Hyderabad: Two days ahead of Earth Day, many notable environmentalists from the city contended that the scrapping of G.O. 111 was an undemocratic and autocratic act.
The government's move will aggravate the flood situation in the city and threaten the survival of the two reservoirs, they cautioned.
Stating that the state government was shirking away from its responsibility of protecting the lakes, Prof K. Purushotham Reddy, an expert in environmental policy and governance, termed that the GO’s scrapping was a violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974.
“Does the pollution control board (PCB) have a track record to support the government’s claims of preserving the water bodies?” he wanted to know. He stated that if the regulatory body had such a track record, Hussainsagar lake would have been cleaned up by now.
Dr B.V. Subba Rao, technical member, reservoirs and lakes, water domain, Bureau of Indian Standards, called the removal of the restrictions a terrible move.
“The city has a poor record in protecting lakes. I object to this undemocratic move.”
Questioning the efficiency of the sewerage treatment plants (STPs), Prof. Reddy asked whether the government could release a white paper on the functioning of the STPs.
