The Western Ghats skirting the west coast of peninsular India, and extending from Kerala in the south to Gujarat in the north, are home to some rare floral and faunal species. The region has been included in the Global 200 Ecoregions and has come to be recognised as a biodiversity hotspot.
Its lush green forests and the high mountain ranges are the source of many perennial rivers, which include the Cauvery, Mahadei, and Mallaprabha. Most of them empty into the Arabian Sea while others like the Cauvery and Mallaprabha flow eastward.
The Western Ghats have been the subject of much debate, thanks to several controversial development projects and schemes, many of which have not only destroyed the pristine forests but also severely affected water catchment areas. This has resulted in many a perennial river turning seasonal. Mallaprabha, a tributary of the Krishna, is a classic example. Large-scale deforestation and human activity have devastated its catchment areas, drying it up during the lean season.
The source of both the Mallaprabha and Mahadei is Mahadeo valley, located in Khanapur taluk of Belgaum district, Karnataka. The rivers flow in opposite directions but run parallel to each other for some distance. Mahadei, known as the Mandovi in Goa, flows for almost 80 km before entering the Arabian Sea near Panaji.
The large-scale devastation of forest cover in the valley has severely affected the catchment areas of the two rivers. The fear is that the Mandovi, the lifeline of Goa, may go the Mallaprabha way if the destructive activities are not curbed.
One of the problems, conservationists say, is that many forest patches in the valley are privately owned (malki lands). The owners of these lands are a law unto themselves. While the Forest Act provisions are also applicable to private forest lands, "there is nothing much that can be done to prevent the owners from felling tress," according to a Belgaum-based army officer and nature lover, who has toured the area extensively. "The evidence is there for all to see. Many malki lands have been denuded of tree cover and are now being used to cultivate food and cash crops," he adds. "This is particularly true on the Goan side of the ghats where deforestation is much more rampant."
The devastation of prime evergreen forests in the area has already contributed to reduced rainfall. Coupled with the local environmental degradation by the malki landowners and private mining interests is the likely threat from water and irrigation projects said to be in the pipeline. These projects and water diversion schemes, conservationists point out, will sound the death knell for whatever remains of the "protected" jungles.
The forests in the valley are known to be the home of several endemic species of flora and fauna, including some 174 varieties of medicinal plants confined to "just one small area."
Any disturbance to the valley, the main watershed and catchment area for the two rivers, will lead to "untold" and "unimaginable" consequences on the water cycle, the weather pattern and rainfall in the area.
Ironically, the State Forest Department, which has undertaken a survey covering over 2,000 sq. km, is thinking of declaring the entire area, including the contiguous wildlife sanctuaries of Dandeli in Karnataka, Molem in Goa and Radha Nagari in Maharashtra, as a biosphere reserve. Indeed, such a step will augur well for conservation as the area is also known to be a migratory corridor for many wild animals, including the tiger. How then can anyone think of destructive projects in the area, ask conservationists.
What is particularly worrying is that the area is the only known habitat of the Wroughton’s freetailed Bat, according to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). The Barapade caves are the bat’s roosting site during day time. The species is extremely vulnerable to roost disturbances and is included in the Red Data List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Similarly, the Krishnapur caves in the area are one of the three homes of another speceies of bat, Taphozous Theobaldi, the other two being in Madhya Pradesh. The introduction of any minor or major irrigation schemes will thus have both short-and long-term ecological consequences on the area. What is the solution then? First and foremost, no project harmful to the ecology of the area must be taken up. In order that no further damage is done to the forests, malki land should not be permitted for timber harvesting, except to meet local needs. This would entail strict policing of the area. Finally, monoculture must be stopped and only plantations of local variety allowed.
By C. Shekhar Nambiar
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