Too much fossil fuel usage, irresponsible development models have resulted in topsoil erosion in Western Ghats: Kalkuli Vittal Hegde 

Well-known environmentalist, Kalkuli Vittal Hegde, who is spearheading an environmental movement in the Malnad (or Malenadu) region of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, has raised valid points over the increasing landslide incidents in South India.

Hegde is the first environmental expert in the Malnad region, if not in the country, to collect 125 years of rain statistics from 1895 to 2020 and beyond till the current monsoons.

Down To Earth (DTE) interviewed Hegde in the town of Sringeri in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district about landslides in the Western Ghats.

“Too much use of fossil fuels and irresponsible development models have resulted in a great degree of topsoil erosion on both sides of the Western Ghats, which is a barometer of the environmental health of the southern peninsular region,” Hegde told DTE. Edited excerpts:

Q: Have you come across any clues regarding landslides in the Western Ghats through your work on collecting 125 years of rain data? Is the change of pattern in rainfall triggering environmental degradation, particularly landslides? 

A: We were forewarned by the unusual cyclones emerging on India’s western (Arabian Sea) seaboard since 2020. Yet those warnings were largely disregarded. Now, we find ourselves grappling with more intense rainfall than the typical monsoons, occurring every other year.

The increasing volume of rain in certain areas, such as Kodagu, Wayanad, the coastal regions, and the slopes of the Western Ghats, is alarming. Recent events in Shiroor, Uttara Kannada, and Wayanad, Kerala, serve as stark reminders of this new reality.

In Wayanad, for instance, a devastating 23 inches of rain fell in a single day, leading to severe topsoil erosion. This erosion exposed the rocky surface beneath and destabilised the boulder belt, triggering a massive boulder avalanche.

During my study in the Malnad region, I learnt that excess rains after the monsoon — typically 100 days more — will have a doubling effect. The runoff from the highlands to the lowlands, coupled with excess rains, will create a situation like Wayanad. 

The Shiroor landslide, on the morning of July 16 this year, was attributed to unscientific development practices and a disregard for the structural integrity of the hills.

The poorly conceived design of the National Highway, which involved cutting through a laterite plate to create a four-lane road, exposed the porous laterite soil beneath, ultimately leading to the landslide.

Hills and mountains have their own unique weight distribution patterns, influenced by the water content within them. However, when the base of these natural structures is disrupted for projects like highway construction, it disturbs the delicate balance, resulting in catastrophic landslides. This is reminiscent of the landslides in Kodagu in 2018, which were also caused by unscientific development practices.

Q: Your in-depth study on rain entitled Malenadu Adhyayana sheds light on the rainforest ecosystem and its global spread and manifestations. What does it recommend?

A: I studied 125 year of rainfall data from 1895 to 2020. My study focussed on the changes in rainfall, its spread and the impact it had on communities and their culture within the Malenadu rainforest complex, in addition to the vegetation.

While the scope of my study may have been small in comparison to global ecology, there are similar parallels found in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest complex, where the amount of green cover and biodiversity survival are directly correlated.

The spread of biodiversity can be traced back from the Pangea period (299 to 200 million years ago), Jurassic period (199.6 to 145.5 million years ago) to the present day.

During this time, environment and ecology established them on a single landmass, and after continental drift, they evolved into distinct weather systems.

This suggests that the two identical rainfall systems that are currently among the world’s largest rainforest ecosystems are the ones seen in the Amazon rainforest complex in South America and the Southwestern monsoon region in South Asia.

We must effectively comprehend that our rain systems are intricately woven around the wind pattern and when there are conditions like El Nino and La Nina, things go wrong with the monsoon rains.

I foresee, in co-relation with my calculation, a large scale La Nina condition may surface towards the end of October and might trigger another bout of heavy to very heavy rains in November which will be disastrous.

Both these conditions do appear due to heat signature that modern types of living escalate.

For example, urban life now demands 24 hours of power supply and a non-stop supply of cement and steel, all of which are heat creators. To create 10 tonnes of cement or steel, 1,000-1,500 kg of carbon is produced.

It goes without saying that cement is produced by generating 3,000 degrees centigrade heat. The heat has to escape into the atmosphere. So, one can imagine the amount of heat we are generating to satiate the demands for urban life.

On the other hand, carbon credits are given only to industries. Whereas it is the farmers who must get more carbon credits as every acre of plantations like arecanut and various other tree plantations actively produce conditions for earning carbon credits.

If the international consortium on carbon credit includes farmers by way of governmental recommendations, more people will be attracted towards greening the earth in more ways than one.

Q: Your research has repeatedly shown that landslides during the monsoon are a result of climate change, which is indicated by the erratic occurrence of cyclones. 

A: I try to point out that landslides are indicators of greater environmental degradation and climate change due to the way of life that city dwellers lead. People, who live in rural areas as well as hilly ones like Malnad, bear the brunt of these environmentally unfriendly habits adopted by city dwellers who show little regard for the environment or the delicate balance of the natural world.  

The Southwestern monsoon now arrives in the South Asian weather system far too early due to the unseasonal cyclonic circulation. We experience unseasonal rains because of this, which also causes changes in vegetation.

The massive melting of the South Pole, its impact on Pacific countries, and phenomena like El Nino and Doldrum effects are all commonly associated with global warming; however, as environmentalists, we can only conclude that “Earth is taking measures to cool off”, and that we must comprehend this and assist it before we pass the point of no return.