Development That Is Mindful Of Nature

Context: Environmental disaster has become a recurrent phenomenon in Kerala, hence requiring course correction in development strategy.

Causes behind frequent environmental disasters in Kerala

• Geographical factors: Kerala’s longitudinal topographic grain combined with its east-west-running rivers gives rise to an alternating ridge-valley landform.
  • Due to this, construction of roads or any structure with a north-south alignment involves cutting across valleys and lowlands, impacting natural drainage and overall landscape ecology.
  • Widespread alteration in basin characteristics of rivers: Results in gross disturbance of character of terrain through weathering and formation of soil under natural vegetation cover.
  • River catchment lost water-absorbing capacity, contributing to increasing surface run-off and reduction in groundwater recharge.
• Developmental issues:
  • High pressure on land: As population density of Kerala is 860 persons/sq. km against an all-India average of 368 persons/sq. km (Census 2011).
  • Shift in settlement towards eco-sensitive highlands from coastal plains and adjoining lowlands.
  • Housing boom: Population grew by 5% whereas the number of houses grew by 19.9% between 2001-11.
  • Land-use change across topographic boundaries: As a consequence of population growth, agricultural expansion, infrastructure development, road construction and intra-state migration.
  • Heavy pace construction with serious implications on geo-environment: High demand for construction materials, with the attendant quarrying and excavations, is altering the landscape.
  • Unscientific road construction in hilly areas destabilising and creating conditions conducive to landslides.
  • Construction in hills poses danger to life: As construction on hill slopes prone to disintegration during heavy rain and may cause landslides.
  • Misplaced development priorities: Instead of expansion of the Kochi Metro network, Kerala needs a sewage disposal system.
• Governance issues:
  • Knowledge gap: As authorities responsible for oversight of construction are not aware of the nature of environmental problem.
  • Extremely complicated rules for registration of purchase and sale of property in Kerala are not matched by building plans.
  • Improper review of projects without consulting the affected people Silver Line project, Light railway connecting two extremities of state can usurp agricultural land and cause ecological disturbance.
  • Apprehension in enforcement of regulations like construction-free Coastal Regulation Zone and implementation of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (Gadgil Committee,).
• Social issues – Mindless consumerism gripping Kerala’s society.

Way forward: Development interventions should be cautious, sustainable, and ecologically sensitive

• Proper cost-benefit analysis of projects considering all stakeholders.
  • Patience should be shown while implementing light railway or adopting a ‘one nation, one highway specification’ in densely populated and ecologically vulnerable regions of the country.
  • Public hearings open to citizens when creating new railway lines and highway widening.
• Creation of a pool of technical expertise when re-engineering earth, which should include earth scientists, independent public policy experts, elected representatives and citizens from affected areas.
• Focus on human development approach, through Planetary-Pressures Adjusted Human Development Index of United Nations that weighs a country’s human development for its ecological footprint.