Centre issues fresh ESA draft for Western Ghats following Kerala disaster

The Centre has issued a fresh draft notification to declare over 56800 square kilometres of the Western Ghats across six states including 13 villages in Keralas landslidehit Wayanad an Ecologically Sensitive Area ESA inviting suggestions and objections within 60 daysThe notification issued on July 31 came a day after a series of landslides claimed over 300 lives in Wayanad districtScientists from Kerala and beyond attribute the disaster to a deadly mix of forest cover loss mining in the fragile terrain and climate changeThe draft notification proposes to declare 99937 sq km in Kerala including 13 villages in two talukas of the landslidehit district as ecologically sensitiveThese villages are Periya Thirunelli Thondernad Thrissilery Kidanganad and Noolpuzha in Mananthavady taluka and Achooranam Chundel Kottappadi Kunnathidavaka Pozhuthana Thariyod and Vellarimala in Vythiri talukaThe July 30 landslides affected Mundakkai Chooralmala and Attamala villages in Vythiri taluka which do not figure in the draft notificationOverall the notification proposes to declare 568257 sq km as ecologically sensitive including 449 sq km in Gujarat 17340 sq km in Maharashtra 1461 sq km in Goa 20668 sq km in Karnataka 6914 sq km in Tamil Nadu and 99937 sq km in KeralaAn official said that the latest draft is much more detailed and that there are no major changes in terms of total areaWe are hopeful that it will finally be notified the official addedThe Environment Ministry has issued six draft notifications including the one issued on July 31 since March 10 2014 but the final notification is pending amid objections from statesAccording to the fresh draft notification an expert panel set up in April 2022 to find a breakthrough has held nine meetings since July 2022 wherein various objections comments and suggestions were received from the statesThe committee is addressing the issues raised by the states in the Western Ghats region on discrepancies or information gaps in the draft notification dated July 6 2022 on the correct names and areas of villages to be included in the ecologically sensitive area The committee is also examining the suggestions received from the state governments it readThe draft notification suggests a complete ban on mining quarrying and sand mining with existing mines to be phased out within five years from the date of issue of the final notification or on the expiry of the existing mining lease whichever is earlierIt prohibits new thermal power projects and states that existing projects can continue to operate but no expansion will be allowedAll Red category industries highly polluting specified by the pollution control boards and their expansion shall be banned it saidLargescale construction projects and townships are also proposed to be prohibited with exceptions for the repair and renovation of existing buildingsIn 2010 the Centre formed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel under ecologist Madhav Gadgil to study the impact of population pressure climate change and development activities on the Western Ghats a global biodiversity hotspot declared a world heritage site in July 2012 by the United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCOThe panel recommended in 2011 that the entire hill range be declared an ESA and divided into three Ecologically Sensitive Zones ESZ 1 2 and 3 based on their ecosensitivityIt recommended a ban on mining quarrying new thermal power plants hydropower projects and largescale wind energy projects in ESZ 1However these recommendations faced resistance from state governments industries and local communitiesIn 2013 the Centre formed a HighLevel Working Group under rocket scientist K Kasturirangan to study and recommend measures for the Western Ghats ecological protection and sustainable developmentThis group identified 37 per cent of the Western Ghats covering 59940 square kilometres as ecologically sensitiveThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever