ENVIRONMENT AND ECOLOGY
 

Approach

18.1 In the Approach Paper to the Seventh Plan it has been stated: 'India is fortunate in the richness of its natural resources..... the abundance and diversity of its living resources. Adequately managed, these and other resources can meet high levels of material needs, now and for all times to come. The degree to which a nation can prosper depends on its productivity, which is the efficien- cy with which it is able to utilise the resources of the environment to satisfy human needs and expectations. If the gains in productivity are to be sustained, resources must also continue to be available overtime. This requires that, while providing for current needs, the resources base be managed so as to enable sustainable development'. The basic approach to the Seventh Plan would thus be sustainable development in harmony with the environment. Towards this end, it would have to be ensured that all development programmes, in all sectors, will take environmental considerations fully into account.

18.2 The problems encountered in the field of environment in India arise due to conditions of poverty and underdevelopment as also the negative effects of development programmes which have been badly planned or badly implemented. The whole planning process is aimed at development and the removal of poverty. The need to improve the conditions of our people is pressing; under this pressure many concerned with developmental activities lose sight of environmental and ecological imperatives. Realisation concerning these aspects has been with us for only a relatively short period of time, about a decade and half. The demage being done to the environment, because of the large size of the population and its increase, and scale of developmental activities, is of such magnitude that urgent remedial measures are called for. Official and voluntary agencies must work together to create the needed awareness; indeed, environment is all- pervasive, and the success of our efforts in this area will ultimately call for the involvement of the entire population at all levels. This is a philosophy which must permeate the entire effort in the field of environment.

18.3 Environmental management, a term encompassing environmental planning, protection, monitoring, assessment, research, education, conservation and sustainable use of resources, is now accepted as a major guiding factor for national development in India. From the early seventies, India has played a significant role at international forums in delineating and articulating the relevance of environmental concerns in the context of economic development. There has been, over the last decade, a progressive strengthening of official involvement in environmental management in India, with increased scientific, technical, administrative and legislative backup at the Central and State levels.

18.4 With the realisation that poverty and the state of underdevelopment led to many of the environmental problems that confronted the nation, came the understanding that it was more rapid development which was the best approach. This development has to benefit people (and particularly the poor) by providing for their basic human needs and rising aspirations. Thus, many of the developmental programmes, and particularly those included in the 20- Point Programme, could indeed be termed as environmental management programmes.

18.5 However, another class of environmental problems have arisen as unintended side-effects of the very attempts at development. These had to do with the mismanagement of natural resources, large-scale deforestation, the unplanned discharge of residues and wastes, the handling of toxic chemicals, indiscriminate construction and expansion of settlement activities, etc. It is to this class of problems that the tools and methodologies of environmental planning are primarily addressed.

Review of Progress

18.6 It is now being increasingly recognised that environmental factors and ecological imperatives must be built in to the total planning process if the long-term goal of making development sustainable is to be achieved. To provide greater systematic impetus and focus to environmental issues at the Central and State level, new organisational structures have been created. The Government of India set up a Department of Environment in the Sixth Plan. The State/UT Government were also asked to set up structures which could act as focal points for enviornmental considerations in the State Plans; the Governments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Orissa, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have set up appropriate structures. A number of Ministries/Departments of the Government of India now go into environmental considerations in some detail in their major developmental programmes.

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18.7 Major activities in the area of environment on which work was initiated or stepped up during the Sixth Plan included: water and air pollution monitoring and control; environmental impact assessment; natural living resource conservation; special projects on wildlife; ecological studies by the Botanical and Zoological Surveys of India; eco-development programmes; environmental research promotion; and environmental information, education, training and awareness.

18.8 A country-wide rapid inventory on pollution from large and medium industries has been prepared. A programme on Control of Pollution at Source has been initiated. Minimal National Standards for polluting discharges from specific industries were formulated and control measures implemented in a progressively stringent manner. About 30 per cent of large and medium industries of the country have installed pollution control equipment. A network of about 120 monitoring stations to check water pollution has been created. Zoning and classification of all the 14 major inter-State rivers have been completed to provide a basis for water quality management. A river basin wise inventory for Yamuna and Ganga has been prepared to assess pollution load.

