The Thadiandamol hills form the catchment area for the birthplace of Cauvery, Talacauvery. The steady destruction of trees in these hills is causing uncertain rainfall patterns, which in turn has resulted in a marked reduction in the spring that forms the source of the Cauvery.
These beautiful sights of the Western Ghats are getting rarer to come by as more and more developmental projects that will kill all the water sources are destroying the Ghats. As the climate change debate rages on, it is hard not to link the widespread destruction of habitat to climate change.
These waters sustain the lives of over 80 million people and 600 major industries. Something needs to be done now to save this beautiful river that sustains us. We are killing ourselves and the river at the same time with our short-sighted policies and indiscriminate development. Some of the few remaining paddy fields are now giving way to homestays and housing layouts.
A hill was chopped in half to make way for a medical college in Madikeri. While the construction of the college still continues, I find it hard to fathom how such senseless acts of environmental destruction are even allowed.
A power line to Kozhikode, Kerala, destroyed over 50,000 trees when a perfectly sensible alternative was available, which was along the coast. However, the more destructive option was chosen. We can see climate change getting closer and closer with these point-of-no-return actions.
This tiny stream is one of the tributaries of the Cauvery as it passes by a market in Gonikoppa. Whether it is in the catchment area or further downstream, people have very little regard for their environment.
