Trade-off in Lakshadweep

The country’s smallest territory, Lakshadweep, stands at a crossroads: Should it prioritise development or preserve its unique ecology. A push by the Union Territory (UT) administration to boost tourism infrastructure has started to further strain the limited resources in an already climate crisis-ridden environment. A prolonged marine heatwave that started in October 2023 has damaged nearly 75% of the corals in the archipelago. While a majority are now on their way to recovery, a warming of 1.5°C is projected to lead to a loss of 70-90% coral reefs, and 2°C warming to a loss of 99% (with regional differences). With these alarming projections, experts and locals have called for a more sensible and sustainable development.

Any development model, however, will only be successful if it takes the local ecology, geography and demography into account. The corals are essential for the islands. Not only do they support the marine biodiversity of the atolls, which, in turn, aids the fishing community of the region, the corals contribute to coastal protection from storms and sea-level rise, and are the main attraction for tourists. Apart from temperature rise, plastic pollution, higher acidity, or any kind disturbance to natural habitat can lead to stress, causing coral mortality in the long run. Whether or not short-termism will decide policy will make all the difference. The junior minister for environment recently told the Lok Sabha that the bleaching was “a sporadic event” and does not have a major impact on tourism and fishing “as of now.”

The tourism push will necessitate several steps. First, an increase in the frequency of transport to the UT and between the islands. Second, a construction boom to create hospitality infrastructure. Third, a provision for long-term storage of food and provision of drinking water; at the moment, only non-perishables can be stocked and there are desalination plants on five islands. And last, a continuous supply of power. Currently, weekly oil supplies from the mainland are used to produce electricity through generator sets. With all this, the islands’ ecology is likely to come under severe strain, with no guarantee of benefit to locals.

One question that looms is: With the local population’s contribution to the climate crisis being minimal, should they be the ones bearing the brunt of this delayed development push? This question, perhaps, resonates with the one that has left most global negotiations fraught with disagreements with the Global South seeking larger contributions to mitigate the crisis from the Global North.

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