Trust seeks Central funds to conserve Gundlakamma river

The Hindu Dharma Parirakshana Trust (HDPT) has requested the Central government to provide financial support to conserve the Gundlakamma river through the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP). The trust plans a 280-kilometer afforestation programme along both banks of the river, an anti-encroachment drive, and a boundary survey to rejuvenate the river.

HDPT Chairman and former IAS officer Dasari Srinivasulu explained that the organization has undertaken the "Gundlakamma Harithaharam," a massive tree planting drive aimed at safeguarding the local ecosystem by planting native species from the river's origin at Gundla Brahmeshwaram to its confluence with the sea at Gundayapalem. This initiative is similar to the Union government's Namami Gange Programme, launched in 2014 for the Ganga's rejuvenation.

Srinivasulu emphasized the importance of conserving the Gundlakamma river, which is a lifeline for millions in the backward districts of Nandyal, Palnadu, and Markapuram and provides drinking water to people living in fluoride-prone areas. In a letter to Union Jal Shakti Minister Chandrakant Raghunath Patil, the trust's state coordinator and project in-charge, Sandireddy Kondala Rao, highlighted that the river serves as the primary source of irrigation for vast acres and stressed the need for financial assistance to fully revive the river.

Apart from river conservation, the trust aims to promote ecological protection through awareness programs focused on tree plantation, instilling environmental consciousness among the youth, students, and general public.