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New Delhi, Dec 22: BJD MP from Cuttack Bhartruhari Mahtab Friday told the Lok Sabha that the actions of Chhattisgarh were threatening the lives of endangered species that call Chilika and Bhitarkanika home.
Mahtab, speaking at Question Hour, reminded the House that Bhitarkanika was declared a sanctuary in the 1970s and that the Chilika Lake was a sanctuary for Irrawaddy Dolphins. He called for the protection of endangered species to protect the natural habitat in the areas.
“In the past few years, the flow of sweet water in River Mahanadi has been choked by Chhattisgarh. Post-monsoon, the flow in the river is poor which is raising salinity in Bhitarkanika and Chilika, which is endangering species such as the Irrawaddy dolphins and crocodiles,” he said.
The MP asked the Union Environment and Forest Ministry to advise the Water Resources Ministry to ensure free flow of water to ensure conservation of the endangered species.
In his response to Mahtab’s statement, the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Harsh Vardhan told the Lok Sabha: “We are going to Rs25 crore over the next five years [for the conservation of Irrawaddy dolphins]. The project is already with us and it is getting sanctioned. It will be sanctioned very soon.”
He added that crocodiles were already conserved in Orissa with support from the Union government under different schemes. “If this issue is not in the knowledge of the other ministry I can certainly in the interest of the conservation of these very significant endangered species write to the relevant ministry to take necessary action on this account,” he added.