On the ecological security aspect, the Western Ghats is the backbone of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, S.P. Udayakumar, convener of People’s Movement against Nuclear Energy, has said. “Unfortunately, people are not only taking the Western Ghats for granted but also badly exploiting the mountain range,” he added.
Mr. Udayakumar was addressing a gathering at Sree Narayana College here after inaugurating a two-day national seminar on ‘Protection of Western Ghats: issues, concerns and policy alternatives’ on Thursday. The UGC-sponsored seminar is being organised by the Postgraduate and Research Department of Political Science.
He said the Western Ghats were the strong foundation of the ecology of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. “The pity is that people who lead us talk a lot about economic security, national security, energy security, political security and so on but they hardly talk about ecological security.”
Not only Kerala and Tamil Nadu, but one-fourth of the country’s population spread out in the States of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka too depend upon the Western Ghats for their survival and wellbeing. It is because of the water that came flowing through the Western Ghats that kingdoms such as the Chola, Viajayanagara, and Pandia flourished. “If we ruin the Western Ghats, everything concerned with ecology and water from the mountaintop to the sea will also be ruined,” Mr. Udayakumar said. It was the Silent Valley movement that created a landmark in the history of environment struggles of the country.
