A government spokesman said, "The environmental policy of the state is being reoriented and restructured to ensure sustainable development." He said the Himachal Pradesh State Pollution Control Board had decided to strike a balance between economic growth and environmental preservation.
"In the pursuit of attaining the objectives enshrined in environmental legislations, the Board has followed the principles of sustainable development," he said.
The State Action Plan on Climate Change had also been finalised as a part of adoption and mitigation strategies and had been approved by the National Expert Committee, he said.
He said the state government had received a development policy loan of $100 million from the World Bank through the Government of India for ensuring green growth and sustainable development.
The spokesman said, "The government is making a transformational shift towards a model of sustainable economic cum green growth."
Keeping in view the likely impact of climate change on the livelihood practices of agriculture, horticulture would be carried out through the State Centre on Climate Change during the current fiscal.
He further informed that the Board was regularly monitoring the water and air quality and compiling the data of cement, textile and pharmaceuticals industries of Himachal Pradesh. Besides, the Board had also uploaded the ambient air and water quality data of 10 towns in the state and 219 locations of major rivers and their tributaries in the state.
Under the directions of the Board, 37 hydel power projects in the state have installed the requisite equipment for ensuring 15% discharge of water into respective water bodies.
