Whenever a debate starts on the negative effect of any proposed development project on the environment, it is branded as anti-development activity.
Is it against the development to raise the issue of environment? Obviously not. Rather it is a move to draw the attention of the concerned stakeholders to a sustainable and inclusive development.
Recently, there are widespread worries and concerns in the media and social media about the adverse impact on the environment due to the construction of proposed International Airport in Nijgadh, Bara. Unfortunately, the worries and concerns are portrayed as conspiracy to obstruct the airport construction project.
There is no doubt that the construction of a huge infrastructure project like the airport is indispensable. A huge swathe of forest must be wiped for the project. It is a bitter fact that the project will cause a huge effect on the environment.
Every infrastructure project will certainly affect the land, bio-diversity, ecology, water resource, minerals, energy, air and human settlement. The responsibility to lessen such environmental damages, as far as possible, rests on the government and the people. Thus, we should think of ways to compensate for the damage.
An estimated 2.4 million trees will be felled for the construction of Nijgadh Airport. In order to compensate that, the authorities must plant around 600 million trees in and around the area, and pay attention for the protection of wildlife living in the area. It has become certain that the trees will be cut down, but the planting has not been assured. The Ministry for Tourism and the Ministry of Forest have not reached an agreement on the issue. According to a recent news, this area is also habitant of elephants.
We can’t be assured that the trees will be planted in the future, given the authority’s failure to keep the promises in the past. Instead of planning to plant the trees in the future, the trees must be planted in the nearby areas concurrently with the airport construction project.
The demand for taking ahead the task of cutting down the trees and planting trees in order to redress the environmental impact can in no way be termed “anti-development”. Hence, this is the core of the ongoing debate regardless of its their shape.
Moreover, transparency has not been adopted in Nijgadh airport construction. The environmental impact report of the project has not been made easily available because of which an open debate on the issue with enough information has not taken place.
The current debate on whether to choose development or environment is itself flawed. We need both development and environment. Therefore, to strike a balance between these two things has been a challenge for not just us but the entire world.
There are several examples of delayed development projects in foreign countries as a result of taking the environmental issues lightly. In foreign countries, area with least environmental impact is chosen for development project, or other ways are adopted to lessen the environmental impact.
Raising the issue of environment won’t have any negative impact on development project rather it shows us creative ways. It is indispensable to shake off the mindset that makes us perceive the debate about environmental aspects of any development projects as conspiracy. It is paradoxical that, on the one hand, we talk about inclusivity and long-term development, while on the other hand, we don’t want to talk about the issue of environment. Human beings are part of nature. But we forget this fact.
Many environmental issues are directly linked with the country’s economic development. In other words, environment and economy are intertwined. An inclusive and sustainable development isn’t possible without conservation of environment. We need to take the environment and development as part and parcel to each other but not opposed. But what’s the meaning of development without environment?
Every one of us is aware that the climate-change has been showing observable effects around the world. And Nepal is not immune to that. Perhaps because of all theses, the issues of environment are become more clearly defined. That’s why we need pay enough attention to these issues, if we want to choose qualitative development.
To put it precisely, natural resources are the backbone of our development, we can’t imagine a sustainable development without protecting the environment. Our fundamental fault, at this juncture, is that we are choosing either one of these two: development and environment. Therefore, we need to view the development and environment as synonymous to each other.
