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क्या भारत में पर्यावरणीय खतरों को नजरअंदाज किया जा रहा है?

हा ल के समय में केरल में वा यना ड के भूखलन की ही तरह भा रत के अलग-अलग सों में पर्या वरणी य आपदा की कई बड़ी घटना एं ई हैं। ऐसे में यह सवा ल उठ रहा है या भा रत को जलवा यु प वर्तन को और गंभी रता से नहीं लेना चा ए? केरल के वा यना ड ले में 30 जुला ई को ई भूखलन की ना शका री घटना में जी त बचे प्रस कुमा र ने अपनी बहन और उसके प वा र को पा नी के तेज बहा व में बहते ए देखा । कई अय लो ग जो सो रहे थे, वे भी पा नी के तेज बहा व में बह गए। रा हत र में रह रहे कुमा र ने डी डयू को बता या , "मैंने इस त्र में कई भूखलन देखे हैं, ले न यह का फी ना शका री था । एक पल में ही धरती लने लगी और मेरे पैरों तले की जमी न सक गई। इसके बा द चा रों ओर मौ त और तबा ही का भया वह मंजर था ।” संवेदनशील पा की तंत्र कुमा र के तेदा र स त करी ब 200 लो ग अब भी ला पता हैं। इनकी खो ज के ए लंबे समय तक बचा व अ या न चला या गया , ले न अब यह अ या न भी बंद हो रहा है। इस प्रा कृ क आपदा ने 300 से अ क लो गों की जा न ले ली । का फी या दा संप और बु या दी ढां चे को नुकसान पचा । इस आपदा ने यह भी सो चने पर मजबूर या है या भा रत को भ य में पर्या वरणी य आपदा से बचने के ए और कदम उठा ने चा ए। नई ली में सेंटर फॉ र सा इंस एंडएं एनवा यरनमेंट की देशक सुनी ता ना रा यण ने कहा मा लयी त्र में आने वा ली प्रा कृ क आपदा एं इस बा त का उदा हरण हैं वनों की कटा ई और ना सो चे-समझे ए जा रहे र्मा ण का र्य जैसी नुकसा नदेह ग यों को पर्या वरण सहन नहीं कर सकता । छले सा ल, उरा खंड के जो शी मठ शहर के ‘धंसने' की खबर आयी थी । शहर की इमा रतों और सड़कों में दरा रें पड़ गई थीं । अटूबर में म में एक मनद झी ल वा ला बां ध टूट गया था । नवंबर में मा लय की लया रा सुरंग का कुछ सा धंसने के का रण 40 से अ क भा रती य मजर 17 नों तक फंसे रहे थे। ना रा यण ने डी डयू से कहा , "यह हमा री ना समझी का र्फ एक उदा हरण यह है हम स तरह मा लय के संवेदनशी ल त्र में जल त प यो जना एं बना रहे हैं। या यह तय करने के ए बेहतर यो जना नहीं हो नी चा ए लो गों और पा की के ए या अ है? सबसे अहम बा त यह है इन संकटग्रत त्रों के लो गों के पा स आजी का के अ कप हो ने चा ए।” शेष की फा शों को अ का यों ने या नजरअंदा ज केरल के स प मी घा ट में भूखलन की ना शका री घटना ई वह त्र भी पा क प से संवेदनशी ल है। वहां पर्या वरण दों के सुझा वों को नजरअंदा ज या गया । खतरना क और गलत जगहों पर खदा नों की खुदा ई और वनों की कटा ई की गई। पर्या वरण वै क मा धव गा ड ल के नेतृव में एक शेष पैनल ने 2010 में फा श की थी प मी घा ट के 1,29,037 वर्ग लो मी टर त्र के 75 फी सदी से को पर्या वरण के हा ज से संवेदनशी ल घो त या जा ना चा ए, यों वहां घने जंगल हैं और कई नी य प्रजा यां मौ जूद हैं। हा लां , एक अय पैनल की फा शों के आधा र पर इसे ती न सा ल बा द ही घटा कर 50 फी सदी कर या गया । मा तृभू समा चा र पत्र ने गा ड ल की पो र्ट का हवा ला देते ए खा है केरल में 5,924 खदा नें हैं। इनमें कुछ खदा नें पा क प से सबसे या दा संवेदनशी ल इला कों में भी हैं। हा लां , सभी खदा नों के ए सरका र से मंजूरी नहीं ली है, ले न ना पर ट वा ले खदा नों के ऊपर शा यद ही कार्रवा ई की जा ती है। गा ड ल ने कहा भूखलन की यह भया वह घटना इस ए ई है केरल सरका र ने पा की से जुड़ी अहम फा शें ला गू नहीं की । उहों ने मी या को बता या , "कठो र च न के उखनन और भूखलन के प में ढला न के टूटने के बी च सी धा संबंध है, खा सकर वा यना ड जैसे त्र में।” भा रत की मौ सम चेता वनी प्रणा ली तनी अपडेटेड है? केरल का लगभग आधा सा पहा ड़ी और पर्वती य त्र है जहां ढला न 20 ग्री से अ क है। भा रत के भूखलन एटलस के मुता क, 1998 से 2022 के बी च देश के 17 रा यों में ई भूखलन की करी ब 81,000 घटना के आधा र पर हा ल में ए गए आकलन से पता चला है केरल में भूखलन की 6,039 घटना एं । यह गैर- मा लयी रा यों में सबसे ऊपर था या नी यह मा लयी रा यों के बा द सबसे अ क प्रभा त रा य है। इंसा नी ग यों की वजह से हो रहा जलवा यु प वर्तन पहले से ही भा रत में चरम मौ सम की घटना को बढ़ा रहा है समें गर्म लहरें और बा ढ़ शा ल हैं। ऐसी घटना से केरल की खड़ी ढला नों जैसे संवेदनशी ल त्रों में आपदा के बढ़ने की आशंका है। हा या आपदा से पहले, वा यना ड में र्फ 48 घंटों में असा मा य प से 572 ली मी टर बा श ई थी ससे बड़े पैमा ने पर भूखलन आ। टेन त यू व टी ऑफ री ग के मौ सम न भा ग और नेशनल सेंटर फॉ र एटमॉ क सा इंस के मौ सम नी अय देवरस ने जलवा यु में हो रहे ना टकी य बदला व को देखते ए भा रत से अपनी मौ जूदा चेता वनी प्रणा ली को बदलने की मां ग की है। देवरस ने कहा , "अलग-अलग रंगों के ज ए चेता वनी खा ने वा ली मौ जूदा प्रणा ली और चेता वनी या पूर्वा नुमा न में इतेमा ल की जा ने वा ली भा षा तनी असरदा र है,है इस बा रे में र से चा र या जा ना चा ए। इसके ए, मी या , आम लो ग, आपदा रा हत बल और रा य सरकारों से बा तची त की जा नी चा ए और उनकी रा य लेनी चा ए। ऐसी घटना के ए आपदा प्रबंधन के पा रंप क तरी के

• Renewable Energy

PM-KUSUM may miss 2026 targets: Study

India’s solar agriculture scheme launched by the government in 2019 is at a crossroads, the Centre for Science and Environment report said. The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha Evam Utthaan Mahabhiyan (PM-KUSUM) scheme has achieved only 30% of its targets, and may miss its 2026 deadline, the research pointed out. It provides an in-depth analysis based on surveys conducted in Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, shedding light on the scheme’s on-ground realities and suggesting a comprehensive roadmap for its successful implementation. The report explained that PM-KUSUM includes three parts. Component A: Installation of mini-grids on barren lands; B: Replacement of diesel water pumps with off-grid solar pumps; C: Replacement of electric water pumps with on-grid solar water pumps and installation of mini-grids for agriculture feeder solarisation. The report shows that Component B has seen significant progress, particularly in Haryana, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, components A and C have lagged. Most implementation efforts have focused on replacing diesel pumps with solar variants, which has brought substantial benefits to farmers. The report said the availability of cheap electricity, which diminishes the incentive for farmers to switch to solar pumps, has been a major hurdle. Farmers are often forced to opt for larger-than-needed pumps, increasing their financial burden. Renewables capacity rise to 44% in total power mix in Q2 2024 India’s solar power accounted for 19.4% of the country’s total installed power capacity and 44.2% of the installed renewable capacity in the second quarter (Q2) of 2024, which is up from 15.9% and 38.4% year-on-year (YoY), respectively, Mercom reports. The outlet added that India’s installed renewable energy capacity, including large hydro projects, stood at 196.4 GW at the end of Q2 2024, accounting for a 44% share of the overall power capacity mix, as per Central Electricity Authority (CEA). The total renewable energy (190.6 GW) share was 43.1% of the overall power mix at the end of Q1 2024. Coal remained the top power source (211 GW) at the end of June 2024, and no new capacity was added during the quarter. The Centre, in May 2024, mandated coal-based thermal power projects should incorporate a 5% blend of biomass pellets annually. Rajasthan becomes first to get 50% solar in its total installed power mix Rajasthan achieved over 50% solar in its total installed power capacity, becoming the first state in India to do so, according to Mercom. The sun-rich state has approximately 23 GW of solar capacity, representing 51% of its total installed power capacity, wrote the outlet, adding that solar energy also dominates Rajasthan’s renewable portfolio, accounting for 76% of its total installed renewable energy capacity. The report added that in 2022, Rajasthan became the first state in India to surpass 10 GW of cumulative large-scale solar installations. Rajasthan is the top solar state in India, housing a quarter of India’s cumulative large-scale solar capacity. The Mercom report pointed out that the state provides major sops to industry to set up solar installations such as concessional rates on stamp duty and registration charges for land transactions related to solar energy projects. This significantly reduces the upfront costs for developers. Rajasthan provides exemption from land tax for land used to develop solar projects. This exemption applies for the duration of the project’s operational life. Renewable energy storage to rise to 6 GW by 2028 in India: CRISIL India is expected to install 6 GW of renewable energy (RE) storage capacity by 2028. This is a surge from less than 1 GW operational as of March 2024, driven by a robust pipeline of projects under implementation and expected healthy pace of auctions, according to research agency CRISIL. It added that such an increase is crucial to sustainably absorb the rising share of RE in the country’s overall power generation mix. “Despite slow progress on project implementation, the government’s push to develop RE power and tariffs for round-the-clock renewable energy, discovered in the past two fiscals, being comparable with other sources of round the clock power — improves confidence around adoption,” it said.

