अध्याय M – पर्यावरण

Zonal Master Plan Bhagirathi Eco-sensitive Zone

Environment and Pollution Control Board Uttarkashi

1 Environment and Pollution Control Board

Activities to be prohibited in Eco-Sensitive Zone. I. River Valley Projects- Five Hydro Projects exist in the zone namely, Kaldigarh Langhu Jal Vidhut Pariyojna 9MW, Siyangad Hydro Project 11.5 MW, Jalandharygad Hydro Project 18.5 and 5.5 MW, Maneribhali Hydro Project Unit-1, 90 MW and Maneribhali Hydro Project Unit-2, 76.4 MW. The major hydro projects and their expansion shall be prohibited in the zone except micro and mini hydro projects. According to Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 such hydro projects are required to obtain the consent to establish and consent to operate from State Pollution Control Board, All the hydro projects shall ensure to establish sewage treatment plant for treatment of the domestic sewage. II. Abstraction of River Water- No major water intensive units exist in the zone. The water abstraction from the river for industrial purpose shall be prohibited. III. Mining of Minerals, Stone quarrying Crushing- No mining of minerals, stone quarrying and stone crushing shall be prohibited in the eco- sensitive area. The limited mining, stone quarrying and crushing units shall ensure to obtain permission from the Monitoring Committee and the consent from the State Pollution Control Board for establishment and operation of the unit. The State Pollution Control Board shall ensure not to grant permission for mining of minerals, and shall monitor the limited mining, stone quarrying and stone crushers units in the zone. IV. Polluting Industries- No polluting and major industries exist in the Eco-Sensitive Zone, except five Hydro Projects, namely, Kaldigarh Langhu Jal Vidyut Pariyojna 9MW, Siyangad Hydro Project 11.5 MW, Jalandharygad Hydro Project 18.5 and 5.5 MW, Maneribhali Hydro Project Unit-1, 90 MW and Maneribhali Hydro Project Unit-2, 76.4 MW. The major source of the pollution in the area is sewage generated from the towns and indiscriminate disposal of solid waste. The highly polluting industrial sectors covered under the ‘Red’ and ‘Orange’ category of the industries shall be strictly prohibited in the zone. However, small scale industries covered under ‘Green’ category of industries, which do not use liquid/solid fuel and water in the process, shall be permitted only in the industrial areas subject to grant of permission from the concerned departments. According to the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the industrial units shall obtain the consent from the Pollution Control Board. The State Pollution control Board shall ensure not to issue permit to

2 ‘Red’ and “Orange’ category of industries in the zone, and also shall monitor the industries periodically in the zone. All hydro projects shall also establish the STP which they do not have. V. Sewage Treatment in the Eco-Sensitive Zone- The untreated sewage generated from the town in the eco-sensitive zone is the major source of the water pollution. At present, the sewage treatment plant at Gangotri is under construction and sewage treatment plant at Gyansu (2MLD capacity) is under operation. During disaster of 2013 the S.T.P was damaged. According to the Air and Water Act the concerned local bodies are required to obtain consent from the State Board for establishment and operation of the S.T.Ps. The executive bodies like local bodies/Peyjal Sansthan shall ensue to install and operationalise the STPs in the zone, so that no untreated sewage drains into the river and its tributaries. The disposal of the untreated sewage generated from the towns of eco-sensitive zone shall be prohibited. It shall be the duty of the executing agencies to explore the possibilities to reuse the treated sewage for irrigation, after compliance of prescribed standards specified in the Environment (Protection) Rules instead of its disposal into the river. The State Pollution Control Board shall ensure periodical monitoring of the S.T.Ps VI. Use of the plastic carry bags – No plastic carry bag manufacturing unit exists in the area, but huge quantities of plastic carry bags are being used in the area, which are of not as per specification stipulated in the Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011. According to the Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011 the State Pollution Control Board shall ensure not to permit any manufacturer and recycling of plastic carry bags in the zone which does not qualify the specific provisions of Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011, According to the Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011, the municipal authority shall ensure to enforce the provisions of the Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011, for use collection, segregation, transportation and disposal of plastic waste and sale/use of plastic carry bags in the zone. VII. Hazardous Waste Processing Unit- No hazardous waste processing units exist in the Eco-Sensitive Zone. According to the Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling & Trans-boundary Movement) Rules 2008, the hazardous waste processing units are required to obtain authorisation/registration from the State Pollution Control Board; The hazardous waste processing units shall be prohibited in the eco-sensitive zone. The Pollution Control Board shall ensrue not to permit hazardous waste processing units in the zone and also shall ensure the monitoring of compliance. VIII. Water Pollution Control Measures (Industry Agricultural Area)- The major sources of water pollution in the eco-sensitive zone are disposal of the untreated sewage, indiscriminate disposal of the municipal solid waste and runoff water

