Rajamala tragedy: Kerala needs to act bold on land utilisation strategy, says geo-scientist CP Rajendran

Kerala has to come up with bold imaginative, but humane, initiatives on environmental land management and new utilisation rules for land and water while maintaining the sustainability of drainage basins considering all related uncertainties, C. P. Rajendran, noted geo-scientist and Professor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research in Bengaluru. The data that is made available by the agencies like the Geological Survey of India indicates that out of the approximately 39,000 square km area of Kerala, the hill area having slopes higher than 10 degree constitutes about 19,000 square km and most of the scarps are thinly forested and further weakened by human activities,” he told The Hindu in an e-mail interview a day after the Rajamala landslip tragedy in Idukki district. Prof. Rajendran said that it is important that both the local and state authorities should be relying on scientific reports on the landslide vulnerabilities to reach decisions on land allocations for various constructions in the hilly districts of Idukki and Wayanad. Prof. Rajendran suggested drafting a comprehensive master plan on land utilisation strategy based on a clear environmental vision at macro and micro-levels to ensure that encroachment is minimal.