Satyanarayana flags coastal pollution, land encroachments in North Andhra

Jal Biradari national convener and Jana Sena Party (JSP) State general secretary (environment) Bolisetty Satyanarayana on Wednesday expressed concern over what he termed “environmental destruction and illegal land acquisitions” across the North Andhra region and alleged that authorities had failed to curb coastal pollution.

He stated that coastal contamination now falls under international legal frameworks, as India has become a signatory to the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) treaty.

Citing the discharge of untreated sewage into the sea at Lawson’s Bay, Satyanarayana said he had been pursuing the issue for the past 10 years. He alleged that though the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC) acknowledged the problem, no effective steps had been taken.

Blaming a staff shortage in the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB), he claimed that pharmaceutical and industrial waste was being dumped into the sea daily.

He also demanded immediate action to protect the Mudasarlova Reservoir, alleging large-scale encroachments, and sought a probe into alleged illegal land acquisitions linked to projects in the Vizianagaram district.