Nagpur: The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SCNBWL) is planning to take a policy decision on the management of land under transmission lines in protected areas and forests.
Considering it as a policy matter following the Supreme Court order in May 2021 regarding laying of underground power transmission lines in Great Indian Bustard (GIB) dwellings in Rajasthan and Gujarat, former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and committee member H.S. Singh at the 66th meeting of SCNBWL held on 31st December. The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court has also asked to prepare such a strategy for Crane Crane in Gondia.
The proposal includes the restoration of land along transmission lines as habitat for wildlife. It has been observed that light-seeking unwanted weeds such as Lantana grow in cleared forests along camera transmission lines. This results in aggressive invasion of such unwanted species.
Singh says, “In the interest of wildlife, this strip of land under transmission lines should be managed by eliminating unwanted growth along the strip of these lines, and food availability for herbivores should be improved. ”
The said land should be managed as suitable habitat for wildlife, it should be restored based on the climatic condition and requirement under fodder species like grasses and small to medium sized trees like Acacia, Ziziphus, Emblica etc. .
Singh says, “In some cases, the belt can be managed as a forest fire line and the said land can be covered with species of evergreen shrubs such as agave, alove, salvadora, euphorbia etc., depending on the climatic conditions. should go.”
The proposal states that the loss to wildlife due to transmission lines should be converted into advantages, especially for reptiles, birds and small mammals, by managing the land so that it is adapted to their needs.
Any species of bird capable of flying can be killed by lightning strikes or electric currents above the ground. Particularly at risk are nocturnal migrating birds, flocking birds, and large and heavy birds of limited mobility. The death of many heavy birds such as the gib and the Indian stork are on record.
Casualties due to electric shock occur almost exclusively on badly designed medium-voltage electric poles. Bird species that perch, perch or rest on electric poles are affected. For some species, continued losses endanger their populations.
“During transmission line planning, it is important to identify ecologically sensitive areas such as staging areas for waterfowl so that they can be invented to establish the degree of sensitivity and, if necessary, to avoid collisions. Bird diverters and devices are being increasingly shown to reduce,” the proposal said.
Electrical wiring needs insulation on the critical path of bird migration. While preparing guideline document to protect birds from transmission line, an expert on electricity should be involved to cover all technical aspects so that it is implementable and acceptable.
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