Digging near Erra Matti Dibbalu draws widespread criticism

Viral photos and videos show destruction near Erra Matti Dibbalu, a protected geo-heritage site, sparking environmental concerns.

The levelling of large tracts of land close to the Erra Matti Dibbalu, the national geo-heritage site, located on the Visakhapatnam-Bheemunipatnam Beach Road, has led to the posting of photographs and videos which are going viral on social media and drawing widespread condemnation on the possible damage to the ecologically sensitive red sand dunes.

The Erra Matti Dibbalu was declared as a geo-heritage site in 2014 by the Geological Survey of India for its unique representation of geological history of our planet spanning over millions of years. In spite of it being listed as a protected site by the Andhra Pradesh government in 2016, unregulated constructions and tourism have left it vulnerable.

Joining in support of the recent incident when citizens raised voices against their destruction by rampant sand mining, noted environmentalist Satyanarayana Bolisetti, took to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) and bring the issue to the notice of Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, who holds the portfolio of Environment, and sought immediate action to prevent further damage.

He noted that Erra Matti Dibbalu was one of the 29 rare geological treasures of the nation. There are just two such red sand dune sites in the country. The second one is at Peri in Tamil Nadu.

Retired IAS officer E.A.S. Sarma in a mail to the State Minister of Tourism, Culture and Cinematography Kandula Durgesh, noted that it was a Constitutional obligation on the part of the State, under Article 49, to protect natural and cultural heritage monuments and sites of geological importance.

“The site in question was granted to the Bhimili Mutually Aided Cooperative Society decades ago. Permission for taking up construction was given by the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA) in April 2023. This falls outside the protected geo heritage site. We have, however, directed those involved in levelling of the ground, on the directions of the District Collector,” Bheemunipatnam MRO Govind told The Hindu when contacted on Tuesday