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Kenya: Nairobi, Mombasa Among 25 African Cities Facing Water Scarcity

Nairobi and Mombasa are some of the African cities that are grappling with water shortages, a new report reveals, highlighting the impact of urbanization on meager resources. A new report by the Centre for Science and Environment India titled 'The State of Africa's Environment Report 2024', which covered 25 cities on the continent, projects worsening conditions in the next three decades if drastic action is not executed. According to the report, more than 16 million of the Kenyan population relies on untreated and unsafe water sources, such as ponds, shallow wells, rivers, and lakes, for drinking water--a situation that is dire for the urban poor. Experts have now attributed water poverty in urban areas, particularly slums, to low supply, high demand, and poor water management planning. This situation is mainly catalyzed by rural-urban migration, which has accelerated the population density in cities and towns in the country. "Kenya is facing an unprecedented water crisis in its expanding urban areas like rural areas. Kenya is lagging in delivering water to its 50 million people, with at least a third of the population lacking access to clean drinking water," the report noted. Speaking during the launch of the report, on Monday in Nairobi, Malesi Shivaji, CEO of Kenya Water and Civil Society Network (KEWASNET), noted that the current water system infrastructure is incapable of serving the accelerating number of people in urban centers in the country. "There has been a dependence on the same infrastructure 60 years down the line. The same pipes that were there 40 years ago are the same pipes that are supplying water to the 50 Million people in the country," he said. Furthermore, he noted that the lack of proper and sufficient sanitary stations, such as toilets, in cities has increased the risk of water pollution, thus exposing residents to waterborne diseases such as cholera. "The lack of sanitation station has led to cases of open defecation, leading to water pollution," he stated. Francis Oremo, Senior Programme Manager, Institute of Law and Environmental Governance, Nairobi, pointed out that lack of sufficient investment in water harvesting infrastructures in the country and Africa at large has greatly contributed to the shortage of water, despite the continent having abundant water sources. There is no room for business as usual we have to manage our water very well or we shall lose everything," he stated. According to Sunita Narain, who is the Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) India, sustainable methods such as water recycling and incorporation of technology should be heavily executed to improve the accessibility and affordability of water on the continent. "If we can use technology in other sectors I think it's very possible to integrate technology in water recycling, If technology, water supply, and waste management are affordable, it will be sustainable. If you improve water security people's lives will be improved. Reinvent our sewage system so that it is more affordable," she stated. The report has thus recommended measures to counter the water scarcity menace in Kenya, which include desalination of seawater, groundwater exploitation, reservoir construction, interbasin water transfer, and domestic virtual trade. Between the years 1990 and 2020, the number of African cities skyrocketed from 3300 to 7600, consequently increasing the urban population on the continent to 500 million.

Politics of inclusion

We know we stand at a crossroads. Unsustainable growth means we are hurtling towards climate catastrophe and inequitable growth means we are hurtling towards increased poverty, increased marginalisation and increased anger. Our learning in India is that growth that is not affordable, in other words not equitable, cannot be sustainable. This, then, is the agenda for the future. Consider the challenge of Delhi’s toxic air pollution. It’s not that we are not trying to make a difference. All coal plants have been shut; pet coke import (incidentally the ones that the United States exports as it is toxic for local use) has been banned; and we are switching to the cleanest fuels and vehicle technology. Despite these incremental actions, we stay behind the pollution crisis. My colleagues estimate that air pollution in Delhi has reduced by 25 per cent over the past three years, as compared to the previous three years; but it still needs to be reduced by 65 per cent to get what you will call clean air. The reason is simple: today less than 20 per cent of my city drives in cars to work; roughly 25 per cent own cars. But these vehicle owners take 90 per cent of the road space. The question is, if the demand of just 20 per cent is leading to huge congestion and pollution, where and how can the city find the road and air space for all? This is where the environmentalism of the poor kicks in. The fact is, if the rich are to breathe clean air, we need to rework mobility for all. We cannot think of adding a few buses or trams or metros; we need to transform mobility so that it works for the rich and the poor. This means combining affordability and convenience and safety. This is also the case with energy. Many households in my world still use biomass to cook food because they are poor. These air pollutants, which are killing poor people, are also contaminating the airshed they share with the rich. So, if we want clean air, we will have to get the rich out of their polluting vehicles, but we will also have to ensure that the poor households get options to move out of dirty fuels. Their energy transition is important for clean air. This is why without inclusive growth; we cannot have sustainability. The opportunity is also enormous. If we reinvent for transformative action we will focus on the needs of the poor women and provide them viable, affordable options to leapfrog — from non-fossil dirty fuels to non-fossil clean fuels. But this is where the world needs leadership so that finance for the energy transition is concessional and provides the opportunity to scale up the system for the poorest in the world. The challenge of climate change is a mirror to the air pollution challenge we face in Delhi. In 1990, my colleague Anil Agarwal and I argued in our publication "Global Warming in an Unequal World" that the world cannot combat climate change unless the agreement is fair and equitable. Today, the same issue is on the table. If the solutions cannot meet the needs of all — are equitable — they will not work. This is where we need to understand this environmentalism of the poor again. It is clear that events in our world are spiralling out of control. Every year is the hottest year, till the next year comes around. Then a new record is broken. From forest fires, to increasing frequency and intensity of storms to blistering cold waves and scorching heat — it’s all getting worse. Then we face the most inconvenient truth. At current rates, the world will run out of the carbon budget — how much it can emit to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — by 2030. But there are vast numbers of people who do not have access to basic energy. They need energy for their development. This is why we need cooperation so that future development can be low-carbon for all. It is clear that increasing numbers of disasters because of growing intensity and frequency of weird and abnormal weather will make the poor, poorer. Their impoverishment and marginalisation will add to their desperation to move away from their lands and to seek alternative livelihoods. Their only choice will be to migrate — move to the city; move to another country. The double-jeopardy, as I have called it, in the interconnected world is the push — lack of options — and the pull — bright lights that suggest a choice to better futures. This will add to the already volatile situation of boat people and migrants at the border walls, making our world insecure and violent. This is the cycle of destructive change that we must fight. Our globalised world is interconnected and interdependent, and we must recognise this. Sustainable development is not possible if it is not equitable. Growth has to be affordable and inclusive for it to be sustainable. But all this will not happen, unless we articulate that the environmental challenge is not technocratic but political. We cannot neuter the politics of access, justice and rights and hope to fix the environment or indeed development. DTE

Missing the mark: India’s National Clean Air Programme

When the National Clean Air Programme was launched in 2019, it set high ambitions and targets for some of India’s most polluted cities: To reduce air pollution concentrations, scale up air pollution monitoring and forecasting, and conduct pollution source apportionment studies. But five years later, not only are cities behind in meeting their targets, but also most measures to reduce air pollution have ignored major polluters responsible for causing toxic emissions, year round. A new report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that funds under the programme were overwhelmingly spent on actions amounting to dust management: paving roads, covering potholes, and deploying mechanical sweepers and water sprinklers. Less than one percent was spent on controlling toxic emissions from industry, and around 40% of funds out of Rs. 10,566.47 crores are unused. “It means there’s no strong intent to deal with the problem,” said Jyoti Pande Lavakare, author of the book Breathing Here is Injurious to Your Health and co-founder of Care for Air, a non-profit that works on awareness about air pollution. “Spending money on mere mitigation via dust management and not actually reducing emissions at source by taking strict action against polluters who violate air pollution norms with impunity, means there’s no sincere effort to reduce pollution. The dust is back in the air within hours; a total waste of public money, just like smog towers,” she said. The 131 cities currently covered by NCAP were selected as they did not meet national air quality standards consecutively for five-years between 2011-2015. Five years later, most cities have failed to meet the NCAP’s target of reducing air pollution concentrations by 20-30% compared to 2017 levels. In fact, most gains in reducing air pollution from 2014-2021 came from gusty winds and other meteorological factors, a recent study found.

