Wary of landslides, Karnataka seeks report on carrying capacity of Western Ghats

The minister noted the concerns raised by ecologists and scientists over these developmental activities. “In this background, a study on the carrying capacity of Western Ghats should be carried out and a comprehensive report submitted within three months,” the minister said in the letter.

Carrying capacity refers to the maximum number of activities that can be supported in an ecologically sensitive region.

Conservation of the Western Ghats is a sensitive issue, especially in Malnad districts of the state, as there has been local opposition to imposing curbs on developmental activities. In September last year, the Karnataka Cabinet rejected the Kasturirangan committee report on the protection of Western Ghats after legislators from districts falling within the Western Ghats opposed it.

Over the years, several landslides have taken place along the Western Ghats. One of the devastating ones took place in July last year at Shirur in Uttara Kannada district, sweeping away a tea shop, burying three trucks, and affecting a settlement located near the site. As many as 13 people were washed away, and nine bodies were recovered after a search operation that lasted several days.