NGT directs Kerala to clear medical waste dumped in T.N.

 The Hindu Bureau, Chennai, December 20, 2024

The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed the Kerala government and the Kerala State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) to remove in three days the biomedical and mixed solid waste dumped in villages of Tirunelveli district in Tamil Nadu.

The Bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, also asked Kerala government to file a report by December 23.

On Tuesday, news reports of heaps of waste, including biomedical waste from the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram, being dumped at several places in Tirunelveli had surfaced.

According to the standing counsel for Tamil Nadu, the villages where the waste were found to be dumped include Kodaganallur, Pazhavoor, Kondanagaram, and Sivaniyarkulam.

During the hearing, the counsel told the Bench that the dumping of biomedical waste from Kerala was a recurring issue, and cited previous incidents in Anamalai and Nanguneri. He noted that in Nanguneri, the Tamil Nadu government had taken steps to clear the waste, but despite directives from the Bench, the Kerala government was yet to settle the outstanding dues of ₹69,000. As a result, the Revenue Department instructed authorities in Tamil Nadu not to remove the waste this time. The counsel appearing for the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) informed the Bench that the TNPCB chairperson had written to her counterpart in Kerala requesting legal action against the Regional Cancer Centre in Thiruvananthapuram for transporting biomedical and mixed waste; legal action against Hotel Leela for transportation of illegal waste; and an improved monitoring at border areas and coordination with the police and transport departments to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Additionally, the counsel informed that two FIRs had been filed in connection with the issue, and the State intended to file new ones, naming the responsible parties.

The counsel for the KSPCB told the Bench that based on the letter from the TNPCB, action had been initiated, and show-cause notices issued. “Once they [Tamil Nadu] respond, we will initiate criminal action as well,” the counsel said, adding that unauthorised waste-dealers who are not registered with the local self-governments could be dumping waste in Tamil Nadu.

Read more »

Rare Imperial Eagle spotted in Kole fields

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

THRISSUR, november 20, 2024

A rare imperial eagle has been spotted in Pulluzhi Kole wetlands.

Wildlife photographer and birdwatcher Jijoy Immatty spotted the rare eagle, scientifically known as Aquila heliaca, from the Kole fields. According to data from the birdwatching website eBird, the Imperial Eagle was last reported in Kannur in 2003.

The Imperial Eagle primarily breeds in southeastern Europe, and west and Central Asia. During the winter season, they migrate to regions in northeastern Africa, the West Asia, and parts of southeast Asia. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the Imperial Eagle as a species with a potential risk of extinction, highlighting the urgency of its conservation, according to ornithologist Manoj Karingamattal.

The Thrissur-Ponnani Kole fields has been a hub for birdwatching activities organised by Kole Birders Collective, a civic-research group focused on ornithology. Numerous birdwatching programmes have been conducted in this region.

According Mr. Karingamattal, several species of eagles, including the greater spotted eagle, Indian spotted eagle as well as the steppe eagle, have been spotted in Kole fields this season.

All of these species are considered to be at risk of extinction or near extinction, according to the IUCN Red List.

This sighting emphasises the importance of preserving and monitoring the Kole fields, which is a Ramsar-protected area.

The ongoing conservation and observation efforts in these regions are critical for the protection of migratory birds and their habitats.

Read more »

The Kadar tribe takes charge against alien species

 

MINI MURINGATHERI, 

THRISSUR, october 26, 2024

In a first, the Kadar tribe of Vazhachal in Thrissur, has taken on active restoration of natural forests degraded by invasive alien species.

This collaborative effort involving the Local Self-Governments department, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Scheduled Tribes Development department, WWF-India, and Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) marks a significant step towards freeing natural forests from degrading exotic species.

Supported by the WWF-India, the KFRI had undertaken the mapping of invasive plants in the Vazhachal and Parambikulam forest divisions and 29 and 31 such species had been recorded in these divisions, says T.V Sajeev, chief scientist, KFRI.

“By involving tribal community members in a participatory mapping process, we identified the most degraded areas for restoration,” he says. The spread of invasive plants has severely limited forage space for wildlife, leading to increased human-wildlife conflicts. Additionally, these invaders have diminished the availability of non-timber forest products, threatening the livelihoods of the indigenous communities.

With technical support from the KFRI, the tribal community has started the removal of invasive species such as Lantana camara, Chromolaena odorata, Mimosa diplotricha, and Mikania micrantha.

