Context: A landslide in Maharashtra’s Raigad district has once again brought attention to the Dr. Madhav Gadgil report on conserving the Western Ghats.

About Gadgil Commission

• In 2010, the Ministry of Environment appointed the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), to be chaired by ecologist Dr Madhav Gadgil.

• Aim: To study the impact of population pressure, climate change and development activities on the Western Ghats.

About Western Ghats

• The Western Ghats is a 1,600-km-long mountain chain running along India’s western coast.

• UNESCO has accorded the Western Ghats World Heritage status.

• It spans six Indian states: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala.

• The Ghats are home to 325 globally threatened species of flora, fauna, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish.

• Karnataka contains about 60 percent of the entire Western Ghats.

Recommendations of the Dr. Madhav Gadgil report on the Western Ghats

• Classification of Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZs): The report proposed classifying 64 percent of the Western Ghats, spread over six states, into three categories – ESZ 1, ESZ 2, and ESZ 3.

• Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA): The entire Western Ghats region was recommended to be designated as an Ecologically Sensitive Area.

• Developmental Activities: The report called for a halt to almost all developmental activities like mining, construction of thermal power plants, and dams in ESZ 1. 

• Bans and Restrictions: Genetically modified crops, plastic bags, Special Economic Zones, new hill stations, and changes in land use from farmland to non-farm land were  to be prohibited. 

• The diversion of rivers to protect the ecology of the region and conversion of public lands into private lands were also discouraged.

• Bottom-to-Top Governance: The report suggested a decentralized approach to governance with more power given to local authorities. 

• It recommended the establishment of a Western Ghats Ecology Authority under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to manage the region’s ecology and ensure sustainable development.

• Ban on Single Commercial Crops: The report called for a ban on growing single commercial crops like tea, coffee, cardamom, rubber, banana, and pineapple in the Western Ghats, as they had negative environmental impacts.

The Kasturirangan-led panel formulated a report as an alternative to the Gadgil Reports

Key suggestions of the Kasturirangan panel report

• Reduced Ecologically Sensitive Area: It has designated only 37 percent of the Western Ghats as ecologically sensitive, which was significantly lower than the 64 percent suggested by the Gadgil panel.

• Categorization of Regions: The panel split the Western Ghats into two categories – cultural regions (human settlements) and natural regions (non-human settlements). 

• It proposed designating cultural lands as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA).

• Categorization of Activities: The report introduced a classification of activities into three categories – red, orange, and green.

• Red Category: Activities, such as mining, stone quarrying, were recommended to be banned.

• Orange Category: Activities would be regulated and allowed with appropriate permissions.

• Green Category: All agricultural, horticultural, and certain commercial activities were allowed.

About Landslide

• A sudden movement of rock, boulders, earth or debris down a slope is termed as a landslide. 

• Natural causes that trigger it include heavy rainfall, earthquakes, snow melting and undercutting of slopes due to flooding.

Landslide Prone Regions of India

• India is one of the top five landslide-prone countries globally, with at least one death per 100 sq km annually due to landslides.

• Excluding snow covered areas, around 12.6 % of India’s geographical land area is prone to landslides. 

• 66.5 % of the landslides are reported from the North-western Himalayas, 

• 18.8 % from the North-eastern Himalayas, and 

• 14.7 % from the Western Ghats.