Kolleru Sanctuary: 20K-acre reduction proposed amid aquaculture pressure

KOlleru lake, a wildlife sanctuary and wetland ecosystem set betwixt Krishna and Godavari delta regions, is potential to be shrunk by 20,000 acres below the pressure level of the people and aquaculture farmers who had been occupying the land for over several years, people familiar with the development said.On April 18, principal secretary (forest department) Kantilal Dande wrote to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Union ministry of environment and forests requesting permission for rationalisation of the boundaries of Kolleru wildlife sanctuary by nearly 20,000 acres.Dande pointed out that the 48th meeting of the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) held on March 27, 2018 also recommended to the CEC to alter the boundaries of Kolleru wildlife sanctuary.“However, the CEC in its communication to the state government on July 25, 2018, had directed that no further action be taken on the recommendation of reducing the boundaries of the Kolleru lake,” he pointed out.People familiar with the matter said on January 16, 2025, a Supreme Court bench, comprising justice BR Gavai, justice Augustine George Masih and justice K Vinod Chandran directed the state government to submit a detailed status report on the status of encroachments in the Kolleru lake, a notified wildlife sanctuary.Acting on public interest litigation filed by environmentalist K Mruthyunjaya Rao, the Supreme Court had asked the government to explain the steps being taken to remove the encroachments, particularly aquaculture ponds and measures to ensure that no further encroachments take place in the lake, and protect the wildlife sanctuary from further damage.The Kolleru lake management authority, headed by chief secretary of the state government, held a meeting on December 19, 2025, and observed any attempt to fix the boundaries by removing the present encroachments might cause law-and-order problems due to stiff opposition from the local public.In his letter to the CEC, Dande pointed out that the Kolleru lake management authority met again on February 8, 2026, and suggested that the state government implement the SC-NBWL recommendations relating to reducing the boundaries of Kolleru wildlife sanctuary by 20,000 acres.The state cabinet, in its meeting held on February 24, 2026, too, adopted a resolution in this regard and approach the CEC to lift its restrictions imposed in 2018 and grant its approval for changing the boundaries of Kolleru lake, Dande said, adding the state government would also submit its report to the Supreme Court accordingly.Removing encroachment is easier said than doneAccording to official records, Kolleru lake is spread across 901 square km encompassing erstwhile combined districts of West Godavari, East Godavari and Krishna districts, covering 2.25 lakh acres at +10 contour level (10 feet above sea level), which is the identified wetland. It serves as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for these two rivers.The lake is fed directly by water from the seasonal Budameru and Tammileru streams, and is connected to the Krishna and Godavari systems by over 68 inflowing drains and channels.The lake was notified as a wildlife sanctuary in November 1999 under India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and designated a wetland of international importance in November 2002 under the international Ramsar Convention of Wetlands, 1971, as it is home to several vulnerable species and a variety of over 220 varieties of birds, including nearly 100 species migrating from the Palearctic region.Environmentalist Mruthyunjaya Rao pointed out that Kolleru lake, India’s largest freshwater lake ecosystem, has been under severe threat due to large scale encroachment of the lake by aquaculture ponds, thereby putting the flora and fauna of the sanctuary in danger.“According to the forest department officials, nearly 15,000 acres of wetland has been converted into illegal aqua ponds within the Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary by 2021. The aqua ponds have extended to not less than 50-60% of the sanctuary,” Rao said.Following mushrooming of aquaculture tanks, besides unauthorised agriculture in the command area of Kolleru lake and largescale fishermen colonies coming up in the area, the state government fixed the boundaries of the lake at +5 contour, covering an area of 308 sq km, which is about 0.77 lakh acres.Challenging this, environmentalists moved the court in 2001 to prevent further destruction of lake. In 2006, the Andhra Pradesh government executed ‘Operation Kolleru’ as per the directives of the Supreme Court and demolished 1,776 aqua ponds spread over 43,000 acres within the Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS).In 2009, the then government passed a resolution in the assembly recommending the UPA government reduce the Kolleru lake boundaries from +5 contour to +3 contour, thereby seeking to reduce the area of the lake further.According to retired IAS officer and environmentalist E A S Sarma, in the last 15 years, encroachments of Kolleru lake continue to take place and no steps were taken to remove them.“The removal of encroachments is easier said than done for the state government, as it is not only an issue of protecting the livelihood of thousands of fishermen, but also a big political issue,” another environmentalist Bolisetty Satyanarayana said.He said Satyanarayana said the state government was merely reiterating an old proposal that has been in circulation since 2018. “It appears even the national board for wildlife are aimed at protecting wildlife or serving the business interests of fish pond operators in the region,” he said.