Follow up

The work will be followed up by planting of species such as Myristica beddomei, Canarium strictum, Garcinia gummi-gutta, Hydnocarpus pentandrus, Curcuma neilgherrensis, Acacia sinuate, Phyllanthus emblica, Entada rheedii, Desmodium gangeticum, Pseudarthria viscida and Sapindus trifoliate, all of which yield forest products usually collected by the community. Over the years, these plants had been displaced by the aggressive invasion of alien plants.

“This initiative not only supports the environment but also enhances the livelihoods of local tribal communities by increasing labour opportunities through the MGNREGA,” says K. Rijesh, ward member, Athirappilly grama panchayat.

The pilot project is being held at Pothupara, a newly established tribal hamlet under the Vazhachal division after a landslip displaced the people from Anakkayam in 2018. This community received Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) in 2014, along with eight other tribal settlements, creating the first CFR area of its kind in Kerala, covering 400 sq km. The nine tribal gram sabhas have already approved their conservation and management plan, which incorporates this vital restoration work.

Read more »

Solar fence to be set up on PTR border to keep off wildlife

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

IDUKKI

The Forest department has decided to install a solar fence at Thondiyar, near Vandiperiyar, Idukki, to tackle the human-wildlife conflict at Thondimala, which borders the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR). According to Forest department officials, the fences are being set up on a war footing after a wild gaur attacked a woman in the area.

The department is continuing with its drive to chase back to the deep forests the wild gaur that attacked Stella, a cardamom plantation worker and a resident of 63rd Mile, on Tuesday.

Stella, who was attacked while she was working in the plantation on the Thondiyar estate, sustained severe injuries and is undergoing treatment at a private hospital at Mundakkayam.

After the incident, a farmers’ movement had launched an indefinite hunger strike demanding immediate action against wild animal attacks.

The protest was temporarily suspended after Kottayam Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) N. Rajesh, PTR deputy director Patil Suyog Subah Rao, and Assistant Field Director Suresh Babu promised them of immediate solution. “Drone monitoring continues in Thondiyar. Two patrol teams monitor the presence of wild animals in the area and chase them back to the PTR. The location borders the PTR, and wild animals at times enter the cardamom plantation,” said Mr. Rajesh.

Mr. Suresh Babu said the PTR would construct a 3-km-long solar fencing at Thondiyar.

“The project’s tender process has already begun and is expected to be completed within a month. The estimated cost of the solar fencing is ₹10 lakh,” said the official.

Residents’ demand

Meanwhile, Azhutha block panchayat member Shaji Pynadathu said the people in Spring Valley, Wallardie, Vandiperiyar, and Thondimala faced severe threats from wild animal attacks. “Due to the increasing wild gaur attacks, the workers keep off cardamom plantations. We want these animals to be tranquilised and translocated deep into the forest. Now, the Forest department chases back the animals to forests bordering human habitations and the animals return within two days,” said Mr. Pynadathu.

In March last week, a 46-year-old man was seriously injured in a wild gaur attack at Spring Valley, near Kumily, in Idukki.

Read more »

Kerala seeks to limit its ESA to 8,712 sq km in 98 villages

 

THE HINDU BUREAU, 

KOCHI, September 19, 2024

Kerala has proposed to limit its ecologically sensitive area (ESA) to 8,711.98 sq km in 98 villages by confining the ESA to forests and protected areas including wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, and tiger reserves of the State.

The State has excluded human habitations and plantations from the purview of the ESA in the process. It has also added a rider to its draft proposal submitted to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change that it may come up with a final proposal later, according to a communique from the Chief Minister’s Office.

Draft proposal

The draft proposal was submitted in response to an initiative from the Ministry, which had sought the views of the Western Ghats States to notify the ESA in the mountain ranges.

The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel report and the subsequent High-Level Working Group report on Western Ghats had evolved as socially and politically sensitive issues in the State with a section of the Church and most political parties opposing the recommendations. The State governments had been treading with caution on ESA notifications fearing that any wrong move would lead to a political backlash in the hill districts of the State.

Though the Kasturirangan panel had identified 59,940 sq km as ESA for Kerala, an expert committee appointed by the State government had recommended limiting it to 9,993.7 sq km, which included 9,107 sq km of forest and 886.7 sq km of non-forest areas. The draft ESA notification issued by the Ministry on July 31, 2024 went by the recommendations of the State to limit the ESA to 9,993.7 sq km though the number of villages that came under the ambit of the ESA went up to 131 from the earlier 123, the Chief Minister’s Office pointed out.

The increase in the number of villages was due to the formation of new villages in the State by dividing the earlier ones. There is no increase in the extent of the proposed ESA. The State further reduced the extent of ESAs after considering reports from the districts, according to the government.

Read more »