BENGALURU: Social activist Medha Patkar on Tuesday said the Sharavathi River faces a lot of threats from multiple quarters, and the issue has been brought to the notice of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who assured to look into it.
The proposed Sharavathi pumped storage project will lead to the felling of over 16,000 trees, adversely affecting various wildlife species, including the lion-tailed macaque.
Patkar noted that the constant drilling will destroy the pristine Western Ghats.
“Downstream, the proposed Honnavar Port project in Uttara Kannada district, where Sharavathi River meets the Arabian Sea, will destroy estuaries and mangroves, affect fishing and destroy the livelihood of the entire fishing community,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the release of a second report -- Eroding Shores, Silenced Protests - A Fact-Finding Report on the Honnavar Port Project.
“The two projects will destroy the entire ecosystem and everyone has seen what has happened in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Western Ghats when ecology is disturbed.”
“I had a brief interaction with Siddaramaiah and brought these issues to his notice. He has promised to look into it. He has also promised to direct the police to drop all cases that were filed against protesting fishermen and their families.
Ironically, before the elections, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Mankal Vaidya and Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar had visited Honnavar and assured the fishing community that their land will not be lost and the port will not come up. But they have done nothing. I know Siddaramaiah’s background and I hope these projects will be reviewed,” she said.
Patkar claimed that environmental clearances obtained for the port project were not done as per the prescribed rules.
“They were obtained a decade back and now they have expired. False reports were submitted that there were no olive ridley turtles in Honnavar. This is because the survey was done in August, when the turtles do not visit the shores. Environmental clearance was obtained for the port after a three-month study and construction on a 50-km road connecting the port to NH-66 was started without any public hearing. All coastal zonal regulations and environmental impact rules have been violated,” she said.
“I also brought all these issues to the notice of Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and Chief Executive Officer of Karnataka Maritime Board HC Balachandra during a meeting on Tuesday.
We expect a lot from the Karnataka government. While the state government withdrew its decision on creating the aerospace in Devenahalli after the farmers protest, the same should be considered in case of Honnavar Port, Sharavathi pumped storage project and the Malpe River Project. Development without destruction and forceful eviction of people can also be done,” she said.