Centre report ranks Kolkata at 41 among 46 cities in air pollution control for 2023-24

A recent report of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has ranked Kolkata close to the bottom among Indian cities with a million-plus population in air pollution control performance for 2023-24. This comes despite marginal improvement in annual pollution level. The trend is similar among the six major metropolises – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai – despite the cities collectively receiving around Rs 3,200 crores to control air pollution. Kolkata, which has received Rs 846.25 crores since 2018-19, could spend nearly 80 per cent of the sanctioned amount. The city recorded a nearly 25 per cent reduction in the annual average of PM 10, the benchmark pollutant, during the period but the pollutant level of 2023-24 — 94 microgram per cubic metre of air — was still more than 50 per cent higher than the national permissible limit of 60 micrograms. The report, Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 (Clean Air Study 2024), has ranked Kolkata 41st among 46 cities in the list, just above Chennai in terms of air pollution control performance among mega metropolises. The report has ranked cities based on their activities approved under the city action plan earmarked within the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). A recent report of the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) has ranked Kolkata close to the bottom among Indian cities with a million-plus population in air pollution control performance for 2023-24. This comes despite marginal improvement in annual pollution level. The trend is similar among the six major metropolises – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Chennai – despite the cities collectively receiving around Rs 3,200 crores to control air pollution. ADVERTISEMENT Kolkata, which has received Rs 846.25 crores since 2018-19, could spend nearly 80 per cent of the sanctioned amount. The city recorded a nearly 25 per cent reduction in the annual average of PM 10, the benchmark pollutant, during the period but the pollutant level of 2023-24 — 94 microgram per cubic metre of air — was still more than 50 per cent higher than the national permissible limit of 60 micrograms. The report, Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2024 (Clean Air Study 2024), has ranked Kolkata 41st among 46 cities in the list, just above Chennai in terms of air pollution control performance among mega metropolises. The report has ranked cities based on their activities approved under the city action plan earmarked within the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). In a list that included 46 cities with a population of more than a million, Delhi was found to be the best among major metros at 11th position, Bengaluru at 28th position and Mumbai at 32th. Kolkata got the 41st position, while Chennai was at number 45. Howrah was a shade better at 44. Kalyan Rudra, chairman of West Bengal Pollution Control Board, pointed out that major cities face heightened challenges, and questioned the practice of fixing the same ranking yardstick for all the cities despite significant differences between them in context to scale, complexity, and exposure. “For example, Kolkata, close to the southern edge of the Indo Gangetic plain, receives transborder air pollution. How can the same level in parameters be fixed for it compared to cities which generate air pollution,” Rudra pointed out, stating that he has recently raised the issue in a World Bank meeting on air pollution where Union government officials were present. Rudra, however, admitted that Kolkata needs to do away with the highly polluting diesel-driven vehicles to reduce air pollution. He opined that PM2.5 should be emphasised more as it is more toxic, while currently PM10 is considered as the improvement indicator. Abhijit Chatterjee, an air pollution expert with the Bose Institute and adviser to National Clean Air Programme, said “the major sources of PM10 over a city needs to be identified and then the weightage should be set. The distribution of weightage should be based on the city specific and not generalised.” Eight parameters considered “All 130 cities covered under NCAP are assessed based on information submitted under the ranking framework by cities / ULBs (urban local bodies) on PRANA (Portal for Regulation of Air Pollution in Non-Attainment Cities),” reads the report. PRANA is the dashboard to capture progress under the NCAP programme. The report further says that “assessment is done every year and cities are ranked based on the assessment of performance for the period (financial year i.e., 1st April to 31st March) of the preceding financial year. Specific weightage has been assigned for taking control measures in 8 identified sectors”. Biomass and municipal solid waste burning, road dust, vehicular emission and emission from industries are all being given equal weightage of 20 per cent marks each, while dust from construction and demolition waste has been assigned 5 per cent, improvement in PM10 concentrations 2.5 per cent and an equal 2.5 per cent for IEC activities and public awareness. Controlling of other emissions has been given 10 per cent. While major cities slide; Surat in Gujarat is the table-topper among cities with one-million-plus population with a score of 194 followed by Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, and Agra, Uttar Pradesh. “These cities are being awarded for their significant improvements in air quality, achieved through the adoption of various best practices aimed at mitigating air pollution,” proclaims the report. It identified few key activities which made the difference like end-to-end paving on roads, promoting mechanical sweeping, bioremediation of legacy waste, construction and demolition waste, solid waste management, development of the reclaimed land of dumpsite, greenbelt development, intelligent traffic management system and Miyawaki forestation. The report further says that assessment has been done based on submission of a self-assessment report along with supporting documents submitted by urban local bodies. The reports and documents are then subsequently vetted by respective air quality monitoring committees, chaired by respective environment secretaries in environment and finally examined and evaluated by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for ranking Cloud over ranking Among the major cities in the country, Delhi did the best with a score of 181 at the 11th national ranking, while Hyderabad got the 25th position (163.3), Mumbai 28th (159), Bangalore 32nd (155.1), Kolkata 41st (137.8) and Chennai lowest among the metro cities at the 45th position with 101.3 score. The PRANA website shows out of Rs 11,211 crores so far released, the six mentioned major cities got Rs 3,285 crores, nearly 30 per cent, but hardly showed any improvement on ground in air pollution control through utilising just over 60 per cent of the allotted money on average. “The multi-sector action needs massive scaling up in cities like Kolkata to reduce air pollution. But the ranking, which is based on self-reported data from cities, must be transparent and accessible to help validate what is working, not working and the magnitude of change on ground in cities,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, air pollution expert and executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), India.

Light Pollution : फैंसी लाइटों से हो रहा प्रकाश प्रदूषण, पेड़ और पक्षि‍यों की बिगड़ रही Life Cycle

