DRAFT ENVIRONMENT POLICY - India Water Portal

ii. Encouragement to small-scale irrigation projects which have only a minimumimpact on the environment.iii. Encourage traditional systems of water management like pond irrigation and thepromotion of alternate irrigation systems such as the harvesting of run off rainwater.iv. Adoption of measures for increasing water use efficiency, conservation andrecycling.v. Designing and implementing of irrigation projects which are environmentallysustainable based on the experience from and the evaluation of earlier projects.vi. Provision of drainage as an integral component of irrigation projects so as toprevent water logging.vii. Formulation of guidelines for storm water management.viii. Adoption of command area development approach for irrigation projects toensure optimal utilization.ix. Development of irrigation systems incorporating local water resources utilization,water conservation recycling and optimum methods of irrigation and cropmanagement.x. Ensuring farmers ‘participation in irrigation management’ by the formation offarmers association and the development of group farming systems that areconducive to the preservation of the environment.xi. Continued evaluation and monitoring of all irrigation projects for their societalbenefit and environmental impacts; if any.6.2. Forest and wildlife including fisheriesi. Survey, mapping and demarcation of all natural forest land as defined in 202/95supreme court judgment;ii. Conservation and restoration of with special thrust to conservation of biodiversity;iii. Preservation of sacred groves with the biodiversity therein, without tampering withcultural integrity;iv. Conservation of existing mangroves and restoration wherever possible, throughenacting appropriate legislative measures;v. Restoration of degraded forests with people’s participation wherever possible;vi. Increasing the tree cover in the State through afforestation and social forestryprogrammes, especially on denuded and degraded lands with participation ofcommunities under the leadership of local self governments;vii. Increasing the productivity of production forestry/agroforestry by adopting moderntechnologies, and encourage efficient utilization of forest produce;viii. Encourage and enable local production of forest produce to meet the requirementsof medicinal plants, timber, fire-wood, fodder and green manure;ix. Assist forest tribes to collect Non Wood Timber Produce (NWFP) in a sustainablemanner and to carry on life-style in a manner that does not harm the environment;exclusive right of forest tribes to access and sustainably harvest (NWFP) willcontinue;x. Forests should not be the exclusive source for wood-based industries; they shouldfind resources from outside forest areas;13