Protecting the Western Ghats: Why southern states must break the impasse

The Western Ghats are a long, unbroken chain of hills and mountains that run down the western side of peninsular India. They pass through six states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. There is a single major gap in the chain, the Palakkad Gap, on the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border. These hills are one of the world's eight 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity, which means they hold a very large number of plant and animal species, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth.

The Ghats also shape India's monsoon. They stand like a wall in the path of moisture-carrying winds, forcing them to rise and drop heavy rain along the western coast. They are the birthplace of major rivers such as the Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery and Periyar, which water large parts of south and central India. Two expert panels have studied how to protect the region. The first, led by ecologist Madhav Gadgil, took a strong conservation view. The second, headed by scientist K. Kasturirangan, proposed marking about 60,000 sq km, roughly 37 per cent of the chain, as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). Inside an ESA, activities such as mining, polluting industries, thermal power plants and large construction would be banned.

The plan has been stuck for more than 12 years. The six state governments pushed back, arguing that the rules would hurt development. Because the Ghats are far more thickly populated than regions like the Himalaya, the debate of 'environment versus development' carries extra weight here. Ecologists, however, say the rules would not harm farming and could in fact protect farmers from extreme weather. Recently the governments of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa agreed to the plan, which could bring about 19,000 sq km under protection.

The harder problem lies with Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, which together hold about two-thirds of the proposed ESA. The cost of ignoring these fragile hills has already been seen in the Kerala floods of 2018 and the Wayanad landslide of 2024. The benefits the Ghats provide, such as clean water, carbon storage and a stable climate, reach far beyond the region. Some ecologists suggest paying local communities for these services as a way to balance economic needs with conservation and finally end the deadlock.

For exam aspirants, the Western Ghats are a core topic in environment and geography. Remember the states they cross, their status as a biodiversity hotspot and UNESCO World Heritage area, the Gadgil and Kasturirangan reports, and the idea of Eco-Sensitive Areas.