Sharavathi project last straw for fragile regions of Shivamogga: IISc study

Rampant encroachment and pressure of development works have turned Shivamogga district into an ecologically fragile region, as per a new study of regional ecological fragility by IISc experts.

The experts have warned that proposals like the Sharavathi Pumped Storage Project will prove to be a catalyst for a cataclysm.

T V Ramachandra of IISc’s Energy and Wetlands Research Group, along with researchers Setturu Bharath and Aithal H Bharath, analysed data, from government satellites, forest boundaries, from 1973 to 2018 and studied topographic maps from Survey of India to trace the change in land use in the district.

The study found that 97,851.26 acres (39,599 ha) of forests in Shivamogga has been encroached, much against the government figures that put the forest encroachment in entire Karnataka at 69,192.54 acres (28,001.23 ha).

Asked about the difference in data, T V Ramachandra explained: “Unlike Forest Survey of India, we approached the forests in microscale. This helped us to separate the plantation areas that have come upon the forest land.”

The researchers overlaid the geo-registered forest boundaries on the high-resolution remote sensing data verified with the government’s Bhuvan as well as Google Earth. The microscale analysis also helped in classifying the forests into sensitive regions depending on the reduced resilience.

“The estimate shows the conversion of forest to agriculture and horticulture is to the tune of 36,105 hectares. Verification of these land use in the field reveals that most of these changes are unauthorised,” the study said.

Of the three forest divisions in the district, Bhadravathi lost the most with 18% forest land under encroachment, followed by 14% in Shivamogga and 13% in Sagar.

The analysis of the spatial distribution of the flora and fauna showed concentration of biodiversity in and around Sharavathy Wildlife Sanctuary, Sagar taluk, Agumbe rainforest, Thirthahalli taluk, and toward the Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary in Shivamogga taluk.

The study noted that political, social, and religious pressures have pushed the ecology to the edge. About 650 villages, especially those in western parts of the district, were highly sensitive regions and small changes here will have larger adverse impacts, including diminished water flow in the streams and rivers, it warned.