Western Ghats biodiversity meet raises demands on river conservation

Mangaluru: A major biodiversity conservation conference held on the banks of the Kumaradhara River at Urumbi in Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada district recently has put forth a series of strong demands aimed at protecting river ecosystems and halting environmentally damaging projects across the Western Ghats.Organised jointly by the Kumaradhara Environment Protection Committee, Save Western Ghats Movement and Vruksha Laksha Movement, the event brought together environmentalists, scientists, activists and local communities. The programme, which included river puja and aarati, turned into a celebratory gathering following the state govt's decision to drop proposed private hydropower projects on the Kumaradhara after sustained opposition for over 14 years.The conference expressed solidarity with conservation movements in the Sharavathi, Bedthi-Aghanashini river basins and urged the govt to abandon related projects. It strongly opposed ongoing preparations to construct dams across the Gundya and Addahole streams to divert water to the Yettinahole project, warning that such moves would threaten the livelihoods of lakhs of people dependent on the Gundya, Kumaradhara and Nethravati river systems. Elected representatives from Dakshina Kannada were urged to take a firm stand against further river diversion projects.Calling the Yettinahole river diversion scheme a failed project, as previously highlighted by scientists, the meet demanded an independent scientific study of the region, followed by a high-level consultation involving experts and environmental activists at Subrahmanya.The conference also pressed for the implementation of biodiversity protection measures at Urumbi, which was declared a Biodiversity Heritage Site in 2021. It sought the installation of official signage and protective measures by the forest department.Highlighting local ecological concerns, the meeting called for consultations on sustainable management of fish habitats in Todikana, Shishila and Dharmasthala regions, and demanded strict action against illegal sand mining along the Kumaradhara riverbanks.Further, the conference resolved to strengthen grassroots conservation efforts by organising annual river puja and aarati every April and undertaking mass sapling plantation drives on June 5 through Panchayat Biodiversity Committees.The gathering also lauded the sustained, non-violent people's movement led by local communities that played a crucial role in safeguarding the Kumaradhara River.At a broader level, the conference urged the state govt to undertake a comprehensive study on the ecological carrying capacity of river basins in the Western Ghats. It also demanded that a high-level meeting of legislators, MPs and environmental experts be convened in Mangaluru under the assembly speaker to deliberate on critical river conservation issues.Prominent participants included former chairman of the Karnataka Biodiversity Board Ananth Hegde Ashisara, scientist TV Ramahchandra, seers, scientists, biodiversity officials, environmentalists and representatives from various districts.
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