The Andhra Pradesh Government has finally responded to the protest by farmers in the coastal areas where they have announced crop holiday in about three lakh acres.
The local communities, NGOs and other groups opposed the setting up of a beach sand mineral separation plant by the Trimex group at Bhavanapadu in Srikakulam district at a public hearing on Thursda
Andhra Pradesh has experienced a well explosion. In the last three decades, the number of wells in the state has gone up by four times — from eight lakh to 24 lakh. And, hold your breath, the well population in AP is increasing at the rate of 50,000 a year! What’s really worrying is that scientific steps are not being taken to ensure that the quantity of water drawn from the ground is replenished by rainwater.
The geology of Hyderabad and its surrounding areas is peculiar in the sense that the depth to which it can retain water is about 150 feet or a little more in certain pockets. Beyond 150 feet one hits bedrock which does not hold any groundwater, unless it has some fractures. Going deeper and deeper may give temporary benefits, but in the long run it will lower the water table.
The state government has proposed not to acquire wet and irrigation lands at any cost for industrial or infrastructure projects. The draft land policy, the brainchild of the Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, also proposed that no land should be sold outright for private projects and allotment should be only on long-term lease not exceeding 30 years.
The crop holiday declared in some mandals in East Godavari and a few areas in West Godavari by agitated farmers complaining of unfeasible returns is now turning out to be a battle for political supremacy.
The detailed project report (DPR) for the Krishna phase-III project that will bring an additional 90 million gallons of water per day to the city has been submitted to the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Board by the Tata Consultancy Engineers Limited, Mumbai.
