Human intervention in God’s own country killing people

By G S Radhakrishna

Aug 11, 2020

Bangalore: Gods own country-Kerala- may soon lose its tag, what with the havoc caused by human interference causing landslides, killing countless people over years.

The havoc and destruction caused during recent monsoon rainfall in Kerala and parts of Karnataka should serve as alarm bell for the administrators in the states of Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. All these states have ignored scientific advice in their mad drive for profiteering on huge bio diversity space in the Western Ghats by promoting indiscriminate eco tourism with resorts, roads and bridges .

In the process, they have encouraged deforestation, quarrying and high rise constructions in ESA( ecologically sensitive area ) in the Western Ghats.Every weekend, tourists are dumped into these areas by special flights, air conditioned buses and others for merry making in resorts. Thus ecology has become an livelihood option for a few local businessmen, but death traps for poor labourers of tea and coffee estates who live in tin and mud houses in valleys and hillock of the Ghats.

What happened in Idukki district last week with land slides killing over 49 tea estate workers, including women and children, in which several are still missing is a warning bell for worst things to come. “ If the same amount of destruction of forests and indiscriminate quarrying and construction activity continued in these regions, even God can not stop the avalanche of land slides,” says Prof MK Prasad, an eminent environmentalist of Kerala.

Heavy rainfall, deforestation and indiscriminate construction activity of resorts in the name of eco tourism and high rise buildings are reasons for landslides in Western Ghat region of Kerala, for a third year in row. Since the last two decades, thousands have been displaced, hundreds killed, countless acres of fertilise land left barren due to floods land slides

A senior IAS official and also an environmental activist of Kerala says that some of the districts had in last 5-10 years seen a spurt in resort activity.” With Gulf money pouring in, many families promoted resorts and high rise buildings in the country side.The real estate operators with connivance of officials have even changed the course of some streams by denuding thick forests in valleys in the name of development and livelihood politics, say local residents in Idukki district.

The spikes in landslides during monsoon season has become a regular feature, leading to subsequent loss of lives, property and livelihood in most of northern Kerala districts and southern Karnataka districts. There are nearly 1340 resorts (Home stays etc) in Kerala in addition to 545 in Karnataka districts abutting western ghats providing weekly entertainment packages for tourist groups. Such activity is spiralling in key northern districts of Kerala viz Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Malappuram, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur and six southern districts of Karnataka which are part of Western Ghats and particularly its Ecologically Sensitive Zones.

The key reason for major landslides in Malappuram and Wayanad is still heavy downpour and intense quarrying. Heavy denudation of forests has also led to decaying roots of felled trees causing huge vacuum’s in the already shallow soil structure ( just 1.5 meters )of the region.

Huge underground water pipes are said to be a common feature in the Western Ghat region. The research on 30 landslides by Kerala Forest Research Institute shows that at least 25 of them happened in what is referred to as “Ecologically Sensitive Zones” where even vibrations of quarrying had led to land slides

According to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, there were 64 landslides in the state in disastrous spell Of 2019 and so far 12 in 2020 during last two months of rainfall .

Hume Centre For Ecology and Wildlife Biology which analysed the floods and landslides in Wayanad says that land fragmentation including mono cropping, road construction were major causes of land slides. During monsoon of 2019 the incessant rainfall in the 8 districts of Kerala killed 50 persons and displaced over 1 lakh persons who were sheltered in over 1000 relief camps for few months.

On August 7, 2020 the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for ‘extremely heavy’ rainfall in Idukki, Malappuram, Pathanamthitta and Wayanad districts and Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka.

According to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority, as many as 295 persons hav died in 85 major landslides since 1961- 2016. Officials said 14.4% or 5,607 sq km of the state’s total area in 10 taluks out of a total of 77 taluks were susceptible to landslides.

Between 1986 and 2013, Kerala witnessed 115 earthquakes measuring between 5.00-0.8. The studies found that 78 quarries lay within 1 km of the epicentre of the earthquakes.

According to scientists, landslides occur when human intervention – such as building high rises, stone quarrying and the construction of roads – increases in landslide prone areas.

Several committees have identified rise in quarries in the ESA regions. There were 5,924 big, medium and small quarries in Kerala. Palakkad with 867 quarries topped the list followed by Ernakulam with 774.

Apparently nine of the six concerned states have agreed with the recommendations of the of both Kasturirangan (2012) and Gadgil Committee (2011)

Gadgil committee lamented that 56,000 square kilometres of ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) in the Western Ghats could not be earmarked as ‘no-go’ zones due to State governments’ ‘insensitivity’.

The Kasturirangan Committee of 2012 had recommended total ban on mining quarrying and sand mining in the ESA of the ghats .

No new thermal power projects were allowed, but hydro power projects were allowed with restrictions.

It proposed a ban on new polluting industries, on mining, quarrying and sand mining. Building and construction projects up to 20,000 sq m was to be allowed but townships were to be banned.

But none of the these states across the highly bio-diversity ricch western ghat are implementing any of the recommendations of the committees .

With a goal to increase state revenues by promoting wellness or resort tourism, they are allowing resorts and high rises in hinterland of the ESA zones. The governments are also building bridges and roads to facilitate these money making activities.

No wonder the landscape and ecology of God’s own country is degenerating

due to human interference in the world’s top bio diversity spaces in western ghats, the public and private infrastructure in villages and towns in the western ghats are emerging as death traps.

The landslides could also emerge as death traps wherever tabletop airports, irrigation structures and bridges are located in these ESA areas .

Nobody knows when landslides or earthquakes could occur and destroy years of development in just seconds . Even when forewarned they have no remedy.

–India News Stream