Study on Solid Waste Management : An Economic Analysis with Respect to Ernakulam District

This thesis analyzed waste generation and waster disposal problems in municipalities and Cochin Corporation in Ernakulam district.Then the potential of resource recovery and recycling from biodegradable and non bio-degradable waste is established.The study further focused on the need for segregation of waste at the source as biodegradable and non biodegradable solid waste.The potential of resource recovery is explained in detail through the case study.The thesis also highlights the economically viable and environmental friendly methods o f treatment of waste.But the problem is that concerted and earnest attempts are lacking in making use of such methods.In spite of the health problems faced,people living near the dump sites are forced to stay there either because of their weak economic background or family ties.The study did not calculate the economic cost of health problems arising out of unscientific and irresponsible methods of waste disposal.

Legal Control of Industrial Pollution

Industries constitute the main spring of development. Without industrial development no country could reach a stage in which a decent living for its citizens would be achieved. Increasing production to meet the basic needs of society augmented scientific invention and machine oriented industrial order.Environmental pollution ls a burning global issue. It is more serious and dangerous than terrorism. Started with the discovery of fire and development of civilization. Pollution went unnoticed throughout the centuries of human growth until its adverse effects on human environment become explicit.National concern tor environment started in our country only atter the cause of protection of environment received global attention. At present legal control ot industrial pollution is in a scattered framework of piece meal processes with overlapping provisions and authorities.Environmental protection- should be an item not only in the concurrent list of schedule 7 to the Constitution but also in the list of matters entrusted to the panchayati institutions in the Schedule 11. It is heartening to note that so far as municipalities are concerned the Constitution of India lives up to the expectation. In the wake of New Industrial Policy based on liberalisation a long list of small scale industries fall outside the purview of environmental clearance. The Indian concept of environmental im»act assessment introduced under the Environment Act by notification excludes the entire gamut of small scale industries and r.elates only to scheduled industries covered by the notifica~ion. Most of them are subjected to ETA only it the investment goes above ~.50 crores. This provision dilutes the impact assessment considerably A mandatory impact assessment with public partiCipation and with provision for a review by specialized environmental courts will eliminate the possible evils of this judicial passiveness.

Coastal regulation zone rules in coastal panchayats (villages) of Kerala, India vis-a` -vis socio-economic impacts from the recently introduced peoples’ participatory program for local self-governance and sustainable development

Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification was issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forest of Government of India in February 1991 as a part of the Environmental Protection Act of 1986 to protect the coast from eroding and to preserve its natural resources. The initial notification did not distinguish the variability and diversity of various coastal states before enforcing it on the various states and Union Territories. Impact assessments were not carried out to assess its impact on socio-economic life of the coastal population. For the very same reason, it was unnoticed or rather ignored till 1994 when the Supreme Court of India made a land mark judgment on the fate of the coastal aquaculture which by then had established as an economically successful industry in many South Indian States. Coastal aquaculture in its modern form was a prohibited activity within CRZ. Lately, only various stakeholders of the coast realized the real impact of the CRZ rules on their property rights andbusiness. To overcome the initial drawbacks several amendments were made in the regulation to suit regional needs. In 1995, another great transformation took place in the State of Kerala as a part of the reorganization of the local self government institutions into a decentralized three tier system called ‘‘Panchayathi Raj System’’. In 1997, the state government also decided to transfer the power with the required budget outlay to the grass root level panchayats (villages) and municipalities to plan and implement the various projects in their localities with the full participation of the local people by constituting Grama Sabhas (Peoples’ Forum). It is called the ‘‘Peoples’ Planning Campaign’’(Peoples’ Participatory Programme—PPP for Local Level Self-Governance). The management of all the resources including the local natural resources was largely decentralized to the level of local communities and villages. Integrated, sustainable coastal zone management has become the concern of the local population. The paper assesses the socio-economic impact of the centrally enforced CRZ and the state sponsored PPP on the coastal community in Kerala and suggests measures to improve the system and living standards of the coastal people within the framework of CRZ.