Amid the Bay of Bengal, abutting the Kakinada coast, Hope Island is certainly a hope for the coastline. Apart from its rich biodiversity both flora and fauna, the natural breakwater spread over 1,000 hectares formed due to littoral drift has been the saviour of the coast during many cyclones.
Time and again, both its inhabitants and environmentalists have voiced concerns over the gradually vanishing tip of the island and fingers have been pointed to the dredging operations being carried out by the Kakinada Seaports Limited that owns the deepwater port. And, the debate over possible threat to the biodiversity and the existence of island by human interference has gained momentum, after the Union Ministry of Tourism has allocated Rs. 14.5 crore for converting the island into a tourist destination.
The 100-odd residents of Putrayya Pakalu are seeking the intervention of the East Godavari district administration into the ongoing dredging operations, alleging that that are eating into the land mass of the island. Fishermen from the hamlet submitted a detailed memorandum to the authorities last week.
Even before the district officials could react, the Central allocation has triggered an intense debate on turning the island into a tourist hub.
Environmentalists have been seeing a perceptible threat to the biodiversity, in allowing permanent construction on the island. Now, they are questioning the rationale behind planning the tourism project here.
“Hope Island is a cyclone prone area, where there is threat of cyclones from July to December every year. Is it possible for any tourism project to remain closed for six months a year?” asks K. Tulasi Rao, project coordinator of the EGREE Foundation, a joint venture launched by the Government of India and the UNDP to protect the river estuarine ecosystem.
“Tourism activity on Hope Island will certainly affect the flora and fauna of the island which is now a safe haven for several endangered species,” explains Dr. Tulasi Rao.
“There will be no compromise with regard to the protection of Hope Island. We are not going to be hasty while spending the sum allocated by the Centre. We will chalk out a plan, only after considering all the issues and taking opinions of all the stakeholders,” Amalapuram MP P. Ravindra Babu says.
