Rajasthan Environment Mission, 2010 :

The purpose of the Environment Mission is to bring into focus the high priority issues emerging from the SEP ( State Environment Policy and CCA ( Climate Change Agenda ), and mobilize government and non-government stakeholders to address these issues. The Mission would also identify and mobilize financial resources from possible sources for the implementation of the action plans in the key thrust areas, which include – (1) Water; (2) Industry; (3) Mining; (4) Afforestation; (5) Tourism; (6) Urban governance and sustainable habitat; (7) Human health,; (8) Agriculture and animal husbandry; (9) Enhanced energy efficiency including solar energy; and (10) Strategic knowledge for climate change.

 Within the State Environment Mission, some sectors have been identified as being critical in terms of the climate change impacts on them. These include sectors such as human health, agriculture and animal husbandry, enhanced energy efficiency including solar energy, and strategic knowledge for climate change.

The Environment Mission will have a three-tier structure, comprising :

(i) Environment Mission; (ii) Steering Committee; and (iii) Task Forces in key thrust areas.

(i) Environment Mission : The Environment Mission is set up for the effective and timely implementation of the SEP and CCA recommendations. Since environmental issues are wide in scope and a number of departments and stakeholders are involved, a high level oversight mechanism is provided for. Also, action plans have been drawn up for Task Forces in key thrust areas, and accordingly, the same is reflected in the membership of the Mission and its subordinate bodies with  Chief  Minister as chairperson.

(ii ) Steering Committee :  A Steering Committee is set up under the Chief Secretary, to review and coordinate the implementation of the Environment Mission by various agencies.

(iii) Task Forces : In addition, Task Forces related to the following themes are to be set up: • Water • Industry • Mining • Forestry and biodiversity • Tourism • Urban governance and sustainable habitat • Agriculture and animal husbandry • Enhanced energy efficiency including solar energy • Health • Strategic knowledge for climate change .

The Task Forces are to be constituted under the concerned Principal Secretary/Secretary, with membership comprising the concerned heads of Divisions under their charge.

General terms of reference for the Task Forces are as follows: 1.Review the implementation of each of the missions’ action plans in terms of physical progress (including necessary regulatory changes) and financial expenditure 2. Coordinate the work of the Task Forces as carried out by different Government departments and other agencies. 3. Consider any changes in the scope of the different Task Forces that may be required 4. Prepare a report at the end of each year on the implementation of the action plans drawn up for the various Task Forces, for consideration by the Environment Mission. 5. Prepare detailed technical and budgetary proposals for implementation of the action plans drawn up for the Task Forces 6. Coordinate implementation by different government agencies and other stakeholders 7. Suggest additional measures or modifications based on consideration of local conditions 8. Any other work assigned by the Mission/ Steering Committee. 9. The Task Forces would meet on a monthly basis or as needed to monitor implementation activities.

Action Plans for Select Task Forces :

 Action Plans have been prepared for Task Forces in identified thrust areas. These include: (i) Water; (ii) Industry; (iii) Mining; (iv) Forestry and biodiversity; (v) Tourism; and (vi) Urban governance and sustainable habitat; (vii) Agriculture and animal husbandry; (viii) Energy, including solar energy; (ix) Health; and (x) Strategic knowledge for climate change. The action plans are detailed in the following sections and are intended to address environment and climate change issues in the State on a priority basis.

1. Water : The water resources in Rajasthan are highly vulnerable to natural and man made threats and there is an urgent need to address the key environmental challenges faced by the sector. Based on various reports and documents reviewed and analyzed, four key issues have been identified that need urgent attention in the Environment Mission.

2. Industry : The major industrial sectors in Rajasthan include – cement, mineral based industries, steel rerolling, textile dyeing and printing, brick and lime kilns and chemical. Being rich in mineral resources, mineral based industries form a major component of total industrial production in the state. Despite having arid to semi-arid climate and general water shortages due to prolonged drought periods, the state has been able to make substantial investment in development of industrial infrastructure across the state.

3. Mining : Mining and mineral sector is the key developmental sector for Rajasthan. In terms of the total value of India’s mineral production, the State contributes 5.74% of the total value and ranks fifth after Bihar (13.09%), Madhya Pradesh (9.68), Gujarat (8.55%), and Assam (7.3%). Exploration of minerals, however, is an activity which has adverse impact on ecology and environment. The mining activity interacts closely with forest resources and affects associated flora and fauna. Wherever mining leases are there either in forest areas or in fringe areas, there is inevitable conflict between mining activities both environmentally and socially with forest resources. The needs of economic development, however, make the extraction of mineral resources an important priority. There is therefore a need to address conflicts arising from such interactions between the mining and forestry resources.

4. Forestation : Forests of Rajasthan are dominated by dry deciduous type and are concentrated in the Aravali and Vindhyan hill systems. The geography and the climate have been extremely decisive factors for the state of Rajasthan to decide the fate of the natural resources and the communities dependent on those resources. The state has 61% of the land mass of Great Indian Thar Desert mostly occupied on the western side of the state whereas the eastern part is semi-arid in nature. The state is water scarce with only 1% of the sweet water of the country. The 11% cattle population of the country is harboured by the state on the pasture land, which accounts for 1% of the country’s grazing land. Forest area in the State is only 9.56% of its total geographical area, which is mostly restricted to the Aravalis and Vindhyan hill ranges on the eastern side of the state. The available ecosystem goods and services from the forests of the state are clearly not sufficient to fulfil the requirements. The state harbours a rich wildlife in the protected areas as well as outside in the areas traditionally conserved by the local communities like Vishnois.

