Asia’s largest fresh water lake, Wullar, in Kashmir will be restored to its original but with a huge ecological price – sacrifice of 20 lakh willow trees that can cover half of Delhi. The Environment ministry has approved Rs 400 crore long term restoration project for the lake, once spread in 202 sq
km and now a green patch in 74 sq kms, under the National Lake Conservation Programme. And, as per the plan 20 lakh trees will have to be cut.
Wullar will be second lake in Kashmir valley after Dal to be covered under the central government’s flagship wetland conservation programme.
The Jammu and Kashmir government had planted these trees in early 1980s in and around Wullar Lake to protect the valley from frequent flood but its impact was seen almost a decade later when the lake started shrinking due to accumulating tree fossil.
Now, the state government has approached Kashmir University’s (KU) Centre of Research and Development (CORD) to study impact of felling of these trees in and around Wullar lake.
“It’s difficult to talk about the impact without proper ground research,” said Professor Abdul Rashid Yousuf, a member of the CORD. But was quick to add that feeling of trees in and around Dal lake did not yield fruitful results. More than one lakh trees were cut in and around Dal Lake on directions of the high court.
“The (Wullar) lake has paid its price,” said Environment minister Jairam Ramesh, while recalling the state of wetlands in India. Most wetlands in India were treated as wastelands and Ramesh’s ministry had even approved projects on them. Recently, the ministry revoked environment clearance for a cement factory on a wetland in Gujarat.
“Wullar used to be the largest fresh water lake in Asia. Today it is a patch of green. You can't see any water. We only see willow trees,” the minister said. In the 1980s northern Kashmir’s Bandipore district faced several floods emanating from the lake and then the government decided to plant trees to overflow of water from the lake. The floods subsided but with it size of the lake also, formed centuries ago as a result of tectonic activity and is fed by River Jhelum.
Ramesh said restoration will take five to ten years and will be carried out under supervision of experts. Wular restoration is unprecedented as restoration of Dal Lake had resulted in chopping off of one lakh trees. The minister viewed the Wullar project as a major step for preserving very large eco systems.
Monday, June 20, 2011
Selling river environs (The Pioneer 03 June 2011)
Real estate boom spurred by PPP is concretising river environs
Things that people are wont to take for granted — natural environs, water, air, heritage — are being corroded under the onslaught of predatory commerce. The real estate boom, spurred by the public-private partnership model, has been marked by concretisation of green belts, fertile farmland, river environs and protected forests. While Supreme Court intervention has temporarily put a stop to uncurbed mining in the Aravallis, though it is reported to continue clandestinely, and acknowledged conservationists’ plea that the Delhi ridge be protected, environmental rules are bent by Government agencies to oblige builders and entrepreneurs, and for ‘official’ purposes.
Nothing illustrates violations of the apex court judgement of 1996 with regard to the ridge better than the commercial encroachments in the Vasant Kunj area, spread over 92 hectares: A shopping mall, university, a Maruti showroom, the ONGC building and a publishing house. A further 330 hectares has been allotted for military establishments, and 223 hectares for developing the Aravalli Biodiversity Park. The last, an eco venture, and so, acceptable, owes to the efforts of Citizens for Preservation of Quarries and Lakes Wilderness. This body filed a PIL against the International Hotels Complex Project, planned on the ridge. Other conservationists supported the campaign. Finally, the project to build 13 luxury hotels was scrapped, and the earmarked 223 hectares of forest area in Vasant Vihar — Mahipalpur region allocated for the Biodiversity Park.
The Yamuna environs have similarly been encroached upon by Government agencies. The Delhi Development Authority, in cases filed by conservationists against the location of the Commonwealth Games Village on the Yamuna bed and floodplains, had committed to the Delhi High Court that after constructing the games village and metro residential flats, river environs would not be concretised. But, the Delhi Government now refuses to shift out the millennium bus depot, built as a temporary games-related amenity. About 60 acres on the Yamuna floodplains have thus been grabbed, part of it for use by private bus operators. NGOs such as Tapas and Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan have been trying hard to get the land vacated by the DTC, pointing out that the bus depot is not shown as part of designated land use in Delhi Master Plan 2021. The Lieutenant Governor, authorised to take decisions relating to land use, is aware of the lapse.