• Climate Change and Green Economy

Developed countries push to expand contributor base for new climate finance goal

As the deadline to agree on a new climate finance goal nears, developed nations are pushing to expand the list of countries responsible for contributing funds to help developing countries address climate change, with Switzerland even proposing criteria to broaden the donor base. Submissions made by some developed countries to the UNFCCC regarding negotiations on the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) -- the new climate finance goal to be finalised in Baku, Azerbaijan in November -- suggest that wealthy nations might pressure countries with high emissions and high gross national income (GNI) per capita, such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China, to contribute. Negotiators from developing countries say a discussion on broadening the climate finance contributor base goes far beyond the mandate for NCQG and could stall negotiations at COP29. According to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), high-income industrialised nations (referred to as Annex II countries) are responsible for providing finance and technology to help developing countries combat and adapt to climate change. These countries include the US, Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and European Union (EU) member states such as Germany, France and the UK. Some developed countries, led by the EU and the US, argue that the global economic landscape has changed significantly since 1992. They suggest that nations which have become wealthier during this period, like China and some Gulf states, should also contribute to the new climate finance goal. Developing countries view this as an attempt to shift responsibility from those who have historically benefited from industrialisation and contributed the most to greenhouse gas emissions. They argue that expecting them to contribute, especially when many are still struggling with poverty and inadequate infrastructure, undermines the principle of equity. In a submission to the UNFCCC last week, the European Commission said the "collective goal can only be reached if parties with high GHG emissions and economic capabilities join the effort." The US said that while current contributors will continue to support developing countries, other nations with the "capacity to support others in pursuing mitigation and adaptation must also be accountable for delivering on the NCQG's support layer." "Their contributions will also enable a larger quantum for the support layer of the NCQG," the US said, adding that contributing parties could be identified in various ways -- through a "definitional approach, a criteria-based approach, a de facto approach, or otherwise." Switzerland proposed that in addition to developed countries, parties that are among the "10 largest current emitters and have a purchasing power parity-adjusted gross national income per capita of more than $22,000" should also contribute to the new climate finance goal. This proposal puts the spotlight on countries such as Saudi Arabia, Russia, and China. According to the Swiss proposal, countries with cumulative past and current emissions per capita of at least 250 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and a purchasing power parity-adjusted gross national income per capita of more than $40,000 should also contribute. Diego Pacheco, spokesperson for Like-Minded Developing Countries (LMDC) and lead negotiator for Bolivia, told PTI that developing countries were opposed to the idea of reopening and widening the contributors' base beyond the established framework of the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. "This goes far beyond the mandates for discussing the NCQG. Developed countries should fulfil their financial commitments," he said. Pacheco said the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities should be central to the negotiations for formulating a meaningful NCQG. Harjeet Singh, a climate activist and Global Engagement Director for the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty Initiative, said the attempt to shift responsibility risks stalling critical negotiations at COP29, leaving vulnerable communities to bear the brunt of catastrophic climate impacts. He said that increasing pressure to expand the contributor base for climate finance undermines the core principles of the UN climate convention and the Paris Agreement, which clearly place the primary responsibility on historically industrialised nations. "While the new proposals acknowledge the cumulative emissions and per capita income of countries, they conveniently overlook the decades of inaction by wealthy nations that have drastically increased the need for climate finance," Singh said. Sehr Raheja, a programme officer at the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment, said that discussions on who should contribute and which countries should be considered developed will require a lot of time, as these questions are "very complicated and technical," while countries will reach the deadline for the NCQG in November. Raheja said if developed countries push to discuss this now, it might derail the NCQG negotiations and prevent them from reaching a fair and timely agreement. She stressed that it is more important to prioritise the establishment of a mechanism to ensure that funds actually reach developing countries, given the track record on commitments by wealthier nations so far, rather than getting stuck on who should contribute.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

गोपाल राय ने केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री को लिखा पत्र, बोले- सर्दियों में प्रदूषण की रोकथाम के लिए पड़ोसी राज्यों की बैठक बुलाइए - Gopal Rai letter to Bhupendra Yadav

दिल्ली एनसीआर में सर्दियों के दौरान प्रदूषण की समस्याओं को देखते हुए दिल्ली के पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय ने केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री भूपेंद्र यादव को पत्र लिखा है. इसमें सर्दियों के मौसम से कुछ महीने पहले राय ने केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री को पत्र लिखकर पड़ोसी राज्यों से प्रदूषण के स्रोतों के मुद्दे पर चर्चा करने और पड़ोसी राज्यों के सहयोग से एक एकीकृत रणनीति विकसित करने के लिए बैठक बुलाने का अनुरोध किया है. राय ने केंद्र सरकार से प्रदूषण के सीमा पार स्रोतों को संबोधित करने के लिए दिल्ली और उसके पड़ोसी राज्यों के बीच सहयोग की सुविधा प्रदान करके मजबूत कार्रवाई करने का आग्रह किया है. उन्होंने पत्र में उल्लेख किया है कि दिल्ली सरकार के प्रयासों और वायु गुणवत्ता में कुछ सुधार के बावजूद राज्य के नियंत्रण से परे कारकों के कारण हवा खतरनाक बनी रहती है, जिसमें फसल अवशेष जलाना, थर्मल प्लांट, ईंट भट्टे, डीजल जनरेटर, गैर-इलेक्ट्रिक वाहन और औद्योगिक उत्सर्जन शामिल हैं. पड़ोसी राज्यों को भी इस पर ध्यान देना चाहिए और समय रहते उपाय करने की जरूरत है. दिल्ली की समग्र वायु गुणवत्ता में सकारात्मक प्रभावः पत्र में गोपाल राय ने जिक्र किया है कि विशेष रूप से दिल्ली सरकार के ठोस प्रयासों के कारण, दिल्ली की समग्र वायु गुणवत्ता में सकारात्मक प्रभाव देखा गया है. 2017 में (152 दिन) से 2023 (206 दिन) तक अच्छी/मध्यम वायु गुणवत्ता वाले दिनों में 35.5 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि देखी गई. दिल्ली सरकार ने प्रदूषण की रोकथाम के लिए ऑड-इवन योजना, इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों को बढ़ावा देने, सार्वजनिक परिवहन को बढ़ावा देने, पटाखों पर प्रतिबंध लगाने, बड़े पैमाने पर पौधरोपण अभियान चलाने और औद्योगिक इकाइयों को स्वच्छ पीएनजी ईंधन पर स्विच करने जैसी पहलों के माध्यम से प्रदूषण पर नियंत्रण किया है. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट का डेटा के अनुसार, दिल्ली में 31 फीसदी प्रदूषण दिल्ली के आंतरिक स्रोतों की वजह से होता है. जबकि, 69 फीसदी बाहरी स्रोतों की वजह से है. सलाह के तौर पर दिल्ली के आसपास पॉल्यूटिंग ईंधन से चल रही इंडस्ट्री को पीएनजी में शिफ्ट किया जाए. ईंट भट्ठे को जिग-जैग तकनीक में बदला जाए. 24 घंटे बिजली की आपूर्ति की जाए, ताकि जेनरेटर की जरूरत न पड़े. एनसीआर में पटाखों पर पूर्ण प्रतिबंध होना चाहिए, इसका जिक्र है. बता दें, विंटर एक्शन प्लान के तहत दिल्ली में चिह्नित 13 हॉटस्पॉट के लिए अलग-अलग एक्शन प्लान बनाया गया है. निर्माण साइटों पर कड़ी नजर रहेगी, एंटी डस्ट मशीनों का इस्तेमाल करेंगे और वाहन प्रदूषण को कम करने के साथ-साथ खुले में कूड़ा जलाने पर रोक रहेगी. वहीं, प्रदूषण बढ़ने पर सख्ती से ग्रैप को लागू किया जाएगा और पडोसी राज्यों के साथ मिलकर काम करेंगे.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

गोपाल राय ने केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री को लिखा पत्

