BELAGAVI
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has reissued the draft notification declaring 56,825.7 sq kms across six states as the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA), a move that has once again brought the controversial Kalsa-Bhandura water diversion project into focus.
While welcoming the latest draft, environmentalists have urged the Centre to end the decade-long uncertainty by issuing the final notification without further delay.
Published in The Gazette of India on July 27, the notification is the seventh draft issued since 2014, giving the public, local communities and stakeholders 60 days to submit objections and suggestions before the final notification is issued.
Karnataka accounts for the largest share of the proposed ESA, covering 20,668 sq km. In Belagavi district, 63 villages have been notified, including 62 villages in Khanapur taluka such as Chorla, Parwad, Kankumbi, Jamboti, Kusamali, Amagaon, Bailur, Manturge, Chapoli, Kundai and Degao. These villages lie in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats and form part of the catchment of the Mhadei river basin.
The inclusion of Chorla, Parwad and neighbouring villages is particularly significant as they are directly linked to the long-pending Kalsa-Bhandura project, under which Karnataka proposes to divert water from tributaries of the Mhadei river to the Malaprabha basin.
The draft notification prohibits fresh mining and quarrying, new Red Category industries, thermal power plants and large construction projects within the ESA. At the same time, it makes it clear that residents will not be displaced, agriculture and plantation activities will continue without restriction, and repairs, extensions of existing houses and essential public infrastructure, including healthcare facilities, will be permitted.
Capt. Nitin Dhond, member of the Paryavarani Foundation, said the Centre should now move beyond repeated draft notifications and issue the final ESA notification.
"This is the seventh draft in nearly 12 years. Every draft has faced opposition from one state or another, but the process cannot continue indefinitely. The Western Ghats are a globally recognised biodiversity hotspot and deserve permanent legal protection," he said.
Dhond said the notification assumes greater significance because it covers villages associated with the Kalsa-Bhandura project.
"The Karnataka government is projecting Kalsa-Bhandura as a 4 TMC drinking water project. However, the diverted water ultimately augments the Malaprabha basin, where nearly 140 TMC is utilised for irrigation, including sugarcane cultivation. Describing the project solely as a drinking water scheme does not present the complete picture," he alleged.
He further said the forests surrounding the Bhimgad and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuaries, including the catchment areas of Chorla, Parwad and Nersa, are critical for maintaining the ecological balance and water security of the Western Ghats.
"We have been working for more than three decades to conserve this fragile landscape. Governments may justify projects in different ways, but they cannot overlook the ecological consequences. The Centre must now issue the final ESA notification instead of prolonging uncertainty," Dhond added.
The latest draft is expected to reignite debate over balancing environmental conservation with developmental projects, particularly the Kalsa-Bhandura scheme, which has remained at the centre of the Karnataka-Goa water dispute for more than three decades.
