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| Monday, 18 October 2004 |
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India's environmental conservation and development structure ideal for emulation by Sri Lanka by Rohan Jayetilleke Presently Sri Lanka needs a National policy on environmental conservation and promotion. There are no well coordinated bodies charged with these subjects. In India the Ministry of Environment and Forests is the nodal agency for planning, coordinating and overseeing the implementation of various environmental and forestry programmes, initiated and proceeded with agencies tasked with different areas of activity. The Ministry is also designated as the nodal agency in the country in respect of United Nations' Environment Programme and to International Centre for Integrated Centre Environmental Development. In this area of activity it looks after the follow up of the United Nations' Convention on Environment and Education. The mandates of the ministry cover a large spectrum in that conservation, survey of flora, forests and wildlife, prevention and control of pollution, afforestation and regeneration of degraded areas and protection of environment. These objectives are realized through environment impact assessments, ecology generation and assisting organizations implementing environmental and forestry production and promotion of environment and forestry research. These assistances too are extended from the centre to other states of the Indian union. Education and training, dissemination of environment information and procuring of international cooperation too are priority objectives. These objectives are well grounded and supported by mandatory legislation and regulatory measures aimed at the preservation and protection of environment. Some of them are, Air (Prevention and control of Pollution Act (1981); The Water Production and Control of Pollution Act (1974); Environment Protection Act (1986); Public Liability Insurance Act (1995); The National Environment Appellate Authority Act (1997); The Wildlife Protection Act (1972); and the Forest Conservation Act 1980. Besides these legislative measures a National Conservation Strategy and Policy Statement on Environment and Development (1992); The National First Policy (1988) and a Policy Statement on Abatement of Pollution (1992) have been evolved and functional. Survey of National Resources (SNR) SNR was established during the British rule of India in 1890 and continues to be functional. This is involved in the surveying and identifying the plant resources with headquarters at New Delhi and nine circle office located in different regions. The Survey undertakes exploration tours of the country regularly and findings of such tours are published officially for the information of researches and other institutions and persons interested in this discipline. The Zoological Survey (ZS) The ZS too was established by the British in 1916 and still continues to be vibrantly functional. The Survey lists all endangered species and also undertake measures for their effective conservation and also to collect and maintain germplasm and gene banks of endangered, threatened and vulnerable species and make an inventory of the faunal resources of India. It functions with headquarters at Kolkata and with sixteen regional stations. This survey also undertakes regular faunistic survey tours of the entire Indian sub-continent. Forest Survey The Forest Survey of India was established in 1981 in order to survey forest resources. The headquarters function at Dehra Dun with regional units at Bangalore, Kolkata, Nagpur, Shimla. It prepares thematic maps on 1: 50,000 scale and forest vegetation maps on 1: 2 50,000 scale maps for entire ten year cycle. The total Forest Cover of India is 63.73 million Hectares i.e. 19.39 per cent of the country. Biosphere Reserves The biospheres' reserves of India are multi-purpose protected areas to preserve the genetic diversity in representative eco-systems. The objectives are (i) conserved diversity and in regenerating of plants, animals and micro-organisms (ii) Promote research on ecological conservation and other environment aspects and (iii) provide facilities for education, awareness and training. Already thirteen Biosphere Reserves have been located and three of them have been recognized on World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO at Nilgiri, Sunderbans, an Gulf of Mannar. Wetlands, Mangroves and Coral Reefs There are twenty wetlands covered in thirteen states of the Union of India. Mangroves are salt tolerant forest eco-systems found mainly in the tropical and sub tropical inter-tidal regions of the world. They are reservoirs of a large number of plant and animal species associated together over a long evolutionary period and exhibiting capacity for salt tolerance and also to stabilize the shoreline and also serve effectively as a bulwark against sea erosion. In 1997 thirty-two such mangroves have been identified for conservation. The coral reefs are shallow water tropical mains eco-systems, characterized by high bio-mass production and rich floral and faunal diversity. In order to maintain the biodiversity of the country at the level nature needs and not what the man needs, services are directed to photosynthesis, pollination, transportation chemical cycling, nutrient cycling, soil maintenance, clime regulation, air water system management, waste treatment and pest control are effectively functional all over India even at the highs altitudes of the country. India is one of the mega - biodiversity countries of the world. In the 70 per cent of the country already surveyed 16,000 plant species an 81,000 animal species have been identified and catalogued. The Environmental Impact Assessment of 1978 covers 29 categories of developing projects under various sections, such as industrial, mining, irrigation, power, transport etc. Special groups and committees and task forces are detailed to scrutinize and assess and submit their appraisals for the committees to decide on the eco-friendliness of the project for registration. The Indian structure is most effective as there are various autonomous bodies manned by experts in the respective fields and fully trained staff. In India, what I observe during the August Elections and thereafter, the faces have changed in the legislature (Lokh Sabha) but the policies have not changed neither have the officials serving in different surveys, replaced by others on political considerations. In India governments may come, governments may go, but the national policies go on forever, like in the poem, I learnt by heart in year two at school 63 years ago, titled 'The Brrok' - Men may come and men may go, I go on forever. It is a pity 'The anthonlogy we used' Children's Garland from year 2 to year 5 is now not in use and the English trained teaches do not even know to recite five poems by memory as they never learnt poetry in their school days. (The writer is a member of the Bharatiya Kala Kendra). |
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