Office of the District Development Commissioner Kathua District
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GOVERNMENT OF UNION TERRITORY OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR OFFICE OF THE DISTRICT DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONER KATHUA DISTRICT ENVIRONMENT PLAN FOR KATHUA DISTRICT Environment Plan-District Kathua FOREWORD The World Environment is gradually getting bad to worse day by day as we use our natural resources indiscriminately and fail to regulate management and disposal of waste generation in urban as well as rural areas properly. Our environmental conditions are deteriorating everyday leading to a situation where many living plants and animal species have become vulnerable to or at the verge of extinction. As only human beings are responsible for fast depleting environment, we need to show serious concern and create awareness about its consequences and impact on human life, flora and fauna thus creating positivity for conserving the environment. Due to over exploitation of natural resources, the environment has become vulnerable to natural calamities. The un-organized and over use of natural resources has led to various types of pollutions i.e. Air, Water, Soil and Noise pollution. Moreover, coming up of unplanned colonies in urban areas due to migration of people from rural areas has also become one of the main reasons for overuse and over exploitation of natural resources, thus, speeding up deterioration in natural environmental conditions. Hon’ble National Green Tribunal, New Delhi has passed an order on 15-07-2019 in O A. No. 710/2017 titled as Shailesh Singh Versus Sheela Hospital and Trauma Centre Shahjahanpur that it is necessary to have a District Environment Plan (DEP) to be operated by a District Committee. DEP in respect of District Kathua covers thematic areas, by capturing basic information on variety of action areas which are essential part of this 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 on the environment. DEP of District Kathua gains its importance in Union Territory of J&K, in view of the fact that many prominent places like Basohli, Bani, Lowang, Sarthal, Machhedi and some revered pilgrimage centres like Jasrota, Sukrala, Airwan and Jandi are 1 | Page Environment Plan-District Kathua expected to gain momentum as major tourist destinations in the region and need to be conserved in their natural form. DEP prepared meticulously would work as guiding factor for conservation and preservation of natural environment of this District which is having unique topography: plains sharing 23.8 km border with Pakistan in South West; subtropical hilly terrain of Sub-District Billawar and temperate area of Bani. All three regions enjoy varied types of vegetation which need to be conserved in their natural form. 2 | Page Environment Plan-District Kathua INTRODUCTION Environmental planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out land development with the consideration given to the natural environment, social, political, economic and governance factors and provides a holistic framework to achieve sustainable outcomes. A major goal of environmental planning is to create sustainable communities, which aim to conserve and protect undeveloped land. In Kathua, quality of life and well being is very much dependent on how we use, develop and protect our natural and physical resources such as Roads, Railways, Rivers, Groundwater, Air, Landscape, Towns, Infrastructure, Bio-Diversity and so on. The use or development of natural resources, including land, Fresh water, Ground Water also provides for social, cultural and academic well being. We all know that our very existence and desire to develop and grow as a community cannot compromise the things that make our life special. It is therefore, important and in the best interest of the environment and society as a whole to move steadily with full application of mind to ensure sustainable management of all natural resources. We need to be concerned with the long term implications of how we respond to the current changes in environment ensuring that future generations and their quality of life is not limited by decision or action (inaction) we make today. Purpose (i) The purpose of this DEP is to promote the sustainable management of natural and physical resources. (ii) The sustainable management would mean managing the use, development and protection of natural and physical resources in a way, or at a rate, which enables people and communities to provide for their social, economic and cultural well being and for their health and safety while:- 3 | Page Environment Plan-District Kathua (a) sustaining the potential of natural and physical resources (including minerals) to meet the reasonably foreseen needs of the future generations, and; (b) regenerating the life supporting capacity of air, water, soil and ecosystem; and (c) avoiding remedying or mitigating any adverse effects of activities on the environment. SOLUTIONS FOR SAVING ENVIRONMENT: Solutions are many, but all need proper action and support from all stakeholders. Forests are the key operators of natural cycle. Due to their indiscriminate exploitation, we have forgotten their importance. Thus, the first step to save our environment is to plant trees as many as possible. The next is the use of FIVE R’s viz REFUSE, REDUCE, RECYCLE, REUSE and REPURPOSE. 