National River Conservation Plan

• The centrally sponsored National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) presently covers 38 rivers in 178 towns spread over 20 States.
• River conservation activities such as creation of civic infrastructure for sewage management and disposal are also being implemented under other central schemes, such as Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns, as well as under state schemes. Conservation of rivers involves collective efforts of the Central and State Governments.
• The Central Government is supplementing the efforts of the State Governments in river conservation.
• Based on independent monitoring undertaken by reputed institutions on some of the major rivers under NRCP, the water quality in terms of BOD (Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand) values has improved at most locations as compared to water quality before taking up of pollution abatement schemes.
• The Central Government , in February 2009, has set up the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) as an empowered planning, financial, monitoring and coordinating authority to ensure effective abatement of pollution and conservation of the river Ganga by adopting a holistic approach with the river basin as the unit of planning.
• Discharge of untreated wastewater constitutes the major source of pollution load for the rivers.
• Drawing water for irrigation, drinking, industrial use, power etc. are other aspects which compounds the challenge to maintain flow in the rivers and cleaning the rivers.
• Interception and diversion of sewage and setting up of Sewage Treatment Plants have therefore been among the main components of pollution abatement schemes under the National River Conservation Plan (NRCP).

Scheme on Labelling of Environment Friendly Products:

The Government have decided to institute a Scheme on Labelling of Environment Friendly Products. The scheme will operate on a national basis and provide accredition and labelling for household and other consumer products which meet certain environmental criteria along with quality requirements of the Indian Standards for that product. The Label shall be known as the “ECOMARK” and will be of the design to be notified.

Any product which is made, used or disposed of in a way that significantly reduces the harm it would otherwise cause the environment could be considered as Environment Friendly Product.

(2) Objectives of the Scheme:

The specific objectives of the scheme are as follows:-

(i) To provide an incentive for manufacturers and importers to reduce adverse environmental impact of products.

(ii) To reward genuine initiatives by companies to reduce adverse environmental impact of their products.

(iii) To assist consumers to become environmentally responsible in their daily lives by providing information to take account of environmental factors in their purchase decisions.

(iv) To encourage citizens to purchase products which have less harmful environmental impacts.

(v) Ultimately to improve the quality of the environment and to encourage the sustainable management of resources.

(3) Administrative and Organisational Structure-

There will be three stages leading to the award of the “ECOMARK”:-

1. A steering committee, set up in the Ministry of Environment and Forests, to determine the product categories for coverage under the scheme and also formulate strategies for promotion, implementation, future development and improvements in the working of the scheme.

2. A technical committee, set up in the Central Pollution Control Board, to identify the specific product to be selected and the individual criteria to be adopted, including, wherever possible, inter-se priority between the criteria if there be more than one.

3. The Bureau of Indian Standards to assess and certify the products and draw up a contract with the manufacturers, allowing the use of the label, on payment of a fee.

The Criteria for Ecomark:

Environmental criteria for each product category will be notified by the Central Government and later on shall be translated into Indian Standards by the Bureau of Indian Standards. The criteria shall be for broad environmental levels and aspects, but will be specific at the product level. Products will be examined in terms of the following main environmental impacts:-

(a) That they have substantially less potential for pollution than other comparable products in production, usage and disposal.

(b) That they are recycled, recyclable, made from recycled products or biodegradable, where comparable products are not.

(c) That they make significant contribution to saving non-renewable resources, including non renewable energy sources and natural resources, compared with comparable products.

(d) That the product must contribute to a reduction of the adverse primary criteria which has thc highest environmental impact associated with the use of the product, and which will be specifically set for each of the product categories.

In determining the primary criteria for a product the following shall be taken

(a) Production process including source of raw material;

(b) Case of Natural Resources;

(c) Likely impact on the environment;

(d) Energy conservation in the production of the product;

(e) Effect & extent of waste arising from the production process;

(f) Disposal of the product and its container;

(g) Utilization of “Waste” and recycled materials;

(h) Suitability for recycling or packaging

(i) Biodegradability;

• The Bureau initiated the Standards & Labeling Programme for equipment and appliances in 2006to provide the consumer an informed choice about the energy saving and thereby the cost saving potential of the relevant marketed product.
• The scheme is invoked for 21 equipment/appliances, i.e. Room Air Conditioners, RAC(Cassette, Floor Standing Tower, Ceiling, Corner AC), Tubular Fluorescent Tube Lights, Frost Free Refrigerators, Distribution Transformers, Direct Cool Refrigerator,Electric storage type geyser,Color TVs, Induction Motors, Ceiling fans, Agricultural pump sets, LPG stoves, Washing machine,Laptops, Ballast, Office automation products, Solid State Inverter, Diesel Engine Driven Monoset Pumps for Agricultural Purposes, Diesel Generator, Inverter AC and LED Lamps. Of which the first 8 products have been notified under mandatory labeling since 7th January, 2010.
• The other appliances are presently under voluntary labeling phase. The energy efficiency labeling programs under BEE are intended to reduce the energy consumption of appliance without diminishing the services it provides to consumers.

