INTERVIEW | Even after several flood disasters in Kerala, politicians’ mindset has not changed towards developmental projects, says geoscientist

C. P. Rajendran says State must think how to implement an advanced environmental protection system that will ultimately reduce the human cost.

“The mindset of politicians in their approach to development projects has not changed even after several flood disasters in the recent past in Kerala,” says C. P. Rajendran, geoscientist and Adjunct Professor, National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, in an e-mail interview to The Hindu as the State continues to reel under the effects of flood and rain havoc.

The 2018-2019 flood was a warning that the State should have heeded and accept vagaries of climate as a new norm. Kerala must think how to implement an advanced environmental protection system that will ultimately reduce the human cost. But I doubt the State has made any meaningful advances in bringing about a change in that front despite the recommendations. Some of the recommendations include the production of flood zonation maps in Kerala that should be available on digital platforms. I don’t think such facilities are available. Combined with the weather forecasts, these maps should have been used to issue warnings to the local population. Even after several flood disasters in the recent past, the mindset of politicians has not changed in their approach to developmental projects. Take the case of the new railway project [semi-high-speed SilverLine rail], which will have a direct bearing on future flood disasters. This project will require the State to acquire 1,383 hectares and will cut through many of the State’s ecologically fragile coastal ecosystems, including wetlands, forest areas, backwater regions, densely populated areas and paddy fields. The line will also cut through a number of eco-sensitive heritage sites such as the Madayipara biodiversity park in Kannur, the Kadalundi bird sanctuary in Kozhikode, the Ponnani-Thrissur Kole wetlands and the historical Thirunavaya ponds, lakes and wetlands in Malappuram. As a result, the construction and operation of the railway will quite likely degrade, fragment and ultimately destroy these ecosystems. The construction activities will also hasten soil erosion, land degradation, flooding and habitat destruction, decimate water bodies, hamper the movement of the dependent biological entities and, indeed, the livelihoods of many of the local inhabitants.