Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Wednesday stressed the need to make environmental protection and pollution control more technology-driven, scientific and citizen-centric, with a slew of measures proposed to strengthen the State Pollution Control Board’s monitoring and research capabilities.
The decisions were taken at the 135th Board Meeting of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), chaired by Chief Secretary Anu Garg at Lok Seva Bhawan here.
The meeting discussed strengthening the institutional and technical capacity of the OSPCB, modernising laboratories, undertaking research projects and improving coastal environmental monitoring.
A key proposal was to develop the Centre for Marine and Coastal Environment (CMCE) at Paradeep as a nodal Centre of Excellence for coastal environmental monitoring and analysis.
Garg said the Paradeep facility should evolve beyond a conventional laboratory into an integrated centre leveraging science, data and technology for protection of the coastal environment.
The meeting also considered construction of permanent regional office buildings of the OSPCB at Kataka, Jharsuguda, Koraput, Kalinganagar, Bhubaneswar, Kendujhar and Sambalpur, besides modernisation of the Patia laboratory.
The Chief Secretary called for incorporation of green features, including rainwater harvesting, solar energy and vermicomposting, in the proposed infrastructure.
To facilitate faster, data-based environmental decisions, the board discussed setting up a Command-and-Control Centre at the OSPCB headquarters at Nayapalli. The facility is envisaged to integrate laboratory, water sample analysis and field-monitoring data.
The meeting also stressed wider deployment of robotic technology to assess water quality in rivers, ponds, estuaries and coastal waters, along with drones for field surveillance.
For scientific management of fly ash, the board proposed preparation of an Odisha Fly Ash Atlas mapping its generation, availability, demand and movement from generators to end users. Research on fly ash bio-stabilisation and bio-transformation will also be pursued in collaboration with reputed academic and research institutions.
The meeting further discussed making the OSPCB Annual Report more accessible to citizens by presenting data through charts, visuals, simplified information and digital formats.
As part of environmental awareness initiatives, distribution of comic and e-comic books among school and college students was also proposed to engage younger generations on environmental protection.
Garg called for coordinated efforts to establish a scientific, technology-enabled, transparent and citizen-centric environmental governance system.
“OSPCB should stand as a symbol of our care and responsibility towards the environment,” she said.
OSPCB Member Secretary Manoj V Nair, board members and senior officials attended the meeting.
