Why the Western Ghats matter as Karnataka asks the Centre to hold the eco-sensitive area draft
Background
Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has asked Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav not to finalise the 27 July draft that would declare parts of the Western Ghats an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA). He wants it held until a state high-level committee reports and a physical survey is done within a year. The draft, based on the Kasturirangan report, spreads over six states and 56,825.7 sq km in all; Karnataka's part of it is 20,668 sq km. The Western Ghats run for about 1,600 km parallel to India's west coast and are broken only by the Palghat Gap, about 30 km wide. UNESCO lists them as a World Heritage property of 39 component parts and notes that the range is older than the Himalayas. The mountains act as a barrier to the south-west monsoon winds and shape India's monsoon. They are counted among the world's eight 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity.
In plain words
ESA Ecologically Sensitive Area — An area notified by the Union Environment Ministry where mining, quarrying, polluting industry and large construction are restricted.
Kasturirangan report Report on the Western Ghats chaired by K. Kasturirangan — The report on which the Western Ghats ESA draft is based.
Palghat Gap Palakkad Gap — A gap of about 30 km in Kerala, the only break in the Western Ghats.