Stop all sand extraction across Maharashtra, high court tells govt
DNA / Mayura Janwalkar / Saturday, September 25, 2010
0:34 IST
Taking a serious note of the potential danger to river-beds in the state, the Bombay high court on Thursday ordered all sand extractions in Maharashtra to be stopped immediately. A petition filed by the Sagar Shramik Hatpati Walu Utpadak Sahakari Sanstha, Maryadit, had stated that continuous sand extraction posed serious environmental threats to the river-beds in the state and if ignored, they could lead to flood-like situations in the areas close to the rivers.
In their interim order, the judges observed, "The extraction of sand all over Maharashtra has become a serious issue, posing environmental degradation challenge, thereby causing serious threats of flood or diversion of water flow."
As the state government told the court that it was yet to frame a policy to regulate sand extraction, the court ordered the activities to be stopped with immediate effect. The additional chief secretary (revenue) has been asked to file an affidavit in the case in four weeks. The additional chief secretary has also been directed to immediately inform collectors all over the state about the high court's order.
The division bench headed by justice BH Marlapalle said that the no sand extraction should be permitted until the court's further orders in the case.
The judges further observed in their order,"It is also alleged in a report of former additional chief secretary (revenue) that auctions for sand extraction have resulted in heavy losses to the state treasury. Hence, by way of an ad-interim order, we direct sand extraction all over Maharashtra even on the basis of existing licences be stopped forthwith until further order."
URL of the article:
http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_stop-all-sand-extraction-across-maharashtra-high-court-tells-govt_1442857-all
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Friday, September 24, 2010
World’s most isolated tribe threatened by poachers - Andaman Islands
World's most isolated tribe threatened by poachers
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
September 20, 2010
World's most isolated tribe threatened by poachers Poachers targeting rich fishing grounds in India's Andaman Islands are endangering the world's most isolated tribe.
More than a hundred iIllegal fishermen from Burma have been arrested in recent weeks. Fourteen were fishing off North Sentinel Island, home to the Sentinelese tribe, who attack anyone approaching their island. Members of the tribe killed two fishermen in 2006. Burmese and local Indian poachers also threaten the survival of the Jarawa tribe, who have only had contact with outsiders since 1998. An Indian poacher and a Jarawa man died in a conflict in the Jarawa's reserve in 2008.
The Indian coast guard has announced a series of arrests of more than a hundred Burmese poachers since late August, mostly in the vicinity of the Jarawa's reserve. However, local Indian poachers are rarely targeted.
Poachers catch turtles and dive for lucrative sea cucumber for the Chinese market, and also hunt in the Jarawa's forest. Local poachers often enter by the illegal road that cuts through the tribe's land. Survival has repeatedly urged the local authorities to close the road, but it remains open.
Local sources say the scale of the problem is much greater than the recent arrests suggest, with most poachers going undetected. Both the Jarawa and the Sentinelese are hunter-gatherers, and theft of the fish and animals in their territory endangers their food supply. Poachers also risk introducing common diseases to the tribes. The Sentinelese are especially at risk: their complete isolation means they are likely to have no immunity to diseases such as flu and measles. Survival International campaigner Sophie Grig said today, 'The Indian coast guard's recent crackdown shows they are taking the poaching problem seriously, but it also reveals the huge scale of the threat. The Jarawa and the Sentinelese have lived on the Andamans for about 55,000 years, but if this invasion of their territory continues, their days could be numbered.'
Watch an exclusive interview with a Jarawa man about poachers on his land
To read this story online:
http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/6488 Notes to the Editors: The Sentinelese are believed to be the world's most isolated tribe, and have no contact with outsiders. The neighbouring Bo tribe on the Andaman Islands became extinct in January this year with the death of its last surviving member, Boa Sr.
For more information and images, or to use the attached image, please contact Miriam Ross:
T (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or (+44) (0)7504543367
E mr@survivalinternational.org
W http://www.survivalinternational.org/
SURVIVAL INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE
September 20, 2010
World's most isolated tribe threatened by poachers Poachers targeting rich fishing grounds in India's Andaman Islands are endangering the world's most isolated tribe.
