Proposed Western Ghats ecological protection zone faces mounting climate threats even as its notification remains stuck
Down To Earth · Published 9 November 2026 · Last updated
The Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (WGESA) remains unnotified despite a 1,000% rise in floods and high landslide incidence, heightening climate vulnerability.
Key points
- On 27 July 2026 the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) issued a draft notification to declare the Western Ghats Ecologically Sensitive Area (WGESA) under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
- The draft covers 56,825.7 sq km across Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, with Karnataka and Maharashtra holding the largest shares.
- All six state governments have not supported the proposal, leaving the final notification pending with the Union government.
- Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy analysis shows the proposed WGESA recorded 7,983 landslides (23.3% of India’s total) between 1905‑2024, making it the third most landslide‑prone region.
- Flood events in the WGESA districts rose 1,000% from the 1970s to 2010‑20, compared with a 410% rise nationally, and now affect almost every district each decade.
- Between 2011‑12 and 2025‑26, 38 of 47 WGESA districts were declared drought‑affected at least once, totaling 157 drought declarations.
- Experts such as Preeta Dhar warn that without ESA notification, restrictive safeguards on construction, quarrying and land‑use changes cannot be enforced.
- The analysis urges the Union and state governments to build consensus and expedite the ESA notification to protect water security and biodiversity.
Background
- The Western Ghats were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, recognizing their biodiversity significance.
- The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 provides the legal basis for designating Ecologically Sensitive Areas, first used for the Western Ghats in 2005‑06 drafts.
- Previous draft notifications for the WGESA were issued in 2005, 2010, 2015, 2018, 2020 and 2023, each stalled due to state opposition.
- The 2021 National Climate Assessment highlighted the Ghats as a climate‑sensitive zone, recommending stronger protection mechanisms.
- In 2024 the Supreme Court, in *Madhav v. Union of India*, emphasized the need for timely ESA notification to curb unchecked mining in ecologically fragile zones.
UPSC relevance, Prelims facts and Mains angle for this issue are in the full SWAदेSH note.
Original report: Down To Earth