शहरों से लेकर गांवों तक, हर जगह तेज रोशनी करने वाली फैंसी लाइट रात के अंधेरे को भले ही दूर कर देती हों, लेकिन इसका बुरा असर समूचे जीव जगत पर पड़ रहा है. पूरी दुनिया पानी, हवा और ध्वनि जनित प्रदूषण के संकट से उबरने में लगी है. मगर, अब प्रकाश प्रदूषण का संकट भी गहरा गया है. वैश्विक स्तर पर चल रही तथाकथित विकास की अंधी दौड़ के कारण धरती पर रात का अंधेरा लगातार कम हो रहा है. इससे उपजे Light Pollution की गंभीरता का अंदाजा इसी बात से लगाया जा सकता है कि इससे पेड़ पौधों में भोजन बनाने के लिए होने वाली प्रकाश संश्लेषण यानी Photosynthesis की अनिवार्य प्रक्रिया प्रभावित हो रही है. इतना ही नहीं, रात के अंधेरे में सक्रिय होने वाले nocturnal animals के जीवन चक्र पर भी बुरा असर पड़ रहा है. अब, प्रकाश प्रदूषण से खतरे की जद में इंसान की सेहत भी आ गई है. पिछले कुछ सालों में इस समस्या पर Western Countries में पुरजोर बहस तेज थी. अब भारत में भी यह समस्या अदालत के संज्ञान में लाई गई है. इसके फलस्वरूप मुंबई के में अदालत के आदेश पर Fancy Lights हटाई जाने लगी है. मुंबई में उतरने लगीं पेड़ों की फैंसी लाइट पर्यावरण पर शोध से जुड़ी संस्था Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) की ओर से प्रकाशित एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार पूरी दुनिया में 83 फीसदी आबादी किसी न किसी रूप में प्रकाश प्रदूषण से प्रभावित हो गई है. इस समस्या से भारत भी अछूता नहीं है. रिपोर्ट के अनुसार पश्चिमी देशों में प्रकाश प्रदूषण से बचने के लिए कानूनी उपाय किए जाने लगे हैं. इस बीच भारत में भ इस मामले पर न्यायपालिका ने संज्ञान लिया है. इसी का नतीजा है कि इस साल अप्रैल में तेज फैंसी लाइटों से चकाचौंध रहने वाले मुंबई के कुछ इलाकों में पेड़ों पर लगी लाइटें उतारने का सिलसिला शुरू हुआ था. Bombay High Court ने 10 अप्रैल को एक जनहित याचिका पर सुनवाई के दौरान महाराष्ट्र सरकार, बृहन्मुंबई नगर पालिका (BMC), ठाणे नगर पालिका और मीरा भयंदर नगर पालिका को नोटिस जारी कर पेड़ो पर लगाई गई कृत्रिम सजावटी लाइटों के औचित्य पर जवाब तलब किया था. इसके बाद ही इन नगर पालिका क्षेत्रों में पेड़ों से सजावटी लाइटों को हटाने का सिलसिला शुरू हुआ. इसके साथ ही देश में प्रकाश प्रदूषण पर भी बहस तेज हो गई. मुंबई के Social Worker रोहित मनोहर जोशी ने अदालत में यह मामला PIL के माध्यम से पेश किया ह‍ै. इसमें पेड़ों पर लगाई गईं कृत्रिम सजावटी लाइटों को प्रकाश प्रदूषण से जोड़ते हुए कहा है कि‍ इससे प्रकाश संश्लेषण की प्रक्रिया बाध‍ित हो रही है. साथ ही पेड़ों और रात्रिचर जीवों की सेहत को भारी नुकसान हो रहा है. छत्तीसगढ़ के शोध को बनाया आधार याचिकाकर्ता ने प्रकाश प्रदूषण के प्रभाव को साबित करने के लिए अदालत के समक्ष छत्तीसगढ़ में बिलासपुर के गुरू घासीदास विश्वविद्यालय में वैज्ञानिकों की शोध रिपोर्ट का हवाला दिया है. ''Street Light Pollution से पेड़ पौधों की प्रकाश संश्लेषण प्रक्रिया पर पड़ रहे प्रभाव'' शीर्षक वाली शोध रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक रात में कृत्रिम रोशनी की अधिकता के कारण Light Pollution हो रहा है. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक प्रकाश प्रदूषण से पेड़ पौधों की प्रकाश संश्लेषण प्रक्रिया बाधित होती है. जब पौधे लगातार कृत्रिम प्रकाश के संपर्क में रहते हैं, तब उनकी प्रकाश संश्लेषण के माध्यम से भोजन बनाने की क्षमता बुरी तरह से प्रभावित होती है. इतना ही नहीं, Biological Rhythm Research शीर्षक वाली 2018 में प्रकाशित एक अन्य रिसर्च रिपोर्ट में भी प्रकाश प्रदूषण के जैव जगत पर पड़ने वाले असर की पुष्टि हुई है. शोधकर्ता नीलिमा मेरावी और संतोष कुमार प्रजापति ने रिपोर्ट में बताया कि प्रकाश संश्लेषण की इस प्रक्रिया को ठीक से करने के लिए रात में नैसर्गिक रूप से अंधेरा होना जरूरी है. इसलिए अंधेरे को पेड़ पौधों सहित अन्य जीव जंतुओं की रात में होने वाली स्वाभाविक गतिविधियों के स्रोत के रूप में देखा जाना चाहिए.

State of Africa's Environment

Kenya like other African countries is faced with water scarcity and disease burden due to unsafe water use. A 2024 report on the state Africa's environment indicates that poor sanitation and sewage management remains a big challenge for the country

Entire Africa is water-insecure, says the 2024 State of Africa’s Environment report

cross Africa, the incidences of violence over water resources increased by around 34 per cent during 2022-23: there were at least 71 such incidents recorded in 2023 compared to 53 in 2022. In 2023, Africa reported the highest number of water-related conflicts and disputes since 2019 – says the 2024 State of Africa’s Environment report, released here today at a media briefing. The briefing was jointly organised by New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Media for Science, Environment, Health and Agriculture (MESHA). The report is prepared and brought out every year by CSE and Down To Earth, a fortnightly magazine the Centre helps publish. The inaugural edition of the report was launched in 2023 in Nairobi. With its central theme as water, the report covers a wide gamut of related subjects, ranging from water security, urban water poverty, and water-related migration and conflicts, to the disease burden, climate change-induced water scarcity, and the potential of rainwater harvesting to eradicate water poverty in Africa. Speaking at the launch of the report, noted Indian environmental writer and activist and director general of CSE, Sunita Narain, said: “The scarcity of water that is being faced by Africa and other regions of the world is as much about the lack of the resource as its mismanagement. Climate change is adding to the water crisis and heat stress in our world. But climate change is not the reason for the water crisis – it is just an exacerbating factor. Our water crisis is about our inability to build an affordable system of water management for people today.” Speaking about the climate change and water linkages, she added: “Most climate change vulnerable countries are also water-stressed. In fact, our report shows that water stress caused by global warming is going to displace up to 700 million Africans by 2030. Food production will be affected severely – heat and water stress could lead to 6-14 per cent food production decline by 2050.” The other speakers at the event included Dhesigen Naidoo, advisor and climate adaptation lead to the South African Presidential Climate Commission and senior research associate at the Institute for Security Studies; Dr Francis Oremo, senior programme manager at the Institute for Law and Environmental Governance (ILEG); Malesi Shivaji Samson, Executive Director of the Kenya Water and Sanitation Civil Society Network (KEWASNET); Eng Susan Nthamba Masila, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) specialist from Burundi; Clémentine Andre, regional monitoring manager for Sub-Saharan Africa and Middle East and North Africa, Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC); and Trishant Dev of CSE’s climate change team. The State of Africa’s Environment report points out that as per the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global warming has been more rapid in Africa than in the rest of the world. Average annual maximum temperatures in northern and southern Africa is likely to be close to 4oC above normal. The Middle East and northern African regions face the greatest expected economic losses from climate-related water scarcity – estimated at between 6 and 14 per cent by 2050. Says Richard Mahapatra, managing editor of Down To Earth and the brain behind the report: “Africa is the world’s youngest urban continent. From being 80 per cent rural in the 1960s, 50 per cent of the continent is urban today. By 2050, at least 24 of Africa’s large cities – in 15 countries – are expected to become water-scarce. Kenya, for instance, faces an unprecedented water crisis in its expanding urban areas: one third of its population lacks access to clean drinking water.” According to Narain and Mahapatra, Africa is richly endowed with rainwater. “Harvesting rain can not only help bolster water supplies, it can also involve the community in managing water, making water everybody’s business. Water harvesting and integrated land-water management is not new to Africa – the continent needs to revive its ‘dying wisdom’,” they say.

