Kendrapara: Rapid coastal erosion has posed serious threat to the existence of the world-famous Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in Kendrapara district which is known as the nursery of endangered Olive Ridley turtles. The marine turtles have been listed as endangered and under the red list of International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The disappearance of Agarnasi island into the sea which was earlier part of the Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is a case in this point. The Agarnasi island was spread over on seven sq/km area.
However, the island has been washed away into the sea due to constant erosion. Environmentalists and nature lovers fear that the day is not far when the whole Gahirmatha marine sanctuary might get washed away into the sea. They also apprehend that places like Chataka, a habitat for over 10,000 birds apart from being a breeding ground of the turtles, will be washed away into the sea in next five years.
Similarly, human habitats like Suniti, Babar, Jagatjor and Lanjura panchayats under Mahakalapara block are also under the threat of coastal erosion and might get washed away into the sea in next five years. Satya Prakash Mohanty, a turtle conservationist and the president of Gahirmatha Marine Turtle Protection and Mangrove Conservation Society (GMTPMCS) said that the Agarnasi island which was spread over on an area of seven sq/km in the past was abounded with casuarina trees and various wildlife like leopards, wolves, jackals, deer and reptiles. Fishermen used the place to prepare dry fish. A dispute occurred between the Kanika royal estate and Kujang royal estate over the ownership of the area in 1920.
However, after the area was identified as a nursery of rare Olive Ridley turtles, the state government declared it as Gahirmatha marine sanctuary in 1997. The society members undertook a cleanliness drive at Agarnasi island, January 29, 2021. They discovered that the island has been reduced to a length of 700 metre and 200 metre in width. Environmentalist Hemant Kumar Rout said that constant battering of sea waves in the area has intensified after the establishment of Paradip Port. A geo-synthetic tube wall was constructed to save the Pentha village from extinction.
However, no such step was taken to save the Agarnasi island in the middle of the sea. The island was soon washed away into the sea after being regularly battered by waves and high tides. The Gahirmatha marine sanctuary is famous as the nursery of rare Olive Ridley turtles. Lakhs of turtles travel for over thousands of miles in the sea to reach this place for mating and laying eggs. The turtles meet at Agarnasi island, Nasi-1, Nasi-2, Madali and other places during their breeding period.
Coastal erosion has destroyed this place. Recently, the original temple of Devi Panchubarahi in Satabhaya has been gobbled up by the sea. The extinction of Agarnasi island has aggravated the threat to Suniti, Lanjura, Havelikhati, Barunei, Jambu, Hukitola island and Babar panchayats as these areas are now vulnerable to the sea waves. Educationist Khitish Kumar Singh said he attended a conference on climate change organised by an outfit ‘Prayas’ in Bhubaneswar, September 10.
Attending this conference, Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav, his deputy Abani Kumar Choubey and state Environment Minister Pradeep Kumar Amat heaped praises on the forest department and state government for the turtle protection initiatives at Gahirmatha. However, many researchers presenting their reports warned that the coastal erosion will only intensify in Gahirmatha in coming days. When contacted, forest ranger Manas Das spoke on various steps the forest department had taken for protection of the Agarnasi island.
