Prime Minister of India, President of India: Green Vision Resolution for Uttarakhand

We the undersigned, first and foremost pay tribute to the survivors and deceased victims of the tragic Himalayan floods of 2013.We recognise that in order to protect human lives and the sanctity of the environment in the future, the great state of Uttarakhand, must be rebuilt in a way that is green, sustainable and in harmony with our fragile natural resources. We thus pledge to dedicate ourselves to ensuring that the great state of Uttarakhand becomes a shining jewel in sustainability and safety throughserving to ensure the below recommendations:

Green Development
1. Green and Safe Development Methods Must be Mandated to protect the population, Uttarakhand’s beautiful mountainsides, and the Ganga’s unique ecosystem, while reducing the climatic triggers that can lead to natural disasters. This must include a mandate to use sustainable, non-climate change inducing and locally-sourced materials wherever possible. All construction must also be in accordance with Bureau of Indian Standards Safety Codes. Future construction in sacred sites and ecologically-fragile zones should be prohibited.

2. Sustainable Infrastructure such as roads and bridges, should be constructed using non-climate change inducing materials and must be safely placed away from floodplains/flood lines and other danger zones. This may mean building on higher elevations. No blasting should ever be permitted during construction efforts.

Green Legislation
1. The strict enforcement of current environmental legislation, such as the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974, the Forest (Conservation) Act of 1980, the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1981 and the Environment (Protection) Act of 1986, and the Northern India Canal & Drainage Act of 1873,
including:
a. Complete segregation of all sewage and toxic effluents from all river water;
b. The commitment to conservation forestry as exemplified by the Chipko Movement
c. The enforcement of strict penalties, as described by law, against those found to be in repeat violation of any environmental/conservation Acts; and
d. All other provisions as outlined in the Acts

Green Energy
1. Energy Security as Relief: Uttarakhand should become recognized as an innovator in environmental protection and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) through reconstruction efforts that include the use of solar, biogas, biomass, and other forms of renewable energy, with the exception of non-small-scale hydel, per Uttarakhand’s Policy for Harnessing Renewable Energy Sources of 2008.

Green Tourism
1. Development and implementation of a Green Tourism Plan that includes effective coordination between Environmental and DRR agencies, local populations, and other pertinent agencies and civil society organisations, to prevent negative environmental impacts while improving safety. Training must also be delivered for service providers. Establishments should be inspected by mandate to ensure they are using practices and technologies that are environmentally-friendly and do not induce climate change. Ecotourism should be facilitated through the funding and facilitation of village-based home stay and other programmes that increase the potential of livelihoods for local residents.

2. Traffic and Tourism Caps and Tariffs: Traffic patterns should be restricted in the Himalayas in order to protect life and the ecosystem. We thus recommend a cap and tariff on air, vehicular and foot traffic allotted into the region.

Green Land Management
1. Mandate Organic and Water-Saving Farming Zones: All activities located within 500 metres of the Ganga and other important aquifers should become mandated as Organic and Water-Saving Farming Zones. Producers should be propelled to success through educational outreach, generous incentives and assistance in gaining access to relevant domestic and international markets.

2. Promote More Efficient Land Management: All farms on mountains and hillsides, as well as those within 500 metres of the Ganga and other important aquifers, should be evaluated as to land management. Individuals, municipalities, organizations and others that are improperly using their land, adding to dangers such as landslides, should be re-educated and compensated in order to make and maintain changes. They should be cited and fined if they fail to abide by instructed changes.

3. The reforestation of all mountainsides and land within 500 metres of the River Ganga and its tributaries with indigenous, broad-leafed species of trees, such as oak, as well as the replacement of erosion-inducing non-indigenous pine forests with broad-leafed, soil and water-saving species of trees. Organic plants and herbs should be planted in unison with the trees in order to ensure healthy, multi-layered coverage.

Green Water Management
1. The enactment and enforcement of a mandate to maintain 100 to 200 meters on both sides of the Ganga River and its tributaries as an “Eco-Sensitive Zone,” in which no new construction shall be permitted.

2. The mandated assurance of an ecologically-sound flow of the Ganga and its tributaries by enabling at least 50% of its waters to flow continuously within its natural riverbed throughout the year.

Green Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
1. To protect public and environmental health, improved WASH must be made freely-available to all residents, students and visitors through the provision of toilets (preferably eco-friendly, bio-digester), clean water systems, wide-spread educational outreach and other programmes.

Green Schools
1. Green Schools: All relevant recommendations outlined in this document, from sustainable energy to eco-friendly construction practices to WASH interventions and safety measures, must be designed into all new or reconstructed schools, and added to currently existing schools. Such provisions must be maintained through annual budgetary allocations. In addition, school children throughout Uttarakhand should be encouraged and assisted to grow their own fruit-bearing trees, through a Mid-Day Fruit Programme, so that they and their communities may benefit from improved nutrition, and the soil, water, and air may be improved.

Green Safety
1. An Environmentally-Friendly Comprehensive Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Plan must be immediately produced and enacted. This must include provisions including well-marked evacuation routes, early warning systems, educational outreach, the building of well-stocked community relief centres, the construction of landslide barriers, the provision of community communications systems and the implementation of real-time computerised registration of all visitors to Uttarakhand at key checkpoints and during hotel registrations.