THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : Days after a successful trial run of the ambitious seaplane service, forest authorities and environmental and animal rights groups are escalating their opposition to the project in Mattupetty, an ecologically sensitive region known for its wildlife diversity.
As concerns mount, a collective of environmental activists is threatening to take legal action if the government decides to proceed with the seaplane’s operation in Mattupetty. Groups argue that the seaplane, introduced as a measure to boost tourism, could have devastating consequences for animal habitats.
The Coexistence Collective Kerala has decided to move the High Court against the project. Vice president of the collective M N Jayachandran said the trial run of the seaplane is being carried out without essential environmental studies, including an assessment of carrying capacity and social impact.
“This is a violation of the directives of the Supreme Court to safeguard national parks and ecologically sensitive areas,” Jayachandran alleged. He said the collective has decided to move court, if the government persists with trial runs at Mattupetty.
The forest department has also raised serious concerns over the operation of the seaplane at Mattupetty -- which is surrounded by areas that are part of the eco-sensitive zone protected by law.
“We have already sent a complaint to the chief minister and the government has forwarded the plaint to the tourism department. This is a matter of grave concern. The operation of the seaplane has the potential to cause noise and water pollution. Mattupetty is the source of drinking water for wild animals, including elephants,” Jayachandran, a former member of the Animal Welfare Board, said.
The seaplane service has been launched as part of the central government’s UDAN project which aims at improving air connectivity to tourist spots. The 17-seater seaplane, manufactured by de Havilland Canada, successfully completed a test flight last Monday.
Aviation secretary and KSEB chairman Biju Prabhakar said the concerns and allegations are baseless. “We avoided the Idukki dam for the seaplane project because it’s located inside a forest. Mattupetty dam is different, as it is within the confines of the town. The reservoir has hosted boating operations since 1996, besides daily tourism and adventure activities in its vicinity. If forest authorities are so concerned about pollution they should stop the boating services and other tourism activities,” Prabhakar told TNIE.
He said the seaplane service can address the growing traffic and pollution in the region. “It took only 16 minutes for us to return to CIAL from Mattupetty and we should start thinking in terms of the future. The state needs such facilities. Every time something new is introduced a section of people starts protesting. This has become a pattern in the state,” he added.
Forest Minister A K Saseendran said that he will be responsive to the concerns raised. “The main sticking point for the department is the operations in Mattupetty. The seaplane is undergoing trial runs and we don’t want to oppose it at this early stage. There will be discussions and all concerns will be sorted out,” the minister told TNIE.
Concerns raised
A letter sent by the Munnar divisional forest officer to the district collector has highlighted the following points
Mattupetty dam reservoir is located in a forest area.
Anamudi Shola National Park is located to the north, at an aerial distance of just 3.5km.
Pampadum Shola National Park and Kurinjimala Sanctuary are located immediately to the east.
Parts of Kanan Devan Hills Reserve Forest, home to endangered wildlife, including elephants, also hug the reservoir.
Forest authorities say seaplane operations are likely to disturb wildlife habitats around Mattupetty and trigger and scale up human-wildlife conflicts.
They have mandated a wildlife conflict mitigation plan for the area approved by the National Board for Wildlife