Vadhavan Port might impact wealth of biodiversity found at Shankodhar shrine: Survey

A recent zoological survey conducted by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has found a wealth of marine biodiversity at Shankodhar shrine in Mumbai. This biodiversity, including dolphins and sensitive marine organisms, may be impacted by the construction of the proposed Vadhavan Port. The shrine, which is submerged for most of the year, is a unique site for Hindu pilgrims. There are concerns that the port project, which involves reclaiming land from the Arabian Sea, may permanently submerge the shrine and impact the pilgrimage. The NIO has made recommendations to mitigate the impact on marine life.

Mumbai: A wealth of marine biodiversity has been found at Shankodhar shrine, a few hundred metres away from the headland at Vadhavan Beach, during a zoological survey. These life forms may be potentially impacted by the construction of the proposed Vadhavan Port, according to a report.

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The finding includes dolphins, solitary cup corals (Paracyathus profundus) and other “sensitive marine organisms”, as per a recent report by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), accessed exclusively by Hindustan Times.

HT was the first to report, this April, on residents’ concerns that the port will adversely impact the ecology of the shrine and surrounding sub-tidal region, which falls within the port’s limits.

What makes Shankodhar shrine unique is that it remains submerged for most of the year, only revealing itself for durations of about 30 minutes to an hour, during extremely low (or ‘negative’) tides. The NIO was subsequently tasked with conducting a survey, which was done on May 18 and 19 this year.

Annually, around the day of Akshaya Tritiya, hundreds of pilgrims undertake a journey to the shrine, to pay respects to the Hindu deity Rama. Per native lore, Rama conducted his father Raja Dashrath’s post death rituals, ‘pind daan’ and ‘asthi visarjan’ at this site, on the 27th day after the king’s passing.

There are concerns that the project — which will involve reclaiming 1,473 hectares of land from the Arabian Sea — may cause the shrine to become permanently submerged, putting an end to this pilgrimage, though this aspect is not addressed by the NIO survey.

“The native people claim that there were ecologically sensitive organisms present in this environment which was not covered in the earlier biodiversity study (for Vadhavan Port),” states the NIO’s report. “Therefore, the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority (DTEPA) had entrusted the NIO to conduct a study on the biodiversity of the Shankodhar point and document the ecologically sensitive organisms.”

“The rocky outcrops at Shankodhar point serve as a habitat for variety of organisms including the barnacles, molluscs, hydroids, and corals. The presence of mollusc’s egg capsule mass over the rocks indicates that this site could be the breeding ground for those organisms,” states the report.

“In addition, there are numerous tide pools and tide channels which provide additional niches for more marine organisms. The majority of rocks were smothered with thin tube-like structures which are found to be inhabited by Tanaidacean (small, shrimp-like) crustaceans,” states the report.

These “tube-like structures” are revered by pilgrims as the body of Rama himself. It is believed that after conducting Dasrath’s asthi visarjan, Rama cut off a lock of his hair and left it behind in the ocean, and his hair now “lives” on the rocks of Shankodhar.

In all, the NIO has recorded 12 species of fauna and one species of flora around Shankodhar, “supporting the fact that Shankodhar point is biologically rich.”

In addition to this, a school of three dolphins were sighted in the subtidal area of the Shankodhar point indicating the presence of cetaceans in the vicinity, who might be displaced because of the offshore port, which will be located several kilometres away from the coast.

A senior official with the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA), which is executing the Vadhavan Port project, told HT, “We welcome NIO’s report. It should be noted that the NIO has made several recommendations to mitigate the impact of the port on marine life. They are implementable suggestions. The JNPA has every intention of working with the local communities to preserve this shrine.”

BOX:

POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF VADHAVAN PORT ON SHANKODHAR BIODIVERSITY:

Land reclamation for the port may alter the coastal hydrology which in turn could affect the larval dispersal, availability of food resources, and migration of marine mammals.

Dispersion of sediments towards the Shankodhar point can impact marine life through smothering and reducing the absorption of light for photosynthesis.

Increased sedimentation might affect growth and development of fishes, which are an important source of livelihood for locals.

Movement of vessels and discharge of ship waste might possibly introduce pests which could settle into that region and threaten the native species.

Oil spill, if any, and its dispersion towards the Shankodhar area will have deleterious impact on marine organisms.

Underwater noise generated due to vessel movement, dredging, and construction might result in behavioural changes of dolphins, and may cause temporary or permanent loss of hearing.

Source: ‘Marine Biodiversity at Shankodhar Point, Dahanu Taluka, Maharashtra’ report by NIO.