Green energy projects threaten the last refuges of the endangered great Indian bustard

As you approach Pokhran, the skyline is taken over by giants. They are wind turbines and lofty steel towers that stand tall against the yellow sand dunes, making the landscape look like a dystopian Lego town. The tops of the towers are painted a menacing red; they stand tall as if holding hands with the power lines.

Close to Pokhran, where India once flexed its nuclear muscle, a new power struggle is emerging in the sand dunes of Rajasthan. This one is between the people who live there and the power companies that promise clean and green energy to the nation. Caught in this crossfire is a critically endangered bird that has been on a collision course with the power companies’ high tension wires. The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) estimates that about 15% of the great Indian bustard (GIB) population dies each year due to collision with power lines, making this the most significant threat to the majestic bird today.

The bustard has had a chequered history; its unusual name stopped it from being declared the ‘national bird’ of India. Once found in large numbers across the country, Rajasthan is now home to the single largest viable population of the species. But the State has other plans for the bustard’s habitat — an array of solar and wind energy projects.