Western Ghats: It is time to act

The Centre has tasked a committee headed by former Director-General of Forests Sanjay Kumar to study the controversies surrounding the proposal to protect the Western Ghats, and submit a fresh report keeping in mind the “conservation of pristine environment and the rights, needs and developmental aspirations of the areas concerned”. Six Western Ghats states—Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat—have consistently opposed the Madhav Gadgil and K Kasturirangan reports submitted 12 and ten years ago respectively. The two panels had suggested various special measures for the protection of the ecologically fragile Western Ghats. The Gadgil committee, which estimated the area of the Ghats at 1,29,037 sq km, recommended that nearly 75% be protected. The Kasturirangan committee, on the other hand, put the total area at 1,64,280 sq km, of which 37% or about 60,000 sq km, was ecologically sensitive and representative of a continuous band of vegetation which had to be saved at any cost. The draft notification published by the Centre in 2014 based on the Kasturirangan report has been hanging fire due to the opposition from stakeholder states.

The states claim the report is unscientific as it is based on satellite images and not on ground realities. There is strong opposition right from the gram panchayat to the assembly level, with both the people and elected representatives pointing out that its implementation would lead to the displacement of thousands from existing villages. In Karnataka alone, over 1,500 villages will be impacted, according to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai. Besides putting a full stop to developmental activities, the implementation of the report will affect the livelihood of people involved in agriculture and horticulture. It will also come in the way of laying roads to settlements and providing basic amenities like drinking water, the states claim. Environmentalists, however, say the people are misled by politicians and other vested interests whose business will be impacted if the draft notification comes into force.

While the states may have a point, there is no denying that the Western Ghats are facing a daily onslaught from various quarters, including timber smugglers and mining lobbies, resulting in recurring natural calamities. While there is a need to strike a balance between the livelihood of people and conservation, any further delay in protecting the Western Ghats can be catastrophic, especially in the light of climate change. The new committee will hopefully find a via media so that this biodiversity hotspot can be saved before it is too late.