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Pipeline projects pose threat to tiger corridor, sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh
A tiger corridor and a mangrove sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh may soon come under threat if two proposed pipeline projects are approved by the Centre.
The proposed Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) pipeline project will pass through 7 hectares of land that comes under the tiger corridor in Kadapa, while the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) has sought for diversion of 19 hectares of land for its pipeline that would pass through Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary in Kakinada .
HPCL proposed to lay 16-inch diameter pipeline for transport of finished petroleum originating from Vijayawada HPCL terminal to the proposed terminal at Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu.
The Ministry of Environment and and Forests (MOEF) had earlier given nod to HPCL for diversion of 16.57 hectares of forest land in Chittoor, Kadapa and Proddutur division on condition that the state government verifies the status of the proposed area to check if it falls in the tiger corridor. The chief wildlife warden in February 2019, while okaying the proposal, had approved the project on condition that the pipeline is 1 metre below the soil surface and that the use of heavy machinery is minimal.
Environmentalist Devidas Manghnani said, “ONGC must try to avoid the tiger corridor and choose an alternate route. More damage will be done during the laying of the pipeline. This corridor is crucial to connect Nallamalai and Seshachalam forests.”
ONGC has proposed to lay a 20-inch 31km-long pipeline from the mouth of the Goutami river to ONGC onshore plant at Mallavaram village in Tallaravu mandal of East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh.
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