Call grows to halt river diversion projects and protect Western Ghats ecosystem

Hubballi: Anant Hegde Ashisara, president of the Bedti Aghanashini Kolla Samrakshana Samiti, has urged both the state and central govts to formulate a comprehensive plan focused on the conservation and sustainable development of river valleys in the Western Ghats.Speaking to reporters on Friday, he called on the environment and forest ministries to deny approval for the Sharavati Pump Storage Project in the Sharavati valley. He also stressed that the recommendations made by the Central Wildlife Board's expert committee, following its site inspection of the project, must be implemented.Ashisara warned that the proposed Bedti-Aghanashini river diversion projects would have severe consequences for the Western Ghats. He specifically demanded that the preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for the Bedti-Varada project be halted.Highlighting the potential environmental impact, he claimed that implementing such diversion projects could result in the destruction of nearly one lakh acres of forest land, trigger large-scale landslides, and displace around one lakh farmers and fishermen. He further cautioned that these projects could dry up streams across the Sahyadri region, and therefore insisted that the Bedti-Aghanashini project be abandoned.He pointed out that several scientific studies, including the UK District Environmental Conservation Study, the Western Ghats Landslide Study, and the Sharavati Comprehensive Valley Study, have already concluded that large-scale projects should not be undertaken in the ecologically sensitive Sahyadri valleys.Ashisara noted that public protests are under way in Sirsi, Honnavar, Siddapur, Sagar, Shivamogga, and Yellapur, reflecting widespread concern over the future of the Bedti-Aghanashini-Sharavati river basin.He also urged elected representatives from the Western Ghats region, including MLAs and MPs, to convene a meeting and collectively press govt on the issue. A major conference aimed at safeguarding the Western Ghats is planned in Hubballi this May under the leadership of Swarnavalli Swamiji.Among those present at the press conference were Basavaraj Patil, president of Rashtriya Swabhiman Andolan; BM Kumar Swamy, president of Paryavaran; wildlife law expert Giridhar Kulkarni; and others.