The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has issued a draft notification declaring an area of 70.906 sq km extending up to 2.72 km from the boundaries of the protected areas of Neyyar and Peppara wildlife sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zone.
The proposed zone, which will be spread across the villages of Kallikkadu, Amboori, Vazhichal, Mannoorkara and Vithura, will comprise places, including the Kallar bridge in the north; Kottamala, Karichatti Motta and Kalluparakkunnu in the northeast; Vattapparakunnu in the east; Kadirmudy, Chottupara, Kappukadu and Vlavetty in the south east; Karikkuzhy and Poochamukku in the south; Kandamthitta, Kottumamthodu and Kottoor in the south west; Mancode, Anchunazhikathodu causeway and Kuttappara thodu in the west; and Vithura-Peppara road and Makki, Kathippara and Aranamkuzhy in the northwest.
All new and existing mining, stone quarrying and crushing units will be prohibited in the region. Pollution-causing industries, major hydroelectric projects, solid waste disposal and processing facilities, large-scale commercial livestock and poultry farms, wood-based industries and brick kilns can no longer be established in the area. Explosives can no longer be manufactured or stored.
No resorts
According to the draft notification, no new commercial hotels and resorts will be permitted within 1 km of the boundary of the protected area or up to the extent of the eco-sensitive area, whichever is nearer, except for small temporary structures for ecotourism activities. Commercial construction of any kind will not be allowed in the region. Felling of trees will be strictly regulated.
The activities that have been permitted in the eco-sensitive zone include rainwater harvesting, organic farming, cottage industries, agro-forestry, horticulture and forest restoration.
Monitoring committees
A monitoring committee chaired by the District Collector will be formed to oversee the activities. The State government will be required to prepare a zonal master plan within two years of the notification. The plan must involve measures to restore denuded areas, conserving waterbodies, managing catchment areas, watershed management, groundwater management and the needs of the local community.
The MoEFCC has provided 60 days for stakeholders and other public to raise objections to or provide suggestions on the proposals contained in the draft notification. Replete with biodiversity, the protected areas encompassing the Neyyar and Peppara wildlife sanctuaries are known to have nearly 1,000 species of flowering plants, 43 mammal species, 233 bird species, 46 reptile species, 13 amphibian species, 27 fish species and a wide variety of butterflies, the document noted.
