Goa comes a distant 22 nd in environment protection - Herald

Goa comes a distant 22 nd in environment protection Ranks 1 st in preserving air, 2 nd in water quality TEAM HERALD teamherald@ herald- goa. com PANJIM: Planning Commission’s Environment Performance Index ( EPI) has ranked Goa 22nd amongst total 35 States and Union Territories, raising fear that State might get lesser grants from the Centre, which funds states as per Gadgil- Mukherjee formula. The findings of EPI report which has been conveyed to Goa Chief Secretary B by Planning Commission, has clearly mentioned that State’s poor forest management, waste management and failure to control climate change led to Goa’s ratings dropping miserably. The only saving grace has been the air and surface water quality in which Goa is ranked first and second respectively nationwide. The pan- India EPI conducted by experts has rated Himachal Pradesh as best governed as for as air pollution, forests, water quality, waste management and climate change is concerned. The EPI is based on 16 major indicators. The survey has indicated that Goa is worst when it comes to the managements of forests. The study had considered parameters such as total forest cover, change in forest cover, growing stock and yearly average afforestation efforts. States such as Chandigarh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh are top five in forest management and Goa ranks 32nd amongst 35 States and Union Territories on this count. The lack of waste management facilities in Goa is also reflected in the study. Factors such as municipal solid waste collection effi- ciency, treatment and disposal capacity for municipal solid waste, hazardous waste and biomedical waste were considered. The survey has indicated that Goa is worst when it comes to the managements of forests http://www.heraldgoa.in/News/Local%20News/Goa-comes-a-distant-22nd-in-environment-protection/65667.html