The Tamil Nadu Government has recently expressed objections to the Supreme Court about the establishment of the Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO), particularly in Eco-Sensitive Zones of the Western Ghats. The government’s apprehension is grounded in potential threats to wildlife, biodiversity, and local resistance. Eco-Sensitive Zones are regions within 10 km proximity of Protected Areas, National Parks, and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
Contention Points from the Tamil Nadu Government
The state government argues that the proposed project location overlaps with hill slopes in the Western Ghats, aligning a crucial tiger corridor – the Mathikettan-Periyar tiger corridor. This corridor bridges the Periyar Tiger Reserve along the Kerala and Tamil Nadu borders and the Mathikettan Shola National Park. The government fears that quarrying and construction activities associated with the project will disturb wild animals relying on the corridor for seasonal migrations.
In addition to hosting wildlife, the area serves as a significant watershed and catchment zone for the rivers Sambhal and Kottakudi. Despite planned observatory experiments occurring a kilometre underground, concerns have been raised over the potential disruption of ecological sustainability due to activities such as blasting, transportation, excavations, and tunnelling among others.
The Value of Protecting the Western Ghats
The stakes for protecting the Western Ghats are high, given its status as a global biodiversity hotspot and a treasure chest of biological diversity. The region is home to many endemic species of flowering plants, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals and invertebrates, along with a substantial population of elephants and tigers.
About the Indian Neutrino Observatory (INO)
The INO is a proposed mega-scale project aimed at studying neutrinos in a 1,200-metre deep cave. The project is set to be established at Pottipuram village in Theni district, Tamil Nadu and was initially proposed by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences and later by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.
Significance of the Proposed Site Location
The chosen site in Theni district is deemed suitable because the rock burden of over 1 km in all directions will shield the detector from other cosmic rays. Furthermore, neutrinos are capable of passing through anything, hence reaching the detector while other particles are filtered out by the mountain’s rock.
Understanding Neutrinos
Neutrinos are fundamental elementary particles that are produced when solar radiation interacts with the Earth’s atmosphere. Despite being elusive due to their lack of electrical charge, they play a significant role in the universe’s elementary physics, which physicists have been trying to decipher for decades.
Future Applications of Neutrinos
Neutrinos offer tremendous potential for various applications. They can provide insights into the inner workings of the Sun. They can also contribute to astronomy, enabling scientists to understand the Universe’s constitution better. Further, studying extragalactic neutrinos can provide clues about the Universe’s origin.
In addition to direct future uses, INO detectors’ technological applications may have implications for medical imaging, similar to X-ray machines and MRI scans that evolved from particle detector research.
About Eco-Sensitive Zones
Eco-Sensitive Zones, or Ecologically Fragile Areas, are regions within 10 km surrounding Protected Areas, National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. These zones, notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) under the Environment Protection Act, 1986, specifically aim to regulate activities around National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries, minimising such activities’ negative impact on fragile ecosystems enclosing the protected areas.