Visakhapatnam: river polluters should be punished and imprisoned, says Rajendra Singh

‘No amount of money could compensate the loss of health and life’

Waterman of India Rajendra Singh has underlined the need to alter the present concept of ‘Polluter Pays’ to ‘Polluter punished and imprisoned’ to avoid the destruction of rivers and water bodies and protect the lives of future generations.

Mr. Rajendra Singh was on a short visit to the city to make a study of Sarada River, which originates in Visakhapatnam district and joins the sea at Bangarammmapalem, after flowing through 122 km.

Interacting with the media along with environmental activist Bolisetti Satyanarayana, after the study tour on Friday evening, Mr. Singh said that no amount of money could compensate the loss of health and life and it was high time that polluters were not let off after collecting penalties from them. He felt that protection of the Sarada River, which provides irrigation and drinking water to Madulgula, Chodavaram, K. Kotapadu, Kasimkota, Yelamanchili, Anakapalle and Atchutapuram mandals was a boon to Visakhapatnam district.

He said that during his visit to the Sarada River, he has noticed encroachments in the river itself, which have to be removed. He suggested that the poor people living in the flood zone should be moved to safer places by the district authorities through the Central or the State schemes. There were over 10 places, where the sewer was flowing into the river. It should be routed through STPs and the water coming out the STPs could be used for agriculture or industrial purposes, instead of releasing it into the river, he said.

Mr. Singh suggested mapping of the river into blue (river flowing area), green (flood plain) and red (high flood level) zones for best results. When water was drawn from the river, it should be released back in the same condition but not by adding pollutants. The Govada Sugar factory was releasing untreated molasses into the river and polluting it, he alleged.

The factory management could utilise the molasses to make money. He said that over 1 million people were dependent on the river and their lives and livelihood were at stake due to pollution. “A petition was filed by us in the High Court on behalf of the citizens of Visakhapatnam and fishermen of Jalaripeta., and other areas due to the release of sewer and untreated industrial effluents at Parawada,” he said. Mr. Singh said that the AP Pollution Control Board had submitted an affidavit in the High Court that 200 MLD sewer out of 300 MLD was flowing into the sea untreated, which was criminal negligence on the part of the municipal authorities.

Mr. Satyanarayana said that the MPTC member gave a written representation to Mr. Rajendra Singh at Bangarampalem, alleging that no compensation was paid to some of those displaced by the Naval Alternate Operating Base (NAOB). Demanding justice to the fishermen, he sought a probe into where the compensation money released by the government had gone.