Nethravathi will not last if Yettinahole project comes up'

Mangalore, Dec 26: In the backdrop of announcement that work on the Yettinahole project would commence shortly as tenders had been called, activists and environmentalists in the city are gearing up to collectively think of a feasible strategy to urge the government to re-consider the prospective and much-debated project.

Speaking at an interaction organised by Vanya Charana Balaga, Mangalore here on Wednesday, leading tiger expert and conservation zoologist Dr K Ullas Karanth said that several laws in the Indian Constitution such as the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and Forest Conservation Act, 1980 have helped conservation groups to save forest land from being wiped out in the past. There have also been several verdicts within the legal framework by the Supreme Court and other courts that have helped towards conservation of forests. How effectively we use these laws and court orders will determine how much of forests are saved, he said.

He said that the formation of Kudremukh, Brahmagiri and Pushpagiri sanctuaries in Karnataka was a result of the effective use of Wildlife Protection Act.

Speaking about the impact of Yettinahole project on Dakshina Kannada district, he said that there was a need to conduct a comprehensive study on the impact which should involve ecologists, hydrologists and engineers

“There is no doubt that the Yettinahole or Nethravathi Diversion project will affect the district adversely. We need to delve on how the project may affect fisheries, salinity of freshwater and newer developments in the growing city of Mangalore. Without proper environmental clearances from boards such as Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Forest Advisory Committee and Indian Board of Wildlife, no developmental project can go forward,” he said.

He said that there was a need for more support and people to see the project in a responsible light. “From then to now, I see a slight difference in the efforts of people to conserve wildlife. Social support is growing with regard to the conservation of Western Ghats,” he said.

Conservationist Niren Jain from Kudremukh Wildlife Foundation (KWF) said that if the natural forests are wiped out, it was not possible to regenerate them through plantation of trees.

With regard to the Yettinahole project, he said, “In my opinion, we should not have even encouraged a project report on the proposal. If the Nethravathi diversion or Yettinahole project comes up, even a single stream in the Nethravathi catchment area will not remain pristine. The entire area is open for destruction as it does not come under the protected forest areas,” he stated.

He said that if the Nethravathi catchment area in the Western Ghats is not classified as a sanctuary, then the destruction of the forests in that region would not stop. “The Netravathi river will not last,” he said.