NGT cancels illegal salt pans in Sambhar Lake

Good news for Sambhar Salt Lake

The National Green Tribunal has ordered the Rajasthan government to cancel the allotments of salt pans in Sambhar salt lake that fall within the wetland. Along with this, the state wetland authority has also been directed to review the allotments made so far and submit the compliance report within six months. As per the claims, the illegal business of brine extraction at Sambhar lake has led to overexploitation of water resources in the area. 

Odisha takes tough stand against Chhattisgarh

Odisha has sought an injunction from the Supreme Court against the Chhattisgarh government over the ongoing construction works on the Mahanadi river. As per the claims of the former, the Chhattisgarh government has unilaterally taken up construction projects on the river that would lead to socio-economic and ecological hazard to Odisha and its inhabitants. Along with this, Odisha has also urged for the constitution of an inter-state tribunal to resolve the water dispute between the two states.

Maharashtra to take up cleaning of Ulhas river

The Maharashtra government has informed the National Green Tribunal that it will take up the cleaning of the Ulhas river under the Amrut scheme. For this, the state has also constituted a committee that has created a timeline for the municipal corporations for providing and commissioning the sewage treatment plants. Along with this, there are also plans for laying down of sewage disposal line that is estimated to get completed in three years.

UP’s approach towards Ganga clean-up useless: NGT

The National Green Tribunal has criticised the approach of the Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam towards the Centre’s Ganga Action Plan. It has even called the attitude of the authority as the best example of uselessness. Earlier this year, Jal Nigam, along with the state government was reprimanded for not providing sufficient potable, clean and drinking water to the western part of the state.

Plan to update India’s forest policy gets postponed

The environment ministry has indefinitely postponed its plan to update India’s forest policy and has also decided to abstain from committing to a timeframe for bringing a third of India’s land under forest or tree cover. The policy was being relooked for the first time since 1988 with an aim to increase the country’s forest cover and tackle the effects of climate change. A draft national policy was also prepared and made available on the ministries website which, however, got rejected in June.  

This is a roundup of important policy matters from December 4 - 12, 2016. Also, read the news this week.