The tail-end of the Western Ghats, which was recently declared a ‘World Heritage Site’ by the UNESCO, located in Kanyakumari district is being plundered by numerous stone quarries.
According to a report by the Western Ghats Ecology Experts Panel (WGEEP), all mountain ranges towering over 150 feet, situated between the district’s northern boundary (near Kerala) and Marunthuvazhmalai, are part of the Western Ghats.
A perusal of the district administration’s website reveals that 15 stone quarries functioned in the Hill Area Conservation Authority (HACA) limits, while another 23 stone quarries are functioning outside the area.
As per the WGEEP report, all the stone quarries in the district were located in the Western Ghats and were plundering the Ghats destroying its ecology, said environmentalist Dr R S Lal Mohan.
There is a huge demand for crushed stone powder in Kerala but due to strict regulations there for blasting rocks, most of the quarry owners had migrated to Kanyakumari district and set up stone quarries on leased land. After bribing local officials, they transport truckloads of processed stone powder to Kerala without paying tax to the State, added Lal Mohan.
Due to the rapid stone blasting being done in a stone quarry near Villukury, the newly built Mambazhathurayar Dam had developed leaks, said S Viji, District Deputy Secretary of Tamilnadu Farmers’ Association.
Likewise, a quarry near Kaliyal posed threat to the safety of the two Chittaar dams, according to farmers from Kaliyal area.
Also, loud noise from blasting of rocks at these stone quarries have forced the migration of wild animals from the wildlife sanctuary in Kanyakumari district to other states.
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