Water conflicts in Africa surge by 153% over five-year period

The number of water conflicts and disputes, particularly in northern and Sub-Saharan Africa, is increasing, according to a new report released today in Nairobi, Kenya by India-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The report dubbed 2024 State of Africa’s Environment on theme water shows a clear upward trend in the number of water conflicts rising from 28 in 2019 to 71 in 2023 representing an increase of 153.6% over five-year period. The number of conflicts decreased from 28 to 24 from 2019 to 2020. This was a decline of about 14.3%, suggesting a temporary decrease in water-related tensions or improved conflict management. The number of conflicts increased from 24 to 29 in 2021, which was a rise of about 20.8%, indicated a rebound of rising water conflicts. In 2022, the number surged from 29 to 53, marking an approximate increase of 82.8%. The following year saw another rise, with the figure climbing from 53 to 71, which represented an increase of around 34%. While it was a slower rate of increase compared to the previous year, it still showed that the upward trend was continuing. The report links the rising cases to growing water scarcity as the region face severe increased competition for water resources. The data also indicates a troubling trend of increasing water conflicts over the period, suggesting that issues related to water resources are becoming more contentious and widespread. From 2004 to 2013, 20 countries reported 68 incidents of conflicts over water resources. Of these, five countries—Somalia (12 incidents), Ethiopia (7), Egypt (6), Kenya (6), and Sudan (6)—accounted for over 54% of the total. Between 2014 and 2023, 32 countries reported 295 incidents of conflicts over water resources. Five countries accounted for more than 54% of these conflicts: Somalia with 41 incidents, South Africa with 36, Sudan with 32, Kenya with 31, and Burkina Faso with 22. “With increase in geopolitical tensions, water has been considered as a weapon of war,” the report stated, citing instances in Burkina Faso, where at least 32 water facilities were destroyed during January to May in 2022, impacting nearly 300,000 people targeting attacks ranged from direct hits on water points and water trucks, purposeful contamination of water resources to sabotaging public water network’s generators. In South Africa, unrest due to inadequate safe water and sanitation is escalating, with ongoing vandalism of water infrastructure severely impacting the Eastern Cape municipality, according to the country's water and sanitation department. “Incidences of vandalism of the local pump station at Fort Beaufort and surrounding areas were reported that left the residents without the supply of water. These incidents over the years indicate a link with climate change and water-related violence.” The report referenced data sources to emphasize the urgent need for improving access to basic water services in the continent. It also highlighted that disrupting civilians' access to water has evolved from being a mere consequence of conflict to becoming a deliberate weapon of war, representing a troubling and unacceptable escalation in violence that must be addressed. Water-driven migration The report's analysis showed that, political instability, chronic poverty and inequality, and climate change exacerbate water-driven migration across the continent. According to data from the International Organization for Migration, the report projects that by 2050, approximately 200 million people will be classified as "environmental migrants," displaced by environmental factors such as extreme water events. The report highlighted that the drylands of Ghana, Kenya, and Namibia are characterized by unpredictable water supply and high temperatures. It identifies several factors contributing to the stress in these areas, escalating aridity and soil degradation, poorly planned development interventions, rapid population growth, persistent poverty, inadequate communication infrastructure, and isolation from national centers of power. These conditions, it says, strain livelihoods dependent on natural resources, compelling communities to migrate. Citing sources such as the IPCC, the report noted that most mobility influenced by environmental change remains localized. For example, land degradation in Ghana reduced agricultural incomes by $4.2 billion between 2006 and 2015, contributing to a 5.4% increase in the national poverty rate in 2015. In Kenya, environmental and land degradation has heightened mobility, with habitat fragmentation, reduced grazing areas for livestock, and increased stocking rates being key factors driving vegetation loss in the country's rangelands.

Nairobi, Mombasa among 25 African cities facing water scarcity

A new report by the Centre for Science and Environment India titled ‘The State of Africa’s Environment Report 2024’, which covered 25 cities on the continent, projects worsening conditions in the next three decades if drastic action is not executed. According to the report, more than 16 million of the Kenyan population relies on untreated and unsafe water sources, such as ponds, shallow wells, rivers, and lakes, for drinking water—a situation that is dire for the urban poor. Experts have now attributed water poverty in urban areas, particularly slums, to low supply, high demand, and poor water management planning. This situation is mainly catalyzed by rural-urban migration, which has accelerated the population density in cities and towns in the country. “Kenya is facing an unprecedented water crisis in its expanding urban areas like rural areas. Kenya is lagging in delivering water to its 50 million people, with at least a third of the population lacking access to clean drinking water,” the report noted. Speaking during the launch of the report, on Monday in Nairobi, Malesi Shivaji, CEO of Kenya Water and Civil Society Network (KEWASNET), noted that the current water system infrastructure is incapable of serving the accelerating number of people in urban centers in the country. “There has been a dependence on the same infrastructure 60 years down the line. The same pipes that were there 40 years ago are the same pipes that are supplying water to the 50 Million people in the country,” he said. Furthermore, he noted that the lack of proper and sufficient sanitary stations, such as toilets, in cities has increased the risk of water pollution, thus exposing residents to waterborne diseases such as cholera. “The lack of sanitation station has led to cases of open defecation, leading to water pollution,” he stated. Francis Oremo, Senior Programme Manager, Institute of Law and Environmental Governance, Nairobi, pointed out that lack of sufficient investment in water harvesting infrastructures in the country and Africa at large has greatly contributed to the shortage of water, despite the continent having abundant water sources. Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading. “There is no room for business as usual we have to manage our water very well or we shall lose everything,” he stated. According to Sunita Narain, who is the Director General of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) India, sustainable methods such as water recycling and incorporation of technology should be heavily executed to improve the accessibility and affordability of water on the continent. “If we can use technology in other sectors I think it’s very possible to integrate technology in water recycling, If technology, water supply, and waste management are affordable, it will be sustainable. If you improve water security people’s lives will be improved. Reinvent our sewage system so that it is more affordable,” she stated. The report has thus recommended measures to counter the water scarcity menace in Kenya, which include desalination of seawater, groundwater exploitation, reservoir construction, interbasin water transfer, and domestic virtual trade. Between the years 1990 and 2020, the number of African cities skyrocketed from 3300 to 7600, consequently increasing the urban population on the continent to 500 million.

