Chikkamagaluru and Hassan unite to save Bengaluru, W. Ghats
ghats
Highlights
- Ambitious project of cutting road through forest will dull IT City’s chances of getting normal rains, water supply
- People from the districts of Hassan and Chikkamagaluru are uniting against the NHAIproject
- Activists estimate that more than 50,000 trees would require to be cut down
Ambitious project of cutting road through forest will dull IT City’s chances of getting normal rains, water supply
When it comes to the environment, the government seems to care little what needs to be bulldozed in the name of development. An NHAI project that looks to build an alternative route connectingMangaluru with Chitradurga will spell doom for an estimated 50,000 trees in the Western Ghats. And this, experts say, could directly affect Bengaluru ’s potable water supply as it would damage the catchment of Hemavati, a tributary of the Cauvery.
People from the districts ofHassan and Chikkamagaluru are uniting against the National Highways Authority of India ’s (NHAI) ambitious project that looks to connect Mangaluru with Chitradurga via Mudigere, Byrapura (Chikkamagaluru) and Shishila (Dakshina Kannada). The project, if implemented, would not only cut through the ecologically sensitive Western Ghats, but also leave thousands of farmers landless.
Shiradi Ghat at a cost of Rs 56 crore, has now been merged with the Centre’s Bharat Mala project, intended to connect Mangaluru port with the Golden Quadrilateral.
The NHAI has finished the detailed project report and tenders for the project are expected to be rolled out soon, according to sources in Chikkamagaluru. While the project has gained enough support fromBJP leaders and state government, the people of both districts have rebelled against the project, citing destruction of Hemavati catchment, resulting in poor inflow into the already-scanty Cauvery.
Hundreds of locals, supported by green activists, have petitioned the NHAI and other agencies to drop the project with immediate effect as the project would spell doom on ecologically sensitive Western Ghats.
DV Girish, Managing Trustee, Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, Chikkamagaluru, said: “The entire world knows about the importance of evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and it is a sensitive ecological hotspot. Cutting through such thick rainforest, the project would not only jeopardise the flora and fauna but also severely affect the climate of the region.”
Activists estimate that more than 50,000 trees would require to be cut down along the 65 km road between Byrapura and Shishila, spread across reserve forests of Balur, Kabbinale, Miyar and Shiradi in the Western Ghats.
A LONG-DRAWN PROTEST
Interestingly, citizens have been opposing the project in its earliest form for the last three years. While a few people living along the Western Ghats are protesting to safeguard the pristine ecosystem, thousands of others in the hinterland like Kadur, Sakharayapattana, Birur, Hosadurga and Holalkere are rallying against the project as it requires acquisition of irrigated land along the stretch. Even though the government has been assuring compensation, the unresolved revenue disputes under ‘Bagar Hukum’ have left farmers worried that they will not even be entitled for the compensation despite tilling the land for several decades.
G Veeresh, a wildlife activist, said: “Sitting in Bengaluru, we talk about the Amazon rainforests. But little do we understand the imminent damage caused to similar type of rainforests in our own backyard. The road would result in an ecological disaster, affecting rain patterns, reducing the inflow of surface water to the river and thereby triggering acute shortage of potable water in cities such as Bengaluru. We are not protesting against development, but what is the need for the road when there are five to six alternative roads already?”
GOVT’S ALTERNATIVE
Currently, the coastal area (Mangaluru-Udupi) is connected with the hinterland from Moodigere via Charmadi, Kalasha to Kuduremukha, Sringeri to Karkala, Sakleshapura to Subramanya via Shiradi andBisile and Agumbe to Udupi via Someshwara. However, the government’s argument is that all these roads are currently crammed and require an alternative.
“The evergreen forests between Byrapura and Shishila annually receive close to 350 inches of rainfall, which is the source of water for many perennial streams and rivers that provide water for several irrigation and potable water projects. Executing the project, the government has to clear forests in some of the reserve forest areas, which will damage the fragile ecosystem here. The region’s topography reveals laterite soil capable of water retention for prolonged periods, and this allows a variety of flora and fauna to thrive on it,” said Veeresh.
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Divin Shetty, a resident of Chikkamagaluru district, said: “South India’s several rivers originate in the Western Ghats and provide us with water all through the year because of the water-holding capacity of these forests. We are already reading about the reduced inflow into rivers and reservoirs. Damaging the last-surviving pristine forests like these would only aggravate the problem. The major losers will be the people of Bengaluru as the reduced inflow means scarcity of potable water. Regardless of our affiliation to any political parties, we must oppose this project.”
