Andaman and Nicobar Islands

WHY IN NEWS?

Andaman and Nicobar Islands holds great significance being integral part of India, due to its rich flora and fauna, strategic location and  indigenous tribes.

LOCATION:

• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, comprising of 572 islands, are a group of islands at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
• It runs like a narrow chain in the north-south direction extending between 6° 39’ N and 14° 34’ N.
• The 10 degree channel separate the archipelago into two- The Andaman group in the North and the Nicobar group in the South.
• Indira Point (Pygmalion point), southernmost point of India's territory, is located in the Great Nicobar island.

ORIGIN:

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands were formed due to collision between Indian Plate and Burma Minor Plate. This is very similar to the formation of Himalayas.
• The islands are thought to be the emergent peaks of a submerged mountain range related to the Arakan Yoma range of mainland Burma.
• The highest point is the Saddle Peak, located in North Andaman Island
• The location of plate boundary causes very high seismic activity. Hence, it is categorized under seismic zone V.
• The only active volcano in India is at Barren Island, located north east of Port Blair. It also has an inactive volcano situated in Narcondam Island. Besides the two, Baratang island are home to an active mud volcano.

CLIMATE:

• As these Islands are situated in the equatorial belt and are exposed to marine impacts, the climate is generally Warm and tropical, with the temperature ranging between 18° and 35°C.
• The islands receive heavy rainfall from both Southwest (May to September) and Northeast monsoons (October to December), with the average annual rainfall ranging from 3000 to 3500 mm.
• Cyclonic winds accompanied by thunder and lightning are very frequent here. January to March having fairly dry weather with scanty rainfall.

FLORA:

• The islands are characterized by steep hills and generally poor soil due to little water holding capacity. Flat terrain is extremely limited and the larger islands have long meandering creeks. It is drained by several rivulets, which end up as creeks with dense mangrove cover.
• According to State of Forest Report 2017 by MoEFCC, 81.73% of its total geographical area is covered by forests.
• The vegetation may be broadly classified into (i) Beach forests, (ii) Mangrove forests, (iii) Wet evergreen forests, (iv) Semi-evergreen forests, (v) Moist deciduous forests and (vi) Grasslands
  • Central and southern islands of the Nicobar group are covered in evergreen forests
  • The North Nicobar Islands (including Car Nicobar and Battimalv) are marked by the complete absence of evergreen forests
  • Grasslands occur only in the Nicobars and deciduous forests are common in the Andamans

FAUNA:

• The island is home to 9 national parks and 96 wildlife sanctuaries and one biosphere reserve (Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve). The national parks are:

1. Mahatma Gandhi Marine National Park
2. Rani Jhansi Marine National Park
3. Galathea National Park
4. Saddle Peak National Park
5. Mount Harriet National Park
6. Campbell Bay National Park
7. North Button Island National Park
8. Middle Button Island National Park
9. South Button Island National Park

• The Islands are also famous for the largest and rarest species of crab, the Giant Robber Crab. It can climb the coconut trees and break the hard shell of the fruit.
• Dugong is the another significant mammal associated with the islands

HUMAN INHABITATION:

• The island is home to one of the earliest human settlements. Genetic and cultural studies suggest that the indigenous Andamanese people may have been isolated from other populations during the Middle Paleolithic, which ended 30,000 years ago.
• During the Chola period, Rajendra Chola I was believed to have used the islands as a strategic point for his Indonesian expeditions.
• The islands are also mentioned in the writings of Marco Polo.
• The Danes were the first to colonize the islands, and later by the British. However, throughout its history it was abandoned multiple times due to outbreak of diseases such as Malaria.
• In 1858 the British again established a colony at Port Blair, which proved to be more permanent. The primary purpose was to set up a penal colony for criminal convicts from the Indian subcontinent. The colony came to include the infamous Cellular Jail (Kala Pani)
• In 1872, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were united under a single chief commissioner at Port Blair.
• During the Second World War, the islands were captured by Japanese and handed it over to Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. Netaji had hoisted the flag at Port Blair on December 30, 1943. This was because he believed that Port Blair was the first territory to be freed from British rule. He also suggested that the Islands be renamed as Shahid and Swaraj Dweep.
• Today 37 of its 572 islands are inhabited, mostly by tribal communities:
  • The Andaman Islands:
    • Home to four 'Negrito' tribes – the Great Andamanese, Onge, Jarawa and Sentinelese. They are believed to have arrived in the islands from Africa up to 60,000 years ago.
    • All are nomadic hunter-gatherers, hunting wild pig and monitor lizard, and catching fish with bows and arrows. They also collect honey, roots and berries from the forest.
    • The Sentinelese are the only people currently known to not have reached further than a Paleolithic level of technology (Old stone age)
  • The Nicobar Islands:  
    • Home to two 'Mongoloid' tribes – the Shompen and Nicobarese. They probably came to the islands from the Malay-Burma coast several thousand years ago.