जिस बीमारी से हर साल जाती है 50 लाख जानें, UN उसके खात्मे के लिए करने जा रही बड़ी बैठक, जानिए इसके बारे में सबकुछ

मेडिसीन की दुनिया में एंटीबायोटिक्स की खोज सबसे क्रांतिकारी मानी जाती है. इसकी खोज 1928 में हुई. ये उस दौर की कहानी है जब शरीर में लगी एक छोटी सी चोट भी किसी इंसान के लिए जानलेवा साबित होती थी. देखते ही देखते एंटीबायोटिक्स हर जख्म हर मर्ज की दवा बन गई. इसकी खोज ने इंफेक्शन्स से होने वाली मौतों को 50% से घटाकर 10-15% कर दिया. लेकिन अब यही दवाएं दुनिया के सामने स्वास्थ्य चुनौती बन कर खड़ी हैं. 1960 के दशक के बाद से, बैक्टीरिया पर एंटीबायोटिक दवाएं बेअसर होती जा रही है. जिसे एंटीबायोटिक रेजिस्टेंस कहा जाता है. दुनिया भर के वैज्ञानिक, सरकारें चेतावनी दे रही हैं कि एंटीबायोटिक रेजिस्टेंस अगला बड़ा स्वास्थ्य संकट बनता जा रहा है. ये एक ऐसा अनदेखा खतरा बनता जा रहा है जो वर्ल्ड हेल्थ ऑर्गेनाइजेशन के मुताबिक हर साल 50 लाख जिंदगियां लील रहा है. यूएन में होने जा रही है बैठक पर इस स्थिति में हम पहुंचे कैसे? जवाब है- एंटीबायोटिक का जरूरत से ज्यादा या गलत इस्तेमाल. जिसके चलते एंटीबॉयोटिक रेजिस्टेंस हो सकता है. समस्या कितनी गंभीर हो चुकी है वो इसका अंदाजा इस बात से लगाया जा सकता है कि सितंबर 26, 2024 को यूएन जनरल असेंबली में एंटीमाइक्रोबियल रेजिस्टेंस पर चर्चा के लिए बैठक बुलाई गई है. ये मीटिंग न्यूयॉर्क में होने वाली है. दुनियाभर के टॉप लीडर्स, स्वास्थ्य एक्सपर्ट इस चुनौती से निपटने के रास्ते तलाशने पर विचार करने वाले हैं. ये बैठक ऐसे समय होगी जब हाल ही में रिसर्च जर्नल लैंसेट में छपी एक स्टडी में दावा किया गया है कि एंटीबायोटिक रेजिस्टेंस के चलते साल 2050 तक करीब 3 करोड़ 90 लाख अपनी जान गंवा सकते हैं. इसमें ये भी बताया गया है कि साल 1990-2021 के बीच हर साल 10 लाख से भी ज्यादा लोगों ने अपनी जान गंवाई. एंटीबायोटिक्स रेजिस्टेंस कब होती है? एंटोबायोटिक्स का काम होता है हमारे शरीर में बैक्टीरिया को मारने का. लेकिन हद से ज्यादा इस्तेमाल से ये दांव उल्टा पड़ सकता है. एंटीबायोटिक्स बैक्टीरिया को मारने के लिए उसके किसी खास प्रोटीन से जाकर बंध जाता है. फिर अंदर घुस कर रोग फैलाने वाले बैक्टीरिया का खात्मा कर देता है. एंटीबायोटिक्स अपना काम करता है तो ऐसा नहीं है कि बैक्टीरिया हाथ धरे बैठा रहता है. वो भी एंटीबायोटिक्स के असर को कम करने की काट ढूंढने लगता है. कोई भी अपनी जान बचाने के लिए हाथ पैर तो मारता ही है न. बैक्टीरिया बचाव का जो सबसे आम तरीका अपनाते हैं वो है- म्यूटेशन. जिसकी वजह से एंटीबायोटिक बैक्टीरिया पर हमला नहीं कर पाता. यह ठीक वैसा ही है कि जैसे बैक्टीरिया ने ताले बदल दिए हों और एंटीबायोटिक वही पुरानी चाबी से बैक्टीरिया का दरवाज़ा खोलने की कोशिश करता है. नतीजतन, यह एंटीबायोटिक दवाएं उन पर बेअसर हो जाती है. जब ऐसा होता है तो मामूली इंफेक्शंस भी जल्द ठीक नहीं होते. न्यूयॉर्क की बैठक का एजेंडा क्या है? आने वाले वर्षों में एंटीबायोटिक रेजिस्टेंस को लेकर हम तिहरे खतरे की ओर बढ़ रहे हैं- एक, जिन एंटीबायोटिक्स के बारे में हम आज जानते हैं वे तेजी से अप्रभावी होंगी; दूसरा कोई नई एंटीबायोटिक्स उपलब्ध नहीं होंगी और आखिरी बात ये कि सभी के लिए इन दवाओं तक पहुंच की गंभीर आवश्यकता होगी. इन तीन पहलुओं पर ही बैठक में बातचीत होनी है. एक्सपर्ट इस बात पर विचार करेंगे कि शोधकर्ताओं और कंपनियों को कैसे आश्वस्त किया जाए कि नई एंटीबायोटिक दवाएं बनाना उनके लायक है. विश्व बैंक की तरफ से जारी एक रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक एंटीमाइक्रोबियल रेजिस्टेंस के इलाज की भागदौड़ में 2030 तक और 2.4 करोड़ लोग गरीबी के गर्त में समा सकते हैं. इतना ही नहीं बढ़ते प्रतिरोध की वजह से वैश्विक अर्थव्यवस्था को भी भारी नुकसान उठाना पड़ेगा. संयुक्त राष्ट्र पर्यावरण कार्यक्रम यानी UNEP की रिपोर्ट “ब्रेसिंग फॉर सुपरबग” की मानें तो अगर अभी ध्यान न दिया गया तो वैश्विक अर्थव्यवस्था को इससे अगले कुछ वर्षों में हर साल 281.1 लाख करोड़ रूपए से ज्यादा का नुकसान उठाना पड़ सकता है. फिर बचने का तरीका क्या है? वैसे भी एंटीबायोटिक रेजिस्टेंस हमेशा हमारे साथ ही रहने वाला है. क्योंकि बैक्टीरिया हमेशा एंटीबायोटिक्स से निपटने का तरीका ढूंढ ही लेंगे. लेकिन एक्सपर्ट इस बात से आश्वस्त है कि इसे बड़े स्तर पर फैलने से हमेशा सीमित किया जा सकता है. इसका एक तरीका है मौजूदा एंटीबायोटिक दवाओं को मोडिफाई करना और दूसरा है नई दवाएं विकसित करना. पर दोनों ही ऑप्शन में कोई खास प्रगति होती हुई दिखाई नहीं दे रही है. सवाल है कि अगर समस्या इतनी गंभीर है, और मेडिकल फील्ड में हुई इतनी तरक्की के बावजूद दुनिया को जिन नई एंटीबायोटिक दवाओं की सख्त जरूरत है, उन्हें बनाना इतना आसान क्यों नहीं है? इसका जवाब आंशिक रूप से एक दवा की खोज में आने वाली चुनौतियां और इसमें लगने वाले खर्च में छुपा है. आसान नहीं नई एंटीबायोटिक दवाओं का बनना बैक्टीरिया को कौन से केमिकल मार सकते हैं, इसे ढूंढना आसान है. कई वैज्ञानिक इसकी खोज में लगे भी हुए हैं. पर असली चिंता और चुनौती है ऐसे केमिकल की खोज करना जो बैक्टीरिया का तो खात्मा करे ही साथ ही इंसानों की सेहत से भी कोई समझौता न हो. और अगर यहां बात बन भी गई तो फिर क्लिनिकल ट्रायल्स से लेकर इस्तेमाल की मंजूरी लेने में कई कई साल लग जाते हैं. कुल जमा बात है कि एक दवा की खोज में 10 से 20 साल तो लगने ही हैं. नई दवा बनाने का रास्ता हद से ज्यादा लंबा तो है ही साथ ही इसकी भी कोई गारंटी नहीं है कि सफलता ही हासिल हो. और जब एक काम की सफलता दर को लेकर इतनी अनिश्चितता भरी हो तो जाहिर है इसमें खर्च भी ज्यादा होगा. जो कोई करना नहीं चाहता. यहीं से शुरू होती है दूसरी चुनौती. बड़ी कंपनियों भी नहीं दे रही साथ बड़ी दवा कंपनियाँ एंटीबायोटिक रिसर्च में निवेश करने से कतराती हैं क्योंकि उन्हें इसमें कोई आकर्षक बाजार नहीं दिखता. जहां नुकसान कम मुनाफा ज्यादा हो. नई दवा बनेगी भी तो जरूरत के लिहाज से ही इसे मार्केट में इस्तेमाल के लिए बेचा जाएगा. CSE यानी सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक अधिकांश बड़ी दवा कंपनियाँ जो पहले एंटीबायोटिक दवा को विकसित कर रही थीं, उन्होंने इससे अपने हाथ पीछे खींच लिए हैं. उल्टा अपना सारा ध्यान कैंसर, डायबीटिज जैसी दुर्लभ बीमारियों पर फोकस कर दिया है. डायबीटिज, बल्ड प्रेशर जैसी पुरानी बीमारियों के लिए सस्ती दवाएं अभी भी कंपनियों को बड़ा मुनाफा दिला सकती हैं. क्योंकि इन्हें बहुत से लोग लंबी समय तक खाते हैं और कुछ को तो इन दवाओं पर अपनी बाकी की जिंदगी बितानी होती है. इसके उल्ट एंटीबायोटिक दवाओं का इस्तेमाल बहुत थोड़े समय के लिए किया जाता है. विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठने के डेटाबेस के मुताबिक, वैश्विक स्तर पर जिन 297 एंटीबायोटिक दवाओं पर रिसर्च किया जा रहा है, उनमें से केवल 77 का ही क्लिनिकल टेस्ट चल रहा है. इसकी तुलना अगर हम कैंसर के करीब 10,000, न्यूरोसाइकिएट्रिक कंडीशन्स के 1800, ब्लड और इम्यून डिसऑर्डर्स के लगभग 1,500 क्लिनिकल टेस्ट से करें तो स्थिति काफी चिंताजनक दिखती है.