दिल्ली एनसीआर में सर्दियों के दौरान प्रदूषण की समस्याओं को देखते हुए दिल्ली के पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल राय ने केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री भूपेंद्र यादव को पत्र लिखा है। इसमें सर्दियों के मौसम से कुछ महीने पहले राय ने केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री को पत्र लिखकर पड़ो सी राज्यों से प्रदूषण के स्रोतों के मुद्दे पर चर्चा करने और पड़ोसी राज्यों के सहयोग से एक एकीकृत रणनीति विकसित करने के लिए बैठक बुलाने का अनुरोध किया है। राय ने केंद्र सरकार से प्रदूषण के सीमा पार स्रोतों को संबोधित करने के लिए दिल्ली और उसके पड़ोसी राज्यों के बीच सहयोग की सुविधा प्रदान करके मजबूत कार्रवाई करने का आग्रह किया है। उन्होंनेन्हों नेपत्र में उल्लेख किया है कि दिल्ली सरकार के प्रयासों और वायु गुणवत्ता में कुछ सुधार के बावजूद राज्य के नियंत्रण से परे कारकों के कारण हवा खतरनाक बनी रहती है, जिसमें फसल अवशेष जलाना, थर्मल प्लांट, ईंट भट्टे, डीजल जनरेटर, गैर-इलेक्ट्रिक वाहन और औद्योगिक उत्सर्जन शामिल हैं। पड़ोसी राज्यों को भी इस पर ध्यान देना चाहिए और समय रहते उपाय करने की जरूरत है। पत्र में गोपाल राय ने जिक्र किया है कि विशेष रूप से दिल्ली सरकार के ठोस प्रयासों के कारण, दिल्ली की समग्र वायु गुणवत्ता में सकारात्मक प्रभा व देखा गया है। 2017 में (152 दिन) से 2023 (206 दिन) तक अच्छी/मध्यम वायु गुणवत्ता वाले दिनों में 35.5 प्रतिशत की वृद्धि देखी गई। दिल्ली सरकार ने प्रदूषण की रोकथाम के लिए ऑड-इवन योजना, इलेक्ट्रिक वाहनों को बढ़ावा देने, सार्वजनि क परिवहन को बढ़ावा देने, पटाखों पर प्रतिबंध लगाने, बड़े पैमाने पर पौधरोपण अभियान चलाने और औद्योगिक इकाइयों को स्वच्छ पीएनजी ईंधन पर स्विच करने जैसी पहलों के माध्यम से प्रदूषण पर नियंत्रण किया है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट का डेटा के अनुसार, दिल्ली में 31 फीसदी प्रदूषण दिल्ली के आंतरिक स्रोतों की वजह से होता है। जबकि, 69 फीसदी बाहरी स्रोतों की वजह से है। सलाह के तौर पर दिल्ली के आसपास पॉल्यूटिंग ईंधन से चल रही इंडस्ट्री को पीएनजी में शिफ्ट किया जाए। ईंट भट्ठे को जिग-जैग तकनीक में बदला जा ए। 24 घंटे बिजली की आपूर्ति की जाए, ताकि जेनरेटर की जरूरत न पड़े। एनसीआर में पटाखों पर पूर्ण प्रतिबंध होना चाहिए, इसका जिक्र है।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Buoyed by rain, Delhi clocks 22 consecutive days of ‘satisfactory’ air

Propelled by incessant rainfall over the past month, Delhi recorded 22 consecutive days of “satisfactory” air quality till Sunday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, marking the cleanest spell of air quality in the Capital since 2020, when a combination of Covid-19 lockdown and rainfall set a record streak of 51 consecutive days of good or satisfactory air quality. Experts said good wind speed and a combination of rain throughout August has helped wash out pollutants, not allowing the air quality to spike drastically. So far this month, Delhi has recorded rain on all days, except August 3. This also means Sunday was the 15th consecutive day of rain Delhi clocked, which is the longest such streak in at least 13 years, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data available since 2011. “What we are seeing since end of July and now through August is the role of good consistent rain and spells of strong wind speed in between. If there is sufficient rain, particulate matter settles down and only if there are dry spells in between that we see AQI gradually returning to moderate. As rain has been consistent, we are not seeing that spike; even gases like O3, CO and NO have been kept in check by good wind speed,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre and Science and Environment (CSE). To be sure, the streaks are based on consecutive days where the air quality index (AQI), as calculated by CPCB, has been below 100. An AQI of 0-50 is classified “good”, 51-100 “satisfactory”, 101-200 “moderate”, 201-300 “poor”, 301-400 “very poor” and over 400 “severe”, according to CPCB.

• Director General Office

Can India Have A Pollution-Free Future?

“You probably doubt that we were capable of joy, but I assure you we were. We still had the night sky back then, and like our ancestors, we admired its illuminated doodles… Absolutely, there were some forests left! Absolutely, we still had some lakes! I’m saying, it wasn’t all lead paint and sulfur dioxide” —Letter to Someone Living Fifty Years from Now, Matthew Olzmann Seven years ago, a family of three moved to Delhi with two bags in hand, and big dreams in their hearts. Rajesh, who belongs to Bharatpur, Rajasthan, found a job as a cab driver in the capital. His wife Jyoti enrolled their six-year-old son, Anurag, in school. Anurag made new friends. Jyoti joined a women’s self-help group in their neighbourhood. The three of them got used to Delhi’s rhythm, but what they couldn’t handle was the pollution. Anurag developed a chronic cough and breathing problems. Hospital visits became a regular nightmare. Rajesh also had his share of health troubles: chest pain crippled him when the air quality worsened in winter. His eyes would water all the time and customers would ask him why he looked so sad when he ferried them across town. He carried on working, but he couldn’t bear to see his son suffer. In two years, an anxious Rajesh convinced Jyoti and Anurag to move back to their hometown. He promised to visit them every month. Rajesh and his family are among many whose lives have been disrupted by Delhi’s pollution menace. In “pollution season” (October to December), when the air quality plummets the most, the number of patients at city hospitals with breathlessness and other respiratory problems increases sharply. A survey by LocalCircles, a Delhi-based platform, found that 80 per cent of families in the city have at least one member who suffers from pollution-related health issues. Forty-eight per cent of them are affected by air pollution. In the 2023 IQAir air quality global ranking of cities, Delhi is listed as the most polluted capital in the world. Nine of the top ten most polluted cities on the list are in India and 83 Indian cities figure among the 100 most polluted cities globally. social Artwork by AnupriyaArtwork by Anupriya “You probably doubt that we were capable of joy, but I assure you we were. We still had the night sky back then, and like our ancestors, we admired its illuminated doodles… Absolutely, there were some forests left! Absolutely, we still had some lakes! I’m saying, it wasn’t all lead paint and sulfur dioxide” —Letter to Someone Living Fifty Years from Now, Matthew Olzmann Seven years ago, a family of three moved to Delhi with two bags in hand, and big dreams in their hearts. Rajesh, who belongs to Bharatpur, Rajasthan, found a job as a cab driver in the capital. His wife Jyoti enrolled their six-year-old son, Anurag, in school. Anurag made new friends. Jyoti joined a women’s self-help group in their neighbourhood. The three of them got used to Delhi’s rhythm, but what they couldn’t handle was the pollution. Anurag developed a chronic cough and breathing problems. Hospital visits became a regular nightmare. Rajesh also had his share of health troubles: chest pain crippled him when the air quality worsened in winter. His eyes would water all the time and customers would ask him why he looked so sad when he ferried them across town. He carried on working, but he couldn’t bear to see his son suffer. In two years, an anxious Rajesh convinced Jyoti and Anurag to move back to their hometown. He promised to visit them every month. Rajesh and his family are among many whose lives have been disrupted by Delhi’s pollution menace. In “pollution season” (October to December), when the air quality plummets the most, the number of patients at city hospitals with breathlessness and other respiratory problems increases sharply. A survey by LocalCircles, a Delhi-based platform, found that 80 per cent of families in the city have at least one member who suffers from pollution-related health issues. Forty-eight per cent of them are affected by air pollution. In the 2023 IQAir air quality global ranking of cities, Delhi is listed as the most polluted capital in the world. Nine of the top ten most polluted cities on the list are in India and 83 Indian cities figure among the 100 most polluted cities globally. by TaboolaSponsored LinksYou May Like How a Simple $250 Amazon CFD Investment Can Benefit You CPX Income above 7L? Check this 1Cr Term Plan Max Life Insurance Delhi - Finally, a hearing aid for real conversations at a surprising cost! Hear.com Solve Your Relationship Problems Simply By Doing This Remedy AstroLearn It isn’t just the air we breathe. Water, the vital life force, is under threat too. Six per cent of the Indian population lacks access to safe water according to a Water.org report. Drinking water sources are polluted in many parts of the country. According to Satish Sinha, Associate Director, Toxics Link, there is “growing evidence of increased contamination of surface water with microplastics. We [India] are yet to set standards for microplastics in drinking water.” Every Breath You Take Air pollution is often labelled a “silent killer”. But considering the damage it inflicts on lives and livelihoods, it’s more apt to call it an aggressive assassin. A study by researchers at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University found that pollution caused by man-made emissions and disasters like wildfires can be linked to 135 million premature deaths worldwide between 1980-2020. Extreme weather events caused by climate change intensify the concentration of pollutants in the air. A multi-city study in India, published in the Lancet, has found that over 33,000 deaths in the country annually can be attributed to short-term exposure to air pollution. These are caused by inhaling ultra-fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) at levels that are much higher than the 24-hour limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO classifies PM 2.5 above 5 mg per cubic metre as unsafe while Indian air quality norms allow annual average PM 2.5 concentrations of up to 40 mg per cubic metre. According to ‘State of Global Air (SoGa) 2024’ published by the Health Effects Institute, 464 children under the age of five die in India daily due to factors associated with air pollution. Children’s lungs are still developing. This makes their vulnerable bodies much more susceptible to the dangers of breathing in particulate matter. The particles are so fine that once inhaled, they can penetrate the lungs, enter the blood stream, and cause damage to all organs. Inhaling PM 2.5 poses serious health risks to both children and adults. In children, it can cause asthma, reduction in brain volume, behavioural dysfunction, and impaired lung growth. Another alarming affect: PM 2.5 pollution decreases children’s Performance IQ (PIQ), the type of intelligence which makes them good at adapting to change and solving problems. The damage caused in childhood can have a long-lasting impact on their lives. According to Ghodajkar Prachinkumar Rajeshrao, Assistant Professor, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, air pollution is an “equaliser” since it affects people from all classes. “But those who lack access to clean water and safe housing are disproportionately affected,” he says. “Comprehensive solutions for the problem have to bring all social groups to a common platform.” Troubled Waters In 2024, pollutants contaminating groundwater are reported to have affected over two million Indians. Water quality deteriorates due to dumping of industrial waste, domestic sewage, and agricultural runoff in rivers and lakes. Only 28 per cent of urban sewage is treated before being disposed off in lakes, rivers, and aquifers. Rivers such as the Yamuna and the Ganga, which are considered sacred and worshipped by many, are clogged with untreated waste and disposed idols and flowers. Uncontaminated freshwater sources are dwindling. The scarcity of safe water has set off a wave of migration to cities from rural areas. “Access to clean drinking water is still a distant dream for people living in various parts of our country,” says Sinha. “Different geographies have different challenges and we have not addressed them all,” he adds, while pointing out that government schemes like ‘Nal Jal Yojana’ are appreciable, but a lot more needs to be done by both the Central and the state governments. Salvaging the Future Amidst the gloom, are there glimmers of light? Can we work for a pollution-free future even as we face existential threats? Hope is always at hand. And as Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg said, “Hope is not passive…Hope is taking action.” An actionable, much-needed step in the right direction would be the revision of India’s current air quality standards, which are much more lenient than WHO limits. In a recent interaction with a news agency, environmentalist Sunita Narain, Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), called for “steps to be taken at the speed at which the crisis is happening”. With a groundwater shortage accelerated by climate change looming, water is fast becoming a scarce resource. Conservation efforts and the monitoring of the quality of water bodies must be stepped up. Upgradation of waste water treatment plants is also crucial. Many citizen-led groups are spearheading the cleanup of polluted rivers and lakes. Individuals and civil society groups have approached the courts to safeguard rivers from pollution any number of times. With the Indian Supreme Court recognising the right against climate change to protect the fundamental rights to life and to a clean environment, policymakers will have to tackle pollution and climate change jointly to find effective solutions. United Nations (UN) projections say India will overtake China as the single most populous country in the world by 2028. In light of this fact, the need for humane, environmentally sound policies that protect Indians from pollution becomes all the more urgent.

