MoEFCC permits drilling for oil, gas outside protected forest

Nagpur: The extended reach drilling (ERD) technology has been exempted from the purview of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, thus allowing drilling activities in forest areas located outside the protected areas (PAs) and eco-sensitive zones (ESZs).
ERD is a technology used for drilling longer horizontal wells at a high inclination angle to reach underground oil and natural gas deposits.
The ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) provided the exemption on the condition that the ERD station should be set up at a minimum distance of 500 metres from the forest area and should be at least 1km away from the protected areas (PAs), corridors and wildlife sensitive areas.
The exemption considered for the ERD technology will not be applicable if the drilling area falls inside the PAs notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and ESZs.
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, has prepared a standard operating procedure (SOP) outlining the precautionary measures to be followed while carrying out drilling beneath the forest area.
Green activists are sceptical though. Environmentalist and executive director of Conservation Action Trust (CAT) Debi Goenka says “the ERD SOP and guidelines are full of holes (pun intended)”.
Goenka said, “Firstly, the SOP is extremely general and it appears that regional guidelines will have to be prepared followed by comprehensive site-specific studies by the WII.”
Goenka said the prescriptions are “vague and not practical”. “Significant changes will have to be made to SOPs and drilling techniques based on different geological conditions even within the undefined regions,” he said.
The activist said there is not a word about how the drilled soil would be disposed of. It is also not clear that if the drilling is to be carried out underground, why the proposed study should be limited to above-ground biodiversity.
“Statutory provisions of an Act cannot be amended through circulars and letters. The ministry (MoEF&CC) seems to be determined to undermine every statutory provision through the backdoor,” he said.