Shale gas exploration endangers delta regions, fears CPI

- Left party leader asks the people to join crusade against Shale gas exploration
- Eco system consisting of water, air land and resources could be up for a greater peril, warned environmentalists

Bhimavaram: The CPI’s State council joint secretary J V Satyanarayana Murthy called upon the people to join fight against the exploration of shale gas in the Krishna and Godavari delta basins in the State.

Delivering a keynote address at the Krishna, West and East Godavari district level meeting on ‘Shale Gas exploration’ in Godavari, Krishna Delta basins held at Cloth Merchants Association building in Bhimavaram on Sunday, Satyanarayana Murthy expressed his concern over the oil exploration activity taken up by oil companies in the Godavari and Krishna delta regions.

Any further continuance of oil exploration activities will pollute the delta region and it will have dangerous effects on Khammam, Bhadrachalam, Rampachodavaram and other upland areas of the delta region too, he observed. He called on the people to agitate against the shale gas exploitation. The governments are ignoring the threat shale gas poses to the delta region. Instead, the governments are backing the plans of the oil exploration moves, Satynarayana said.

He pointed that shale gas exploration has already been banned even in the US and other countries, whereas this this is being allowed in India.

He called on the people to be united in fighting against plans to extract shale gas. He declared that the CPI would launch agitation until the governments at the Centre and in the State withdraw their support to the the exploration of shale gas.

Prof. Babu Rao Kalapala, environmentalist, who spoke at the seminar, said:“Exploration of shale gas will assume dangerous levels by 2022. By virtue of the activity, earthquakes occurred in many countries. The assessment report submitted in this regard by ONGC is not a comprehensive one,” he observed.

“Shale gas reserves will dry up within seven to eight years. Later, the delta region will soon become a cemetery and air, drinking water and lands will become poisonous,” he warned.

Prof. Babu Rao Kalapala pointed out that in Texas and California in the US, due to shale gas exctraction, drinking water became poisonous. Gases generated in the process have the capability to wreac havoc on the ozone layer. Further, it results in global warming too, he said.

Waste generated by shale gas exploitation will damage steel and concrete too, he observed. Presently, there is no technology to treat the effluents released by shale gas extraction and human health will be in danger, he added.

Expressing concerns over shale gas exploration activity, Marla Vijayakumar, national secretary of Progressive Forum said that each well dug for extraction of shale gas needs three crore gallons of drinking water which can quench the thirst of two lakh people.

In the face of existing threat posed by shale gas, the delta region may not get sufficient drinking water in future. Emission of dangerous gases like methane, sulphuric, nitric and higher radiation levels could result in irreparable damage to the delta region, he noted. Each well that is dug for gas exploration will turn villages into deathbeds.

CPI State disciplinary committee chairman Nekkanti Subba Rao, Rythu Sangham district president, Krishna district joint secretary Narla Venkateswara Rao, East Godavari leader K Sattibabu, Manava Hakkula Vedika East Godavari committee secretary Mutyala Srinivas and others spoke at the seminar expressing concerns over the dangers posed by shale gas.

CPI town secretary M Sitaram Prasad, joint secretary Mallula Srinivas, leaders B Trimurthulu, Aula Ramu, Kadali Mrityunjayudu and others participated in the seminar. Dega Prabhakar, secretary, CPI West Godavari council presided over the seminar.