ESA draft notification on Sawantwadi-Dodamarg corridor to ease flow of 2 Goa rivers

Keri: The recent draft notification of ecologically sensitive areas (ESA) from Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor issued by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change is set to aid flow in Goa’s Colvale and Terekhol.
The catchment areas of the Colvale and the Terekhol, two important rivers of Goa, rise respectively in Tudiye near Chandgad and Manohargad near Sawantwadi in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, which will be protected if included in the ecologically sensitive areas.
As per the high court of Bombay’s order on March 22, 2024, Maharashtra govt has submitted a list of 25 villages from Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor to be included as ecologically sensitive areas . Accordingly, the union environment ministry has issued a draft notification on April 22, seeking any objections and suggestions within a period of 60 days. With the new draft notification, 207 villages from Sindhudurg district will be included as the ecologically sensitive areas .
Vanashri and Awaaz Foundation, for the last quarter century, are working for legal protection of the Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor and rich forested areas. Though Western Ghats Ecological Expert Committee, headed by Madhav Gadgil, included forested areas of Dodamarg as the ecologically sensitive areas , later a high level panel headed by Kasturirangan did not endorse it.
Already public hearings had been conducted for opening of mining leases in Kesari, Phanaswade, Asaniye and there are proposals for opening of mining leases in Zolambe, Talkat, Kolzar, Padave-Mazgao, Tamboli,Shirwal, Dabhil and Kumbral villages.
Sawantwadi-Dodamarg wildlife corridor is known for the presence of 303 species of plants having medicinal value, 18 species of wild animals including Asiatic elephants, Bengal tigers, leopards, sloth bears and varied species of avi-fauna, said Sanket Naik a wildlifer from Maneri, Dodamarg.
Stalin Dayanand of Vanashakti NGO, fighting for the protection of Western Ghats areas, said, “The western Ghats of Sindhudurg are worthy of being one of the global biodiversity hotspots. To conserve and showcase it to the world is our responsibility towards the planet. The future generations of Sindhudurg will retain their survival infrastructure, culture and identity while wildlife gets its habitat protected. It’s a win-win situation that the local population should use to bring stability and sustainability to the region with assured water security.”