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38 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
REVIEW OF CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL
ACTIVITIES AND THEIR POSSIBLE IMPACT
ON OLIVE RIDLEY SEA TURTLES ALONG THE
ODISHA COAST OF INDIA
Satyaranjan Behera*1 and Basudev Tripathy2
1Regional Chief Conservator of Forest, Bhanjpur, Baripada, Odisha, India
2Zoological Survey of India, Prani Vigyan Bhawan, New Alipore, Kolkata, India
*Corresponding author: Satyaranjan Behera
Email: behera.satyaranjan@gmail.com
Introduction
Even though sea turtles have a spectacular adaptation to life in water, they
are highly dependent on the well-being of beaches. Though many reptiles
have returned to partial or complete lives in the water (e.g. freshwater turtles,
sea turtles and crocodiles), they are still tied to land for one phase of their
life, namely reproduction. Sea turtles are vulnerable at all stages of their life
cycle. In water, potential predators for both hatchlings and adults include
sharks, whales, saltwater crocodiles and large fish. But the foremost cause
of turtle mortality is attributed to certain marine fishing practices. This factor
is now considered responsible for the decline of most sea turtle populations
throughout the world. On the beach, both eggs and hatchlings are preyed
upon by beach mammals (wild and domestic), birds, crabs, insects etc. Threats
to the nesting habitats too are critical to sea turtle reproduction, as turtles
are dependent on available nesting habitats in the form of suitable beaches.
The offshore breeding habitat and onshore nesting habitat are important
for the survival of the sea turtle population. The human-induced hazards
to sea turtles at these habitats include cluttered beaches, sand mining,
coastal armouring and developmental activities along the coast. Decline in
water quality, anchoring, oil pollution, marine debris and destructive fishing
practices are also directly and indirectly threatening the survival of sea turtles
in the marine environment (Lutz & Musick 2013).
It is now a proven fact that sea turtles have an extremely high affinity
for their breeding grounds, and therefore the loss or reduction of even a
single rookery can have serious impacts on the whole population (WII-DGH
Turtle Project Interim Report 2011). Coastal developmental activities and
urbanization near nesting habitats have destroyed many of India’s sea turtle
nesting beaches (National Research Council 1990). The inexorable spread
of beach development, including plantations, eats away natural sea turtle
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Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 39
nesting habitats. A recent study focussed on solitary nesting records along
the 35-km coast of Gahirmatha rookery (Behera et al. 2013). Therefore, it
is necessary to clearly understand the critical habitat requirements of olive
ridley sea turtles so that both conservation and development can take place
hand in hand.
With this background, the proposed study was undertaken for assessment
of developmental activities along the coast of Odisha and their possible
impact on sea turtles and their nesting habitats.
Study area
Odisha in India is one of the four maritime states bordering the Bay of
Bengal. The state has a coastline of about 480km and constitutes 8% of
the Indian coastline. There are seven coastal districts, namely Ganjam, Puri,
Khurda, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Bhadrakh and Balasore, consisting of
approximately 250 coastal fishing villages along the coast of Odisha. This
coast is bestowed with a variety of habitats, such as tidal creeks, backwaters,
brackish water lagoons, estuaries, mangroves, mudflats and salt marshes.
The Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the state has been estimated at
172,000km2 (Anonymous 2001). The EEZ includes the deltas of Subarnarekha,
Budhabalanga, Mahanadi-Brahmani system and the Rushikulya river estuaries
with many other minor tributaries that drain into the Bay of Bengal that not
only offer good fisheries for the region but also are identified as ideal sites for
various coastal development projects.
