Silent Valley National Park - History
The Silent Valley region is locally known as
"Sairandhrivanam", which in Malayalam means Sairandhri's Forest. Sairandhri is Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas in the epic Mahabharata, who disguised herself as
Sairandhri, the maid of a queen named Sudeshna’s, while her family was in
exile. The Pandavas, deprived of their kingdom, set out on a 13-year
exile. They wandered south, into what is now Kerala, until one day they came
upon a magical valley where rolling grasslands met wooded ravines, a deep green
river bubbled its course through impenetrable forest, where at dawn and
twilight the tiger and elephant would drink together at the water's edge, where
all was harmonious and man unknown. Beside that river, in a cave on a hill
slope, the Pandavas halted.
In the 1950s, the Kerala State Electricity Board wanted
to build a dam across the Kunti River, which flowed in the deep forest.
Nationwide protests in India by environmentalists and mass publicity by the
media led the then prime minister, Indira Gandhi to order the state government
to abolish the hydroelectric project. The area was declared a National Park.
The park is actually named Indira Gandhi National
Park, and Silent Valley is the name of the place, but it is also called Silent
Valley National Park. It is a wonderful place to visit for tourists.
British exploration
The first Western investigation of the watersheds of the Silent Valley area was in 1857 by the
botanist Robert Wight. The British named the area Silent Valley because
of a perceived absence of noisy cicadas. Another story attributes the name to the anglicisation
of Sairandhri. A third story, refers to the presence there of many lion-tailed
macaques Macaca silenus.
In 1914 the forest of the Silent Valley area was
declared a reserve forest, however, from 1927 to 1976 portions of the Silent
Valley forest area were subjected to forestry operations. In
1928 the location on the Kunthipuzha River at Sairandhri was identified as an ideal
site for electricity generation and in 1958 a study and survey of the area was
conducted and a hydroelectric project of 120 MV costing Rs. 17 crore was
proposed by the Kerala State Electricity Board.
Environmental Concerns
Silent Valley is home to the largest population of lion-tailed macaques, an endangered species of primate. Public controversy over their habitat led to the
establishment of Silent Valley National Park.
In 1973 the valley became the focus of "Save Silent
Valley", India's fiercest environmental movement of the decade, when the Kerala State
Electricity Board decided to implement the Silent Valley Hydro-Electric Project
(SVHEP) centered on a dam across the Kunthipuzha
River. The resulting reservoir
would flood 8.3 km2 of virgin rainforest and threaten the lion-tailed macaque. In 1976 the Kerala
State Electricity Board announced a plan to begin dam construction and the
issue was brought to public attention.
Romulus Whitaker, founder of the Madras Snake Park and the Madras Crocodile Bank, was probably the first person to draw public attention
to the small and remote area.
In 1983 the then Prime Minister of India, Indira
Gandhi, decided to abandon the
Project and on November 15 the Silent Valley forests were declared as a
National Park. On September 7, 1985 the Silent Valley National Park was
formally inaugurated and a memorial at Sairandhri to Indira Gandhi was unveiled
by Sri. Rajiv Gandhi, the next Prime Minister. On September 1, 1986 Silent
Valley National Park was designated as the core area of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Since then, a long-term conservation effort has been
undertaken to preserve the Silent Valley ecosystem.
In 2001 a new hydro project was proposed and the
"Man vs. Monkey debate" was revived. The proposed site of the dam
(64.5 m high and 275 m long) is just 3.5 km downstream of the old dam site
at Sairandhri, 500 m outside the National Park boundary.
The Kerala Minister for Electricity called The
Pathrakkadavu dam (PHEP) an "eco-friendly alternative" to the old
Silent Valley project. The claim was that the submergence area of the PHEP
would be a negligible .041 km2 compared to 8.30 km2 submergence
of the 1970s (SVHEP). From January to May 2003, a rapid Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA) was carried
out. On November 15, Minister for Forest Binoy Viswam said that the
proposed buffer zone for Silent Valley would be declared soon.
On February 21, 2007 ex-Chief Minister A. K. Antony told
reporters after a cabinet meeting that "when the Silent Valley proposal
was dropped, the centre had promised to give clearance to the Pooyamkutty
project. This promise, however, had not been honoured. The
Kerala government has not taken any decision on reviving the Silent
Valley Hydel Project".
On April 18, 2007, Kerala Chief Minister V S
Achuthanandan and his cabinet approved the Pathrakkadavu Hydro-electric project
and sent it to the Union Government for environmental approval.
Buffer zone
Territorial forests located around the national park
have been subject to a working-plan to accomplish revenue oriented objectives
such as extraction of bamboo and reed which affect the long-term conservation
of the park. In addition Illegal activities such as ganja cultivation, setting
forest fires, trapping and poaching wild animals, frequently occur in the
territorial forests located in the immediate vicinity of the national park.
This has resulted in degradation of habitat and reduced forest cover, which has
adverse effects on the long-term survival of the core area of the national
park.
