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Heat waves across Asia stoke health concerns, food security fears

Soma Sen Roy, a scientist at the IMD, said the heat wave stemmed from a combination of factors, including El Nino. Sunita Narain, director-general of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, said at a recent Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific roundtable that "temperatures in Delhi have remained abnormally high over the last two months". "Scientists are now very clear that the abnormally long duration of high temperatures in Delhi and the intensity of the heat wave are linked to climate change," said Narain. There are multiple factors leading to the extreme heat in South Asian and Southeast Asian regions but climate change remains in the background, said William Yu, founder and CEO of the World Green Organization, an NGO based in Hong Kong. Two years ago, the UK Met office warned that the probability of record-breaking heat hitting India and Pakistan had increased 100 fold due to climate change. Yu said that due to economic constraints people living in tropical areas often do not have sufficient cooling facilities or ventilation indoors. As for outdoor workers, they need to keep themselves hydrated and take regular breaks to avoid heatstroke, he said. "Inaction on climate change is intolerable now, given the various calamities across the world this year, including flooding in the Middle East, Brazil and Afghanistan, and drought and extreme heat in many other places," he said. Green finance is very important to addressing the issue of adaptation and to building climate resilience for the common good of humanity, Yu added. Jayanta Basu, an Indian environmentalist and convener of the Kolkata Climate Action Plan, said the time has come to prepare long-term and short-term plans to address high heat for vulnerable regions of India, taking into consideration various factors "The most important thing is that heat mainly affects the poor and marginalized as they often have to work under heat stress conditions. They should take priority in planning linked to heat-related resilience," he said.

Delhi breathes easy: AQI drops to 56 as blue skies dominate

Patchy blue skies with sporadic cloud cover prevailed across the Capital on Sunday as breezy winds swept the city, aiding the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) to log a reading of 56 (satisfactory) — Delhi’s best air day this year so far, and the cleanest air recorded in over 300 days— data from the Central Pollution Control Board showed. Although some isolated locations received a drizzle till 8.30am on Sunday, no rain was recorded between 8.30am and 5.30pm, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed. The weather agency has removed its colour-coded alerts for the next six days as no significant rain activity is expected. Delhi’s previous lowest AQI this year was 61 (satisfactory) on July 4 and Sunday’s was the lowest AQI since September 11, 2023, when it was 53. However, predictions by the Centre’s Early Warning System (EWS) said Delhi’s air was unlikely to touch the “good” category in the coming days. “AQI should remain ‘satisfactory’ till July 9. It may touch the ‘moderate’ range on July 10, in the absence of significant rain,” the forecast said. An AQI of 51 to 100 is classified as “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 as “moderate”, between 201 and 300 as “poor”, 301 and 400 as “very poor” and over 400 as “severe” by CPCB. The last “good” air day was on September 10, 2023, when the AQI recorded a reading of 54. According to CPCB’s national bulletin at 4pm on Sunday, carbon monoxide, PM10 and ozone were the primary pollutants on Sunday. Experts pointed out that the Capital’s air quality begins to improve towards the end of June as monsoon makes inroads. It stays between the “satisfactory” and “moderate” range until winter starts to make its way. Dust particles settle down with rain and gases gain prominence in the air, emerging as primary pollutants. “This relief is only temporary as once the rains stop, Delhi’s AQI will again shoot up to dangerous levels in the winter months,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). No heavy rain in the week ahead The Safdarjung observatory, representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded “trace” rainfall till 8.30 am on Sunday, along with Lodhi Road and Ridge. The Palam station received 0.2mm during this period. Weather scientists said that the city was unlikely to receive much rain in the coming days as the monsoon trough will likely remain away. However, isolated drizzle will be recorded in isolated locations, they said.

