Sir,

Apropos “Impact of Government Order permitting land conversion in Kodagu” (SOM dated 14.2.2020), let me share my own first-hand experience. I have visited cities like Shimla, Kulu, Manali etc., rivers and valleys like Parvathi, Kulu and different lakes of Himachal Pradesh from time to time, noticing the painful changes towards the worst side by indiscriminate human activity, by drastic deforestation, roads and resorts turning the green environment into concrete jungles.

To be more clear, ‘where once silence used to whisper’ in the same terrain is now converted into a combined polluted lot chocking with traffic jams.

It is a common sight of vehicles falling into deep gorges which cannot be even salvaged many a time because of unplanned, caving-in of roads and landslides.

Landslides were not that rampant and frequent earlier because roots of trees held the soil hard. Like watching weather forecast before hand while moving, one has to be familiar about the landslide that may take place which blocks the roads, without getting stranded in the midway in hostile weather conditions risking ourselves.

Landslides, movement of a mass of rocks, debris, earth or soil but the impact is extensive including property damage, injury, mutilation and even death and adversely affecting a variety of natural resources like forests, blocking of streams and rivers resulting in deviated floods gushing into human habitation, damaging infrastructure like water supply (including underground water flow also), availability of both qualitative and quantitative potable water, sewage disposal systems affecting health, dams, and roadways for years together which is also experienced in many parts of Kodagu recently.

This horrifying landslip occurs when shear stresses exceed the permissible resistance power to shearing strength under the direct influence of gravity.

All concerned should immediately stop further devastation of Kodagu which is most essential, inevitable and which is benefiting Cauvery, the lifeline of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry through rain which also gets badly affected with deforestation.

– Dr. M. Shyam Prasad, Krishnamurthypuram, 29.2.2020

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