Save Silent Valley Campaign

Save Silent Valley Campaign

Subject – Environment

Context – MK Prasad, who brought environmental consciousness in India, is no more

Concept –

• Save Silent Valley was a social movement aimed at the protection of Silent Valley, an evergreen sub-tropical forest in the Palakkad district of Kerala, India.
• It was started in 1973 by an NGO led by Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad (KSSP) to save the Silent Valley from being flooded by a [hydroelectric] project.
• The valley was declared as Silent Valley National Park in 1985.
• The Kuntipuzha is a major river that flows 15 hydroelectric dams across the Kunthipuzha River that runs through Silent Valley.
• Because of concern about the endangered lion-tailed macaque, the issue was brought to public attention.

About Silent Valley National Park

• Silent Valley National Park is a national park in Kerala, India. It is located in the Nilgiri hills.
• It is located in the rich biodiversity of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
  • Contiguous with the proposed Karimpuzha National Park to the north and Mukurthi National Park to the north-east, it is the core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary, New Amarambalam Reserved Forest, and Nedumkayam Rainforest in Nilambur Taluk of Malappuram district, Attappadi Reserved Forest in Mannarkkad Taluk of Palakkad district, and Mukurthi National Park of Nilgiris district, are located around Silent Valley National Park.
• Mukurthi peak, the fifth-highest peak in South India, and Anginda peak are also located in its vicinity.
• Bhavani River, a tributary of Kaveri River, and Kunthipuzha River, a tributary of Bharathappuzha river, originate in the vicinity of Silent Valley. The Kadalundi River has also its origin in Silent Valley.
• The national park is one of the last undisturbed tracts of South Western Ghats Mountain rain forests and tropical moist evergreen forest in India.
• CLIMATE – The climate is tropical with summer rains constituting the bulk of the precipitation.
• TOPOGRAPHY – The terrain is generally undulating with steep escarpments and many hillocks.
• VEGETATION – Silent Valley Reserve Forest can be classified under four forest types viz.,
  • West-coast tropical evergreen forest (600 to 1100 m),
  • Southern subtropical broad leaved hill forest (1300 to 1800 m),
  • Southern montane wet temperate forest (above 1900 m) and
  • Grassland.
• FAUNA –
  • The most famous resident of the Park is Lion Tailed Macaque whose name has become almost synonymous with that of the Valley.