No justification to sacrifice natural forests

by Dr. Kodira A. Kushalapa, IFS (Retd.) and former RCCF, Bhopal under MoEF

Forests all over the world are being threatened with the rise of human population, leading to the increased level of Co2 in the atmosphere, global warming, climate change, submersion of low lying areas due to the rise of water levels in the oceans, disappearing forest areas and trees etc. Therefore, we have to take all possible measures to save natural forests, not only for our survival but also for the future generations to come.

The Central Government has added Article 48A and 51A (g) to our Constitution to protect and improve our environment, safeguard forests and wildlife and we citizens are obliged, duty-bound and responsible to save these natural resources. The common phrase is: think globally but act locally. This will apply in this case also while considering the route for High Tension (HT) line through natural reserve forests of Kodagu.

Fortunately, there are two or three alternate routes to draw the transmission line avoiding natural forests. Therefore, there is ample justification to avoid forests on a priority basis, to save and conserve forests locally. The value of forests cannot be just the timber and firewood value down to certain minimum girth of standing trees, for comparing the costs but should be the value of whole forest ecosystem called environmental values or ecological benefits, which will be lost permanently after clearing the forests.

These values include the absorption of Co2, production and release of oxygen by all plants existing, habitat for birds and wildlife, soil and water conservation, adding fertility to soil etc. These environmental values are far more than whatever the total cost of laying the linear line and is not comparable. Thus the question of shortest route through the forests for cost-cutting is ruled out in the interest of saving forests. The Power Grid Corporation can recover the extra cost by increasing the tariff per unit of electricity.

The HT line can go through the D-line between the erstwhile Coorg and Mysore States, which is now the D-line between Kodagu and Mysore districts, where due to the annual D-line clearances earlier, the trees are smaller in size and less in numbers. The proposed HT line is running almost parallel to the D-line and hence a more feasible alternate route.

The other route is by upgrading the present 220 KV line for which the necessary permission under the Forest Conservation Act 1980 has been already obtained to pass through the National park and requires the replacement of towers only. It is almost a straight line passing through H.D. Kote and D.B. Kuppe. The temporary problem of the PG Corporation is that during the progress of upgrading the 220 KV, they have to de-activate the present line and is left to them to solve by fast progress and using the other grid lines.

The third alternate is to take up the line through an underground tunnel which will be at an exorbitant cost and not feasible through forest areas with standing trees and their root systems.

The FC Act envisages to take up compensatory afforestation in new areas equal in extent of area (twice the extent in forest area) diverted for non-forestry purposes by the forest department at user’s cost. But the fact is that nobody can re-create a “natural forest,” which has by a series of succession over centuries, stabilised into a climax type of forests with rich biodiversity. But at the most we can create a “plantation forest” of few species only, if the new compensated area is good for growing trees. If such plantations are raised in semi-arid regions like Bijapur and Gulburga for want of land in Kodagu, there will be complete failure of the objectives of compensatory plantation. Similar type of areas only should be allotted for compensatory afforestation. It is therefore imperative and justifiable to protect and conserve the existing natural forests than going for compensatory plantations that too, when alternate routes are available for linear projects.

[e-mail: kodira1@hotmail.com/ Mob: 94480-58549]

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / Friday – June 27th, 2014