By M.Raghuram MANGALORE MAY 18. The environmental struggle in Dakshina Kannada is showing all signs of dying down despite issues such as changing the course of the Nethravati, trimming the ridgeline of the Western Ghats to allow clouds to pass over to the Bayaluseeme region, and laying a road inside the eco-sensitive Kudremukh National Park by the Forest Department. Environmental issues started taking roots in Dakshina Kannada in 1991 following the announcement of the district administration preventing farmers from drawing water in order to conserve it for industrial purpose. However, the local refineries and petrochemicals complex had its own reservoir built near here, easing the tension between it and farmers. Since then, issues pertaining to environmental degradation because of the industrial growth have been a major bone of contention in the district. The general impression among the people is that the environmental groups are anti-development, and hence they are obstructing major projects. After Englehard Dyes withdrew from Dakshina Kannada in 1998, the portrayal of environmental groups as anti-development and anti-employment started gaining momentum. This new "human dimension" to the environmental movement in the district led to confusion in the past few years. The divide of preferences between the environment and employment was clearly visible in terms of issues related to Kudrmukh Iron Ore Company Ltd. A group had argued against the closure of KIOCL operations in Mangalore after mining was discontinued in 2005 at Kudremukh. There were sustained campaigns against the environmental groups that opposed the establishment of power projects in Dakshina Kannada. The Dakshina Kannada Parisarakta Okkoota of Guruvainakere in Belthangady taluk has been in the forefront of environmental struggles in the district. The Save Western Ghats Movement of 1989, agitations against petrochemicals complex, petroleum pipeline project, thermal power project and barge-mounted power project, and the movement against violation of Coastal Regulation Zone and pollution of the sea were prominent. According to the President of the okkoota, Ranjan Rao Yerdoor, these struggles were fought on one moot point - protection of environment. He said the okkoota was neither anti-development nor anti-employment. But all industrial ventures in the district had to be more responsible towards the environment. He said in the Cogentrix-promoted Super Thermal Power Project at Padubidri, the company refused to install scrubbers, which would bring down the level of sulphur oxide entering the atmosphere, as it would increase the project cost. In another case, the okkoota had launched an agitation against a stone crushing and quarrying unit at Mudar in Karkala taluk not because it was an industry but for violating environmental laws. Mr. Yerdoor said the okkoota was aware that fly ash from thermal power projects could be used in various products. There was a law that necessitated cent per cent utilisation of fly ash in 10 years from the date of commencement of a plant. However, the law had not been enforced in the country, and the companies were allowed to dump fly ash into ash ponds, polluting agricultural fields, riverbeds, and water bodies. Referring to Article 51 A(g) of the Constitution, Mr. Yerdoor said that it made mandatory for the citizens to protect the environment. The direct impact of industries causing pollution would be on the Western Ghats where many rivers originated. Criticising the ideology of new environmental groups such as "Shrikrishna Parisara Preme Samiti" set up by Mumbai-based industrialists, Mr. Yerdoor said the samiti somehow equated the environment with employment. On the contrary, the okkoota found out that MRPL had created unemployment in Dakshina Kannada. The number of local agriculturalists and farm labourers who lost their land and jobs was more than that of those employed by the industry. Stating that it was wrong to dub environmentalists as anti-development, Mr. Yerdoor said the Nagarika Seva Trust of Guruvainakere had invited Ajay Agarwal, hydro geologist from the Central Mine Planning and Design Institute, Ranchi, to identify the hydel power potential of Dakshina Kannada, and had favoured setting up of mini and micro hydel power plants. The study by Dr. Agarwal showed that the undivided Dakshina Kannada District had a potential to produce more than 400 MW of hydel power. The six sites identified to set up micro hydel power plants were inspected by the Karnataka Power Corporation Ltd. There were many such sites in the Western Ghats that could be used to generate 5,000 MW of power, he added. я