Sand mining in Godavari poses risk to dams, bridges

Hyderabad: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the autonomous body of the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment, on Monday warned that dams and bridges on Godavari River would face the risk of damage due to excess sand mining in it in recent years. The Wildlife Institute also cautioned that fish population will decline if scientific approach is not adopted during fishing in the river.

The Union Ministry of Water Resources selected seven rivers to assess the environmental conditions of rivers in India and implement appropriate plans for their conservation. As part of the environmental study undertaken on the Godavari River, WII Dean Dr Ruchi Badola held a meeting with Telangana Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Suvarna here on Monday.

The WII official said that the Godavari catchment area has been studied in three parts - (Upper Godavari - Maharashtra, Mid Godavari - Telangana, Lower Godavari - Andhra Pradesh). She said that the river is less polluted in Telangana compared to Maharashtra. However, the official warned that the excess exploitation of the sand posed a big threat to the structures constructed across Godavari. The WII dean emphasized that certain restrictions should be imposed on sand mining to protect the ecological system along the river. She suggested to the officials to plant trees and grass on riverbank for the purification of water.

According to the study, about 25 years ago, foreign fish species (mainly African species) were released in the rivers and ponds of India, and their count surpassed the local fish breeds.

It was found that Carp and Tilapia fish species have been found to be in high numbers across the country.

The importance of the use of safe nets was also discussed in the meeting. The institute warned that the use of nets to catch even small fish will harm the breeding of local species and lead to a decrease in the fish population in the future. Therefore, it was suggested that fishermen should use nets in a scientific manner so that no harm is done to small fish. The officials opined that the river ecosystem can be preserved only by regularly monitoring the environmental conditions in the Godavari catchment area, and that state governments should take conservation measures in coordination with the Centre.