Africa: Rainwater Could Help Address Urban Water Poverty

It’s 10.00 am on Sunday, Margaret Nasimiyu, a resident of Ngomongo area within Korogocho ward, Nairobi City is armed with three jerricans fetching water from a water dispensing machine. She notes that the machines, installed by the Nairobi City Water and Sewerage Company (NCWSC), are a source of relief for her and her family as she can access the water any time regardless of the ongoing water rationing programme being experienced in parts of her neighbourhood. “We normally get water from our neighbour who has direct access to piped water from the government, however, from Thursday to Sunday every week, there is no water due to the rationing,” she says. All Nasimiyu does is load up her plastic chip with credit. This can be as low as shs. 50 (about half a dollar). The chip is what she uses to access the water from the machine. This is one of the interventions being used by NCWSC to increase water accessibility in the city. A child fetching water from the water token machine A child fetching water from a water dispensing machine in Ngomongo, Korogocho area Nairobi’s water demand beats supply with a deficit of about 265,000 cubic metres per day. Leakages due to old infrastructure and pipe interference, illegal connections, vandalism and catchment degradation among others are some of the challenges affecting water access in Nairobi City. These challenges often leave city dwellers especially in informal settlements like Korogocho- one of the largest slum neighbourhoods in Nairobi- at the mercy of cartels who sell clean water at exorbitant prices of between shs. 20 to 50 ( about half a dollar) for a 20 litre jerry can. A 2019 survey by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner on RIGHT TO WATER IN KENYA: ASSESSMENT OF ACCESS TO WATER IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS found that in urban areas water commonly costs less per litre in middle class neighbourhoods (where there is piped water) than in informal settlements (where the majority rely on water vendors). The organization in partnership with the Social Justice Centres conducted a household survey on 184 households (79% Nairobi, 12% Mombasa / Coast, 9% Kisumu/Nyanza) looked at access to and affordability of water. In addition, 21 focus group discussions were conducted in the three regions, with the participation of 139 people. The survey noted that residents in informal settlements pay almost 50 times more the price of water per litre than middle class households at the range of shs.10-50 for a 20 litre jerrycan compared to shs. 34-53 per cubic metre (1000 litres) in the middle class households. According to the UN, water should be affordable not exceeding 3% of household income yet the survey found that only a minority (22%) of respondents spent less than 3% of household income on water. The majority (35%) spent between 3-10% of household income, and a significant percentage (17%) spent over 20% of household income on water. Flourish logoA Flourish chart However, with the rate at which urbanization is taking place in the continent, the water situation will likely worsen in African cities like Nairobi. Between 1990 and 2020, the number of cities in Africa leaped from 3,300 to 7,600. Expectedly, urban population also increased by 500 million. By 2050, more than 1.3 billion people in Africa will be living in urban areas, according to UN estimates. According to the World Bank the increase in water demand in Africa between 2005 and 2030 is projected to be 283 percent—three times higher than almost any other region. A significant portion of this new demand (an estimated 92 billion cubic meters or 20 per cent) will come from the municipal and domestic sectors. Further, the newly launched State of Africa’s Environment 2024 report by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), notes that at least 24 large cities in 15 countries across Africa are likely to be water-scarce by 2050. These countries include Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Kenya, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan and Tunisia. In Nigeria, for instance, there will be a 277 per cent increase in water scarce urban residents while in Egypt there will be about 3,155 per cent increase. The potential of rainwater Engineer Susan Masila during the State of Africa’s Environment 2024 report launch Besides innovations such as the water dispensing machine, engineer Susan Masila says rainwater harvesting has the potential to solve some of the pressure in urban water systems. According to the water and sanitation consultant at Amazi Water, Burundi, the method which is commonly used in rural areas can be adopted to urban setting through urban potential- urban areas with high density and infrastructure offering significant surface for rainwater collection(storm water). “ Roof tops of homes, schools and office buildings can be fitted with rainwater harvesting systems providing supplementary water especially for non-portable uses such as irrigation and sanitation, thus reducing the burden on municipal water supplies,” Eng. Masila reiterated. According to calculations conducted by CSE, Sub-Saharan Africa has rainwater harvesting potential of 13,365,000 million cubic metres. This is nearly 44,550 times the average volume of water that flows through the Nile River per day. Similarly, a 2006 study conducted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Agroforestry Centre found that African countries suffering or facing water shortages as a result of climate change have a massive potential in rainwater harvesting, with nations like Ethiopia and Kenya capable of meeting the needs of six to seven times their current populations. However, Eng. Masila notes that there are challenges that come with rainwater harvesting in urban areas. One of them is the water quality. In urban centres, rainwater can be contaminated by pollution or debris. “Ensuring that the harvested water is safe for use may require additional filtration and treatment which can be costly,” she said. Urban settings also lack space for large scale storage tanks limiting the volume of water than can be harvested. Additionally, Eng. Masila said many cities lack policies and incentives to promote widespread adoption of rainwater harvesting at the household or institutional levels. Therefore, raising awareness and integrating rainwater harvesting into urban planning is essential. Already, the State of Africa’s Environment 2024 report notes that several countries have started implementing or are gearing up for rainwater harvesting in urban areas. Tanzania, for instance, has adopted a rainwater harvesting policy to promote sustainable and efficient use of rainwater. Ethiopia has launched a national rainwater harvesting initiative called “My dam at My door”. The government has observed that as a result of the initiative, an additional four million Ethiopians plus are getting access to clean drinking water. “ Rainwater harvesting although traditionally rural can play a critical role in urban water management provided that the necessary systems are in place to overcome the challenges posed by the urban environments,” she said.

