[Source: Ministry of Waterways]

16 creeks will be undergoing emergency de-silting by the Ministry of Waterways.

Minister, Dr Mahendra Reddy says the de-silting will be carried out by companies through a partnership with the Ministry.

Dr Reddy says under the emergency de-silting programme, there are a lot of rivers to work on and the 16 creeks are just the beginning.

“We pick up the cost of EIA, we get all the fishing rights waiver, we do everything through the Ministry of lands. Everything is done with proper paperwork so that no one can say that there is an issue.”

Reddy says talk of de-silting or dredging often cover big rivers, however, there are other creeks and waterways which threaten roads, farms, villages and settlements.

The Minister says for this reason the focus has now shifted to these so-called second-degree waterways.