NGT restrains Andhra Pradesh Government from undertaking six infra projects in Kolleru wetland 

Representational image only. File

The Southern Zonal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) restrained the Andhra Pradesh (A.P.) Government from proceeding with the six infrastructure projects in Kolleru wetland area unless they are carried out in strict conformity with legal requirements and the Water Resources Department (WRD) obtained the requisite clearances.

These clearances are to be secured from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), A.P. Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA), A.P. Pollution Control Board (PCB) and the National Board for Wild Life (NBWL).

The projects were proposed to be undertaken in the name of ‘A.P. Krishna – Kolleru Salinity Mitigation Projects Corporation Limited’ with a total capital outlay of approximately ₹2,952 crore. 

The relevant G.O. Ms. No.63 dated December 2, 2020 issued by the WRD was challenged by noted environmental activist T. Patanjali Sastry, retired principal of a government college in Rajahmundry, who objected to the projects.

His contentions are that the projects were launched without any detailed scientific or ecological study, they were not backed by expert inputs from wetland and wildlife conservationists and hydrologists, statutory clearances were not secured and that the lake’s ecosystem and the biodiversity and aquatic habitats there would be destroyed. 

The projects include three regulators-cum-roads across the tidal water channel Upputeru which is a part of the Kolleru ecosystem and the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). A total of six key infrastructure initiatives, which include the construction of barrages, regulators, and sluices, were delineated. 

Taking into account averments made by both parties to the petition, the NGT ruled that considering the potential adverse impacts on the lake’s hydrology, biodiversity and eco-sensitive zone, it is imperative that the competent authorities evaluate the ecological and hydrological implications of the projects comprehensively.

The tribunal also said given Kolleru lake’s ecological significance and the obligations under Ramsar Convention and domestic environmental law, it is a matter of exigency that all steps be taken to uphold the integrity of this vital ecosystem, and with those observations, it disposed of the original applications.