More than a hundred iIllegal fishermen from Burma have been arrested in recent weeks. Fourteen were fishing off North Sentinel Island, home to the Sentinelese tribe, who attack anyone approaching their island. Members of the tribe killed two fishermen in 2006. Burmese and local Indian poachers also threaten the survival of the Jarawa tribe, who have only had contact with outsiders since 1998. An Indian poacher and a Jarawa man died in a conflict in the Jarawa's reserve in 2008.
The Indian coast guard has announced a series of arrests of more than a hundred Burmese poachers since late August, mostly in the vicinity of the Jarawa's reserve. However, local Indian poachers are rarely targeted.
Poachers catch turtles and dive for lucrative sea cucumber for the Chinese market, and also hunt in the Jarawa's forest. Local poachers often enter by the illegal road that cuts through the tribe's land. Survival has repeatedly urged the local authorities to close the road, but it remains open.
Local sources say the scale of the problem is much greater than the recent arrests suggest, with most poachers going undetected. Both the Jarawa and the Sentinelese are hunter-gatherers, and theft of the fish and animals in their territory endangers their food supply. Poachers also risk introducing common diseases to the tribes. The Sentinelese are especially at risk: their complete isolation means they are likely to have no immunity to diseases such as flu and measles. Survival International campaigner Sophie Grig said today, 'The Indian coast guard's recent crackdown shows they are taking the poaching problem seriously, but it also reveals the huge scale of the threat. The Jarawa and the Sentinelese have lived on the Andamans for about 55,000 years, but if this invasion of their territory continues, their days could be numbered.'
Watch an exclusive interview with a Jarawa man about poachers on his land
To read this story online:
http://www.survivalinternational.org/news/6488 Notes to the Editors: The Sentinelese are believed to be the world's most isolated tribe, and have no contact with outsiders. The neighbouring Bo tribe on the Andaman Islands became extinct in January this year with the death of its last surviving member, Boa Sr.
For more information and images, or to use the attached image, please contact Miriam Ross:
T (+44) (0)20 7687 8734 or (+44) (0)7504543367
E mr@survivalinternational.org
W http://www.survivalinternational.org/
Soil Piping near Idukki dam in Kerala- Yet another lesser known threat from large Dams
*Soil piping causes panic in Idukki
**Correspondent : VR Jayaraj | Kochi*
The formation of deep well-shaped pits due to the phenomenon called soil piping in Kerala's Idukki district, home to the biggest arch dam in Asia and several other major reservoirs, has caused panic in the area. Scientists who assessed the phenomenon, noticed last weekend, said there was no need for panic.
Well-shaped pits with circumferences up to ten metres and depth up to 15 metres had appeared all of a sudden in a 20-hectare area in the Udayagiri area, lying near the giant Idukki arch dam, last weekend. But scientists said the phenomenon had been occurring in the area since Year 2000.
The pits had formed in a straight line of about 500 metres from the top of a hill-slope to the valley, where the opening showed sand-mixed water seeping out. Residents in the area said that they could hear water movement beneath the earth's surface.
Soil piping (also called tunnel erosion) takes place beneath the surface of the earth and it normally goes unnoticed. During piping, large quantities of sand and clay beneath the surface get carried away by water, resulting in the formation of tunnel-like, experts say.
Much of the sub-surface soil could get eroded thus leading to formation of deep funnel-shaped tunnels beneath the surface, which is the phenomenon called piping. Indications of piping had been noticed in the Udumbanchola and Udayagiri areas Idukki since August, experts said.
Experts from the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram, who examined the pits and the soil, said the phenomenon of piping was not rare. The process would go unnoticed as far as it is restricted to the sub-surface but pits appear when the surface becomes unable to bear the burden of the hollowness beneath caused by erosion.
