SHILLONG, March 26: It was a brainstorming session that questioned the core aspects of co-survival with nature and made suggestions that could likely mitigate the problems and bring about a balance in the shared relationship between man and environment as experts dwelt upon the diminishing environmental landscape of Meghalaya and solution-based roadmap for mitigation.
The panel discussion followed the release of a book titled, Withering Forests, Dying Rivers written by noted environmentalist Naba Bhattacharjee and published by Partridge.
Four panellists, amongst whom were Forests & Environment Minister, James Sangma, President and CEO International Forum for Environment Sustainability and Technology, Padma Shri Chandra Bhushan, Senior Advocate National Green Tribunal (NGT) and founder of Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE), Ritwick Dutta, and the author Naba Bhattacherjee — all experts in their respective fields — had an animated discussion on environmental disasters awaiting Meghalaya unless serious climate change mitigation exercises were put in place. The panellists also delved on the mitigation factors and the way forward. The discussion was moderated by the Editor, The Shillong Times, Patricia Mukhim.
Chandra Bhushan observed that there has been a dramatic change in Shillong as far as the environment is concerned. He dwelt on three points — the need for a clear understanding of ecology, controlling population growth and planning for urban growth, since urbanisation is a reality that states can no longer live in denial of.
Elaborating on ecology, he observed that the understanding of ecology is faulty and there is a distorted notion of forests being equated with trees whereas ecology is extremely diverse and cited the example of good grasslands as in the Savannah being healthy ecology.
Stating that nature is a constant competition between organisms to survive and dominate, he said that this understanding of nature is very important in policy making. Otherwise, reducing the environment only to trees and clean rivers will not address the holistic issue of a diverse range of elements that constitute the environment.
Moving to the issue of population growth, Bhushan said population control must be seriously considered as in the last few months India has attained replacement reproductive rate, which means on an average, every woman will produce less than 2.1 children but this is offset by the fact that India is a country with an already huge population.
“We are young country and if all young mothers today produce 2.1 children we will reach 1.6 billion population by 2040-45. We are 1.3 billion right now so we will run out of resources and this burgeoning population will take a toll on the ecology,” he said.
Bhushan pointed out that the rate of population in Meghalaya is one of the highest in the country and if the state wants to conserve its ecology it cannot have uncontrolled population. “If people do not get jobs, they will clear land for agriculture. We need to talk about population and then consumption,” he said further adding that these fundamental issues have to be considered and family planning is imperative.
Bhushan further added that the country has to be prepared for rapid urbanisation and it’s a mistake to believe that India lives in its villages. The fact is that millennials born after the year 2000 will not want to be agriculturists and will move to the cities to seek jobs.
Senior Advocate, Ritwick Dutta said that the legal system does not recognise the Sixth Schedule applied in Meghalaya and other tribal regions of the North East, and laws are framed and judgements passed with only the Indian Forest Act 1927 as the Magna Carta applicable throughout the country.
Speaking on the redefinition of forests in Meghalaya, Dutta reminded that the District Councils, way back in 1958, came up with the first law which actually gave a clear definition of forests.
He rued that the judiciary and governance institutions of the country have a poor understanding of the situation obtaining in the North East and the importance of the Sixth Schedule in cases that looked at environmental concerns. “The NGT bench is in Kolkata when issues most affecting the environment are in the North East which is a biodiversity hotspot. Judges that pass judgement hold the view that North East India is a pristine forest region with 80 per cent forest cover and Meghalaya with 70 per cent cover.
But this understanding is faulty because the environment is not just about forests.”
Informing that there is not even a single person from the North East in the NGT while the several cases from the region are being heard there, Dutta said there is need for a permanent bench of the NGT in the North East.
Dutta also questioned the logic of cutting down trees and planting them as a substitute. This he said is a licence to destroy standing trees and escape punishment.
Meanwhile, Forest and Environment Minister James Sangma while agreeing that he is in sync with the points raised by the panelists said that the state government is investing its efforts to boost eco-tourism in a massive way since that is one way of creating alternative livelihoods. He, however, stated that the ambit of eco-tourism is far larger than what is understood today as the general notion is that of simply having a resort amidst nature in a few acres of land.
He said if the concept of eco-tourism is deepened it will put the state in a win-win situation and the people and nature will both flourish and co-exist.
Noted environmentalist, Naba Bhattacharjee talked about rivers turning acidic, the reasons and the solutions thereof. Referring to his book, Bhattacharjee said that he had been deeply concerned about the deteriorating environment and had given vent to his concerns in a series of articles which have now found their way into the book released on Saturday.
Later the audience raised many pertinent questions directed at Environment and Forests Minister such as whether Meghalaya will go for palm oil cultivation and whether it will enforce a complete moratorium on uranium mining.
Questions were also raised on how scientific coal mining can be carried out by local tribals and where the technical know-how will come from. The minister responded to all the questions.a