18.9 'Project Tiger', a Centrally sponsored scheme was an outstanding success in terms of management; it evolved from a species protection programme to one envisaging protection of the total habitat. The establishment and development of the Wild Life Institute of India and strengthening of programmes within the National Zoological Park (which included breeding of endangered species of wild mammals such as lion-tailed macaque, brow-antlered deer, etc.) received great impetus. A 12-point strategy was adopted by India for Wild Life protection and development in October, 1983, to provide the basis for future plans of Wild Life management.

18.10 The Forest Survey of India is preparing a national vegetation map using remote sensing and ground survey methods.

18.11 Preparatory work has been done for setting up Biosphere Reserves in a few carefully selected and identified areas which have enormous pristine, genetic diversities, for example, Nilgiri, Namdapha, Nanda Devi and Uttarakhand.

18.12 A major traditional weakness of forestry, wild life and other sectors in the area of environment is the poor S&T inputs. To rectify this, the work of the premier survey organisations, namely, the Botanical and Zoological Surveys of India, has been oriented to take into account holistic ecosystem management imperatives. Environ- mental monitoring centres at Calcutta and Madras have been established to study the impact on living resoruces of developmental activities such as hydroelectric and irrigation projects. The plant and animal resouces have been surveyed at important sites such as those to be designated as biosphere reserves or hitherto unexplored or under- explored areas.

18.13 Some major field action projects on Eco-development were farmed out to voluntary organisations in the Shivalik Foothills (Punjab), Joshimath and Dasoli areas of Chamoli District of UP, Haldighati in Rajasthan and Auroville in Pondicherry. Eco-development Task Forces consisting of ex-servicemen were deployed for activities such as revegetation of degraded areas, soil conservation work, eradication of weeds, etc. The Eco-development programme is designed to generate public participations in the solution of environmental problems and broadening general environmental awareness, particularly through the involvement of students and voluntary agencies.

18.14 In order to promote environmental research, nearly 400 research projects have been sanctioned to universities, R&D institutions and non-governmental agencies. Coordinated, multi- institutional projects in priority areas of heavy metals, microbial degradation of industrial wastes and ethnobiology have been take up; as also a multi-agency post-audit environmental monitoring of the Idukki multi-purpose river valley project. Research relevant to the integrated development of the Western Ghats, Himalayan region and the Ganga basin has also been initiated. One centre of Excellence has been set up at IISc, Bangalore which has, as its primary focus, research on problems of the Western Ghats.

18.15 A computerised Environmental Information System (ENVIS) with a network of distributed information centres all over the country, has been started; information relevant to pollution control, toxic chemicals, mining, forestry, flora and fauna are the important subjects covered under this. A variety of 'information products' have been prepared including a directory of nongovernmental organisations in the field of environment.

18.16 A broad range of programmes on environmental education, training and awareness were launched; workshops were organised in different parts of the country and nation-wide celebrations were organised on World Environment Day and during Wild Life Week. The first National Environmental Congress and the first National Conference of Legislators on Environment were also held as part of the awareness building programme. The National Museum of Natural History has been playing an important role in imparting environmental education to a wide spectrum of society with particular emphasis on childern.

Evnironmental Planning

18.17 Environmental considerations in the planning process and in the implementation of national develop-

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ment strategies must be based on an understanding of the following issues and responsibilities:

- The environment with its component of living and non- living resources, represents the most fundamental building blocks for national development and social well being.

- The environment today is under severe threat from the pressure generated by growth of human and animal populations, poverty and the misuse/ unplanned use of natural resources.

- Stabilisation of human and livestock population is as crucial for environmental management as it is for achieving other plan objectives.

- While many of the country's environmental ills could be corrected by rapid economic growth with social justice, utmost care must be exercised to ensure that development activities which bring about such changes are designed so as not to lead to adverse environmental effects. The nation's planning for economic growth and social well-being in each sector must always take note of the need to protect environmental resources, and where possible, must work to secure improvement in environmental quality.

- Therefore, the primary responsibility for environmental protection must rest with each sectoral authority (ministry, department, development agency, corporate body, municipal council, village panchayat, etc.) which would have to develop formal mechanisms to take account of environmental concerns in policies, plans, programmes, projects and legislations that come under their purview.

- Environmental considerations should form an important element in the criteria for setting developmental targets and assessing plan performance in all sectors. Environmental management must be integral to all development activities.

- The Department of Environment at the Centre, and its counterparts at the State level would essentially serve as catalysts to promote environmentally sound national development, through provision of management information, technical expertise, monitoring, research and administrative support and, wherever possible, limited financial assistance.