Methodological approach
The study duration was six months between February 2013 and July
2013. In the first stage, information available on the Odisha coast on the
developmental activities and eco-sensitive areas was gathered from secondary
sources and published and unpublished literature. Based on this information,
the entire coastline of Odisha was divided into ~10 km sectors and, in the
second stage, a reconnaissance physical survey visit was made to the nearest
approachable point, largely along the estuarine mouth of rivers along each
sector, to document the ecologically sensitive flora and fauna in the sector
and developmental projects existing, initiated or planned (if any) through a
standard data format. We also conducted interviews with coastal dwellers
and at fishing villages and fish landing centres on surveys done (if any) in the
area and any proposed plan of industries/infrastructure to be set up by any
agency.
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40 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Fig. 1. Map showing the numbered survey sectors along the Odisha coast.
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Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 41
The sectors (Fig. 1) visited along the Odisha coast for surveys were as follows:
Balasore (80km)
Of the 80-km Balasore coast that borders the state of Odisha with West
Bengal, only ~40 coastal stretches were identified and visited as the rest of
the ~40-km stretches are inaccessible due to extensive mudflat and mangrove
plantations. There are fishing harbours near Subarnarekha river mouth
(Kirtaniakhati), Budhabalanga river mouth (Balaramgadi) and Kasaphala river
mouth (Kasaphali). The following sectors were visited for documentation of
developmental activities.
Sector 1 - Udayapur (WB-Odisha) – Subarnarekha R mouth
(21°37’26.27” N & 87°30’57.07” E – 22°33’56.24” N & 87°24’2.22” E) ~10km
Sector 2 - Subarnarekha R mouth – Talapada
(22°33’56.24” N & 87°24’2.22” E – 21°33’33.56” N & 87°14’29.10” E) ~10km
Sector 3 - Talapada – Kasaphala R mouth
21°33’33.56” N & 87°14’29.10” E – 21°31’1.68” N & 87°7’35.58” E) ~10km
Sector 4 - Kasaphala R mouth – Chandipur
(21°31’1.68” N & 87°7’35.58” E – 21°27’1.92” N & 87°1’31.60” E) ~10km
Bhadrakh (50km)
The Bhadrakh coast starts north of Dhamra river mouth adjoining Bhitarkanika
Sanctuary. The major part of the coastline is covered with extensive mudflats
and stunted Avicennia mangrove vegetation. The Bhadrakh coastline has three
fishing harbours, namely Chudamani, Dhamra and Talchua. The following
two sectors were visited during the survey.
Sector 5 - Dhamra R mouth (20°48’7.83” N & 86°54’49.67” E)
Sector 6 - Wheeler Island (20°45’38.35” N & 87°52’2.87” E)
Kendrapara (68km)
The Kendrapara coast extending over ~70km has the famous mass nesting
ground for olive ridley sea turtles in Gahirmatha and Bhitarkanika National
Park. The coastline comprises sandy beaches with extensive Casuarina
plantations and mudflats. During the present survey, only a 40-km coastal
stretch was covered as the rest of the coastline is deltaic, mudflat and
mangrove and inaccessible during the monsoon. The following sectors were
covered for assessment.
Sector 7 - Ekakulanasi – Habalikhati
(20°42’40.96” N & 87° 2’27.28” E – 20°39’33.01” N & 86°57’51.79” E) ~10km
Sector 8 - Habalikhati – Satabhaya
(20°39’33.01” N & 86°57’51.79” E – 20°36’22.20” N & 86°52’52.92” E) ~10km
Sector 9 - Satabhaya – Chinchiri R mouth
(20°36’22.2” N & 86°52’52.9” E – 20°35’13.23” N & 86°51’13.07” E) ~10km
Sector 10 - Chinchiri R mouth – Barunei R mouth
(20°35’13.23” N & 86°51’13.07” E –20°30’43.88” N & 86°46’5.10” E) ~10km
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42 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Jagatsinghpur (67km)
Of the ~70km coast of Jagatsinghpur, the stretch between Hukitola and
Mahanadi river mouth (~20km) was not covered due to inaccessibility. The
Jagatsinghpur coast harbours the second largest mangrove forests in the state
in the Mahanadi delta. Also there are bay islands and extensive sandy beaches
in the Mahanadi river mouth areas. The following sectors were surveyed.
