The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has served notices to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments, based on a report by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
- The report has highlighted the massive reduction of green cover in the Cauvery basin over the past five decades.
- According to the IISc report, the Cauvery basin has witnessed a staggering loss of 12,850 square kilometres (sq km) of green cover between 1965 and 2016.
- The NGT expressed concern over the extensive agricultural and horticultural activities covering 73.5% of the Cauvery basin, with only 18% remaining as forested areas and dense forests limited to just 13% of the region.
- The alarming situation extends to prominent national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in the Cauvery valley.
- The forest area in Bandipur National Park has decreased by 15.19% in 50 years.
- Nagarhole National Park has experienced an 11% decline in forest cover due to human intervention and increased horticulture activities.
- Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) Wildlife Sanctuary has also witnessed a decline in forest cover.
- The Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary faces a threat to its forested areas due to population growth and encroachment.
- Bannerghatta National Park has seen a significant decline in dense forest cover, to 28% in 2016 from 50.40% in 1973.
About Cauvery basin
- The Cauvery basin extends over states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Union Territory of Puducherry draining an area of 81,155 Sq.km which is nearly 2.7% of the total geographical area of the country.
- It is bounded by the Western Ghats on the west, by the Eastern Ghats on the east and the south and by the ridges separating it from Krishna basin and Pennar basin on the north.
- The Cauvery River is one of the major rivers of the peninsula. It rises at an elevation of 1,341 m at Talakaveri on the Brahmagiri range near Cherangala village of Kodagu district of Karnataka.
- Its important tributaries joining from left are the Harangi, the Hemavati, the Shimsha and the Arkavati whereas the Lakshmantirtha, the Kabbani, the Suvarnavati, the Bhavani, the Noyil and the Amaravati joins from right.
- The river drains into the Bay of Bengal.
