A disastrous tragedy awaits Kerala! When 'Call Gadgil and save Kerala' went viral on social media

Renowned Indian ecologist Madhav Gadgil was a champion of the Western Ghats who highlighted the danger lurking in the scenic landscape of Kerala. The officials and politicians had to wait until the Wayanad landslides and the recurring natural disasters in Kerala to realise how true Gadgil was when he warned about the sensitive land structure of the state.

"The Western Ghats as a whole have been devastated. What awaits Kerala is a great tragedy if no action is taken. It won't require decades, as you may think. Four or five years is enough. You and I will be alive that day. Then you will realise ... who was lying !!!."

The destructive landslides in Wayanad two years back saw 'Call Gadgil and save Kerala' captions flooding social media. Many people posted Madhav Gadgil's photo on Facebook after the Wayanad disaster.

"Some people may have problems with the decision not to allow building construction in landslide areas. The community should think together and find a solution to this. The decision of the officials should not be imposed, but accurate land mapping should be done to see where buildings can be built and where agriculture can be done. This map should be used for all human needs," Madhav Gadgil had clarified.

"Strong laws are in place to ensure the conservation of nature and ecological balance. However, the reason for the crisis is that none of these laws is being followed. People should be aware of such things. People should organise against this. The situation where people are afraid to even talk about environmental protection should change. People have the right to intervene in such matters by virtue of the existing three-tier panchayat laws," Madhav Gadgil said.

The report submitted to the government in 2011 had specifically warned against the anti-environmental activities in Meppadi in Wayanad, where the landslide occurred on Tuesday. As per the report, places such as Mundakkai, Chooralmala, Attamala, Noolpuzha and Meppadi are among the environmentally sensitive areas in Wayanad.

However, the then-central government dismissed the Gadgil report and appointed a committee headed by Kasturirangan to prepare another report. In September 2018, Gadgil had pointed out that uncontrolled land encroachment, deforestation and unscientific construction activities are the main causes for the flood disasters in Kerala.