National afforestation programme:

• The scheme titled National Afforestation Programme (NAP) has been formulated by merger of four 9th Plan centrally sponsored afforestation schemes of the Ministry of Environment & Forests, namely, Integrated Afforestation and Eco-Development Projects Scheme (IAEPS), Area Oriented Fuel wood and Fodder Projects Scheme (AOFFPS), Conservation and Development of Non-Timber Forest Produce including Medicinal Plants Scheme (NTFP) and Association of Scheduled Tribes and Rural Poor in Regeneration of Degraded Forests (ASTRP), with a view to reducing multiplicity of schemes with similar objectives, ensuring uniformity in funding pattern and implementation mechanism, avoiding delays in availability of funds to the field level and institutionalising peoples participation in project formulation and its implementation.
• The Scheme will be operated by the National Afforestation and Eco-Development Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests as a 100% Central Sector/ Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
• It continues to be the flagship scheme of NAEB, in so much as it provides support, both in physical and capacity building terms, to the Forest Development Agencies (FDAs) which in turn are the main organs to move forward institutionalization of Joint Forest Management.
• The FDA has been conceived and established as a federation of Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) at the Forest Division level to undertake holistic development in the forestry sector with people’s participation.
• This is a paradigm shift from the earlier afforestation programmes wherein funds were routed through the State Governments.
• This decentralized two-tier institutional structure (FDA and JFMC) allows greater participation of the community, both in planning and implementation, to improve forests and livelihoods of the people living in and around forest areas.
• The village is reckoned as a unit of planning and implementation and all activities under the programme are conceptualized at the village level.
• The two-tier approach, apart from building capacities at the grassroots level, significantly empowers the local people to participate in the decision making process.
• Under Entry Point Activities, community assets are created with a ‘care and share’ concept.

National Action Programme to Combat Desertification

• India is a party to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and MoEF is the National Coordinating Agency for the implementation of the UNCCD in the country.
• As an affected party, a 20 years comprehensive National Action Programme (NAP) to combat desertification in the country has been prepared.
• The objectives are:- – community based approach to development, – activities to improve the quality of life of the local communities, – awareness raising, – drought management preparedness and mitigation, – R&D initiatives and interventions which are locally suited, – strengthening self governance leading to empowerment of local communities.

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification:

• The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD) is a Convention to combat desertification and mitigate the effects of drought through national action programs that incorporate long-term strategies supported by international cooperation and partnership arrangements.
• The Convention, the only convention stemming from a direct recommendation of the Rio Conference’s Agenda 21, was adopted in Paris, France on 17 June 1994 and entered into force in December 1996.
• It is the only internationally legally binding framework set up to address the problem of desertification.
• The Convention is based on the principles of participation, partnership and decentralization—the backbone of Good Governance and Sustainable Development.
• It has 196 parties, making it near universal in reach.
• To help publicise the Convention, 2006 was declared “International Year of Deserts and Desertification” but debates have ensued regarding how effective the International Year was in practice.

UNCCD in India

• Desertification, along with climate change and the loss of biodiversity were identified as the greatest challenges to sustainable development during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Adopted in 1994, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) entered into force in 1996 and became a legally binding international agreement linking environment and development to sustainable land management.  The Convention addresses specifically the issue of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought (DLDD) in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas of drylands, which are home to some of the most vulnerable people and ecosystems in the world. The Convention’s 195 parties work together to improve the living conditions for people in drylands, to maintain and restore land and soil productivity, and to mitigate the effects of drought.
• India became a signatory to UNCCD on 14th October 1994 and ratified it on 17th December 1996. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal Ministry in the Government of India for the UNCCD, and Desertification Cell is the nodal point within the Ministry to co-ordinate all issues pertaining to the Convention.
• Combating DLDD requires interventions in form of Preventive and Curative Measures.  Preventive measures include adopting Sustainable Land Management (SLM) practices that can ensure sustainable productivity of land resources and; food, water and livelihood security for present and future generations. Curative measures involve undertaking restoration and reclamation interventions on degraded lands and subsequent SLM of reclaimed land resources.

Recent Issues:

• On March 21, 2017, Canada officially once again become a party to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (“UNCCD“).
• The UNCCD was established in 1994 to address the problems arising from the increasing arid areas of the world, where many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable live. The UNCCD seeks to improve the living conditions of people living in these areas, increase, or restore, the land’s productive capacities, and mitigate the effects of drought.
• In contrast to some other multilateral treaties, the UNCCD seeks a bottom-up approach to tackling this issue. It does this by facilitating cooperation between countries and partnership arrangements that include local actors and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
• Desertification occurs when vegetative cover and soil productivity is lost, which, among other effects, renders land unsuitable for the production of food. Rather than the natural expansion of existing deserts, desertification occurs as a result of human activities such as poor agricultural practices that are often prompted by poverty, drought, and war. Desertification is occurring most in, but is not confined to, Africa.
• Unsurprisingly, desertification is exacerbated by global climate change and biodiversity loss.
• Canada first became party to the UNCCD with its ratification in 1996. However, in 2013 Canada announced its withdrawal from the UNCCD, becoming the first and only party to withdraw from the treaty and the UN member state that was not a party to it. In withdrawing from the UNCCD, the former federal government reportedly complained that Canada’s approximately $300,000 in annual donations was a waste because the money did not go towards fighting desertification on the ground.
• Canada submitted its instrument of ratification, required to re-accede to the UNCCD, in December 2016.