Although it is indeed a far stretch from India to the Santa Fe River (this ceded to our critics,) this story is not far from our mission of protecting the river and our aquifer.

Additionally, it provides us with some much-needed inspiration for those working in the  State of Florida where the environmental laws are almost always interpreted favorably for industry instead of the environment.

It is refreshing to see that there are pinpoints of fairness and justice in the world, even if not here in the environmentally depressed State of lobbyist-ruled Florida.

Read the original story and see the video here at this link at bbc.com news.

Comments by OSFR historian Jim Tatum.
jim.tatum@oursantaferiver.org
– A river is like a life: once taken,
it cannot be brought back © Jim Tatum

Authorities in southern India have demolished two luxury lakeside apartment complexes that were built in violation of environmental rules.

Residents of the high-rises in the state of Kerala watched as their homes and investments imploded in seconds.

The Supreme Court ordered the demolition last year, after a committee found that they were built in breach of rules protecting coastal areas.

Two more skyscrapers were set to be razed on Sunday.

In total, some 343 flats – home to about 2,000 people – were expected to be destroyed over the weekend in what has been described as one of India’s largest demolition drives involving residential buildings.

The H2O Holy Faith complex, containing 90 flats, was the first to be brought down on Saturday. It took just seconds for the 19-floor building to be destroyed in a controlled implosion.

The twin towers of Alfa Serene were next.

….

How did we get here?

The Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority (KCZMA), which was created to prevent degradation of coastal and marine areas, says permission for the buildings to be constructed was given by local officials without its approval.

The KCZMA said the location of the apartment complexes, in the municipality of Maradu, was a critically vulnerable area where no new construction was allowed.

….

But in May, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of KCZMA and ordered the demolition of the buildings, although officials had never sought it.

The court said builders were in breach of construction rules and called illegal construction in the area a “colossal loss” to the environment.

It also referred to the devastating floods in Kerala in 2018 and said they were the result of “the entire environment being degraded and coastal zones being illegally occupied”.

Following the top court ruling, some residents initially refused to leave. But officials cut water and electricity supplies to the buildings, leaving them with no choice but to go.

The state government has been ordered to pay “interim compensation” of about $35,000 (£27,000) to affected residents, according to local media reports.