Green Update

सारस के संरक्षण हेतु एटलस हो रहा तैयार
आप अवगत हैं कि भारत देश मेगाडायवर्सिटी देश के रूप में जाना जाता है। यहाँँ जैवविविधता 45,500 वनस्पतियों तथा 91,000 जीवों के रूप में मौजूद है। ;छठ।च्.2008द्ध देश के वनों को जलवायु के आधार पर 5 मेजर ग्रुपों में तापमान के आधार पर इन ग्रुपों को 16 फाॅरेस्ट टाइप में एवं इन्हें लोकेशन, विशेष जलवायु कारकों एवं प्रजाति के आधार पर 202 सब-ग्रुपों तथा टाइप ग्रुपों में बाँटा गया है। देश में वानिकी का कृषि के पश्चात् दूसरा सबसे बड़ा भू-प्रयोग ;स्ंदक.न्ेमद्ध होता है।
मानव जीवन के स्वास्थ्य, आजीविका, प्रतिरोधक क्षमता एवं जीवन बनाए व बचाए रखने में जैवविविधता की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका के दृष्टिगत सम्पूर्ण विश्व जीवन के विविध रूपों को बनाए व बचाए रखने हेतु सतत् प्रयासरत है। स्थल व जल के नीचे भी जीवन के सभी रूपों को आधार देने वाली जैवविविधता के प्रति जागरूकता उत्पन्न करने के लिए संयुक्त राष्ट्रªà¤¸à¤‚घ द्वारा अन्तर्राष्ट्रीय जैवविविधता दिवस (22 मई, 2020) व विश्व पर्यावरण दिवस (5 जून, 2020) की विषयवस्तु क्रमशः प्रकृति में हमारी समस्याओं का समाधान है ;व्नत ैवसनजपवद ंतम पद छंजनतमद्ध एवं जैवविविधता निर्धारित की गई। उत्तर प्रदेश के राज्य पक्षी सारस के संरक्षण हेतु उत्तर प्रदेश वन विभाग द्वारा लखनऊ विश्वविद्यालय के सहयोग से सारस पक्षी पर एटलस तैयार कराया जा रहा है। इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ वाइल्ड लाइफ साइंस लखनऊ विश्वविद्यालय द्वारा सारस के रहने के स्थान, प्रजनन स्थलों एवं भोजन स्थलों को चिन्हित कर आंकड़े एकत्र व संकलित किए जाएंगे तथा इन्हें मानचित्र में दर्शाते हुए सारस एटलस तैयार किया जाएगा। सारस से संबंधित इन आंकड़ों का वैज्ञानिक अध्ययन हेतु वन विभाग के कर्मचारियों व अधिकारियों को सारस गणना का प्रशिक्षण दिया गया है तथा सारस एटलस तैयार करने का प्रथम चरण आज दिनांक 2 सितंबर 2020 से प्रारंभ हो गया है। उल्लेखनीय है कि सारस संरक्षण हेतु प्रदेश में वर्ष 2006 में सारस संरक्षण समिति का गठन किया गया तथा प्रतिवर्ष जून व दिसम्बर में इस समिति द्वारा सारस गणना करवाई जाती है।
हमारे प्रदेश में राज्य पक्षी सारस मुख्य रूप से पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश के इटावा मैनपुरी व शाहजहांपुर जनपदों में पाया जाता है तथा प्रथम चरण में प्रातः 6ः00 बजे से 8ः00 बजे तक एवं सायं काल डेढ़ घंटे इन क्षेत्रों में सारस गणना कार्य किया गया। गणना कार्य में सारस के निवास स्थान का अक्षांश और देशांतर सारस के बच्चे वह अंडों का अभिलेखीकरण एवं छायाचित्र लिया गया। सारस गणना का द्वितीय व तृतीय चरण माह दिसंबर व अगले वर्ष जून में किया जाएगा। सारस गणना व सारस एटलस तैयार करने में जंतु विज्ञान विभाग लखनऊ विश्वविद्यालय की प्रोफेसर अमिता कनौजिया द्वारा सक्रीय सहयोग दिया जा रहा है। प्रोफेसर अमिता कनौजिया इंस्टिट्यूट ऑफ वाइल्ड लाइफ साइंसेज लखनऊ विश्वविद्यालय0 की समन्वयक भी हैं।

