Ecologist Madhav Gadgil has advocated sustainable development through community participation, proposing radical measures such as entrusting Kudumbashree groups with control over quarries, transferring management of tea estates to labour cooperatives, replacing exploitative luxury resorts with sustainable home-stay tourism, and reforming the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
He was delivering the keynote address at a seminar organised by the Assembly of Christian Trust Services (ACTS) here on Friday against the backdrop of the devastating landslides in Wayanad.
‘Quarries illegal’
Dr. Gadgil, who had chaired the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, alleged that 85% of rock quarries in Kerala were illegal. He further claimed that the purported nexus between political leaders and quarry owners had served to muffle local protests. Moreover, the State governments had been sanctioning quarries, despite witnessing large-scale destruction caused by natural calamities.
Citing the disastrous impact of quarrying in Chembanmudy that turned a verdant village in Pathanamthitta into a dust bowl some years ago, the ecologist proposed handing over quarry operations to local Kudumbashree units to manage on the lines of successful models in other regions in the country. This could ensure sustainable practices and community benefits.
Wages and housing
Demanding steps to address the pitiable living conditions of labourers in tea plantations, he called for replicating the successful Amul dairy cooperatives model to rope in well-organised labour cooperatives to manage such estates. Labourers in these plantations must be provided reasonable wages and decent housing.
Dr. Gadgil flagged the mushrooming resorts, particularly along vulnerable areas, calling for promoting eco-friendly homestays. He referred to the example of a homestay run by a tribal community in a hilly area in Goa.
‘Plan unchanged for 8 years’
Leader of the Opposition V.D. Satheesan, who inaugurated the programme, emphasised the urgent need for updated disaster management strategies in the face of climate change. He also highlighted the significant gap in the current approach, noting that the State Disaster Management Plan had remained unchanged for eight years. This stagnation, he argued, undermined the ability to adapt to evolving challenges posed by climate change.
John Mathai, senior scientist at the National Centre for Earth Science Studies, who led a committee tasked with assessing the safety of the landslide-hit areas in Wayanad, proposed demarcating safe and unsafe areas in calamity-prone regions. He called for constituting scientists’ panels at the district-level to undertake site inspections in areas identified for infrastructure development.
He demanded that priority be assigned not just for undertaking rescue operations after disasters, but also for relocating people prior to such events. Historian M.G. Sasibhooshan spoke on the occasion.
ACTS, an umbrella organisation of Christian denominations, also decided to form an action plan to recommend steps for undertaking sustainable practices in the State. Dr. Gadgil has been named the chief adviser for the endeavour.
