Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Union environment ministry has issued a draft notification to declare the Western Ghats, including villages in Wayanad, as ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) following a series of devastating landslides. The catastrophe on July 30 resulted in at least 210 fatalities, with hundreds still missing.
The proposal, covering six states and 59,940 square kilometers of the Western Ghats—approximately 37% of the range—was circulated as a draft notification dated July 31 and shared publicly on Friday. This move comes 13 years after the initial recommendation by a panel led by renowned ecologist Madhav Gadgil in 2011.
“This draft notification has been reissued because the previous draft expired. The high-level committee constituted by the MoEFCC is yet to conclude its report,” stated a senior official at the Union environment ministry, who wished to remain anonymous.
Experts suggest the latest draft may have been prompted by the recent landslides in Wayanad district. Parts of Vythiri in Wayanad, a popular tourist destination, are included in the ministry’s draft ESA.
If finalized, the notification would impose bans on mining, quarrying, sand mining, thermal power plants, and polluting industries within the designated areas. It would also prohibit new construction projects and township developments above certain thresholds.
The draft, now renewed for a sixth time, states: “All new and expansion projects of building and construction with a built-up area of 20,000 square meters and above, and all new and expansion townships and area development projects with an area of 50 hectares and above or with built-up area of 150,000 square meters and above shall be prohibited.”
Additionally, hydropower projects and less polluting industries would be regulated, and a monitoring mechanism would be established.
The Western Ghats state governments—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu—now face the decision to accept or reject the proposal. Kerala forest and environment minister AK Saseendran stated, “I am part of the cabinet sub-committee overseeing the rescue and relief operations in Wayanad, so I have not had the opportunity to look at the draft notification. It’s a highly complicated matter.”
The notification acknowledges that Kerala had previously demarcated ESAs through physical verification. Kerala’s recommended ESA covers 9,993.7 square kilometers, less than the 13,108 square kilometers recommended by a high-level working group.
The implementation of the ESA designation has faced numerous challenges, with state governments raising various objections. The central government held multiple meetings with state representatives to discuss the issue, including high-level consultations on February 15, 2019, May 21, 2020, November 23, 2021, and December 3-4, 2021. Further discussions continued through 2022, 2023, and early 2024, with the most recent meeting in March 2024.
The history of Western Ghats protection dates back to the Gadgil panel’s 2011 recommendation to cover 75% of the 129,037 sq-km mountain range. Resistance from several states led to a scaled-down recommendation by a second committee headed by rocket scientist K Kasturirangan in 2013.
The Western Ghats, recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot, harbor many endemic species and unique habitats. The formal process of legally notifying the ecological sensitivity of the Western Ghats has been pending for 15 years, despite demands dating back to the late 1990s.
“The regulatory zoning of the Western Ghats is not just an environmental question; it is also about how multiple risks are managed,” commented Kanchi Kohli, an independent legal and policy expert. Abinash Mohanty, sector head for climate change and sustainability with research firm IPE-Global, emphasized the importance of landscape-based zoning in mitigating climate change impacts.
CR Neelakandan, writer and environmental activist in Kerala, called for public participation in the decision-making process. “Before the draft notification is accepted or rejected by states, including Kerala, it should be put up for people, especially those living in the Ghats, to share their opinions and inputs,” he stated.
