Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Undertaking field-based topographic surveys are essential to map the accurate inundation of the islands under different climate change scenarios, found a joint committe report on on the impact of sea-level rise on islands October 10, 2023.
The joint committee was constituted on the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) July 11, 2023 to study the impact of sea level rise on islands and frame policy and measures to protect them.
The importance of adopting new policies and advanced technologies to avoid any expected infrastructure damage due to natural hazards and particularly to coastal erosion was also highlighted by the committee.
Other recommendations in the report includes adopting green coastal infrastructure as a shore protective measure along the eroding coasts to control the seasonal erosion patterns and to act as bio-shields against coastal hazards. This will include plantation of mangroves, salt marsh, coastal dune vegetation and other halophytic vegetation.
Exotic species such as Casuarina or others should be discouraged, the report urged.
Hybrid and natural structures that are not 100 per cent hard solutions but a combination of vegetation and eco-friendly materials, submerged reefs, artificial reefs, oyster reefs and undertaking coral and seagrass transplantation and coral gardening need to be promoted, the panel added. These mitigation measures in identified hotspots will help in restoration of degraded reefs and seagrass beds.
A four-member committee was constituted on the orders of the NGT October 17, 2023, to look into illegal lifting of sand from Siripur sand quarry over Bahuda river in Ganjam district, Odisha. The committee will visit the site and submit its report. In case violations are found, the committee shall recommend penalty as well as environmental compensation and also suggest remedial measures, if any.
According to the applicant, Kabiraj Mahapatra, sand is being illegally lifted in Siripur neighbourhood in Chikiti tehsil, Ganjam without clearance from State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Odisha in spite of protest by the residents of Siripur, Pathargudi, Brukhyalata locality under Ganjam.
The mining is being carried out by unknown people, the applicant said, pointing out newspaper articles mentioning the illegal sand lifting. The sand quarry is being operated by deploying heavy machinery, it was further alleged.
The Central Zone bench of the NGT took a serious view of allegations of illegal dumping of waste in some areas of Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh as well as disposal of waste in front of All India Institute of Medical Science in the city.
The tribunal directed notice to be issued to the Madhya Pradesh government through Collector Bhopal; Municipal Commissioner Bhopal; Central Pollution Control Board and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board. The respondents have been directed to submit their replies within six weeks. In addition, a three-member committee has been asked to visit the area, examine the facts, take remedial measures and submit the factual and action-taken report within four weeks.
The issue raised in the petition was non-compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 and dumping of the garbage and solid waste all around the main road, the road of the colonies or the vacant plot in the areas of Chandbad, Simra Gate and Purshottam Nagar, situated within the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation, Bhopal.
An article published in the newspaper Dainik Bhaskar Daily October 16, 2023 revealed the various illegalities and non-compliance of the environmental rules, dumping of the waste in violation of Solid Waste Management Rules and disposing of it by burning in the open land at gate number 4 of AIIMS. The activities are in violation of environmental rules, causing health hazards and air pollution in the vicinity of a hospital.
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