PUNE: Stringent environment laws like in Maharashtra are needed for Kerala, former state urban secretary T C Benjamin told TOI on TuesdayIn an email to Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan , Benjamin, former chairman and member of the Maharashtra State Environment Appraisal Committee, highlighted the need for the state to mark flood lines, flood contours and prevent quarrying in the run-off zones.The mail also spoke about allowing sand mining only in identifiable areas of the Western Ghats and an intensive catchment area treatment besides an environmental impact assessment authority that will report to the central government and monitor all environmental concerns.“Implementation of a new environmental regime is essential now. Global warming and its impact on the environment pushes us to modify our behavioural pattern,” he told TOI in the wake of the Kerala flood situation.Unexpected weather patterns can wreak havoc in Kerala, but the impact can be reduced by slowing down the inflow of rain water to the dams through intensive catchment area treatment, he said.“Large-scale plantation of wide-leafed trees in the catchments and construction of small check dams on all nullahs, rivulets and streams will break the forceful flow of water,’’ he said.Mining should be allowed in identified areas based on sand bed thickness and strictly prohibited in the high flood level of any river, he added.“An active environment impact assessment authority should now be constituted. It must report to the central government about regulations and monitoring of all the cases,’’ Benjamin said in his mail to Vijayan.

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