Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF)

It's mandate is to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a holistic approach with the river basin as the unit of planning.

In the background of recent Tsunami tragedy that has struck Japan,concern has been raised in India on the safety of critical infrastructure projects located in the coastal areas, for instance, power plants, oil storage depots, refineries etc. More such projects are likely to come up in the coastal locations in the years to come.

Hazard Line Mapping
In this connection, it may be recalled that a very important component of the Rs.1200 crore project taken up by the MoEF for implementation involves identification, delineation and demarcation of the hazard line along the 5400 kms of the main coastline of India.

The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification of 1991 has been replaced recently in January 2011 by the latest CRZ notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

 These Rules have been brought out following detailed discussions and consultations with a wide spectrum of stakeholders including civil society, industry bodies, relevant Central Government Ministries and State Governments.

Releasing the Rules the Minister of Environment and Forests, Mr. Jairam Ramesh said "It is impractical and undesirable to impose a blanket ban on the use of plastic all over the country. The real challenge is to improve municipal solid waste management systems. In addition to the privatization and mechanization of the municipal solid waste management systems we must be sensitive to the needs and concerns of the lakhs of people involved in the informal sector’’.

Content Courtesy: Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India

Press release: Indian event at Cancun re-emphasises importance of equity, 7th December 2010

India hosted a major event at the sidelines of the UN Climate Change Conference at Cancun, where the critical issue of equity and equitable access to carbon space was emphasised. 

India's Minister for Environment and Forests and Head of Delegation, Shri Jairam Ramesh personally chaired the side event that had presentations by Prof. T. Jayaraman, Tata Inst. Of Social Sciences, India, Mr. Martin Khor, Executive Dir., South Centre, Geneva and Dr. Harald, ERC & Univ. Of Cape Town, South Africa.

Download the entire press release here.

This report by MoEF regarding the environmental impact of Phata-Byung & Singoli-Bhatwari hydro power projects on the river Mandakini deals with the additional safeguards and proper monitoring & supervision to help protect the environment in these project areas. It says that since a fairly large portion of the works has been taken up it may not be worth to abandon the project. It has proposed certain remedial measures to mitigate the damage if caused to the environment and local villagers. 

The Phata-Byung and Singoli-Bhatwari hydro power projects, are Run of the River (RoR) projects on the river Mandakini. The series of RoR projects proposed and under construction as a part of cascade development are to generate electrical energy which is considered to be clean power as it is non-polluting and renewable in nature.

This deals with the Central Government’s order on “Uniform Protocol on Water Quality Monitoring Order” in June 2005 in exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986. Due to the deterioration of the river water quality, health and livelihood of the downstream people are being severely affected and concerns are raised time and again. 

The Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules was notified in December 2010 by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to ensure better conservation and management and to prevent degradation of existing wetlands in India. Wetlands are critical for human development and wellbeing, especially in India where a large number of people are dependent on them for drinking water, food and livelihood. Despite their immense importance, wetlands are one of the most degraded ecosystems globally.

This report prepared by the Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA) provides an assessment of impact of climate change in 2030s on four key sectors of the Indian economy, namely agriculture, water, natural ecosystems & biodiversity and health in four climate sensitive regions of India, namely the Himalayan region, the Western Ghats, the Coastal Area and the North-East Region. This is the for the first time that such a comprehensive, long term assessment has been undertaken based on rigorous scientific analysis for the 2030s (all previous assessments were for the 2070s and beyond). 

The Ministry of Environment and Forests today notified the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2010. These Rules have been drafted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests to ensure better conservation and management and to prevent degradation of existing wetlands in India.