• Industrial Pollution

For an effective carbon market

New Delhi: As India prepares to roll out its own national compliance-based carbon market, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has prepared a clear roadmap to help it along. India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in the Budget of 2024-25 that a plan and appropriate regulations will be put in place for the transition of hard-to-abate sectors from a Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mode to an Indian Carbon Market (ICM) mode. CSE released its proposed roadmap as part of its new report titled, ‘The Indian Carbon Market: Pathways towards an effective mechanism’ at a global webinar. India has pledged to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets by 2030, and aims for net-zero emissions by 2070, in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) guidelines. To meet these ambitious goals, the country has set out on a pathway to develop and launch its own national compliance-based carbon market. Formation of the Indian Carbon Market (ICM) had been announced under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act of 2022. More recently, The Carbon Credit and Trading Scheme (CCTS) was notified in July 2023, with an aim to reduce GHG emissions. CSE director general Sunita Narain said: “The upcoming Indian Carbon Market scheme should kick start with a large coverage of the country’s emissions. A single nation-wide carbon market scheme for carbon-intensive sectors should be brought in to ensure effective implementation and avoid any complexity. For this scheme to be effective, it also needs to ensure a high carbon price, data integrity and transparency.” CSE’s report has analysed four Emission Trading Schemes (ETS) in use worldwide: the European Union Emission Trading System, the Korean ETS, the Chinese ETS, and the Surat ETS. India’s Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme, which specified energy reduction targets over three-year cycles, has also been assessed as it sets the base for the upcoming Indian Carbon Market scheme. Says Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE: “The PAT scheme was initiated with the good intention of increasing energy efficiency in industrial sectors, but faced several shortcomings in implementation. Our analysis shows it has achieved marginal emissions reduction, which is not enough as India attempts to travel towards decarbonisation, especially in the hard-to-abate industries.” In its PAT assessment, CSE has analysed emissions reductions in the power, steel and cement sectors. Says Parth Kumar, programme manager, industrial pollution, CSE: “We have found that in 2016, the Indian steel sector emissions stood at 135 million tonne (MT) of CO2 while it managed to reduce an average of only 2.5 MT of CO2 emissions per year between 2012 and 2020 (as per BEE data) -- the sector reduced a mere 1.85 per cent emissions in a year. Similarly, the cement sector’s reduction was less than 1 per cent, while the power sector managed to cut down 2.3 per cent of its overall CO2 emissions of 2016 over a span of 6 years. Our analysis has highlighted the challenges in the PAT scheme, which include excess availability of ESCerts, lenient targets and delayed compliance. The newly proposed Carbon Credit and Trading Scheme (CCTS) which aims to build on PAT’s framework, needs to address these shortcomings.” New challenges for proposed scheme? Low price of carbon credit and low market liquidity: Several global carbon markets have initially faced low carbon prices and market liquidity – India’s PAT scheme had also faced the challenge of low pricing and excess availability of certificates. Unambitious target setting: So far, the PAT scheme has faced criticism for its goal-setting, which was perceived as lacking ambition: this has led to overachievement of targets and an oversupply of ESCerts, leading to a poor market price. Dependence on the PAT scheme: “This is one of the biggest challenges, as CCTS is going to transition from PAT. This dependence might limit its potential and its selection of obligated entities, which can make the scheme less effective and delay the decarbonisation efforts,” says Kumar. Running both schemes parallelly can create confusion within the sector and companies. Currently, there are plans for entities completing their PAT cycle to receive CCTS targets, which might not be the best way to shortlist entities for the scheme. This does not give a clear signal to achieve maximum emission reduction from CCTS. No revenue generation: Currently, the scheme does not have a clause for revenue generation. ETS schemes around the world have a way of generating revenue through auctioning allowances which are then allotted to modernisation, supporting of new entrants and small business, affected communities, and for financing decarbonisation. Data quality: Data quality issues have been reported in the Chinese and Surat ETS, especially data frauds in China ETS. The PAT scheme suffers from data transparency concerns. The smaller industries in CCTS will have a hard time producing data for their raw material and fuels, which are usually sourced from informal markets. Absence of a market stability mechanism: Market stability mechanisms play a crucial role in ensuring stability through holding and releasing credits into the market in case of unexpected external events. Currently, the Indian Carbon Market has not come out with any detailed proposed for any such mechanism. Non-imposition of penalties: Penalties under the PAT scheme are hardly imposed. Even if penalties are strict, the whole purpose is lost if regulators won’t levy them on entities. What does CSE recommend? Ensure a stable, high carbon price: To do this, it is essential for the upcoming carbon market to set ambitious targets, establish market stability mechanisms, set up a high floor price and implement sizable penalties effectively. Voluntary credits should be limited to less than 5 per cent and should be of high integrity. Ensure data quality and improved transparency: To avoid data fraud as seen in the Chinese ETS, India must consider introducing heavy penalties and rigorous monitoring cycles for the obligated entities -- China has done it in its 2024 regulation. It is also essential to build the capacity of carbon verifiers, involve multiple agencies in this job, and increase their numbers to ensure smooth data collection and MRV. It is essential to share reporting data in the public domain, which would then shield the data from manipulation. The current Indian carbon market model lacks revenue generation mechanisms -- it is crucial to devise methods to generate revenue from the scheme, which could fund MSMEs. A system (technological and financial) needs to be developed to support the MSME sector under CCTS to create a level playing field for them. To address the significant contribution of the power sector to greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure effective progress towards India’s NDC targets, it is imperative to include the power sector in the carbon market scheme. The sector’s continuation under the PAT scheme might not be enough for the future needs of decarbonisation.