3 contaminated with the use of pesticide in the agricultural field, According to Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution)Act, 1974 the local bodies are required to obtain the consent from the State Pollution Control Board for establishment of S.T.P. and Municipal Solid Waste disposal site. All the local bodies in the area shall ensure to obtain Environment Clearance from the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority for common municipal solid waste disposal site. Untreated sewage and indiscriminate disposal of solid waste and use of pesticide and chemical fertilizer shall be prohibited in the eco-sensitive zone. IX. Solid Waste Management- There are three local bodies that exist in the notified eco sensitive zone, namely, Nagar Palika Parisad Uttarkashi, and Bhatwari, Nagar Panchyat Gangotri. According to the Municipal Solid Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2000 the Municipal Authority shall within the territorial area of the municipalities be responsible for implementation of the provisions of the said rules and for any infrastructure development for collection, storage, segregation, transportation, processing and disposal of the municipal solid waste. The solid waste generated from the towns is being disposed off indiscriminately. No sanitary land-fill site and waste processing facility is developed by the local bodies. According to the Municipal Solid Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2000. The municipal authority shall also obtain authorisation from the State Pollution Control Board for setting up of waste disposal facility and waste processing facility and also environment clearance from the State level Environment Impact Assessment Authority. Indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste in eco-sensitive zone shall be prohibited. The Pollution Control Board shall ensure the periodical monitoring of the facility.

Activities to be regulated in the Eco-Sensitive Zone. I. Air Pollution- No major air pollution industries exist in the eco sensitive zone. The major sources of air pollution in the zone are burning of wood fuel, unauthorized burning of municipal solid wastes, mining and stone crushing. The local bodies shall ensure to prohibit the open burning of the solid wastes, and clean fuel shall be supplied to the local people. All the limited mining, stone quarrying and stone crushing units shall comply with the norms of air pollution control as specified by the State Pollution Control and shall also ensure to obtain the consent to operate from the State Pollution Control Board. II. Noise Pollution- According to the Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000. the State Pollution Control Board shall ensure to collect, compile and publish the technical and statistical data relating to the noise pollution and measures devised for its effective prevention control and abetment. The District Magistrate/ Police commissioners and any

4 other officers not below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police have been designated for the maintenance of the ambient air quality standard in respect of noise under any law for the time being in. III. Bio-Medical Waste Disposal- According to the Bio-Medical Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 1998 as amended, it shall be the duty of the occupier of any an institute generating Bio-Medical Wastes which includes a hospital, nursing home, clinic, dispensary, veterinary institute, animal house, pathological laboratory, blood bank by whatever name called to take all steps to ensure that such wastes be handled without adverse effect to human health and the environment. The rules also say the Municipal Corporations, Municipal Boards or Urban Local Bodies, as the case may be, shall be responsible for providing suitable common disposal/incineration sites for the biomedical wastes generated in the area under their jurisdiction and in areas outside the jurisdiction of any municipal body, it shall be the responsibility of the occupier generating bio-medical waste/operator of a bio-medical waste treatment facility to arrange for suitable sites individually or in association, so as to comply with the provisions of these rules”. Indiscriminate disposal of bio-medical waste shall be prohibited in the area. There are 7 health care facilities in the Uttarkashi areas. All the hospitals are disposing their bio-medical waste through deep burial system, because no common bio-medical waste treatment storage and disposal facility exists in the area. The individual hospitals shall also ensure to obtain the authorisation from the State Pollution Control Board for collection, segregation, treatment and disposal of the bio-medical waste or the local bodies shall ensure to obtain the authorisation from the State Pollution control Board for establishment of common bio-medical waste treatment and disposal facility in the region.