CHAPTER IX

 

ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND PUBLIC PARTICIPATION  

  9.1             ACTIVITIES OF NGO CELL  

The role of NGOs for pollution control activities can hardly be over-emphasized. An NGO Cell has been set up at Central Pollution Control Board to coordinate the following tasks:  

·        Enlist environmental NGOs involved in activities related to pollution control with CPCB;  
·        Establish NGO network in consultation with State Pollution Control Boards/Zonal Offices of CPCB;    
·        Provide training to the NGOs and equip them with facilities, like water testing kits, analytical instruments, books, literature etc. In order to enhance their capabilities in the field of pollution control; and  
·        Organize mass awareness programmes and pollution control activities through NGOs.  

During 2002-2003, 10 NGOs were additionally enlisted with CPCB subject to concurrence of concerned State Pollution Control Boards apart from 640 NGOs already enlisted during previous years. A rebate @50% is extended over the purchase of CPCB publications to NGOs enlisted with CPCB and several NGOs availed the facility during 2002-2003. Financial assistance of Rs. 75,000/- was provided to 14 NGOs for organizing mass awareness programmes in different parts of the country.  

A two day training programme for the NGOs located in North-Eastern States was organized through a NGO namely the Human Services Centre, Manipur, with the collaboration of Manipur Pollution Control Board during 23^rd to 24^th November, 2002 at Imphal, Manipur, to educate them in the field of environment and pollution and its control.  

A regional meeting with NGOs located in Northern States was organized at Dehradun on January 22, 2003 for coordination of the activities and promotion of the public participation/awareness in the pollution control programmes in the country.  

 

 

This interaction meet included series of lectures on relevant topics of pollution control by the eminent Experts, discussion on the area specific problems and distribution of literature on the selected topics. Principal Secretary – Env, Govt. of Uttaranchal, appreciated the literature being developed by CPCB on various topics of pollution and their remedies. During the programme, the NGOs pointed out the problems associated with their areas.

The major environmental problems brought to the notice during the interaction meet are as follows.  Action has been initiated to find out suitable solutions of these problems.

 

• As a result of creation of a new state i.e. Uttaranchal and its capital as Dehradun, all sorts of activities at the city have increased manifolds which have aggravated the pollution problems of dehradoon. These include air pollution problems due to vehicles and traffic jams especially in the main city area, waste- water pollution due to discharge from road-ways work-shops  , OEF,  auto garages etc. Around the pollution of Song river. In the hilly regions of Uttaranchal problems are due to improper Municipal Solid Waste Management, animal dung disposal into rivers and open human defecation.
• Air pollution problems, traffic jams,  pollution of rivers at Allahabad.
• Congress grass problems in Allahabad, Meerut and nearby cities.
• Air & water pollution problems in Singrauli area due to power plants, aluminium plant , caustic soda plants, chemical industries and stone crushers.
• Pollution of river Kali due to Daurala Sugar, distilleries and similar other industries in  Meerut and slaughter houses problems at Hapur.  
• Pollution of river Sai at Raebareilly and plastic / polythene disposal problems.
• Fluoride problems in ground water in Unnao, Singrauli and other areas of northern India.

  9.2       CPCB PUBLICATIONS DURING YEAR 2002-2003  

The Central Pollution Control Board continued to collect, compile and publish scientific, technical and statistical reports relating to pollution and the measures to be taken for its effective prevention, control and abatement. CPCB has published following technical documents during the year 2002-2003.  

1.                  Water Quality in India - Status and Trends 1990-2001; MINARS/20

2.                  Water Quality Status and Statistics 2000; MINARS/21

3.                  National Ambient Air Quality Status 1999; NAAQMS/21

4.                  National Ambient Air Quality Status 2000; NAAQMS/22

5.                  Performance Evaluation Study of Biochemical Oxidation & Dephenolisation Plants; PROBES/84

6.                  Pollution Control in Small Scale Industries - Status and Needs; PROBES/85

7.                  Performance Evaluation of Common Effluent Treatment Plants; PROBES/86

8.                  Evaluation of Clean Coal Technologies; PROBES/87

9.                  Spatial Distribution of Hourly Mixing Depth over Indian Region; PROBES/88

10.             Studies on Rain and Surface Runoff Storm Water in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Daman; PROBES/89

11.             Effluent Toxicity Status in Water Polluting Industries (Part I - Dyes and Dye Intermediate, Bulk Drugs and Textile Industries); PROBES/91

