NEW DELHI, Sept 14: An Environment Ministry panel has asked Madhya Pradesh Water Resources Department to obtain comments of the Cheetah Steering Committee about an irrigation project that will submerge 596 hectares of forest land.
The Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC), in its meeting on August 29, recommended standard terms of reference for the Sonpura Major Micro Irrigation Project proposed on the Karai river, a tributary of the Kuno.
The project will irrigate 19,410 hectares in 92 villages across Shivpuri and Guna districts. It requires 1,042.9 hectares of land — 615.14 hectares of forest land, 248.53 hectares of government land and 179.23 hectares of private land.
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The submergence area is 1,023.65 hectares, of which 596 hectares is forest land.
According to the minutes of the meeting, the panel directed the department to examine wildlife corridors within 10 km of the project site and prepare a site-specific wildlife conservation plan.
The direction comes at a time when the government is working to establish a viable cheetah population in India.
Seventy years after the species went extinct in the country, Project Cheetah was launched in 2022 to reintroduce the big cat. As part of this effort, 20 African cheetahs were brought to Kuno National Park — eight from Namibia in September 2022 and 12 from South Africa in February 2023.
Eleven of them have survived, including two that were transferred to Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in April. Since the introduction, 26 cubs have been born, of which 17 have survived.
The EAC said the project area supports wild species protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act and directed that studies on the presence of such species must be included.
It also required measures to minimise human-animal conflict, highlighting that submergence of large forest patches and construction activity could disturb natural habitats and restrict the movement of animals.
“PP shall submit comments of the Cheetah Steering Committee regarding the project,” the EAC said.
On aquatic ecology, the EAC asked for assessments of seasonal variations in river flow, impacts on fish productivity and changes in the aquatic system once the reservoir is created.
For human communities, the minutes record that the project will affect villages with a significant tribal population. The land to be acquired includes forest-dependent areas, raising concerns about loss of grazing grounds, fodder, fuelwood and minor forest produce.
The EAC said the environmental impact assessment should specifically study these impacts on livelihoods and suggest mitigation.
The committee also pointed out that Stage-I forest clearance has not yet been applied for and will be essential before the project can proceed.
It sought a detailed cost–benefit analysis of the forest diversion and biodiversity loss, along with conservation measures to offset ecological damage.
The Rs 855.3 crore project is expected to improve irrigation in drought-prone Shivpuri and Guna, but the EAC said the social and ecological costs must be fully accounted for during the impact assessment and public hearings before any final clearance is considered. (PTI)