• Industrial Pollution

CSE recommends pathways for effective implementation of upcoming Indian Carbon Market

As India prepares to roll out its own national compliance-based carbon market, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has prepared a clear roadmap to help it along. India’s finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced in the Budget of 2024-25 that a plan and appropriate regulations will be put in place for the transition of hard-to-abate sectors from a Perform, Achieve and Trade (PAT) mode to an Indian Carbon Market (ICM) mode. CSE released its proposed roadmap – as part of its new report titled The Indian Carbon Market: Pathways towards an effective mechanism — here today at a global webinar. India has pledged to meet its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets by 2030, and aims for net-zero emissions by 2070, in line with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) guidelines. To meet these ambitious goals, the country has set out on a pathway to develop and launch its own national compliance-based carbon market. Formation of the Indian Carbon Market (ICM) had been announced under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act of 2022. More recently, The Carbon Credit and Trading Scheme (CCTS) was notified in July 2023, with an aim to reduce GHG emissions. Speaking in the webinar, CSE director general Sunita Narain said: “The upcoming Indian Carbon Market scheme should kick start with a large coverage of the country’s emissions. A single nation-wide carbon market scheme for carbon-intensive sectors should be brought in to ensure effective implementation and avoid any complexity. For this scheme to be effective, it also needs to ensure a high carbon price, data integrity and transparency.” What does the CSE report say CSE’s new report aims to collate a clear set of learnings from past and present compliance-based emission trading schemes worldwide, including those operating in India. This learning would help facilitate effective operationalisation of carbon markets in India; it would also ensure they serve their intended purpose of reducing emissions. The report has analysed four Emission Trading Schemes (ETS) in use worldwide: the European Union Emission Trading System, the Korean ETS, the Chinese ETS, and the Surat ETS. India’s Perform, Achieve, and Trade (PAT) scheme, which specified energy reduction targets over three-year cycles, has also been assessed as it sets the base for the upcoming Indian Carbon Market scheme. Says Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE: “The PAT scheme was initiated with the good intention of increasing energy efficiency in industrial sectors, but faced several shortcomings in implementation. Our analysis shows it has achieved marginal emissions reduction, which is not enough as India attempts to travel towards decarbonisation, especially in the hard-to-abate industries.” In its PAT assessment, CSE has analysed emissions reductions in the power, steel and cement sectors. Says Parth Kumar, programme manager, industrial pollution, CSE: “We have found that in 2016, the Indian steel sector emissions stood at 135 million tonne (MT) of CO2 while it managed to reduce an average of only 2.5 MT of CO2 emissions per year between 2012 and 2020 (as per BEE data) — the sector reduced a mere 1.85 per cent emissions in a year. Similarly, the cement sector’s reduction was less than 1 per cent, while the power sector managed to cut down 2.3 per cent of its overall CO2 emissions of 2016 over a span of 6 years. Our analysis has highlighted the challenges in the PAT scheme, which include excess availability of ESCerts, lenient targets and delayed compliance. The newly proposed Carbon Credit and Trading Scheme (CCTS) which aims to build on PAT’s framework, needs to address these shortcomings.” What can be the challenges for the proposed new scheme? Low price of carbon credit and low market liquidity: Several global carbon markets have initially faced low carbon prices and market liquidity – India’s PAT scheme had also faced the challenge of low pricing and excess availability of certificates. Says Yadav: “Therefore, the upcoming CCTS scheme in India needs to carefully look into generating market activity throughout the year at a good carbon price, which then eventually pushes emitters to accelerate decarbonisation pathways instead of buying credits to fulfill compliance.” Unambitious target setting: So far, the PAT scheme has faced criticism for its goal-setting, which was perceived as lacking ambition: this has led to overachievement of targets and an oversupply of ESCerts, leading to a poor market price. Kumar points out: “As CCTS is modeled after the PAT scheme, it must avoid past mistakes by setting ambitious targets for individual entities and sectors, considering best practices and going beyond existing policy and company targets to ensure the market drives genuine progress rather than mere compliance.” Dependence on the PAT scheme: “This is one of the biggest challenges, as CCTS is going to transition from PAT. This dependence might limit its potential and its selection of obligated entities, which can make the scheme less effective and delay the decarbonisation efforts,” says Kumar. Running both schemes parallelly can create confusion within the sector and companies. Currently, there are plans for entities completing their PAT cycle to receive CCTS targets, which might not be the best way to shortlist entities for the scheme. This does not give a clear signal to achieve maximum emission reduction from CCTS. No revenue generation: Currently, the scheme does not have a clause for revenue generation. ETS schemes around the world have a way of generating revenue through auctioning allowances which are then allotted to modernisation, supporting of new entrants and small business, affected communities, and for financing decarbonisation. Yadav says: “The Indian Carbon Market model does not currently propose any form of auctioning of allowances, therefore we do not foresee revenue generation through it.” Data quality: Data quality issues have been reported in the Chinese and Surat ETS, especially data frauds in China ETS. The PAT scheme suffers from data transparency concerns. The smaller industries in CCTS will have a hard time producing data for their raw material and fuels, which are usually sourced from informal markets. Absence of a market stability mechanism: Market stability mechanisms play a crucial role in ensuring stability through holding and releasing credits into the market in case of unexpected external events. Currently, the Indian Carbon Market has not come out with any detailed proposed for any such mechanism. Non-imposition of penalties: Penalties under the PAT scheme are hardly imposed. Even if penalties are strict, the whole purpose is lost if regulators won’t levy them on entities. This is what happened with the power sector defaulters under the PAT scheme. If a similar practice continues under the CCTS, entities would not care to buy credits even if they are supposed to. Challenge of offset credits and other credit schemes: The proposed CCTS will include offset market credits, but experiences from markets like the EU-ETS show challenges with offset surges and integrity issues. India’s various market-based mechanisms aim to enhance sustainability and efficiency, but oversupply in older schemes like PAT and potential double counting among different upcoming credit systems pose risks like financial additionality. The integrity of credits and interaction of these schemes with the upcoming CCTS, requires strict regulatory frameworks and check mechanisms. The MSME challenge: CCTS aims to include large industrial sectors, but many rely on MSMEs, which may also become a part of the market, sooner or later, directly or indirectly. Challenges include obtaining accurate emissions data from MSMEs, often lacking due to informal fuel sources, and ensuring fair competition between MSMEs and larger companies. MSMEs, often using inefficient technologies and fuels and lack of financing sources, hindering their ability to meet targets and may struggle to afford carbon credits,. Exclusion of thermal power plants: Leaving the power sector behind in the carbon market scheme will miss out on a large chunk of the country’s emissions – the electricity sector contributes close to 40 per cent of India’s GHG emissions. There are several power plants with similar conditionalities but disparities in efficiency and emissions: CCTS can play a crucial role in bridging this gap. What does CSE recommend? Reduce complexity and have a single nation-wide scheme for carbon-intensive sectors: It is essential to free the carbon-intensive sectors from the PAT scheme at the earliest, so that CCTS is the only nation-wide scheme for these sectors, leaving no room for mismanagement and confusion. “The selection of obligated entities from high-emitting industrial sectors should not be based on the PAT cycle: this can reduce the effectiveness of CCTS in its initial phase. Having a single nation-wide scheme for carbon-intensive sectors will enable the biggest polluters and a large number of entities to be given CCTS targets from the very beginning. This will bring a collective zeal and coherence in the sector, and the feeling that all are moving towards a single goal,” notes Kumar. Ensure a stable, high carbon price: To do this, it is essential for the upcoming carbon market to set ambitious targets, establish market stability mechanisms, set up a high floor price and implement sizable penalties effectively. Voluntary credits should be limited to less than 5 per cent and should be of high integrity. Ensure data quality and improved transparency: To avoid data fraud as seen in the Chinese ETS, India must consider introducing heavy penalties and rigorous monitoring cycles for the obligated entities — China has done it in its 2024 regulation. It is also essential to build the capacity of carbon verifiers, involve multiple agencies in this job, and increase their numbers to ensure smooth data collection and MRV. It is essential to share reporting data in the public domain, which would then shield the data from manipulation. Introduce revenue generation to support MSMEs: The current Indian carbon market model lacks revenue generation mechanisms — it is crucial to devise methods to generate revenue from the scheme, which could fund MSMEs. A system (technological and financial) needs to be developed to support the MSME sector under CCTS to create a level playing field for them. Consider inclusion of thermal power sector: To address the significant contribution of the power sector to greenhouse gas emissions and to ensure effective progress towards India’s NDC targets, it is imperative to include the power sector in the carbon market scheme. The sector’s continuation under the PAT scheme might not be enough for the future needs of decarbonisation. “Power plants have shown subpar performance when it comes to meeting deadlines, targets of current schemes in the sector like meeting SOx emission norms, biomass co-firing and others. Inclusion of thermal power plants in the CCTS will give an added push for power plants to implement emission reduction policies like biomass co-firing and other upcoming policies. ” adds Yadav.

