Extension of the Mumbai-Manmad up to Indore is one of the recent proposals of the M/s Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL). Considering that a linear extension project would obviously involve alignment of pipeline through terrestrial and aquatic wildlife habitats, an ecological assessment of the pipeline corridor is an essential prerequisite for integrating ecological concerns in to development planning and implementation phase of the project.

Accordingly, WII was entrusted the task to undertake the ecological assessment of the extension project under the consultancy offer of BPCL.

This document is an outcome of the assessment studies conducted in the pipeline route corridor between Manmad and Indore. The document has drawn focus on tools and techniques employed for addressing the issues identified during the scoping and screening phases of the study. Field studies provided the much needed baseline for identifying the specific impacts on terrestrial and aquatic habitats within the route corridor. An evaluation if the significance of the ameliorative and preventive measures have been outlined where ever they have been necessary for the mitigation of the project.

(S. K. Mukherjee)

Director