The Human Rights Forum (HRF) demands an immediate halt and systemic review of the UDAN Water Aerodrome programme in Andhra Pradesh. A review of Draft Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports for projects at Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada and Kakinada Bay reveals a dangerous pattern of “assembly-line” reporting by the consultant, M/s Enviro Resources, which recycled flawed templates across two vastly different ecological zones.
While we have previously highlighted the errors and the slop in the draft EIA pertaining to Vijayawada project, here we are listing out a few factual inaccuracies and errors in the draft EIA pertaining to the Kakinada Project.
- Geography: Describes the East Coast port of Kakinada as being on the “west coast of India.”
- Infrastructure: Claims a “barrage” and “dam” exist at the Kakinada site (imported text from the Vijayawada EIA) and promises they will solve freshwater needs.
- Topography: Describes the flat coastal delta as having “rolling topography” and “canopy trees” rising to 40 meters, language clearly meant for a hill-station EIA.
- Safety: Confuses latitudes with longitudes and provides contradictory locations, placing hazardous operations just 0.28 km from the Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.
The EIA also dismisses the risk of bird strikes as “Very Low”, despite the site being a mere 1.24 km from the Coringa Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, which is home to 272 bird species, including the endangered Indian Skimmer. In a blatant attempt to minimise impact, the report claims the sanctuary is “15–20 km away” in one chapter, despite correctly identifying it as 1.24 km away in another.
HRF expresses deep concern over the Andhra Pradesh Airports Development Corporation Ltd. (APADCL) and its role as the project proponent. By releasing these “template-driven” documents for public comment, the proponent has demonstrated a careless disregard for the integrity of the statutory consultation process. This attempt to fulfill regulatory requirements with “rubber-stamped” data treats public safety and environmental protection as mere administrative hurdles rather than serious responsibilities.
Demands:
- Immediate Withdrawal of both the Prakasam Barrage and Kakinada Bay Draft EIAs.
- A Program-Level Review of all the proposed UDAN Water Aerodromes in the state by an independent committee of hydrologists, aviation safety specialists, and ornithologists.
- Site-Specific Risk Assessments, including a quantitative bird-strike analysis for Kakinada and a 100- year flood analysis for Prakasam Barrage.
- Genuine Alternatives Assessment that evaluates safety, ecology, and cost across different waterbodies, rather than token sites within 100 meters of the current proposal.
- Keeping in mind the closure of the aerodrome at Sardar Sarovar, the need and social purpose of the proposed projects need a genuine review.
Y. Rajesh (HRF Andhra Pradesh State General Secretary)
G. Rohith (HRF Andhra Pradesh State Secretary)
05.05.2026,
Vijayawada.