Devpt of inland waterways as alternative transport lacks proper planning: Expert

Pune: The Centre’s decision to develop inland waterways as alternative means for transport has not been planned properly keeping in mind the ecological impact on the rivers and the fishing communities, said Shripad Dharmadhikary, founder of a water police NGO Manthan Adhyayan Kendra.

He said this at a seminar — ‘Interface between environmental protection and development of transport infrastructure: Issues and challenges’ — at ILS Law College under its ILS Legal Aid Centre and ILS Hariyali: The Environment Law Cell.

Dharmadhikary said under the National Waterways Act passed by the Centre in 2016, 111 river stretches were declared ‘national waterways’. “It was launched in a systematic way and involved rivers passing through 24 states and two union territories,” he said.

Last year, Dharmadhikary said, there were talks that the Mula-Mutha would be included in the Act. “There were talks that the Centre would amend the legislation for this. It has not happened so far, maybe because they are not sure how it will work with the riverfront development project,” he said, adding the project was not feasible.

“The main reason is that the Mula-Mutha does not have enough water for this. Unless you release water from upstream dams, which is basically the city’s drinking water supply, one can’t do it. Creating the correct stagnant water-level, which is ideal for vessels to navigate will be tough,” he said.