In calamities-hit Karnataka, polls are not a conducive environment to resolve ecological issues Premium

Environmentalists say assurances and promises for ecologically sensitive regions such as the Western Ghats are primarily aimed at ‘infrastructure and development’ with big funding

Environmentalists say assurances and promises for ecologically sensitive regions such as the Western Ghats are primarily aimed at “infrastructure and development” with big funding.  | Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

In 2018, Kodagu, the picturesque hilly district in Karnataka and one of the State’s best known tourist destinations, became the poster child for nature’s fury along with parts of neighbouring Kerala. Heavy rainfall ravaged parts of the district, sending portions of hillocks rolling onto the ground, breaking roads into half, and reducing houses to floating rubble.

The scenes were so potent that tourists stayed away much after the situation had returned to normal, even as the experts warned of unscientific, unhindered developmental works wrecking havoc on the fragile ecosystem in the Western Ghats. 

Cut to 2023 and the ruling BJP’s final Budget before the State Assembly elections had one major announcement for Kodagu: “A special package of ₹100 crore will be provided to Kodagu district for the development of major roads.”  

At a time when the protest at Uttarakhand’s Joshimath, which was witness to a tragedy earlier this year, crossed its 100th day, in Karnataka, where multiple calamities — whether man-made or natural — have caused large-scale devastation, environment and ecology are hardly a poll issue.

For instance, in the last winter session, the Karnataka Land Revenue (Second Amendment) Bill, 2022 was tabled in the Legislative Assembly to simplify the conversion of agricultural land for non-agricultural purpose. The Environment and Health Foundation (India) later wrote to Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, pointing to the dangers of permitting commercial land conversion in the district given the environmental sensitivity of the region.

In 2022, legislators from the State's Western Ghats area, irrespective of party affiliations, decided to take up a legal fight against the draft notification issued by the Centre on Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats region, which listed 20,668 sq. km. of area in Karnataka as ESA of the total extent of 46,832 sq. km. of ESA in the country spread across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Tamil Nadu.

Environmentalists say assurances and promises for ecologically sensitive regions such as the Western Ghats are primarily aimed at “infrastructure and development” with big funding. “Be it Shivamogga or Kodagu, all that we have been hearing is plans of making highways, railway lines, or even the more recently, Shivamogga airport. What is also not a secret is that some of these works are funding political parties. Why are politicians not allowing the Gadgil or Kasturirangan reports to be implemented? Land conversion is happening at a rapid rate in Kodagu and Chikmagalur and no one is stopping them,” a member of the United Conservation Movement, who did not wish to be quoted, said.

State capital Bengaluru is also no stranger to flooding. Even before scenes from 2017 were forgotten, in 2022, several parts of the city were under water. Even the Bengaluru-Mysuru Expressway was not spared. Scientists point out that the high intensity rainfall contributing to frequent flooding in areas such as north Karnataka, Kodagu and Shivamogga with land slides and mudslides affecting life and property, are a forewarning of the looming threat of climate change. Yet, this has not been an issue among decision-makers, evident from the deliberations either in the Indian Parliament or any State Assembly.

“This is mainly due to prevailing environmental illiteracy apart from lack of knowledge of recurring implications of poor environmental conditions. This can be attributed to the current education system, which necessitates environmental education at all levels. The COVID-19 pandemic has already warned us of serious implications of mismanaging our ecosystems,” T.V. Ramachandra from the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, said.

Dr. Ramachandra, who was part of the expert committee appointed by the State government to study the landslides, also attributed the missing climate discourse in India to “the adoption of an inappropriate economic metric, the GDP, which does not account degradation of ecosystems either in the national or federal accounting”. India has been trying to accelerate economic growth and relax environmental laws. Hence, there is a pressing need to undertake the natural capital accounting and valuation of the ecosystem services, especially intangible benefits, provided by ecosystems in India, he said.