Flood and Fury: Ecological Devastation

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.