Flood and Fury: Ecological Devastation in the Western Ghats

Description

The floods that devastated large parts of Kerala in 2018 were not an isolated, freak phenomenon; rather, they signalled something graver-the ecological devastation of the Western Ghats. Made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, the Ghats have become increasingly vulnerable to serious ecological damage, threatening the sustenance of their people. The 2018 floods were a wake-up call for the region spanning 1600 kilometres and six states-Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat-that form an ecosystem older than the Himalayas. Travelling in this region, documenting the devastating large-scale mining, quarrying, deforestation and mismanagement of water resources, at the same time mapping its culture, history and ecology, Viju B. investigates the crisis in the Western Ghats and suggests policy measures urgently required to mitigate it.

Viju B. is metro editor of the Times of India, Kochi. He reports chiefly on issues at the intersection of development, ecology and culture. While working in Mumbai for various national newspapers, he covered the catastrophic 26/7 Mumbai floods, the 26/11 terror attacks and the Gujarat riots. He exposed the Sindhudurg mining scam in the Western Ghats and was part of the core investigative team that exposed the Adarsh Building scam in Mumbai that eventually led to the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan. In 2018, he extensively covered the Kerala floods, travelling to the worst-hit areas in the state.