ESA notification raises concern among people in hilly regions of Kerala

With the Union government issuing its seventh draft notification regarding the ecologically sensitive area (ESA) zone across the Western Ghats, residents and farmers’ groups have voiced apprehension about the resultant restrictions in Kerala’s populated, hilly regions.

Issued on July 27, the draft notification designates 9,993.7 sq km in Kerala as ESA out of the total 56,825.7 sq km designated nationwide. Farmer leaders noted that with 131 villages from the State now included in the draft notification, nearly 1,500 sq km (around 3.7 lakh acres) of farmlands and human habitations fall in the ESA zone.

The designated villages span across 12 districts: Idukki, Ernakulam, Kannur, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Wayanad. Local farmers’ movements are demanding the State government’s intervention to ensure the exclusion of populated areas from the final ESA list.

Rasak Chooravelil, chairperson of the Idukki Land Freedom Movement (ILFM), said 51 out of the 68 revenue villages in Idukki district now fall in the ESA category as per the draft document. “The government should call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue and intervene immediately,” he said.

‘The last chance’

Alex Ozhukayil, chairperson of the Kerala Independent Farmers Association (KIFA), pointed out that the draft notification leaves a 60-day window before the final notification is issued. “This is the last chance to exclude farmlands and residential areas from the list and the State government must act swiftly,” Mr. Ozhukayil said.“The government should publish the minutes of a high-power committee meeting held in July 2026 to discuss the issue and make the spatial map data submitted to the Centre accessible to the public. This will allow residents to verify boundaries at the panchayat-level to ensure no inhabited lands are included.”

Former Idukki MP Joyce George recalled that the first ESA draft notification, issued on November 13, 2013, covered 123 villages spanning 13,108 sq km. “Following interventions from lawmakers in August 2018, the proposed area was scaled down to 9,973.7 sq km,” Mr. George said. “While previous drafts omitted specific village breakdowns, the new notification clearly lists both existing and newly bifurcated villages. Members of Parliament across the Western Ghats must jointly approach the Union government to ensure human habitations and farmlands are excluded from the final notification,” he said.

Persistent protests

Hilly regions across Idukki have seen persistent protests against ESA designations since 2013. The High Range Samrakshana Samithy (HRSS), an umbrella organisation backed by the Idukki diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church, has led several protests over the years.

Fr. Sebastian Kochupurakal, general convener of the HRSS, emphasised that the core problem remains unaddressed. “Unless farmlands and human habitations are completely exempted from the final ESA notification, residents in the State’s high ranges cannot live in peace,” Fr. Kochupurakal said.