Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Wetland conservation
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed the National Wetlands Committee to compile data on status of compliance of environmental norms in all significant wetlands of India to ensure remedial action.
The state pollution control boards (SPCB) / pollution control committees (PCC) and state / union territory (UT) wetland authorities have to give the status of wetland management in their respective states to the secretary, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) within three months.
On the basis of the information gathered, a joint Committee of the secretary and chairman of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) will give a consolidated report to the court before January 21, 2021.
This order of August 27, 2020, was in response to the application on the unscientific dumping of waste and encroachment of the Hokersar wetland, Wular lake and Kreentchoo-Chandhara wetland in the Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir.
A joint report filed by the Jammu & Kashmir Pollution Control Board, Department of Wildlife Protection and the deputy commissioners of Budgam, Srinagar and Bandipora on August 18 mentioned the progress achieved with respect to conservation measures taken in the Hokersar Wetland Conservation Reserve, Wular lake and Kreentchoo-Chandhara Wetland Conservation Reserve.
The applicant — Raja Muzaffar Bhat — also filed a response to the report, giving certain suggestions. The NGT directed that further action be taken by the joint Committee headed by the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir. Also, suggestions given by the applicant were to be considered and acted upon, to the extent found viable.
Kali river pollution
The Meerut Nagar Nigam filed a report before the NGT on the remedial action taken against the unscientific dumping of solid waste in Ganwri village on the bank of the Kali river.
The report said all legacy waste lying on the site was fresh in nature. The composting of mixed waste was done while using bacterial inoculums.
The green part of all legacy waste was converted into compost due to which, the foul smell from the site had completely stopped. Legacy waste that was lying 120 metres from the bank of the river, had been collected by JCB and other machines. It had been cleaned and 3,500 trees had been planted.
For cleaning legacy waste, an air blastic segregator machine has been installed. The capacity of the machine was 15 tonnes per hour. The machine had been working continuously since month of December 2019. The machine segregated and deposited compost on one side, the inert part on another and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) on the third side.
The Nagar Nigam Meerut had been using the zero sanitary landfill technique. The entire compost that was produced, was being used by the Nagar Nigam itself.
Inert waste was being used by the municipal corporation in construction works after segregating iron, glass, brick and stone. RDF was being used for generating electricity.
African catfish
The magistrate of Krishnagiri in Tamil Nadu informed the NGT that appropriate remedial action had been taken against illegal farming of carnivorous African catfish in the district.
The farming of African catfish is banned under the Biological Diversity Act, 2020. The said farming involved feeding of chicken waste, egg waste causing foul smell and water pollution.
Accordingly, the NGT disposed of the application.
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