Starting a ‘Save Satkosia Gorge Campaign’ at Tikarpada in Angul district, environmentalists and concerned citizens have urged the Central Government to withheld or cancel environment clearances of all projects being constructed by the Chhattisgarh Government on Mahanadi and direct to stop work until environment impact assessment relating to the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Mahanadi Elephant Reserve and Gharial Research and Conservation Unit (GRACU) is done.
local MlA Sanjeev Sahu pointed out that while Mahanadi provides life support to the Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary, which is consisted of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve, the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve and the GRACU, depletion in water flow due to construction of barrages upstream Mahanadi in Chhattisgarh would have serious on them.
Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Sudarshan Panda said the total livability of the ecosystem depends wholly on ‘environmental flow’ of the Mahanadi and any obstruction in the flow would impact the same.
Mahanadi Peace Initiative chief Ranjan Panda terming the Mahanadi as a common property resource said no Government can distribute its water among themselves. Apart from people , tigers, elephants, leopards, gaurs, sambars, chowsingha, barking deer, gharials and muggers, birds and trees of ‘Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary’ have right on it, he said.
Presiding over the meeting, environmentalist Swapna Sarangi stated that the Satkosia gorge is a unique feature in geomorphology of India.
“The Mahanadi has cut right across the Eastern Ghats and has formed a magnificent gorge with sylvan beauty and excellent features. Satkosia is one of the best ecosystems, representing a diverse floral faunal extravaganza. The Mahanadi water should be allowed to flow for the existence of this great ecosystem,” he openied.
The meeting was organised jointly by the Foundation for Ecological Security, Citizen Action Forum and the Mahanadi Peace Intiative.
Among o thers, Satkosia Wildlife DFO MD T Rehaman, lawyer Rabindra Pattanaik, Bijay Mishra, Bijay Parida, Ranjeet Pattnaik, Prasarna Behera, Dinesh Dehury, Susil Pradhan and Chandramani Dehury kept their views.