By Shatakshi Gawade
The loud, dramatic calls of the western hoolock gibbon Hoolock hoolock echo through the forest of the Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary in Jorhat, Assam. A Wildlife Institute of India study found that the Protected Area is home to only about 125 of these, India’s only apes, that live in over 24 family groups. Wildlife scientists warn that even a small disturbance in their arboreal habitat could destabilise these endangered primates. Hoolongopar, which has the distinction of supporting the highest primate diversity in a Protected Area (PA) of India, also hosts six other primate species – capped langur, stump-tailed macaque, northern pig-tailed macaque, Assamese macaque, rhesus macaque, and Bengal slow loris.
Just a little over four hours by road from Hollongapar, the 2020 Baghjan oil and gas leak disaster displaced about 9,000 people, burnt down homes, and damaged the fragile ecology, with oil spills polluting lakes and rivers. Photo: Diganta Rajkhowa/Sanctuary Photolibrary.
The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) gave an in-principle approval to Vedanta Limited’s Cairn Oil and Gas for oil and gas exploration drilling on 4.49 hectares in the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. This will include diversion of forest land, according to minutes of the August 27, 2024 meeting on the Parivesh portal.
Earlier this year, Cairn announced its intention to pursue exploration activities to lay the groundwork for its future growth, with plans to drill up to 20 exploration wells by 2025, reported ETEnergyworld.com. A quick scan of the Parivesh portal revealed that Cairn has also received Stage-I / In-principle approval for oil and gas exploration drilling on 1.7155 ha. of forest land in the Namphai Reserve Forest in the Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve, in Assam’s Tinsukia district.
Hollongapar’s Chief Wildlife Warden has noted considerable wild elephant movement in the area. He submitted the human-animal conflict management and wildlife conservation plans to the FAC, and informed that Rs. 5.57 crores has been set aside for their implementation. The conservation plan includes initiatives such as awareness programmes, native tree planting, and wildlife protection signages.
The 21 sq. km. Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary has been imperilled since 1887, when a 1.65 km. broad-gauge railway track split the PA into two unequal parts. The division has disconnected the sanctuary from neighbouring forest patches, effectively creating a ‘forest island’. The exclusively arboreal gibbon, which lives in the upper reaches of trees, is particularly sensitive to gaps in the canopy. The railway line has isolated gibbons on either side of the tracks.
Still fresh in people’s minds is the Baghjan oil and gas leak of May 2020, near the Dibru Saikhowa National Park in Tinsukia district, that caused a fire that raged for nearly five months. About four hours by road from Hollongapar, the disaster displaced about 9,000 people, burnt homes, and damaged the ecology, as the oil spill polluted lakes and rivers.
Environmentalists, student bodies and other civil society organisations have voiced their concerns about drilling for oil in Hollongapar’s ESZ. The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and the Assam State Committee of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) have opposed the Centre’s decision, with intentions to start a joint agitation if their demands are ignored. The farmers’ organisation Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) demanded the withdrawal of the in-principle approval. While highlighting the importance of Hollongapar for the incredibly shy hoolock gibbons, Gaurav Gogoi, the Deputy leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, wrote to Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav requesting a reconsideration of the wildlife department’s recommendation. “While I understand the potential economic benefits of the project, these cannot come at the expense of our natural heritage and endangered wildlife,” he wrote, reported The Times of India.
Forests stabilise the climate and play a vital part in the carbon cycle. With the rising human and economic costs of climate change, we cannot afford to lose more of our forest landscapes. Halting the loss and degradation of natural systems and promoting their restoration is essential for climate change mitigation and must be considered in any economic discussions about oil and gas exploration in biodiversity-rich areas. The availability and lower costs of renewable energy can help us make our growing economy less dependent on oil and gas. India has the opportunity to set an example by transitioning away from fossil fuels to green alternatives. We must choose the right fork – between contributing to a deepening climate crisis or embracing the shift to more sustainable, clean-energy solutions. We must find the right balance and work toward an energy transition that is fair to a developing nation faced with challenges to protect its citizens from the vagaries of climate while meeting its economic challenges.
Hopefully, the trepidation and protests from various groups in Assam on this oil and gas exploration project will translate into successful mobilisation and a rethink of how we want our country to create a sustainable future for our citizens.