Activist Vinod Jain of Tapas points out that the Master Plan states that the Yamuna and ridge are Delhi’s two natural features, and should be protected and preserved. But, in reality, the opposite has happened, with encroachments occurring under Government patronage. In 2005, he filed a plea in the Delhi High Court to get the Government to notify 150 sq km of the ridge as a reserved forest. But the plea was set aside, and the Government notified 77.77 sq km as ridge area. The 1996 apex court order on a plea filed by MC Mehta accorded the protected forest status to the ridge. This tag permits grazing, wood cutting, etc. Demarcation of its area has been on since 2000. Once this is complete, reveals Mr Jain, the ridge will be declared a reserved forest, negating human presence or activities.
However, as per Mr Mehta’s plea, filed in 1985, since the ridge was notified as a reserved forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, all encroachments would be ‘illegal’, irrespective of Government permission. In Government records, 796 hectares of northern and central ridge were demarcated as reserved forest in 1913, while in 1980, by a notification under the IFA, 20 sites in northern, central and south-central ridge were demarcated as protected forests. Mr Mehta’s plea was to have the reserved forest tag applied to the whole of the ridge. The apex court ordered the Government to set up an environment impact assessment authority to examine the feasibility of projects in the national capital region in environmentally sensitive areas.
The Delhi Master Plan 2021 was notified on February 7, 2007. The website, Delhi Master Plan 2021, under ‘The Perspective for Year 2021’, states the following:
“In 2003, the Ministry of Urban Development issued guidelines and activated the think-tank for the preparation of MPD 2021. It emphasised the emerging need to explore alternate methods of land assembly, private sector participation, and flexible land use and development norms.”
The allusion to “flexible land use and development norms” may be considered an indirect admission that rules for protecting environment and heritage can be changed when required. And, judging by the spate of court cases to protect the Yamuna and its vicinity, and the ridge and forest areas, all of which are being targeted for development purposes, city planning seems to have become an exercise, driven by commercial interests. Petitioners are critical of court orders, viewing them as inadequate for the purpose of countering the ecological damage and human dislocation, entailed by mammoth real estate projects. Mr Ravi Agarwal of Srishti, an NGO that wants an alternate ridge management plan, avers that a more eco-friend land use pattern is required.
Conservationists, intent on saving the Yamuna Floodplains and ridge, which alone can ensure a good quality of life, rightly want the Master Plan of Delhi-2021, to be altered as per sustainable development imperatives. But commercial lobbies reportedly manage to coerce policy-makers to fall in line with their needs, thereby endangering fragile eco-zones.
Things that people are wont to take for granted — natural environs, water, air, heritage — are being corroded under the onslaught of predatory commerce. The real estate boom, spurred by the public-private partnership model, has been marked by concretisation of green belts, fertile farmland, river environs and protected forests. While Supreme Court intervention has temporarily put a stop to uncurbed mining in the Aravallis, though it is reported to continue clandestinely, and acknowledged conservationists’ plea that the Delhi ridge be protected, environmental rules are bent by Government agencies to oblige builders and entrepreneurs, and for ‘official’ purposes.
Nothing illustrates violations of the apex court judgement of 1996 with regard to the ridge better than the commercial encroachments in the Vasant Kunj area, spread over 92 hectares: A shopping mall, university, a Maruti showroom, the ONGC building and a publishing house. A further 330 hectares has been allotted for military establishments, and 223 hectares for developing the Aravalli Biodiversity Park. The last, an eco venture, and so, acceptable, owes to the efforts of Citizens for Preservation of Quarries and Lakes Wilderness. This body filed a PIL against the International Hotels Complex Project, planned on the ridge. Other conservationists supported the campaign. Finally, the project to build 13 luxury hotels was scrapped, and the earmarked 223 hectares of forest area in Vasant Vihar — Mahipalpur region allocated for the Biodiversity Park.