According to scientists in the West, sub-surface erosion as in piping normally occurs when it has an abundant content of loose pumice, volcanic ash and such materials. They also say that piping is a phenomenon associated with factors like broken sewer pipes, storm drains or seepage from reservoirs that trigger water movements.
People in Idukki say that the scientists should examine the phenomenon in relation with the giant reservoirs in the district. The reservoir kept by Idukki arch dam, largest of its kind in Asia, is said to exert a force of two billion tons on its bed when filled to capacity.
"The panic may be unnecessary but there is nothing wrong in having a look at this," Kurien, a teacher from Painavu said. The Idukki hydel project reservoir alone is keeping more than 80 percent of the water held by all artificial reservoirs in the State. According to Western geologists, piping is always a huge concern when it happens near huge dams.
"What we should infer from the scientists' explanation is that the sub-surface soil in the Idukki hills is not as solid as we had thought it to be. If that is the case, the water kept in the reservoirs here could act as an external force that triggers movement of sub-surface flow," the teacher said.
One of the major threats that piping poses is that the vertical pits could widen leading to more earth cave-ins but scientists say that there is no pragmatic method to arrest the process. "Western experts are suggesting installation of filters that could block soil and allow water flow but this need not be practical. It is also expensive," said a scientist.
The most recent incident of piping was reported from Guatemala City in May last when a very deep pit formed right in the middle of a residential area. Guatemala City is situated in a valley covered by up to 600 feet of loose pumice and volcanic ash, materials that can be easily eroded.
SOURCE:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/284670/Soil-piping-causes-panic-in-Idukki.html
**Correspondent : VR Jayaraj | Kochi*
The formation of deep well-shaped pits due to the phenomenon called soil piping in Kerala's Idukki district, home to the biggest arch dam in Asia and several other major reservoirs, has caused panic in the area. Scientists who assessed the phenomenon, noticed last weekend, said there was no need for panic.
Well-shaped pits with circumferences up to ten metres and depth up to 15 metres had appeared all of a sudden in a 20-hectare area in the Udayagiri area, lying near the giant Idukki arch dam, last weekend. But scientists said the phenomenon had been occurring in the area since Year 2000.
The pits had formed in a straight line of about 500 metres from the top of a hill-slope to the valley, where the opening showed sand-mixed water seeping out. Residents in the area said that they could hear water movement beneath the earth's surface.
Soil piping (also called tunnel erosion) takes place beneath the surface of the earth and it normally goes unnoticed. During piping, large quantities of sand and clay beneath the surface get carried away by water, resulting in the formation of tunnel-like, experts say.
Much of the sub-surface soil could get eroded thus leading to formation of deep funnel-shaped tunnels beneath the surface, which is the phenomenon called piping. Indications of piping had been noticed in the Udumbanchola and Udayagiri areas Idukki since August, experts said.
Experts from the Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Thiruvananthapuram, who examined the pits and the soil, said the phenomenon of piping was not rare. The process would go unnoticed as far as it is restricted to the sub-surface but pits appear when the surface becomes unable to bear the burden of the hollowness beneath caused by erosion.
According to scientists in the West, sub-surface erosion as in piping normally occurs when it has an abundant content of loose pumice, volcanic ash and such materials. They also say that piping is a phenomenon associated with factors like broken sewer pipes, storm drains or seepage from reservoirs that trigger water movements.
People in Idukki say that the scientists should examine the phenomenon in relation with the giant reservoirs in the district. The reservoir kept by Idukki arch dam, largest of its kind in Asia, is said to exert a force of two billion tons on its bed when filled to capacity.
"The panic may be unnecessary but there is nothing wrong in having a look at this," Kurien, a teacher from Painavu said. The Idukki hydel project reservoir alone is keeping more than 80 percent of the water held by all artificial reservoirs in the State. According to Western geologists, piping is always a huge concern when it happens near huge dams.
"What we should infer from the scientists' explanation is that the sub-surface soil in the Idukki hills is not as solid as we had thought it to be. If that is the case, the water kept in the reservoirs here could act as an external force that triggers movement of sub-surface flow," the teacher said.
