Mangalore: Several fronts of women and ecology protectionists have combined to oppose BJP Govt’s move to divert river Nethravathi’s water flows from its seaward journey at Mangalore to provide drinking water to old Mysore districts like Kolar and Chikkaballapur.
They issued a statement on Monday to say that such diversion artificially conducted would affect Mangalore fisheries, farmers and people who need drinking water here. The move could destroy green forests on Western Ghats and on slopes, besides affecting adversely breeding in the sea of various fish groups.
The project envisaged 2 canals of 850m., and 925ms, above the sea level on the Western Ghats , one from Naravi Gadikallu Gudda and the other from Galibeedu at Madikeri.
The canals pass through Yelaniru and Shiradi areas creating 38 artificial lakes on way, but such a conception was nothing short of a misadventure, the ecology-friendly organisations criticized. Machines and equipments used to dig canals would destroy the Western Ghats scenes of wildlife and flower. These ghats (hilly areas) are already under pressure from development activities, they warned.
The Centre had formed a panel of experts headed by IISc., scientist Madhava Gadgil and the state had its own task force recommendations for protecting the Ghats ecology. The rulers have to consider both groups’ advice on ecology.
Not only the state earmarked Rs.200 crores, but Union Minister M Veerappa Moily promised Rs.400 crores for the ultimate destruction under the project. Experts in the subject said that the project was against environment, unproductive and unscientific. Both BJP and Congress were for the project, they pointed out.