Disasters in Western Ghats should ring alarm bells about environmental destruction, says activist Medha Patkar

Activist Medha Patkar and others felicitate activist Shivaji Dada Kaganikar at the release of his autobiography Sarvodayacha Vatasaru, in Belagavi on October 4, 2026. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

“Landslides, terrace collapses and other such disasters on the Western Ghats should open our eyes to the dangers of environmental destruction. They should act as alarm bells about the immediate need to conserve and protect the environment,” Medha Patkar, activist, said in Belagavi on October 4.

“We see that most governments are focussed on large projects. They continue to neglect smaller, community-led projects like watershed development, lake rejuvenation, and other decentralised alternatives. Successive governments in India seem deeply interested in designing and implementing large schemes, like the Mahadayi river basin project, and mega dam projects. However, the US has decided to cancel over 1,900 dam projects. Several European countries have passed resolutions against mega dams and reservoirs. That is mainly because they involve destruction and large-scale dislocation of families and settlements. Unfortunately, we are yet to think in such terms,” she said.