• Industrial Pollution

Dire state of biomass co-firing in NCR plants flagged in CSE report

Of the 11 coal-fired power plants in Delhi-NCR, none had co-fired even 1% of the biomass in their plants till last year, highlights a new report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Titled ‘The Indian Carbon Market: Pathway Towards an Effective Mechanism’, the CSE report was released on Tuesday. It sheds light on the “dire state of biomass co-firing” at the thermal power plants (TPP) in Delhi- NCR. In September 2021, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) mandated 11 TPPs in the Delhi-NCR within a 300-kilometre radius to co-fire biomass pellets in 5 to 10% proportion to coal. According to the directive, at least 10% of co-firing was to be targeted by the TPPs by December 2023. “Very recently, two plants in NCR have been able to reach 2-3% co-firing but the majority have not even begun even when 2024–25 is the first year for compliance,” reads the report. Anubha Aggarwal, the author of a 2023 study on the status of biomass co-firing in coal thermal power plants in Delhi-NCR, explains biomass co-firing to be a process in which there is a partial replacement of coal with biomass fuel for power generation even as coal still being the dominant fuel. “Biomass co-firing in thermal power plants in Delhi-NCR is important given the nature of Delhi leading in air pollution…From what we have learned so far only Jajjar TPP and Indira Gandhi TPP are co-firing 2-3% biomass. There is a CAQM mandate on biomass co-firing which if violated the offenders would face stringent punishment,” said Parth Kumar, the author of the CSE report. Under section 14 of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Act, 2021, nonadherence to the CAQM direction on biomass co-firing will be considered an offence ‘punishable with imprisonment’ for a term that may extend up to five years or with a fine of up to 1 crore or both. “There is laxity on the side of plants in NCR but I am sure TPPs will soon be under pressure. We are hopeful that with the upcoming Renewable Generation Obligation (RGO) in the Carbon Credit Trading Scheme (CCTS) scheme and the CAQM mandate the TPPs in the NCR will be under pressure for co-firing,” added Kumar. He added, that the non-compliance by the TPPs is linked to reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions. The report mentions that the decarbonisation strategy is important to meet India’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) targets by 2030 and to attain net-zero emissions by 2070. The CCTS, proposed under the Energy Conservation (Amendment) Act, passed in Parliament in December 2022 proposed the formation of an Indian Carbon Market (ICM). Among the challenges, raised by the study for the ICM, it has been observed that the exclusion of the thermal power sector from the CCTS is problematic. The report said, “Currently, the thermal power sector entities have to comply with the PAT scheme and are also mandated to co-fire biomass of up to 5-7 % in the subsequent year. The power sector in the PAT scheme has been the only sector that has not been able to achieve its Indian Carbon Market Policy targets and no penalties have been applied to them for non-compliance.” “Due to the inclusion in CCTS, the thermal power plants would have an incentivised target to meet, with a penalty for non-compliance which would push for better implementation of the RGO and biomass co-firing policy. Without any regulation and penalty in place, the power plants might flout the individual policy deadlines as they have in the past for other policies (SOx emission norms),” mentioned the report.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Cleaning up Bengaluru’s air: Not a priority despite soaring pollution

Extremely high vehicular emissions, mountains of dust from unregulated construction debris, dramatic decline in tree cover… Bengaluru was already slipping big on the air pollution map into deep red territory when the city earned another notoriety: The worst performer among 25 cities in use of funds under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Doesn’t this defy logic? First, the grim statistics: Bengaluru used barely 13% of the grants released under the 15th Finance Commission to support the clean air programme, says a report prepared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Compare this with over 70% fund utilization by Lucknow, Hyderabad and Greater Mumbai. Out of 16 cities studied for emission of Particulate Matter (PM 2.5), Bengaluru had the highest 64% contribution from vehicular exhaust. While diesel generator (DG) sets contributed 11% of the city’s PM 2.5, open solid waste burning was linked to 10% of the emissions. Road dust made up 7% of the pollutants. Delhi, which often struggles with its vehicular congestion, had only 39% of the PM 2.5 coming from transport exhaust. No stopping emissions The picture is grim. Despite an explosive, unregulated growth of vehicles, which, at last count stood in excess of 1.20 crore, the city has fallen short on activating multiple measures mandated under the NCAP programme. City action plans had to be prepared, source apportionment studies completed, pollution hotspots identified and a pollution emergency response plan readied. The report has also found huge gaps in regulation of on-road emissions management, phasing out of old vehicles, improvement of public transport, electrification, non-motorised transport and parking policy. To put this in perspective, Bengaluru’s Air Quality Index (AQI) – a measure of PM10 and PM2.5 - has been seeing a considerable drop. Before the rains arrived, the number of good air quality days (AQI between 0 and 100) in March was much less than March 2023. Coordination gaps NCAP’s performance-linked funding with targeted milestones inevitably requires all the stakeholders to show time-bound results. This is where Bengaluru’s multiple agencies have been found wanting. V. Ramprasad, a seasoned environmentalist and pollution watcher attributes it to lack of coordination, primarily between the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). “The Board and the Palike do whatever they want. This is because of a lack of governance. There are no elected corporators and mayor,” he points out. “These are all Mayoral programmes, not what the Deputy Chief Minister or Chief Minister should undertake. As long as there are no elections, this will go on. There is no one in-charge and nobody is taking full responsibility. They pass on the blame to BMTC, transport and other departments.” In February 2023, the Centre had granted ₹116 crore to Bengaluru for its clean air projects, adding to the ₹419 crore released earlier in two tranches. The Urban Development Department had prepared a micro action plan for eight works and sent it to the Chief Minister’s Office for approval. Bulk of the funds were released to the Palike for improvement of junctions, footpath improvement, nurseries and parks. The Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) received funds to buy electric buses. Third-party audit While the State Assembly elections, code of conduct and other factors delayed the works, questions were raised on the use of the funds for a waste transfer station. On the Palike agenda was a plan to procure 250 electric vehicles for marshals monitoring solid waste related activities. It later dropped plans to procure 75 mechanical sweepers since it could not manage even the existing machinery. Many have called for a third party audit to ascertain how the grant money is being spent. Dr. R. Subramanian, Head, Air Quality Sector, at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP) acknowledges that there are plans in place to utilize the funds on road improvement, urban greening and more. But the Palike, he notes, faces issues in tendering. “These are taxpayers’ money, and the government is trying to be cautious, to get the best value for work. They are faced with issues like whether they should buy equipment or rent them, whatever is more cost-efficient,” he elaborates. Delayed process The focus of NCAP, he reminds, is mainly on PM10 particles. “A lot of PM10 is really dust, whether construction dust or re-suspended road dust. As for PM2.5, they are trying to buy more electric buses. It will be a lot easier when you are trying to procure 3, 4 or 10 buses than massive orders in hundreds. You will then have to comply with many regulations that are triggered. Can those regulations be eased? That is not the purview of the transport department. That’s why the whole tendering process seems to have taken a while,” he says. Ramprasad talks about how dust control and air purification mechanisms mandated for both public infrastructure and private builders are not followed. As far back as January 2018, the State government had directed builders and road / rail developers to follow the 2016 National Greens Tribunal (NGT) norms mandating regular watering at construction sites, covered trucks to carry material, tarpaulin covers at under-construction sites and a ban on dumping of debris, sands on roads and inside colonies. No dust control Beyond physical barricades of a certain height, dust control measures are rarely seen at the Namma Metro construction sites or private building projects. Dr. Subramanian says the government might find it tough to control other than periodic visits. However, he suggests deploying dust sensors at construction sites like in Mumbai and Delhi. Massive construction projects can afford these since it would only be a small fraction of the total cost. Road dust combined with vehicular exhaust can multiply the pollution hazards, a deadly mix of PM10 and PM2.5 particles. As a former KSPCB official on the technical side explains, dust kicked up by vehicles and tail-end emissions are suspended in air at an altitude of 3-4ft above the ground. Two-wheeler riders and autorickshaw drivers and passengers directly inhale this, triggering health issues. Role of white-topping The white-topping of roads has only added to the problem. “White-topped roads are cement and concrete. Dust particles rise when vehicles continuously move and constantly brake, triggering friction, wear-and-tear. While BMTC bus passengers sitting at a height of 7-8ft escape this, motorcyclists cannot get away,” the official points out. To make matters worse, roads are not cleaned frequently and the dust accumulates on the kerb side. As he puts it, “When the hot exhaust hits, the dust is re-suspended once again. During dry days, this re-suspension goes up further.” No plantation On the greening side, seasoned legal activist on environmental concerns, Dattatreya Devare flags another concern: Lack of activation on the emission hotspots, 53 of which were identified for plantation activities by KSPCB as part of a comprehensive air pollution control strategy. Twenty-three of these hotspots are within the transportation sector. These areas face an enormous amount of tailpipe emissions and road dust, while the other hotspots suffer from high air pollution triggered by construction and demolition. The major pollution sources are digging, demolition, excavation, cement work, and movement of construction vehicles. The Forest department was tasked with carrying out plantation activities in these hotspots. “Very little priority is being given to the plantation. It has to be done mainly by the BBMP forest cell. But they have their own annual plantation programme. I have not seen them adding the plantation requirements under different plans,” Devare points out. He also cites the Karnataka Heat Wave Action Plan, which also mandates plantation. “I have been tracking them for long, but have not seen any integration of plantations under different programmes. Obviously then, the funds are not utilized.”

