The idea of establishing a ‘green belt’ along a stretch of the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border has been mooted in a bid to recover the lost ecological wealth of the region.
Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) P.H. Kurian said he had asked officials of the Department of Environment and Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI), Peechi, to study the feasibility of creating the ‘green belt’ from Kumily to Ramakkalmedu in Idukki district.
Ideally, this buffer zone of greenery should have a width of half-a-km, Mr. Kurian said while inaugurating a training programme on ‘Climate Change and Disaster Mitigation’ organised by the Institute for Climate Change Studies (ICCS) under the Department of Environment.
If things pan out, a proposal would be ready by next year, Mr. Kurian, who is also Secretary, Environment Department, told The Hindu on the sidelines of the event. ‘’I have asked the officials to examine whether the green belt can be created from Kumily to Ramakkalmedu (a distance of about 40 km). It is here that the forests have been destroyed,’’ he said.
In Kerala, the adverse effects of climate change were most evident in Idukki, Mr. Kurian said. ‘‘A few decades ago, you needed thick blankets to escape the cold in Idukki. Now, you need air-conditioners there,’’ he said.
He blamed unchecked human interventions as the single biggest cause of the ecological disaster in the biodiversity-rich district. Mr. Kurian underlined the need to have strategies in place for tackling climate change and adapting to the changing environment. The need to evolve ideas for risk reduction and frame new laws and regulations to match the changing requirements also were important, he said.