The Yamuna environs have similarly been encroached upon by Government agencies. The Delhi Development Authority, in cases filed by conservationists against the location of the Commonwealth Games Village on the Yamuna bed and floodplains, had committed to the Delhi High Court that after constructing the games village and metro residential flats, river environs would not be concretised. But, the Delhi Government now refuses to shift out the millennium bus depot, built as a temporary games-related amenity. About 60 acres on the Yamuna floodplains have thus been grabbed, part of it for use by private bus operators. NGOs such as Tapas and Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan have been trying hard to get the land vacated by the DTC, pointing out that the bus depot is not shown as part of designated land use in Delhi Master Plan 2021. The Lieutenant Governor, authorised to take decisions relating to land use, is aware of the lapse.
Activist Vinod Jain of Tapas points out that the Master Plan states that the Yamuna and ridge are Delhi’s two natural features, and should be protected and preserved. But, in reality, the opposite has happened, with encroachments occurring under Government patronage. In 2005, he filed a plea in the Delhi High Court to get the Government to notify 150 sq km of the ridge as a reserved forest. But the plea was set aside, and the Government notified 77.77 sq km as ridge area. The 1996 apex court order on a plea filed by MC Mehta accorded the protected forest status to the ridge. This tag permits grazing, wood cutting, etc. Demarcation of its area has been on since 2000. Once this is complete, reveals Mr Jain, the ridge will be declared a reserved forest, negating human presence or activities.
However, as per Mr Mehta’s plea, filed in 1985, since the ridge was notified as a reserved forest under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, all encroachments would be ‘illegal’, irrespective of Government permission. In Government records, 796 hectares of northern and central ridge were demarcated as reserved forest in 1913, while in 1980, by a notification under the IFA, 20 sites in northern, central and south-central ridge were demarcated as protected forests. Mr Mehta’s plea was to have the reserved forest tag applied to the whole of the ridge. The apex court ordered the Government to set up an environment impact assessment authority to examine the feasibility of projects in the national capital region in environmentally sensitive areas.
The Delhi Master Plan 2021 was notified on February 7, 2007. The website, Delhi Master Plan 2021, under ‘The Perspective for Year 2021’, states the following:
“In 2003, the Ministry of Urban Development issued guidelines and activated the think-tank for the preparation of MPD 2021. It emphasised the emerging need to explore alternate methods of land assembly, private sector participation, and flexible land use and development norms.”
The allusion to “flexible land use and development norms” may be considered an indirect admission that rules for protecting environment and heritage can be changed when required. And, judging by the spate of court cases to protect the Yamuna and its vicinity, and the ridge and forest areas, all of which are being targeted for development purposes, city planning seems to have become an exercise, driven by commercial interests. Petitioners are critical of court orders, viewing them as inadequate for the purpose of countering the ecological damage and human dislocation, entailed by mammoth real estate projects. Mr Ravi Agarwal of Srishti, an NGO that wants an alternate ridge management plan, avers that a more eco-friend land use pattern is required.
Conservationists, intent on saving the Yamuna Floodplains and ridge, which alone can ensure a good quality of life, rightly want the Master Plan of Delhi-2021, to be altered as per sustainable development imperatives. But commercial lobbies reportedly manage to coerce policy-makers to fall in line with their needs, thereby endangering fragile eco-zones.
Clean up the Ganga; Remember the Thames (Economic Times 03 June 2011)
The World Bank has sanctioned a loan, worth $1 billion, to the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), to clean up the Ganga. This is a good idea. The loan is supposed to fund projects to treat waste, from industry, towns and cities on the banks of the river, which is now routinely dumped into it. This, it was recognised many years ago, was one of the primary sources of pollution of Ganga waters.
Effluent treatment and efficient sewage networks in towns and cities can do a lot to clean up the river, which flows through five states, home to about 35% of India's population. The Ganga is one of India's most important water sources and, in its lower reaches, among the filthiest. While it is an excellent idea to clean up the effluents flowing into the river, it's also important to remember that a river can only be as clean as the people who live alongside allow it to be. If a deficit of sanitary infrastructure makes people turn to the river or if incompletely burnt bodies are floated into the river in the name of custom, or people throw tonnes of stuff daily into the river whether as sacrament or as garbage, polluted the Ganga will remain. If the Ganga has to be really clean, it's necessary to address not just its physical ecosystem, but its social ecosystem as well. And the government does not need World Bank money to do that.
