GOVERNMENT OF AND

DISTRICT ENVIRONMENT PLAN RAMBAN 2019 1

Major Attractions in District Ramban Chenani Nashri Tunnel

Ba Baglihar Hydroelectric Project Chanderkote

Sanasar Lake

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INDEX

S. No. Contents Page

1 Foreword 4

2 Introduction 4

3 District Ramban at a Glance 5 -10

4 Solid Waste Management Plan 10 -11

5 Plastic Waste Management Plan 11

6 Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D) Plan 11

7 Bio-Medical Waste Management Plan 11

8 Hazardous Waste Management Plan 12

9 E-waste Management Plan 13

10 Water Quality Management Plan 13

11 Domestic Sewage Management Plan 14

12 Industrial Waste Water Management Plan 14 -15

13 Air Quality Management Plan 16 -17

14 Prevention of illegal Sand Mining 17

15 Noise Pollution Management Plan 17-18

16 Conclusion 19

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1. Foreword:

Hon’ble NGT in O.A. No. 710-713/2017 dated: 15.07.2019 ordered in para 8 regarding preparation of District Environmental Plan to be monitored by the District Magistrate and such plans available shall be hosted in public domain. The specific directions to be implemented at the District Magistrate level include:-

A. “Every District to have a District Environment Plan to be operated by a District Committee (as part of District Planning Committee) with representative from Panchayats, Local Bodies, Regional Officers, State PCB and suitable officer representing the administration, which may in turn be chaired and monitored by the District Magistrate. Order is enclosed herewith as Annexure-I. B. Such District Environment Plan and constitution of District Committee to be placed on website of the District. Uploaded on website of .”

2. Introduction:

The Environmental Management Plan (EMP) is a site specific plan developed to ensure that the project is implemented in an environmental sustainable manner where all contractors and subcontractors, including consultants, understand the potential environmental risks arising from the proposed project and take appropriate actions to properly manage that risk. EMP also ensures that the project implementation is carried out in accordance with the design by taking appropriate mitigative actions to reduce adverse environmental impacts during its life cycle.

District Environment Plan (DEP) is of immense importance as to involve community participation. It should delineate the mitigation measures, monitoring and evaluation plans, citing specific roles and responsibilities of key personnel, so as to minimize the adverse effects of the human activities to the environment.

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3. District Ramban at a Glance: Ramban is a town in the Ramban District of Jammu and Kashmir. It lies on the banks of the , on the National Highway-1A (now NH-44) at about 150 km from Jammu and about 150 km from , making it almost the central point on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. Before the formation of the J&K State in 1846, there was a small village consisting of 15 houses on the right bank of Chenab River known as Nashband (later ‘Ramban’). When Raja of Jammu became the Maharaja of J&K State, he adopted Jammu-- route to reach Srinagar for the movement of royal carvans. In this process, Ramban got the status of halting station for the royal carvans. The constructed a pacca building near present Ramban and a wooden bridge for the crossing of Chenab River. Sukhdev Singh Charak has written in his book ‘Maharaja Ranbir Singh’ that Maharaja ordered for a cart road from Jammu to Srinagar via Banihal and a suspension bridge over Chenab River at Ramban. This road became national highway and now it is being converted into four lanes. With the development of this road, the halting station Ramban also developed a lot and now it has got the status of District Headquarters in 2007. The brief profile of the District Ramban is given below: S. No. Item Magnitude 1. No. of Villages 129 2. No. of Towns 3 3. No. of Blocks 11 4. No. of Sub-Divisions 3 5. No. of Tehsils 8 6. Total Area 1329 km2 7. Total Population as per census 2011 283713 8. Total literacy rate as per census 2011 54.27% 9. Net area sown in 2017-18 30.47%

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7 i) Administration:

Ramban District is divided into 8 Tehsils Banihal, Ramban, Khari, Rajgarh, Batote, Gool, (Ukhral) and . Each Tehsil has its Tehsildar, who is the administrative Head. The District consisted of 116 census villages and 127 revenue villages in 2001. The total number of Panchayat Halqas in the District was 142. ii) Geography: Ramban District is 1,156 meters (3,792 feet) above sea level (on average). The boundary lines of Ramban District encompass hill station as its Southernmost point, Assar on its Eastern edge, Gool to the West, and Banihal to the North. Terrain of District Ramban is tough and hilly. District Ramban shares its boundary with , Udhampur, Doda, and . iii) Climate:

