Kerala   

Conserve Kakkayam forests as wildlife sanctuary, say greens

Maleeha Raghaviah

`Two power projects coming up will affect the ecosystem'

KOZHIKODE: Environmental activists have alleged degradation of the Kakkayam forests in the backdrop of the ongoing work on two power projects of 50 MW each by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).

The projects are coming up in the vicinity of the reserve forests as part of an augmentation scheme. Water for the project is to be brought from the Banasura dam in Wayanad. It is feared that a 750-metre tunnel, to be bored through the forest area to carry water from the dam to the project site, might cause widespread environmental degradation.

The pristine forests of Kakkayam with endangered animal and plant species are under threat, according to the Malabar Natural History Society.

"This is an ecologically fragile, virgin area that need conservation on an urgent basis. We have submitted a proposal for the protection of the region some time back," says T.N. Vijaya Kumar, president of the society.

The urgency

The Kakkayam forest area is 700 metres above sea level and experiences a copious rainfall of 7,000 mm. Five rivers originate from Kakkayam. The power projects will affect the biodiversity of the area, he says.

The society has highlighted the urgency to conserve the Kakkayam forests as a wildlife sanctuary in the district and declare it `protected' as part of the Western Ghats conservation plan.

The conservation of the area is vital since it provides water to the Kakkayam river and the catchment areas of Kakkayam and Peruvannamuzhi reservoirs.

Though the Forest Department has given clearance for the project, the allegation is that huge quantities of debris from the projects work are being dumped in the forests. In the process widespread damage is also being caused to the road there. The area is hence in danger of landslip once the monsoon sets in.

In fact, during the summer rain, landslips were experienced in as many as six places there, sources point out. There is also the danger of earth caving in at the Kakkayam town.

Power is already being generated at Kakkayam through the Kuttiadi Hydroelectric Project, and environmentalists wonder why there should be another power project in the same area, posing threat to the environment. Another hazard arises from the operations of two quarries in the region.

Clearance obtained

When contacted, K. Subramaniam, Conservator of Forests (Inspection and Evaluation), while conceding that the construction of the tunnel would cause hazard to a certain extent, said that the clearance had been obtained by the KSEB from the Government of India and that power projects too were part of development.

The Forest Department had provided 12.77 hectares for the projects.

Meanwhile, the department was also involved in conservation efforts through the Compensatory Afforestation Fund, a Government of India programme. Under this, a proposal was on to revert back 500 hectares of horticultural land in the periphery of forests to forest vegetation in different areas in Kozhikode district, Mr. Subramaniam said.

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