Forecasting landslide in the Western Ghats

Thiruvananthapuram, 
The Hindu,  January 3, 2016

A village-level early warning system based on rainfall threshold data and landslide records could be the most viable method for landslide risk management in the Western Ghats, according to a scientific paper presented at a workshop organised by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies here on Friday.

Presenting the paper, Pankaj Jaiswal from the Geological Survey of India said forecasting of the trigger, in this case the rainfall, could provide information on when landsliding would occur. This, in conjunction with landslide susceptibility maps, could be used to delineate potentially hazardous areas in the Western Ghats and provide early warning.

Dr. Jaiswal proposed the establishment of a threshold model for small river catchments or at the taluk level, along with installation of rain gauges at the village level, collection and dissemination of daily rainfall data and analysis of the data for threshold exceedance. The automated process could be implemented at the village level through panchayats. The paper also proposed public display of the threshold exceedance graph and susceptibility map to facilitate community-based response. Dr. Jaiswal explained how the GSI had modelled the rainfall threshold for the Nilgiri area using rainfall data and landslide records. The cost-effective model was successfully validated in November 2009 and deployed for village-level early warning.

Pointing out that high population density, unplanned settlements, unscientific slope cutting for infrastructure development, and transgress of population to hazardous areas posed a challenge for landslide risk management in areas like the Nilgiris, he said public awareness coupled with early warning could minimise the damage to life and property. Another paper by Kusala Rajendran from the Indian Institute of Science said the low-level seismic activity observed in parts of Kerala like the Wadakkancherry earthquake in 1993 and the couple of earthquakes that struck Pala in 2000 and 2001 were associated with the reactivation of shear zones.

Ms. Rajendran said a strong case of fluid-induced seismicity had been observed at the Idukki reservoir, noted for the low level activity that has decreased since the initial onset, but still persists and is in some ways related to the filling of the reservoir and rainfall in the catchment.

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7 leopard deaths in Kerala last year

Ignatius Pereira,  KOLLAM,  
The Hindu, January 3, 2016

Leopard deaths from the State during 2015 stood at a low of seven compared to 352 deaths reported from across the country. Besides, of 76 leopard skins seized from different parts of the country, only one was from Kerala.

Statistics provided by the Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) for 2015 show that poaching accounted for two of the seven leopard deaths in Kerala. Four leopards were found dead in forests and one died after being run over by a vehicle.

The accident occurred in the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary at Muthanga on the Kozhikode-Mysore National Highway in April. The vehicle involved could not be identified.

The leopard skin was seized at Shanghumugham in Thiruvananthapuram in September. The seizure was made when four persons attempted to sell the pelt.

Chief Wildlife Warden G. Harikumar told The Hindu that one of the prime factors that could have contributed towards the low leopard mortality rate in the State was the Forest Department’s efforts in preventing the emergence of a market for wild animal parts. “Stray incidents are quickly detected and all involved are brought before the law,” he added.

He said the department had created awareness among the people that killing of wild animals was a grave offence. Another factor was the intelligence gathering activity of the department.

O.P. Kaler, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Biodiversity Cell), said besides availability of prey inside the forests, geographical and awareness factors have contributed to the security of leopards. Mr. Kaler said though a leopard straying into human habitations was comparatively low in Kerala, when that happened, the cat went unnoticed in most cases because of the protective cover it got outside the forest areas.

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TDB to press for delinking 500 ha from PTR

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor, PATHANAMTHITTA,  
The Hindu, January 3, 2016

The Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) has decided to approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking delinking of 500 hectares of forestland in and around Sabarimala from the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) for providing foolproof basic pilgrim facilities as recommended by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament a decade ago.

Talking to The Hindu on Saturday, TDB president Prayar Gopalakrishnan and member Ajay Tharayil said they would meet the Prime Minister after the Makaravilakku festival seeking his help in developing Sabarimala into an international pilgrimage centre by providing sustainable amenities.

Inadequate facilities

The TDB leaders said Sabarimala, situated 467 metres above mean sea level, has been plagued by grossly inadequate basic pilgrim facilities due to non-availability of space.

