Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area: 7th Draft Notification
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has reissued the draft notification (for the 7th time) proposing an Eco-Sensitive Area across the Western Ghats (originally 1st issued in 2014), after the previous draft lapsed without being finalized.
- The draft remains open for public objections for 60 days, while the Centre and the six Western Ghats States continue to disagree over the villages and areas to be included within the ESA.
- The proposed ESA encompasses a massive 56,825.7 sq. km spread across six states: Karnataka (highest at 20,668 sq. km), Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, and Gujarat (lowest at 449 sq. km).
- The draft recommends a complete ban on commercial mining, stone quarrying, sand mining, the establishment of new thermal power plants, highly polluting “red category” industries, and large-scale construction projects.
- Hydel power generation projects will be strictly regulated.
- The notification explicitly clarifies that agriculture, plantation activities, and the day-to-day livelihood of local communities will remain unaffected.
- Like the previous draft, the 7th draft notification also proposes phased implementation of the ESA on a state-wise or combined basis, allowing notification without waiting for consensus from all six states.
- An expert committee headed by Sanjay Kumar formed in 2022, tasked with examining state objections and discrepancies in village demarcations, has been granted a tenure extension until July 2027.
