Kerala - Kochi   

Steps to protect rivers sought

By Our Staff Reporter

KOCHI, DEC. 23. The All Kerala River Protection Council today urged the Chief Minister, Oommen Chandy, to enact a legislation to constitute a State-level river authority and river boards for each river for their protection.

At a press conference, P.S. Gopinathan Nair, president of the Council, and other office-bearers said that a draft legislation had been submitted to the Chief Minister and the Minister for Water Resources, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.

The Government is the trustee of the rivers and other water sources, they said. Rivers should be protected to ensure uninterrupted availability of fresh water.

According to them, the existing legislations were inadequate or had failed to protect Kerala's river ecology.

Therefore, a legislation, named Kerala River Protection and Water Conservation Act, is essential to ensure protection of rivers.

Proposals

The draft legislation proposed by them has taken into account the following factors: meeting the basic human needs of present and future generations; promoting equitable access to water; promoting the efficient, sustainable and beneficial use of water in public interest; protecting aquatic and associated eco-systems and their biological diversity; reducing and preventing pollution and degradation of water resources; promoting dam safety and ensuring adequate minimum flow of water in all the State's rivers.

River authority

The legislation seeks to constitute a State-level river authority headed by a retired High Court judge and river boards headed by a district judge.

The river authority could take steps for protecting and improving the river systems and quality of water in the water bodies.

The board should have the power to issue special orders banning sand extraction from rivers at any `kadavu' and stoppage of construction on riverbanks, they added.

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