THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In a significant move aimed at protecting Kochi’s green lung, the Union Environment Ministry has finally issued the long-pending buffer zone notification for Mangalavanam bird sanctuary.
From now on, no tourism activities, including flying of hot-air balloon, helicopter, drones, microlites and other aircrafts, will be allowed in and around the stipulated area of Mangalavanam. There will also be restrictions on tree-felling, construction activities, and setting up of hotels & resorts.
Going by the notification, a 0.122 sq km within a radius of 0-0.55 km around the sanctuary’s boundary, including Railway land, has been declared as ‘eco-sensitive zone’ (ESZ). Hence, no major developmental activities will be allowed in the area.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has also directed the state government to prepare a zonal master plan within two years, after consultations with the local population and different departments including forests and wildlife, revenue, tourism, PWD, irrigation and panchayat raj.
The master plan should not impose any restriction on the approved existing land use, infrastructure and activities. It should also provide restoration of denuded areas, conservation of existing water bodies, management of catchment areas, watershed management, groundwater management, soil and moisture conservation, needs of local community and similar ecological aspects. In addition, existing places of worship, villages and urban settlements, forests, agricultural areas and green area like parks should be demarcated.
With the notification, a slew of activities have been prohibited within the ESZ. This includes polluting industries, commercial mining, stone quarrying, solid waste and biomedical disposal, major hydroelectric projects, and use-production-processing of hazardous substances.