Report of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel - Part I; 1. Summary :

Opinion
   10/09/2018
            1393

Report of the Panel – Part I

1. Summary :

On the basis of careful and extensive compilation of information, and wide-ranging field visits, consultations and analysis, the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) has designated the entire Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) and, assigned three levels of Ecological Sensitivity to different regions of it. These are termed as Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 (ESZ1), Ecologically Sensitive Zone 2 (ESZ2) and Ecologically Sensitive Zone 3 (ESZ3). A number of specific proposals received by the Panel from individual Gram Panchayats as well as NGOs from different parts of the Western Ghats are referred to as Ecologically Sensitive Localities (ESL).

The database employs square grids of ~ 9 km x 9 km that do not correspond either to natural features such as watersheds, or administrative units such as village or taluka boundaries. It will clearly be desirable to put in place a system of zonation that jointly considers micro-watersheds and village boundaries to decide on specific limits of ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3, as well as to arrive at a locality specific management plan. This would be a task that will have to be initiated by the Western Ghats Ecology Authority through a broad-based participatory process when it is put in place. However, as a first step, we suggest the Ministry of Environment and Forests provisionally notify the initial limits of ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3 based on WGEEP analysis. This may be most appropriately done at Taluka/Block level. With this in view, we have gone ahead and assigned ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3 levels to all the 142 talukas within the Western Ghats boundary. The assigned ESZ level to the taluka is that ESZ that covers the largest fraction of the taluka. In the case of Goa, 1 minute x 1 minute grids were used and the zones across talukas were defined based on ecological significance of grids.

WGEEP advocates a graded or layered approach, with regulatory as well as promotional measures appropriately fine-tuned to local ecological and social contexts within the broad framework of ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3. While we advocate this fine-tuning through a participatory process going down to gram sabhas, it is appropriate to provide a broad set of guidelines as a starting point. WGEEP has attempted to arrive at such a set of broad guide-lines for the various sectors on the basis of extensive consultations with officials, experts, civil society groups and citizens at large.

WGEEP recommends that no new dams based on large scale storage be permitted in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 as defined by the Panel. Since both the Athirappilly and Gundia hydel project sites fall in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1, these projects should not be accorded environmental clearance.
For the state of Goa, WGEEP recommends an indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1 and 2, a phasing out of mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 by 2016 and continuation of existing mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 2 under strict regulation with an effective system of social audit. The moratorium on new clearances in ESZ2 can be revisited as and when the situation improves and when a comprehensive study on the impact of mining on the ecology, environment, human health, and biodiversity by a competent multidisciplinary team, working along with people’s institutions, has been concluded.
The Panel has been asked to suggest an appropriate course of further development of mining, power production and polluting industries in Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Report of the WGEEP 2011.

Maharashtra. Only portions of these districts are covered by the Western Ghats, and for which WGEEP has completed assignment of Ecologically Sensitive Zones and provided guidelines for sectors. For these Western Ghats regions of the district, the Panel recommends an indefinite moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1 and 2, a phasing out of mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1 by 2016 and continuation of existing mining in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 2 under strict regulation with an effective system of social audit. It also recommends that in Ecologically Sensitive Zones 1 and 2, no new polluting (red and orange category) industries, which would include coal-based power plants, should be permitted to be established; the existing red and orange category industries should be asked to switch to zero pollution by 2016, again with an effective system of social audit.

WGEEP has not undertaken any extensive compilation of pertinent information and assignment of levels of ecological sensitivity to the plains and coastal portions of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts falling outside the Western Ghats. Nevertheless, the limited investigations of the Panel in these plains and coastal tracts suggest that these are under severe environmental and social stress, and it is essential that a careful Cumulative Impact Analysis of various development activities in these tracts, ideally in conjunction with Raigad district of Maharashtra and the state of Goa, must be immediately undertaken, preferably under the leadership of the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. The Panel recommends that the current moratorium on new environmental clearances for mining, and red and orange category polluting industries and power plants in the plains and coastal tracts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts should be extended till satisfactory completion of a Carrying Capacity analysis for these districts. The moratorium may then be reviewed in light of the findings of the study.

The Panel believes that immediate steps must be taken to address the issue of a serious deficit in environmental governance all over the Western Ghats tract. The Panel is impressed both by levels of environmental awareness and commitment of citizens towards the cause of the environment, and their helplessness in the face of their marginalization in the current system of governance. The Panel urges the Ministry of Environment and Forests to take a number of critical steps to involve citizens. These would include: pro-active and sympathetic implementation of the provisions of the Community Forest Resources of the Forest Rights Act, establishment of fully empowered Biodiversity Management Committees in all local bodies, promotion of programmes on the pattern of ‘Conservation of biodiversity rich areas of Udumbanchola taluka’ formulated by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board, a radical reform of Environmental Impact Analysis and Clearance processes, pro-active disclosure of all information of public interest interpreted in the broadest possible sense, a revival of the Paryavaran Vahini programme, and institution of a social audit process for all environmental issues on the model of that for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Andhra Pradesh.

To be continued ..

JAIHIND
VANDEMATHARAM