Onus on dam authority: Gadgil

Kochi: The management of water in the reservoirs in the state has not been done in a scientific manner ahead of the great flood that hit Kerala, said Madhav Gadgil, noted environmentalist on Saturday. Answering questions after delivering a keynote address on contemporary ecological issues in Kochi Prof. Gadgil said prima facie there have been indications of poor management in the opening and closing of dams.

Blaming the opaque system prevailing in the country on matters of public policy, he stressed the need for a transparent system. Earlier addressing the contemporary ecological issues Prof. Gadgil called for an eco-friendly development paradigm for the reconstruction of Kerala in the post-flood era.

Eco friendly methods should be adopted for stone mining in the high-range districts in the state. He quoted an incident in a village in Maharashtra when wo-men prevented large-scale stone mining in the name of a road construction and took the initiative for supplying the required stone by their own way a decade ago. They engaged in quarrying in a limited scale without much stress on the environment, he said, and added that the same strategy is still relevant. The resources should not be viewed only as an instrument of private profit, he said.             

The people critical of Gadgil Report are not saying that it was unscientific or contrary to facts. We will oppose the report even though it is factually correct is their attitude, he said referring the opposition to the expert panel report on the Western Ghats.

 The people arguing that the implementation of the report is impractical however are not taking any steps to prevent violation of existing environmental protection laws and the corruption taking place in these areas. He wondered whether violation of laws and engaging in corruption are the only things practical in the country.   P.T. Thomas MLA and many others also spoke on the occasion.