The idea of forcing change in social mores might seem daunting, but it's less difficult than it seems. Think of the pristine river Thames that flows through London and try to imagine that as late as the 1950s, it was an open sewer, devoid of oxygen and therefore, all aquatic life, emitting the rotten-egg stink of hydrogen sulphide. And indeed, this was the condition of the Thames for centuries. By 1610, its water had become unfit to drink, by the 19th century, it was called The Great Stink and in 1858, sittings of the House of Commons on the banks of the river had to be abandoned, with MPs staying away from its malodorous presence. Yet by the mid-1970s, the clean-up of the Thames, started in 1964 and finishing exactly a decade later, was so successful that salmon, trout and even seal can now be found in the river. When in doubt about the Ganga clean-up project, remember the Thames.
Effluent treatment and efficient sewage networks in towns and cities can do a lot to clean up the river, which flows through five states, home to about 35% of India's population. The Ganga is one of India's most important water sources and, in its lower reaches, among the filthiest. While it is an excellent idea to clean up the effluents flowing into the river, it's also important to remember that a river can only be as clean as the people who live alongside allow it to be. If a deficit of sanitary infrastructure makes people turn to the river or if incompletely burnt bodies are floated into the river in the name of custom, or people throw tonnes of stuff daily into the river whether as sacrament or as garbage, polluted the Ganga will remain. If the Ganga has to be really clean, it's necessary to address not just its physical ecosystem, but its social ecosystem as well. And the government does not need World Bank money to do that.
The idea of forcing change in social mores might seem daunting, but it's less difficult than it seems. Think of the pristine river Thames that flows through London and try to imagine that as late as the 1950s, it was an open sewer, devoid of oxygen and therefore, all aquatic life, emitting the rotten-egg stink of hydrogen sulphide. And indeed, this was the condition of the Thames for centuries. By 1610, its water had become unfit to drink, by the 19th century, it was called The Great Stink and in 1858, sittings of the House of Commons on the banks of the river had to be abandoned, with MPs staying away from its malodorous presence. Yet by the mid-1970s, the clean-up of the Thames, started in 1964 and finishing exactly a decade later, was so successful that salmon, trout and even seal can now be found in the river. When in doubt about the Ganga clean-up project, remember the Thames.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Jal Board fixes Rs.405/455 as new sewerage development charges (Hindu 31 May 2011)
To be paid in areas where water, sewer lines are newly laid or about to be laid
9-MGD Sewage Treatment Plant to come up on Ghazipur drain
Water flowing in Ghazipur drain to be treated before being released into Sector 14 Noida drain
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board has decided to fix the water and sewerage development charges for the year 2011-12 at Rs.405 and Rs.455 per sq. metre respectively, for recovery from consumers.
The charges have to be paid by residents where the water and sewer lines have been laid recently or to be laid in the near future.
At a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday, the Jal Board approved the construction of a 9-MGD Sewage Treatment Plant including regulator on Ghazipur drain at Chilla Regulator along with pumping station and other appurtenant works on design, build and operate basis.
After construction of the plant, dirty water flowing in Ghazipur drain, currently falling into the drain passing through Sector 14 Noida, will be diverted to the plant and treated before being discharged into the drain.
The Board also approved of providing sewerage services in Urban Village Samaipur at an estimated cost of Rs.11,16,38,850. “It has been decided to connect the outfall in the existing 2.5 MGD Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar Sewage Pumping Station (SPS) which is ultimately proposed to be connected with the Interceptor Sewer proposed to be laid along the supplementary drain and other big drains in Delhi,” the DJB said in a statement.
Approval for rehabilitation, operation and comprehensive maintenance for 10 years of the 40-MGD Phase-II of Rithala Sewage Treatment Plant at a cost of Rs.84.50 lakh was also given.
Further, the Board has approved the refurbishment of 450 mm to 900 mm diameter Sewer line along C. V. Raman Marg from Sukhdev Vihar via Escort Hospital to Ring Road Sewage Pumping Station in Delhi by CIPP technology at a total cost of Rs.5,25,00,000. This will provide relief to sewerage problems in New Friends Colony and adjoining areas.
