THE GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND(GNI)
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT
POLICY AND GIS MAPPING EXERCISE
CATEGORY: GIS MAPPING (QGIS), POLICY, RESEARCH
WHAT IS THE'HOLISTIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECT OF THE GREAT NICOBAR ISLAND'?
The proposed by the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation LTD (ANIIDCO) for the holistic development of the Great Nicobar Island (GNI) includes four development projects including - an International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), Green Field International Airport, Township and Area Development, and a Power Plant for energy production.
The goal of the project is to enable the overall development of GNI, with a diverse and robust economy based on maritime services, and tourism amongst other economic drivers.
Location of Four Interlinked Projects , Source: Project EIA Report
Conceptual Plan, Source: Project EIA Report
Ecologically Sensitive Areas at GNI as per ZSI , Source: Project EIA Report
Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change gave environmental clearance for this ambitious Rs 72,000 crore development project. The project is to be implemented in three phases over the next 30 years. The clearance, however, does not stipulate any conditions for stopping work if negative impacts are seen, for instance, on the indigenous Shompen community, the leatherback turtle or the endemic Nicobar megapode (a bird).
TASK 1 : REVIEW EIA REPORT FOR YOUR SITE AND WRITE A POLICY BRIEF WITH RECOMMENDATIONS
The (EIA) Report on this project pointed out in the report that GNI lies within the ‘Ring of Fire’, meaning it lies close to a tectonic fault line and is prone to severe natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis. As pointed out in the comments of the EIA draft, the islands had experienced nearly 444 earthquakes in the last 10 years and the plan for the container terminal here needs to be reconsidered. Building such vast and extensive infrastructure in a disaster prone site could prove to be detrimental to all life on the islands.
The Ring of Fire, Source: Project EIA Report
TASK 2 : USE GIS MAPPING TO CREATE A VISUAL DATA MAP FOR YOUR SITE
The Great Nicobar Island lies in the ‘Ring of Fire’.This refers to the island’s proximity to tectonic plate boundaries which makes the region prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. In light of this, the map above indicates the location of important emergency services on the island in relation to important road networks and settlements. As one can see on the map, there are very few emergency services available on the island and are difficult to access from far off settlements, making the people on island very vulnerable to natural disasters.