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National Green Tribunal urges the environment ministry to finalise a timeline for declaring the Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive zone

For Preliminary Examination: Eco Sensitive Zone, National Green Tribunal (NGT)

For Mains Examination: GS III - Environment & Ecology

Context:

The National Green Tribunal urges the environment ministry to finalise a timeline for declaring the Western Ghats as an eco-sensitive zone, addressing concerns over illegal construction and mining in the Brahmagiri hills

 Read about:

What is an Eco-Sensitive Zone?

What is the National Green Tribunal (NGT)? 

Key takeaways:

• The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) decided on Tuesday to take up a case suo motu concerning the devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad, which resulted in numerous fatalities.
• The bench, consisting of judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayanan and expert member K. Satyagopal, instructed the registry to schedule the case.
• They also directed Kerala's standing counsel to gather data on potential trigger points, such as roads, buildings, and existing quarries in and around the impacted villages. “We are deeply concerned,” remarked Justice Pushpa.
• Experts attribute this to human activities and view it as a warning for other states, including Tamil Nadu, which permit unregulated and unscientific constructions in hilly areas without proper risk assessment.
• The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel's 2011 report to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change designated Vythiri, Mananthavady, and Sultan Bathery taluks in Wayanad as part of the ‘Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ)-1’. This classification prohibits land use changes from forest to non-forest uses or from agricultural to non-agricultural use
• This area contains some of the oldest rock formations in the world, dating back 2,500 million years. Frequent flooding occurs in Mananthavady and Vythiri, primarily because 75% of the streams, which are crucial water sources for Panamaram and Mananthavady, have been reclaimed.
• A 2017 soil survey indicated that 70% of the first and second-order streams feeding into three rivers at Panamaram, Mananthavady, and Basavali had been encroached upon.
• Following the 2018 floods, the Geological Survey of India (GSI) conducted a survey in Kozhikode, Kannur, and Wayanad. They found that although rain was the main cause of most landslides, the actual trigger was unscientific construction on the hills' slopes

Eco-Sensitive Zones

An Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ), also known as an Ecologically Fragile Area (EFA), is a designated area around protected areas such as national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. The primary purpose of declaring ESZs is to create a buffer zone that reduces the impact of human activities on these protected regions. The goal is to conserve biodiversity and protect the environment while allowing for regulated and sustainable development in the surrounding areas.

Key Features of Eco-Sensitive Zones:

• Buffer Zone: ESZs act as a buffer for protected areas to minimize the negative impact of human activities and developmental projects on the core protected zones.

• Regulated Activities: Certain activities are regulated within ESZs to ensure they do not harm the environment. This includes restrictions on industrial activities, min