The Board also approved transfer of land to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation against payment of Rs.3, 89,042 towards the cost of land to the DJB at the notified rate of Rs.22 lakh per acre for the area utilised by them for the Sarita Vihar Metro Station at Mohan Co-operative Industrial Estate, Mathura Road. The DMRC has been requested to restrict the construction/design within the 715.48 sq. mtr area.
9-MGD Sewage Treatment Plant to come up on Ghazipur drain
Water flowing in Ghazipur drain to be treated before being released into Sector 14 Noida drain
NEW DELHI: The Delhi Jal Board has decided to fix the water and sewerage development charges for the year 2011-12 at Rs.405 and Rs.455 per sq. metre respectively, for recovery from consumers.
The charges have to be paid by residents where the water and sewer lines have been laid recently or to be laid in the near future.
At a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Monday, the Jal Board approved the construction of a 9-MGD Sewage Treatment Plant including regulator on Ghazipur drain at Chilla Regulator along with pumping station and other appurtenant works on design, build and operate basis.
After construction of the plant, dirty water flowing in Ghazipur drain, currently falling into the drain passing through Sector 14 Noida, will be diverted to the plant and treated before being discharged into the drain.
The Board also approved of providing sewerage services in Urban Village Samaipur at an estimated cost of Rs.11,16,38,850. “It has been decided to connect the outfall in the existing 2.5 MGD Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar Sewage Pumping Station (SPS) which is ultimately proposed to be connected with the Interceptor Sewer proposed to be laid along the supplementary drain and other big drains in Delhi,” the DJB said in a statement.
Approval for rehabilitation, operation and comprehensive maintenance for 10 years of the 40-MGD Phase-II of Rithala Sewage Treatment Plant at a cost of Rs.84.50 lakh was also given.
Further, the Board has approved the refurbishment of 450 mm to 900 mm diameter Sewer line along C. V. Raman Marg from Sukhdev Vihar via Escort Hospital to Ring Road Sewage Pumping Station in Delhi by CIPP technology at a total cost of Rs.5,25,00,000. This will provide relief to sewerage problems in New Friends Colony and adjoining areas.
The Board also approved transfer of land to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation against payment of Rs.3, 89,042 towards the cost of land to the DJB at the notified rate of Rs.22 lakh per acre for the area utilised by them for the Sarita Vihar Metro Station at Mohan Co-operative Industrial Estate, Mathura Road. The DMRC has been requested to restrict the construction/design within the 715.48 sq. mtr area.
DTC asked to return land on Yamuna floodplains (Hindi 31 May 2011)
Efforts to remove a bus shelter from the Yamuna floodplains seem to have paid off as the process to reclaim the land has finally begun. The Indraprastha Power Generation Company Limited (IPGCL), which had handed over the land for the construction of a “temporary” bus shelter, has now asked the Delhi Transport Corporation to return it.
IPGCL's decision is a shot in the arm for activists who had been campaigning to rid the floodplains of illegal constructions like the DTC bus shelter. The land measuring 61.05 acres owned by the IPGCL and the Delhi Government was offered to DTC to construct a bus shelter for the duration of the Commonwealth Games. However, the land remained in DTC's possession and continued being used as a depot despite the orders against its existence.
In response to an Right To Information query, the DDA has said the issue of land being used for the depot was examined and the land use of the site has been shown as ‘river water body' as per Masterplan 2021 and the land use has been shown as ‘recreational' as per the zonal development plan of zone ‘E'.
“As per the zonal development plan of zone ‘O' clause 9.2.2 (vi) the area falls in river front and should be conserved and developed considering the eco-sensitive nature of River Yamuna and based on comprehensive scheme,” the DDA has said in its reply.
“The fact that the Delhi Development Authority has admitted in a reply sought under the RTI Act that the land was meant for recreational purposes in itself is a huge relief,” said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Mr. Misra has also written to the Lieutenant Governor complaining that the DTC is also allowing private buses to park at the disputed site. “The DTC has no right to allow a third party (here the recently introduced orange buses) to park at a place which is illegal. We have also seen earth work and construction activity going on inside the depot in violation of the directions of the Delhi Urban Arts Commission,” said Mr. Misra.
