Environment Quiz : Environment Legislations | Nov 20,2020

For conservation of lakes and wetlands, Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change has been implementing two separate Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS), namely the National Wetlands Conservation Programme (NWCP) and the National Lake Conservation Plan (NLCP).
•To avoid overlap, promote better synergies and to ensure that conservation/ management works, an integrated scheme NPCA was proposed with the objective of conserving aquatic ecosystems (lakes and wetlands) through implementation of sustainable conservation plans governed with application of uniform policy and guidelines.
•The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), in its meeting held on 7th February 2013, has approved the proposal for merger of National Lake Conservation Plan and National Wetlands Conservation Programme into a new scheme ‘National Plan for Conservation of Aquatic Eco-Systems’ (NPCA).
•The merged scheme to be operational during XII Plan Period at an estimated cost of Rs.900 crore with a funding pattern of 70:30 cost sharing between Central Government and respective State Governments (90:10 for NE States).
Source: National Water Mission

Montreux Record is the principal tool under the Ramsar Convention, is a register of wetland sites on the List of Wetlands of International Importance.
•It highlights those sites where adverse changes in ecological character have occurred, are occurring, or are likely to occur as a result of technological developments, pollution or other human interference and which are therefore in need of priority conservation attention.
•It is maintained as part of the Ramsar List.
Source: Ramsar Convention

The Ganga Action Plan was launched on 14th January 1986 with the main objective of pollution abatement, to improve water quality by interception, diversion and treatment of domestic sewage and toxic and industrial chemical wastes present, from identified grossly polluting units entering in to the river.
•After reviewing the effectiveness of the “Ganga Action Plan”, the Government announced the “Mission Clean Ganga” project on 31st December, 2009 with the objective that by 2020, no municipal sewage and industrial waste would be released in the river without treatment, with the total budget of around Rs.15,000 crore.
•The Government also established the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), chaired by the Prime Minister, with the objective to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga, by adopting a river basin approach for comprehensive planning and management.
Source: Shankar

Ash is produced whenever combustion of solid material takes place.
•Fly ash is one such residue which rises with the gases into the atmosphere.
•Fly ash is a very fine powder and tends to travel far in the air. The ash which does not rise is termed as bottom ash.
•Nearly 73% of India’s total installed power generation capacity is thermal, of which 90% is coal-based generation, with diesel, wind, gas, and steam making up the rest.
Composition:
•Aluminum silicate (in large amounts)
•Silicon dioxide (SiO2) and
•Calcium oxide (CaO).
Fly ash particles are oxide rich and consist of silica, alumina, oxides of iron, calcium, and magnesium and toxic heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cobalt, and copper.
Source: Shankar

National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) were notified in the year 1982, duly revised in 1994 based on health criteria and land uses.
The NAAQS have been revisited and revised in November 2009 for 12 pollutants, which include
•sulphur dioxide (SO2),
•nitrogen dioxide (NO2),
•particulate matter having size less than 10 micron (PM10),
•particulate matter having size less than 2.5 micron (PM2.5),
•ozone,
•lead,
•carbon monoxide (CO),
•arsenic,
•nickel,
•benzene,
•ammonia, and
•benzopyrene.
Source: The Hindu

India has been implementing various laws to save the wildlife and the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 is one of them. THE OBJECTIVES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
•Prohibition of hunting
•Protection and management of wildlife habitats
•Establishment of protected areas
•Regulation and control of trade in parts and products derived from wildlife
•Management of zoos
•WLPA is also against taxidermy, which is the preservation of a dead wild animal as a trophy, or in the form of rugs, preserved skins, antlers, horns, eggs, teeth, and nails.
Source: Indian Express

The BioCarbon Fund Initiative for Sustainable Forest Landscapes (ISFL) is a multilateral fund, supported by donor governments and managed by the World Bank.
It promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the land sector, from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+), and from sustainable agriculture, as well as smarter land-use planning, policies and practices.
Source: UNCCD

The Marine Protected Area Network is a tool for managing natural marine resources for biodiversity conservation and for the well-being of people dependent on the resources.
The Coastal Regulation Zone Notification, 1991, National Biodiversity Act, 2002 and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 have been enacted by India for conservation of the coastal and marine environment along with the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, which also provides for establishment of wildlife protected areas (PAs) by state governments.
Source: Indian Express

National Park is defined by state government via notification. There is no need to pass legislation (act) by the state assembly to declare a National Park.
•The state government can fix and alter boundaries of the National Parks with prior consultation and approval with National Board of Wildlife.
•No human activity is permitted inside the national park except for the ones permitted by the Chief Wildlife Warden of the state under the conditions given in CHAPTER IV, WPA 1972.
Source: Shankar

UN Environment (UNEP) launched Clean Seas (#CleanSeas on social media) in February 2017, with the aim of engaging governments, the general public and the private sector in the fight against marine plastic pollution.
•Over the next five years, we will address the root-cause of marine litter by targeting the production and consumption of non-recoverable and single-use plastic.
•To do this effectively, we need citizens to be aware, engaged and active in addressing the problem in their daily lives and beyond.
Source: UNEP