Mr. Tharayil said the concept of Sabarimala pilgrimage itself stood for preserving the pristine glory of the sacred grove ( poonkavanam ) and the TDB was for providing basic pilgrim facility there in an eco-friendly manner. However, frequent intervention and intimidation by the Forest Department have been posing hurdles on the path of the temple administrative body’s efforts to ensure proper basic pilgrim facilities at Sabarimala, he said.

He said the board had only 25 hectares of land, allotted by the erstwhile kingdom of Travancore, in its possession at Sabarimala. He added that a TDB team would invite Mr. Modi to visit Sabarimala at the earliest.

Mr. Tharayil said the PAC visited Sabarimala in 2004, and in 2005 to collect first-hand information regarding the problems faced by the pilgrim centre. Chapter II of one of the reports submitted by the PAC has discussed problems facing the pilgrims on account of the inclusion of Sabarimala in the PTR. The report has categorically stated that delinking Sabarimala from the PTR was the only remedial measure to address the plight of the pilgrims.

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Breathing new life into Gayathripuzha

K.A. Shaji, Palakkad,  
The Hindu, January 2, 2016

In a last-ditch attempt to save the Bharathapuzha’s main feeder, the Gayathripuzha, from an imminent death, the Kerala State Land Use Board (KSLUB) has prepared a comprehensive database using computerised Geographic Information System (GIS) on the entire natural resources available in and around the river basin to augment conservation efforts to be launched by the State government in association with local bodies soon.

The database involves even minute details of all the hills, hillocks, wells, canals, reservoirs, tanks, streams, and biodiversity available in 29 grama panchayats coming under the Gayathripuzha river basin. It would help detect even minor encroachments and plundering of the resources by real estate and sand-mining mafias.

The database is a prelude to the conservation efforts to be initiated by the board with help of the Revenue, Forest, Irrigation and Agriculture Departments along with local bodies coming under Alathur, Nenmara, Kuzhalmandam and Kollangode development blocks.

Participatory steps

According to board commissioner A. Nizamuddin, the database was prepared in recent months by board officials through grassroots level participatory initiatives with involvement of local communities.

“Apart from recharging the dying river, it would help preserve available water resources in the rain shadow region. Most areas coming under these development blocks lack enough drinking water,” he said.

Large-scale deforestation in its origins apart from adverse changes in land-use patterns on its banks has almost killed the Gayathripuzha, a perennial source of drinking water for a vast portion of Palakkad district. Studies conducted by board regional assistant director R. Rugmini and agricultural officer V. Bindu found 13 among the 28 watershed areas of the river basin as extremely damaged and their revitalisation quite impossible.

Under threat

The Ayalurpuzha, Vandalipuzha, Meenkarapuzha and the Chulliyar are also facing imminent death due to severe changes in land-use pattern. Water level in the Mangalam, Pothundi, Chulliyar and Meenkara dams is also receding as a result of the decreasing flow in the river.

Illegal quarries in areas such as Muthalamada and Kizhakkanchery are badly affecting the sustenance of the river. Rubber plantations in areas such as Pittakkari Kulambu also prevent groundwater discharge and the replenishing process. Traditional drains which carried rainwater to the river have been blocked at many parts of the region following reclamation of paddy fields for non-agricultural needs. Building mafias are also adding to the grim situation.

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Development model for Ghats mooted

Thiruvananthapuram,  
The Hindu, January 2, 2016

Union Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Y.S. Chowdary has urged scientists to develop a framework for sustainable development of the Western Ghats, based on a better understanding of the evolution and environmental issues of the region.

Delivering the inaugural address at a two-day workshop organised by the National Centre for Earth Science Studies (NCESS) here on Friday, he stressed the need for scientific studies to understand the role of the Western Ghats as a climate regulator in the Indian subcontinent. He said the rich biodiversity, dense population, and the economic and infrastructure development of the region necessitated a broader understanding of the environmental issues facing the ecologically sensitive region.

Mr. Chowdary urged research institutions like NCESS to set higher targets in research and interact with the government. Underlining the need to utilise the huge talent pool in the country, he said it was time to reverse the brain drain and convert it into a brain gain. He called on the NCESS to seek the support of the State government for the development of the institution and come up with meaningful projects for financial assistance from the Centre.