Sector 11 - Mahanadi R mouth – Jatadhara R mouth
(20°15’43.22” N & 86°40’7.27” E – 20°13’18.87” N & 86°34’53.18” E) ~10km
Sector 12 - Jatadhara R mouth – Nuagaon
(20°13’18.87” N & 86°34’53.18” E – 20° 9’16.36” N & 86°30’23.51” E) ~10km
Sector 13 - Nuagaon – Saharabedi
(20°9’16.36” N & 86°30’23.51” E – 20° 3’30.43” N & 86°25’47.98” E) ~10km
Sector 14 - Saharabedi – Devi R mouth
(20°3’30.43” N & 86°25’47.98” E – 19°58’3.47” N & 86°22’51.48” E) ~10km
Puri (155km)
Most of the Puri coast was visited during the survey period. At the northern
end of Devi river mouth is a fishing harbour at Nuagarha, near Astaranga
Township. There are also fish landing centres near Gondalba, Chandrabhaga,
Puri and Arakhuda. The following 12 sectors were identified and surveyed.
Sector 15 - Devi R mouth – Sahana
(19°58’3.47” N & 86°22’51.48” E – 19°56’32.65” N & 86°17’39.56” E) ~10km
Sector 16 - Sahana – Kadua R mouth
(19°56’32.65” N & 86°17’39.56” E – 19°55’0.46” N & 86°14’15.38” E) ~10km
Sector 17 - Kadua R mouth – Chadrabhaga
(19°55’0.46” N & 86°14’15.38” E – 19°52’20.77” N & 86°6’31.50” E) ~10km
Sector 18 - Chandrabhaga – Kushabhadra R mouth (Ramachandi)
(19°52’20.77” N & 86°6’31.50” E – 19°51’17.10” N & 86°3’24.80” E) ~10km
Sector 19 - Kushabhadra R mouth (Ramachandi) – Nuanai R mouth
(19°51’17.10” N & 86°3’24.80” E – 19°49’27.82” N & 85°54’38.79” E) ~10km
Sector 20 - Nuanai R mouth – Puri beach
(19°49’27.82” N & 85°54’38.79” E – 19°47’53.14” N & 85°49’36.52” E) ~10km
Sector 21 - Puri beach – Mohana creek
(19°47’53.14” N & 85°49’36.52” E – 19°46’7.47” N & 85°44’8.10” E) ~10km
Sector 22 - Mohan creek – Magarmukh (Chilika old mouth)
(19°46’7.47” N & 85°44’8.10” E – 19°44’22.20” N & 85°39’3.85” E) ~10km
Sector 23 - Magarkukha (Chilika old mouth) – Chilika mouth
(19°44’22.20” N & 85°39’3.85” E – 19°40’7.03” N & 85°30’31.96” E) ~10km
Sector 24 - Chilika mouth – Khirsahi
(19°40’7.03” N & 85°30’31.96” E – 19°37’00.22” N & 85°24’20.51” E) ~10km
Sector 25 - Khirsahi – Ramalanka
(19°37’00.22” N & 85°24’20.51” E – 19°32’24.98” N & 85°16’ 31.72” E) ~10km
Sector 26 - Ramalanka – Prayagi
(19°32’24.98” N & 85°16’ 31.72” E – 19°27’29.00” N & 85°09’ 32.04” E) ~10km
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Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 43
Ganjam (70km)
The Ganjam coast borders the state with Andhra Pradesh at Pata-sonapur, a
fishing hamlet near the Bahuda river mouth. The entire coastline is sandy with
three creeks near Gopalpur port, Haripur and Markandi. The following stretch
along the Ganjam coast was covered during the present survey.