On November 21, 2009, Union Minister of Forest and
Environment Jairam Ramesh and Kerala Forest Minister Binoy Viswam declared,
while inaugurating the silver jubilee celebration of Silent Valley National
Park in Palakkad, that the buffer zone of the Park would be made an integral
part of it in order to ensure better protection of the area. This means
that the total park area is now increased to 236.74 square kilometers
(91 sq mi).
On June 6, 2007 the Kerala cabinet approved the buffer
zone proposal. The new 147.22 km2 zone will include
80.75 km2 taken from Attapady Forest Range, 27.09 km2 from
Mannarkkad Forest Range and 39.38 km2 from Kalikavu Forest Range and
consolidated to form a new range, Bhavani Forest Range, of 94 km2 and
54 km2 would be brought under the existing Silent Valley Range of the
National Park. The Cabinet also sanctioned 35 staff to protect the area and two
new forest stations in Bhavani range at Anavai and Thudukki. Forest Minister
Benoy Viswom said "the zone would have reserve forest status and tribals
in the area would not be affected. The decision reaffirmed the commitment of
the LDF Government
to protection of environment. The zone is a necessity, not just of the State
but also of the nation."
The proposal was then sent to Kerala Minister for
Electricity, Mr. A.K. Balan, who has voiced the need for setting up the
Pathrakadavu hydroelectric project in the proposed southwest buffer zone of the
National Park, the Thenkara Range of the Mannarkkad Forest Division. As of May
9, 2007 Mr. Balan has not given his opinion on the buffer zone proposal.
In August 2006, the new Minister for Forests, Benoy
Viswom, approved a proposal from the Conservator of Forests for a
148 km2 buffer zone around the core area of the park. The proposal
says: "It is felt absolutely essential that an effective buffer of forests
should be immediately formed around the national park in order to save the
world famous Silent Valley National Park from all potential dangers. This can
only be achieved by bringing the management of Silent Valley National Park as
well as the proposed buffer zone under one management umbrella to insulate the
park from all possible dangers." The proposed buffer zone will have
94 km2 in Attappady Reserve Forest east of the Kunthipuzha and
54 km2 taken from the Mannarkaad range and Nilambur south division
west of the river.
In January 2006, the former Kerala Minister for Forest
and Environment, A. Sujanapal, said the Government would consider the demand
for a 600 km2 buffer zone for Silent Valley National Park made by
Bharathapuzha Protection Committee, Malampuzha Protection Committee, One Earth
One Life and Jana Jagratha. A buffer zone proposal was made in the 1986 park
management plan but not implemented.
In 1979, Dr. M.S.
Swaminathan, then Secretary to the
Department of Agriculture, visited the Silent Valley area and suggested that
389.52 km2 including the Silent Valley (89.52 km2), New Amarambalam (80 km2), Attappadi (120 km2) in Kerala and Kunda in Coimbatore (100 km2) reserve
forests, should be developed into
a National Rainforest Biosphere Reserve.
Historical Timeline
· UCN
(Ashkhabad, USSR, 1978) passed resolution recommending the protection of the
lion-tailed macaque in Silent Valley area and Palakkad.
· In
1979, government of Kerala passed an enactment viz. Silent
Valley protection area (protection of ecological balance) act. 1979.
· Dr.
Salim Ali, eminent ornithologist visited the valley and appealed for abandoning
the hydel project.
· Kerala
Sasthra Sahithya parishath published a techno- economic and socio-political
assessment report on the Silent Valley hydroelectric project.
· A
writ petition was filed against the clear felling of forests in the
hydroelectric project area before the Hon. High court of kerala and the Hon.
Court ordered to stop the clear felling.
· Dr.
M.S. Swaminathan, the renounced agricultural scientist visited the Silent
Valley area and suggested to develop the Silent Valley and the
adjoining forests as a national rain forest Biosphere Reserve.
·
In
January 1980, Hon. High Court of Kerala lifted the stay order on clear felling.
· In
1980, Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then Hon. Prime minister of India requested the
government of Kerala to stop further works in the project area till all aspects
were fully discussed.
·
In
December 1980, government of Kerala declared the Silent Valley area,
excluding the hydroelectric project area, as a National Park.
·
A
multi-disciplinary committee, with prof. M.G.K. Menon as chairman was
constituted to examine, whether the hydroelectric project is feasible without
any significant ecological damage.
·
In
early 1983, Prof. Menon committee submitted its report.
·
After
the careful study of the Menon report, the then hon. Prime minister of India
decided to abandon the hydroelectric project.
· On
15th November, 1984 the Silent Valley forests were declared as a National
Park.
· On
7th September 1985, the Silent Valley national park was formally
inaugurated by Shri. Rajiv Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India.
· On
1st September 1986, the Silent Valley National Park was included in the
core area of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
· On
11th June 2007 a Buffer Zone of 148 Sq. KM added to Silent Valley National
Park.
·
On
23rd September 2007, Sri. V S Achuthanandan, Hon. Chief Minister of Kerala,
dedicated the Buffer Zone to the nation