12.             A Report on State of Environment - Lucknow; CUPS/52

13.             Municipal Solid Waste Processing Technologies - Review and Guidelines for Local Bodies; CUPS/53

14.             Environmental Status of Andaman  Islands; COPOCS/24

15.             Oil Pollution and the Marine Environment; COPOCS/26

16.             Municipal Sewage Pollution Along Indian Coastal Waters; COPOCS/27

17.             Zoning Atlas - Rangareddy District (Andhra Pradesh); EMAPS/15

18.             Zoning Atlas - Medak District (Andhra Pradesh); EMAPS/16

19.             Zoning Atlas - Sambalpur District, Orrisa); EMAPS/17

20.             Zoning Atlas - Sirmaur District, Himachal Pradesh; EMAPS/18

21.             Inventorisation and Management of Hazardous Waste in West Bengal; HAZWAMS/18

22.             Manual of Design, Construction and quality control liners and cover for Hazardous Waste Landfills; HAZWAMS/20

23.             Arsenic Contamination in Groundwater and its Control; IMPACTS/4

24.             Environmental Atlas of India

25.             Save the Environment - Make less Waste

26.             Hazardous Waste Generating Units in Orissa

27.             Report on the Survey of Air Quality in the Sundarbans

28.             Zoning Atlas Cuttack Kendrapara Jagatsingpura and Jajpur Districts

29.             Charter - Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection

30.             Environmental Management in selected industrial sectors - Status and Needs

31.             Guidelines for the Selection of Site for Landfilling

32.             Annual Report 2001-2002

33.             Proceedings of the Workshop on Environmental Impact Assessment Studies for Developmental Projects

34.             Development of Site Selection Methodology for Landfilling - A Case study for Mangalore

  9.3       CPCB 'PARIVESH' NEWSLETTERS  

Following themes were selected for the various issues of CPCB Newsletter, 'Parivesh' issued during year 2002-2003.

·                    Highlights 2001

·                    Biomonitoring of Water Bodies, Part II

·                    Bio-diesel as Automobile Fuel

·                    Benzene in Air and its Effects on Human Health

·                    Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) - Persistent Pollutant

·                    Climate Change

·                    Public Interest Litigations

·                    Odour Pollution and its Control

 

9.4       HINDI PUBLICATIONS  

CPCB has published three documents in Hindi. The subjects of these documents are:  

Ø      Khandsari Udyogo me Pradushan Niyantran

Ø      Keetnashak Utpadak Udyogo me Paryavaran Prabandhan

Ø      Pradushan Aap bhi kam kar sakate hai

Ø      Vaigyanik avam Takniki Lekhon ka Sankalan  

9.5       QUERY RESPONSE SERVICE  

A Distributed Information Centre (DIC), as a network partner of the Environmental Information System (ENVIS) was established in CPCB with a Memorandum of Understanding reached and signed between the Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India and CPCB. Query response service (QRS) is the regular activity of the ENVIS centre. Queries are received from the schools, colleges, NGO’s, consultants and technical institutions, government organizations in the field of air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, solid/hazardous waste, consultancy and mass awareness. During the year, more than 200 queries were received and answered.  In addition to queries through letters, a lot of queries were received in the form of telephonic conversations, fax massages and E-mail. These queries were answered.  

9.6   PARTICIPATION IN EXHIBITIONS  

Participation in exhibitions is an important means for direct interaction with the general public. With this objective, CPCB had put up stalls/pavilion at various exhibitions during the year. The main items displayed at CPCB pavilion were air monitoring devices, blow-ups on Zoning Atlas Programme and other major activities, pollution information booklets and technical publications. Films on pollution control and nature conservation were the major attraction of exhibition pavilion. Mass Awareness literature giving general information on pollution control in form of pamphlets, newsletters etc. were distributed. The important exhibitions, in which CPCB has participated during the year are:  

Ø      IIT Roorkee

Ø      India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Ø      Pragati Maidan, New Delhi

Ø      COP - 8 at Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi

Ø      CREP, Hotel Ashoka, New Delhi

  9.7       MASS AWARENESS ON DRINKING WATER  

The ground water in major part of West Bengal are already contaminated with arsenic. The arsenic effected area is being increased day by day. Sometimes people are drinking arsenic contaminated water without knowing the level of arsenic content in water. To help the local people, proper facilities have been developed to test water samples free of charge. A newspaper advertisement was also issued by CPCB inviting people to send their tubewell water samples for testing in this laboratory. 660 samples were already analysed and the results were reported to owner of the tube wells. The outcome of these analysis are summarised below.

