H.C. Sharatchandra, environmentalist and former Chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB), said on Saturday that promoting reckless development in eco-sensitive coastal Karnataka will have serious environmental consequences.
He was delivering the keynote address at a seminar on “Problems of Coastal Karnataka and their solutions - Role of media”, organised by the Karnataka Madhyama Academy, Department of Information and Public Relations and Udupi District Working Journalists Association here. Mr. Sharatchandra said that reckless destruction of forests to promote development was leading to global warming and climate change. The impact of this could also be seen in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts which were facing near-drought conditions this year.
Coastal Karnataka had many West-flowing rivers joining the Arabian Sea. They had Western Ghats, one of the hotspots of biodiversity. It was necessary to create awareness about this biodiversity among people.
The development in this region started with the establishment of New Mangalore Port Trust, construction of National Highway 66 and Konkan Railway. The improvement in infrastructure attracted many big industries to this region.
However, some industries were responsible for air and water pollution. “The classic question is always asked: Should we protect the environment or promote development? Though both these are two faces of the same coin, they look at opposite directions,” he said.
Reckless development was adversely affecting farmers and fishermen in the region. Industralisation had led to urbanization which in turn was creating problem of drinking water, sanitation and solid waste management. Though these two districts received heavy rainfall, they faced water scarcity during summer.
