The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Environmentalists feel ignored

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jul 27, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Environmentalists feel ignored

Special Correspondent

No invite to workshop on lake restoration

HYDERABAD: Several city environmentalists who were associated with restoration of lakes for a long time now have taken exception to the way the Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA) failed to invite them to the international workshop on “Sustainability of lake remediation and interventions”.

They felt the workshop was conducted in a “hush hush manner” without the involvement of those who had struggled hard and filed Public Interest Litigation in the AP High Court that paved the way for government issuing an order for protecting of 169 lakes in and around the city.

Mere formality

They could have enriched the proceedings with their experience. The workshop was conducted more to fulfil a formality laid down by the funding agency and not to get deep insights into lake restoration, they added.

Some of them are peeved that they did not receive a word on what happened to the papers sent by them in response to the notice published in the print media, a month ago. “They did not inform whether they have accepted or rejected my paper,” said Subba Rao, an environmentalist who played a key role in remediating some of the highly polluted lakes including Asanikunta. His paper was titled “Integrated approach to lake restoration.”

No remediation

Mr. Rao who had attended many international seminars on rejuvenation of lakes said he would have highlighted how some of the big lakes were remediated in the US and Europe. As many as 14 multi-disciplinary institutions and departments were involved in restoration of one such lake in the US. “In contrast, it is unfortunate that even reputed institutions like the National Institute of Hydrology having a lakes cell, was invited to the workshop”.

Similar concern was expressed by K. L. Vyas, another environmentalist, whose Save Lakes Movement, had filed the PIL in the High Court leading to the order on conservation of big lakes like Saroornagar. He too had sent in a paper but did not receive any response.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh