Tag: Environment Department

State Govt initiates steps to save the Sundarbans from climate change

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In its endeavour to build climate resilience in the Sundarbans through evidence-based research and policy-making, the State Environment Department has joined hands with the British Deputy High Commission, Kolkata and Newcastle University, United Kingdom, for the formal launch of Living Deltas Transdisciplinary Research Hub.

The hub will be funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) under the Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). The collaborators include Jadavpur University and IIEST, Shibpur.

The move comes in the backdrop of the Sundarbans facing the impact of climate change that is posing a threat to the ecosystems of the islands. A key aim of the initiative is to tackle the problem of delta degradation.

The islands are at risk not only due to climate change but also due to human interventions. So the Sundarbans will have to be developed in a sustainable manner, maintaining a symbiotic relationship with the community.

Environment Department: Working towards a more livable future

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The scope of work of the Environment Department is very wide, exhaustive and challenging. The wings of the department work in close coordination to fulfil the commitment of the Bengal Government towards its people for a clean and more livable environment – be it in terms of air, water, noise or several other aspects.

For effective control of pollution, a number of steps, measures and policies have been initiated by the Environment Department which include stringent regulations, development and periodical revision of environment standards, control of vehicular pollution, control of air and water pollution, abatement and prevention of noise pollution, revisiting and revision of the list of critically polluted areas and their environment improvement plans, etc.

The department has been funding research projects through grants-in-aid both to its parastatals like West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB), West Bengal Biodiversity Board (WBBB), East Kolkata Wetlands Management Authority (EKWMA) and Institute of Environmental Studies and Wetland Management (IES&WM), and also to some research institutions.

Some of the salient points regarding the working of the Environment Department:

  • WBPCB is constantly monitoring and taking suitable measures for improving air quality and reducing water body pollution.
  • An online system of WBPCB’s consent administration has been developed for transparency. All monitoring data can now be accessed from the board’s website. The consent administration has also been simplified.
  • The ‘consent to operate’ periods have been increased: from two years to five years for Red Category Industries, from three years to five years for Orange Category Industries and from five years to seven years for Green Category Industries. A new White Category has been introduced which only requires the relevant industries to give information to the WBPCB and is exempt from ‘consent’ administration.
  • The State Action Plan for climate change is being amended to strengthen the plan, introduce mitigation measures in addition to adaptation measures and bring it in line with the latest developments in various fields.
  • Actions on conservation of biodiversity, preparing a comprehensive register and promoting conservation have been accelerated.
  • A lot of work has been done for restoration and beautification of many waterbodies.
  • More emphasis has been laid on organising awareness activities to spread environment education among all sections of society and mobilising people’s participation for preservation and conservation of environment.

Source: Departmental Budget

Bengal Environment Dept releases book about environmental awareness

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The Bengal Environment Department has published a book to spread awareness about the environment. The book titled Poribesher Tore Shokole Aamra (We Are All for the Environment) was released by the Environment Minister. According to the minister, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has seen and appreciated the book.

To make everyone appreciate and understand the book, a lot of sketches have been used; three cartoonists have contributed to the book. The book deals with all types of pollution – from air to sound to everything.

The book would be given to 9,000 Madhyamik schools to make students aware about preserving the environment. The book would be given to municipalities, municipal corporations and block offices across the state too.

 

পরিবেশ-সচেতনতা বাড়াতে বই প্রকাশ রাজ্য পরিবেশ দপ্তরের

পরিবেশ নিয়ে নাগরিক সচেতনতা বাড়িয়ে তুলতে বই প্রকাশ করল রাজ্য পরিবেশ দপ্তর। কলকাতা পুরসভায় ‘পরিবেশের তরে সকলে আমরা’ বইটি প্রকাশ করেন পরিবেশমন্ত্রী তথা কলকাতার মহানাগরিক।