Sector 27 - Prayagi – Kantiagarha
(19°27’29.00” N & 85°09’32.04” E – 19°24’44.08” N & 85°06’07.06” E) ~10km
Sector 28 - Kantigarha – Rushikulya R mouth
(19°24’44.08” N & 85°06’07.06” E – 19°22’53.90” N & 85° 4’57.36” E) ~ 10km
Sector 29 - Rushikulya R mouth – Nuagaon
(19°22’53.90” N & 85°4’57.36” E – 19°21’18.62” N & 85°2’27.42” E) ~10km
Sector 30 - Nuagaon – Gopalpur port (Arjipalli)
(19°21’18.62” N & 85°2’27.42” E – 19°18’14.07” N & 84°57’51.48” E) ~ 10km
Sector 31 - Gopalpur port (Arjipalli) – Gopalpur
(19°18’14.07” N & 84°57’51.48” E – 19°15’38.81” N & 84°54’34.89” E) ~10km
Sector 32 - Gopalpur – Markandi creek (Golabandha)
(19°15’38.81” N & 84°54’34.89” E – 19°11’57.44” N & 84°50’22.19” E) ~10km
Sector 33 - Markandi (Golabandha) – Bahuda River mouth
(19°11’57.44” N & 84°50’22.19” E – 19°7’15.65” N & 84°47’3.81” E) ~ 10km
Results
The various developmental activities documented along the coast of Odisha
during the survey period are as follows (Fig. 2).
Ports and shipping
Paradeep port: Among the 12 major ports in India, one, Paradeep (Fig. 3), is
in Odisha in the coastal district of Jagatsinghpur (sector 11). Paradeep is the
main port for trade from the eastern part of the country – serving the states
of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West
Bengal. The port was opened to traffic for iron ore in 1966 but, after three
decades, the cargo profile has undergone a complete transformation. Besides
iron ore, the current cargo mix includes various other metallic ores, fertilizer,
food grains and fertilizer raw materials (Odisha Industrial Policy 2007).
POSCO port: POSCO intends to set up a coast-based integrated steel plant
with a capacity of 12 million tonnes per year. POSCO-India is a private limited
company, a subsidiary of POSCO-Korea which will be implementing this project.
The port requires waterfront facilities along the Jatadhara muhana creek near
Paradeep and is located near the northern part of the creek near the villages of
Noliasahi, Nuagaon and Govindpur (sector 12) (Odisha Industrial Policy 2007).
The Devi sea turtle rookery is ~20 km south of the proposed project site.
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44 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Fig. 3 Port and oil terminal at Paradeep.
Fig. 2. Map of the surveyed coastline showing the locations of developmental activities and
industrial installations.
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Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 45
Gopalpur port: Gopalpur port in Ganjam district has been operating as a minor
port but it operates only during fair weather (sector 31). Considering the
requirements of port-based steel plants and other industries which are growing
up near the port, the state government has decided to develop Gopalpur
port into an all-weather port through private investment. Accordingly, the
state government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a
private company to develop this port (Odisha Industrial Policy 2007). The port
site is located 10km south of Rushikulya river mouth which is also a major
mass nesting site for olive ridley turtles along the Odisha coast.
Dhamra port: This port had been under development in over 500 Hectares of
land by Dhamra Port Co. Ltd. – a Joint Venture of L&T and Tata Steel (sector 5).
It is the deepest port with an 18-metre draught capable of handling 180,000
DWT vessels, with completion planned for September, 2008 (source: Dhamra
Port Corporation Limited www.dhamraport.com). The port site is located
about 13km away from the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. Dhamra is now
fully developed, with loaded cargo ships coming from Australia and China,
and it has become the most important deep water port for import and export
of many raw materials for eastern India.
Along with the above, the state government has approved several major and
minor ports with private investments. The details of these ports are given in
Table 1.
Coastal highways
A 35-km coastal road connects two major tourist centres, Puri and Konark,
along the eastern coast of India. The road was constructed in the early 1980s
and a 15-km stretch passes through the Puri-Balukhand Wildlife Sanctuary.
