Green Belt Requirement for New and Expansion Projects for Obtaining Environmental Clearance in India

摘要

The prosperity and economic growth of a country depends, to a large extent, on its forest wealth. The forest is an important natural resource for any country and deforestation retards a country's development. As per National Forest Policy, 1988 the national goal is to have a minimum of one-third of the total land area of the country under forest / tree cover. In hills and in mountainous regions, it should be aimed to maintain two-third of the area under forest/tree cover in order to prevent erosion, land degradation etc.. and to ensure the stability of fragile eco-system. Green belt development is beneficial in several ways leading in conservation of biodiversity, retention of soil moisture, reduction in atmospheric pollution, recharge of ground water, improving aesthetics of local environment and maintaining pleasant atmosphere of the region. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change (MoEFCC) insisted to develop green belt for new and existing projects proposing expansion and modernisation in their respective Environmental Clearance (EC), in order to minimize the impacts due to air pollution and noise pollution in the environment. The MoEFCC has issued the standard Terms of Reference (ToR) for the list of 39 projects or activities for preparation of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report. For most of the projecis or activities the green belt area suggested is 33% of total land area, width of the 3 tier green belt is varying from 15m to 100m depending on the type of project, density of the green belt is in the range 1500 to 2500 plants per ha. the green belt species suggested is native species.