Maharashtra government has adopted a new policy that makes municipalities responsible for recycling wastewater and reusing treated wastewater to cool thermal power plants, serve industrial estates, and for other non-potable purposes. The government plans to reuse 6,888 million litres of daily sewage generated across 71 urban areas by 2020. The municipalities have been given the responsibility of creating a draft action plan regarding the policy within a year and commission the recycling plants within the next three years.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has suspended forest clearance to the 1,750MW Demwe hydel project in Arunachal Pradesh on the grounds that the clearance was granted without taking views of the non-official members of the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife. The non-official members happened to be experts in the field and they had objected to forest clearance. Their objection, however, was rejected by the state government. The NGT's decision has come after the environmental activists from Assam challenged the forest clearance.
The Union Minister of State for Drinking Water and Sanitation Ramesh C. Jigajinagi has announced that the Centre is planning to provide piped water supply to all households in the country by 2030. The ambitious project worth Rs 5 lakh crore is in the discussion stage. The minister has also informed that 50 percent of the project cost will be borne by the Centre while the state governments will bear the rest. For the northeastern states, however, the Centre would bear 90 percent of the project cost.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Sikkim State Organic Certification Agency (SSOCA) and Bihar State Seed and Organic Certification Agency (BSSOCA) for promoting organic farming in Bihar. Following the signing of the MoU, Bihar farmers can apply for organic certification of their products from SSOCA, an accredited agency for issuing such certificates. The Bihar government has decided to develop organic corridors in districts located along the southern bank of the Ganga river during the first phase.
The Central Water Commission (CWC) has given hydrological clearance to the Kaleshwaram irrigation project in Andhra Pradesh. The first-stage clearance has been granted to the project as it has been observed that ample water is available for the project at Medigadda barrage site to meet the proposed irrigation and drinking water needs. The project that is going to divert 3,168 hectares of forest land will now be moved for clearance to the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB) set up under the provisions of Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.
This is a roundup of important policy matters from November 1 - 7, 2017. Also, read the news this week.