EB Report of Residential Apartments at Durgapur, Bhubhaneshwar, Odisha

EB Report of Residential Apartments at Durgapur, Bhubhaneshwar, Odisha 3. Biological Environment 3.1. Introduction Biodiversity reflects the potential of a regional ecosystem of a particular area and used as indicators for any changes in the environment. Biological diversity comprises the variability of genus, species and ecosystems and is very crucial for maintaining the basic processes on which the life depends. On the basis of biological physiology, biodiversity broadly can be divided into two category i.e. the floral diversity and faunal diversity. Conservation of the biodiversity is essential for the sustainable development as it not only provides the food, fodder and medicine, but also contributes to improvement of essential environmental attributes like air, water, soil, etc. Before starting any Environmental Impact Assessment study, it is necessary to identify the baseline of relevant environmental parameters which are likely to be affected as a result of the operation of the proposed project. A similar approach has been adopted for conducting the study on Biological Environment for this Project. Both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems have been studied to understand the biological environment nearby the project site. The study was conducted in the project area to assess all possible consequences on the biological environment. Flora and fauna surveys and data collection conducted for assessing the biological diversity and its status over a period of time that forms an integral part of Impact Assessment Techniques. The present study is highlighting the various issues pertaining to floristic diversity and the faunal wealth in the core area i.e. Residential Apartments at Durgapur, Bhubhaneshwar, Odisha and Buffer Zone i.e. area within 10 km radius. 3.1.1. Description of Study Area Residential Apartments at Durgapur, Bhubhaneshwar, Odisha between 20°14´54.40´´N & 85°42´34.05´´E under the seismic zone-III as per IS-1893 (part-1)-2002. District is located between 17º 49'N-22º 34' N and 81º 29'E -87º 29' E having an area of 2813 sq.km. It is bounded in the north and northeast by Cuttack district, on the west and southwest by Nayagarh and Ganjam districts, on the southeast by Chilika Lake and Puri district. The district is drained by a number of streams which are mostly tributaries of the river Mahanadi. Location and Land-Use pattern of the buffer z one of Residential Apartments is shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 1: Buffer Map of Residential Apartments at Durgapur, Bhubhaneshwar, Odisha 3.1.2. Climate and Rainfall The district is characterized by a tropical monsoon climate having three distinct seasons in a year, viz winter, summer and rainy seasons. May is the hottest month with mean daily maximum temp of 38°C, while December is the coldest month with mean daily temperature of 15.7°C. The normal annual rainfall is 1449.1mm & the annual average rainfall is 1436.1mm. The maximum rainfall occurs during the monsoon months viz middle June to middle of September. 3.1.3. Soil There are three types of soil generally found in the district i.e. Alfisols, Ultisols and Entisols. Alfisols: The deltaic alluvial soil in the eastern part of the district and the red loamy soils in the northwestern part of the district come under this class. It consists of a wide range of soils including mixed red and black soils, red earth, red loamy soils, red sandy soils, red gravelly soils and other alluvial soils. Ultisols: These include laterite & lateritic soil, red and yellow soils of the northern and north central part of the district. They are characterized by low contents of Nitrogen, Phosphate, Potassium & Organic matter. Entisols: These include the coastal alluvial soils along the Chilika lake and younger alluvial soils in the central part of the district. 3.1.4. Drainage The district is dominated by hilly ranges and plateaus. The district is drained by a number of streams which are mostly tributaries of the river Mahanadi and a few other streams discharging in to lake Chilika. The important distributaries of Mahanadi are the Kuakhai, Bhargabi, Kushabhadra and the Daya River. The tributaries of the Mahanadi are the Ran and Kalijiri. The streams draining the southern parts of the district are Sulia, Kharia and the Kusumi. All the streams are ephemeral and effluent in nature. Chilika, the largest salt water lake of India is situated in the southeastern part of the district. 