Experts warn of rising pollution, call for public action

Retired Supreme Court Justice V. Gopala Gowda has expressed deep concern over the rising levels of air and water pollution across the country and the growing political interference in statutory bodies such as the Pollution Control Boards (PCBs). He appealed to citizens to remain alert and actively participate in safeguarding environmental resources.

Addressing the media alongside water conservationist Rajendra Singh and social activist Bolisetty Satyanarayana on Tuesday, Justice Gowda underscored the need to protect rivers, forests, and other natural ecosystems to uphold human rights. He cautioned that untreated industrial effluents were being indiscriminately discharged into the sea, contaminating water sources, endangering fishermen’s livelihoods, and contributing to serious health issues, including cancer.

“Courts and governments are taking steps, but public cooperation is indispensable,” he said, lamenting that despite crores of rupees spent on cleaning the Ganga, pollution persists, and many other rivers face similar degradation. He further pointed out that several State governments have failed to appoint PCB chairpersons in accordance with court directives.

Rajendra Singh attributed the failure of pollution control measures to widespread corruption and called for an immediate end to the reckless exploitation of natural resources. Sharing his five-decade-long experience of reviving 23 rivers, he stressed that harmony between nature and culture was vital for building a healthy nation. He also criticised industrialists for violating environmental norms and remarked that the Environment Ministry, under Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, had shown little tangible progress.

Bolisetty Satyanarayana, commemorating his late wife Nagamani, vowed to intensify his environmental campaigns with renewed resolve.