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CHAPTER TWO

Development of Environment
Statistics in India
CHAPTER TWO

DEVELOPMENT OF ENVIRONMENT STATISTICS IN INDIA

2.1 Introduction subject involving complex subjects like Bio-


diversity, Atmosphere, Water, Land and
The whole world has now realized the threat Soil and Human Settlements, it seemed
to its precious environment due to depletion difficult to collect and analyse data on these
of natural resources and the growing pace of parameters and developed interrelationships
degradation of the environment. among them. It, therefore, became necessary
Environmental issues, which have been for to develop an efficient statistical system on
a long time part of Indian thought and social environment that could meet the growing
processes, are reflected in the Constitution demand of data on various aspects of
of the Republic of India adopted in 1950. environment by the various governmental
The Directive Principles of State policy, an agencies, environmentalists and general
integral and significant element of public.
constitution of India, contain provisions,
which reflect the commitment of the State to 2.2 Setting up of Environment
protect the environment with regard to Statistical Unit in Central
forests and wildlife and which join upon the Statistical Organisation
citizens of India the special responsibility to
protect and improve the environment. The Recognising the importance of Environment
foundation of the present day institutional Statistics as an emerging area, the subject
framework for environmental programmes was first discussed in the fifth Conference
in India goes back to the 1970s with the of Central and State Statistical Organisation
establishment of the National Committee of (COCSSO) held at New Delhi in 1981. The
Environmental Planning and Coordination Conference recommended the need for
immediately after the historic Stockholm developing an appropriate environment
Conference on Environment held in 1972. statistical system in the country. The subject
The Committee was gradually upgraded into was again discussed in the Sixth and
a Department of Environment in 1980 and Seventh Conferences of Central and State
five years later to a full-fledged Ministry of Statistical Organisation. On the
Environment and Forests (MOEF) of the recommendation of the Seventh Conference
Government of India (GOI). The State of Central and State Statistical Organisation
Governments also followed this example by held in 1985, a multidisciplinary working
establishing their own Departments of group comprising Department of
Environment to address the rapidly Environment, Central Statistical
increasing policy initiatives and Organisation (CSO), State Directorates of
programmes in the environment and forests Economics and Statistics, and other
sectors. concerned Central and State organisations
and research institutions involved in the
Ministry of Environment and Forests has related subjects, was set up in CSO under
engaged itself in the task of managing the Chairmanship of its Director General in
country’s environment by focussing on the July, 1986. The Working Group in its
development of important administrative Report submitted in 1990 suggested a
tools and techniques, impact assessment, provisional list of variables for Framework
research and collection and dissemination of for Development of Environment Statistics.
environmental information. However, The group also suggested a few variables on
environment being a multi-disciplinary

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which data needed to be collected on their impact on human health and the
priority basis. development of environment statistics in
During the second half of 1996, a Steering India. The remaining five chapters are on
Committee on Environment Statistics under Biodiversity, Atmosphere, Land/soil, Water
the chairmanship of Director General, and Human Settlements. Besides, statistical
Central Statistical organization was tables depicting environment data, suitable
constituted. In its first meeting held in graphs and charts have also been added to
January 1997, a draft framework for the make the publication more user friendly.
development of environment statistics was
discussed along with the table formats to be 2.4 National Workshop/Seminars on
used for preparing the compendium. The Environment Statistics
data source agencies were identified and it
was decided to hold a workshop cum second To disseminate information on the
meeting of the Steering Committee to development of environment statistics in
discuss draft compendium of environment India and provide a forum for interaction
statistics. The workshop cum second between users and producers, six National
meeting was held at Pune in March 1997. Workshops/ Seminars on Environment
As per the recommendations of the second Statistics have been organised so far since
meeting, the said draft compendium was 1998. The first one was organized on
modified and finally got approved in the different aspects of Environment and its
third meeting of the Steering Committee impact on land and soil degradation, health
held in August 1997. including data gaps in different sectors of
environment in Goa during 12-13 January,
2.3 Compendium of Environment 1998, the second one was held during 6-7
Statistics April, 2000, at Hyderabad, the third one was
organised during 8-9 February, 2001 at
The Central Statistical Organisation brought Thirurananthapuram and the fourth one was
out eight issues of the publication entitled held during 22-23 April, 2003 at Shillong.
“Compendium of Environment Statistics” Thereafter as per the recommendations
for the years 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, made in third workshop, it was decided to
2002, 2003 and 2007 presenting available organise Seminar on sector specific subject.
data relating to environment of the country. The fifth Seminar on Statistical Accounting
Due to unavoidable circumstances, 2004 of Water Resources was organised during
and 2005 issues were not brought out. 24-25 June, 2005 at Institute for Social and
Although, the present coverage of Economic Change (ISEC) Bangalore and
information in the compendium may not be sixth Seminar on Statistical Accounting of
exhaustive with respect to entire domain of Land and Forestry Resources was organised
Environment, it does however provide a during 29-30 April, 2006 at Indian Institute
glimpse of the present scenario of the of Forest Management(IIFM), Bhopal. A
environmental degradation, its causes and brainstorming Workshop on Development
the reasons for concern. It provides the of National Disaster Statistical System in
necessary base to bring out the magnitude of India was organised by CSO in
the problem. The compendium consists of collaboration with National Institute of
seven chapters. The first two chapters give a Disaster Management (NIDM) on 27th
general introduction to environment, its April, 2007 at NASC, Complex Pusa, New
degradation through different sources and Delhi. A Dissemination Seminar to discuss

