14.2  ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (EMP) FOR URBAN AREAS

EMP for Kanpur
With the preparation of Environmental Management Plan for Kanpur Urban Area, a new concept and a new thinking towards solving the problems of urban areas has been introduced. The Zoning Atlas Unit at CPCB conceived the concepts completely in-house. The Plan was submitted to the UPSPCB and the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) for implementation. The report was well received by the Administration and the people. Further persuasions are being carried out through the CPCB Zonal Office at Kanpur to ensure the implementation of the report.

Environmental Hotspots – EMP Kanpur

EMP for Haldia
Similar to the Environmental Management Plan for Kanpur Urban Area, a plan was prepared for Haldia through the Zonal Office of CPCB at Calcutta. The report has been completed and is in the finalisation stage.

Special Projects
The World Bank had suggested considering various types of planning regions in addition to the District boundaries. Accordingly, a pilot study on ‘Water Quality Management of Cauvery Basin’ has been taken up through the CPCB’s Zonal Office at Bangalore. In addition to remote sensing and GIS, modelling techniques for demarcation of watersheds, identifying flow in the rivers, water quality and impacts due discharges will be used.

Making Zoning Atlases Commercially Available

Work has been taken up for generating interactive CD with query system. The data structuring had been completed and the work was awarded to M/S ML Info Map. New Delhi. The work is expected to be completed during the year 2000. The SPCBs had been instructed to collect the hard copies of the printed Zoning Atlases and the ESZIS maps and sell them from their offices. The HPSPCB and UPPCB have placed the information related to Zoning Atlas for siting of Industries on Internet for wider access. CPCB with the help of National Informatics Centre (NIC) has placed the Zoning Atlas information on the existing CPCB webpage. CPCB is also in the process of preparing transmission worthy video on Zoning Atlas programme. The organisation for the taking up the work had been finalised and the work is expected to be completed during 2000. The services of the organisation will also be subsequently used to develop a multimedia presentation on Zoning Atlas using the video clippings.

Augmentation of Execution of Zoning Atlas Activities

Coverage of more Districts
The concepts for Zoning Atlas studies have been finalised and more Districts may be taken up through consultants. The States will be asked to identify all the priority Districts that are to be covered by June 2003, and the work for the Districts in addition to those being executed by the SPCBs will be done through the Consultants. Studies for the additional Districts will be commenced during 2000. About 160 districts are targeted to be covered during the project period.

Identification of environmentally acceptable sites for industrial estates
Presently, the environmental clearances are not issued for the setting up of entire industrial estates. The concerned State Department (Industries Department) identifies the sites and the environmental clearances are issued by the SPCBs to the individual industries coming up subsequently in the estates. Normally, the type of industries coming up in the estate and the combined impact due to such industries is not normally assessed in advance. Also, land uses around the estates and pollution abatement infrastructure such as CETP, disposal facilities etc. are not planned.

Under the Zoning Atlas activity, the guidelines for identifying the sites for industrial estates has been  developed and the Government advised on bringing out a notification for making environmental clearances for setting up of industrial estates mandatory. The problems of cumulative impacts, provision of infrastructure facilities for waste disposal and land use controls around the sites can be ensured through such clearances.

For carrying out the Industrial Estate Planning studies that are targeted for identifying environmentally sound sites for setting up of industrial estates, CPCB has engaged NEERI, for taking up the work for 10-12 sites.

The sites for such studies has been finalised in consultation with the concerned State Departments viz. Industries Department, District Administration etc. It is proposed to cover over 20 additional sites during the project period. Carrying out of such studies by CPCB/MoEF will boost development in an environmentally friendly manner.

Collaborative efforts with various State agencies

CPCB, as agreed by MoEF, is considering intensifying Zoning Atlas activities in selected States that are doing exceptionally well in the Zoning Atlas programme. The activities that are needed for achieving developmental targets, in a sustainable manner by the States will be taken up. The State Administrations of Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Kerala have worked out areas of collaboration and the departments that are to be involved. A meeting was convened on 26.10.99 and it was decided to intensify the Zoning Atlas activity in various sectors like Tourism. Mining and Regional Planning. The studies that will be taken up through State Departments include: