Former bureaucrat raises concerns over damage to 12,000 year old ecologically sensitive geoheritage site in Vizag

Hyderabad: Concerns are being raised over the alleged damage to Geological Survey of India (GSI)-notified "Geo-Heritage Park", a rare natural feature Erra Matti Dibbalu (EMD) in Visakhapatnam.

Former government of India secretary and retired senior bureaucrat, EAS Sarma, sought the MEFCC to depute an expert team to assess the environmental damage caused to EMD.

He said that the assessment of environmental damage should include direct damage to the EMD which is a natural rainwater drainage system, loss of tree cover, loss of biodiversity, loss of nature-deposited sand dunes and damage to the CRZ-I portion and its impact on loss of bio-resources.

Several geological experts in the past pointed out that the scenic red sand dunes seen on the Vizag-Bheemili beach road were formed around 12,000 years ago.

According to several studies they are geologically important scientific documents as they represent the Late Quaternary geological history showing the imprints of sea level fall (LGM – Last Glacial Maxima) and subsequent rise, impact of climate, monsoon and geological processes in the sediments. They are also scientifically rare paleo-coastal red sand dunes.

In a letter to Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change (MEFCC), secretary Leena Nandan Sarma on Monday said that the local administration, some years ago, allotted a part of a huge stretch of government land, without identifying boundaries, in favour of Bheemunipatnam Mutually Aided Co-operative Building Society (BMACBS) for a housing colony, without caring to protect the geo-heritage characteristics of the feature.

“The local municipal corporation (GVMC) recently issued approval for a housing lay-out subject to a number of pre-conditions to be fulfilled by BMACBS before starting any construction work. Those conditions included, among several other requirements, the requirement of prior Environment Impact Appraisal and Environment Clearance under the Environment (Protection) Act (EPA) and CRZ clearance as parts of the lay-out are located within the fragile portion of CRZ-I. Recently, BMACBS took law in its hands without fulfilling the prescribed conditions, including obtaining a statutory Environment Clearance (EC) and without prior approval under CRZ notification and destroyed 50-60pc of the EMD, evidently through connivance with some local officials,” said Sarma.

He added that EMD consisted of an elaborate naturally formed rain water drainage system, red sand dunes of environmentally fragile nature, and a fairly significant cover of vegetation. As a result of the wanton, irresponsible destruction, all those natural resources have been lost forever, he said.

The EMD supports rich bio-resources and the associated bio-diversity that has also been damaged in an irreversible manner. The sand dunes formed by nature over millions of years have been mercilessly flattened. In short, it is a serious environmental crime of a mind-boggling proportion, Sarma said in the letter.

BMACBS failed to submit its proposal for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and environmental clearance under the EPA and did not also care to obtain clearance under the CRZ notification. This shows how brazen the environmental crime committed by the society is.

He also urged MEFCC that the team may comprise of a representative of Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON), the GSI, the local Conservator of Forests and the local chapter of INTACH represented by its convener, Prof Rajasekhar Reddy who, in his own right, is an eminent geologist familiar with the heritage value of the feature.

“MFCC may recover the full cost of the environmental damage from BMACBS and may also impose a deterrent penalty on the society for their brazen conduct. MEFCC may, in consultation with INTACH, GSI and the District Collector of Visakhapatnam put in place a comprehensive set of measures to protect the residual portion of EMD for the present and future generations,” he said.