Majority Report of the Committee Constituted to ... - Forest Rights Act

Majority Report of the POSCO Enquiry Committee Section 2: Potential Impact of Project
SECTION 2
Potential impact of the Project on Coastal Land use pattern, Ecology
of river and sea marine life systems and on Economy and
Livelihoods
Part A
Forest cover and Land Use Pattern
I. Coastal Land-use Pattern
1. The Project affcted villages fall in Jagatsinghpur district, an
eastern coastal tract adjoining the Bay of Bengal. The district is bordered
on the north by the Mahanadi and its riverine delta providing the rich
alluvium soil that makes the district fertile for paddy cultivation with an
average production greater than the rest of the state. The project site lies
on the North western bank of the Jatadharmohan river creek. Villagers of
Nolia Sahi hamlet live close to this estuary and depend mostly on fishing
for a livelihood.
2. The geomorphology of the area (REIA report of the POSCO steel
plant, 2005) show gently undulated coastal plains interlaced with tidal
creeks. There is a system of sand dunes along the shoreline which act as
barriers for flood tides to enter the villages as well as act as recharge
zones supporting an elevated water table stopping the ingress of saline
water.
II. The land use pattern and forest cover of the Project area
3. This has been analysed from satellite data (Liss IV Mx &
Cartosat) with geo-referenced revenue cadastral showing project area and
forest land (1253.225 ha). The forest land having forest cover is 868.560
ha and the remaining forest area with non-forest cover is 384.665 ha.
(Vegetation analysis of POSCO proposed steel plant, October 2006-2007,
by Spatial Planning and Analysis Research Centre Pvt. Ltd.
Bhubaneswar, Annexure B-4).
Non-forest cover/ land use Area (ha) %
1. River and Water bodies 58.27 15.15
2. Betel vines 30.075 7.82
3. Burrow pits (for Betel vines 22.61 5.88
4. Sandy area 139.80 36.35