Forest Conservation and Management
Read this article about forest conservation and management programme. People have become more conscious about environmental issues these days. When a new project is taken up they immediately react about its environmental impacts. Destruction of forests are always taking place in the name of new projects. People know the importance of forests in defeating global warming. Read more.
Development and Environment
Development of any type will be at the risk of nature. River flow is blocked by constructing dams which are a must either for improving the agriculture production or for generating power or for both. Because of these developmental needs the impact of dam construction on nature is overlooked. This demands an environmental impact study before going with the implementation of the project. Owing to several reasons this study becomes a farce and the the project gets clearance. Consequently the environmental issues get neglected.Importance of environment protection
The Articles 48 A and 51A of the Constitution of India specify that the protection of forests and wild animals forms part of the duties of the State and each individual. Through amendments and additions of subclauses the matter has been stressed further. Honourable Courts have taken decisions based on these Constitutional provisions on petitions filed against the actions resulting in the destruction of flora and fauna in forests. The decision to protect the ever green forest, Silent Valley, as National Park is in line with these provisions. Recent actions
The proposed hydro electrical project at Athirappilly, near Chalakkudy in Thrissur district of Kerala, if implemented will immerse 104.4 hectares of forest land in water. This include 28.4 ha. of natural forests, 36.8 ha. of plantations and 39.2 ha. of river basin. This area is very rich in biodiversity. Some of the species are very rare, threatened or even facing extinction. Various environmental activists and organizations took up this issue and campaigned against this project. As a result of all these the then central minister for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, categorically denied the demand for constructing a dam there as part of the proposed hydro-electric project. However, the pressure from the State Electricity Board is still there to get the clearance for the project.
Contrary to this decision, the same Minister has given sanction to raise the height by 6 meters for another existing dam. It is the Peppara Dam, which is located in the Agasthia Biosphere (Western Ghats Range) having a wild life sanctuary. The area is very rich in biodiversity, especially in flora, and botanists have already identified more than thousand species of medicinal plants in the area and some of them are rare ones too. Perhaps this area has the richest collection of medicinal plants in Kerala. The raising of the height of the dam by another six meters will affect this rich biosphere. About 267 hectares of this area will be going under the water if the proposal is accepted and implemented. Not much attention has been given to this environmental aspect, it seems. What has happened to the Environmental Impact Assessment, if any, submitted with this proposal ?
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