Disaster waiting to happen, says Gadgil
admitted state revenue minister E Chandrasekharan. Army, Navy and Air Force and NDRF teams were deployed in many areas of worst-hit Idukki and Wayanad districts. Besides thousands of houses, many bridges and roads were swept away in flash flood. State PWD minister G Sudhakaran said at least 500-km long roads were damaged. Many areas are still without power and drinking water. The water level in the swollen Idukki reservoir reduced below 2398 feet (maximum capacity 2403) on Sunday, said district administration. Water levels in other dams also came down, 26 dams were opened for the first time to release excess water. The CM said special ‘adalats’ will be set up to issue duplicate copies of documents and educational certificates lost in the floods. environmental scientist Madhav Gadgil, head of the Western Ghats expert panel, attributed the flood tragedy in Kerala to human incursions and unscientific developmental activities.
“It is a man-made disaster waiting to happen. Insensible use of land, soil and rock led to this catastrophe...Hope everyone will learn a lesson from this,” he said.
He said if his report aimed at protecting the fragile ecology of Western Ghats was implemented intensity could have been limited to an extent.
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat opposed recommendations of Gadgil panel.
“We have given detailed guidelines to protect natural resources with the help of local bodies. There is a naked encroachment on water bodies and quarrying is continuing unabated. So the water flow and soil erosion turned uncontrollable. It was waiting to happen,“he said.
In 2010, the Union environment ministry had set up an expert panel under Gadgil
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