4 | Page Environment Plan-District Kathua District Environment Plan Kathua District Kathua is located at 32.370 N longitude 75.520 E latitude. It has an average elevation of 393 metres (1289 ft) and Kathua city is about 80 km from Jammu surrounded by three rivers. River Ravi is just 7km from Kathua and is main source of HEP (II) and irrigation facilities. Similarly, River Ujjh is about 11km ahead on Jammu Highway and is also a source of water for the irrigation facilities. Upcoming Ujjh Multipurpose Project will be a major source of Hydel Power and irrigation in the region and shall also help in supporting vegetation cover in dry Kandi belt which in turn will bring lot of improvement in the environment and ecology. In view of immense value of these rivers we need also to ensure that these are saved from pollution emanating from Industrial areas like Govindsar or other areas where industries are expected to come up in future. So the District Environment Plan will on the one hand has to ensure that how the precious water resources available from these Rivers are used for augmenting the availability of water resources in dry and water starved Kandi belt of the district and on the other hand how these Rivers are saved from hazardous pollutants emanating from Industrial wastes, Solid and Drainage waste of the town besides wastes generated by the mining activities along these rivers. 5 | Page Environment Plan-District Kathua Brief Profile of the District Kathua is as under; SNo. Item Magnitude 1. Number of villages as per 512 Census 2011. 2. Number of Towns 7 3. Number of Blocks 19 4. Number of Sub-Divisions 4 5. Number of Tehsils 11 6. Total Population 6,16,554 (as per the 2011 Census) 7. Male Population 326109 8. Female Population 290326 9. Total literacy as per Census 73.04 % 2011 10. Total Geographical Area 2502 sqkm 11 Area Under Forest Kathua Forest Division – 26588.5 ha (266 Sq. Km) Thein Conservation Reserve – 2787.19 ha (28 Sq. Km) Jasrota Wild Life Sanctuary – 760.39 ha (7.6 Sq. Km) Billawar Forest Division – 29218 ha ( 292 Sq. Km) Basohli Forest Division – 39029 ha (390.29 Sq. Km) 12 Net Cultivated Area 61535 Hect. 13 Net Cropped Area 114.468 Hect. 14 Net Sown Area 59.138 Hect. 15 Sex Ratio 904 per thousand 6 | Page Environment Plan-District Kathua To comply with the directions of Hon’ble NGT in the matter of monitoring implementation of Environmental Rules viz Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, Plastic Waste Management Rules etc by the respective District Magistrates twice every month, the specific directions to be implemented at the District Magistrate level include:- A. Every District to have DEP to be operated by a District Committee (as part of District Planning Committee) with representatives from Panchayats, Urban Local bodies, Regional Officers of State Pollution Control Board and suitable officer representing the administration which may in turn be chaired and monitored by the District Magistrate. Order of NGT is enclosed as Annexure-A B. Such District Environment Plan and constitution of District Committee to be placed on website of the District. The same has been uploaded on the website of Kathua District. The details in respect of District Environment Plan of Kathua District with respect to Solid Waste Management (SWM), Bio-medical Waste Management (BMWM), Plastic Waste Management (PWM), polluted River with stretches, polluted industrial clusters, Industrial pollution control and conservation of water bodies is as under: 7 | Page Environment Plan-District Kathua 1. Waste Management Plan: (I) Solid Waste Management - A District Level Task force has been constituted by the Government, vide Order No. 192 GAD of 2019 dated 07-02-2019, in pursuance of the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal order dated 16-01-2019 passed in Original Application No. 606/2018 for ensuring compliance to the Municipal Waste Management Rules, 2016 under the Chairmanship of Sh. O.P Bhagat, (KAS) District Magistrate, Kathua to review the status of Solid Waste Management (SWM) periodically and to create awareness about the scientific disposal and segregation of waste at source by involving all the stakeholders from Panchayat and Urban Local Bodies, prominent citizens, Trade and Commerce Bodies, Industrial Associations, besides Religious and Social organization of District Kathua. A detailed City Sanitation Awareness Plan under IEC activities in order to bring behavioral change among the masses regarding scientific disposal and segregation of waste at source level under Solid Waste Management is prepared and implemented with details given below:- SNo.