Great Nicobar Task: Pursuing National Security with Ecological Responsibility

Editorial Summary

The Indian Express addresses the Great Nicobar Island mega-project controversy, arguing that India’s genuine strategic need for a deep-water port and naval base near the Malacca Strait is undermined by the quality of its environmental governance in executing the project. The editorial calls for a transparent, science-backed EIA — covering all seasons and ecological parameters — rather than clearances obtained through limited surveys. It emphasises that protecting the Shompen tribe (a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group) and the island’s unique biodiversity are not obstructions to national security but are essential to India’s credibility as a responsible environmental actor.

Why Great Nicobar Matters Strategically

Great Nicobar Island occupies a position of exceptional strategic value:

The editorial does not dispute these imperatives. What it disputes is how the project is being executed.

The Editorial’s Core Argument

Problem 1: Inadequate EIA

The EIA for the Great Nicobar project was conducted primarily over 4 months (October–January) — the dry season. The editorial argues this is scientifically insufficient because:

• Monsoon season (May–September) is when many species are most active — breeding birds, nesting turtles, migratory species
• Galathea Bay’s reef ecology cannot be adequately assessed in a single dry season
• Hydrological modeling for port construction dredging impacts requires multi-year baseline data

Recommendation: A full 12-month baseline EIA is the minimum standard for a project of this ecological significance and financial scale.

Problem 2: Coral Translocation Is Not Conservation

The government’s translocation of 15,000+ coral colonies from the Galathea Bay construction zone is presented as ecological mitigation. The editorial argues:

• Coral translocation survival rates are 30–60% in best-case scenarios
• Translocated corals lose their ecological position — the structural habitat they provided is gone
• Galathea Bay’s reef is not just individual corals but a complex, interacting ecosystem built over centuries
• “Translocation” of 15,000 colonies does not replace the ecosystem services of an intact reef

Problem 3: Shompen Rights

The Shompen are among India’s most isolated PVTGs — an estimated 200–400 individuals who have lived in voluntary isolation in Great Nicobar’s forests for millennia. The editorial raises:

• No evidence of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) being obtained from Shompen representatives
• The township and airport construction will bring 50,000+ non-tribal workers and residents — fundamentally altering the island’s human ecology
• Forest Rights Act 2006 and PESA 1996 protections may not have been fully invoked

What “Ecological Responsibility” in National Security Looks Like

The editorial argues that other democracies show it is possible to build strategic infrastructure with rigorous environmental safeguards:

• Australia’s HMAS Stirling (Western Australia) — major naval expansion done with marine environmental surveys, reef protection exclusion zones, and indigenous consultation
• Japan’s Henoko base (Okinawa) — years of environmental litigation; government eventually had to fund large-scale coral relocation with 5-year survival monitoring
• India itself: INS Kadamba at Karwar underwent phased ecological impact assessment over multiple years

The standard: Strategic necessity does not exempt a project from scientific rigour in environmental assessment. It raises the bar — because strategic projects are long-term investments that must survive legal challenge and international scrutiny.

UPSC Relevance

Prelims

• Project location: Galathea Bay, Great Nicobar Island
• Cost: ₹72,000 crore
• Distance from Malacca Strait: ~150 km
• Coral colonies translocated: 15,000+ (ZSI supervised)
• Turtle species: Leatherback sea turtle
• Indigenous community: Shompen (PVTG, ~200–400 persons)
• Implementing agency: ANIIDCO
• EIA notification: 2006 (MoEFCC)

Mains Angles

1. GS3 — Environmental Governance: Critically examine the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006. Does it provide adequate safeguards for biodiversity-sensitive strategic infrastructure projects?
2. GS2 — Tribal Rights: What obligations does India have under PESA 1996 and FRA 2006 toward PVTGs like the Shompen in the context of large infrastructure projects?
3. GS3 — Security vs. Environment: Is it possible to reconcile India’s national security imperatives with its international environmental commitments? Use the Great Nicobar project as a case study.

Facts Corner

Source: Great Nicobar Task: Pursuing National Security with Ecological Responsibility — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Editorial Analysis