"Environment"
includes water, air and land and the inter- relationship which exists among and
between water, air and land, and human beings, other living creatures, plants,
micro-organism and property.
India
participated in the United Nations Conference on Human Environment held at
Stockholm in 1972.
Post
Bhopal gas tragedy the tragedy the Government of India enacted the Environment
(Protection) Act, 1986. The legislation gave the Central government the power
to demarcate Ecologically Sensitive Zones.
Gadgil
Report:
The WGEEP
was constituted in March 2010 and it submitted its report in March 2011. The report
suggested that all of the Western Ghats region should fall under the category
of Ecologically Sensitive Zone and demarcated the region in three categories:
ESZ1, ESZ2 and ESZ3. The panel prepared a Western Ghats Database (spatially-referenced database) and made
it public through a website portal. Factors like biological attributes,
biodiversity, habitat richness, productivity, hazard vulnerability, stakeholder
valuation among others, were considered while deciding the sensitivity of any
zone.
The WGEEP
claims to have incorporated the voices of local people apart from the
scientific considerations to bring about a much deeper understanding about the
related issues.
The report
suggests keeping 75% of the area under forests.
As per the report: “WGEEP advocates a graded or
layered approach, with regulatory as well as promotional measures appropriately
fine-tuned to local ecological and social contexts within the broad framework
of
(1) Regions of highest sensitivity or Ecologically
Sensitive Zone 1 (ESZ1),
(2) Regions of high sensitivity or ESZ2, and the
(3) Regions of moderate sensitivity or ESZ3.
While we advocate this fine-tuning through a
participatory process going down to gram sabhas, it is appropriate to provide a
broad set of guidelines as a starting point. WGEEP has attempted to arrive at
such a set of broad guide-lines for the various sectors on the basis of
extensive consultations with officials, experts, civil society groups and
citizens at large.”
Summary of recommendations:
- The report disallows introduction of GM crops in the Western Ghats region.
- Areas comprising water courses, water bodies, special habitats, geological formations, biodiversity rich areas, and sacred groves will be no-go areas for settlement and development.
- SEZs not to be permitted.
- Public land not to be converted to private land.
- There to be a decentralized water resources management plans at Local Self Government level.
- Disallows Inter-basin diversions of rivers in the Western Ghats.
- The report suggests technology up-gradation and public awareness programme for water conservation.
- Promotion of organic agricultural practices.
- Calls for promotion of perennial crops.
- Phasing out of chemical pesticides. Chemical subsidies to be redeployed to animal husbandry maintenance.
- Suggests implementation of the Forest Rights Act in true spirit.
- Ban on dynamite use.
- Discourages monoculture plantation of exotic species. Encourages plantation of endemic species.
- Suggests introduction of “conservation service charges” for biodiversity management and maintenance of natural resources.
- Prohibits issuance of new mining licences and suggests that in ESZ3 new licences can be given only if the ores are not available in other areas of the country. Asks for ban on illegal mining and calls for social audit.
- Suggests to bring sand quarrying under strict regulations in ESZ3 and banning it altogether in ESZ1 and 2.
- Educate the energy consumer about the environmental and social impacts of energy production and the need for reducing ‚luxury‛ demand.
- Promote decentralized electricity, use of solar power.
- No new thermal power plants in ESZ1. No new railways and roads in ESZ 1 and 2 unless extremely essential.
- Promotion of minimal impact tourism under strict regulations.
- Cumulative impact assessment for all new projects such as dams, mines, tourism, and housing, that impact upon water resources should be conducted and permission given only if they fall within the carrying capacity.
- Focus should be on perfecting green technology.
- Educating the children and youth about the local environmental challenges.
- Build on the Western Ghats database of WGEEP to create an open, transparent, participatory system of environmental monitoring involving all citizens, in particular the student community.
The panel suggests creating a
WGEA (an Apex multi-statal authority for
regulation, management and planning of all activities impacting all categories
of ecologically sensitive zones within the states of the Western Ghats namely
Gujarat, Goa, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and shall be
constituted under the relevant provisions of the Environment Protection Act,
1986.):
The Western Ghats Ecology
Authority (WGEA) should be a statutory authority appointed by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India, enjoying powers under Section 3
of the Environment (Protection) Act 1986. The
State Western Ghats Ecology Authorities should interact closely with the State
Biodiversity Boards and Pollution Control Boards, as well as State Planning
Departments administering the Western Ghats Development Programmes funded through
Five Year Plans by the Planning Commission.
WGEA should focus on promoting
transparency, openness and participation in every way.
WGEA should lead a radical
reform of the Environmental Impact Analysis and Clearance process.
WGEA should strive to make a
transition from regulations and negative incentives to promote nature
conservation-oriented activities to a system of use of positive incentives to
encourage continued conservation-oriented action in the context of traditional
practices such as sacred groves and to initiate other action in modern
contexts.
The Authority shall be a
statutory authority whose recommendations are ordinarily binding.
The
WGEA shall function in accordance with the mandate of the Environment Protection
Act, 1986 and other environmental laws such as Wildlife Protection Act, 1972,
Forest Conservation Act,1980 and Rules and Guidelines issued thereunder, the
various Rules and notifications issued under the EPA, the Biodiversity Act,
2002, the Air Act,1981 Water Act, 1974 and also the Forest Rights Act, 2006 and
the Provisions of Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act.
Useful Links:
Gadgil Report:
http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/wg-23052012.pdf
The Environment Protection Act, 1986
http://www.moef.nic.in/sites/default/files/eprotect_act_1986.pdf
The Hindu News links:
The Hindu News links:
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