CSE’s Transparency Index evaluates pollution control boards on disclosure of information in public domain
Morung Express News
Dimapur | August 16
How transparent is Nagaland Pollution Control Board (NPCB) on disclosure of information in the public domain?
Among least transparent in India, according the a new study by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) which evaluated the information shared by 29 State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and 6 Pollution Control Committees (PCCs during the last four-five years (2016–21).
With a rating score of just 19.9%, the NPCB was ranked 26 among the 35 SPCBs/PCC assessed by the CSE during the study.
“A majority of India’s pollution control agencies remain closed entities when it comes to sharing information with the public,” the CSE noted while releasing the “TRANSPARENCY INDEX: Rating of Pollution Control Boards on Public Disclosure,” on August 12.
Such disclosure in the public domain is one of the important functions of SPCBs/PCCs to increase public participation and public awareness, it underscored.
The report assessed how actively boards display and disclose key environment and governance-related information in the public domain and used 25 indicators that provided a broader assessment on the type and amount of information shared, the CSE said.
Of the 35 SPCBs/PCCs assessed, only 17 scored 50% or above, it added. These were Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Goa, Karnataka, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan.
Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh boards were rated the most transparent while Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep were deemed least transparent.
NPCB’s performance
As per the report, even in statutory obligations for some indicators like Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) even after the Supreme Court order 2017 for making the data public, the status of CEMS information was not available in public domain in most of the states, including Nagaland.
Information regarding functioning, actions taken by a board against polluting industries, public hearing data on new projects, etc., are rarely disclosed or remain difficult to access on the websites, the CSE maintained, highlighting Nagaland was among one.
Only 5 SPCBs/PCCs shared minutes of their board meetings on their websites while just five shared information on inspection conducted, it informed. The NPCB was without one.
The NPCB was also among the 11 SPCBs/PCCs without their annual reports in the public domain.
On solid waste, e-waste, and bio-medical waste and other waste management data, the NPCB was among those boards/committees without any information. (See Table)
On the positive site, the NPCB has information on administrative mechanisms such as number of board members, office addresses and contacts as well as compliance with Right to Information Act.
On technical side, the board had information on parameters which can be analysed in laboratory, information on addressees of labs, Action Plan for Non-Attainment Cities and Action Plan for Polluted River Stretches.
Site ‘visit’
When The Morung Express visited the NPCB’s website on August 16, while consent and other forms such as BMW Authorisation Form, Batteries Form, Hazardous Waste etc were available under the download section of the site, data on those were not available. It was last updated on February 22, 2016.
However, list of Hazardous Waste generating Unit last updated on October 30, 2020 was available.
While the section under ‘Publications’ was shown to be last updated on May 14, 2016.
Information on Water Monitoring, Noise Monitoring and Air monitoring were shown to be last updated March 1, 2016. In addition, information on the National Ambient Air Monitoring Programme (NAAM) and National Water Quality Monitoring Programme (NWMP) were last updated on February 29, 2016.
Under ‘What’s New’ section, apart from regular issues of the ENVIS (Environmental Information System) Newsletter including the April- June, 2021 issue, pamphlets on ‘World Elephant Day’ (August 12, 2021), International Tiger Day (July 29, 2021), Rivers of Nagaland’ (March 18, 2021) were available.
A ‘Meeting minutes’ of a meeting to review implementation of various directions issued by the National Green Tribunal held at the State Chief Secretary’s Conference Hall on August 26. 2019 was also put up on September 17, 2019
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