Skip to main content

Vadodara ravines, wetlands being "systematically destroyed", yet nobody cares

By A Representative
Several prominent Vadodara citizens have in a letter to the city municipal commissioner expressed concern that ravines and wetlands in Gujarat's cultural capital "are being systematically destroyed and filled with debris and municipal solid waste in order to reclaim land for further 'development'."
According to them, "This will further augment the already existing waterlogging and flooding woes in various parts of the city", adding, "We have raised the issues with the concerned authorities, related to prevention anticipated disasters, flooding and water logging due to deliberate negligence". Yet, what they got was "lip service" regarding cleaning up the debris with all kinds of solid waste.
The letter follows a Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) communication to Gujarat government authorities directing them to take steps to protect "the ecology of the wetlands and ravines there through effective waste management" in Vadodara following a complaint by senior environmental activist Rohit Prajapati dated May 22, 2019. The MoEFCC letter asked the state authorities to "send an Action Taken Report to the applicant under intimation to this Ministry.”
The letter, whose copy has been sent to Gujarat and Government of India environment and forest officials, especially identifies Sursagar Redevelopment and Jan Mahal as "prime examples" of such dumping, adding, "The Vadodara Smart City website lists 64 projects with estimated cost of Rs 2,906 crore. An overwhelming 42 of these projects are infrastructure development related projects that will create significant issues of debris."
The letter says, "In spite of recent site visit on April 24 by a committee headed by Chief Justice (Retired) of Delhi High Court Justice BC Patel, Gujarat Pollution Control Board officials and the Vadodara Municipal Corporation, instead of removing the dumped debris, is still allowing dumping of fresh debris, discharge of untreated sewage, filling, levelling, construction, etc. activities along the Vishwamitri River and its environs (banks, ravines, tributaries, ponds, wetlands, etc.)."
Those who have signed the letter include Rohit Prajapati, environmental activist; Neha Sarwate, environmental and urban planner; Dr Ranjitsinh Devkar, zoologist; Dr Shishir R Raval, landscape architect and ecological planner; Dr Deepa Gavali, wetland ecologist; Dr Jitendra Gavali, botanist; Shakti Bhatt, water resources expert; Dr Arjun Singh Mehta, biotechnologist;Dr Jayendra Lakhmapurkar, hydro-geologist, others.

Comments

Post a Comment

TRENDING

Grain vs. gasoline: How the global biofuel boom threatens India’s food and water security

By Rajiv Shah  A new report published by the international research and advocacy organization GRAIN has warned that the global resurgence of biofuels is triggering a dangerous dynamic of “more fuel, less food, more land grabs.” Driven by intersecting energy security concerns, geopolitical tensions, and aggressive decarbonization mandates, the expanding agrofuel industry is increasingly pitting corporate energy interests against global food security and indigenous land rights. 
Post a Comment
»

Sikkim governor row: ALIFA asks centre to explain hurried appointment in Ankita Bhandari case

By A Representative   The All-India Feminist Alliance (ALIFA) on Saturday expressed “immense pain and outrage” that even after four years and a national uproar, justice has not been fully delivered in the Ankita Bhandari murder case and that a ruling party politician facing allegations has been “gifted a high-ranking constitutional office.” In a statement, ALIFA extended “unflinching solidarity” to Ankita’s parents, who it said are “fighting for justice on the streets of Delhi,” and demanded that pending the CBI inquiry and judicial decision, the appointment of BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim’s Governor be subject to “immediate presidential review.”
Post a Comment
»

Can free‑living Indian street dogs teach us about how to care for pet dogs?

By Daniel Ramp, Kapil Vishwas Patwardhan, Rosalie Chapple  We give our pet dogs shelter, veterinary care, affection, training and play. We decide when they eat, where they sleep, when they go outside, who they meet, and how they move through the world.
Post a Comment
»