One of the major threats that piping poses is that the vertical pits could widen leading to more earth cave-ins but scientists say that there is no pragmatic method to arrest the process. "Western experts are suggesting installation of filters that could block soil and allow water flow but this need not be practical. It is also expensive," said a scientist.
The most recent incident of piping was reported from Guatemala City in May last when a very deep pit formed right in the middle of a residential area. Guatemala City is situated in a valley covered by up to 600 feet of loose pumice and volcanic ash, materials that can be easily eroded.
SOURCE:
http://www.dailypioneer.com/284670/Soil-piping-causes-panic-in-Idukki.html
MTDC turns to marine tourism to up profits. Corals
MTDC turns to marine tourism to up profits
30 April 2009, TOI, Chitra Nair
Pune: Adventure lovers have a new destination: Sindhudurg. For those planning a visit to the Konkan coast can now look forward to some scuba diving activity. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has initiated a scuba diving project on the Konkan coast under its coastal and marine tourism programme.
Manager of adventure sports, MTDC, Subodh Kinalekar says, “The snorkeling activity started in 2007 has generated tremendous response with almost 40,000 to 50,000 tourists so far. We have earned approximately Rs. 20 lakh so far. The next step is to start scuba diving by October this year,” he says. Besides, the MTDC also plans to explore the rich marine life of Konkan coast by initiating marine tourism project that will create awareness about nature conservation. “The Sindhudurg fort is surrounded by some old coral reefs that are approximately 400-500 years old. The area also has beautiful sargassum forest,” said Sarang Kulkarni, a marine biologist, who has been appointed by the MTDC as an advisor for the project. Most of these corals are in shallow water and so doing not need advanced training or equipment. “There is no need to travel abroad when you get to snorkel and see some beautiful underwater sites so close to Mumbai that too at reasonable rates. We have trained local people as snorkeling guides and we can proudly say they are amongst the best in the country,” says Kulkarni who adds that the project is also generating employment for the local people.
The MTDC is also exploring new ideas in terms of marine tourism including whale watch, sports fishing and also a sea world. “Sports fishing is for those who want to catch fish and eat it too. The advantage is that people will catch only as many fish as they need,” adds Kulkarni.Other projects include a beach rescue project and a turtle interpretation centre.
(ref: http://envis.maharashtra.gov.in/envis_data/files/news/apr/ecotourism.html)
30 April 2009, TOI, Chitra Nair
Pune: Adventure lovers have a new destination: Sindhudurg. For those planning a visit to the Konkan coast can now look forward to some scuba diving activity. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has initiated a scuba diving project on the Konkan coast under its coastal and marine tourism programme.
Manager of adventure sports, MTDC, Subodh Kinalekar says, “The snorkeling activity started in 2007 has generated tremendous response with almost 40,000 to 50,000 tourists so far. We have earned approximately Rs. 20 lakh so far. The next step is to start scuba diving by October this year,” he says. Besides, the MTDC also plans to explore the rich marine life of Konkan coast by initiating marine tourism project that will create awareness about nature conservation. “The Sindhudurg fort is surrounded by some old coral reefs that are approximately 400-500 years old. The area also has beautiful sargassum forest,” said Sarang Kulkarni, a marine biologist, who has been appointed by the MTDC as an advisor for the project. Most of these corals are in shallow water and so doing not need advanced training or equipment. “There is no need to travel abroad when you get to snorkel and see some beautiful underwater sites so close to Mumbai that too at reasonable rates. We have trained local people as snorkeling guides and we can proudly say they are amongst the best in the country,” says Kulkarni who adds that the project is also generating employment for the local people.
The MTDC is also exploring new ideas in terms of marine tourism including whale watch, sports fishing and also a sea world. “Sports fishing is for those who want to catch fish and eat it too. The advantage is that people will catch only as many fish as they need,” adds Kulkarni.Other projects include a beach rescue project and a turtle interpretation centre.
