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Article:
- Professor Bopaiah Biddanda discusses the ecological implications of the proposed development of multiple railway tracks in the critical Cauvery river basin in Kodagu district, Karnataka
Important analysis:
Cauvery River:
- The Cauvery River originates in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, flows into Tamil Nadu, and reaches the Bay of Bengal at Poompuhar.
- The total catchment area is about 81,000 square kilometres. Parts of three Indian states – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka – and the Union Territory of Pondicherry lie in the Cauvery basin.
Threats to the Cauvery River:
- Increasing development pressure from the transportation and construction sectors poses a severe threat to the forests, riverbeds, wildlife and agricultural lands in the catchment areas of Cauvery River.
- According to various studies, loss of forest cover and change in land use have led to decline in rainfall in the Kodagu catchment area
- Activities like construction, illegal mining and hill cutting increases the vulnerability to landslides
Ecological implication of proposed rail projects:
- Tracks would fragment agricultural fields, protected and Reserve Forests that are spread across Kodagu and Mangaluru districts of Karnataka, and Wayanad and Kannur districts of Kerala.
- Decline in forest cover in the Western Ghats region- This would reduce the capacity to capture and store rainwater.
- Raised railway tracks will also impede wildlife and could result in the deaths of animals such as elephants.
Steps to be taken:
- Protection of Kodagu watershed through sustainable watershed management is essential to ensure the water security of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala
