India's endless quest for gas has run up against the threat this may pose to one of its favourite turtles. Petroleum Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has been asked to play judge and decide whether exploration should continue in an area that the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) claims is the breeding zone for Olive Ridley turtles. The PCRA is completely opposed to the idea. ‘‘Though exploratory activities are carried out at a distance of 40-60 km from the (Orissa) coast, their lights could have an adverse impact on (the) turtles,’’ argues PCRA executive director Leena Mehendale in a letter to Aiyar. She says that the turtles are afraid of artificial lights and the disorientation could see them heading towards land, resulting in high mortality. Moreover, during the assessment phase, the gas would have to be flared for several days. ‘‘This flaring is bound to add to the problem,’’ she wrote. The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH), another wing of the same ministry, disagrees with the PCRA assessment. For one, it says that heavy lighting is not used during drilling. ‘‘Moreover, the point is irrelevant because the drilling locations are 30-50 km away from the breeding, nesting or foraging areas. Once the drilling rig moves away after the completion of operations, there are no light sources in place,’’ it said. The DGH seems keen to explore the area as there have been promising gas finds along this coastline. On the other hand PCRA, which was asked to look at the environmental impact of such activity, is worried about the 70-cm long Olive Ridleys. These smallest of sea turtles swim northwards from Sri Lanka between November and April for mass nesting on the Orissa coast. This occurs at three nesting grounds—Gahirmatha, Devi river mouth and Rushikulya river mouth. These are precisely the three exploration sites mentioned in the PCRA report. The DGH disagrees. ‘‘The distance of the drilling locations are at least 30-50 km away from the outer boundaries of Devi, Rushikulya and Gahirmatha breeding areas,’’ it has said. Mehendale has suggested a detailed analysis of the impact that the exploration or drilling activity could have on the turtles. The Environment Ministry’s Multi-disciplinary Expert Group, that visited the exploration sites, could not come to a definite conclusion either and agreed that there was a ‘‘need for carrying out more detailed study’’. Mehendale’s fear is that once hydrocarbon reserves in this area are established, permanent fixtures would come up and construction activity would increase. The appeal is before Aiyar who has called a meeting of the PCRA, the DGH and the block operators this month before he announces his decision.