The coastal stretch between Puri and Konark supports sporadic nesting of
olive ridley turtles (Pandav et al. 1994). The 5-km stretch of this road from
Chandrabhaga to Baliharchandi was constructed very close to the high tide
line of the sea and in places the breakers reach the highway. Similar stretches
of marine drive have been developed between Puri urban beach and Balighai,
Puri urban beach and Mohana creek (Sterling Resort) and Paradeep lighthouse
and Sandhakuda for beach tourism development. All these areas harbour
sporadic nesting beaches for olive ridley turtles. The state government is also
planning to develop a highway along the coastline of the Bay of Bengal linking
Andhra Pradesh in the south to West Bengal in the north. The proposed coastal
road length will extend over 674km from Gopalpur in Odisha to Midnapore
in West Bengal and is envisaged to be executed with the assistance from the
Government of Norway (Government of Odisha, www.Odishagov.nic.in).
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46 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Fertilizers and other chemical industries along the coast
There are four big fertilizer plants in Odisha. Of these, a new phosphate fertilizer
complex in the coastal area at Paradeep, a joint venture of Island Republic
of Nauru and Government of India, has been built recently. It produces di-
ammonium phosphate with a capacity of 2,400 tonnes per day in the first
phase. Its second phase of production of phosphoric acid and phosphorus
pentoxide has also started. Major effluents from this industry are released into
the Mahanadi river system and thereby into the Bay of Bengal.
The Jayashree chemical plant is a chloro-alkali plant, located at the river
mouth of Rushikulya estuary near Ganjam Township. This chemical industry
manufactures caustic soda, hydrochloric acid, sulphur dioxide gas and chlorine
and discharges mercury as a waste product directly into the Rushikulya estuary
(State of Environment Odisha 2006).
Petrochemical industries along the coast
Paradeep (Fig. 3) is poised to become a petrochemical complex for the state
in the near future. The Indian Oil Corporation is setting up a petrochemical
complex there. A 15 MMTPA grassroots refinery-cum-petrochemicals complex
along with a product pipeline to Ranchi is planned to be constructed. The
refinery will have, apart from a crude and vacuum distillation unit, a hydro-
cracking unit, a delayed coker unit and other secondary processing facilities.
Approximately 3,344 acres of land have been taken over by Indian Oil near
the coast and necessary infrastructure developments are being developed.
There is also a proposal for construction of various POL and LPG terminals
at Paradeep.
Sand mining along the coast
Odisha Sands Complex (OSCOM), which is a subsidiary of Indian Rare Earths
Limited (IREL), a private limited company jointly owned by the Government of
India, is located near Chhatrapur to exploit the huge placer deposit across a
mining area of 40sq km to produce 220,000 tonnes of 50% grade limonite
(an iron ore) and associated minerals like rutile, zircon, sillimanite, garnet etc.
The current dredging converts all the limonite to 100,000 tonnes per annum
of 92% grade synthetic rutile. This plant is located 10km south of Rushikulya
sea turtle rookery (Fig. 4). Although the state government is reported to have
proposed leasing other areas for sand extractions, official information on
other areas is not available (source: Indian Rare Earth Limited www.irel.gov.in).
