Amid Wayanad landslides, experts' wake-up call on eco-sensitive Nilgiris

CHENNAI: Landslides in Kerala's Wayanad, which claimed hundreds of lives, have raised a serious question: Will a similar disaster strike ecologically sensitive Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu? The answer is not a categorical 'no'.

According to experts, the topography of Wayanad and The Nilgiris are contagious and both have a similar physical surface. "The region has a thick layer of soil going down up to 100 feet to 200 feet. When a large quantity of rainwater permeates due to excess rainfall, seepage under the ground would occur. This causes landslides. Climate extremity is also a reason for Wayanad landslides," A Ramachandran, Emeritus Professor, Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management at Anna University, explained.

Emphasizing the need for overhauling disaster management at a time of climate extremities, Ramachandran added that the power of responding to disasters should also be given to local bodies as well as the collectors of the peripheral districts rather than giving powers only to the collectors of hot spot districts.

"Wayanad received higher than normal rainfall. This is due to the weakening of the upward movement of wind. When the upward wind is weakened, cloud bursts would occur. Weakening of upward wind is one of the impacts of climate change," he said.

Meanwhile, Poovulagin Nanbargal, an environmental organisation, urged the governments to link the weakening of land with deforestation, landslides with extreme rainfall and extreme rainfall with climate change. "The Tamil Nadu government should learn a lesson from the Wayanad incident and consider frequent landslides in Ooty, Kodaikanal, Kotagiri, Coonoor, Valparai and others," it urged.

The organisation further requested the government to shift resorts and commercial establishments located in the eco-sensitive areas that were identified by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel headed by Madhav Gadgil to other areas apart from banning new constructions and mining.

"A Landslide Management Centre should be established in The Nilgiris and Vathalagundu to conduct research on landslides apart from taking measures and training response teams to prevent landslides. The flower show in Ooty should be shifted to Mettupalayam or Pollachi as the show attracts lakhs of visitors putting stress on the mountain. Also, invasive plant species should be removed and native vegetation should be restored," Poovulagin Nanbargal requested the government.

What Kasturirangan panel said:

Since Madhav Gadgil committee recommended considering the entire Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive zone, states covering the mountain range opposed the report. Following this, the central government constituted another committee under scientist Kasturirangan.

The Kasturirangan report recommended classifying 37 per cent of Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive area and banning mining, quarrying, thermal power plants, township projects, and other 'red industries' in the Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA). But, Kerala and Karnataka opposed the report.

Despite the report being submitted to the government in 2013 and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issuing a draft notification on 'Western Ghats Eco-Sensitive Area' in July 2022, the region is yet to be announced as an eco-sensitive area.

While responding to a question in the Lok Sabha on July 22, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh, said that a committee was constituted to re-examine the suggestions of the six state governments (Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu) in a holistic manner, keeping in view the conservation aspects of the disaster-prone pristine ecosystem, and the rights, privileges, needs and developmental aspirations of the region.

"The concerns of the State governments including Kerala and Karnataka are deliberated by the committee and based on the recommendations of the said committee; the draft notification is finalised," he said.