 

Table 9.1  Status of Arsenic in tube wells water samples collected by local people  

                       

The results revealed that 7 percent tube wells were above permissible limit and 16 percent were above WHO guidelines. In this study samples were brought both from effected and non effected areas. The relevant information along with sample are also being collected for future use.

  9.8       TEACHERS TRAINING PROGRAMMES IN KOLKATA & BHUBANESWAR  

Two training programme for Teachers of High Schools & Colleges under the title `Environment & Pollution Control’ have been organised one in Kolkata during November 14-15, 2002 and the other in Bhubaneswar during January 9-10, 2003 with the assistance of Orissa Pollution Control Board. The training programme included different aspects of Environmental Pollution, impacts on environment & human health and the required abatement measures. Some demonstrations were also given particularly for air pollution monitoring equipment. In Kolkata twenty five teachers from various reputed colleges and in Bhubaneswar twenty four teachers from different High Schools have participated in the programme.  

  9.9       TRAINING OF TEACHERS ON ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT AT KANPUR

Central Pollution Control Board, Zonal Office - Kanpur launched a training programme for teachers from various schools from the year 2002 onwards. The two day programme was inaugurated by Sh. Vasudev Yadav, Joint Director (Education)., Govt. of U.P. 25 teachers of class IV-XII with science background represented Govt. and PSU, Nagar Nigam school, Minority and Missionary schools. Two  days programme included the lectures on various topics on Environmental Education & Environmental legislation, Introduction of various components of Environment and importance of forests in balancing Ecosystem, Introduction of Industrial Pollution and wastewater treatment, Recent trends of Urban area management system, Air pollution and its effect and central measures, Water Pollution and its effects and control, Environmental problem in Urban Areas  & waste management, field visits to CETP & STP, lab visit, demonstration of instruments and interaction session. Teachers were given the course material including books and lecture notes.  

The  programme achieved the target of imparting training on environmental issues to 25 teachers taking into the consideratio, that every teacher will come in contact with about 250 students every year apart  from fellow teachers and family members. Thus will help in spreading the message of environmental education and awareness to more than 6000 students every year. The programme also helped in developing cooperation between two government departments i.e. Central Pollution Control Board and Education Department of Govt. of U.P.  

9.10         MASS AWARENESS IN BANGALORE

i)     Students from the various schools participated in a programme associated by the South Zone Office, Bangalore during February 2002 where about six hundred and odd number of students took “New Year Pledge on Environment Protection”.

ii)      Mass awareness programmes were conducted in two schools in Bangalore wherein the students were explained and demonstrated about various aspects of pollution control and the students took “New Year Pledge on Environment Protection”.

9.11    MASS AWARENESS PROGRAMME AT KANPUR

Central Pollution Control Board Zonal office Kanpur organized a one-day Environmental awareness programme at Central School, IIT Kanpur on 27^th February 2003. This was in continuation of the regular awareness programme being organized by CPCB for NGOs, School Teachers, Industries, Masses and this time Students of the schools.  

The highlights of other programmes organized are as below:  

Exhibition:  a small exhibition was organized at the school to demonstrate the common instruments used along with their working to monitor the air, water and noise pollution levels. The information related to the environment was also displayed through display panels.  

Audio-visual Show: Documentaries on lead in the Environmental pollution and Solid wastes were shown by audio-visual means, which attracted the interests in teachers as well as students.  

Competitions: In order to generate active awareness Painting competition was organized for primary students, Quiz competition for middle students and Debate on the topic “ Environmental protection is a hurdle to the Development” for senior students. Active participation was received from the students. The prizes were also distributed to the winners.  

9.12    MASS AWARENESS AT AGRA

Central Pollution Control Board in association with SBI, GAIL INDIA LTD and Municipal Co-operation of Agra made a joint effort for the visitors of the carnival (Taj Mahotsav, 2003). It displayed the air quality status with instrumentation for the citizens of Agra City along with eco friendly campaign involving students (Environmental Cadets) who played vital role in the spreading and dissemination of information pertaining to environmental preservation. The task was to come united with other corporate bodies to find a solution for the up-gradation of local environment, which was successfully achieved. It helped in linking CPCB with schools and students who are in continuous touch to safeguard the environmental quality of the city.