5.Tourism : The state of Rajasthan is a major tourist destination in India promoting culture and nature based tourism through the opening of forts, architectural and heritage sites, temples, festivals, fairs and cultural events, wild life safaris, nature parks and forests, mountains etc. Rajasthan attracts around 25% of the total international tourists coming to India, and about 5% of the total domestic tourists, which in terms of numbers for 2008, was over 298 lakhs. In the context of tourism in Rajasthan, the environment plays a dual role, one of being a resource provider for tourism in the form of land, water, etc for its development and sustenance and the other as a tourist ‘site’ which is the main selling point for tourism in the form of lakes, forests etc. Hence, the very sustainability of tourism hinges on the quality and availability of natural resources it is dependent on.

An examination of the manifestation of tourism in Rajasthan has highlighted the following environmental concerns:

• Conservation of flora and fauna
• Demand /pressure on resource use (both natural and man made)
•  Energy
• Water
• Land use and land cover
•  Solid waste and sewage disposal facilities
• Resource usage and its access to the host population

 An understanding of the above environmental concerns has enabled identification of the priority areas for action to promote the environmental sustainability of tourism.

6. Urban Governance and Sustainable Habitat : Rajasthan has shown a high decadal urban population growth rate of 31% during 1991-2001. The rapid population growth of the urban centres has resulted in tremendous pressures on land, natural resources and basic infrastructural facilities. Response measures in Rajasthan have not been able to keep pace with the rapid urban growth.

 In absence of efficient public transport system, private vehicles have grown at a rapid pace in the state. The demand for power and other infrastructural facilities have also risen manifold. Condition of water supply in Rajasthan is not satisfactory due to scarcity of water resources as well as low rainfall. About 40% households do not have proper sanitation facilities. About 6600 MT of solid waste is generated per day in the state, which is not disposed of in a scientific manner and instead dumped in low depressions. There is not much provision of proper sewerage, treatment and disposal system in any of the towns expect Jaipur. Urban slums are growing in the state and nearly 14.5% of the urban population lives in slums which are not only economically weak but are susceptible to several environmental health problems. Addressing these concerns requires investments in infrastructure as well as improved urban governance. The urban local bodies, however, lack adequate technical and financial capacity to address these issues.

There are many ongoing programs of the government for improvement of urban regions. These include Master Plan and town planning schemes, IDSMT, centrally sponsored programmes such as UIDSSMT, JNNURM, and HSDP, RUIDP, Slum Improvement Programme etc. However, significant efforts are needed for improving the urban scenario in the state

7. Human Health :  Climate change is expected to affect human health in different ways, such as increased incidence of vector-borne, water-borne and food-borne diseases; malnutrition; injuries and deaths caused by extreme hydrological events, temperature extremes and heat waves. India’s Initial NATCOM indicates that a 3.8°C increase in temperature and a 7% increase in relative humidity by the 2050s with reference to the present may lead to an increase in the transmission window for Rajasthan by three to five months as compared to the base year 2000. The problem is further complicated by crucial vectors like Anopheles stephensi forming micro-niche’s which effectively reduces the chances of decrease in vector population due to increase in temperatures as is observed in the case of Rajasthan.

8. Agriculture and Animal Husbandry : The agriculture sector contributes 27% to Rajasthan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is critical to the economy of the state. The major land use is rainfed cropping with pearl millet as the main cereal crop and kharif legumes (clusterbean, moth bean, mung bean). Eastern Rajasthan falls in the semi-arid 500–1000mm annual rainfall zone and is intensively cultivated for pearl-millet/sorghum/ kharif pulses/maize–wheat/barley/mustard/rabi pulses. Agriculture in Rajasthan is likely to face several challenges in the light of increasing competition for resources, such as water, land and energy, from non-agricultural sectors, along with increasing food demand due to the rising population, increased use of fertilizers due to increased production demand and increased water withdrawals for irrigation from canals, wells and tube wells.

9. Enhanced Energy Efficiency, including Solar Energy : One of the key priority areas to address climate change mitigation is improving the energy efficiency of the state. In this response the Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RREC) has, under the guidelines of Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), been conducting a survey of government buildings for energy efficiency, energy auditing, energy conservation measures for designated consumers, installing solar water heating systems in private establishments, etc. The government is also in the process for establishing energy consumption benchmarks for energy-intensive industry sectors in the state by setting up time-bound program for energy conservation and energy-efficiency in these sectors. Climate change mitigation presents a huge opportunity for the state of Rajasthan to exploit its solar energy potential. The state receives maximum solar radiation intensity in India. In addition the average rainfall (hence number of overcast days in a year) is least in the state as compared to the rest of the country; therefore it’s best suited for solar power generation.

10.Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change : The National Mission on Strategic Knowledge for Climate Change identifies the need for research in specific areas of climate science to better understand the climate processes impacting the state. The key areas for action that the National Mission lists out are also very relevant for the state of Rajasthan.

 These include:

• Strengthening observational networks and develop a climate database, while ensuring access to historical spatial and temporal (time-series) sets of climate data. 
•  Climate modelling tools and techniques to develop high resolution regional scenarios.
• Setting essential infrastructure for high performance computation, data storing and sharing for climate scientists.

There must be a general awareness being created on the impact of environmental degradation on our day-to-day life, the need to live in harmony with nature. The importance of cleaner and greener technologies must be emphasised. All natural resources have to be harnessed in a sustainable manner to ensure the well-being of our future generations. Community Led Environment Action Network (CLEAN-India) Programme initiated by Development Alternatives addresses these specific issues in a systematic, scientific and in an evolutionary way for decent, productive and sustainable livelihoods for the country’s teeming millions.