Meet of the Mountain States 2023
The Himalayan Cleanup findings was an important part of the discussion at the Meet of Mountain States 2023 (MoMS) which was organised by Integrated Mountain Initiative at Paryavaran Bhavan, New Delhi on March 23 - 24, 2023. The MoMS 2023 devoted a session on “Plastic Waste Management - EPR implementation in the IHR.”
The meet brought together members of the IMI, elected representatives, law and policy makers from Indian Himalayan states and the central government, practitioners and activists, researchers and scientists and other stakeholders engaged in the Indian Himalayan region.
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Some of the discussion points were -
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Extended producer responsibility’s implementation is limited in the IHR and not functioning in the northeastern states.
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There is an extremely limited understanding of EPR by Urban Local Bodies, Panchayati Raj Institutions or the Traditional Bodies of the IHR that handle waste and they need to be supported to navigate EPR.
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Need for convergence of State Pollution Control Boards, the ULBs and the Panchayati Raj Institutions. Waste managers and SPCB responsible for EPR implementation have to come under one platform and communicate on a regular basis
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The recommendation to revisit the EPR with a mountain lens was favourably taken by the house, including the CPCB representatives. The need to constitute a task force to look at the granularity of how this National single lens of EPR can be made specific to the mountains is recommended.. The targets must be Mountain specific and must be made localized and region-specific.
Mountain Legislator's Meet 2022
The Himalayan Cleanup findings was also presented at the Mountain Legislators' Meet on the sidelines of Sustainable Mountain Development Summit organised at Ladakh in September 2022 by IMI.
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The presentation highlighted the need for an amendment in the extended producer responsibility regulation that had been notified under the Plastic Waste Management Rules.
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A separate brand audit for Ladakh had also been carried out with help of local partner Little Green World and volunteers working with Project Tsangda.
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Mountain Legislator's Meet 2021
The legislators discussed on the issue of waste crisis in the hill stations of India, especially on the growing plastic pollution and its impact on mountain landscapes. The members also deliberated on potential solutions and policy mechanisms that can effectively tackle the plastic waste in the mountains.
Delivering the Keynote Address as Chief Guest, Shri Chowna Mein emphasised on the adverse impact of plastic pollution on the overall health of the people and also highlighted the recent Climate Change Declaration of Arunachal Pradesh on the principles of ‘Panchamrit’. Shri James Sangma brought to attention various crucial issues on the topic including the need for bringing in nature and economics together for a sustainable, resilient future for the region.
The Meet also adopted the MLM 2021 Darjeeling Declaration for plastic waste eradication in the mountain states.
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