Lok Sabha Question No. 4012 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-03-19
Subject: Pollution at Tourist Destinations
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Hemant Tukaram Godse

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4012

TO BE ANSWERED ON 19.03.2021

## Pollution at Tourist Destinations

## 4012. SHRI HEMANT TUKARAM GODSE:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Ministry maintains data about the pollution at various tourist destinations of National Importance across the country, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the pollution is spreading through food/ water wastes and emissions which are causing ailments to the people in such areas and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether several monuments are also losing their beauty due to air/water pollution and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government has taken/proposes to take any steps to make the tourist places pollution free; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI BABUL SUPRIYO)

- (a) to  (e)  Central  Pollution  Control  Board  is  monitoring  air  quality  at  four    identified locations  namely,  Taj  Mahal,  Itmad-ud-daulah,  Ramgarh    (  all  Archaeological  Survey  of India  (ASI)  protected  monuments ) and Nunhai  (  Industrial  areas)    in  Agra,  Uttar  Pradesh since 2002. Air quality monitoring data of these locations are available at https://cpcb.nic.in/agra-airquality-data.php.

Taj  Trapezium  Zone  Pollution  (Prevention  and  Control)  Authority  is  formulated  for prevention  and  control  of  pollution  of    TTZ.  Initiatives  taken  by  TTZ  authority inter  alia , include restriction of plying of petrol, diesel driven vehicles around 500 meter of Taj Mahal, plying of battery operated buses and other vehicles within 500 meter of Taj Mahal, green belt development and other infrastructure development near monuments,  prohibition of establishment / expansion of polluting industries, use of natural gas as fuel in industries in Agra and Firozabad, ban on burning of biomass/ solid waste, leather cuttings and cow dung in Agra, etc.

The  Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC)  has initiated 'Beach  Environment  and    Aesthetic  Management  System'  (BEAMS)  at  identified  beaches namely; Ghoghla (Diu), Shivrajpur (Gujarat), Kasarkode  and Padubidri (Karnatka), Kappad (Kerala) Kovalam (Tamil Nadu), Eden (Pduducherry), Rushikonda (Andhra Pradesh), Golden (Odisha) and Radhanagar (Andaman & Nicorbar Island).

BEAMS  project  intervention  deals  with  pollution  abatement  in  coastal  water  by ensuring international best practices of treatment of solid  and liquid waste, scientific waste management processes including responsible disposal, water quality monitoring, promotion of  sustainable development of beach facilities, protection and resource efficiency through 3 R  principles-  reduce,  recycling  and  reuse.  The  water  analysis  data  on  Physico-chemical parameters  such  as;  Colour,  Turbidity,  PH,  Dissolved  Oxygen,  BOD,  Microbiological parameter namely; Intestinal Enterococci, and Escherichia coli of each identified beach for every month during tourist season are recorded.

The details of daily collection of solid waste  are recorded. Solid waste (marine litter) is collected with the help of mechanized systems, segregated  and  part of it is recycled at the beach itself. The strategic placement of twin bin system for collection encourages visitors to use them and is to create awareness amongst tourists towards cleanliness. The plastic waste and other solid waste mainly comprising of glass, metal, thermocol, leather, rubber, etc. is handed over to the municipality recycler and organic waste is recycled on site through biocomposting.

Provisions of bio toilets and grey water treatment plant under BEAMS program have direct  impact  on  the  environment  as  open  defecation  is  completely  stopped  ,  therefore,  is protecting seawater from possible biological contamination. The treated grey water used for irrigation  and  toilet  flush  drastically  reduces  dependence  on  fresh  water  and  saving  of thousands of liters of fresh water annually for the local community.

Further,  MoEF&CC  has  organized  a  week  long  mass  cleanliness-cum-awareness drive  in  50  identified  beaches  in  10  coastal  States/  UTs  during  November,  2019.    Further, under Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project, several initiatives such as; beach-front development  have  been  carried  out  at  Digha  Beach  in  West  Bengal  and  Dandi  Beach  in Gujarat .

Considering  the  importance  of  cleanliness  and  hygiene,  Ministry  of  Tourism  is implementing the Swachhta Action Plan (SAP) activities since 2017-18 across the country to create  awareness  among  tourists,  School  /  college  students  and  stake-holders  at  tourist centers.  The  awareness  activity  covers  1000  tourists,  500  students  and  60  stake-holders  at each  site  involving  activities  of  awareness  on  cleanliness  amongst  tourists,  school/college students,  and  stake-holders  of  tourist  centers,  pilgrimage  centers  &  famous  archaeological monuments etc.,

In addition, Ministry of Tourism had organized Swachhta Pakhwada activities during September, 2020 on virtual platform, audio-visual etc. across the country through its Indiatourism  offices,  India  Tourism  Development  Corporation  (ITDC)  and  Institutions  under Ministry  of  Tourism  like  Indian  Institute  of  Tourism  and  Travel  Management  (IITTM), Institute  of  Hotel  Management  (IHM)  etc.,  a  total  number  of  534  activities  had  been organized across  the country.

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