious impact on the whole ecosystem of the Satkosia Gorge sanctuary, the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve and the Gharial Research and Conservation Unit (GRACU),” the two organisations have said in a memorandum to the Chief Minister.
Besides, the Mahanadi estuarine ecosystem and the Mahanadi delta, the Bhittarkanika mangrove forest with high species diversity and the Gahirmatha rookery of Olive Ridley turtles would also be affected, they said.
Submitting the memorandum, team leader FES Swapna Sarangi and RP Patnaik and Bijay Mishra of the CAF demanded withholding or cancellation of all the environment clearances to all the projects’ construction by the Chhattisgarh Government on the Mahanadi and direction to stop the works until an environment impact assessment relating to the Satkosia Gorge sanctuary and the Mahanadi estuarine ecosystem is done.
Notably, the Mahanadi flows in the heart of the rare ecosystem of the country—the Satkosia Gorge sanctuary. The river extends life support to the sanctuary.
Satkosia is the longest and deepest running water system of the world and the meeting point of two bio-geographic regions of the country -- the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats -- contributing immensely to biodiversity.
The Satkosia Gorge sanctuary consists of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve and the Gharial Research and Conservation Unit (GRACU). The Satkosia Tiger Reserve comprises two adjoining sanctuaries of central Odisha named as Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary and Baisipalli Sanctuary.
The tiger reserve is spread over four districts, Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh and Boudh, and an area of 963.87 sqkm with 523.61 sqkm as the core area.