Environment & Ecology GS Paper III by Rajvardhan 

Model Answer

Question #1. Wetlands are the 'kidneys' that regulate water and filter waste from the landscape. Despite this they are severely threatened. Discuss the reasons that lead to wetlands degradation. Also highlight the steps taken to conserve the wetlands.

Model Hints:

A wetland is a place in which the land is covered by water—salt, fresh, or somewhere in between—either seasonally or permanently. Wetlands consist of marshes, swamps, bogs, and similar areas. Wetlands act as a buffer for flooded water and during droughts they are a source of water. Also different types of vegetation helps in filtering out the waste.

 India has lost nearly one-third of its natural wetlands to urbanisation, agricultural expansion and pollution over the last four decades, a study by non-government organisation Wetlands International South Asia (WISA) has found.

Reasons for loss of wetlands are mentioned below:

• Urbanisation: Wetlands near urban centres are under increasing developmental pressure for residential, industrial and commercial facilities. Urban wetlands are essential for preserving public water supplies. A rapid assessment undertaken by Wetlands International South Asia (WISA) indicated that nearly 8% of India’s wetlands area was likely to be situated within an urban sprawl.
• Anthropogenic activities: Due to unplanned urban and agricultural development, industries, road construction, impoundment, resource extraction and dredge disposal, wetlands have been drained and transformed, causing substantial economic and ecological losses in the long term.
• Hydrologic activities: Construction of canals and diversion of streams and rivers to transport water to lower arid regions for irrigation has altered the drainage pattern and significantly degraded the wetlands of the region.
• Deforestation: Removal of vegetation in the catchment leads to soil erosion and siltation
• Pollution: Unrestricted dumping of sewage and toxic chemicals from industries has polluted many freshwater wetlands
• Aquaculture: Demand for shrimps and fishes have provided economic incentives to convert wetlands and mangrove forests to develop pisciculture and aquaculture ponds.
• Invasive species: Indian wetlands are threatened by exotic introduced plant species such as water hyacinth and salvinia. They clog waterways and compete with native vegetation.
• Climate change: Increased air temperature; shifts in precipitation; increased frequency of storms, droughts, and floods; increased atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration; and sea level rise could also affect wetlands.

Steps need to be taken to rehabilitate and manage the wetlands include:

•   An effective and workable national wetland strategy should encompass (i) Conservation and collaborative management, (ii) Prevention of loss and promotion of restoration and (iii) Sustainable management. These include Protection of the existing wetlands.
•   Of the many wetlands in India, only around 68 wetlands are protected. But there are thousands of other wetlands that are biologically and economically important which need legal protection.
•   Environment Impact Assessment is needed for major development projects and highlighting threats to wetlands need to be included and appropriate measures to be formulated.
•   It is important for all the relevant ministries to allocate sufficient funds towards the conservation of these ecosystems.
•   There is a necessity for research in the formulation of a national strategy to understand the dynamics of these ecosystems. This could be useful for the planners to formulate strategies for the mitigation of pollution.
•   The scientific knowledge will help the planners in understanding the economic values and benefits, which in turn will help in setting priorities and focusing the planning process.

Wetland ecosystems are interconnected and interactive within a watershed. In India, unplanned urbanization and a growing population have taken their toll on wetlands. To counter these, management of wetlands has to be an integrated approach in terms of planning, execution and monitoring.

Question 2. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an important exercise to increase the acceptability of projects. What are the steps followed under EIA? What role does health impact assessment and public participation have in the EIA process?

Model Hints:

Environmental impact assessment is the assessment of the environmental consequences of a plan, policy, program, or actual projects prior to the decision to move forward with the proposed action.

Major steps involved in EIA are:

1)      Screening: First stage of EIA, which determines whether the proposed project requires an EIA and if it does, then the level of assessment required.  

2)      Scoping: This stage identifies the key issues and impacts that should be further investigated. This stage also defines the boundary and time limit of the study.

3)      Impact analysis: This stage of EIA identifies and predicts the likely environmental and social impact of the proposed project and evaluates the significance.

4)      Mitigation: This step in EIA recommends the actions to reduce and avoid the potential adverse environmental consequences of development activities.

5)      Reporting: This stage presents the result of EIA in a form of a report to the decision-making body and other interested parties. 

6)      Review of EIA: It examines the adequacy and effectiveness of the EIA report and provides the information necessary for decision-making. 

7)      Decision-making: It decides whether the project is rejected, approved or needs further change. 

8)      Post monitoring: This stage comes into play once the project is commissioned. It checks to ensure that the impacts of the project do not exceed the legal standards and implementation of the mitigation measures are in the manner as described in the EIA report. 

Importance of Health Impact and public participation:

•   Health Impact Assessment (HIA) provides a framework and procedure for estimating the impact of a proposed programme or policy action on a selected environmental health issue for a defined population.
•   HIA is typically a prospective assessment of a programme or intervention before implementation, although it may be carried out concurrently or retrospectively.
•   It gathers opinions and concerns regarding the proposed policy and uses knowledge of health determinants as to the expected impacts of the proposed policy or intervention, and describes the expected health impacts using both quantitative and qualitative methods as appropriate.

Role of Public participation

•   Through public participation, the project proponent will be able to take advantage of the information that citizens contribute concerning values, impacts, innovative solutions and alternatives.
•   When governments enable the public to participate in decision-making, they help meet society’s goal of sustainable and environmentally sound development.
•   Public participation in environmental decision-making and, in particular, in EIA, may lead to some benefits in these processes. As a result of public participation, the process of decision-making, up to and including the final decision, becomes more transparent and legitimate.
•   Public debate on proposed activities among all interested groups at an early stage of decision-making may prevent or mitigate conflicts and adverse environmental consequences of the decisions with their impacts.

Conclusion:

The EIA rules should be prepared to protect the environment without any dilution. Day by day, the increase in the destruction of forests, water bodies, air pollution and drying up of rivers has severely affected the environment and health of citizens. The EIA norms should be strengthened and their proper implementation on the ground should be ensured by safeguarding the environment for the welfare of human beings on Earth.