Report warns of human folly in western Ghats

PUNE: Landslides, severe waterlogging and flash floods are natural disasters but environmentalists are firm that their epic proportions are brought on by human activities.
Last week, Vishakha Sachin Wadekar (30) and her daughter Sanskruti (18 months) were washed away in the flow of water gushing down the hills near the Katraj tunnel on the Pune-Bangalore highway after heavy rain.
Indiscriminate development on the hill near the tunnel led to rainwater accumulation which did not have an outlet as boulders and soil blocked the drains, and water submerged the road near the tunnel.
Long before this tragedy, the Western Ghats ecology experts' panel, chaired by city-based Madhav Gadgil, had set alarm bells ringing over massive hill cutting in the entire region and warned of man-made disasters. However, the Centre and the state governments continue to dodge the Gadgil committee report. Environmentalists and activists working in Western Ghats warn of larger tragedies if hill cutting is not curbed.
The Gadgil committee in its report submitted to the Centre in 2011 observed that the Western Ghat areas are occupied by urban individuals/developers with land holdings ranging from 0.5 acres to more than 1,000 acres.
"These people are politicians, developers, common people, corporates, and industrialists. For the past two decades, farm houses and resorts have begun to dot the Western Ghats, attracting elite city people. Developmental activities associated with these projects are roads, terracing, vegetation cutting, construction and landscaping, all proving dangerous to biodiversity. These new settlement patterns and developments are resulting in hill cutting and physical changes in slope profile due to roads, terracing and construction. Modifications in hydrological patterns are noticed; terracing is causing removal of vegetation and soil and changes in hill topography. Dumping of material like stones, sand, bricks is observed as is quarrying for stone, murrum, and soil for various construction purposes," states the report.
The committee has warned that hill cutting is resulting in changes in natural streams, hyporheic zones and natural springs and oozes were being destroyed. The committee report adds that haphazard development has resulted in alterations of sub-surface flows and damaged groundwater table. "This has increased in runoff due to hard paved surfaces and reduction in water percolation," the report said.
"All these observations by the committee are true to the entire Western Ghats. In the name of development, hills are being destroyed and cement jungles are replacing the biodiversity. What do you expect when you cut hills and stop the flow of water? Nature is going to find its own way to react," said Kolhapur-based activist Uday Kulkarni, who is involved in several movements to protect the eco- sensitive zones in South Maharashtra.
The Gadgil committee has observed that hill cutting is resulting in hydrology changes including canalisation, modifications, removal of boulders, loss of riparian vegetation, habitats that have posed a threat to the stream ecosystem and its function.
"The observations made by the Gadgil committee apply to the hills around Pune city. Massive constructions are coming up on hills in Pune district. In fact, there is a booming business of developing a plot on the hills and selling it for investment. A couple of years ago, the district collectorate had announced the appointment of a committee to keep vigil on hill cutting. No one knows what happened to the committee, but hill cutting continues," said activist Vijay Kumbhar.
He has written to the district collector seeking action. The committee report states that over the past few years, villagers have been selling their lands, and either work as labourers on the land or migrate to nearby towns / cities in search of work and a ,better? life. The new owners, mainly city people, purchase lands from these farmers and convert it into a farm house / resort with city-like amenities and plans.
"Many a times they convert the land into horticulture plantations (mostly mango especially in Maharashtra), or introduce non-native plants for landscaping/greening purposes or try out innovative plants like tea, coffee, etc. But, for all these activities, the original plant diversity is removed indiscriminately," states the report.
Rajya Sabha member and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) city unit president Vandana Chavan who campaigned for biodiversity parks in 23 villages merged in civic limits insists that the hills around the city must be protected at all cost.
"We cannot allow indiscriminate attacks on the hills and invite natural disasters. Citizens' participation to protect natural assets is the best way to ensure that we move ahead with sustainable development," she said.
Second Homes In the Hills
The Gadgil committee observes that when cities started becoming overcrowded and polluted, people needed a weekend destination and creative developers offered it with farm-house schemes and resorts. For the past two decades, the Western Ghats have become dotted with farmhouses and resorts, attracting elite city people. City dwellers need a neat and clean look and amenities wherever they travel. This started the massive development of the hills to modify and conquer nature. At the same time, when city people were attracted to the hills, the village people wanted city life. So they started selling land, and migrating to cities.
Impact of Hill Cutting
Disturbance to slopes and streams
Changes in natural streams and hyporheic zones
Loss of special biodiversity like streamside vegetation and aquatic life
Destruction of natural springs and oozes
Alteration of sub-surface flows
Damage to ground water table
Introduction of waste water to water bodies
Increase in runoff due to hard paved surfaces and reduction in water percolation
Measures for Mitigation
The Gadgil committee panel has recommended that certain types of areas would be no-go areas, including water courses, water bodies, special habitats, geological formations, biodiversity rich areas, and sacred groves.
Special Economic Zones should not be permitted
New hill stations should not be allowed
Public lands should not be converted to private lands
Change in land use should not be permitted from forest to non-forest uses or agricultural to non-agricultural, except agriculture to forest (or tree crops), and except when extension of existing village settlement areas to accommodate increase in population of local residents
Certain recognized best practices of construction/development such as topsoil conservation; trees conservation etc. should be followed as per the guidelines of Green Building certifications of Eco Housing or any other appropriate codes to be encouraged
Certain activities for example filling of marshes/ wetlands, introduction of alien invasive species are not permitted
The area that may be paved is to be restricted; paving of ground areas may be done in such a manner that there is no change in the run-off / permeability of the plot overall before and after paving (if some area is paved, the recharge from other areas will have to be enhanced)
(Source: The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel Report submitted to the Government of India)