A water aerodrome project on Chilika has been rejected by BJD leaders recently claiming that the livelihood of 2 lakh fisherfolk families, as well as the biodiversity of Asia’s largest salt water lake, would be affected. While, Petroleum Minister and senior BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan said that the water aerodrome project would generate employment, but on the other hand, his party MLA from Rourkela Dilip Ray is of the view that the water aerodrome project would create noise pollution and would adversely affect the ecosystem of the lake, according to an IE report.
What is a water aerodrome?
A water aerodrome is an area of open water that can be used by seaplanes as well as amphibious aircraft to land and take off. Moreover, depending on the volume of traffic, water aerodrome may have a terminal building on the shore or on a jetty where planes can dock, and bays where they can be parked. The water dromes are present in some island nations, especially in the richer ones like the British Virgin Islands. Also, there are few in Canada, including Yellowknife on the Great Slave Lake, Tofino on Vancouver Island and Whitehorse on Schwatka Lake.
The water aerodrome proposal:
On August 11, Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu announced the proposal for a water aerodrome. In a tweet posted by him, he stated that for the construction of water aerodromes in various states across the country, in-principle approval has been given. He also mentioned that this move will promote tourism and will also connect places of religious importance. The Civil Aviation Minister further informed that 5 states have been identified for the development of water aerodromes namely, Odisha, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Assam. Interestingly, Sabarmati River Front and Sardar Sarovar Dam in Gujarat and Chilika Lake in Odisha have been identified for the first phase of the water aerodrome project.
Prabhu also tweeted that regulations have already been issued by the DGCA, prescribing the procedure and requirement for licensing of Water Aerodromes. He further informed that since there is no historical data available on the market, and also the demand from any airlines, the project will be carried out as a pilot project.
While thanking Prabhu for the proposal, the Petroleum Minister said that soon seaplanes will be a reality and the move will give a big boost to the tourism industry in Odisha. Also, it will ease connectivity for the ‘Golden Triangle’ as well as other crucial places in the state, Pradhan added.