Sector Expert Consultation on Environment and Climate Change
Rajasthan Priorities hosted a sector expert consultation on “Environment and Climate Change” on September 20th, 2017 in Jaipur. Experts working in the field from the government academia, civil society and various development partners joined the consultation. The experts were briefed about the project and methodology along with a brief update on the work of the Copenhagen Consensus Center.
After an initial discussion surrounding the issues and challenges facing the sector, the moderators of the workshop Justice V.S Dave (Retd Chief Justice) and Dr. MS Rathore from Centre for Environment and Development Studies shared their experience as well as various initiatives taken up by them. Following the decision, the participating experts were invited to share the smartest interventions in the sector based on their expertise and experience
Interventions
- Promoting tree plantation and horticulture as social campaign
- Traditional water harvesting structures
- Solid waste management –(electricity production)
- Research hub and knowledge center for long-term planning
- Drip-irrigation and promotion of crops as per (less) water usage
- Organic farming -promotion and support
- Control and regulation for usage of polybag/sachet
- Educating farmers to adopt water-efficient practices
- Tree plantation –indigenous and multi-tier plantation
- Ensure the full utilization of allocated budget for sector (along with case for increase in budget)
- Harvesting of rainwater and Management of surface water
- Land use policy and classification – usage and protection of common land
- Protecting biodiversity in wetlands/dessert (increasing number rare, threaten and endangered species)
- Crop diversification
- Harvesting and conservation of floodwater
- Launch efficient biomass gasification based cooking systems, solar-based lighting solutions, solar based irrigation pumps, desalination systems
- Enforcement of existing environmental laws
- Waste segregation along with a collection
- Protecting the catchment area of rivers/water bodies
- Stopping the encroachment of wetland and catchment areas
- Promotion of bio compost/organic manure in agricultural field
- Master Plan (Urban planning) – implementation and enforcement
- Climate-resilient crops
- Traditional water storage structures - Mainstreaming and revival
- Weather-based crop insurance system
- Local area planning for environmental issues and policy – in relation to each zone of Rajasthan
- Wastewater recycling - Reuse of wastewater
- Protection of community lands (habitat development)
- Groundwater recharge -Area specific planning for surface and ground recharge unit
- Expand renewable energy and energy conservation
- Developing an integrated drought monitoring system
- Promotion of solar power unit at household level
- Development of empty mines (filling and development of right eco-system after usage)
- Kitchen gardening at household level –promotion and awareness generation
- Livestock management planning as per local requirement
- Impact of climate change on agriculture production
- Database of natural resources (mapping and regular updating)
- Strict enforcement of rainwater harvesting directive in the light of reduction in mean annual rainfall in some areas
- Crop residue management
- Possibility of master plan for livestock /agriculture
- Promotion of bio-degradable products along with social entrepreneurship
- Ensuring natural waterways and water flow
- Database of traditional ecological knowledge
- Enforcement of construction laws (commercial building) – debris management and soil dumping
- Invasive plant
- Train farmers on the growing of suitable horticultural crops
- Setting up a real-time dynamic database for water resources in the state along with the development of a web-enabled WRIS
- Bio-gas Plant (revival and usage) – electricity generation
- Mapping and catalog - Climate resilient livestock breed
- Rainwater harvesting system
- Maintaining Digitized data related to floral & faunal resources of the State
- Control and reduce the usage of crackers
- Rationalizing water pricing for domestic, industrial and irrigation water usage by introducing IBT (Increasing Block Tariff)
- Local development planning and promotion of area (state) specific economic eco-system
- Considering forestry as a crop (agriculture crops) – relaxation in transport and sale
- Increase the number of automated weather stations, ensuring that at least one lies within the boundaries of each of the ten agro-climatic zones
- Operationalization of Hi-tech nurseries for the supply of quality planting material for dryland agro-forestry
- Control of Nuclear waste (storage and dispersal)
- Land record for rivers/pond/local water bodies
- Support for women and young entrepreneurs for setting up industries for manufacturing products from industrial waste.
- Minimization of Waste (generation)
- Climate-based cooling system, especially in commercial building
- Calculation of water footprint, linking with tax rebates for business owners and individuals
- Rational drainage system
- Natural harvest promotion and identification of bio-diversity hotspot
- Climate change and disease pattern and impact on bacterial pattern
- Enforce energy conservation buildings code
- Introduce conservation activities and bio-resource management based upon the People's Biodiversity Register (PBR)
- Planting strips and shelter-belts perpendicular to the predominant wind direction
- Focus on plant and human element in disease
- Source high-resolution meteorological data for linking with epidemiological studies
- Restrict/control land use in areas prone to flash flood
- Promote climate risks awareness through ASHA workers, Self Help Groups, Schools and CBOs
- Establish additional stations to better network for evaporation data and rainfall data collection through automated sensors
- Develop and maintain a decentralized digital health database at fine spatial and temporal scales for climate-sensitive diseases
- Mapping the immediate needs of population and impact of development on climate
- Expand irrigation network
- Establishing weather monitoring data loggers
- Increase period of validity of permission under air and water acts for certain industries
- Promote usage of clean cook-stoves
- Awareness of impact (setting up public agenda) for climate change
- Baseline data of existing resources
List of Participants
- Dr. MS Rathore, Centre for Environment and Development Studies
- Mr. Manish Saxena, Director WORLD - Wing of Research in Local Development
- Dr. Shipra Mathur, Campinge Editor, Rajasthan Patrika
- Dilip K Yadav ARAVALI, Jaipur
- Prof. T.I. Khan Indira Gandhi Centre for H.E.E.P.S, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur
- Justice V.S Dave Retd Chief Justice and Renowned Lawyer with expertise on environmental law
- Upendra Shankar Ankita Mathur Lokmat Newspaper
- Dr Jai Singh Rathore, Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Jaipur
- Dr Motilal Mahamallik, Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Jaipur
- Manish Singh, Head- CECOEDECON, Jaipur
- L K Sharma, Former Chief Wildlife Warden J&K Retired from Forest Dept
- Col SM Bharadwaj Infosys Ltd, Mahendra World City, SEZ Jaipur
- Akansha Choudhury CUTS International, Jaipur
- Alok Vyas CECOEDECON, Jaipur
- Veena Vidhyadharan CUTS International, Jaipur
- Ritu Tiwari CECOEDECON, Jaipur
- G.P Saini Saini Agroclimate Agri Business Consulting Service, Jaipur
- Dr. B.D Yadav Prof Retired
- Dr. V.S Yadav, Head of Horticulture Division, PARU, Drugapur,Jaipur
- Bhagwan Harinarayan Kisan Sewa Samitti, Rajasthan
- Nattu Lal, Kisaan
- Ramkishore Gurjar, Kisan Maha Sangh
- Jitendra Singh Sherawat, Rajasthan Patrika
- Govind N Vijay CECOEDECON, Jaipur
- Vishnu Lamba Proma Soloman Dr. Pankaj Jain University of Rajasthan
- Sumit Gupta RARI, Durgapura, Jaipur
- Dr. NK Gupta Rajasthan Agriculture Research
- Harinarayan Soothrakar, Kisan seva samithi Mahasangkh, Rajasthan
- Magaban Sahay, Kisan seva samithi Mahasangkh, Rajasthan
- Dr.Pankaj Jain, Indira Gandhi Centre for HEEPS University of Rajasthan, Jaipur