In his keynote address, Somnath Dasgupta, former Vice Chancellor, Assam University, and chairman, Research Advisory Committee, NCESS, called on scientists to link research programmes with societal issues.

Executive Vice President, Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Suresh Das highlighted the need to take up studies on the degradation of the Western Ghats and the loss of biodiversity.

Organised in connection with the foundation day celebrations of the NCESS, the workshop is designed to provide a better understanding of the critical knowledge gaps in the geological evolution, geo-environmental issues, and natural resource management of the Western Ghats for future studies of the region. Scientists from research institutions across the country are delivering the lead talks and presentations.

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Natural history museum coming up

Ignatius Pereira, KOLLAM,  
The Hindu, January 2, 2016

The doors of the Forest Department’s first natural history museum coming up at a cost of Rs.1.08 crore at the forest complex at PTP Nagar, Thiruvananthapuram, will soon be thrown open to the public. The project is expected to be launched later this month.

Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Infrastructure and HRD) Shripal, who designed the project, told The Hindu that the museum will provide visitors an opportunity to explore natural history, ecology, and a variety of forests of the State through dioramas which showcase typical wildlife in a range of Western Ghats locations, including tropical evergreen, deciduous, shola, and grasslands. It has a marine wildlife section as well.

The museum has been set up on two floors. Though the prime target is students, it is informative to all age groups, says Mr. Shripal. The museum is equipped with audio presentations to enable visitors get an in-depth understanding of the State’s wildlife from the forest floor to the forest canopy.

The museum introduces the visitor to the forests through a description of the State’s geography and climate and moves on to nature and natural history of the forests. There are two leopards and a tiger in the museum stuffed in original pelt. The visitor will even get an opportunity to feel the texture of a true leopard skin.

But the most informative wing of the museum is the one dealing with sandalwood. The section has original sandalwood tree parts on display and the star attraction is the root portion of a huge tree, the part of the tree having the highest oil content. The section provides information on all therapeutic and cosmetic uses of sandalwood.

Other interesting sections include a forest vegetation map of Kerala, diorama on flightless birds of the State’s forests, information on birds, reptiles, plants and insects found in the Kerala forests. There are also dioramas on typical wildlife range locations to make the visitor get the feel of being inside a forest surrounded by native wild animals.

After the visit, children can participate in a quiz programme.

Mr. Shripal says visitors will be charged a token entry fee.

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Green tribunal orders closure of granite quarry

Radhakrishnan Kuttoor, Pathanamthitta
The Hindu, January 2, 2016

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the District Collector here to take necessary steps to stop the functioning of a private granite quarry at Thudiyurulippara at Vallikkode-Kottayam in Konni taluk.

The NGT was disposing of a writ petition filed by the Grama Raksha Samiti (GRS) represented by Shekharan Nair, according to Hareesh Vasudevan, lawyer who represented the petitioner at the tribunal.

Mr. Vasudevan said the NGT had also stayed the environment clearance granted for granite quarrying at Thudiyurulippara.

The quarry situated in an extent of six hectares of land was supposed to obtain environment clearance from 2006. But, the quarry operators could obtain clearance only in October last, making its functioning all these years illegal.

On the basis of the NGT order, the Konni tahsildar has served a notice to Ambadiyil Granites to stop granite quarrying at Thudiyurulippara with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, the GRS strongly opposed the shifting of the illegally quarried granite by the quarry owners on Friday.

The GRS questioned the environment clearance granted to the quarry by the State Environment Department.

The NGT accepted the petitioner’s argument that the quarry operators had encroached upon forestland as well as Revenue Puromboke land, Mr. Vasudevan said.

GRS has been campaigning against granite quarrying at Thudiyurulippara for the past few years. The samiti leaders alleged that the quarry functioning in an extent of 5.27 ha of land required mandatory environment clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests on the basis of a proper environmental impact assessment.

GRS spokesmen Sujith K.S., Jyothish R. and N.B. Thankachan alleged that the two granite crusher units functioning in the quarry too required special permission.

 

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