Activities causing pollution not to be allowed near Sirmaur national park
Brick-kilns, mining, industrial operations that cause pollution will be curbed in 8.064 km around the boundary of Col Sher Jung National Park in Sirmaur district that has been declared an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) by the Central Government.
“The Forest Department is preparing a master plan encompassing activities that will be permitted and the activities that will be regulated or banned after mapping the flora and fauna of the zone,” says Aishwarya Raj, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Paonta Sahib.
A slew of commercial activities will be prohibited once the master plan is notified. The activities likely to be banned include commercial mining, stone quarrying and crushing units where all new and existing mining (minor and major) minerals, stone quarrying and crushing units shall be prohibited except for meeting the domestic needs of bona fide local residents within the ESZ. Greater vigil will have to be maintained to curb illegal activities in the area. This will help save the environment and riverbeds from degradation.
To ensure environment conservation, the setting up of industries causing water, air, soil, noise pollution will be prohibited. As many as 26 villages in Nahan and Paonta Sahib forest divisions comprising 21 reserve forests have been included in this zone. It comprises the watershed of the Yamuna river and regulates the runoff of precipitation into the Yamuna. It protects soil in the geologically fragile and erosion-prone Shivalik hills, making it significant from the point of view of environmental conservation.
“The area has a vast environmental, recreational, research and educational importance, as it houses vast tracts of well-protected Sal forest. Besides, it is the only tract in the state where there is a continuous movement of elephants. The implementation of the Project Elephant and Tiger is underway for the first time since 2023-24 in this zone. The movement of tigers was also recorded through camera traps for the first time in Himachal Pradesh in February 2023,” says Raj who added that process to prepare the masterplan was underway.
Keeping in view employment generation, non-polluting industries will continue to operate while the establishment of major hydroelectric power projects will be prohibited. Besides, the use or production or processing of any hazardous substance will also be prohibited. The discharge of untreated effluents into natural water bodies, setting up of new saw mills or their expansion and brick-kilns will also be banned in the said zone, as they cause pollution.
Besides, activities like the axing of trees on government or revenue land will be prohibited and no new commercial hotel or resort or new commercial construction will be permitted within a kilometre and vehicular movement will also be regulated. Eco-friendly activities will get a boost once the master plan is approved.