IPGCL's decision is a shot in the arm for activists who had been campaigning to rid the floodplains of illegal constructions like the DTC bus shelter. The land measuring 61.05 acres owned by the IPGCL and the Delhi Government was offered to DTC to construct a bus shelter for the duration of the Commonwealth Games. However, the land remained in DTC's possession and continued being used as a depot despite the orders against its existence.
In response to an Right To Information query, the DDA has said the issue of land being used for the depot was examined and the land use of the site has been shown as ‘river water body' as per Masterplan 2021 and the land use has been shown as ‘recreational' as per the zonal development plan of zone ‘E'.
“As per the zonal development plan of zone ‘O' clause 9.2.2 (vi) the area falls in river front and should be conserved and developed considering the eco-sensitive nature of River Yamuna and based on comprehensive scheme,” the DDA has said in its reply.
“The fact that the Delhi Development Authority has admitted in a reply sought under the RTI Act that the land was meant for recreational purposes in itself is a huge relief,” said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Mr. Misra has also written to the Lieutenant Governor complaining that the DTC is also allowing private buses to park at the disputed site. “The DTC has no right to allow a third party (here the recently introduced orange buses) to park at a place which is illegal. We have also seen earth work and construction activity going on inside the depot in violation of the directions of the Delhi Urban Arts Commission,” said Mr. Misra.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
No record of Capital's groundwater usage, reveals RTI (Hindu 24 May 2011)
“Delhi Jal Board does not even know which agency maintains such a record”
Groundwater is extracted with impunity is the general refrain, but the agencies concerned — the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) or the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) — cannot quantify just how much of the natural resource is lost on an everyday basis or for what purposes.
This, even as policies and programmes to check rampant misuse of groundwater have been implemented.
Vinod Jain of the non-government organisation Tapas said the DJB and the CGWA keep no tabs on the quantity of groundwater extracted or the percentage used for commercial and domestic purposes. Mr. Jain had sought information under the Right to Information Act from the agencies about the quantum of groundwater used up by individuals, industry and societies.
“Through the RTI, we learnt that none of the agencies have any record of how much water is being used up. The standard reply I received was that ‘no data on withdrawal of water/depletion of groundwater table is being maintained.' The DJB even said they did not know which agency maintained such a record,” said Mr. Jain.
In Delhi where the commercial use of groundwater has been banned, seven of the nine districts are ‘overexploited' vis-à-vis the resource.
“We had asked the agencies if they had any data on how much withdrawal of groundwater is carried out everyday and on an average by individuals, for what purposes — drinking, bottling, by farm houses or fire tenders etc., The idea was to ascertain whether such data can be put to use by helping plan for the future,” said Mr. Jain.
He went on to add: “The data could have been used to get an exact demand of the groundwater. It could have helped the agencies plan accordingly for ensuring water security.”
Groundwater contributes to the city's demand not met by the DJB's piped water supply. It is also being used for various non-potable purposes, including construction and agricultural.
Groundwater is extracted with impunity is the general refrain, but the agencies concerned — the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) or the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) — cannot quantify just how much of the natural resource is lost on an everyday basis or for what purposes.
This, even as policies and programmes to check rampant misuse of groundwater have been implemented.
Vinod Jain of the non-government organisation Tapas said the DJB and the CGWA keep no tabs on the quantity of groundwater extracted or the percentage used for commercial and domestic purposes. Mr. Jain had sought information under the Right to Information Act from the agencies about the quantum of groundwater used up by individuals, industry and societies.
“Through the RTI, we learnt that none of the agencies have any record of how much water is being used up. The standard reply I received was that ‘no data on withdrawal of water/depletion of groundwater table is being maintained.' The DJB even said they did not know which agency maintained such a record,” said Mr. Jain.
In Delhi where the commercial use of groundwater has been banned, seven of the nine districts are ‘overexploited' vis-à-vis the resource.
