Even as there are several laws in force in the State to guarantee the safety of the ecology and the environment, it is no secret that the rampant environment destruction taking place through human intervention is by violating these laws.
A recent study by environmentalist V.K. Madhusoodanan shows that apart from the allegations of connivance of government wings duty bound to ensure the enforcement of such laws, the government itself is abetting environmental degradation.
The study says that there is no monitoring agency in the government to identify whether the granite and sand used for government projects like seawalls, wetland protection walls and roads are coming from authorised quarries and mines.
The government should be the agency in the forefront promoting eco-friendly medium of construction.
But here the government itself is the biggest agency demanding construction material derived from activities that are harmful to the environment.
Of late, serious ecological damage from the government side is taking place in the name environment protection.
The construction of concrete walls and embankments in the name of protection wetlands like ponds, lakes and streams are in fact harming the ecology and the environment. Most ponds now look like swimming pools after renovation, the study shows.
“Local bodies are presently engaged in a wetland protection spree by erecting concrete or granite walls along the wetlands utilising huge funds. This has boosted quarrying and mining activities. But such walls do serious damage to the local ecology. Such walled wetlands cannot support endemic animal and plant life but in turn will pave the way for exotic invasive species to take over,” Mr. Madhusoodanan says.
Another aspect that raises the demand for granite is the quality of roads in the State. In spite of ample funds available to construct quality roads, all roads in the State have to be repaired or maintained annually and that means huge demand for ballast.
This is because the construction is deliberately substandard with the connivance of the authorities concerned, the study says.
