Would the implementation of the recommendations of Madhav Gadgil report have lessened the impact of the Kerala floods? Critically Analyse. (200 words)
Refer – The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
· A sustained and intense downpour seldom witnessed in 100 years may be the immediate cause of the unusually devastating floods in Kerala.
· But, the contribution of man-made factors to this calamity cannot be disregarded.
· Kerala witnessed widespread deforestation, rampant construction and indiscriminate quarrying in past 100 years which has triggered landslides and also obstructed water channels which is worsening the deluge.
· The Gadgil report strongly batted for declaring the entire Western Ghats as an ecologically sensitive area, assigning three levels of sensitivity to its different reaches.
· It had called for a ban on all developmental activities in the highest-vulnerability areas, while; only some such works were to be undertaken in the other areas, under the strictest regulation.
· It had also pointed out that many reservoirs in the Western Ghats states, especially those in the steep valleys, were silting up prematurely due to massive encroachment and deforestation of catchment areas.
· But, all the six stakeholder states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu—rejected the Gadgil Commission report in 2011.
· However, the Kerala disaster essentially has been caused by extreme rainfall.
· Even if the state governments had begun implementing the recommendations in all seriousness immediately thereafter, it is not clear how it would impact.
· So, the underlying message from these disasters is the need to learn lessons from past tragedies, and increase the resilience of disaster-struck areas through sustainable and long-term development that would involve minimal intervention in natural processes.
