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Eminent ecologists were on the Gadgil Committee, and their report was reflective of that. Remember, there is a never-ending dispute between environment and development; it’s difficult to balance both without compromising the other. A committee called Kasturirangan was established to look at the WGEEP report. The high-level working group (HLWG), which has 10 members and is led by Kasturirangan, is known as the committee and goes by the abbreviation HLWG.
Western Ghats
A vast area, the Western Ghats includes six States, 44 districts, and 142 taluks. Many animals and flora that are endangered live there. India’s most diverse wildness can be found in 13 national parks and numerous sanctuaries in the Western Ghats. These forested hills, which are sources to several rivers, including the Godavari, Krishna, and Cauvery, are listed by UNESCO as one of the eight most significant biodiversity hotspots in the world.
The Western Ghats serve as a sizable water storage facility for six states. There are now several leaks and a water scarcity. All of the rivers are currently dry. And water is always heavily contaminated. In terms of South India’s sustainability, the Western Ghats require special consideration. An expert team (the Gadgil commission) was established by the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests in March 2010 to develop a plan for protecting these Ghats.
Gadgil report on Western Ghats
After its chairman Madhav Gadgil, the Gadgil Commission conducts environmental research. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel is the official name of the commission (WGEEP). On August 31, 2001, the commission delivered its report to the Indian government.
The report was deemed to be in favour of the environment and environmentalists, but not with development (or illicit mining). Returning to the highlights of the Gadgil Report:
The entire hill range was identified as an Ecologically Sensitive Area by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) (ESA).
The 142 taluks in the Western Ghats border have been divided by the panel into Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZ) 1, 2, and 3.
Due to its high priority, nearly all development activities (such as mining and thermal power plants) were prohibited within ESZ-1.
No new dams based on large-scale storage should be allowed in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1, according to the Gadgil report’s recommendation. Since the hydel project sites in Gundia, Karnataka, and Athirappilly, Kerala, are both in Ecologically Sensitive Zone 1, these projects shouldn’t receive environmental approval, the report stated.
According to the Gadgil Committee study, the current system of environmental governance has to be modified. It requested a bottom-to-top strategy (starting with Gram Sabhas) as opposed to a top-to-bottom strategy. Decentralization and increased authority for local governments were also requested.
The commission suggested creating the Western Ghats Ecology Authority (WGEA), which would be a statutory body reporting to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and have authority under Section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986.
Kasturirangan report on Western Ghats
Only 37% (or 60,000 sq. km.) of the Western Ghats’ entire area would be included in the ESA, according to the Kasturirangan assessment.
total prohibition of sand mining, quarrying, and mining in the ESA.
Differentiated between the cultural (58 percent of the Western Ghats are occupied by it, including habitations, farms, and plantations) and natural landscape (90 percent of it should come under ESA according to the committee).
Within the following five years, or at the time of the expiration of the mining lease, whichever comes first, the current mining areas in the ESA should be phased out.
No thermal power should be permitted, and hydropower projects should only be approved after careful examination.
Red businesses, or those that pollute heavily, should be outlawed completely in certain places.
Several pro-farmer proposals are included in the Western Ghats Kasturirangan Report, such as the exclusion of populated areas and plantations from the definition of ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs).
According to the Kasturirangan report, 123 communities are covered by the ESA.
Conclusion
Both the report of the High Level Working Group (HLWG), also known as the Kasturirangan report, and that of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), also known as the Madhav Gadgil report, have sparked resistance from all demographic groups. The Western Ghats, which stretch parallel to the West Coast from the river Tapi in the north to Kanyakumari in the south, are the source of several significant rivers, including the Godavari, Nethravathi, Krishna, Vaigai, Kaveri, Kunthi, and countless other water bodies. On August 31, 2001, the commission delivered its report to the Indian government.
