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MoEFCC’s 7th Draft Proposes 56,825.7 sq km Western Ghats ESA
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change issues its 7th draft notification proposing to declare 56,825.7 sq. km of the Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area across 6 states. The draft specifies prohibited, regulated, and exempted activities, and multiple states raise objections and demands on mapping and boundary coverage.
Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area:
| Dimension | Key Details |
|---|---|
| Geographical scope | The proposed ESA comprises 4,402 villages across 56,825.7 sq. km of the Western Ghats, covering about 37% of the mountain range. |
| State-wise proposed ESA area | The proposed ESA comprises: Karnataka 20,668 sq. km across 10 districts; Maharashtra 17,340 sq. km; Kerala 9,993.7 sq. km; Tamil Nadu 6,914 sq. km; Goa 1,461 sq. km; Gujarat 449 sq. km. |
| Prohibited activities | The draft mandates a complete ban on new commercial mining and quarrying, sand mining, red-category polluting industries, new thermal power plants, and large construction and township projects. |
| Existing mines | The draft mandates that existing mines phase out within 5 years or upon lease expiry. |
| Regulated activity | The draft regulates hydroelectric power projects by permitting them subject to strict environmental clearances and lean-season environmental flows. |
| Exempted activities | The draft exempts agriculture, plantation practices, housing repairs, and routine livelihoods. |
| Karnataka objection | Karnataka’s legislature provides for unanimous rejection of satellite-based remote sensing mapping, citing inability to distinguish natural forests from human settlements, coffee and cardamom plantations, and public infrastructure. |
| Karnataka demand | Karnataka demands a 1-year window to conduct a comprehensive ground-level physical survey. |
| Kerala demand | Kerala requests reducing its proposed ESA footprint from 9,993.7 sq. km to 8,590.69 sq. km by excluding all human-inhabited areas, agricultural belts, and plantations. |
| Other states’ objections | Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, and Gujarat raise objections regarding village-level boundary overlaps, fears of land depreciation, and restrictions on regional infrastructure development. |
| Western Ghats | The Western Ghats comprises one of the world’s eight “hotspots” of biodiversity, acts as the water tower of Peninsular India, and sequesters about 10% of India’s forest carbon. |