Marine products development and marine fishing in the state
The 480-km coastline has a continental shelf area of ~24,000sq km with
Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) of 100,061 metric tonnes (MT) and
fish landings of 121,929 MT per year. Under the marine sector there are
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Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 47
559 marine fishing villages with a population of ~173,197 fisher folk who
depend on the marine resources for their livelihood. There are 63 fish landing
centres and four major fishing harbours (Fig. 5) in the state with a total of
1,340 mechanized and 15,444 non- mechanized craft (Fig. 6) operating
in the coastal waters of Odisha (Anonymous 2007). The state government
is proposing setting up a modern processing centre with European Union
(EU) norms in various coastal districts with an integrated fishing harbour at
Paradeep, positioning it adjacent to the port so that export can be possible
from Paradeep and also for value addition to by-catch and post-processing
of shrimp, crab and other shellfish. At present the state has 23 exporters
who are processing in 19 modern processing plants spread across the coastal
districts of Odisha (Table 2). The state is also proposing a joint venture of
tuna fishing as tuna fishing grounds are located off the southern coast of the
state. The government of Odisha is also planning the setting up of modern
fishing harbours/Special Economy Zones (SEZs) etc. as major fishing bases,
such as: an integrated fishing harbour at Chudamani in Balasore district with
EU norms; developing the Chandnipal fishing harbour in Bhadrakh, situated
at the northern end of the Dhamra river mouth; and Bahabalpur in Balasore
district which is close to Chandipur. Additionally, the state has a proposal to
upgrade the Nuagarha fishing harbour into the cadre of Paradeep fishing
harbour with more capacity for mechanized craft running from this base.
Table 2 shows the details of existing fishing harbours and those proposed by
the state government.
Fig. 4. Sand mining at IREL near Rushikulya sea turtle rookery.
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48 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Fig. 5. The new fishing harbour at Dhamra.
Fig. 6. Non-mechanised fishing craft along the Odisha coast.
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Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 49
Tourism infrastructure along the coast
The state has considerable growth potential in terms of coastal tourism
especially for Chandipur, Chandrabhaga, Puri, Satapada, Chilika and
Gopalpur, because of good infrastructure facilities (road, rail, air connectivity)
and availability of vast sandy beaches along the major part of the Odisha coast
(280km). A new Tourism Policy has been formulated by the state government
that encourages private sector participation with the government acting as a
catalyst in the process. There is a proposal for Puri and Chilika to be developed
as Special Tourism Areas. The state government has already leased out areas
near Puri to private sector companies for beach resorts and motels. Table 3
shows the proposed area for tourism development in the coastal stretch of
Odisha.
Defence establishments along the coast
Chandipur-on-sea: this is located 15km from Balasore. A number of test
vehicles of different class have been test fired from this range, including
multi-role missiles, multi-target capability missiles, antitank missiles, and the
most precise surface-to-surface missiles. The range is spread over a length of
17km along the sea coast and missiles are test fired into the Bay of Bengal
from time to time.
Wheeler Island: a missile testing facility is maintained on the island;
intermediate-range ballistic missiles are fired from here. Several structures
including the launch pad, the helipad and some of the support buildings have
been constructed on the island recently and bright lights shine at night. The
present turtle mass nesting activities at Gahirmatha connect with the south-
western portion of Wheeler Island.
Indian Naval Service (INS), Chilika: INS Chilika, the premier basic training
establishment of the Indian Navy, is situated on the shores of Chilika Lagoon.
This establishment provides training for all new entrant sailors of the Indian
Navy and Naviks of the Indian Coast Guard. There is ship movement between
INS Chilika and INS Visakhapatnam in the nearshore waters of the Bay of
Bengal.
Army Establishment: The Army Defence and Guidance Missile School, an
artillery unit of the Indian Army, is located at Golabandha, which is close to
the seashore and ~10km south of Gopalpur-on-sea. This unit occasionally
carries out missile operations in the EEZ of the Bay of Bengal (source: Team
Odisha, www.teamOdisha.org).
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50 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Plantations along the coast
To protect the coastal areas from cyclones and other natural calamities, the
government of Odisha initiated Casuarina plantations all along the coast of
Odisha during the early seventies. After the super cyclone of Odisha in 2000-
2001, the raising of new Casuarina plantations and maintenance of older
ones has been taken up again through a Government of India sponsored
integrated coastal shelterbelt programme. Some of the plantation sites along
the coast are prime turtle nesting habitat (Fig. 7) (State of Environment Odisha
2006).
