The Great Indian Bustards are making it slow to manoeuvre while flying. They have poor frontal vision and a habit of scanning earth while flying over flat grasslands across western borders of India. As a result, they often collide with power lines.
What is the issue?
Wide-open regions are home to Indian Bustard. These regions are also an ideal location for wind and solar projects. As a result, Indian Bustard are coming in way of renewable energy sources. Efforts to save bustard could set back India’s climate goals, which depend heavily on availability of such wasteland.
WII survey
As per Wildlife institute of India (WII), 80 kilometres of power lines across Thar desert region Rajasthan had led to death of four bustard deaths during a single year because of high-transmission wires. Birds died because of impact of collision or electrocution.
SC’s order
In a bid to protect great Indian bustard from flying into power lines, of 20 gigawatts of awarded solar & wind projects, Supreme Court had asked the companies to install these powers lines underground. But this directive would cost an extra expense of $4 billion.
Great Indian bustards
In Old French, Great Indian Bustards means “slow bird”. They are heaviest flying creatures on earth. They are 1 meter tall with a wing span of about 2 meters. They weigh about 18 kilograms. They are found on Indian subcontinent. As per an estimate their number has reduced from 250 in 2011 to 150 in 2018. Thus, they have been listed in “critically endangered” species by birdlife international and are protected under Wildlife Protection Act 1972 of India.