The climate of the District varies according to altitude. The temperature rises as high as 42 °C in the low-lying areas like Ramban town located in between steep Mountains on the banks of river Chenab and drops to sub zero in the high altitude areas like , Gool, Dhagantop, Asthanmarg, Lalagundi, Budhan. The working season in most of the District is about eight months because of typical weather conditions in the District. iv) Demography: According to the 2011 Census, Ramban District has a population of 283,713 roughly equal to the nation of . This gives it a ranking of 573rd in (out of a total of 640). The District has a population density of 213 inhabitants per square kilometre (550/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001- 2011 was 31.81%. Ramban has a sex ratio of 901 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 54.27%. Kashmiri and its dialects (Pogali and Sirazi) is the most widely spoken language in the District. The other languages spoken here are , Punjabi, Dogri and Gojri. 8

Ramban has a Muslim majority, with constituting about 70% and constituting about 28% of the population. v) Major Tourist Places: - Patnitop - Sanasar - Tatapani vi) Major projects:

a) National Highway NH-44 National Highway Project NH-44 would provide all-weather-connectivity from Jammu to the . It will also reduce journey time from Jammu to Srinagar and strategic border areas in the State of J&K. Moreover, implementation of the project would result in development of basic infrastructure in the region which would ultimately lead to overall economic development of the regions of the State. The project is covered in the region of Ramban and Banihal in Jammu & Kashmir. The cost is estimated to be Rs. 1623.98 crore including the cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. The total length of the road will be approximately 32.10 kms.

b) USBRL Project Udhampur-Srinagar- Rail Link Project is a railway track being laid to connect the Kashmir Valley in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir with and to the rest of the country. The sections from Jammu to Katra and Banihal to Baramulla have been built and are operational. The track from Katra to Banihal is to be completed by 2020.

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c) Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project The Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project Stage-I and Stage-II of Capacity 450 MW each is constructed on River Chenab and is located in Chanderkote area of District Ramban. The JKPDC is currently operating this Power Plant and is one of the profit earning project of the UT. The details of District Environment Plan of Ramban District with respect to Solid Waste Management, Bio-medical Waste Management, Plastic waste Management, Polluted river stretches, Polluted industrial clusters ,Industrial Pollution Control and Conservation of water bodies is as under:-

4. Solid Waste Management Plan:

In compliance to Hon’ble NGT Order passed in O.A 606/2018 dated 16-01- 2019 a three member committee was constituted by DC Ramban to identify the land for assessing the feasibility for setting up of processing/material recovery facility for MC Banihal, MC Ramban and MC Batote for Solid Waste Management as per SWM Rules 2016.

The status of the identified sites is as under:-

S.No Name of the Site Area/Title of the Land Remarks 1. Dharmund Batote 10 kanals/ Khasra No. 13 Transfered to Director ULB, State land Jammu vide this Office Order No. 01-Rev/SQ of 2019 dated 07-09-2019 for MC Batote. 2. Banihal 30 Kanals 01 Marla/ Land has been identified at Shamlatdeh land Village Bankoot, Banihal. Revenue papers prepared and submitted to Div. Commr. along with requisite formailities for transfer of said land. 10

3. Ramban 10 Kanals/ Forest land Forest land has been identified at village Parnote, Ramban for MC Ramban. Chief conservator of Forest, Jammu requested for issuance of Forest Clearance vide Letter dated 23-11-2019.

5. Plastic Waste Management Plan:

As per SRO 45 the Polythene Bag having thickness less than 50 Microns has been completely Banned in the UT of J&K and is being implemented in District Ramban with letter and spirit. However a meagre amount of Plastic Waste is being collected by MC Ramban Banihal and Batote and is being handed over to Construction Companies involved in Four Laning of NH-44 for Construction of Road.

6. Construction and Demolition Waste (C&D) Plan:

There are two major ongoing projects in district Ramban are as under:-

A). NH-44 from Nashri to Banihal.

B). Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) Project.

The construction and demolition waste generated is mostly utilized in construction activities and rest is disposed in designated dumping sites.