National Clean Air Programme manages dust rather than check polluting industries: Study

Since it was launched in 2019, funds for the National Clean Air Programme were overwhelmingly directed to dust management, including paving roads, covering potholes, and deploying mechanical sweepers and water sprinklers. Less than one percent was spent on controlling toxic emissions from industry, and around 40% of funds out of ₹10,566.47 crores are unused, found a new study by CSE. The study revealed the number of cities reporting hazardous levels of air pollution is increasing, pointing to the need to focus on combustion sources from industrial activity, waste burning, and transportation. The research said determining progress under the programme is conflicted by multiple metrics and ranking systems that are not aligned. Study: Ambitious targets can cut transport sector’s CO2 emissions by 71% by 2050 India’s transport sector pollution can reduce by 71% by 2050 if high-ambition strategies are adopted mainly on electrification, improving fuel economy standards, and switching to cleaner modes of transport and mobility, said a new study by World Resources Institute (WRI) India. Covering the research, the Indian Express reported that India’s transport sector accounted for 14% of the total energy-related CO2 emissions in 2020, and there is a need for an emission reduction roadmap and targets for this sector. The WRI study noted that following a high emission reduction target in the transport sector would also be pivotal in achieving India’s net-zero target by 2070. The Express explained that the study’s findings are based on the energy policy simulator, which allows users to develop dynamic models for different decarbonisation targets and their outcomes. In addition to the simulation, inputs were also collected from expert stakeholder consultations, the report pointed out. Fill up pollution control board vacancies in states by April 2025: Green court Fill up the vacancies in state pollution control boards (SPCBs) and pollution control committees (PCC) by April 2025, the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT), India’s green court, directed all the states and Union Territories. The NGT exempted the states falling under the National Capital Region from the deadline. The Indian Express reported that states falling in the National Capital Region have been left out of the NGT order as the Supreme Court is also hearing a case on the issue and had passed directions in the matter a fortnight ago. The Tribunal also directed the SPCB’s and PCCs to provide adequate infrastructure to labs to make them fully functional. The NGT passed the order in a suo motu case on the functioning of state pollution panels across the country, their resource issues and large number of vacancies, the newspaper reported. 6 tonnes footwear waste per day in drains: Agra’s massive pollution crises The city of Agra, whose local industry meets around 65% of India’s footwear demand, generates around 45 tonnes of footwear waste each day, a recent study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed. The research found that of this waste, more than 13 tonnes come from informal home-based businesses, while the formal manufacturing sector produces over 31 tonnes. The report said the Agra Municipal Corporation (AMC) collected about 57% of the footwear waste generated from informal entities, the rest — nearly 6 tonnes per day — still ends up discarded in drains, open spaces or burnt, creating a significant environmental hazard. Waste disposal firm owner on trial in Sweden’s largest environmental crime case Swedish businesswoman Bella Nilsson, once called herself the “queen of trash”, has gone on trial in Sweden accused of illegally dumping toxic waste in the country’s biggest ever environmental crime case, the Guardian reported. The trial centred on the recycling company Think Pink, its former chief executive Nilsson and her ex-husband Thomas Nilsson. The company is accused of dumping and burying waste in 21 locations in Sweden. From 2018-20, the trademark pink construction bags of Think Pink, offering cheap recycling and waste disposal, were a common sight. In 2020, the owners were arrested after the company was accused of dumping at least 200,000 tonnes of waste around Sweden. Police said they found harmful levels of arsenic, dioxins, zinc, lead, copper and petroleum products. Several of the rubbish dumps caught fire, with one fire lasting for months.

Glut of cheap medical items ahead of new quality rule

New Delhi: There has been a surge in substandard chlorinated bags and gloves --- key medical supplies --- particularly from Malaysia, Thailand, China and Vietnam, officials aware of the matter have said, ahead of an impending quality crackdown. Such supplies could present a concern for patient safety and environmental harm, these people said, suspecting the import surge by traders to make profits by selling substandered products from the stock before the government is expected to ban these items from the domestic market if they have not been certified by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). The government has initiated a process to bring these items under a Quality Control Order (QCO) to ban the sale of spurious gloves in the domestic market. A meeting of technical experts on this issue took place on September 4, and a QCO is expected by the end of this month, the officials said, asking not to be named. Anindith Reddy, a member of the Indian Rubber Glove Manufacturers Association (IRGMA), said imports of latex and nitrile gloves have jumped in the last two months, with 450 million imported in August alone, according to import data. “These gloves are being flooded in the market impending a potential QCO that has put the scare on the importers,” he said. Industry data shows imports of these gloves surged by 58.6% to 460 million pieces in August from 290 million pieces in July 2024. Once the QCO is notified, it will enforce a complete ban on non-certified gloves in the domestic market. QCOs are instruments to check the supply of spurious products in the market and are applicable for both imports and domestically-produced items. Experts warn that such materials are hazardous for the environment. Siddharth Singh, programme manager at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Use of chlorinated plastics is prohibited in healthcare waste management because this waste (in yellow bags) needs to be incinerated in common biomedical waste treatment facilities.” Singh added, “PVC is a type of chlorinated plastic that can be made from ethylene - a product derived from the oil and gas industry. PVC, like any halogenated plastic, can have a severe effect on air quality if burnt in open spaces and even specialised incineration facilities.” Swati Singh Sambyal, a waste management expert, warned: “During decomposition or incineration, substandard chlorinated products may release dangerous chemicals, such as dioxins, which are highly toxic and persistent in the environment. These byproducts can contaminate air, water, and soil, affecting ecosystems and human health.” The IRGMA has been urging the government to bring surgical gloves and single-use medical examination gloves under the Quality Control Order. Despite existing bans, chlorinated gloves and substandard imported rubber gloves continue to be used due to inadequate monitoring and enforcement of regulations.

