Soon after the euphoria over Capital announcement dies down, the government is bound to realise the magnanimity of its first major task of mitigating the impact of urbanisation on agriculture and environment in VGTM region.
The Sivaramakrishnan Committee has observed in its report on ‘Alternatives for a New Capital for the State of Andhra Pradesh’ that ‘there is no evidence to show that an infrastructure or environment impact assessment has been made to permit urbanisation of this large area’.
This raises the concern of environmentalists, who apprehend an immediate threat to availability of clean drinking water from the river Krishna.
Preventing large-scale dislocation of agricultural activity and making optimum utilisation of the available lands in such a way that its impact on environment is minimal are the challenges that the government will confront in the immediate future.
The infrastructure projects promised for each one of the 13 districts are apparently fraught with environmental risks as vast tracts of arable have to be reclaimed for the construction activity. Growth in VGTM region has to be therefore environmentally sustainable as the consequences of urbanisation would be disastrous in the medium to long term, say experts.
They also stress the need to take the vulnerability of various cities and towns in both Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema to natural calamities, particularly those in the coastal areas to cyclones, into account while planning infrastructure and industrial projects.
Speaking to The Hindu , K. Babu Rao, advisor to National Alliance of People’s Movement and retired scientist of Indian Institute of Chemical Technology who did a detailed study of the pollution caused by Narla Tatarao Thermal Power Station, asserted that water (both drinking and irrigation) would be the first take the hit by urbanisation.
Migration of workers to the potential urban growth centres and of a sizable number of government employees from Hyderabad would exert stretch the resources to limits. As it is, supplying water for two crops in a year in Krishna delta has become very difficult.
Then there would be industrial pollution. In the mad rush to attract investments, the government offered various sops to industries and once they get going, effluents will start polluting environs. There will be pressure on forests, ground water and many other ecological concerns, Mr. Babu Rao said.
