Mutaharra A W Deva

1. Worked as lecturer from July 1983 until December 1984 at Government College for Boys, Anantnag, Kashmir (India) in the Department of Botany. Responsibilities included teaching Ecology and Environment.

2. Worked as research fellow for 3 years on a project titled “impact of land use pattern on Karewa belt of Kashmir, India” for the Department of Soil Conservation. The project was funded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt of India. During this period worked on mapping and survey, contours and land use pattern of Karewas of Kachkora, Tankora and Yousmarg Forests (Kashmir, India) in detail, identified plant species and studied soil types and erosion effects on the waters of Nilnag, Yusmarg using soil analysis methodology.

3. Worked on Pollution load from catchment area in Dal Lake and Psuntkul, and Physicochemical Environment of Kashmir lakes with macrophytic phytoplankton and Zooplankton studies.

4. Worked at S.P. Collage Srinagar's Hydro-biological Lab and worked as Physico-chemical parameters of sulphur springs of Anantnag District and published a paper.

5. Worked on Dal Lake and its immunological studies with physico- chemical parameter.(Paper Published).

6. Joined Pollution Control Board when it was inaugurated to work in 1988.

7. Served as Sr. Scientific officer/Scientist C in Jammu and Kashmir State Pollution Control Board, Jammu and Kashmir Government, India from 1988 until 1999 as its first member.

8. The responsibilities included overlooking the administrative aspects of Pollution Control Board and scientific aspects of monitoring environmental Pollution i.e. air quality, water quality and lakes and water bodies, and making regulatory recommendations to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for the maintenance and preservation of water bodies, rivers, wetlands, lakes etc

9. Worked as an Administrative Officer in the J&J SPCB from 1989 for 2 years

10. Underwent training on Air monitoring at Delhi's CPCB and Maharashtra's Thane District.

11. Underwent water monitoring training outside the State.

12. Established the consent management mechanism for the State of J&K for all the red, orange and green categories.

13. Established Water Air laboratories both at Srinagar & Jammu.

14. Got a Mobile air and water quality laboratory funded by Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

15. Establishment of MINARS (monitoring of Indian national aquatic river systems) water quality stations in the State of J&K was a big step forward at the time.

16. Took over erstwhile DRL complex at Rajbagh Srinagar and at canal road Jammu upon its transfer to the J&KSPCB after a cabinet decision was an important milestone in the history of JKPCB consisting of around 23 Kanals and 21 Kanals of land respectively.

17. This complex houses almost all the wings of J&K Forest Department .

18. I have been Instrumental in holding All India Member Secretaries and Chairmen Conference at Srinagar,1989 and was overall in charge of the conference.

19. In the JKPCB submitted a Human Resource Development proposal to the Planning department of the State and this lead to the creation of around 500 post for J&K SPCB in 1996 as a special recruitment drive .

20. I was promoted as Scientist C in Jan 1999 and worked with dedication for the betterment of environment of J&K.

21. I was transferred to the Department of Environment and Remote Sensing where I had no other officer in the wing. I had to look after and work in all the aspects of environmental management for the entire State all alone.

22. I prepared Wular Conservation and Management Action Plan and implemented the same as the first officer in charge of this water body. I undertook many lake management works in the catchment and inside the water body

23. I conducted a detailed Water Chemistry of the entire Wular Lake and published this report.

24. I identified around 70000/- kanals of land of Wular as encroached from latha in three tehsils of the Sonawari,Sumbal and Sopore and conveyed the same to revenue authorities.

25. This Plan and my other works lead to the formulation of Wular Management Plan which is now undertaken by a full fledged organization by the name Wucma.

26. I translated Environment Protection Act, 1986 in urdu for wide dissemination and awareness among the masses.

27. I have undertaken Environmental Impact Assessment studies (EIA) of Gulmarg, Sonamarg ,Yusmarg, Dodapathri ,Pahalgam and Katra and published the reports .

28. I conducted a specific EIA studies for Kralsangri area of Chesmashahi forests of Srinagar City overlooking the famous Dal Lake on a court direction.

29. I served as an environmental expert to the Environment Committee of the J&K State legislative Assembly on EIA, Eco- tourism, Sustainable habitat, preservation and conservation of water bodies , power projects, land resource management ,wetlands and climate change.

30. I was nominated as a member of BOCA (building, operation and construction authority) of the J&K Tourism Department.

31. I served as a member of the committee constituted by the Government to devise methodology to arrest pollution of air caused by the Cement units in the State of J&K. Dust from cement Units is causing severe lung infections in the populace.

32. I served as first Coordinator ENVIS (Environmental Information System, a Govt of India initiative) in the State of J&K for creating a platform for collection of base line data of all environmental parameters impacting the climate change. I created a separate wing of ENVIS in the Department of Environment and Remote Sensing through the funding provided by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change MOEFFCC).

33. I prepared JK ENVIS website and got it hosted by NIC at jkenvis.nic.in.

34. I underwent an extensive training for uploading process through VPN details and new format data feeding to the net. Lot of data was mined and uploaded to this Website for the planners to serve as policy guideline for future project proposals.

