State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority in Gujarat clears Vishwamitri dredging and desilting, recommends following NGT order

Vishwamitri is simply a known breeding tract for the mugger crocodiles.

As per the minutes of the gathering of the Authority held connected January 6, the SEIAA suggested pursuing the recommendations of the State-level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC).

“The enactment requires removing debris and silt from the river… to beryllium completed earlier August 2025. By this enactment the carrying capableness of the stream volition summation up to 1,100 cumecs, importantly reducing flood simplification by 51%,” the SEIAA stated.

The Authority has mandated that the enactment beryllium carried retired successful compliance with the bid of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) of May 2021 that had directed the demarcation of the floodplain portion and removal of each unauthorised structures from the river’s vicinity.
Environment activistic Rohit Prajapati of Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti had filed a petition successful NGT based connected which directions had been issued connected implementation of the ‘Vishwamitri River Action Plan’, including enactment points arsenic per the stream restoration plan.

In its order, the NGT had observed that the River consists of catchments, floodplains, tributaries, ponds, river-bed and adjoining ravines which, on with the soils and vegetation connected some sides, are the river’s earthy mechanics to clasp the further water, forestall floods and supply situation for assorted species. “It is simply a natural, surviving integrated portion of a larger ecological system. The Vishwamitri River Action Plan should see demarcating, protecting, and restoring the river, and maintaining minimum situation travel successful a time-bound manner,” the greenish tribunal observed.

Stating that the full cognition should beryllium carried retired successful the beingness of section wood section officials and unit and nether method guidance, the SEAC said that the VMC indispensable guarantee that “wild animals are not injured”.

The SEAC has besides stated that, if the request arises, the crocodiles and Indian softshell turtles should beryllium safely rescued and released successful the Vishwamitri River successful coordination with the wood department. The Committee has besides opined that “suitable places volition beryllium kept connected the stream banks for specified taxon truthful that specified taxon tin laic and incubate their eggs….” The VMC has been asked to instrumentality measures suggested by the wood department, to forestall struggle betwixt and injuries to crocodiles and humans.

In the deliberations, the SEIAA chaired by erstwhile IAS serviceman H K Dash, who was main secretary, situation and forests successful the authorities government, said, “Municipal Corporation, Vadodara, shall hole a program for involving quantity of desilting, extent and its disposal and travel the sediment absorption issued by Ministry of Jal Shakti Department of Water Resources, River and Development Memorandum, on with a reappraisal by the Gujarat Pollution Control Board and Gujarat section of forest.”

The SEAC inspected the vehicles and machineries that volition beryllium utilized to behaviour the desilting and dredging enactment to guarantee that the machineries conform “to stipulated emanation norms arsenic per the CPCB standards” and are “well maintained to debar sound pollution”. The Committee has besides mentioned that h2o should beryllium sprinkled astatine the tract of conveyance question to “mitigate the particulate generated”.

The SEAC has besides stated that “excavated worldly generated from the re-sectioning, desilting and debris removal activities volition beryllium collected appropriately connected either broadside of the stream wherever non-productive authorities onshore is disposable and the aforesaid volition beryllium utilised for authorities intent successful ongoing authorities projects.”

When contacted, Prajapati told this paper that the biology activists, who had dragged the VMC to the NGT successful 2015, were “opposed to straightening of the stream and disturbance of meanders.” Prajapati said, “The absorption of the VMC should not beryllium to region the h2o from the metropolis but to support the h2o successful its ain country to halt the infiltration process. It is not to straighten the stream but to escaped up the earthy people of the river. The important question is astir the implementation of the NGT bid which requires removal of unauthorised construction. We are gladsome that the SEIAA has emphasised connected the NGT order, which, for the archetypal time, defined what a stream means and includes the ravines and wetlands…”

Urban Planner Neha Sarwate said that returning the onshore of the stream people is the lone mode to mitigate floods. Sarwate said, “You person to region debris – from tributaries and wetlands arsenic good to instrumentality the onshore of the river. Each stream has its earthy floodplain, which is occupied arsenic per rainy play oregon floods… It does not mean it is not portion of the stream successful seasons different than monsoon. Reconnecting the ponds and kaans and besides repair and restoration of upstream and downstream of Vadodara is needed. The civic assemblage besides needs to guarantee that untreated sewage is not dumped successful Vishwamitri.”

While VMC Commissioner Dilip Rana was unavailable for comment, officials of the VMC said that erstwhile the Environmental Clearance is received from SEIAA officially, the civic assemblage volition inaugurate the phase-I of the project, attempting to mitigate flood hazard successful the upcoming monsoon.