Use 'double-engine power' to save Western Ghats, environmentalists urge PM Modi

Expressing concern over the delay in giving the ecologically sensitive tag to the Western Ghats - a Unesco world heritage site, environmentalists have appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to use his "double engine" power to expedite consensus among the states.

Unesco describes the Western Ghats as older than the Himalayan mountain ranges.

The mountain chain of the Western Ghats represents geomorphic features of immense importance with unique biophysical and ecological processes.
Floating a social media campaign titled #saveourhills, environment-focused not-for-profit NatConnect Foundation has regretted that the Madhav Gadgil committee recommendations made 12 years ago to declare 75 per cent of the ghats as ecologically sensitive area (ESA) are still being discussed by committees after committees with no solution.

The ESA limit has been reduced first to 50 per cent and then to 37 per cent and yet the states seem to squabble to come to an understanding, NatConnect director BN Kumar said.

The forests in the ghats include some of the best representatives of non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests and are home to at least 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species, according to Unesco.

The destruction of the ghats under the guise of infrastructure and quarrying in many places is continuing unabated, Nandakumar Pawar, head of NGO Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan, said

Moderating the tropical climate of the region, the site presents one of the best examples of the monsoon system on the planet. It also has an exceptionally high level of biological diversity and endemism and is recognised as one of the world's eight "hottest hotspots" of biological diversity.

"Without getting into political rhetoric, we would like to request the Prime Minister to use his double engine doctrine to convince the states to agree on conserving the hills," Kumar said and reminded that the majority of the six states in the ghat stretch - Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka – are BJP ruled. The remaining states, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are ruled by DMK and LDF, respectively.

NatConnect, which also wrote to the PM directly, called for an urgent meeting of the Chief Ministers and Environment Ministers of the six states to thrash out the disagreements among them and protect the ghats.

Appreciating Modi's efforts on global platforms to save the environment by focusing on zero carbon emission, Pawar said the government must do more on the ground level and in India.