7. Bio-Medical Waste Management Plan:

The proposal for requirement of funds for seeking Consent/Authorization from Pollution Control Board, manpower requirement, Personal Protective Equipments (PPEs) installation of STPs/ETPs, disposal/treatment of Bio Medical Waste generated

11 as BMW Rules 2016, has been submitted to Director Health services Jammu for all the operational HCFs in District Ramban as per Hon’ble NGT directions.

8. Hazardous Waste Management Plan:

It involves reducing the amount of hazardous substances produced, treating hazardous wastes to reduce their toxicity and applying methods to reduce or eliminate exposures to their wastes. There is no hazardous waste generating industry in District Ramban except some quantity of used transformer oil, turbine oil & DG Set engine oil is being generated from Baglihar Hydro Electric Project (Stage I & II) after a fixed period of time, which they are disposing through registered suppliers.

In terms of HWM the following are the positive outcomes:

S.No Action Areas Outcome 1. Used transformer oil, turbine oil & DG Set 100% disposed through engine oil being generated from Baglihar service provider. Hydro Electric Project (Stage I & II)

In terms of HWM the following are the negative outcomes:

S.No Action Areas Outcome 1. Used engine oil & gear oil being Partially disposed through generated by automobile service & recycler. repair centers.

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9. E-waste Management Plan:

The E-Waste (Management) Rules, 2016 shall apply to every manufacturer, producer, consumer, bulk consumer, collection centres, dealers, e-retailer, refurbisher, dismantler and recycler involved in manufacture, sale, transfer, purchase, collection, storage and processing of e-waste or electrical and electronic equipment listed in Schedule I, of the above stated Rules. In district Ramban 17 Nos. bulk E- Waste consumers have been identified and asked to:-

Maintain records of e-waste generated by them in Form-2 and make such records available for scrutiny by the Pollution Control Board.

Ensure that such end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment are not admixed with e-waste containing radioactive material as covered under the provisions of the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 (33 of 1962) and rules made there under.

a) File annual returns in Form-3, to the concerned State Pollution Control Board on or before the 30th day of June following the financial year to which that return relates.

10. Water Quality Management Plan:

The water carried from source to reservoirs by gravity lines is being properly chlorinated in the service reservoirs and then supplied to the consumers which takes care of the microbiological contents. Moreover, provision for filter plants have been kept in the DPR’s of all new/ongoing schemes and regular tests of water samples from various sources of District are conducted in the water testing labs being monitored at Sub-division levels.

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11. Domestic Sewage Management Plan:

At present, the sewage generated from Residential/Commercial activities in the town of Ramban, Banihal and Batote is discharged untreated and causing Environmental Pollution.

For preventing Environmental Pollution following Common Sewage Treatment Plants (CSTPs) has been proposed in the District Ramban:-

S.No Name of the Town No. Of Population Capacity of Households as per CSTPs* census 2011 1. Ramban (on both sides of 728 3585 8 MLD Chenab River) (Ramban) & 3 MLD (Maitra) 2. Banihal 623 2985 6 MLD 3. Batote 762 3811 8 MLD (* The capacity of Common STPs has been calculated based on 80% hike on 2011 Population census keeping in mind the future requirements)

12. Industrial Waste Water Management Plan:

There is no designated industrial area in District Ramban. There is no major waste water generating industry in Ramban District. However, there are Service Stations, Health care Facilities (HCFs) and few Hotels/Banquet/Party Halls which need to provide Effluent Treatment Plant (ETPs) and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) for treating waste water generated.

In terms of Industrial Waste Water management the following are the positive outcomes:

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S.No Action Areas Outcome 1. Inventory of Industrial wastewater Done generation in District

a) Number of industries discharging waste water:

i) Service Stations, i) 40 No’s

ii) Health Care Facilities (HCFs) ii) 08 No’s DH=01,CHC=3, PHC=4

iii) Hotels with Banquet/Party iii) 02 No’s Halls) iv) 03 No’s iv) Community Halls 2. Status of compliance by industries in JKTDC Alpine Hotel in treating wastewater Patnitop has installed STP of capacity 10 KLD.

3. Status of action taken for not Legal Notices issued to meeting discharge standards Service stations, HCFs, Hotels with Banquet/Party halls & Community Halls who have not installed ETPs/STPs.

