Western Ghats ESA: Activists flag gaps, lack of info in Kannada

As the deadline to respond to the sixth draft notification for Western Ghats eco-sensitive area (ESA) expires on Monday, civil society organisations and activists said misinformation about the notification dominated the discourse and expressed their angst against the state government rejecting the notification.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) issued the sixth draft notification dated July 31, proposing 56,825.7 sq km in six states as ESA. It had given 60 days for the general public to respond to the notification while asking the state government to communicate their stance by September 27. Last week, the Cabinet decided to reject the notification by citing public opposition.

In Karnataka, the ESA is proposed for 20,668 sq km in 10 districts. About 1,449 villages are located within the ESA. However, the notification is available only in English and Hindi.

‘Lack of clarity’

Led by Nirmala Gowda, members of Paani.Earth, circulated the draft for open-ended response highlighting the deliberate misinformation spread by people with vested interests to defeat the notification. At the same time, they flagged the silence or lack of clarity in the notification on issues like river diversion, transmission lines and linear projects.

Nirmala, who travelled in the Ghats districts in Karnataka for nine days, said people on the ground were getting the information through secondary and tertiary sources. “Though the draft notification clearly says that declaring ESA will not result in displacement of the people, there has been widespread disinformation propagated by wealthy and powerful vested interests that people will be displaced,” she said.

Language barrier

Sharada Gopal of Parisarakkagi Naavu, translated a part of the draft notification, said lack of information in Kannada has led to people getting misinformation. She noted that the sixth notification has not come out of blue but after nine years of consultation with the state governments.

“The Centre did accept suggestions by states, as in the case of Kerala. The Karnataka Forest Minister had suggested a package for people in ESA. But the government rejected the notification without considering the gravity of the situation,” she said.

The activist said people were devided because the governments have failed them. “On the one hand, they have not been compensated after being displaced for projects for Linganamakki. On the other, they are told to vacate lands being cultivated for 60 years,” she said.

Gadgil report

She said the solution lies in Madhav Gadgil’s report. “The Gadgil report was very clear that gram sabhas need to be fully involved in declaring ESA. Unfortunately, the villages have been kept out. The government needs to translate the Gadgil report in local languages and initiate discussons in villages for conservation to happen on the ground,” she said.

For instance, during a consultation meeting organised by the Forest department, many MLAs had said that farmers in ESA areas will not be allowed to spray pesticide though the notification clarifies that “practicing agriculture and plantation activity shall not be affected”.

Former secretary, Forest department and Chairman of Bangalore Environment Trust A N Yellappa Reddy said the Kasturirangan report, on which the notification is based, only protects the vestiges of the rich Western Ghats. “Over the last three decades, we have seen largescale destruction of the Ghats. What we are seeking to protect is remnants of a rich biodiversity. If we fail to protect this, then there is no hope for us,” he said.

Reddy, whose 1994 report on Western Ghats has been forgotten, said the extreme weather events caused by climate change should come as a reminder. “We now know what happens if we don’t learn lessons from the past. I hope people come together to protect the Ghats,” he said.