Puri Jagannath airport gets final environmental clearance despite wildlife concerns

What has the final environmental clearance allowed the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport to do?

The final environmental clearance means the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has accepted the project’s environmental proposal, subject to conditions. This is important because a greenfield airport cannot proceed without assessing effects on forests, wildlife, wetlands, and nearby coastal areas.

The clearance covers the proposed Shree Jagannath International Airport at Sipasarubali, around 5 kilometres from the Jagannath temple. The project also received Coastal Regulation Zone clearance. Forest diversion was approved in principle, with conditions such as compensatory afforestation and wildlife mitigation measures.

The approval does not mean construction starts immediately. Officials said the state is still awaiting a formal ministry no-objection certificate and must approach the Airports Authority of India for approval to prepare the detailed project report. Construction will then involve the AAI and Odisha’s Transport department.

How large will the airport be, how much forest land will it use, and how many passengers is it planned to handle?

The proposed airport is a large greenfield infrastructure project. It will cover 471.348 hectares in Puri district, showing the scale of land needed for runways, terminals, safety zones, roads, and supporting facilities. The project is planned in three expansion phases.

Forest land forms a smaller but sensitive part of the site. The airport will use 27.887 hectares from the Puri Wildlife Division. Forest diversion approval came with conditions, including compensatory afforestation over 29.939 hectares of non-forest land. Wildlife mitigation measures are also required.

Passenger capacity is planned to grow sharply. Phase I is designed for 4.6 million passengers annually, with an international facility proposed from the start, subject to approvals. Capacity would increase to 10.18 million passengers in Phase II and 16.69 million in Phase III.

Why is the Odisha government pursuing a new airport near Puri when Bhubaneswar already has an international airport?

Odisha is pursuing the Puri airport because Bhubaneswar’s existing international airport reportedly has reached its maximum potential. Human habitations surround it, preventing further horizontal expansion. A second airport could therefore provide additional capacity for passengers visiting Puri and the wider region.

The proposed facility is also being promoted as a tourism and infrastructure project. Puri is a major religious destination, and the airport would be only about 5 kilometres from the Jagannath temple. It is planned to include an international facility in its first phase, subject to regulatory approvals.

This plan creates a difficult balance. More air capacity could improve access and support tourism. However, the site is close to Chilika Lake, a wildlife sanctuary, migratory bird routes, and coastal habitats. The project must therefore address serious environmental and aviation-safety concerns while solving Bhubaneswar’s capacity problem.

What environmental and wildlife risks did the Wildlife Institute of India identify at the proposed site?

The Wildlife Institute of India recommended rejecting the airport proposal because of its sensitive location. The site is near the Balukhanda-Konark Wildlife Sanctuary, Chilika Lake, and migratory bird corridors. These areas support important wildlife and habitats that could be disturbed by airport construction and operations.

The WII said the project boundary is about 16 kilometres from Chilika Lake, a Ramsar wetland of international importance. It warned that the airport could pose a “catastrophic” risk to migratory bird populations. The assessment also identified possible effects on endangered marine species, including Olive Ridley turtles.

The site lies along routes used by birds travelling through the Central Asian Flyway. Aircraft movements, lights, noise, and altered habitat could increase encounters between birds and planes. The result could be both wildlife loss and dangerous bird strikes, making environmental protection directly connected to aviation safety.

How could an airport near Chilika Lake and migratory bird routes endanger both aircraft passengers and birds?

An airport near a major wetland can create a dangerous overlap between aircraft and birds. Wetlands provide food and shelter, so they attract large numbers of resident and migratory birds. If flight paths cross these areas, takeoffs and landings may occur where bird activity is high.

The WII linked the Puri site to migratory corridors forming part of the Central Asian Flyway. A bird strike can damage an aircraft, especially its engines or cockpit, and may cause loss of control. The assessment cited a 2024 strike involving Baikal teals at South Korea’s Muan airport, where 179 people died, and a 1988 incident near Ethiopia’s Lake Tana that killed 35.

Birds also face direct harm from collisions, noise, lighting, and habitat disturbance. The clearance requires mitigation measures, but the article does not specify their final design or effectiveness. Monitoring and careful flight planning will therefore remain important.

What other approvals and safeguards are still required before construction can begin, including forest, Coastal Regulation Zone, and Airports Authority of India clearances?

The airport has received environmental and Coastal Regulation Zone clearance, but those approvals do not finish the process. The project must still satisfy conditions attached to forest diversion and secure the ministry’s formal no-objection certificate. These steps are designed to ensure that environmental promises become enforceable actions.

Forest approval includes compensatory afforestation over 29.939 hectares of non-forest land. The state must also implement mitigation measures and recommendations from impact studies and a site-specific wildlife management plan. Those plans draw on recommendations from the Wildlife Institute of India and Zoological Survey of India.

Officials said Odisha will approach the Airports Authority of India for approval to prepare the detailed project report. Construction will be coordinated with the AAI and the state Transport department. Thus, the project has cleared major environmental stages, but administrative, technical, forest, and implementation requirements remain before building can begin.

What are wetlands, migratory bird flyways, and Ramsar sites, and why are they important when major infrastructure is planned nearby?

Wetlands are areas where water shapes the landscape, including lakes, marshes, estuaries, and similar ecosystems. They support birds, fish, turtles, plants, and people by storing water, filtering pollutants, reducing floods, and providing food. Chilika Lake is an example relevant to this project.

Migratory bird flyways are broad routes used by birds during seasonal journeys between breeding and wintering grounds. The Central Asian Flyway connects important habitats across many countries. Ramsar sites are wetlands recognized under the international Ramsar Convention as especially important for conservation and sustainable use.

These designations do not automatically ban nearby development. They signal that planning must examine wider ecological effects. An airport can disturb habitat through land clearing, noise, lights, and aircraft traffic. Near bird routes, it can also increase collisions. That is why environmental studies, wildlife plans, monitoring, and mitigation conditions matter before major construction proceeds.

Key Facts:

📌 Environmental clearance removes a major hurdle for the Puri airport project.

📌 The project also received Coastal Regulation Zone clearance.

📌 Formal approvals and a detailed project report remain pending.

📌 The airport will cover 471.348 hectares.

📌 Forest land accounts for 27.887 hectares.

📌 Planned capacity reaches 16.69 million passengers annually.

📌 Bhubaneswar airport cannot expand horizontally because of surrounding habitations.