(ref: http://envis.maharashtra.gov.in/envis_data/files/news/apr/ecotourism.html)
News on 'Angria Bank' the submerged coral reef atoll of konkan coast
Mah govt plans to explore tourism potential of 'Angria Bank'
Mumbai | Wednesday, Mar 19 2008 IST
Maharashtra Government has decided to take a lead in detailed exploration of 'Angria bank', a submerged plateau that exists around 120 km west of Vijaydurg, Ratnagiri and Malvan in Konkan region.
Finance Minister Jayant Patil, while presenting his budget proposals for 2008-09 in the Legislative assembly, said the submerged island may have potential to change the perspective of tourism not only in Maharashtra, but also in India.
The plateau has average depth of 20 metres and considering other factors, like its distance from the mainland and other oceanic conditions, it is expected that the water in the plateau would be crystal clear and it is suitable for extensive coral reef growth and it may also provide habitat for variety of fishes, which would make this site best among other Indian diving destinations.
The bathymetric chart suggest that it is 39 km in length and 17 km Wide, with 20 metres as an average depth. If further exploration yields positive results then the Maharashtra coastline may have India's largest submerged reef/island, which will have positive influence on coastal and marine tourism sector and it could be a great diving destination for domestic and international tourists.
He said that after further exploration of 'Angria Bank' and biodiversity assessment, there would be need of conducting feasibility study to establish it as a tourism destination.
Mr Patil also said that after exploration and feasibility, the state government will submit the detailed proposal to the centre to bring 'Angria Bank' under its jurisdiction so that the state government can manage the area due to its high biological diversity and also market it as its own tourism destination. An outlay of Rs five crore would be made available for this purpose.
Mumbai | Wednesday, Mar 19 2008 IST
Maharashtra Government has decided to take a lead in detailed exploration of 'Angria bank', a submerged plateau that exists around 120 km west of Vijaydurg, Ratnagiri and Malvan in Konkan region.
Finance Minister Jayant Patil, while presenting his budget proposals for 2008-09 in the Legislative assembly, said the submerged island may have potential to change the perspective of tourism not only in Maharashtra, but also in India.
The plateau has average depth of 20 metres and considering other factors, like its distance from the mainland and other oceanic conditions, it is expected that the water in the plateau would be crystal clear and it is suitable for extensive coral reef growth and it may also provide habitat for variety of fishes, which would make this site best among other Indian diving destinations.
The bathymetric chart suggest that it is 39 km in length and 17 km Wide, with 20 metres as an average depth. If further exploration yields positive results then the Maharashtra coastline may have India's largest submerged reef/island, which will have positive influence on coastal and marine tourism sector and it could be a great diving destination for domestic and international tourists.
He said that after further exploration of 'Angria Bank' and biodiversity assessment, there would be need of conducting feasibility study to establish it as a tourism destination.
Mr Patil also said that after exploration and feasibility, the state government will submit the detailed proposal to the centre to bring 'Angria Bank' under its jurisdiction so that the state government can manage the area due to its high biological diversity and also market it as its own tourism destination. An outlay of Rs five crore would be made available for this purpose.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
A "lost" population of tigers has been filmed living in the Himalayas by BBC
Lost tiger population discovered
By Matt Walker Editor, Earth News
A "lost" population of tigers has been filmed living in the Himalayas.
The discovery has stunned experts, as the tigers are living at a higher altitude than any others known and appear to be successfully breeding. Their presence in the Bhutan highlands has been confirmed by footage taken by a BBC natural history camera crew. Creating a nature reserve around the tigers could connect up fragmented populations across Asia, preventing the extinction of the world's biggest cat. Tigers are known to live in the Himalayan foothills of Bhutan, though little is known about them, or how many there are.
However, leading tiger expert Dr Alan Rabinowitz, formerly of the World Conservation Society and now President ofThe fact they can live here is just so important, for tigers in the wild, for their future
BBC wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan
suspected that tigers may also be living at higher altitude, following anecdotal reports by villagers suggesting that some were roaming as high as 4000m (13,000ft). So, together with a BBC film crew, he decided to investigate by journeying to Bhutan to seek proof that such mountain tigers did indeed exist.
