Andhra govt faces uphill task to remove Kolleru Lake encroachments

The Andhra Pradesh government is facing an uphill task in removing encroachments in the Kolleru lake, the largest natural freshwater lake in the country spread over three districts and a notified wildlife sanctuary, in the wake of the latest Supreme Court directions to protect the waterbody, people familiar with the matter said.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

HYDERABAD:

Acting on a public interest litigation filed by environmentalist K Mruthyunjaya Rao, the Supreme Court on January 16 directed the state government to submit a detailed status report by March 19 on the current state of encroachments in the Kolleru Lake and Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary.

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice BR Gavai, Justice Augustine George Masih and Justice K Vinod Chandran, asked the government to explain the steps being taken to remove the encroachments, particularly aquaculture ponds and measures to ensure that no further encroachments take place in the lake, and protect the wildlife sanctuary from further damage.

Located between Krishna and Godavari delta regions in the erstwhile combined districts of West Godavari, East Godavari and Krishna districts, Kolleru lake was originally spread across 901 sqkm, covering 2.25 lakh acres at +10 contour level (10 feet above sea level), which is the identified wetland. It serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for these two rivers.

The lake is fed directly by water from the seasonal Budameru and Tammileru streams, and is connected to the Krishna and Godavari systems by over 68 inflowing drains and channels.

The lake was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under India's Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and designated a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention of Wetlands, 1971, as it is home to several vulnerable species and a variety of over 220 varieties of birds, including nearly 100 species migrating from the Palearctic region.