Relocate Cheyyur power plant, say naturalists

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, THE HINDU

CHENNAI, April 5, 2014

Members of the Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS) and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) on Friday appealed to the government to relocate the proposed 4,000-MW power plant and a captive port to an alternative location from Cheyyur in Kancheepuram district.

Ravi Chellam, vice-president, BNHS, said the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests’ Expert Appraisal Committee claimed that “migratory birds are found to be negligible’’ in the lagoon area. However, a joint study by the MNS and BNHS revealed that the lagoon had a rich birdlife.

Read more: http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-tamilnadu/relocate-cheyyur-power-plant-say-naturalists/article5874395.ece

Relocating Cheyyur Coal Power Plant Project will protect fish, birds, lagoon: experts

DC Correspondent

Chennai, April 4

Power Plant Poses Big Threat to Birds in Cheyyur: Study

By Express News Service – CHENNAI

Published: 05th April 2014 08:19 AM

Contrary to the claims of the Union Environment Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee, a joint survey by the Bombay Natural History Society and Madras Naturalists Society has found that the Odiyur Lagoon, adjoining the proposed Cheyyur power plant, is habitat for a vast number of resident and migratory waterbirds.

Read more: http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/Power-Plant-Poses-Big-Threat-to-Birds-in-Cheyyur-Study/2014/04/05/article2150521.ece#.Uz-u4xaXIb0

 

 

 

 

Naturalists oppose new power plant at Cheyyur

Times of India. Page 5

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS) have released a study that contests the claims of an environment ministry report that cleared the proposed 4,000MW power plant at Cheyyur off East Coast Road near Chennai.

While giving clearance to the project in September 2013, the ministry said the presence of migratory birds was negligible in the area and there were no reserved forests, mangroves or estuaries.

The latest study by independent experts said that the area has more than 36 migratory bird species, eight of them endangered. Besides, it is a feedingcum-breeding ground for fish and has an estuary, it said.

The report has raised concerns of acidic emissions and air pollution from the power plant, and advised the ministry to shift the location of the power plant to another area.

Ravi Chellam of the Bombay Natural History Society, part of the study team, said, “We are not against the power plant. But it should not be given environmental clearance based on incorrect data and claims” .

Relocate Cheyyur Power Plant; Declare Cheyyur Ecosensitive Area: BNHS Urges Central Govt

4 April, 2014 — The 4000 MW Cheyyur coal power project has high potential to irreversibly damage the Odiyur Lagoon, destabilise fisheries and increase the vulnerability of the area to flooding events, according to a scientific study titled “Evaluation of the Waterbirds of Odiyur Lagoon – a Wetland near the proposed Cheyyur Power Plant” by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and the Madras Naturalists’ Society (MNS). Releasing the report at a Press Conference today, Dr. Ravi Chellam, Vice President and Member of the Governing Council of the Bombay Natural History Society, said the study makes a strong case for relocating the power plant and captive port to an alternative location that is in compliance with the siting guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Environment & Forests. He urged the State and Central Governments to notify the Lagoon and its catchment as an Ecologically Sensitive Area under the Environment Protection Act and regulate activities to ensure the protection of local biodiversity, local livelihoods and the region’s hydrological functions.