The surveyors, according to locals and villagers, have already conducted survey work and fixed marking stones along the alignment. “The survey was a shock indeed to several villagers, especially the marginal farmers in the hinterland. Hundreds of them will lose orchards. As most of the land is under litigation, they will not be entitled for compensation even though they have been tilling it for several decades. The government must intervene and drop the project,” said Shivamurthy S, a farmer from Kadur taluk of Chikkamagaluru district.
When it comes to the environment, the government seems to care little what needs to be bulldozed in the name of development. An NHAI project that looks to build an alternative route connecting
People from the districts of
What was initially conceived as a state project, linking Byrapura and Shishila as an alternative to the already crammed
The NHAI has finished the detailed project report and tenders for the project are expected to be rolled out soon, according to sources in Chikkamagaluru. While the project has gained enough support from
Hundreds of locals, supported by green activists, have petitioned the NHAI and other agencies to drop the project with immediate effect as the project would spell doom on ecologically sensitive Western Ghats.
The entire world knows about the importance of evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and it is a sensitive ecological hotspot. Cutting through such thick rainforest, the project would not only jeopardise the flora and fauna but also severely affect the climate of the region
DV Girish, Managing Trustee, Bhadra Wildlife Conservation Trust, Chikkamagaluru, said: “The entire world knows about the importance of evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and it is a sensitive ecological hotspot. Cutting through such thick rainforest, the project would not only jeopardise the flora and fauna but also severely affect the climate of the region.”
Activists estimate that more than 50,000 trees would require to be cut down along the 65 km road between Byrapura and Shishila, spread across reserve forests of Balur, Kabbinale, Miyar and Shiradi in the Western Ghats.
A LONG-DRAWN PROTEST
Interestingly, citizens have been opposing the project in its earliest form for the last three years. While a few people living along the Western Ghats are protesting to safeguard the pristine ecosystem, thousands of others in the hinterland like Kadur, Sakharayapattana, Birur, Hosadurga and Holalkere are rallying against the project as it requires acquisition of irrigated land along the stretch. Even though the government has been assuring compensation, the unresolved revenue disputes under ‘Bagar Hukum’ have left farmers worried that they will not even be entitled for the compensation despite tilling the land for several decades.
A hefty price for alternative route
G Veeresh, a wildlife activist, said: “Sitting in Bengaluru, we talk about the Amazon rainforests. But little do we understand the imminent damage caused to similar type of rainforests in our own backyard. The road would result in an ecological disaster, affecting rain patterns, reducing the inflow of surface water to the river and thereby triggering acute shortage of potable water in cities such as Bengaluru. We are not protesting against development, but what is the need for the road when there are five to six alternative roads already?”
GOVT’S ALTERNATIVE
Currently, the coastal area (Mangaluru-Udupi) is connected with the hinterland from Moodigere via Charmadi, Kalasha to Kuduremukha, Sringeri to Karkala, Sakleshapura to Subramanya via Shiradi and
“The evergreen forests between Byrapura and Shishila annually receive close to 350 inches of rainfall, which is the source of water for many perennial streams and rivers that provide water for several irrigation and potable water projects. Executing the project, the government has to clear forests in some of the reserve forest areas, which will damage the fragile ecosystem here. The region’s topography reveals laterite soil capable of water retention for prolonged periods, and this allows a variety of flora and fauna to thrive on it,” said Veeresh.
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Lost and found in three days
Divin Shetty, a resident of Chikkamagaluru district, said: “South India’s several rivers originate in the Western Ghats and provide us with water all through the year because of the water-holding capacity of these forests. We are already reading about the reduced inflow into rivers and reservoirs. Damaging the last-surviving pristine forests like these would only aggravate the problem. The major losers will be the people of Bengaluru as the reduced inflow means scarcity of potable water. Regardless of our affiliation to any political parties, we must oppose this project.”
The surveyors, according to locals and villagers, have already conducted survey work and fixed marking stones along the alignment. “The survey was a shock indeed to several villagers, especially the marginal farmers in the hinterland. Hundreds of them will lose orchards. As most of the land is under litigation, they will not be entitled for compensation even though they have been tilling it for several decades. The government must intervene and drop the project,” said Shivamurthy S, a farmer from Kadur taluk of Chikkamagaluru district.