বই প্রকাশ অনুষ্ঠানে উপস্থিত ছিলেন বিদ্যুৎমন্ত্রী, পরিবেশ দূষণ নিয়ন্ত্রণ পর্ষদের চেয়ারম্যান, দমকল ও বিপর্যয় মোকাবিলা দপ্তরের প্রধান সচিব, মেয়র পারিষদ, কার্টুনিস্ট, পরিবেশ ও পুরসভার পদস্থ আধিকারিকেরা।

পরিবেশমন্ত্রী জানান, পরিবেশ সচেতনতা নিয়ে এই বইটি তৈরি হওয়ার পর মুখ্যমন্ত্রীর কাছে নিয়ে যাওয়া হয়। তিনি বইটির প্রশংসা করেছেন। পরিবেশ রক্ষার জন্যও সরকার আছে, পর্ষদ আছে, বিধিবদ্ধ নিয়মও আছে। কিন্তু তা কার্যকর করার জন্যও তৃণমূল স্তরের মানুষের জানা দরকার।

সাধারণ ও নিচু স্তরের মানুষদের সহযোগিতা ছাড়া পরিবেশ সংক্রান্ত সব নিয়মনীতি ব্যর্থ। তাই, তিন কার্টুনিস্টদের দিয়ে ছবি আঁকিয়ে বইটি তৈরি করা হয়েছে। ২৫ হাজার বই ছাপানো হয়েছে। ন’হাজার মাধ্যমিক স্তরের স্কুলে পৌঁছে দেওয়া হবে। এছাড়া, রাজ্যের প্রতিটি সরকারি স্কুল, পুরসভা, ব্লক অফিসে পৌঁছে দেওয়া হবেএই বইটি নাগরিক সচেতনতার জন্য। বইটিতে বায়ু থেকে শব্দদূষণ সব বিষয়েরই উল্লেখ রয়েছে।

Source: Aajkal

Bengal Government takes major steps for a greener environment

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Under the able leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, the Bengal Government has taken numerous steps for a greener environment in the last six years.

Here are the most important achievements:

 

 

POLLUTION CONTROL/REGULATION

  • From May 2011 to May 2017, Air Quality Monitoring Systems have been installed at 80 places.

 

  • Water Quality Monitoring Systems have been installed at 102 points in the rivers Ganga, Damodar, Ichhamati, Rupnarayan, Tista and Mahananda for monitoring on a regular basis.

 

  • Forty projects have been completed under Rain Water Harvesting Structure at 40 educational institutions in Bankura, Purulia, Birbhum and Paschim Medinipur districts. In addition, 90 Wetland Ecological Conservation Projects have been completed in the wetlands of Kolkata, Howrah, Bidhannagar, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur and Cooch Behar with a financial involvement of Rs 29 crore.

 

  • Online Industrial Clearance System has since being introduced to make the process of giving permission for setting up industries simple, speedy and flawless.

 

  • In 2010, the Haldia, Howrah and Asansol had been declared as Critically Polluting Areas. But things are now in control and as a result, lots of industries have come up in these places – oil installation, gas installation, port activities and ferro-alloy manufacturing in Haldia, expansion of coal mines in Asansol and steel manufacturing in Howrah. In addition, twenty green (that is, non-polluting) buses have been introduced in the Durgapur-Asansol industrial area using coal bed methane as fuel.

 

  • Thirty-nine industries under the ‘Grossly Polluting Industries’ category in the Ganga river basin have installed Online Effluent Quality Monitoring Systems.

 

CLIMATE CHANGE

  • In order to achieve climate change mitigation, two hundred solar photovoltaic cells have been installed in educational institutions and health centres.

 

  • In collaboration with the Forest Department, intensive plantation has been done in the Durgapur-Asansol and Paschim Medinipur industrial areas with a financial involvement of Rs 10 crore.

 

  • One demonstrative model for Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting System has been installed in each of the 20 districts (except in the recently constituted districts of Kalimpong and Jhargram) to show their mitigative impact on climate change in the wetlands. Five other such fully functional units have been formally installed in the districts of Bankura, Hooghly and Purba Medinipur.

