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A seminar on the river basins of the Western Ghats region has called for a ban on mini-hydel projects in the region.
The seminar was jointly organised by the Centre for Ecological Sciences of Indian Institute of Science (IISc) of Bangalore, and the Puttur-based Kumaradhara Environment Protection Committee on Thursday.
T.V. Ramachandra of the Energy and Wetlands Research Group of the Centre for Ecological Sciences of IISc said the Western Ghats region constitutes one of the 34 global biodiversity hotspots. This hotspot contains unique flora and fauna and many threatened species.
Referring to a proposal to set up a mini-hydel project on the Kumaradhara, he said the proposed project at Urumbi will lead to the submergence of around 1,800 hectares of land in the ghat region. Of this, 46 per cent is forestland.
Quoting a study by a team of members led by him, he said the nature provides goods worth Rs 47 crore a year from the region. A mini-hydel project there would provide electricity worth only Rs 24.5 crore a year.
“This means the nature provides higher revenue than the mini-hydel project,” he said. Similar analysis applies to other proposed projects in the region also.
Ananth Hegde Ashisar, former chairman of the Karnataka Western Ghats Taskforce, said that apart from the mini-hydel projects the government is also planning to divert the west-flowing rivers such as Netravati to the eastern parts of the state. All these projects would affect the biodiversity of the region, he said, and sought a ban on mini-hydel projects in the Western Ghats region.
River protection movements should not be limited to ‘Ganga bachao’ alone, such movements should be extended to all the rivers flowing in the western ghat regions also, he added.
B.M. Kumaraswamy, environmentalist from Shimoga, said that a river is an ecosystem. Each one has its own characteristics.
It is not an engineer’s prerogative to divert it or to take up projects on it. Other stakeholders should also be consulted before taking decisions impacting the river basins, he said.
The seminar also suggested that the Forest Department take up projects to protect endangered species in the western ghat river basin. The meet demanded that the government take steps to document biodiversity of every village in the Western Ghats region.
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