Call to save Western Ghats rivers

KOCHI: Rivers are facing a major threat from indiscriminate human interference and pollution, V.S. Vijayan, member of the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel, has said.

In his address at the seminar on �rivers and biodiversity held as part of a meeting in memory of P. S. Gopinathan Nair, renowned environmentalist, at Aluva on Thursday, Dr. Vijayan said that rivers play a major role in the ecological map of the country. He said that efforts should be made to protect the rivers from domestic and industrial pollution.

Dr. Vijayan said that rivers in the Western Ghats region should be protected, as part of the ongoing efforts to save the region from extinction.

He said that Western Ghats is one of the four biodiversity hotspots of the country, housing thousands of species of flowering plants and various species of birds.

The Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had formed the 14-member Western Ghats Ecology Expert panel for recommending measures and assisting the government in the preservation of Western Ghats.

Dr. Vijayan said that the authorities should come up with a comprehensive law to regulate the use of pesticides. He said that there were several loopholes in the use and transportation of pesticides.