Centre Reissues Seventh Draft Notification for Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has reissued the draft notification for the seventh time, seeking to declare 56,825.7 sq. km across six states—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu—as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). This move is a persistent effort to implement the recommendations of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP), headed by Madhav Gadgil, and the subsequent High-Level Working Group (HLWG) led by K. Kasturirangan.

The Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s eight 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity, face severe threats from mining, quarrying, and large-scale infrastructure projects. The proposed notification aims to regulate these environmentally hazardous activities by imposing restrictions on new thermal power plants, mining operations, and large-scale construction projects within the identified ESA. The delay in finalizing the notification highlights the complex challenge of balancing developmental aspirations with ecological preservation, particularly given the resistance from state governments and local stakeholders concerned about the impact on livelihoods and regional economic growth.

For the government, the challenge lies in achieving a consensus that satisfies the 'development vs. environment' debate. The recurring nature of the draft notification underscores the difficulty in implementing top-down environmental policies in a federal structure where states hold significant influence over land use and industrial regulation. As climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events in the region, such as landslides and floods, the urgency to protect the fragile ecosystem of the Western Ghats has become a matter of national priority.