Impact of developmental activities on sea turtles and their
nesting habitat
The ports’ construction involves raising the level of the port site by dumping
sand/silt to the required height. Then the ancillary development that will grow
up around the port site may have its own impacts on the biodiversity of
the area, as land use changes, pollution increases and the natural habitat is
altered or destroyed. The offshore waters of Odisha are home to the breeding
grounds for olive ridley turtles. The large amount of dredging of shipping
channels may have impacts on the turbidity of the water and light penetration
as well as on the benthic habitat and therefore potential impacts on the entire
food chain, including sea turtles. This may affect the primary productivity and
Fig. 7. Casuarina plantation invading the sea turtle nesting beach.
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Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 51
may also increase Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels in these waters.
Elevated noise may well deter adults from nesting sites and foraging areas
and could also lead to other modified behaviour.
Despite best efforts, all ports globally, and particularly in Indian conditions,
lead to a significant increase in pollution in surrounding waters from
accidental fuel oil leaks, cargo discharges, bilge cleaning and sundry other
sources. A mega-port may alter this scenario radically with impacts on the
ecology and the flora and fauna. Elevated noise levels and pollution described
above could impact on the waters of the breeding areas for turtles. In
addition, light pollution could also pose a serious threat to nesting behaviour
and hatchling survival. All the existing and proposed ports are in proximity
to the mass nesting sites. Though this is below the horizon, the glow from
artificial lighting does extend over the horizon, as has been experienced with
Paradeep port. The lighting from the port and especially from the ancillary
development may pose a very significant threat to nesting and hatching.
There are already a number of fishing harbours and jetties or fish landing
centres along the Odisha coast and the decision of the state government
to upgrade and/or construct new fishing harbours and jetties near some of
the major river mouths may spell grave danger for the survival of sea turtle
populations in the coastal waters. The increased number of harbours and
jetties means more mechanized fishing fleets and greater fishing activities,
which might lead to increased incidental catch of turtles.
Casuarina plantations along the coast not only reduce the nesting space
but also are detrimental to the nesting of sea turtles in more than one way.
These plantations encroach on the nesting beaches, because once Casuarina
grows it changes the beach topography by its root growth and deposition
of litter thereby restricting the area available to sea turtles for nesting. These
plantations also provide cover to animals such as jackals and hyenas which
predate on sea turtle eggs.
Coastal highways may directly affect sea turtles by reducing the space
available for them to nest and disturbance during egg laying activities, with
round-the-clock vehicular traffic and presence of humans and feral animals
on the beach.
The defence establishments and particularly the missile test programme
at Chandipur-on-sea, Wheeler islands, the training centre INS-Chilika and
Golabandha are located close to the mass nesting sites and the target ranges
are in the offshore waters of Odisha where turtles are known to congregate
for breeding. However, no information is available about the impact of these
on the change in water quality and other critical parameters affecting turtles
in the area. Artificial illumination is also detrimental to sea turtles because it
disrupts critical behaviour, including nest site choice and the nocturnal sea-
finding behaviour of both hatchlings and nesting females.
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52 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Overall thematic representations of the developmental activities are given in
Fig. 2. However, all the above assessments are preliminary in nature and need
an in-depth environmental study on the possible impact of developments on
sea turtles and their habitats along the Odisha coast.
Acknowledgements
This report is an outcome of the short-term project financed by the British
Chelonia Group. Acknowledgements are due to the following for successful
implementation of the project. To the BCG for funding this project, with
special thanks to Anne Rowberry, Conservation Officer, for approving the
project. Our sincere thanks to the Wildlife Institute of India, especially where
information has been obtained from the DGH final report. Thanks also to
the Field Assistants, especially Kalia, Mahadev, Sridhara, and Sankar for their
assistance throughout the field work in Odisha.
References
Anonymous (2001). Handbook on Fisheries Statistics, Directorate of Fisheries,
Government of Odisha.