 

  • A mass-scale rooftop rainwater harvesting project has been started in Darjeeling Municipal Corporation to provide water to poorer sections of the hilly town to benefit an estimated 3,200 families directly and indirectly. A total of Rs 23.121 crore has been granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change under the National Adaptation Fund for Climate Change (NAFCC) in 2016.

 

  • The project, Enhancing Adaptive Capacity and Increasing Resilience of Small and Marginal Farmers of Purulia and Bankura District, facilitated by DRCSC (Development Research Communication and Service Centre), had been sanctioned US$ 2.5 million (approx. Rs 15 crore) under the first Adaptation Fund Project of India in 2015.

 

  • State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC) had been prepared in 2012 and follow-up actions with regard to adaptation/implementation are going on.

 

  • A vulnerability assessment project in the context of climate change has been started in 2016 for Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts at a cost of Rs 2.16 crore as part of the National Mission for Sustaining Himalayan Ecosystem (NMSHE), under the Department of Science & Technology.

 

  • West Bengal is the first State in India to implement the project of ‘Downscaling of Global Climate Change Model (GCM)’ to district-level projections in 2017 through the expertise of IIT Bombay.

 

ENVIRONMENT CLEARANCE STATUS

  • From May 2011 to May 2017, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has given environmental clearance to 230 industrial, thermal power, mining, infrastructure and building construction, and township and area development projects.

 

INTEGRATED COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PROJECT (ICZMP) (A WORLD BANK-funded project):

  • 100% electrification of Sagar Island.

 

  • Construction of Nat Mandir at Sagar Island as part of the ‘Eco-Tourism Project in Sagar Island’ project.

 

  • Laying of 11.33 km sewer line and a 6.7 MLD sewage treatment plant as part of the ‘Sanitary Sewerage Scheme for Digha’ project for providing efficient municipal/public health services. Treated effluents will be discharged into the sea, which in turn will reduce coastal pollution.

 

  • Under the ‘Beachfront Development in Digha’ project, beach beautification Phase-I for improving facilities and reducing the pollution level has been completed, which includes two watch towers, an open-air theatre, rehabilitation of 219 hawkers through temporary and permanent kiosks.

 

  • Under the ‘Multipurpose Cyclone Shelter in Five Coastal Blocks’ project, 25 multipurpose cyclone shelters have been constructed.

 

EAST KOLKATA WETLAND MANAGEMENT

  • From May 2011 to May 2017, the State Department of Environment has done 15.575 km of canal desiltation, 6 km of road renovation, plantation of 6,000 seedlings and excavation of a bheri (fish cultivation farm) in the East Kolkata Wetland.

 

 

Picture courtesy: thebeaconkolkata.co.in

 

Statewide solar project to start in WB today

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West Bengal Chief Minister Ms Mamata Banerjee had encouraged use of Green Energy in different spheres and had asked  to use solar power in all government buildings. To keep pace with that, the West Bengal Government Environment Department and the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) will start installing solar photo voltaic (SPV) panels in 80 schools and 20 primary health centres across the state from today. The project will be launched in six venues in different districts.

The project will be executed by the West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC). It will take about a year to complete the project, including generating solar power from the SPV panels and putting it on the grid.

For the schools and health centres of Burdhaman, Birbhum and Bankura, the project will be launched from Rabindra Bhavan in Asansol. For East and West Midnapore, it will be launched from Mahishadal. For Howrah and Hooghly , the launch will be from Baluhati in Howrah. The project for Darjeeling will be inaugurated from Udayan Sangha Club ground in Hakimpra, Siliguri, and for Kolkata and North 24-Parganas, the programme will be inaugurated from Sarat Sadan, Behala, and Nazrul Mancha in Madhyamgram respectively .

Incidentally the West Bengal Government is soon going to introduce roof top solar power system, particularly for high-rise buildings. Moves are afoot to offer a subsidy/incentive of 20 per cent to users of solar power.