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Centre advises States and UTs to use plastic waste in road construction in cities

To tackle the challenge of plastic waste management, the central government has recently advised states and Union Territories to use plastic waste in the construction of roads in cities, The Indian Express has learnt. The government has advised states and UTs to use plastic waste up to 8% of the weight of bitumen in roads within cities, including internal roads of housing colonies and office complexes. In 2013, the Indian Road Congress had published guidelines for use of plastic waste in road-making and in 2015, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) issued an order making it mandatory to use plastic waste mixed with bitumen in roads within 50km periphery of urban areas with population of 5 lakh and above. The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry wrote to states and UTs on July 8 asking them to take steps to implement the Indian Road Congress guidelines. They were asked to use “plastic waste in bituminous roads wherever they may be constructed such as all departmental roads including internal roads in housing colonies, treatment plants for water supply, sewerage and solid waste, office complexes etc. to give a fillip to proper utilisation of non- recyclable plastic waste with suitable changes in bid documents”. The states and UTs were also asked to take up the issue with their major road construction departments, including PWD, Rural Development Department and Panchayati Raj. Three central government secretaries – Vini Mahajan (Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation under Ministry of Jal Shakti, Anurag Jain (MoRTH and MoHUA) and Shailesh Kumar Singh (Ministry of Rural Development), had on June 28 written to all chief secretaries to encourage use of plastic waste. “…it is requested to ensure the availability of appropriate quality waste plastic and review the usage of waste plastic in road construction within respective states/UTs… States/UTs must prioritise establishing a comprehensive framework for utilisation of waste plastic in bituminous road construction across all types of roads…” the secretaries wrote. They said that the required changes should be made to the Detailed Project Report (DPR), tender and Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) documents prepared for road projects. Some experts, however, caution against viewing its use in roads as the only or best solution to the problem of mounting plastic waste. “Using plastic waste in road making is a form of end of life disposal, which is the least preferred option compared to mechanical recycling and co-processing. Reduction of plastic waste should be the first and most preferred option, followed by mechanical recycling and co-processing,” said Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh, programme manager for the Centre for Science and Environment’s for municipal solid waste and circular economy unit. According to CPCB’s latest figures, 4.12 tonnes of plastic waste was generated in 2020-21. Around 60% of that is recycled. For each kilometre of road with 3.75 m width, using 1 tonnes of plastic waste mixed with bitumen can save `6.3 lakh, according to a 2019 MoHUA plastic waste management document.

• Sustainable Habitat

Extreme Heat Adaptation and Mitigation Programming: Lessons from the Affected Population

The latest issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses on the crucial topic of “Extreme Heat Adaptation and Mitigation Programming: Lessons from the Affected Population”. As the frequency and intensity of extreme heat events continue to rise due to climate change, vulnerable populations in South Asia face significant health risks and socio-economic challenges. This issue delves into the pressing need for proactive measures to safeguard communities from the impacts of extreme heat. Extreme heat has become a leading cause of weather-related mortality, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities, outdoor labourers, and the urban poor. It exacerbates existing inequalities and overwhelms healthcare systems, making it imperative for governments, civil society, and stakeholders to develop and implement effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. This issue highlights a range of topics, including best practices for urban planning to reduce heat islands, community-based resilience strategies, and the role of local governance in heat action plans. It also offers insights into successful interventions and policies from across South Asia, emphasizing the need for tailored, region-specific solutions. Most importantly, this issue calls upon governments, civil society, and international organizations to take urgent and meaningful action to mitigate the risks of extreme heat. It encourages stakeholders to collaborate on implementing effective heat adaptation programs that protect the most vulnerable and build long-term resilience against this growing threat. IN THIS ISSUE Extreme Heat: Key Lessons – Mihir R. Bhatt interviewed by Manish Patel, AIDMI, India Lessons from NRDC Partners: Top Three Lessons by Dr. Vijay Limaye, Senior Scientist and Director, Science Office & International, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Shelter Lessons from Heatwave Affected Population: Top Three Lessons by Rajneesh Sareen, Programme Director, Sustainable Habitat Programme, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, India

• Urban Lab

Operating the perfect cooling center is harder than it looks

In rural Ajo, Arizona, temperatures topped 100F (38C) every single day in June and July. For most of that time, the only spot within roughly 40 miles offering a free air-conditioned refuge was the local library — and that was only Monday through Friday. But on Aug. 3, Ajo celebrated the grand opening of its first “COOLtainer,” a repurposed shipping container outfitted with solar panels, a battery, AC, and seating. Arizona’s COOLtainer program has deployed 15 such containers since launching this year, with another three on the way. The one in Ajo brings Pima County’s tally of cooling centers to 39, and will help fill gaps in cooling capacity: It’s open on weekends and during power outages. In the face of rising temperatures, cities from Athens to Miami to Tokyo are increasingly embracing cooling centers — often indoor, air-conditioned public spaces that are activated during extreme heat. The need has never been greater: Thanks in large part to human-caused climate change, this year is on track to be the hottest ever. But crafting the perfect cooling center isn’t as simple as cranking the AC. Leaders like Arizona are learning that success often depends on tapping into community networks, making cool spaces as accessible as possible, and location, location, location. year,” says David Hondula, director of heat response and mitigation for the city of Phoenix. “We believe — and we think the data supports the notion — that access to cool space and water is life-saving.” On paper, Chicago in July 1995 seemed like the perfect cooling center use case. During a five-day heat wave, temperatures hit 106F and the heat index — how hot it actually feels — hit a staggering 125F. More than 700 people died. But while Chicago opened a handful of cooling centers, “very few people used them,” says Eric Klinenberg, a sociology professor at New York University and author of Heat Wave, about the 1995 event. “The population that needs them most — the elderly, the isolated, the poor — is also least likely to know they exist, and they are often hard to reach for that population on dangerously hot days.” A few decades later, getting people to show up remains a challenge. When Los Angeles experienced a deadly heat wave in September 2020 — admittedly, during a global pandemic — fewer than 300 people used the city’s six cooling centers. When heat emergencies hit New York City and Washington, D.C. this month, Bloomberg Green reporters visited a dozen cooling centers across both cities and found that some hadn’t seen a single visitor all day. The main exception were libraries, where several people confirmed they’d stopped by to escape high temperatures. Among the hurdles is a simple lack of awareness. Up until a few years ago, many people “didn’t know what a cooling center was or that it was available to them,” says Quinn Adams, a PhD student working on environmental health at Boston University. Location is another challenge. Because they often use existing infrastructure, “many cooling centers aren’t strategically placed,” says Michael Allen, an associate professor of geography at Towson University. Last year, Allen and his colleagues mapped 1,433 cooling centers across the US Southeast. They found that only 36% of the region’s population — and fewer than 10% of the most vulnerable groups in most states — lived within a 15-minute drive of one. As temperatures rise, many government officials are launching or revisiting their cooling center strategies. Chicago put more resources into its centers following the 1995 heat wave. Pima County has added cooling centers and expanded access to them in recent years, including by launching an interactive map that helped the county identify Ajo’s need for one. Japan is pushing local governments to set up cooling centers to reduce incidents of heat stroke, the most serious type of heat illness. As of July 30, at least 740 governments had done so — up from 139 in 2023 — according to the nation’s environment ministry In India, where 1.4 billion people face increasingly dangerous heat, several local governments have published heat action plans that call for cooling centers. But “no such dedicated facilities have been built on the ground,” says Avikal Somvanshi, head of the Urban Lab at India’s Centre for Science and Environment. Earlier this year, nonprofits Mahila Housing Trust and NRDC India took matters in their own hands, debuting a cooling station in the north Indian city of Jodhpur that’s powered by solar panels. Fans and misters provide the cooling, along with a special roof designed to maximize air flow. Abhiyant Tiwari, health and climate resilience lead at NRDC India, calls it “the first of its kind.” There is no one-size-fits-all cooling center. Some, like the COOLtainers, are movable. Many make use of existing facilities, including senior centers in Tokyo, libraries in London and mosques in Delhi. Some are only open on the hottest days, while others are accessible all summer. Some simply offer fans or AC, while others have water, snacks, towels, seating or places to lay down. Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, is arguably the world leader in cooling center strategy. The region has been expanding its network of them for roughly 20 years, and Hondula says there is now more funding, staffing and data collection than “anything I can remember over about 10 years of involvement.” The county offers three tiers of cooling facility: hydration stations with free water, cooling centers for a short rest, and “respite centers” for longer and sometimes overnight stays. Phoenix alone has more than 100 private- and governmentrun cooling facilities, including five city-owned sites with extended hours. As of this year, Hondula says the locations with extended hours all have dedicated staff and security, and by Aug. 7 had received more than 20,000 visits during their extended hours alone. “It’s a really large investment that we’re making that I know the city hasn’t made for this purpose in the past,” he says. Still, research on how effective cooling centers are at protecting people from heat is sparse. The Biden administration highlighted this knowledge gap in its new National Heat Strategy, which lists research on cooling shelters as a priority. In one study published in 2022, Adams and other academics found that “an unfeasibly large number of people would have to visit these centers in order to actually reduce the number of observed heat-related deaths.” Hondula and his colleagues used the same methodology to show that, in Maricopa County at least, cooling centers are more effective at saving lives when it comes to people experiencing homelessness. “I’m never going to say cooling centers shouldn’t happen — they absolutely should,” says Sarah Henderson, scientific director of environment health services at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. “But it can’t be what we’re hanging our hat on to protect people during extreme heat events.” Glen Kenny, a physiology professor at the University of Ottawa, is also among those seeking more intel. Kenny studies heat impacts on the body, and used heat wave simulations to determine that a few hours in a cooling centers can reduce core body temperature and heart strain among elderly people exposed to extreme heat. But he also found that their body temperature spiked to pre-cooling levels within two hours of leaving air conditioning, putting people at risk of overexerting themselves just when they think they’re in the clear. “What would be the natural tendency of somebody coming out of a cooling center? ‘I feel great,’” Kenny says. “‘I’m maybe going to do my groceries, go for a walk, maybe do stuff around the home and clean up.’ I’m going to do things that I really shouldn’t do.