POLITICO-ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE:

• The Union Territory headed by a lieutenant Governor with Port Blair as its capital.
• It has one Lok Sabha constituency
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is divided into three districts-
  1. Nicobar Islands
  2. North & Middle Andaman
  3. South Andaman
• Each district is further divided into sub-divisions and taluks.
• Languages: Hindi and English are the official languages, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Nicobarese, Kurukh, Munda and Kharia are also spoken

ECONOMY & INFRASTRUCTURE:

• Paddy is the main food crop in the island, while coconut and areca nut are the major cash crops. Besides these, fisheries and timber are a major industry.
• Tourism is the most significant service industry. However, prior permissions are required for visiting certain areas.  
• The Andaman Trunk Road (ATR, NH 4)) connects Port Blair in south Andaman to Diglipur in north Andaman, covering nearly 340 km. It passes through the Jarawa reserve.
• Veer Savarkar International Airport, also known as Port Blair Airport, is the main airport of the Island. Sea planes are being operationalised under the UDAN scheme.
• Two solar energy plants with a total capacity of 45 MW [20 MW by Neyveli Lignite Corporation (NLC) and 25 MW by National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC)] are under implementation.
• Work has commenced for the laying of a submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) between Chennai and Port Blair and eight other islands. The project is likely to be completed by June of 2020, 
• The Andaman and Nicobar Command is the first and only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces
• There is also potential scope of ocean bed resources in the region, such as Poly-metallic nodules.

STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE:

• Geostrategic:
  • Accounting for 30% of India’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Islands have been acknowledged as a distinctive strategic asset in the 21st century
  • Its position in the Bay of Bengal safeguards India's eastern seaboard as well the approaches to the Indian Ocean from the east. Labeled as the ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’, the islands provide India with a springboard to expand its strategic frontiers to its maritime east.
• Geopolitical:
  • Among the major bottlenecks that control entry to this region are the Malacca Strait and the Six Degree Channel. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in this strategically important zone, meaning that India with its growing naval capabilities could play a significant role in controlling access.
  • China has also proposed to develop the Kra canal (Thai Canal), which would connect Andaman sea with the Gulf of Thailand. Andaman’s proximity to it can act as a significant leverage for India in ensuring control over the Indian ocean region.

• • The proximity to Southeast Asian region enables India to forge friendly relations with its Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) neighbors
• Economic:
  • These islands provides with economic potential for tourism, fisheries, forests besides potential benefits from undersea mining, oil & gas and renewable sources like tidal and wind energy.
• To check ‘sea denial’ and ensure ‘sea control’:
  • The islands are vital for the success of India’s SAGAR doctrine and to counter China’s String of Pearls strategy.
  • India’s sea denial strategy is predominantly oriented towards denying Beijing’s Sea Fleet an operational domain in the Indian Ocean. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands can assist that strategy by further contributing to the Indian Navy’s maritime predominance in the eastern Indian Ocean region and its influence beyond the Malacca Strait

CHALLENGES:

• Distance from mainland:
  • The physical isolation and remoteness of the archipelago make it vulnerable to conventional and non-conventional threats.
  • The absence of a human presence on hundreds of these islands has made them vulnerable to narcotics smuggling, intrusion by foreign vessels, and other incursions.
• Climate change induced issues:
  • The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC), prepared by the IPCC has cautioned that islands like Andaman and Nicobar might not be inhabitable in a few years due to rise in sea level and increase in climatic events like cyclones.
• Rising Chinese presence:
  • Myanmar has leased Coco Islands to China for the purpose of setting up a listening post. This may force India to spend more on its defense in the region

INDIAN INITIATIVES SO FAR:

Realizing the significance of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, India has initiated a slew of measures to strengthen its presence in the archipelago. These include:

• Established Andaman and Nicobar Command, which is the first and only Tri-service theater command of the Indian Armed Forces, overseen by the Integrated Defense Staff
• Plans to create a trans-shipment hub on the island of Car Nicobar. This could be an economic and strategic game changer, with the potential to compete with the ports of Singapore or Colombo
• India is close to finalising a plan of military infrastructure development, worth Rs 5650 crores, for the islands. It would allow additional troops, warships, aircraft, drones, and missile batteries to be stationed there.

WAY AHEAD:

• Defense and strategic concerns should be the prime focus for India, especially in the light of retrenchment of USA from Asia. Thus India should encourage the creation of defense and communication infrastructure in the region, with special focus on ensuring freedom of navigation along the Indian ocean region
• Andaman and Nicobar islands are an adobe of untapped resources, especially renewables like Wind, tidal and sea bed resources. Hence, policy measures, such as in the form of special packages or joint ventures with private players, must be pursued to make use of these resources in a sustainable manner.
• Thrust on economic development is essential. But this should not sacrifice the rich biodiversity of the region or the lives of its indigenous population. Hence, India should device a strategy that would carefully balance the need for economic development with the need to protect the biodiversity and indigenous population in the region.

Practice Question

Q. Critically evaluate the role of Andaman & Nicobar Islands in India’s maritime security. What measures have the government taken in this regard?