Thiruvananthapuram: Contrary to claims, Kerala has one of the worst-preserved ecology among the Western Ghats states. Planning Commission’s Environment Performance Index has ranked the state 15 in a list of 35 states and Union Territories. The other Western Ghats states ranked far higher are Maharashtra (5), Karnataka (8) and Tamil Nadu (9). Only Goa, with a rank of 17, fares worse.
Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, with EPI scores of 0.7696, 0.7478, 0.7414, 0.7334 and 0.7167 respectively, are the best-performing states. Kerala has a score of 0.6311.
The EPI has been drawn up on the basis of five criteria: air pollution, water quality, forests, waste management and climate change.
Kerala’s environment, in fact, is worse than what the rank signifies.
The state is ranked a dismal 24th in water quality. As for conserving its forests, Kerala is ranked 20. Sewage disposal, water quality of rivers and percentage of groundwater exploitation have been considered for the state-wise performance scores for water quality.
The indicators selected for ranking the states on forest performance are total forest cover (TFC) percentage of the state, contribution to the national average, change in forest cover during 2003 to 2009, total growing stock and yearly average afforestation effort during 2009-2012.
For both waste management and climate change, Kerala is ranked 16. While assessing waste management, municipal solid waste collection efficiency, treatment and disposal capacity for MSW, hazardous waste and biomedical waste were considered.
Climate change mitigation was assessed in terms of availability of the State Action Plan for Climate Change, and renewable energy growth rate including small hydro intensity. However, in air quality, Kerala has a score of one. The state, along with Mizoram, Sikkim and Puducherry, has been ranked the best in terms of air quality.
