Considering the seriousness of landslips, the State government has agreed to constitute an expert panel to look into the matter and recommend steps to be taken to resolve this issue, said Karnataka Biodiversity Board (KBB) chairman Anant Hegde Ashisar.
Speaking to presspersons here recently, Mr. Ashisar said that KBB has made a suggestion to the State government and the latter is likely to make a formal announcement shortly.
Landslips are being reported frequently from the Western Ghats region, especially during the monsoon. This issue has taken a serious proportion in the recent times leading to loss of lives and property besides creating hurdles to traffic movement. Therefore, there is an ardent need to address this problem through scientific and comprehensive methods, he added.
Mr. Hegde said that the Biodiversity Act was a strong instrument in the hands of the people and it provides for taking steps to preserve and conserve locations of environmental importance. It also empowers the people to take steps for designing programmes for sustainable utilisation of natural resources.
KBB would initiate steps to constitute biodiversity management committees in the villages, towns and cities to document biodiversity and take steps to preserve and conserve them. The Act provides for declaring places of natural importance such as water sources, lakes, habitats of birds and animals and other such locations and Natural Heritage Sites. KBB has taken steps to observe this year’s World Biodiversity Day falling on May 22 in the village level by holding meaningful programmes. Even the State level awards would be given at a village level programme, he said. Referring to the steps taken to form biodiversity management committees in the district, the KBB official said that the committees have been formed in all the 144 gram panchayats in the district. People’s biodiversity registrar has been prepared in 32 gram panchayats, and this process is in progress in 25 gram panchayats. Mr. Hegde also held a meeting with Deputy Commissioner M. Deepa and zilla panchayat chief executive officer B.C. Satish where he received information about the implementation of different programmes.
