Call for united fight for conservation of coastal ecosystems

Visakhapatnam: Environmental advocate Bolisetty Satyanarayana urges the High Court to appoint independent experts to assess and quantify coastal destruction.

Exhorting people to come together to fight against the toxic siege of the coastline from Srikakulam to Kakinada in a media conference organised in the city on Saturday, Satyanarayana highlighted the ongoing legal battle in WP (PIL) No. 248 of 2020, Satyanarayana recalled a devastating observation made by VVSS Sarma, Chief Scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) stating that for the sake of generating a few hundred crores in industrial profit, lakhs of crores worth of marine biodiversity and ecological services were lost.

This expert testimony confirms that the current industrial model is not just polluting, it is economically and ecologically trading away the permanent natural wealth of the state for short-term corporate gains, Satyanarayana said. “The human tragedy resulting from this negligence was recently validated by Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Environment K Pawan Kalyan during his recent meeting with government officials as he expressed deep distress over the Tadi village crisis, noting that in villages like Tadi, pollution has reached such a stage that every household reportedly has a cancer patient. I bow my head with gratitude for this sincere admission of fact by the Deputy CM as it validates our long-standing struggle for justice,” Satyanarayana stated.

Residents face chronic skin diseases, contaminated groundwater, and a documented rise in miscarriages, he mentioned.

For over ten years, the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) has allowed approximately 200 million litres of untreated sewage to flow into the sea every single day. Recent filings reportedly still carry seals and data from December 2020, attempting to mask the fact that no real progress has been made in sewage treatment capacity, Satyanarayana informed.

The Environmental advocate made an appeal on behalf of the people to the High Court to constitute an expert committee consisting of independent scientists and environmental economists, strictly excluding government officials to ensure impartiality to conduct a rigorous scientific audit.

Estimates suggest the damage to the marine ecosystem, public health and livelihoods exceeds a minimum of one lakh crore rupees. Those responsible including the GVMC, APPCB must be held financially accountable for the restoration of the environment, he suggested.

Reiterating that the authorities have continuously failed for the past decade to perform their duties, Satyanarayana urged the public to send evidence of pollution with GPS tag on photos and videos to [email protected] and he will pursue violators in the ongoing PIL. “We will not let our coast become a graveyard of biodiversity for industrial greed. We must stand together today, or our children will inherit a dead ocean tomorrow,” he stressed.