State to check how civic bodies save environment

The state Environment Department has made it compulsory for all municipal corporations and councils to prepare environmental status reports with a line of action to solve the issues and send them to the government by August 2010.

The state Environment Department has made it compulsory for all municipal corporations and councils to prepare environmental status reports with a line of action to solve the issues and send them to the government by August 2010.

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A sub-committee headed by Revenue Minister Narayan Rane and including ministers from the Environment, Transport, Industries, Sanitation and Rural Development departments will look at the reports, make recommendations and monitor action taken.

“It is only when there is coordination between all these departments that we will be able to deal with issues such as dumping of garbage, effluents let out by industries and electronic waste management,” said Environment Minister Suresh Shetty. “Also these problems which are haunting cities like Mumbai will slowly move to smaller places soon…so we need to plan in advance.”

An environment status report will deal with issues such as water, industrial pollution & control measures, domestic pollution and control measures, air environment, hazardous waste management and specific environment improvement programmes that have been taken up by the council or corporation of an area.

The state has also initiated the formation of district environment committees that will include district officials, local legislators and environment activists who will prepare a vision document for the district, which will be submitted to the department. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation brings out an environment status report every year and submits it to the state.