Anonymous (2007). Fisheries and ARD Department, Government of Odisha.
Behera, S., Tripathy, B., Sivakumar, K. & Choudhury, B.C. (2013). A case study on
olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea) solitary nests in Gahirmatha rookery, Odisha,
India. Testudo 7(5): 49-60.
Commerce & Transport Department, Port policy (2007). Government of Odisha.
Dhamra Port Corporation Limited http://www.dhamraport.com
Government of Odisha www.Odishagov.nic.in
Indian Rare Earth Limited www.irel.gov.in
Lutz, P. & Musick, J. (2013). The Biology of Sea Turtles (3rd Edn.). CRC Press, Boca
Raton.
National Research Council (1990). Decline of the Sea Turtles: Causes and Prevention.
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National Research Council. National Academy Press, Washington D.C., 259pp.
Odisha Industrial Policy (2007). Industries Department, Government of Odisha.
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turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) and their nesting beaches along the Odisha coast,
India. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 48pp.
State of Environment Odisha (2006). Prepared and published by Odisha State
Pollution Control Board.
Team Odisha http://www.teamOdisha.org
© Copyright BCG
Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 53
WII-DGH Turtle Project Interim Report (2011). Determining the offshore distribution,
migration and movement of olive ridley sea turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) along
the east coast of India, Draft Final Report, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.
.
Table 1. Sites which have been identified for development of ports.
Sl.
No
Name of
the Port
District Sector Status
1 Kirtania Balasore 1 MoU signed between state
government and Creative
Port Development Company
Ltd., Chennai
2 Bahabalpur Balasore 4 State Government plans to
develop this as a minor port
3 Chandipur Balasore 4 - Do -
4 Dhamra
Port
Bhadrak 5 Being developed under the
Joint Venture of L&T & Tata
Steel.
5 Jatadhara Jagatsinghpur 12 MoU signed between state
government and POSCO
6 Astarang Puri 15 State Government plans to
develop this as a minor port
7 Bali-Har-
ichandi
Puri 19 - Do -
8 Palur Ganjam 25 - Do -
9 Bahuda Ganjam 33 - Do -
10 Chudamani Bhadrak - - Do -
11 Inchuri Balasore - - Do -
Source: Government of Odisha Port Policy, 2007
© Copyright BCG
54 Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1
Table 2. Sites which have been identified for fishing harbour developments.
Sl.
No
Name
of the
Harbour
District Sector Status
1 Dhamra Bhadrak 5 To be upgraded to an
integrated fishing harbour
2 Nuagarha Puri 14 MoU signed between
state government and
Norway for developing it
as an international fishing
harbour with modern
facilities
3 Chudamani Bhadrak - Developing it as an
integrated fishing harbour
with EU norms
4 Chandnipal Bhadrak - Fishing harbour with
mechanized fishing capacity
5 Bahuda Ganjam 33 MoU signed between state
government and Norway/
Ireland for developing it
as an integrated fishing
harbour
Source: Government of Odisha, Fisheries Department, 2006
© Copyright BCG
Testudo Vol. 8, No. 1 55
Table 3. Proposed areas for tourism infrastructure development.
Sl.
No
Name of the
Tourism spot
District Sector Purpose
1 Hukitola-Batighara Jagatsinghpur - Monument &
recreational tourism
2 Paradeep-
Sandhakuda
Jagatsinghpur 11 Beach tourism
Pirajahania -
Chandrabhaga
Puri 16 Turtle and dolphin
watch
3 Toshali Sand Puri 20 Beach tourism
4 Puri urban beach Puri 21 Beach tourism
5 Satapada (Chilika) Puri - Dolphin watch
6 Prayagi-Rushikulya Ganjam 27 Turtle and dolphin
watch
7 Gopalpur Ganjam 32 Beach tourism
Source: Odisha Tourism Development Corporation, 2006
© Copyright BCG
