HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh could have lost an alarming 281 square kilometer of forest cover (State of Forests Report- 2011) in just a few years and its capital city could be consuming 'C' grade water (as per Central Pollution Control Board) that's not fit for drinking unless treated extensively. Yet, the Planning Commission of India has concluded that AP's environment is among the best kept in the country and its drinking water quality better than most other states in India. In fact, AP is ranked No 2 on the commission's Environment Performance Index (EPI)-2012 compiled last month. The top slot is bagged by Himachal Pradesh.
As stated in the survey report, conducted across all 28 states and seven union territories, the EPI is an indication of the "environmental well-being of a state". The rankings, the report added, have been decided based on five broad parameters: air pollution, forests, water quality, waste management and climate change. "All these categories carry a net score of 1. The closer a state gets to this mark, the better is its environmental conditions," explained B S S Prasad, special secretary to government (environment). In the case of AP, these scores range between 0.4 and 0.9.
Interestingly, the state has bagged the highest mark in the 'air quality performance' category with a near-perfect score of 0.94. It is AP's water that, however, seems to be among the best in the country, according to the Planning Commission. The heaps of sewerage and industrial effluents in its water sources notwithstanding, the state has bagged the fourth rank in this category. It's average 'surface water quality' score is also an impressive 0.74.
While AP's 'forest management' and 'climate change initiative' rankings are a relatively poor 10 and 14 respectively, they have not impacted its overall rank. "This is because the states that precede AP in these two categories are way down the ladder in the other segments," said Prasad insisting that, contrary to popular perception, AP's environment is healthy and well maintained. As a case in point he said how the industrial zones of Pantancheru, Jeedimetla and even Visakhapatnam have now been removed from the list of 'critically polluted areas' by the central ministry of environment and forests.
While such assurances or fetes fail to cheer residents of the state, it clearly gives the government a reason to smile. This, as AP (because of its high ranking) now stands a better chance of winning itself a larger share of the Rs 1.4 lakh crore approved by the commission for use by states in India. Over and above this, the state is also likely to receive a grant of Rs 182 crore from the government of India, under its environmental scheme, to spruce up its historically polluted sites. The Noor Mahmad kunta (Hyderabad) and the municipal solid waste site (Kadapa) are among them.
