It is said that in a laissez-faire economy, everything is possible as Government keeps mum and allows the market forces to take care of growth. In economy it may work but in ecology, unless the Govt intervenes to restore sustainability, the ecology and environment will be in doldrums. Therefore it is necessary that the Govt works in unison with several ministries to ensure that the ecosystem, biodiversity and environment get fair deal. If one aspect is taken care of while the other side is ignored, such development does not qualify for sustainable development. Two announcements came up during this week which made us to wonder the direction we are travelling.

On the one hand the Karnataka Government has resolved to declare a total of 1,961.4 sq.km around six national parks and wildlife sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zones. This will protect the buffer areas from encroachment by vested interests to save the rich wildlife and forest. The six pristine forest areas include Kappattagudda, Bukkapatnam, Kamasandra, Nagarhole, Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary. One has to welcome the steps as this is a positive development in the direction of afforestation.

On the other, a disturbing news is that the Karnataka government is planning to implement the 2019 and 2021 decisions of the government to reduce the buffer zones of Arkavathy and Kumudvathy rivers from 1 KM to 500 meters. Interestingly both the rivers are flowing nearer to Bangalore. Though it is stated that only residential colonies would be allowed, not factories, it will not be possible to stop the unauthorised drains from residential area to get connected to rivers. There is no justification to reduce the buffer area any further. The buffer zone is in fact a part of the river ecosystem which also houses rich biodiversity and ensures that the river flow is not hampered.

Encroachment is a menace if it is unauthorized. But it becomes a rightful activity if it is permitted by the law. Already the Bangalore city has lost innumerable waterbodies like tanks and lakes. The city is becoming overcrowded due to migratory population and lots of apartments are mushrooming. Somewhere, a balance must be attained to keep the city water sufficient. We hope that goodwill will prevail and the encroachments are curtailed.

(Footnote: representative picture from internet)