A Maharashtra government report has suggested how many km of the Western Ghats in the state should be declared as Ecologically Sensitive Area?

a. 6716 square km

b. 6718 square km

c. 6719 square km

d. None of the above

ANSWER: 6719 square km

Explanation:

Report submitted by Maharashtra Government to MoEF has indicated only 6719 sq km of Western Ghats will be declared Ecologically Sensitive Area/ESA. This is one third of the 17340 sq km ESA proposed in draft notification issued by the ministry. There has been a drop in the number of villages included in ESA from 2133 in draft notification to 1254 in state government report.