Why would a Ramsar site be chosen for understanding the importance of safeguarding nature in urban planning and linear infrastructure development? A wetland is often stationed at one site, and the animals visiting such a wetland are independent, often on terrestrial routes. The importance of this wetland lies in its name. Many suggest that Deepor Beel has a Sanskrit etymology from "elephant lake." Declared in 2002 as a Ramsar site, it is nestled in the Brahmaputra Valley in lower Assam and hence plays a critical role in wildlife conservation geographically. Around 150 bird species, including nine threatened species, have been recorded in and around this Ramsar Site. Deepor Beel harbours many species of migratory birds as well as resident birds. The Greater Adjutant is regularly seen in Deepor Beel. Hodgson's Bushchat has also been cited several times on the northern edge of Deepor Beel. Oriental White-backed and Long-billed vultures are still seen, mainly in winter, near Deepor Beel. Other vultures in the region, such as the Eurasian Griffon and Himalayan Griffon, are also seen nearby.
However, Deepor Beel's importance is broader than that of avian fauna. According to data from the Government of Assam, the wetland exists in the neighborhood of Rani and Garbhanga reserved forests, which house more than 80 elephants. Hence, the extensive mosaic of forests and wetlands in the landscape is not limited to a Ramsar site. Still, in general, the terminology is Deepor-Rani Garbhanga Landscape. Elephants from Rani-Garbhanga Reserve Forest, located on the southwestern side of Guwahati City and bordering the state of Meghalaya, move to the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary. This movement of elephants is mainly for water but also brings the danger of crossing through the track between the Azara and Kamakhya Railway Stations. Though the Assam Government formed a coordination committee for the elephant corridor in the Azara section of the railway line (Deepor Beel) in 2016, this beel is a critical case study to understand the challenges of significant mammal movement in case of overlap with North East Frontier Railways. Deepor Beel and its vicinity was a single habitat for wildlife, including elephants and tigers; the wetland was segregated from the forests only after the railway line and the road that came up.
In 2001, the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) constructed Assam state's second railroad along and through the southern boundary of Deepor Beel. Accidents have been noted between Azara and Kamakhya Junction on the line that connects New Bongaigaon to Rangia Junction via Guwahati. This falls within the Jurisdiction of the Rangia and Lumding divisions, respectively. In ROHIT CHOUDHURY VS UNION OF INDIA (2014), the National Green Tribunal, in turn, called the respondents, including the Department of Forest, State PCB, Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority, Guwahati Municipal Corporation, Railways, and the Revenue Department for a hearing. In 2018, (NGT) was ordered to stop doubling works of the Railway until mitigation measures to avoid collision with elephants are done. The Tribunal ordered the constitution of a committee spearheaded by Chief Secretary Assam to identify the movement path of elephants from the nearby forest to the Deepor Beel and the extent to which the railway tracks have encroached upon such corridors/paths. The committee was asked to make proposals to be taken up by the Railways for permanent mitigation measures to offset such encroachments. The committee was also responsible for identifying safeguards and another mitigation strategy in the landscape. In 2019, NGT also observed that the railways had kept the speed of trains passing through the area—the timing of the trains at the level crossings.
The railway track overlaps with the movement path of the elephant habitat to deep beel, which always poses a challenge, and when the broadening of this railway track was proffered, civil society and local people couldn't sit and watch. The locals of the Deepor Beel area in 2019 staged protests to object to the construction of the double-line railway tracks on the ground that would disturb the ecology of Deepor Beel.
Amidst the direction of the NGT and local protest, NFR submitted the proposal to align the track towards the right side of the existing railway track to construct two tunnels through the forest land via a joint survey (Railway, Forest department, Assam Power Distribution Company Limited and the Assam Public Works Department (Roads) and the Circle Officer of Azara). However, significant resistance by the residents of Kalitapara village was observed for this realignment. With the ownership rights of locals and the wet and marshy land of Deepor Beel, the most suitable technical option for laying the railway track was proposed: a via-duct bridge on the earthen embankments. The Railways stated that the Assam Government has not given any assurance (yet) on the land issue for laying a new track on the diverted alignment.
However, conservationists questioned this suggestion from a technical aspect. The concept of an elephant corridor and elephant crossing was made known to the NFR, and a suggestion was given to construct one viaduct for the whole 4km stretch as elephants might be crossing from any of these sites. A continuous viaduct would prevent any electrocution on the track. NFR recommended mitigation measures of underpasses at three corridors out of seven identified, construction of a viaduct across the other three elephant corridors, underpasses on road sections parallel to the railway tracks, and guide walls to enhance the efficacy of the railway underpasses and direct animal movement towards the underpasses to mitigate human-elephant conflict in the long term and install an Intrusion Detection System (IDS) to facilitate automatic control of train speed and even stopping the train if needed.
In 2022, the Wildlife Institute of India suggested mitigation measures for diverting the existing line and double line from Km 163 to Km 172 on the northern periphery of Deepor Beel through a viaduct for freeing the Elephant Corridor. However, that would require an additional cost outside the scope of sanctioned doubling works. The Railway has already submitted an affidavit to ask MoEF&CC to bear the extra cost. The case is pending in NGT (Kolkata).
Deepor Beel has drawn attention because of its Ramsar status and cultural significance to Guwahati. However, being close to the state capital has proven to be a bane in many ways. A study observed that from 1977-2014, the built-up area around Deepor Beel increased by approximately 14 sq km, mainly due to its proximity to the city and industrial hub. Many urban cities require eco-centric urban planning and plugging in the safeguard for nature when a linear infrastructure is planned. A wetland near the urban setup must balance the contribution to biodiversity and urban needs. However, an isolated wetland would not do justice to its contribution to the landscape. The waterbodies must interact healthily with other parcels of land. Hence, it's essential to understand how we bring infrastructure development beyond the wetland borders and how we know the land-use changes in the vicinity.
Deepor Beel will be one example of understanding the role of safeguarding and urban planning in ecologically significant areas.
Author: Written by Dr. Ridhima Solanki (WWF India). Contribution by Ms. Mrunal Kelkar (SPA, New Delhi)