The Hindu Business Line : Ecologists concerned at move for refinery, SEZ in Kakinada

THE Centre for Environment here has expressed concern over the ecological implications of the proposal of the State Government to set up a special economic zone and refinery in the vicinity of Kakinada port and urged the Government to reconsider the decision.

Dr T. Patanjali Sastry, the Director of the Centre, said in an interview that the farmers in the area were opposing the proposal as they would have to part with valuable farmlands and different political parties, and leaders, were taking different stands, but in the controversy crucial ecological issues were being ignored.

He said it was unfortunate that of late the Union Government had relaxed the coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) norms and was allowing such projects on the coast, without taking into account the likely damage to the fragile coastal environs.

Referring to the refinery proposal, he said the ONGC intended to set up a modern one producing diesel, petrol and aviation fuel and no doubt steps would be taken to reduce pollution in transporting the crude from the ships to the refinery. Still, some amount of pollution was inevitable and the fragile marine eco system would be damaged.

He said the town was almost at the sea level, or a little below, and the Hope Island - a sand spit formed in the Bay of Bengal - was protecting the town. "No scientific study has been conducted on how the Hope Island and the surrounding areas will be affected once the projects come up and it is hasty to go ahead with them," he said.

He urged the State Government to "not to yield to the pressures exerted by the ONGC and shift the refinery to Thondangi mandal, even it means laying pipelines to transport the crude and increase in the cost of the project."

He suggested that the proposed SEZ be shifted to Peddapuram on the Kakinada-Rajahmundry route and there was no need to set it up close to the port. "It is still not clear what sort of industries will come up in the SEZ. No detailed environmental studies have been carried out," he complained.

He appealed to the State Government to reconsider the decision.

Dr T. Rajyalakshmi, the former director of the Central Institute for Brackish Water Aquaculture, said the Kakinada bay was a shallow one and not at all suitable for the kind of activities being taken up. "The site of an industry is important and ecological, not political, considerations should prevail. But unfortunately the issue is being politicised and no objective studies have been conducted," she said.

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