The canal extends from Srisailam in central Andhra Pradesh to Chennai (Madras). The canal had received widespread disapproval from conservationists as it posed a serious risk to the critically-endangered Jerdon's Courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus. Following the intervention of the Supreme Court, in response to an application by Bittu Sahgal, Editor, Sanctuary magazine, construction work was halted in 2005.
The AP Irrigation Department has agreed, in principle, to obtain 3,000 acres of scrub forest between the new canal route and the sanctuary and hand it over to the forest department for management. The suggested new route avoids most of the protected habitat sites of the bird. Locals who will lose land due to the realignment will be compensated.
The Jerdon's Courser was thought to be extinct until it was rediscovered (Sanctuary Vol. XXIV. No. 1, February 2004) in Andhra Pradesh, leading to the establishment of the SLWLS. Despite court orders, without a tight vigil by independent observers, compliance by the authorities cannot be relied upon.
October 2008