Green Panel questions Environment Ministry

The National Green Tribunal has rapped the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) over compliance of conditions mentioned in environmental clearances granted for projects, saying the mechanism for monitoring environmental norms is inadequate. The green panel said compliance of conditions of environmental clearance must be monitored on periodical basis, at least once in a quarter. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice AK Goel said there was poor monitoring and there are huge gaps in laying down of conditions and its enforcement. It asked the Environment Ministry to review and strengthen the mechanism for the purpose. The tribunal took note of an affidavit filed by the ministry which mentioned that there are certain proposals to strengthen the monitoring mechanism. The NGT said it only showed insensitivity to the vital constitutional obligation despite repeated directions. “Repeated plea of merely having such proposals, without effective enforcement on the ground can hardly be held to be satisfactory. Counsel for the MoEF states that there have been further meaningful steps, after filing of the affidavit but the same could not brought on record. We cannot accept such a statement. If steps have been actually taken, we fail to understand why the same could not be produced at least during the hearing. We record our dissatisfaction at the attitude of the MoEF on the subject,” the bench said. It directed the ministry to take effective steps to discharge its constitutional obligation to advance ‘Precautionary’ and ‘Sustainable Development’ principles and also the ‘Public Trust Doctrine’. “We need not repeat the observations with regard to the acknowledged deficiencies in the existing mechanism which urgently needs to be remedied. Let affidavit of compliance be filed before the next date by e-mail,” the bench said. The matter is listed for hearing on December 17. The directions came when the green panel was hearing a plea moved by petitioner Sandeep Mittal seeking stricter mechanisms to ensure compliance of conditions mentioned in environmental clearances granted for projects. Laying down conditions for EC based on appraisal is not enough unless compliance thereof is duly monitored and ensured with a view to achieve the said object, the plea said

Fire destroys 46 green lands in Uttarakhand

Amid the raging corona virus cases and locusts infestation across the nation, Uttarakhand was hit by yet another environmental disaster - the forest fire. The heatwave and dry spell across North India have reached the Himalayan forests of Uttarakhand and gutted acres of the green cover in a four-day-long fire recently. Firefighters tried to contain the flames while also being careful that the frontline workers or locals were not endangered as the state recently witnessed a rise in COVID-19 cases. According to reports, at least 46 forest fires have been raging in the state over the span of four days. Pictures and videos have been widely circulated on social media platforms. The state authorities are constantly making efforts to mitigate damages done by the fire.

Environmental compensation for sand mining

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on August 17, 2020, directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to file a report on the methodology decided for fixing environmental compensation in the matter of illegal sand mining. The committee had been asked to undertake scenario analysis and file its report within one month. The NGT order came in the wake of the CPCB report filed on January 30. The report considered two approaches for fixing environmental compensation. The Amicus had submitted that the method for determining compensation suggested was complex and missed the present ecological value. Choice of discount rates had further complexity. Direct compensation approach method was preferable, but needed to be modified. The NGT directed that the above suggestion should be looked into by the committee and thereafter the scale of compensation be finalised.

Dipka open cast coal mines

A brief summary of arguments was filed on behalf of Laxmi Chouhan before the NGT, explaining the reason for challenging the Environmental Clearance given for the expansion of Dipka Open Cast Coal Mines from 31 to 35 million tonnes per annum in Chhattisgarh. The EC was granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on February 20, 2018, to the South Eastern Coalfields Ltd for the expansion. It was said that the grant of environmental clearance by the MoEF&CC was illegal, improper and irregular. It was the duty of the Expert Appraisal Committee to undertake a detailed scrutiny of the environment impact assessment (EIA) report and other documents, including public hearing proceedings, before grant of EC. The EAC permitted the expansion to take place without the mandatory public hearing. Even though the provision of the EIA Notification was mandatory, it was ignored by the EAC while allowing the expansion. The project had undertaken mining in 409 hectares of forest land in violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, the report added.

Environment mgmt plan for Puri

Special attention should be given to the preparation of the environment management plan for Puri, Odisha, and it should be completed expeditiously and, as far as it may be practicable, within one year. The committee entrusted with the task should ensure that all the steps indicated in the status report be completed without fail in terms of the timeline stated. These were some of the directions passed by the bench of Justice Sonam Phintso Wangdi of the NGT in the original application filed by environmentalist Subhas Datta. The case related to construction of sewage treatment plant, laying of sewage line and improvement of the cremation ground in Puri as well as removal of sheds and unauthorised and illegal structures raised in the coastal regulation zone area.

Petrol pump in residential area

An application on the setting up of a petrol pump in Dehradun in violation of sitting guidelines was heard by the NGT on August 17. The district magistrate had allegedly ignored the guidelines and issued the no objection certificate. The NGT directed the constitution of a joint committee, comprising the Uttarakhand Environment Protection & Pollution Control Board; district magistrate, Dehradun; and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Uttarakhand. The committee has to furnish a factual and action taken report in the matter within two months.-TTN