Attempts on to weaken GO 111

The major casualty for human greed in urban areas under the existing socio-political set-up is natural resources. A classical example is the two drinking water lakes in Hyderabad, namely Himayat Sagar and Osman Sagar.

Hyderabad gets its drinking water from Krishna, Godavari, Singuru-Manjeera and twin lakes respectively supply 270, 172, 120 & 40 MGD. In summer the amounts come down drastically. Now government planned to stop 120 MGD from Singuru-Manjeera.

In the case of twin lakes we not only get 40 MGD directly but also get more than 40 MGD from groundwater indirectly. Water is available at cheapest price from twin lakes and at costliest price from Godavari with Krishna in the next order.

Government issued a series of GOs to protect the quality and quantity of water flowing in to the two reservoirs. GO111 relates to protection of both quantity and quality of flows in to the lakes. The land use of about 90% of the area is classified as agriculture which is inclusive of horticulture and floriculture.

In the reaming 10% of the zone, 84 villages were notified as prohibited zones wherein polluting industries, major hotels, residential colonies or other establishments that generate pollution are prohibited; and polluting industries are prohibited within the 10 km radius from Full Tank Levels, i.e., both upstream and downstream side to prevent acidification of lakes (due to air pollution).

Without the efforts of environmental groups, highly polluting industries would have made the people’s life in the Osman Sagar and Himayat Sagar Lakes catchment area miserable with polluted groundwater, air, and soil like in Patancheru.

Noor Mohammed Kunta presents a live example. Yet a dozen bureaucrats got a report from EPTRI, dated 29-11-2005, for suggesting amendments to the GO111. On this report, I submitted my comments to Chief Minister on 9-11-2007. As a result, the government did not pursue on the matter further.

Later, the government on 9-4-2010 unsuccessfully moved the AP High Court asking for amending the GO111 wherein to take out from GO111 a piece of land in Vatti Nagulapally. Under the Mission Kakatiya, Cyberabad Police Commissioner has proposed to adopt these two lakes. The police proposed to fence the FTLs and lay cycle track walk way around the lakes.

Citizens groups rejected this proposal as this helps only the violators to legalise their illegal activities, though the BRS excluded this zone from regularisation. We told them, if the government fences along the 10 km boundary we support them but not their proposal. As a result police department withdrew from this project but the irrigation department went ahead with the fencing of FTLs.

Every now and then some groups under some pretext or the other are approaching the AP High Court with a request of easing the GO111. Now they approached National Green Tribunal [NGT]; and NGT asked the government on this. The government has appointed three bureaucrats to give their report on this.

GO111 is not prohibiting agriculture activity but in reality 90% of the area is demarcated as agriculture–horticulture-floriculture zone. Also, our beloved Chief Minister has shown the path of earning Rs 1 crore per acre/hectare with greenhouses and announced to fund such schemes. The farmers could utilise this facility.

Also, the farmers of this zone can fight to get Godavari water for irrigation, instead of asking for easing the GO111 if they are really interested in continuing agricultural activity. By easing the GO111 the beneficiaries will be none other than the violators of GO111 holding commercial establishments, such as resorts-farm houses, educational institutions, etc who have been behind all the activities around easing of the GO111 for the last one decade.

Now the government is saying what the violators used to say all along, that “we get water for drinking from Krishna and Godavari.” They forget the fact that the quantity and quality of groundwater is going to be polluted severely in this zone by easing GO111. Getting water from Godavari and Krishna costs more than ten times that from the two lakes.

It will also deprive the people of the state their right to get fair share of water from Godavari and Krishna. If the upper riparian states follow the same, then there is no guarantee that we get water from those rivers. (Writer is Convener, Forum for a Sustainable Environment)

By Dr S Jeevananda Reddy