- The prime responsibility with regard to the environ- ment would rest with the various implementing authorities for development programmes and with the community. For this, environmental education and awareness building is crucial.

- Environmental planning/protection/improvement requires a coordinated, highly decentralised approach involving the cooperation and active participation of every segment of society, and most importantly of the political leadership.

Basic Policies Relating to Aspects of Implementation

18.18 The experience with environmental management so far emphasises two facts. First, that environmental issues and problems arise in virtually every sector of the economy, and at every level of society. Second, that sustainable solutions for problems that manifest themselves in one sector may not apply in other sectors. Environmental issues have no administrative, sociocultural or political boundaries. Therefore, the initiatives for tackling environmental issues must emerge from official as well as non-official agencies and individuals, operating at different levels. Success in achieving environmentally sound development will depend greatly on the extent of co-operation that can be achieved between Government (Central, State, Local), its subsidiary agencies, voluntary groups, financial institutions, corporate groups in the public and private sectors, educational and research bodies, professional societies, religious and cultural institutions, etc.

18.19 The Seventh Plan programmes will attempt to remove some of the weaknesses in the existing environmental planning system. Given the close linkages between different subject areas relating to the environment, it is difficult, and often counter-productive, to assign absolute priorities, in the sense of an "order of importance", to these areas.

18.20 For a variety of basic economic activities, high priority would have to be given to the management of natural living resources; but these cannot be managed without attention to land and water management. Again, measures to control the growing livestock population are vital for purposeful environmental management but these come under the jurisdiction of authorities different from those who manage other natural living resources (flora and fauna-particularly economic plants, forests, wildlife, fisheries, etc.). Viewed from another perspective, environmental issues relating to human settlements (shelter, potable water supply, waterborne diseases, slums, etc.) deserve very high priority in any agenda of environmental tasks. Therefore, each agency, institution or group must formulate its own priorities for action, among the spectrum of environmental management issues, based upon its own direct responsibilities and capabilities. Environmental authorities such as the Department of Environment will deal with those subject areas for which they have been assigned direct managerial responsibility, e.g., pollution monitoring and control, environmental research and development, etc. The direct goals relating to the subject of environment as a whole would be:

- Institutionalising the process of integrating environmental management and development.

- Inducing organisations at the Central, State and local levels to incorporate environmental safeguards in their plans and programmes.

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- Securing greater public participation in environmental management.

- Establishing a strong S&T base for environmental research and development, demonstration and extension activities.

- Strengthening mechanisms for ensuring corrective action with regard to environmental degradation that has already taken place.

18.21 The existing framework of institutions which can contribute to the multidisciplinary and multisectoral approaches required for effective environmental management would be fully used. Apart from the large S&T infrastructure under the Central and State Governments in the form of scientific agencies/departments/national laboratories, etc. and educational institutions, full cooperation will be sought from more than 200 nongovernmental organisations or voluntary agencies working in the field.

Major Programmes

18.22 Environmental Programmes were taken up during the Sixth Plan period more in the form of nucleating activities. These would now have to receive a greater impetus in terms of investment and even more through coordinated, expeditious implementation strategies during the Seventh Plan period. Salient programmes to be undertaken, including the thrust areas, are outlined below:

Pollution Monitoring and Control

18.23 Environmental pollution is a serious and growing hazard in India. Its impact on human health and well being is both direct, (e.g., inhalation of polluted air and intake of contaminated water), or indirect, by its impact on the health of environmental resources (loss of soil fertility, corrosion of structures, death of aquatic life, etc.). Waterborne pollution, from both community and industrial sources, is probably the most important health hazard in India. A large part of the population has to depend upon untreated or inadequately treated water supplies. In the sector of industrial pollution, while the medium and large industries can be induced to enforce pollution control, the problem becomes almost intractable for the vast numbers of small industries that have proliferated unplanned in many parts of the country. Pollution of the environment from noise, both at the community level and in the industrial work place, is another serious threat to human welfare. Pollution in the costal zone, resulting in the destruction of valuable living natural and marine resources, and spoiling of tourist attractions like beaches is now attracting growing attention.

18.24 The Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution spearheads the effort at systematically tackling pollution problems in the country. The basic tasks before the Board are: assessment and control of air pollution; assessment and control of coastal pollution; development of professional expertise and trained manpower; development of cost-effective technologies for air and water pollution control; and strengthening the institutional R&D support for pollution monitoring and control.