4 days Ago
Vadodara: A group of citizens including urban planners, architects, environmentalists, ecologists, activists and experts from various other fields, have demanded a concrete action plan for the Vishwamitri river. The group made a representation to B N Navalawala, chairman of the committee constituted by the state govt for mitigation of floods and waterlogging in the Vishwamitri, and the commissioner of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC). They demanded that sound action plans for proper remediation, restoration and future waste management be immediately devised and proactively implemented to ensure that Vadodara is not subjected to devastating floods as it was in Aug.
Implementation of the action plan must start from the higher parts of all sub-watersheds of the Vishwamitri and move downstream to lower parts till the Gulf of Khambhat, they demanded. The demand includes setting up a semi-statutory body, with legal authority and subject experts, establishing urban and ecological planning departments in Vadodara Urban Development Authority and VMC, and preparing detailed, legally, scientifically, technically and ethically correct action plans for restoring and conserving the river as a system to ensure its natural functioning round the year. The citizens also demanded accurate land surveys, digital elevation models and disaster mitigation plans by using landscape and ecosystem approaches right from the origin of the river, including villages and towns in the watershed.
"Cosmetic and ill-advised interventions implemented in a piecemeal manner only within VMC or VUDA limits will not solve problems arising from the current, inadequate way of developing the city, but will exacerbate them," the citizens warned. They also recommended that recycling and upcycling plants be set up to treat construction debris and other household waste and convert it to some usable form. "No new permissions for reconstruction or renovation of old buildings should be allowed till official permits and protocols for demolition are properly devised, as well as a fully operational recycling and upcycling plant is established," the representation states.
The representation states that any inadvertent decision taken by the committee will be considered as contempt of the orders of the Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal, which from time to time has issued directives regarding the restoration and conservation of the Vishwamitri..
