CS reviews conservation of water bodies, DEPs

Jammu: The Chief Secretary, B V R Subrahmanyam Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the initiatives for conservation of diverse water bodies in Jammu Kashmir.
Administrative Secretaries of the departments of Revenue, Housing & Urban Development, Forest, Ecology & Environment, besides Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Chairman, J&K Water Resources Regulatory Authority, Chairman, Pollution Control Board, Director, Department of Ecology, Environment & Remote Sensing among others participated in the meeting.
It was informed that approximately 3800 water bodies including ponds and lakes have been identified across Jammu & Kashmir for conservation and efforts are afoot for their preservation, protection and rejuvenation.
The Chief Secretary impressed upon the Forest Department to intensify the conservation efforts toward geo-tagging of water bodies, restoration of ecological balance of marine ecosystems, testing the water quality in such areas, grading the water bodies on monitoring parameters for effective follow-ups, and putting in place a district-level grievance redressal mechanism.
Later, in a separate meeting, the Chief Secretary also reviewed the status of District Environment Plans prepared under the guidance of the National Green Tribunal.
The Chief Secretary directed the District Environment Plan Committees to review respective plans and convey modifications, if any by March 2021, to be incorporated in Jammu & Kashmir Plan before further submission to the Central Pollution Control Board. They were also asked to upload a copy of respective plans on the official web portals for information of the wider public.