3.2. Methodology 3.2.1. Period of Sampling The ecological survey has been conducted during Post monsoon season for the collection of primary data of flora-fauna, vegetation, soil and other environmental observations. The details are given as below: Post-monsoon: October to December Core zone : At the project site Buffer zone : Around 10 km radius of the project site 3.2.2. Mode of Data Collection A detailed survey was conducted to evaluate floral and faunal composition of the study area. Primary data on floral and faunal composition was recorded during site visits and secondary data was collected from the Forest Department and published relevant literature. Inventory of flora and fauna has been prepared on the basis of collecting data. The mode of data and parameters considered during field investigations is given in Table 3.1. Table 3.1: Mode of data collection & parameters considered during the survey Aspect Data Mode of data collection Parameters monitored Primary data By field survey Floral and Faunal diversity collection *Department of Forest Odisha; Floral and Faunal diversity Terrestrial *Published literatures on the website of and study of vegetation, Ecology Secondary data Odisha Govt. forest type, importance etc. collection *Official website of Bhubhaneshwar district, 3.3. Biological Component of Core Zone 3.3.1. Flora Core zone of the project is situated on barren land and some parts of the proposed area have been developed. During the field survey some vegetation observed in the core zone which are were listed in Table 3.2. Table 3.2: List of Flora recorded from the core zone of Residential Apartments S. No. Botanical Name Common Name Hindi Name Family 1 Apluda mutica Mauritian Grass Tachula, Poaceae 2 Achyranthes aspera Prickly Chaff Flower Chirchita Amaranthaceae 3 Blumea eriantha Kakronda, Blumea Kakronda, Asteraceae 4 Cynodon dactylon Bermuda Grass Doob Poaceae 5 Eragrostis setifolia Indian lower grass Bhurbhusi Poaceae 6 parthenium hysterophorus Carrot Grass Gajar ghas Asteraceae Source: GRC Survey Data. 3.3.2. Fauna Core zone of the Residential Apartments Project located at barren land and there is no major vegetation in the core zone. During the field survey, mammal species are not observed while; some moving birds (Maina, Goraiya, Crow and Parrot) and reptiles (Rock Lizard) were observed in the lease area. There is no any permanent aquatic habitat in the core zone, so aquatic flora and fauna also does not exist. 3.4. Biological Component of Buffer Zone 3.4.1. Flora of the Buffer Zone 3.4.1.1. Forests Residential Apartments Project is situated on the barren land in the district, surrounded by agriculture land, barren land, some human settlements and some tree cover land. The district has a total geographical area of 2,887.5 km2, out of which 375 km2 (13.33% of total geographical area) are cover with forest. Churhanga RF, Krushna Nagar PF, Jagannath Prasad PF, Naupali PF and Bharatpur PF are situated in the buffer zone. All these forests are now part of Chandaka Dampara wildlife sanctuary which is situated within the 10 km periphery of the project site which is declared and protected under “Wildlife Protection Act (1972). The details of forest cover in Bhubhaneshwar district are given in Table 3.4. Table 3.4: Forest Cover Area in Bhubhaneshwar District of Odisha (Area in Sq.km) Very Geographical Mod. Dense % of dense Open forest Total Change Scrub Area forest G.A. forest 2,813 23 190 162 375 13.33 0 156 Source: Indian State Forest report, Odisha, 2009. Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary Changes brought in habitat conditions due to increasing human influences on natural areas have posed serious threat to wildlife. Chandaka Wildlife Sanctuary, covering an area of 193.93 sq. km in Orissa is one of the natural reserves of elephants which have undergone serious changes brought in through anthropogenic activities of urban areas of Cuttack and Bhubaneshwar lying within the proximity of the sanctuary. The natural reserve, an ideal habitat for elephants, was connected to neighboring extensive forest belts. These connections have been either degraded or deforested over the years. 3.4.1.2. Vegetation in and around Human Settlement Vegetation pattern in and surrounding areas are slightly different from the rest of the areas in the buffer zone of present development project. The common species grown near settlements are mostly edible or useful plants such as Acacia chundra, Aegle marmelos, Azadirachta indica, Diospyros melanoxylon, Diospyros melanoxylon, Madhuca indica, Mangifera indica, Emblica officinalis, Zizyphus nummularia, Bottlebrush Tree, Coconut, Gooseberry, Mast Tree, Palmyra Palm and Wild Date Palm. 3.4.1.3. Terrestrial Flora of the Buffer Zone The district comprises of tropical moist deciduous vegetation due to high temperature and humidity which support various wildlife biodiversity. Among Terrestrial flora, Neem, Bamboo, Kakhada, Kataka, Kendu, Gamhari, Karanja, Saguan, Hatida, Bahada, Bata koli and Kantai koli are dominant vegetation in the district. Chandaka Wildlife sanctiaury situated in the periphery of the project site and some portion of the sanctuary is in buffer area of the present project. Details of floral species found in buffer area and Chandaka wildlife sanctuary is given in Table 3.5. Table 3.5: Flora of buffer area along with flora of Chandaka wildlife sanctuary S.No. Botanical Name Hindi/Local Name Family 1 Adina cordifolia Karam Rubiaceae 2 Aegle marmelos Bel Rutaceae 3 Ailanthus excelsa Ghorkaranj Simarubaceae 4 Anogeissus latifolia Dhautha Combretaceae 5 Artocarpus integrifolia Kathal Moraceae 6 Artocarpus lakoocha Barhar Moraceae 7 Azadirachta indica Neem Meliaceae 8 Bambusa sp.

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