• Urban Lab

Operating the Perfect Cooling Center Is Harder Than It Looks

In rural Ajo, Arizona, temperatures topped 100F (38C) every single day in June and July. For most of that time, the only spot within roughly 40 miles offering a free air-conditioned refuge was the local library — and that was only Monday through Friday. But on Aug. 3, Ajo celebrated the grand opening of its first “COOLtainer,” a repurposed shipping container outfitted with solar panels, a battery, AC, and seating. Arizona’s COOLtainer program has deployed 15 such containers since launching this year, with another three on the way. The one in Ajo brings Pima County’s tally of cooling centers to 39, and will help fill gaps in cooling capacity: It’s open on weekends and during power outages. In the face of rising temperatures, cities from Athens to Miami to Tokyo are increasingly embracing cooling centers — often indoor, air-conditioned public spaces that are activated during extreme heat. The need has never been greater: Thanks in large part to human-caused climate change, this year is on track to be the hottest ever. But crafting the perfect cooling center isn’t as simple as cranking the AC. Leaders like Arizona are learning that success often depends on tapping into community networks, making cool spaces as accessible as possible, and location, location, location. “It’s a very important component of our heat response plan and certainly one we’re investing more than ever as a city this year,” says David Hondula, director of heat response and mitigation for the city of Phoenix. “We believe — and we think the data supports the notion — that access to cool space and water is life-saving.” On paper, Chicago in July 1995 seemed like the perfect cooling center use case. During a five-day heat wave, temperatures hit 106F and the heat index — how hot it actually feels — hit a staggering 125F. More than 700 people died. But while Chicago opened a handful of cooling centers, “very few people used them,” says Eric Klinenberg, a sociology professor at New York University and author of Heat Wave, about the 1995 event. “The population that needs them most — the elderly, the isolated, the poor — is also least likely to know they exist, and they are often hard to reach for that population on dangerously hot days.” A few decades later, getting people to show up remains a challenge. When Los Angeles experienced a deadly heat wave in September 2020 — admittedly, during a global pandemic — fewer than 300 people used the city’s six cooling centers. When heat emergencies hit New York City and Washington, D.C. this month, Bloomberg Green reporters visited a dozen cooling centers across both cities and found that some hadn’t seen a single visitor all day. The main exception were libraries, where several people confirmed they’d stopped by to escape high temperatures. Among the hurdles is a simple lack of awareness. Up until a few years ago, many people “didn’t know what a cooling center was or that it was available to them,” says Quinn Adams, a PhD student working on environmental health at Boston University. Location is another challenge. Because they often use existing infrastructure, “many cooling centers aren’t strategically placed,” says Michael Allen, an associate professor of geography at Towson University. Last year, Allen and his colleagues mapped 1,433 cooling centers across the US Southeast. They found that only 36% of the region’s population — and fewer than 10% of the most vulnerable groups in most states — lived within a 15-minute drive of one. As temperatures rise, many government officials are launching or revisiting their cooling center strategies. Chicago put more resources into its centers following the 1995 heat wave. Pima County has added cooling centers and expanded access to them in recent years, including by launching an interactive map that helped the county identify Ajo’s need for one. Japan is pushing local governments to set up cooling centers to reduce incidents of heat stroke, the most serious type of heat illness. As of July 30, at least 740 governments had done so — up from 139 in 2023 — according to the nation’s environment ministry. In India, where 1.4 billion people face increasingly dangerous heat, several local governments have published heat action plans that call for cooling centers. But “no such dedicated facilities have been built on the ground,” says Avikal Somvanshi, head of the Urban Lab at India’s Centre for Science and Environment. Earlier this year, nonprofits Mahila Housing Trust and NRDC India took matters in their own hands, debuting a cooling station in the north Indian city of Jodhpur that’s powered by solar panels. Fans and misters provide the cooling, along with a special roof designed to maximize air flow. Abhiyant Tiwari, health and climate resilience lead at NRDC India, calls it “the first of its kind.” There is no one-size-fits-all cooling center. Some, like the COOLtainers, are movable. Many make use of existing facilities, including senior centers in Tokyo, libraries in London and mosques in Delhi. Some are only open on the hottest days, while others are accessible all summer. Some simply offer fans or AC, while others have water, snacks, towels, seating or places to lay down. Arizona’s Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, is arguably the world leader in cooling center strategy. The region has been expanding its network of them for roughly 20 years, and Hondula says there is now more funding, staffing and data collection than “anything I can remember over about 10 years of involvement.” The county offers three tiers of cooling facility: hydration stations with free water, cooling centers for a short rest, and “respite centers” for longer and sometimes overnight stays. Phoenix alone has more than 100 private- and government-run cooling facilities, including five city-owned sites with extended hours. As of this year, Hondula says the locations with extended hours all have dedicated staff and security, and by Aug. 7 had received more than 20,000 visits during their extended hours alone. “It’s a really large investment that we’re making that I know the city hasn’t made for this purpose in the past,” he says. Still, research on how effective cooling centers are at protecting people from heat is sparse. The Biden administration highlighted this knowledge gap in its new National Heat Strategy, which lists research on cooling shelters as a priority. In one study published in 2022, Adams and other academics found that “an unfeasibly large number of people would have to visit these centers in order to actually reduce the number of observed heat-related deaths.” Hondula and his colleagues used the same methodology to show that, in Maricopa County at least, cooling centers are more effective at saving lives when it comes to people experiencing homelessness. “I’m never going to say cooling centers shouldn’t happen — they absolutely should,” says Sarah Henderson, scientific director of environment health services at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. “But it can’t be what we’re hanging our hat on to protect people during extreme heat events.” Glen Kenny, a physiology professor at the University of Ottawa, is also among those seeking more intel. Kenny studies heat impacts on the body, and used heat wave simulations to determine that a few hours in a cooling centers can reduce core body temperature and heart strain among elderly people exposed to extreme heat. But he also found that their body temperature spiked to pre-cooling levels within two hours of leaving air conditioning, putting people at risk of overexerting themselves just when they think they’re in the clear. “What would be the natural tendency of somebody coming out of a cooling center? ‘I feel great,’” Kenny says. “‘I’m maybe going to do my groceries, go for a walk, maybe do stuff around the home and clean up.’ I’m going to do things that I really shouldn’t do.” Read more Heat Week coverage: A $91 Billion Trade Keeps Miners Digging in Record Desert Heat Experts Are Fighting Over Naming Heat Waves This Is How We Know When the World Has Its Hottest Day No One Knows How Many People Are Dying From Heat --With assistance from Shoko Oda, Matthew Griffin and Alexander Battle Abdelal. (Updates with information from new US National Heat Strategy in eighteenth paragraph.) ©2024 Bloomberg L.P.

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Is recycling the answer to Mumbai’s solid waste management woes?

“One life-form turns into another. Recycling is like that,” says Ramnikbhai Satra, a scrap dealer, as he compares inanimate objects taking on another form to the cycle of death and rebirth. Even as he speaks to me, he keeps an eye on one of his workers weighing newspapers and flattened cartons, answers a customer who wants to know the price of some plastic objects kept in a tray next to which there is a box of glass jars of all shapes and sizes. “Individuals sell this stuff to me. Then it is picked up for recycling by different people— a different person for glass, for paper and so on,” he explains. Recycling—one of the three Rs of ‘Reduce, Refuse and Recycle’— is considered to be one among a cluster of solutions including segregation at source, composting, and decentralised processing, to reduce the burden on our landfills. Mumbai’s two currently functional dumping grounds which accept municipal solid waste (MSW) at Deonar and Kanjurmarg are filling to capacity, but more importantly, pose health hazards to the people living around the area and working there. In fact, the state government is considering moving the Kanjurmarg dumping ground to Ambernath. In the first and second parts of this series of articles, we took a look at the systems the BMC has in place for waste collection and disposal. In this third and final part, we look at how far recycling can be a solution to Mumbai’s garbage problem. What can be recycled? Smita Birkar who is the Founder and Director of the 5R FOUNDATION says plastic, paper, metal and glass can be recycled. She adds, “Ideally, all of them could be recycled, but it also depends upon how they are manufactured. If it is an individual pure material like if it is only plastic, only paper, only metal, or only glass, then recycling is much more streamlined. Whenever you mix two materials, there are challenges when it comes to recycling.” Plastic recycling Plastic needs different methods of handling since it is available in different grades. A report published by the Centre for Science and Environment states that plastic can be grouped into seven categories: