Dr CP Rajendran, a renowned geologist and adjunct professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, said that the implementation of the Gadgil Committee recommendations will safeguard Kerala only from long-term consequences.
"The implementation of the Gadgil committee recommendations will safeguard the state only from long-term consequences and the implementation of recommendations cannot be expected to avert the natural disasters in the immediate future," Rajendran said.
The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) chaired by Madhav Gadgil, a leading ecologist and academician had submitted their report in 2011. It created a furore because some recommendations regarding Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZs) were considered anti-farmer and led to political protests. Later a High Level Working Group (HLWG) chaired by K Kasturirangan was formed to advise the government on WGEEP recommendations.
Rajendran emphasised the need to identify landslide-prone areas, vulnerable slopes, and terrains, and evacuate people to safer places. "The only remedy to contain the onslaught of the natural disasters including landslides is to map the landslide-prone areas. Also, we should identify vulnerable slopes and terrains and evacuate people to safer places," he added.
Rajendran said the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) should conduct studies on the history of landslide occurrences to identify prone regions. "The KSDMA ought to have done a study on the history of landslides, which has not happened here," he said.
He noted a change in rainfall patterns in the state since 2018, with high-intensity rainfall increasing the likelihood of landslides. "There has been a change in the pattern of the rainfall in the state ever since 2018. The high intensity rainfall over a course of period can precipitate landslides," he observed.
Rajendran distinguished between landslides and mass wasting, citing the example of the recent incident in Wayanad. "What happened in Wayanad cannot be stopped because it was ‘mass wasting’. In places such as roadsides, where there are vertical cliffs, landslides can be contained up to an extent. Measures like piping could be done at such places to flush out water. But in places where there is heavy flow of water like in hilly areas this is not possible," he explained.
Mass wasting is a process which is slightly different from the conventional landslides. Dr Rajendran used the term 'mass wasting' to describe the heavy volume of water, sand and clay which evacuates the entire mass in the path of it.
He attributed mass wasting to deforestation and farming without considering the fragile landscape. "I am not seeing what occurred in Wayanad as landslides. Instead, I perceive it as 'mass wasting'. In heavy mass wasting the entire sand and clay and all things were washed away. The main reasons for the occurrence of such incidents are deforestation and farming without considering the fragility of the landscape," he said.
Rajendran said involving local communities as stakeholders is crucial for implementing laws and restrictions. "Only by involving the community as stakeholders of the project can laws be implemented. Implementation of the laws can only be done by creating awareness among the people on the implementation of restrictions," he said.
Shifting people from vulnerable areas to safe havens is an immediate solution, while implementing the Gadgil Committee recommendations will have a long-term impact, Rajendran said. "What happens now is a byproduct of the long-term human interference in the region and also as a result of the change in the pattern of rainfall. An immediate solution is to shift people who are living in vulnerable places to safe havens," he added.