My City My Responsibility - Environment Clearance NOC or Clearing the Environment!!!

Dear All,

Source: Doughnut economics

Listening to all the VOICE by a group of environmental activists and others on the draft EIA notification, I was compelled to throw some light on the agencies and their capacities who authorize an EIA that is the MOEFCC, CPCB and the SPCB during a few years of my work as an Environment Consultant.  

I am an Environmental scientist and immediately after my masters I got an opportunity to work on Green Building Certifications and Environment Impact Assessments (EIA). I was super excited to know that now I can do my bit and create a positive impact on the Environment. Environment is an interdisciplinary and interwoven field full of complex connections and linkages. Its just like a food web that we see in our ecosystem, full of inter-connections. So I felt like working in a primarily 'non-environment' related field is the best opportunity to create these linkages and bridge the gap. That's why I will forever be grateful to have worked in an architectural firm with a group of architects, engineers, management folks and fellow environmentalists. 

When I got introduced to the concepts of green building certification, it was very tough for me to integrate these concepts in LIVE projects. I literally struggled each day right from working on softwares like AutoCAD along with architects and other consultants to the real estate developers in understanding their view point about development and a lot of core concepts on safety, ecology and overall well-being. Nevertheless I found my balance, and could eventually create some positive impact.

One striking feature about the green building certification is that the systems are set, and are locally adapted to an extent and can be effectively managed over a long period. Since I mostly worked on residential projects, I realized engaging the occupants residing in a green building needs to be enforced in order to make the project successful and sustainable. Green building certification process begins right from the planning stage of the project and hence there's a lot of scope for getting green building principles implemented on the ground. Even if not, there are things that can be retrofitted and they still work with a 50% chance. The other 50% mostly depends on the operation and maintenance of the environmental services post occupancy and that's where a green building concept FAILS! Nevertheless a lot of real estate developers undertake this initiative and its appreciable. However only a few of them do it genuinely out of concern for the sake of environment conservation, kudos to them! We need more such kind of environment conscious real estate developers!!!

Regarding Environment Impact Assessments (EIA), as per the 2006 notification, construction projects that have built up area upto 20,000 sqm and above are required to undergo an EIA. My first hand experience with the real estate developers initially was like 'ok here are the Environment NOC people just give them whatever they need and get this done'. But then during the State Appraisal committee hearings in Mantralaya, Mumbai these developers experienced the seriousness of this NOC, since it can be a criminal offence if they do not adhere to the required compliance. The committee constitutes of experts from varied fields - scientists, architects, engineers, retired IAS officers, ecologists etc. and their comments are quite straight forward, critical and to the point. It was a great learning experience for me. During these hearing though the project complies with all the required papers, a lot depends on the attitude of the developer, his status, ties and relation with the inside people in order to get the clearance. The entire process to finally get an Environment clearance NOC is very much bureaucratic and frustrating, for everyone associated with it and THE Environment. This may have changed now with the whole Ease of doing Business notion but not in favour of Environment!

Both the processes, green building certification and EIA are flawed because they consider the environmental aspects in isolation. These processes fail to create societal connections except some local protests and fail to make associations with other ongoing urban development policies in the light of climate change and sustainability. There is always a debate on Environment vs Development, please click here to read the blog by Dr Priyadarshini Karve that HOW this debate in itself is futile.

After getting the required certification and NOC, the system completely lacks a reality CHECK of the compliance as per the NOC, though it is mandatory by law. It is crucial to see if the project adheres to the norms. On ground, things are very different for most of the projects, with a few exceptions! But a sound coordination between the Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) along with the local urban body is gravely missing. Its a gamble, nobody says it but everybody knows it - the pollution control board has nothing to do with environment and climate change, they are merely corrupt liaisoning agents. So the point I want to make is, unless the ties between all these agencies are strengthened with sound knowledge about environmental aspects, climate change and above all sustainability with respect to urban development any EIA or green building activity is simply a money minting process. There is a need to design efficient capacity building programs at all these levels in order to build better enviro-legal system and make urban development sustainable!

In case if you have any comments or suggestions you can email them at eia2020-moefcc@gov.in OR check out this LINK for more info on the Draft EIA notification and objections. Last date is 11th August 2020.

