2 days ago
Great Nicobar Lighthouse Study Accused Of Listing Fake Species
A company prepared a report about repairing a lighthouse on Great Nicobar Island.
The report was supposed to say which animals and plants live near the project.
Researchers found that many listed animals normally live in faraway places, such as Africa, the Amazon or mainland India.
They also said that many real local animals were missing from the report.
For example, sea turtles were left out even though they are often seen near Indira Point.
Scientists called the information inaccurate and possibly copied from another source.
The lighthouse plan also includes tourist buildings, paths, a museum and other facilities.
Officials connected with the report were asked for explanations, but no response was included.
A WAPCOS environmental assessment for the Rs 250-crore Indira Point lighthouse project lists species not reported on Great Nicobar Island.
The report includes African tiger fish, an Amazonian flagtail, mainland sambar and barking deer, among other disputed entries.
Ecologists and marine biologists say more than 90% of the listed species have never been recorded at the site.
The assessment omits species regularly found around Indira Point, including sea turtles, while listing only 29 bird species despite Great Nicobar’s much larger recorded bird diversity.
The lighthouse project would add tourism facilities, while critics say the report reflects broader problems in scientific assessments supporting Great Nicobar infrastructure projects.
- Who
- WAPCOS Limited prepared the assessment for the Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships, Port Blair; ecologists, ornithologists and marine biologists criticized it.
- What
- A rapid environmental impact assessment for the Indira Point lighthouse project listed numerous species that researchers say have not been recorded on Great Nicobar Island.
- Where
- Indira Point on Great Nicobar Island, in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India.
- When
- The assessment was released in April 2026; the lighthouse proposal was sent for coastal regulation zone clearance in June.
- Why
- The assessment was prepared to support a proposal to repair and reinforce the lighthouse and develop tourism-related facilities.
Project proponents and official assessment
Environmental critics and researchers
Purpose of the project
Project proponents and official assessment
The Directorate of Lighthouses and Lightships proposed repairing and reinforcing the Indira Point lighthouse while adding tourism and public facilities.
Environmental critics and researchers
Critics do not dispute that the lighthouse needs repairs, but say the environmental assessment used to support the project contains highly erroneous or fabricated species data.
Reliability of the species tables
Project proponents and official assessment
The WAPCOS report presents five tables as an account of species at the project site; officials named in the report were asked for clarification.
Environmental critics and researchers
Researchers say more than 90% of the entries have never been reported from Great Nicobar, describe the fish list as resembling an aquarium catalogue, and allege that the material was copied from an unauthenticated source.
Wider infrastructure planning
Project proponents and official assessment
The lighthouse project is being considered alongside proposed tourism and infrastructure development on Great Nicobar Island.
Environmental critics and researchers
Environmental experts argue that flawed reports and disputed mapping have repeatedly been used in support of larger projects, including the proposed Galathea Bay transshipment port, with potential effects on biodiversity and the Shompen indigenous group.
Key facts
- Project cost
- Rs 250 crore
- Assessment author
- WAPCOS Limited, a Gurgaon-based public sector undertaking
- Project location
- Indira Point, approximately 5 km south of Galathea Bay
- Listed species
- 12 mammals, 29 birds, 11 reptiles, 7 amphibians and 19 fish
- Disputed examples
- African tiger fish, Amazonian flagtail, sambar, barking deer and Eurasian woodcock
- Reported omission
- Sea turtles, which are regularly reported around Indira Point
- Planned facilities
- Eco-tourism facilities, convention centre, cafeteria, viewing tower, cycle tracks, museum and memorial
Quotes
An unnamed ecologist
An ecologist who has worked in Great Nicobar for many years.
“The fish list here reads more like an aquarium shop catalogue. Many are simply not found here. To claim these are part of the coastal or marine environment surrounding Indira Point is completely fabricated.”
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“Many sections of this report and these tables in particular are highly objectionable or outright shocking.”
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Sources
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