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the finding and other methodological issues NEHU in the year 2004. The seventh
in respect of the completed Natural training Programme was organised in 2005
Resource Accounting studies was organised at EPTRI, Hyderabad. The eighth and ninth
at Shimla during 17-18 December, 2007. training programme on Environment
All the workshops were attended by Statistics was organised at IIFM, Bhopal in
academicians, data users, and data 2006 and 2007.
producing agencies. The technical sessions
focussed on different aspects of the 2.6 Natural Resource Accounting
environment such as environment statistics,
population and human health, status of The economy draws inputs from the
databases on different types of pollution, environment. These consist of natural
status of data bases on human settlements resources, both non-renewable and
and impacts on other aspects of the renewable including mineral resources,
environment; status of data base on land and timber and non-timber forest produce,
soil and degradation; and natural resource aquatic resources, and also the ecosystem
accounting. Proceedings of the National services viz. recycling of nutrients and
Workshops/Seminars are brought out supply of clean air and water necessary for
regularly. sustaining life. Besides, economy also uses
the environment as a sink for dumping
unwanted wastes generated in industrial and
2.5 Training on Environment other anthropogenic activities.
Statistics
The conventional accounting [System of
Environment statistics being a multi- National Accounting (SNA)] though
disciplinary emerging subject, the operates in natural environment, hardly
Statisticians working both at the Centre as takes into account the environmental
well as State Governments are required to components and the goods and services they
be fully familiar with the relevant contribute to the economic development.
terminologies, and concepts and definitions. Rather, it is entirely based on monetary
To fulfil this need, the C.S.O. organized an considerations, which if dealt in isolation
International Training Programme on may prcve disastrous, both to the economy
Environment Statistics during 27 Jan-6 Feb, as well as to the environment. Hence, links
1998 with financial support from Asian between economy and environment have to
Development Bank. Twenty-two be properly understood and appreciated in
participants from South and South East order to achieve sustainable development of
Asia, including nine from India, participated the society. There is an urgent need to
in this programme. The second such training generate data on environmental goods and
programme was organized at Hyderabad services and their valuation in economic
during December, 2000 and the third one terms, so that information generated can be
again at Hyderabad during April, 2001. The used for proper policy formulation to
fourth training was organised at Jadavpur achieve overall sustainable development of
University in 2002. Two training the society.
programmes on Environment Statistics were
organised in the year 2003 at EPTRI, As a result, concept of Integrated
Hyderabad and at NEHU, Shillong. The Environmental and Economic Accounting
sixth training programme was organised at (IEEA) has emerged on the initiative of the

