Save Western Ghats from Gundia Hydel Power Project - Petition

Save Western Ghats from Gundia Hydel/Hydro-Electric Power Project - Petition

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/gundia-hydel-power-project

Video Link to Karnataka's portion/part of the Western Ghats:
http://www.blrlife.com/index.php?option=com_seyret&task=videodirectlink&Itemid=26&id=59

Petition overview: Full/Comprehensive version with photos and links.

Letter: Condensed version in a somewhat chronological sequence without photos/links.

Tanveer
Syed Tanveeruddin

The Western Ghats are spread over 1,200 km from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu to Maharashtra (with Kerala, Karnataka, Goa in between). In addition, 95 per cent or 95% of the rivers in south India take/have their origin in the Western Ghats. As many as 30 rivers originated in the Western Ghats.

Western Ghats had been identified/classified as one among/of the 19 biodiversity hotspots / sites in the world and one among the two sites in India that have been identified by the United Nations or UN where different species live. In addition, there are rare medicinal plants.

The ecosystem of the Western Ghats has been facing danger in the last few decades because of large-scale encroachment, logging and permission and incentives given to forest based industries and development activities like hydel or hydro-electric dams. Rivers that flow in the Western Ghats are the tributaries of the River Netravati.

The quantity of rainfall has reduced due to denudation of forests over the years. In Kaiga (North Kanara or Uttara Kannada district in/of Karnataka) alone, 80,000 trees have been felled since the '80s for the Kaiga nuclear power plant. Incessant rainfall has unfortunately become a thing of past.

Hydel power generation coming to a standstill in the Karnataka State. Major reservoirs have gone dry in Karnataka as monsoon’s playing truant. The Gundia forest is the nucleus of the Western Ghats as it is situated in its midst. The Gundia forest was internationally famous as it'd rare species of animals and medicinal plants, and as many as 30 rivers which originated in the Western Ghats.