The concept of green gross domestic product (GDP) or green economy being promoted by United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is gaining currency in Uttarakhand, albeit in the form of a public interest litigation (PIL) by HESCO, a Dehradun-based NGO.
The non-governmental organisation has filed a petition urging the Uttarakhand High Court to direct the state government to make provisions for the measurement and periodical review of the “gross environmental protection” in the hill state amid heightened environmental concerns.
After admitting the PIL, the court asked the government to file a counter affidavit within six weeks over the issue of protecting and improving natural environment such as forests, wildlife, lake and rivers.
“The quality of forests, water, rivers, soil and other natural resources is going down over the years in Uttarakhand. Since Uttarakhand is growing at a rate of 9-10 per cent, this growth rate does not reflect contribution of rural economic and ecological growth.
Uttarakhand being a sensitive ecological zone, we believe that development indicators must also reflect growth of environmental components like forests, water, soil and others. The status of these resources is satisfactory but degrading gradually,” the petition said.
HESCO in its petition said since Uttarakhand is known for great rivers like Ganga and glaciers like Gangotri, as per records the average rate of recession of Gangotri glacier is 20 metre per annum which is very alarming.
The petitioner also expressed concern over the sharp decline in natural resources and the rise in air pollution over the past 10 years. “This is affecting the overall ecology and economy of the state due to the negligence,” the petition said.
“The petitioner is seeking the indulgence of the High Court to direct the government for a periodical review of natural resources such as forest, water and soil through some strong indicators as being done for measuring the state’s growth rate,” the petition added. The petition came close on the heels of UNEP’s efforts to highlight the concept of green economy and green GDP worldwide in the wake of concerns over climate change.
