The civic body has proposed an environment protection agency, in a move that could change the way environment in the city is protected. The proposal, prepared by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) environment department, will be sent to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, under whose aegis it functions.
The civic body will write to the MPCB and state environment department to seek directives on its role. The idea is to create a body to look into environmental issues. The environment department’s scope is presently very limited, focusing on air and water quality, and enforcement to some extent.
“There is an urgent need to set up an environment protection agency with a very broad scope and role, with a specific budget to run. The United States and almost all European countries have such agencies,” said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Ameet Satam, who had put up a notice of motion at the general body meeting last week.
The environment department is finalizing the proposal’s nitty-gritty before it is submitted in the coming week.
Mahendra Pitkar, deputy chief engineer of the environment department, told TOI that the proposal will be ready within a few days. “We will write to the state, asking it to specify the nature of our role. If a committee is set up, we want to know what the civic body’s role will be. The setting up of a committee is not enough. We need a body that will have power to take action,” he said.
Mumbai has more than 2,398 open spaces with reservation of gardens, parks, recreation grounds and playgrounds. But more than 40 per cent of the open spaces are encroached upon. The ratio of open spaces per 1,000 people for Mumbai is an abysmally low 0.03 acres.
According to an official, the setting up of the agency is likely to play a major role in the protection of open spaces, mangroves, wetlands, shoreline, rivers in the city, trees and creation of more green spaces.
“The agency can also play an advisory role as far as green buildings, solar power, wind energy and other renewable sources of energy are concerned. It could also have, within its ambit, power from biomass and other green energy projects. The agency will also focus on the production of green power for the city and devise an action plan. The agency will also form green regulations and enforce them,” said Satam.
