Economic development and environmental imbalances in Kerala: a study on quarrying with reference to Palakkad district

Abstract

This study seeks to analyse how the development process and development approaches, regardless of the environment, affect the ecological balance and human development of Kerala based on the socio-economic and environmental impact of the quarries. It is hoped that this study will provide the background for policy formulation and interventions that will ensure socio- economic sustainability through a sustainable environment, preserve the state's current achievements in human development, and share its benefits in a just manner with present and future generations. The primary objectives of this research are the socio-economic and ecological impact of widespread quarrying, including from eco-sensitive areas for construction purposes, the threat posed against the sustainability of human development acquired by the environmental degradation caused by the mining of irreversible natural resources, and the attempt to prepare a Sustainable Human Development Index. Primary and secondary data have been utilized to test the goals of this research. This study relies on a quantitative and qualitative data analysis. The study looked at 256 families within a one- kilometer radius of ten granite quarries selected from five taluks of Alathur, Chittoor, Mannarkkad, Ottapalam and Pattambi in Palakkad district. Data from census report, Economic Review, website of the Department of Mining and Geology, and various reports have also been utilized for the study. Secondary data has also been used to prepare a sustainable human development index. The study outline covers the first chapter of the research paper, which is organized into eight chapters. Chapter 2 is an analysis of theoretical and empirical studies. Chapters 3 and 4, deal with the economy and environment of Kerala, respectively, to provide the background for analyzing the primary objectives of the study. The main analyses are included in Chapters 5, 6, and 7. The main findings and suggestions are recorded in chapter 8 .The analysis was based on responses given by local residents to statements based on variables regarding economic impact, social impact, and environmental impact on a five-point Likert scale. Factors such as health issues, security issues and damage to property were also taken into account to assess social issues, employment opportunities for local residents due to the operation of the quarry, change in the market price of land and assets, income and infrastructuredevelopment in order to understand the economic impact. Changes in topography, air quality, noise intensity, and the status of water resources were examined to identify the environmental impact. The study demonstrates that the social and environmental impacts are severe in areas where quarrying exists. The study also pointed out that even as an economic process, rock mining has not positively affected the economic life of the locals. The Sustainable Human Development Index of the States of India, taking into account the environmental factors, has been prepared as part of the study on the basis of bidirectional data. It is only when the environment is added that the Human Development Index can be prepared in the right sense.The main finding of the study is that the activity of the quarries adversely affects the lives of the locals in every sense. The study also suggests that unscientific mining activities will erode the sustainability of the state's acquired human development. It is imperative that such issues are taken seriously and solutions are formulated. Sustainable development is possible only if these three elements of society, economy and environment are constantly monitored and protected. The status of environmental factors needs to be assessed with the same care as socio-economic variables. But only by identifying the degradation and the social-economic-environmental impacts caused by it, the government can make accurate planning and policy-making and its efficient implementation with public participation.