NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the director general of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education and others on the alleged loss of mangroves in Visakhapatnam because of urbanisation. The green body had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a newspaper report, which said that the erstwhile sprawling coastal ecosystems had been reduced to “mere patches”, raising serious concerns among environmentalists about coastal protection and biodiversity loss.
In an order dated November 22, a bench of National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, “The news item highlights that the loss of mangroves poses a serious risk to both coastal protection and biodiversity as mangroves play a crucial role in preventing shoreline erosion and providing habitat for various bird species.”
“It is alleged that the number of mangrove and halophyte patches has sharply decreased over the years,” it further said.
The bench, also comprising Judicial Member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, noted the report about the impact on bird biodiversity being “severe” and the Meghadri Gedda area connected with the Bay of Bengal near Visakhapatnam harbour “exemplifying” the decline.
The tribunal said, “The above matter indicates a violation of the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone notifications, Biodiversity Act, Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, and the Environment Protection Act.”
It impleaded as parties or respondents the director general of the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education in Dehradun; member secretaries of the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board and the Andhra Pradesh Coastal Zone Management Authority; regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; vice-chairman of the Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority; and the Visakhapatnam district magistrate.
“Issue notice to the above respondents for filing their response or reply by way of affidavit before the southern zonal bench of the tribunal (in Chennai),” the green body said.
The matter has been posted to January 10 for further proceedings.