01 Nov 2022
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) plans to carry out surveys in Great Indian Bustards’ (GIBs) habitat states to monitor if power lines are being mitigated by bird diverters. “As asked in the National Green Tribunal (NGT) Order, WII will monitor whether priority power lines are being mitigated with diverters, by carrying out surveys and reporting the findings periodically,” Sutirtha Dutta, scientist. A bird diverter is a device that is attached to a power line or any type of wire suspended in the air to distract and divert birds away from the line to prevent fatalities. The NGT last month issued an Order asking the environment ministry to ensure that bird diverters were installed within four months on all existing power lines and pushing new lines underground in the GIB habitat of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra. It had directed WII to monitor compliance at least twice a year. The main reason for mortality of GIBs, according to the NGT, was collisions with power lines laid by wind or solar energy projects, criss-crossing their paths. “This is a historic Order... Sustainable development should always be the first thing to consider,” Bhanu Bansal, founder, Centre for Wildlife and Environment Litigation (CWEL), which was the applicant in this case.
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