Dr Rabinowitz enlisted the help of BBC wildlife cameraman Gordon Buchanan, who has filmed wild cats worldwide for more than 10 years. Under Dr Rabinowitz's direction, Mr Buchanan trekked up into the mountains, where he then set a series of camera traps, that would automatically film any creature moving in front. The team left the traps at an altitude of between 3,000m and 4,100m, above which trees start being unable to survive. Three months later, he returned to see what they had caught on camera. The cameras recorded a wealth of wildlife, including red foxes, jungle cats, monkeys, leopards, Himalayan black bear, tarkin, serow, musk deer and even a red panda.
This is the only place on earth known to have tigers, leopard and snow leopards all sharing the same valley. It is remarkable to have these three big cats sharing their range.Most extraordinarily, the cameras took footage of two wild tigers, one male and one female, a discovery that moved Mr Buchanan to tears. The images are the first known footage of tigers in the remote mountains of Bhutan and the first hard evidence that tigers are capable of living at that altitude.
This find was made in close collaboration with Bhutan Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, with help and guidance from forest guard Phup Tshering."The fact they can live here is just so important, for tigers in the wild, for their future," said Mr Buchanan, on seeing the footage for the first time.
The large male tiger, sighted at an altitude of 4,100m is recorded scent-marking, confirming that the tiger pair are living within their own territory, and not just passing through.The female tiger, sighted at the same altitude, can also be seen to be lactating, strongly suggesting the tigers are breeding at that altitude. Further footage shows tigers living lower at an altitude of 3000m.The discovery, which is broadcast this week as part of the BBC One programme Lost Land of the Tiger was made by the same BBC team that discovered a new species of giant rat living on the slopes of a remote volcano deep inside the jungle of Papua New Guinea. Dr Rabinowitz and the BBC team are not revealing the exact location of the tigers, in order to prevent them being found by poachers.
Tigers used to roam across Asia, now only pockets remain. There are estimated to be as few as 3,000 left in the wild, due to poaching and habitat loss. The discovery of tigers living at altitude in Bhutan could be crucial to one scheme proposed to help save the species from extinction.
Known as a "tiger corridor", the idea is to connect up many of these surviving isolated and fragmented groups.
That would allow individual tigers to move between populations, allowing them to breed more widely, bolstering the genetic diversity of those surviving. It would also offer some tigers sanctuary from human towns and villages and the increasing pressures they bring.
promoted by the conservation organisation Panthera, hopes one such major corridor could extend along the foothills of the Himalayas from Nepal into Bhutan and northern India, then through to Myanmar, stretching across 2000km with an area of 120,000 sq km. The ambition would then be to connect it to another corridor spanning Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, terminating in Malaysia.
"The significance of finding tigers living so high in Bhutan is that it means that huge areas of Himalayas, that people didn't think were natural places for tigers to live, can now be included in the tiger corridor," says Jonny Keeling, a BBC producer who helped track and film the big cats.
"Bhutan could act as tiger nursery from which tigers could breed safely and spread out to re-populate forests of some of the surrounding countries."
Lost Land of the Tiger will be broadcast on BBC One at 21.00BST on Tuesday 21st, Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd September.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8998000/8998042.stm
Published: 2010/09/20 04:11:42 GMT
© BBC MMX
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Dr Aziz Panel to visit Kolleru
Experts panel to visit Kolleru - Deccan Chronicle
September 17th, 2010
DC Correspondent
(http://www.deccanchronicle.com/rajahmundry/experts-panel-visit-kolleru-457)
Sept. 16: The expert panel on Kolleru led by Dr P.A. Aziz will be visiting the Kolleru lake from September 20 onwards for six days to elicit opinion on the living conditions of villagers and also the implications over proposed reduction of contour limits from the existing fifth to third by interacting with stakeholders, politicians and environmentalists.
The seven-member panel from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, will be arriving at Eluru on September 19 and will meet officials from revenue, irrigation, forests and tourism from both Krishna and West Godavari districts on September 20.
