This talk in Chennai will explore the Great Nicobar project and its environmental costs

In 2004, when a massive earthquake struck the Indian Ocean, parts of Great Nicobar Island sank by as much as 15 feet, which is the height of a two-storey building. 

Two decades later, this seismically active island is the site of a proposed mega-infrastructure project involving a transshipment port, an international airport, a power plant and a township, with an investment estimated at up to ₹92 thousand crores. The scale of the proposed transformation has raised questions about the island’s ecological vulnerability, the rights of its indigenous communities and the risks of building in a landscape shaped by seismic upheaval.

From the island’s rich biodiversity to the lives and rights of its indigenous communities, the project has become the centre of a wider debate about environmental safeguards and the future of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

These concerns will form the focus of a conversation between writer and researcher Pankaj Sekhsaria and Frontline editor Vaishna Roy, organised by the Prakriti Foundation in Chennai on October 24. The discussion will accompany the Chennai launch of Pankaj’s latest book, Island on Edge: The Great Nicobar Crisis, published by Westland Books, a collection of journalistic writings examining the project and its implications, along with the launch of the Tamil translation of his previous book The Great Nicobar Betrayal, a Frontline publication.

“I want the audience to understand both the magnitude of the project and the violations and losses that could result. We have also worked to bring together a substantial amount of information in the public domain, and want to make people aware of what is happening, why it is problematic, and why we use terms such as ‘betrayal’ or say that the island is ‘on edge’. Those descriptions are based on the evidence we have compiled,” says Pankaj. 

The concerns, Pankaj says, are not limited to the environment. The project also raises questions about the rights of the Shompen and Nicobarese, two indigenous communities that have lived on the island for thousands of years. There are also concerns about the environmental clearances granted for the project and whether the proposed investment will prove economically viable. 

The region’s unique biodiversity is one of the reasons the project raises serious concerns. The island is home to species found nowhere else, including many highly range-restricted endemic species like the Great Nicobar serpent eagle, Nicobar parakeet, Nicobar megapode, and more that are likely to be directly threatened by the proposed development. 

The project could also severely affect leatherback sea turtle populations, as the island hosts one of the most significant nesting sites for the species in the North Eastern Indian Ocean. Independent scientists estimate anywhere 3 to 10 million old-growth trees could be felled to make way for the project. 

The two books bring together reporting and research on different aspects of the project. While The Great Nicobar Betrayal, published in 2024, collected writings from 2021 to 2023, Island on Edge builds on that work with newer pieces, including articles on the project’s economic viability, the cultural lives and languages of indigenous communities, and species that could be at risk.

The Tamil translation of The Great Nicobar Betrayal is part of the effort to reach readers beyond the English-speaking audience. “English doesn’t reach everybody. The Hindi edition of The Great Nicobar Betrayal made it to Bhatinda, Patna and even smaller towns in Bihar. These are the places where the English edition might not have found readership,” he says. 

For Pankaj, making this information accessible is also a way to encourage wider public participation. He believes that raising awareness can help generate informed public opinion, even among people who may not be directly affected by the project. The concerns surrounding Great Nicobar, he points out, reflect larger questions about forest loss, environmental damage and the denial of rights that affect communities across the country.

Pankaj Sekhsaria will be in conversation with Vaishna Roy about the Great Nicobar crisis on October 24, 7pm, at The Lab @ Shanta, Second Floor, Shanta Ayurveda Hospital, T Nagar. Entry is free. To RSVP, Whatsapp 9940620268.