Environmental Compensation to be imposed by JK PCB shortly.

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13. Air Quality Management Plan:

There is no designated industrial area in District Ramban. There is no major air polluting industry in Ramban District. However, there are Stone Crushers, Hot mix Plants.

In terms of Air Quality Management the following are the positive outcomes:

S.No Action Areas Outcome 1. Availability of Air Quality Manual Air quality monitoring Monitoring Network in District station proposed under National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) in Ramban near Bus Stand. 2. Inventory of Air Pollution Sources Done 3. Availability of Air Quality Air quality monitoring data Monitoring Data at DM’s Office available at jkpcb website www.jkspcb.nic.in 4. Control of Industrial Air Pollution a) No. of Industries meeting standards a) 25 No’s b) No. of Industries not meeting discharge b) 03 No’s standards

5. Control of Non- Industrial Air Control of forest fire. There are 02 Pollution sources No’s Vehicle pollution check centers in Ramban. JK PCB also has Mobile Vehicular Pollution Monitoring Lab. 6. Development of Air Pollution Available at jkspcb website complaint redressal system www.jkspcb.nic.in

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Annual Plan operation for Forest Fire Prevention and Management is formulated by DFO Ramban and DFO Batote wherein following activities are taken up on annual basis.

1. Controlled burning by means of construction of temporary and permanent fire lines in Fire prone forest areas. 2. Purchase of fire fighting equipments viz. Showels, Fire brooms, water bottles, rakers for collection of fire prone material is being done annually by forest department. 3. Engagement of fire watchers :- Seasonal watchers are engaged by Forest Department during fire season for control of forest fires. 4. Construction of water storage structures :- Water harvesting structures like ponds and check dams are constructed by forest department for recharge of ground water and control of fire. 5. Establishment of fire cells :- Forest fire cells are established by Forest department at Range level to detect and control forest fires in association with village forest committees.

14. Prevention of illegal Sand Mining:

After commissioning of Baglihar dam in 2009-10 Stage I & II of capacity 450 MW each the production/deposition of sand almost diminished in river Chenab. There is no other major source of sand in District Ramban. All the sand supply in district Ramban comes from other districts such as Jammu and Samba.

15. Noise Pollution Management Plan:

The goal of noise pollution management plan is to maintain low noise exposures, such that human health and well-being are protected. The specific objectives of noise pollution management are to develop criteria for the

17 maximum safe noise exposure levels, and to promote noise assessment and control as part of District environment plan. We can Reduce Noise pollution by turning off appliances when not in use, use of earplugs, lowering the volume, planting more trees, regular maintenance of vehicles and machines etc. By controlling noise we can control negative health effects that noise pollution has on everyone. S.No Action Areas Outcome 1. Availability of Monitoring Equipment a) No. of noise measuring devices with District administration a) None b) No. of noise measuring devices with PCB b) None

2. Capability to conduct noise level None monitoring by State agency/District authorities 3. Management of Noise related complaints a) No. of complaints received on noise a) None pollution in last 01 year b) No. of complaints redressed b) N.A. 4. Compliance of ambient Noise standards

a) Implementation of Ambient noise a) Needs to be standards in residential and silent zones. implemented.

b) Noise monitoring study in District b) Needs to be done regularly. c) Sign boards in towns in silent zones c) Needs to be Installed.

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16. Conclusion:

District Environment plan emphasises on various action points as under:-

 In District Ramban the current environment status is within safe limits except for the area through which NH 44 is passing and up to some extent the area of rail line project Katra - Banihal section where large scale muck has to be dumped at appropriate places.  A lot of efforts in term of all type of waste management are to be made by the authorities and the general public as well and lot of improvement is required. Mass afforestation drive is required to conserve the environment.  A lot of work has to be done under Swachh Bharat Mission is required for door to door collection and segregation of solid waste and other waste material including biomedical waste C&D waste.  There is a lot of change in behavioural pattern i.e stopping the use of polythenes, segregation of all type of waste material and their recycling will improve the environment to the larger extent. With the measures proposed in the environment plan and action plans the environmental health will improve considerably.

Nazim Zai Khan (KAS) District Magistrate Ramban

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