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United Nations. The main objectives of
integrated environmental accounting are However, data on environmental
segregation and elaboration of all components and the goods and services
environmental and economic accounts, rendered by them, and their valuation in
linkages of physical resource accounts with economic terms required for Environmental
monetary environmental accounts and Accounting are lacking in various areas like
balance sheets, assessments of Land, Water, Air, Energy, Agriculture,
environmental costs, benefits and Forest, Mining, Industry etc. At present, in
accounting for the maintenance of the the fast changing environmental and
tangible wealth. It is, thus, a complete economic scenario, data pertaining to
accounting procedure for environmental various natural resources are highly
assets. The IEEA later revised and termed desirable for proper policy formulation for
by the City Group formed by UNSD sustainable development.
namely, London Group as “System for
Environmental and Economic Accounting” 2.7 Natural Resource Accounting in
(SEEA) taking into consideration the India
contributions of the environment to the
economy and the impacts of the economy The field of Environmental Accounting of
on the environment. Natural Resources in India is in developing
stage. Various works done by experts on
The United Nations, the European methodology of generating data and adding
Commission , the International Monetary values to it (Chopra and Kakekodi, 1997;
Fund, the Organisation for Economic Co- Parikh and Parikh, 1997; Kakekodi, 2002)
operation and Development and the World have given valuable inputs for development
Bank undertook jointly the task of revision of the area. The entire process of
of the United Nations handbook of National Environmental Accounting of Natural
Accounting-Integrated Environmental and Resources involves three steps viz.
Economic Accounting (commonly referred Physical accounting; Monetary valuation;
to as SEEA- 2003). Much of the work was and Integration with Economic
done by the London Group on Accounting. Physical accounting
Environmental and Natural Resources determines the state of the resources types
Accounting, through a review process that and extent (qualitative and quantitative) in
started in 1998. SEEA 2003 provides a spatial and temporal terms. Once the
common framework for economic and physical account of resources is available,
environmental accounting, permitting a monetary valuation is done to its all-tangible
consistent analysis of contribution of and intangible components. Thereafter, the
environment to the economy and of the net change in natural resources in monetary
impact of the economy on the environment. terms is integrated into the Gross Domestic
It is intended to meet the needs of policy Product in order to reach the value of Green
makers by providing indicators and GDP of a nation/state/region. The process
descriptive statistics to monitor the does not require any change in the core
interaction between the economy and the system of SNA, rather it is achieved by
environment as well as serving as a tool for establishing linkages between the two.
strategic planning and policy analysis to A pilot project on Natural Resource
identify more sustainable development Accounting in Goa was initiated by CSO in
paths. 1999-2000. A Technical working Group on

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Natural Resource Accounting constituted in (ii) Air and water Sector for Andhra
the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh to Institute
Implementation held its first meeting in of Economic Growth (Delhi)
November 1997. Following the (iii) Natural Resource Accounting in
deliberations, a concept paper was got Karnataka: A Study of the Land and
developed which was considered by the Forestry Sector (Excluding Mining to
Technical Working Group in its meeting Centre for Multi Disciplinary development
held in September 1998. The Group Research (Karnataka)
recommended that scope of study would be (iv) Natural Resource Accounting for Land
to cover all sectors of the economy. and Forestry Sectors (excluding mining) in
However, major emphasis would be given the States of Madhya Pradesh and Himachal
to Forests and Biodiversity, Minerals, Pradesh to Indian Institute of Forest
Marine Resources, Tourism and Energy. In Management (Bhopal)
the first phase, the Natural Resource (v) Environmental Accounting of Land and
Accounting would be attempted with the Water Resources in Tamil Nadu to Madras
available secondary data and the gaps and School of Economics (Chennai)
requirement of additional primary data to be (vi) Environmental Accounting of Natural
collected would be identified. Resources of Meghalaya to North Eastern
Hill University (Shillong)
The first phase started in April 1999.The (vii) Natural Resource Accounting for West
project was implemented by TERI under Bengal for the Sectors: Air and Water to
close supervision of Directorate of Planning, Jadavpur University (Kolkata)
Statistics and Evaluation, Government of (viii) Natural Resource Accounting in GOA
Goa. The findings of the study generated a Phase-II under SEEA Framework to
lot of discussion in the National Statistical Integrated Research and Action for
Commission, which, inter-alia, Development (Delhi).
recommended replication of the Goa
(Phase-I) project in other States also. The reports of the eight studies on Natural
Resource Accounting have been finalized.
In order to develop sector-wise uniform Based on these studies, Technical papers for
methodology for natural resource different sectors on methodology, data
accounting, the Ministry had commissioned requirement, filling up of identified data
eight studies on NRA to specialised gaps for Natural Resource Accounting
institutes as follows:- (NRA) will be prepared to develop national
level framework for different sectors.
(i) Mining Sector for the States of West
Bengal and Madhya Pradesh to The Energy
and Resources Institute (Delhi)

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