Kerala to seek complete exclusion of residential areas, CHR from Western Ghats ESA

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has decided to submit a proposal to the Centre seeking the complete exclusion of residential areas and Cardamom Hill Reserve (CHR) regions from the proposed Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) in the Western Ghats.

The decision was announced by Chief Minister V D Satheesan at a press conference following the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

As part of the proposal, the Environment Department will prepare a comprehensive map identifying the areas that should be excluded from the ESA ambit. The map will be used to present the state's case before the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Kerala has consistently maintained that populated areas and agricultural land should not be brought under the ESA restrictions. The latest decision comes amid the Centre's renewed efforts to finalise the Western Ghats ESA notification.

The Centre's latest draft notification proposes to bring 9,993.7 sq km across 131 villages in Kerala under the ESA. Kerala, however, has been seeking to restrict the extent to about 8,590.69 sq km across 98 villages.

The state had earlier sought the exclusion of human habitations and agricultural land from the ESA. In June, the government had decided to press the Centre to completely exclude homes and farms from the proposed ESA and present recommendations based on local-level studies conducted following the Oommen V Oommen Committee report.

The issue has gained urgency with the Centre's draft notification due to be finalised after the objection period. The Centre has maintained that, except for the Palakkad Gap, no portion of the Western Ghats can be excluded from the ESA. Kerala, meanwhile, has argued that the ESA should primarily cover forest areas and that inhabited regions with long-standing settlements should be kept outside its scope.

Why is Kerala opposing the inclusion of inhabited areas?
A major point of contention is the impact that ESA restrictions could have on people living in the high ranges. Several of the areas proposed for inclusion have long-standing settlements, agricultural activity and residential structures.

In Idukki, for instance, people have been settled in cardamom-growing regions for decades, in some cases following government-supported settlement. Kerala has argued that imposing new environmental restrictions on such areas would create difficulties for residents who have been living and farming there for generations.

The state has also relied on the findings of the Kasturirangan and Oommen V Oommen committees, along with subsequent district-level inspections and recommendations from local bodies, while formulating its position on the ESA boundaries.

The question of accurate demarcation has also been a recurring concern. In 2022, Kerala had relied on a Forest Department map that excluded human habitations, constructions and agricultural land while preparing its case on environmentally sensitive zones.

The latest decision to prepare a comprehensive map is therefore significant, as the state seeks to clearly identify residential areas and CHR regions that it wants kept outside the ESA.

The state had also sought the exclusion of more than 30 villages from the Centre's draft notification. Agriculture Minister T Siddique had earlier said Kerala was seeking to remove around 1,500 sq km from the 9,993.7 sq km proposed by the Centre and wanted populated and agricultural areas excluded.

The Cabinet's latest decision comes just ahead of the deadline for the state to submit its detailed response to the Centre's draft ESA notification.

The final boundaries will depend on the Centre's consideration of Kerala's proposal and the subsequent notification process.