“We had asked the agencies if they had any data on how much withdrawal of groundwater is carried out everyday and on an average by individuals, for what purposes — drinking, bottling, by farm houses or fire tenders etc., The idea was to ascertain whether such data can be put to use by helping plan for the future,” said Mr. Jain.
He went on to add: “The data could have been used to get an exact demand of the groundwater. It could have helped the agencies plan accordingly for ensuring water security.”
Groundwater contributes to the city's demand not met by the DJB's piped water supply. It is also being used for various non-potable purposes, including construction and agricultural.
Plan panel begins consultations on 12th Plan approach (Hindu 24 May 2011)
Starting with the northern region, the Planning Commission on Monday launched the process of consultations with Chief Ministers on formulation of the Approach Paper to the12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) as directed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to commence work immediately on preparation of a draft.
As flagged in its presentation at the full meeting of the Planning Commission presided over by the Prime Minister on April 21, issues with regard to water, energy and infrastructure also emerged as the main topics for discussion at the meeting with the seven northern States.
The meeting also marked the beginning of consultation with States to formulate the Approach Paper for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17). This comes at a time when the country is looking at raising the average economic growth to 9-9.5 per cent from 8.2 per cent expected in the current Plan.
Briefing the media, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said: “Today's (Monday) meeting showed that water and energy, two issues considered important by us, are also on priority list of States”.
Elated by the consensus on issues that need to be tackled, Mr. Ahluwalia noted that during the meeting Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit favoured the establishment of a ‘Water Regulatory Authority'. “Another CM pointed to water management, groundwater depletion and watershed management. I am happy that the CMs have called for action to find a solution to the water issue. Energy was also a major issue raised by the states,” he said.
Many suggestions
Pointing to a “large number of suggestions” made by the States, he said: “We will take them into account when we finally get around [to preparing the Approach Paper]”. Apart from Mr. Ahluwalia and members of the Plan panel, the meeting was attended by the chief ministers of Delhi (Shiela Dikshit), Haryana (Bhupinder Singh Hooda) and Himachal Pradesh (Prem Kumar Dhumal) while Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Union territory of Chandigarh were represented by senior ministers and officials.
Mr. Ahluwalia noted that similar consultations would be held with other States soon. “Within the next three weeks or so, I hope that the consultations will be over. We had the consultations with northern States. It will be followed by other regions -- western, southern, eastern and north-eastern,” he said.
As for the other issues that came up for discussion, Mr. Ahluwalia said that cash transfer to below poverty line (BPL) families was one such topic.
As flagged in its presentation at the full meeting of the Planning Commission presided over by the Prime Minister on April 21, issues with regard to water, energy and infrastructure also emerged as the main topics for discussion at the meeting with the seven northern States.
The meeting also marked the beginning of consultation with States to formulate the Approach Paper for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17). This comes at a time when the country is looking at raising the average economic growth to 9-9.5 per cent from 8.2 per cent expected in the current Plan.
Briefing the media, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia said: “Today's (Monday) meeting showed that water and energy, two issues considered important by us, are also on priority list of States”.
Elated by the consensus on issues that need to be tackled, Mr. Ahluwalia noted that during the meeting Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit favoured the establishment of a ‘Water Regulatory Authority'. “Another CM pointed to water management, groundwater depletion and watershed management. I am happy that the CMs have called for action to find a solution to the water issue. Energy was also a major issue raised by the states,” he said.
Many suggestions
Pointing to a “large number of suggestions” made by the States, he said: “We will take them into account when we finally get around [to preparing the Approach Paper]”. Apart from Mr. Ahluwalia and members of the Plan panel, the meeting was attended by the chief ministers of Delhi (Shiela Dikshit), Haryana (Bhupinder Singh Hooda) and Himachal Pradesh (Prem Kumar Dhumal) while Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and the Union territory of Chandigarh were represented by senior ministers and officials.
Mr. Ahluwalia noted that similar consultations would be held with other States soon. “Within the next three weeks or so, I hope that the consultations will be over. We had the consultations with northern States. It will be followed by other regions -- western, southern, eastern and north-eastern,” he said.
As for the other issues that came up for discussion, Mr. Ahluwalia said that cash transfer to below poverty line (BPL) families was one such topic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)