35. I prepared first ever State of Environment Report for the State of J&K(SoER) as its Member Secretary ,which was a monumental effort to retrieve the data from Government Files and process and analyze it. This was done in collaboration with TERI. This got accolades from one and all. I created a separate wing for this work through the funding provided by the MOEFCC, Government of India. This report is based on the international principle of DPSIR refers to D – Driving forces, causes of concern i.e. industries, transportation,P – Pressures – pollutants emanating from driving forces i.e. emission,S – State – quality of environment i.e. air, water & soil quality,I – Impact on health, ecosystem, materials, biodiversity, Economic, damage and R – Responses – action for cleaner production, policies (including standards/guidelines), targets etc.

36. As a follow up to National Action Plan on Climate Change, a three tier J&K Climate Change Council was constituted by the J&K State where under I was appointed /nominated as Member Secretary Expert Committee State Action Plan on Climate Change and Member Executive Council of of J&K state Council on Climate Change.

37. I single handedly prepared first State Action Plan on Climate Change (JKSAPCC) . In this endeavor our technical partner was Ctran Pvt Ltd. This was a very strenuous exercise and getting it approved by the Chief Minister and then by the National Steering Committee on Climate Chang,Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change at that time was very hectic and difficult.

38. Served as a Member Convener of Draft Committee for formulation of State Environment Policy, for J&K.

39. Based on my expertise in the Climate Change and the need to address Climate Change, an Independent body under the name of J&K Climate Change Cell was constituted in the Civil Secretariat of the State Of J&K and I was appointed as its first Nodal Officer ,J&K Climate Change cell to oversee, implement and coordinate the process of sanction and subsequent implementation of the J&K SAPCC as per the provisions envisaged in the J&K State Action Plan on Climate Change(JKSAPCC).

40. I prepared relevant Project concept notes under various Missions of JKSAPCC. A concept note on Climate resilient Sustainable Agriculture farming in kandi areas of J&K was approved by the High Power committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and climate change.

41. I represented the State at the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change and gave a Power Point Presentation on Sustainable Agriculture which paved the way for sanctioning of the Project. A project titled Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture in J&K was approved by the National Adaptation Fund on Climate Change(NAFCC) for an amount of Rs 22.51 crores for the State of J&K. This project is first of its kind for the State of J&K.

42. I was nominated as an expert member of Environment and Ecology by the industries and Commerce Department for the World Bank assisted Jehlum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project(JTFRP) vide Govt Order No:139-Ind of 2016 Dated:4/07/2016.

43. I was transferred as Regional Director, DERS in Feb 2018

44. I served as liaison officer, Climate Change to Commissioner Secretary to Govt, Forest Department, Civil Secretariat Srinagar/Jammu.

45. I was transferred to JKPCB in 2019 as its Senior most Officer and looked after almost all aspects of the PCB. Specifically Hazardous waste management, Bio medical waste management, Brick kilns and other highly polluting units and the pollution emanating from them was looked into with dedication and honesty.Enhanced environmental compliance by conducting thorough site assessments and monitoring programs.

• Developed strategies for sustainable resource management, leading to reduced ecological impacts.
• Improved company''s environmental performance by implementing innovative waste reduction initiatives.
• Streamlined permit approval process through effective communication with regulatory agencies.
• Provided expert guidance on complex environmental issues, resulting in informed decision-making and risk mitigation.
• Conducted comprehensive environmental impact assessments, ensuring responsible project development and execution.
• Collaborated with interdisciplinary teams to develop site-specific remediation plans, achieving successful environmental restoration outcomes.
• Supported corporate sustainability goals by integrating environmentally friendly practices into daily operations and long-term planning efforts.
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions through the implementation of energy efficiency measures and renewable energy projects.
• Established strong relationships with stakeholders to address community concerns related to environmental quality and public health impacts from industrial operations.
• Served as a trusted advisor on regulatory compliance matters, preventing costly fines and legal disputes associated with non-compliance incidents.
• Informed policy development by providing technical expertise on emerging contaminants of concern and their potential ecological effects.
• Managed a team of junior scientists in executing field investigations, fostering professional growth and skill development within the department.
• Facilitated ongoing staff training on relevant federal and state regulations, promoting a culture of accountability within the organization related to compliance activities.
• Prepared detailed technical reports to effectively communicate complex scientific findings to internal and external stakeholders, ensuring clear understanding of project outcomes.
• Conducted regular audits of environmental control measures, identifying opportunities for further improvement in the company''s overall environmental performance.
• Gathered environmental data detailing water, air and soil contaminations.
• Performed environmental site assessments and provided remediation recommendations.
• Served as subject matter expert (SME) on environmental regulations and policies.
• Conducted hazardous waste management studies.
• Interpreted test data to determine whether contamination existed in accordance with environmental laws.
• Managed development, design and execution of energy conservation projects.
• Completed permit applications and maintained environmental permits.
• Formulated and implemented long-range plans for environmental programs.
• Served as technical consultant on environmental policies to maintain regulatory compliance.
• Prepared detailed scientific reports or presentations based on findings.
• Oversaw biodiesel/biofuels prototyping or development projects.
• Analyzed data from biofuels studies, such as fluid dynamics, water treatments or solvent extraction and recovery processes.
• Assisted with development of health and safety plans for hazardous materials.
• Investigated accidents and analyzed root causes to develop corrective action plans.
• Conducted air quality monitoring and analysis of air pollutants.
• Developed strategic partnerships with industry leaders to advance the adoption of best practices in environmental stewardship across multiple sectors.
• Assessed water quality trends using advanced analytical techniques, contributing valuable data towards regional conservation efforts.
• Enhanced environmental compliance by conducting thorough site assessments and monitoring programs.