Despite non-completion of the rapid impact assessment of wildlife, the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) has cleared the 1,750 MW Lower Demwe hydel project on the Lohit River, Arunachal Pradesh. The two-year wildlife impact study will now be carried out parallel to the project dam construction. Activists have slammed this move as the project is just 50 metres from the Kamlang sanctuary and will submerge parts of its forests and riverine habitats.
The environment ministry has come up with a National Action Plan (NAP) for the conservation of migratory birds flying in from Eurasia during winters and to protect their habitats. The four broad components of the plan include species conservation, habitat conservation and sustainable management, capacity development and communication outreach. As per the plan, a national inventory of the stop-over and wintering sites of migratory birds will be created and published in a year's time along with the population of the birds. Also, in order to identify risks to migratory birds from development projects, the NAP proposes the need for a decision support system.
The Uttarakhand high court has issued notices to the Centre, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana governments concerning the pollution in the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The move has been taken following a petition that claimed that the water in both the rivers is not even fit for performing religious rituals. The court has sought replies from the Centre and state governments regarding the measures they plan to take to stop the dumping of garbage, sewerage and industrial effluents in the two rivers to keep them clean.
Under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP), the environment ministry has sanctioned Rs 186.74 crore for the pollution abatement project of the Devika and Tawi rivers in Udhampur, Jammu & Kashmir. The project cost will be shared between the Centre and state governments on a 90:10 cost-sharing basis. The project envisages laying of 129.27 km of sewer lines, setting up of three sewage pumping stations and construction of three sewage treatment plants (STPs) of 13.60 million litres per day (mld) capacity along with non-sewerage works relating to riverfront development.
The water ministry has sought a central assistance of Rs 835 crore as a special case for relining the Sirhind and Rajasthan feeder projects, the twin canals that flow through Punjab and Rajasthan. As both the projects are not eligible for inclusion under the latest guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana-Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (PMKSY-AIBP), a special case is needed for them. Moreover, apart from addressing the waterlogging issues in South West Punjab, the relining of the canals will also help improve irrigation in the region.
This is a roundup of important policy matters from September 25 - October 1, 2018. Also, read news this week.
Lead image source: Shantanu via Wikipedia Commons