Summary:
Manoj Viswanathan ByExpress News ServiceThe destruction caused by the flood and landslides in two consecutive years has triggered a debate on the need to implement the Gadgil Committee report on the conservation of Western Ghats ecology. Though Three studies were conducted for the Western ghats conservation from 2010 to 2014, none of theM was implemented due to stiff resistance from various quarters. ‘Ghat Conservation indispensable’Kochi: Conservation, protection and restoration of the Western Ghats are indispensable for the existence of Kerala, said former chairman of Kerala Biodiversity Board V S Vijayan, who was a member of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) headed by Madhav Gadgil. “The major rivers in Kerala originate from the Western Ghats and sustain life in the state. The NCESS had published the landslide and flood zonation map for the state in 2009 but its resolution is only 1:50,000..