They will take up a field visit to some parts of the Kolleru area, interact with people and accept representations.
On September 21, the panel will visit Gudivakalanka, Kolletikota, Agadala Lanka and Pothunuru, on September 22, Tokulapalli, Pedanindra Kolanu and Siddapuram villages and Gudipadu, Sriparru and Chinthapalli on September 23.
Later, the team will proceed to Bhujabalapatnam of Kaikalur mandal in Krishna district on September 24. On September 25, the panel will interact with elected representatives like MPs, MLAs, MLCs, ZPTCs and MPTCs at Eluru in the morning and meet officials from various departments in the evening. The panel is visiting the Kolleru lake at a time when there is hectic political lobbying favouring the delimitation of the Kolleru bird sanctuary.
The sanctuary is located over about 308.55 sq km at present and if there is any reduction in the third contour limits, nearly 135 sq km area, which comes upto nearly 42,000 acres, will be excluded from the sanctuary limits. The proposed move for delimitation of sanctuary size is aimed at votes of villagers who belong to the fishermen community.
The National Wildlife Board is learnt to have turned down the proposal on technical grounds. Meanwhile, the Kolleru Lake Development Society chairman, Dr Mente Padmanabham, the general secretary, Dr T. Patanjali Sastry, biologist Prof. B.V.Seshagiri Rao and others found fault with the proposal for delimitation. They fear that if this is accepted, it would result in setting up commercial fish ponds which would lead to an ecological disaster. They appealed to the Centre to maintain the status quo and asked for initiation of steps to conserve and protect the Kolleru lake which is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia.
They also asked government to provide alternate sources of livelihood and welfare schemes to the villagers.
September 17th, 2010
DC Correspondent
(http://www.deccanchronicle.com/rajahmundry/experts-panel-visit-kolleru-457)
Sept. 16: The expert panel on Kolleru led by Dr P.A. Aziz will be visiting the Kolleru lake from September 20 onwards for six days to elicit opinion on the living conditions of villagers and also the implications over proposed reduction of contour limits from the existing fifth to third by interacting with stakeholders, politicians and environmentalists.
The seven-member panel from the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, will be arriving at Eluru on September 19 and will meet officials from revenue, irrigation, forests and tourism from both Krishna and West Godavari districts on September 20.
They will take up a field visit to some parts of the Kolleru area, interact with people and accept representations.
On September 21, the panel will visit Gudivakalanka, Kolletikota, Agadala Lanka and Pothunuru, on September 22, Tokulapalli, Pedanindra Kolanu and Siddapuram villages and Gudipadu, Sriparru and Chinthapalli on September 23.
Later, the team will proceed to Bhujabalapatnam of Kaikalur mandal in Krishna district on September 24. On September 25, the panel will interact with elected representatives like MPs, MLAs, MLCs, ZPTCs and MPTCs at Eluru in the morning and meet officials from various departments in the evening. The panel is visiting the Kolleru lake at a time when there is hectic political lobbying favouring the delimitation of the Kolleru bird sanctuary.
The sanctuary is located over about 308.55 sq km at present and if there is any reduction in the third contour limits, nearly 135 sq km area, which comes upto nearly 42,000 acres, will be excluded from the sanctuary limits. The proposed move for delimitation of sanctuary size is aimed at votes of villagers who belong to the fishermen community.
The National Wildlife Board is learnt to have turned down the proposal on technical grounds. Meanwhile, the Kolleru Lake Development Society chairman, Dr Mente Padmanabham, the general secretary, Dr T. Patanjali Sastry, biologist Prof. B.V.Seshagiri Rao and others found fault with the proposal for delimitation. They fear that if this is accepted, it would result in setting up commercial fish ponds which would lead to an ecological disaster. They appealed to the Centre to maintain the status quo and asked for initiation of steps to conserve and protect the Kolleru lake which is one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia.
They also asked government to provide alternate sources of livelihood and welfare schemes to the villagers.
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