Pournima Agarkar. 

www.samuchit.com

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My City My Responsibility - Environmental Management for all

Dear All, 

Last year, we collected a few citizens' perspectives on certain issues related to Urban Sustainability. These included Housing, Transport, Governance or Peoples Participation, Heritage (both Cultural and Natural), Waste management and Air pollution, Disaster Risk Assessment and Green Open Spaces. For relating it to a broader vision, we used the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework especially the SDG 11 which deals with making cities and settlements sustainable. We compiled all citizens inputs and formed the Citizens Charter for Sustainable Pune. In our event on Citizens Charter and Action Agenda for Sustainable Pune we shared the same document with all of you. On analyzing all the Citizen inputs, we realized that if these inputs are put up as actionable points it will be a good guideline to follow by all.

Previous blogs focused on Housing, Transport, Participatory planning and Management, Cultural & Natural Heritage and Disaster Prepardness for all under SDG 11. In this blog I will be writing about Environmental Management from wastes and air pollution perspective. 

This target under SDG 11 focuses specifically on reducing per capita environmental impacts due to waste generation and air pollution happening in the cities. By now, we all know about the impacts of waste and air pollution. Yet, waste management continues to be a challenge in Pune, and the scenario with air pollution seems to be degrading day by day. In fact waste and air pollution go hand in hand. For instance, burning wastes in open air is a strategy for waste management but it causes air pollution to a great extent.

The UN indicator for this target is all about share of recycling and reusing the waste to at least 50% or more in the overall scenario of waste management. However, in India getting such data at the city level is challenging since the major problem is collection itself. From the Pune's service level benchmark data it has been observed that only 53% of wastes are collected through the door to door collection system, though all of this is properly disposed off as recycled and reused or incinerated. What happens to the 47% waste that is not being collected? How much of this is not coming into the Pune municipal corporation's waste management system because it is being recycled, reused, or otherwise scientifically disposed off at source, and how much of it is ending up littering roadsides, hillslopes, river beds, nallahs, etc.? In spite of having all the standards and policies in place, what is holding us back from effectively managing our waste is the question in front of us. When asked the citizens these were the responses.

Individual Level:

• Lets be conscious of our habits related to waste generation that creates pollution on land or water. 
• Lets monitor our consumption patterns and have a lifestyle that mimics nature where there is no waste, everything is reused and recycled in an efficient manner. 
• Lets show empathy towards our fellow waste managers who toil for managing our waste.
• Lets cooperate with our governing systems and follow the rules on waste segregation strictly by understanding the health risks due to wastes and pollution.
• In order to mitigate air pollution due to vehicular emissions, lets ensure timely maintenance of our vehicles. 
• Lets use public transport wherever possible or walk to distances less than 1 km. 

Community Level:

• Lets try and keep the areas in our locality also clean and free from wastes. 
• Lets raise our voice against illegal dumping of wastes and avoid open burning of garden wastes. 
• Lets advocate for better management of wastes at the society level, for instance for wet waste, we can explore the possibilities of installing a household Biogas system while dry waste can be further segregated and stored at a place and then sold to vendors who recycle. The idea is to ensure that our wastes should not go to the landfill. 
• Lets explore the possibility of using garden waste in an efficient way by simply putting it back to the plants as mulch or can use the dry leaves for making biochar. For more information checkout my blog on Biochar
• Lets advocate for strict enforcement of all policies regarding waste management and advocate for better air quality. 
• Lets advocate for effective decentralized waste management systems. 
• Lets keep a watch on solid wastes that keep accumulated in our locality and cause a health menace. 

Governance Level: 

• Ensure strict enforcement of waste management policies. Management of wastes should adhere to the MPCB norms for segregation and disposal.
• Regarding air pollution, though we have effective monitoring system, there are no effective management systems. There are no strict actions against the polluters. 
• There is a need for enforcement of penalties for the polluters, local body should involve citizens based monitoring mechanisms. Today our rivers are polluted not only due to the draining of untreated sewage but also because of people dumping wastes into them. There is a need to appoint a security checkpost at all entries to the river to ensure that no one dumps wastes into the rivers and assign penalties on the ones who dont adhere to the norms. 
• Capacity building among citizens, members of the local body and local organizations working towards waste management should be undertaken through experts in the field. Its important to develop a scientific attitude towards waste management that helps understand the issue holistically. 
• Emphasis should be given to success stories on waste management and air pollution mitigation measures. 

The list may continue...however, these are a few key inputs given by about 200 people, you can send in your inputs and suggestions to us on our Facebook page: Citizens of Sustainable Pune. Also please like and share our page, we are promoting Sustainable cities. 

OR you can email me at pournima@samuchit.com 

Pournima Agarkar.

                                                                        www.samuchit.com