8 member panel set up for protection of water bodies in J-K

The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Monday constituted an eight-member committee for identification, protection and restoration of water bodies in the union territory. The committee will be headed by the administrative secretary, Forest Ecology and Environment Department and submit periodical reports to the central pollution control board (CPCB)/secretary Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, a government order said. The order, issued by Commissioner Secretary, General Administration Department, Manoj Kumar Dwivedi said the terms of reference include identification and protection of all water bodies and assigning of unique identification numbers to each water body. The committee will also work to remove encroachments in and around the water bodies, to prevent dumping of waste in the water bodies, maintain water quality as per the recognised standards and restore water bodies by taking other appropriate steps, the order said

The other terms of reference include involving the panchayats and the community, utilising the financial resources available from different sources and evolve further monitoring mechanisms as well as grievance redressal mechanism, the order read.