Call to safeguard rivers

Visakhapatnam: Dr B Sengupta, former Member Secretary of CPCB, put forth the current environmental pollution challenges during Technical Session - 4 which was organised as part of NGT’s Regional Conference – 2017 here on Sunday.

Andhra Pradesh and Telangana High Court Justice SV Bhatt chaired this session, along with P Eshwar Reddy, executive director of Bulk Drug Manufacturers of India (BDMA), who co-chaired it. In his opening remarks, Dr B Sengupta emphasised on maintaining ecological flow in the rivers for the good health of river.

Highlights:

• “Millions of litres of untreated and partially treated sewage have been polluting the rivers and this sewage needs to be treated and reused for industrial purpose”, says Dr B Sengupta, former Member Secretary of CPCB
• “My concern is mainly on solid and plastic waste management,” opines Justice SV Bhatt

“Millions of litres of untreated and partially treated sewage has been polluting the rivers and this sewage needs to be treated and reused for industrial purpose,” he said.

A slew of measures to safe guard rivers given by him include improving efficiency of usage of water in agricultural sector to meet future domestic and industrial needs. Volatile organic compounds shall be controlled by improving the efficiency of the strippers. The fly ash shall be utilised for manufacturing cement and making bricks.

The hazardous waste shall be channelised. The high calorific value waste shall be sent to cement plants for co-processing to save energy and raw material and finally an integrated approach is to be adopted for improving urban air quality.

Later, P Eshwar Reddy expressed his concern over management of municipal solid waste. D. KVSG Murali Krishna, principal, University College of Engineering, Narasaraopet, spoke on global environmental challenges. He has given a detailed account of top 10 global challenges viz., global warming, ozone holes, biodiversity, waste/pollution management, dwindling resources, poverty, energy, health and human values thinking.

GPS Murty, senior principal scientist & scientist in-charge, NIO, regional centre, Visakhapatnam, spoke on ‘Sustainable Costal and Marine Environment through CRZ Rules’. He presented that sustainable development of coastal resources is a major purpose of coastal management and planning.

He explained in detail about the coastal resource management and planning. He also explained Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) Notification, 2011. Furthermore, he explained about marine Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Coastal Environment Management Plan.

Dr SK Jain, Additional GM (EMG), NTPC, Ramagundam, spoke on ‘Meeting the new emission norms and fly ash utilisation at coal fired power plants’. Dr Jain informed that in order to meet the stringent emission norms for power plants stipulated by ministry of environment & forest and climate change, Government of India, there is a need to install specific pollution control.

Concluding the session Justice SV Bhatt said that this type of conferences has the advantage of receiving several noble thoughts for budding law and engineering graduates. He said as a common man, his concern was mainly on solid waste management & plastic waste management.