Environmentally Sensitive Areas maps out, liable to change

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Biodiversity Board has published detailed maps differentiating environmentally sensitive areas and non-ESAs in each of the 123 villages identified as ESA by the Kasturirangan report. The maps are available on the website of Kerala State Remote Sensing and Environment Centre (KSREC). Chief minister Oommen Chandy said that the maps would be revised if private lands were found still included within the ESA.

The maps have taken out 3,247 sq km from the 13,801 sq km of ESA originally estimated by the High-Level Working Group headed by space scientist K. Kasturirangan. The KSREC site has published two types of maps: one showing ESA and non-ESA areas (in green and yellow) and the other a more detailed one demarcating agricultural land (yellow), built-up land, including towns and houses (red), forest (dark green), wastelands (maroon) and waterbodies (blue). Idukki has the largest number of villages branded as ESA (47), followed by Palakkad (14).

“The state government’s stand is that not an inch of private land should be included within the ESA,” the chief minister said. “If there is anything in the map that goes against this decision, it will be rectified,” he added.  The revised maps would be further scrutinised by the panchayat-level committees that had earlier conducted spot verification of the 123 villages. “These maps will be cross-checked with the maps in the possession of Land Use Board,” he said. The final maps will be published only after this vetting process.

The committee, chaired by the panchayat president, has as its members the village officer, agriculture officer and representatives of the Forest and Revenue departments. The public could approach the committee for further clarification.

MAIN OBSERVATIONS
The HLWG had reported an area of 13,801 sq km in the 123 villages. The observed area is only 12,906.88 sq km.
Out of the 12,906.88 sq.km, non-ESA is 3,247.85 sq.km (This includes 3117.66 sq.km of agricultural land and 130.19 wsq.km of built-up land.)