Due to environmental concerns, activists in Odisha want the ropeway project abandoned

The government of Odisha intends to build Chilika Lake the longest ropeway in the nation.

Social activists and environmentalists in Odisha have requested Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to halt the Parvatmala scheme’s proposed ropeway in Chilika Lake in response to growing concerns.

The government of Odisha intends to build Chilika Lake the longest ropeway in the nation.

According to one of the social workers and writers, Anil Dhir, the Works Department has planned ten ropeway projects, two of which would be built in Chilika. The longest will be 5.3 kilometres from Prayagi Krushnaprasad Road to Kalijai Temple and 3.34 kilometres from Jhankikuda Road.

Dhir expressed worry over the project’s potential effects on the areas used by migrating birds for nesting and foraging “There is a possibility that some groups of birds will avoid the alignment area and move to other areas of the lake. Some birds may be attracted towards the ropeway for food.”

As a Ramsar site, Chilika is subject to the Wetland Conservation and Management Rule, 2017, and conversion for non-wetland purposes is strictly prohibited. According to the regulation, wetlands shall be managed and conserved in accordance with the Wetlands Authority’s determination of the principle of “intelligent use.”

Bird deaths and injuries caused by glass-sided cable cars have been documented in studies in New Zealand, according to Dhir.

“The fragile ecology of the lake is already under stress. The construction of accommodation units, eateries, parking lots and public amenities for tourists will alter the landscape,” stated Dhir.

The coastal highway alignment too needs to be changed, he added.

“Chilika attracts nearly a million waterfowl every winter.  The lake cannot be a mass tourism site as it would upset its fragile ecosystem. Birds are very sensitive to anthropogenic changes and setting up such aerial structures will impact them immediately. I urge the Chief Minister to drop this harmful project in the interests of our valuable bird life,”stated, an environmental campaigner.