Dismantle all overhead power lines and place them safely underground on priority in and around the habitat of the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), a group of NGOs working for conservation of the wildlife has demanded. The group jointly launched a campaign seeking community support to save the winged beauties from getting hit by the transmission lines.

Listed as critically endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the GIB is found only in India. Majority of the surviving birds are found in the fragmented grasslands of Rajasthan and Gujarat, along with a few individuals in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.  In 1969, over 1,000 GIB roamed the country’s grasslands, but their numbers have plummeted owing to habitat loss as well as power lines. Most mortalities happen in low-light conditions such as twilight, when birds fly between foraging and roosting grounds.

“Though many of the threats to the Great Indian Bustard, such as habitat loss, are being addressed there is one swinging axe that could seal the bird’s fate. The overhead power transmission lines that crisscross GIB habitat are killing these low-flying, ground-dwelling birds,” said the campaign launched by The Great Indian Bustard Campaign has been launched by the Sanctuary Nature Foundation, The Corbett Foundation and Conservation India.

To corroborate their claims, they have cited a study by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII) that says that 10 GIBs have lost their lives in power line collisions in the last decade (2007-2017). The study also noted that while undergrounding of cables eliminates bird mortality, marking power line can reduce mortality by 10 per cent to 78 per cent, depending on area and species, but not eliminate mortality.

The organisations also expressed concern that while the erection of power lines in and around GIB habitat is against the 2013 guidelines for the recovery of the species given by the Union Environment Ministry, unfortunately, vital grasslands are not given the strict environmental scrutiny they deserve before developmental projects are sanctioned.

“India’s push towards renewable energy is laudable, but power transmission strategies need to be in line with this green vision and Bustard Recovery Guidelines. While private companies generate clean energy, it is up to India’s Power and New and Renewable Ministries to ensure that this energy reaches its destination without causing extinction of any species,” said the organisations in their letter written to Marked to Raj Kumar Singh, Minister of State for Power and New and Renewable Energy  Ministry.

 “Fortunately, we have a solution. Overhead transmission lines can be placed underground. Yes, this is more expensive, but experts confirm that such an intervention has reduced mortality of another bustard species, the Great Bustard, in West Pannonia. This can work in India too,” they asserted.