Environmental change analysis of a river basin in Western Ghats India

Water bodies and river courses are undergoing rapid changes world over. Their environmental socio-cultural and ecological values and services are increasingly being undermined. It is well recognised that anthropogenic pressures coupled with the effect of global climate change would jeopardise river basins globally. In this context historical documentation of environmental changes is of high significance in natural resources conservation and management. Here we have documented the status of the river Bharathapuzha a seventh order river flowing from the Western Ghats a global biodiversity hotspot and the ongoing threats to its sustainability crucial for more than 5 millions of people.