Philanthropists must support nonprofit media platforms in India

Here’s how philanthropy can help build an alternative media ecosystem that centres community-driven narratives and publishes perspectives from the margins. Individuals from marginalised genders, castes, and communities are significantly underrepresented in Indian newsrooms. Their experiences and stories are often overlooked in mainstream development discourse. The systemic exclusion of marginalised communities’ perspectives obscures the root causes of the development challenges faced by them. A study carried out by Oxfam India and Newslaundry in 2019 found that: 106 out of the 121 news agencies analysed had dominant caste leadership. In more than 70 percent flagship debate shows, most of the panellists were from dominant castes. No more than 5 percent of all articles in English newspapers are written by Dalits and Adivasis. At approximately 10 percent, Hindi newspapers fare slightly better. Only one in five panellists on key prime-time TV shows were women. One out of four articles written in English dailies were by women. In order to shift the conversation, there’s an urgent need for an alternative media that focuses on community-driven narratives and evidence shaped by the oral histories, voices, and lived experiences of people from diverse marginalised identities. Nonprofit organisations have made various attempts in filling this gap. Starting with localised mediums such as community radio, nonprofits have recently ventured into digital media, which is now consumed by a vast percentage of the Indian population. Here are the various ways in which nonprofit media outlets are amplifying underrepresented voices and issues: 1. Bolstering perspective-driven narratives Perspective-driven narratives draw on lived experiences to centre the impact of inequity, marginalisation, and other cascading socio-economic challenges in individuals’ daily lives. Such interventions help marginalised people become active participants in the discourse by enabling them to reclaim control over how their experiences are understood and disseminated in the media. For example, People’s Archive of Rural India (PARI), describes itself as a “living journal and an archive” that captures narratives from India’s rural geographies. PARI publishes text, video, and audio reportage from rural Indians, and the stories are often in the first person. 2. Telling data-driven stories Data-driven and fact-based storytelling helps spotlight underserved causes, sectors, and geographies by building evidence. It focuses on making technical evidence—such as government data on development—available to the wider public, as well as demystifying and contextualising its implications for diverse interest groups. For example, IndiaSpend is a data-led journalistic platform that disseminates figures on India’s social and political economy, employing context-specific lenses such as education, healthcare, gender, and climate change. 3. Disseminating niche development narratives Development-focused niche media resources narrate challenges, barriers, and progress linked to the social sector. Platforms such as India Development Review (IDR) and publications such as the Centre for Science and Environment’s Down to Earth are examples of niche media agencies that are actively reshaping narratives on India’s development challenges and spotlighting the needs of marginalised communities. They do so by working closely with grassroots organisations and amplifying perspectives from civil society practitioners. This model operates along the premise that there is immense experiential wisdom among nonprofit practitioners, and it needs to be widely disseminated to infuse more nuance into mainstream development dialogue. 4. Strengthening the media action ecosystem Nonprofits are carrying out ecosystem-level interventions linked to media amplification in two distinct ways. For example, the digital publication The Third Eye blends personal essays and interviews with community members with sectoral themes such as public health and education. Building on several decades of its parent organisation Nirantar Trust’s engagement with feminist approaches to grassroots knowledge production, it also conducts offline trainings and experiential learning exchanges across grassroots organisations. Similarly, Point of View (POV) publishes articles and research papers across its various verticals, which focus on the intersections of knowledge systems, digital ethics, and the rights of marginalised groups including women, queer people, and persons with disabilities. At the same time, POV also runs awareness workshops and curricula for these communities and advocates for inclusive government policies. Challenges faced by nonprofits in this landscape Despite their efforts, these nonprofits still struggle for survival. Private digital media platforms in India are increasingly relying on subscriptions and paywalls to generate revenues. However, such monetisation models are challenging for nonprofit organisations to replicate. This is especially so because the focus of nonprofit organisations is to make knowledge accessible and open to the public. The alternative—social sector funding—is also hard to come by. Challenges in securing funding for these interventions can be attributed to the fact that their outcomes are often gradual, involve behavioural changes, and are therefore hard to quantify. This can be detrimental in an environment where many funders prefer to see quicker and more tangible results. While many of these organisations could benefit from opportunities to showcase impact in the long run, they often do not have the resources to build long-term programmes and reach that point. Access to flexible forms of funding that are earmarked for longer-term use could help these nonprofits thrive and achieve impact at scale. How can philanthropy help? Knowledge dissemination and media amplification have traditionally been considered difficult-to-fund areas. As digital media continues to grow, this perception has been exacerbated by unprecedented challenges, including disinformation and misinformation, new policies and legal regimes, and changes within the landscape. In India, a heterogenous digital media and communications landscape, which serves diverse linguistic and socio-cultural groups, is the need of the hour. Individual philanthropy, with its risk appetite and flexibility, can help build a robust funding pipeline for nonprofits that are doing this work. Funding them can also bring much needed attention to how their work contributes to solving development challenges and build more awareness around the positive outcomes they drive. Nonprofit media that focus on community-driven narratives and impacts perform a gamut of activities. Here are the areas in which philanthropic capital could be of huge help: Supporting capacity building: Capacity-building initiatives are imperative to cultivating a more diverse and representative workforce within nonprofit media organisations. These initiatives create opportunities for underrepresented and marginalised groups to become empowered storytellers and creators, paving the way for authentic, first-person perspectives to percolate into the mainstream. Investing in new forms of dissemination: Nonprofits have been at the forefront of pushing boundaries to make information and knowledge more accessible to, and more relevant for, vulnerable groups. Funding multilingual and multimedia dissemination can solve for some of the socio-economic barriers that impede mass access. This means supporting innovations that make sure marginalised groups, such as persons with disabilities, are included. Funding technology and innovation: Organisations require capital to fund digital transformations and the development of new media tools. Investing in technological solutions can play a critical role in equipping nonprofits to remain competitive and relevant in a dissemination landscape dominated by big, for-profit media platforms. For instance, funding more podcasts and audio-visual reportage in multiple languages could help nonprofits generate content that is more accessible and relevant. While nonprofit media organisations may not deliver quick outcomes, their long-term impact can be invaluable in an unequal society that suppresses the worldviews of underserved communities. They play a critical role in building accessible repositories of knowledge for the public good. It is crucial for funders and philanthropists to recognise this and invest in these organisations.

Large-scale water investments in Africa overlook poor rural areas in need of ecological, and economic support – CSE

Despite substantial investment in river and groundwater resources for large-scale irrigation and urban water supply in Africa, these efforts frequently neglect vulnerable rural communities on degraded or low-quality lands that need focused water interventions to enhance their ecology and break free from poverty. The 2024 State of Africa’s Environment report, released today in Nairobi revealed that large-scale water development projects frequently result in inefficient and inequitable distribution of resources, often displacing vulnerable communities. Balancing growing water demand with decreasing availability is identified as one of the major environmental challenges facing developing countries in the coming decades. The theme of the 2024 edition is water, making a strong argument for prioritizing water in Africa’s development strategy. The report examines the continent's challenges—ranging from poverty and conflicts to high disease burdens—through the perspective of water. The report also emphasizes that increasing populations, along with ongoing industrialization, urbanization, and agricultural modernization, are driving up water demand while reducing freshwater supply, particularly in the absence of effective pollution regulation mechanisms. “The future scenario is one characterized by overexploitation of water resources, decreased accessibility to clean water, and increased competition for and potential of conflict over water resources. Africa is the world’s second driest continent, after Australia and also the most water-stressed one,” it said. The report referenced data from the Lancet Planetary Health journal published in November 2022, which indicated that nearly 36% of people in the region experienced water insecurity. Quoting the Pacific Institute, it noted a 34% increase in incidents of violence over water resources from 2022 to 2023, with at least 71 incidents reported in 2023 compared to 53 in 2022. “In 2023, Africa reported the highest number of water-related conflicts and disputes since 2019. Major institutional, policy and technological initiatives are, therefore, required to ensure an efficient, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable management of water resources.” According to the report, a key factor driving the overexploitation of water resources is the current focus on rivers and groundwater while neglecting rainwater and floodwater, which are more abundant. Relying solely on rivers and groundwater for all water needs, it said, would place extreme pressure on riverine ecosystems and groundwater resources, a situation already being observed across the continent. “Countries, particularly in Africa, use only a small part of its water endowment. Two major discontinuities have emerged worldwide in water management since the 19th century. One, the State has emerged as the major provider of water replacing communities and households as the primary units for the provision and management of water. Two, there has been growing reliance on the use of surface and groundwater, while the earlier reliance on rainwater and floodwater has declined, even though rainwater and floodwater are available in much greater abundance than river water or groundwater.”