Crackdown. Holding building sites accountable for their actions

It may seem like an innocuous report buried in the inside pages of a newspaper, but it represents an issue with an enormous fallout on the lives of a city’s population and the air it breathes. According to information put out, the Delhi Public Works Department has instructed firms working on its construction projects to install CCTV cameras and PM 2.5 and PM 10 pollution sensors at their sites, or else pay fines ranging from ₹500 to ₹2,000. It has also asked them to set up protective screens at their sites, install anti-smog guns, and demarcate enclosed spaces for grinding and cutting material. Besides this, construction material needs to be kept covered and water sprinkled on unpaved areas from time to time to keep in check air pollution levels generated due to Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste. The action followed a pilot study by the department in collaboration with the Air Pollution Action Group (A-PAG) which works with government agencies to combat air pollution. The study found construction sites were not fully compliant and not following guidelines of the Commission for Air Quality Management. Delhi is not an isolated case. Most construction sites across cities are equally guilty and need a study and action plan. Last December when the Centre for Science and Environment released its report, “Construction and Demolition Waste: Closing the loop for sustainability,” CSE director general Sunita Narain noted: “A decade back, the concern with C&D waste was not about air pollution, but about saving waterbodies from the dumping of this waste. By 2018-19 it was about dust in the air which was contributing to pollution. “ With “development” being equated with construction, C&D waste has only risen. There is no current database on C&D waste generated, but an old estimation pins it at 12-15 million tonnes annually. However, this may be much more given the construction industry projects turnover to touch $1.4 trillion by 2025, contributing 13 per cent to the economy. India has increased its material consumption six times from 1.18 billion tonne in 1970 to seven billion tonne in 2015. And its resource extraction rate stands at 1,580 tonne per acre as compared to the world average of 450 tonne per acre. While India imports many raw materials such as sand, it has a lower recycling rate at 20-25 per cent compared to developed EU countries (70 per cent).

Heat-humidity: Peak power demand in all 3 summer mths at record highs

Kolkata: Record heat and humidity drove Kolkata's peak power demand in all the three summer months — April, May and June — to record highs this year. The city endured particularly scorching conditions in April, when it faced searing dry heat, and sauna-like situation from May to June, when it was both very hot and extremely humid. Data from power utility CESC shows demand rose by 200-300 megawatts (MW) on the hottest and most humid days. The consumption aligns with the wet-bulb temperatures (WBT) that measures both heat and humidity. Heat-humidity: Peak power demand in all 3 summer mths at record highs April-end saw a prolonged and unprecedented spell of heatwave with the mercury breaching 40°C on April 24 and continuing with its record-breaking climb to touch 43°C on April 30, just 0.3°C shy of the all-time high April temperature of 43.3°C recorded in 1954. Consequently, power consumption peaked to 2,728 MW on April 25-26. In May, with increasing humidity, the heat index or real-feel temperature soared. On May 2, when the maximum temperature was 38°C and the minimum 31°C, relative humidity jumped to 65%, causing peak power demand to jump nearly 300 MW over last year's May. Demand spiked again on June 11,when the gap between day and night temperature narrowed and relative humidity exceeded 90%. A senior official from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Alipore, highlighted the role of high humidity in exacerbating heat-related discomfort. Kolkata's average summertime temperature has risen by 0.2°C over the last decade compared to 2001-10 — it is 0.5°C for cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai — while relative humidity, too, has increased significantly in recent years. A study led by environmentalist Anumita Roy Choudhury from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that Kolkata's decadal average ambient air temperatures have showed insignificant change but relative humidity has increased by 5% between 2001-2010 and 2014-2023. The study also found a 3.5% rise in the decadal heat index and a threefold increase in days with a daily heat index exceeding 41°C, indicating a dangerous heat level. Additionally, the study says monsoons in Kolkata are becoming more thermally uncomfortable than pre-monsoons due to a higher heat index. The number of extremely hot and humid days, using 30°C wet-bulb temperatures (WBT) as a threshold, has also markedly increased. WBTs above 35°C are considered lethal for extended exposure. As heatwaves may soon become more common, the report suggests the burden of power generation cannot rest solely on thermal plants, which are already operating near full capacity, and India should focus on expanding solar power capacity.

印度破纪录高温 比沙漠还烫 致停水停电 老百姓苦不堪言

从进入五月以来，印度遭遇极端热浪，频繁遭受高温炙烤，气温越发恐怖。 印度夏季从三月持续到九月，通常炎热而潮湿，但从没有一个夏天，这样难熬。 每一天，最高温度都在刷新。 43°C，45°C，48°C，49.9°C…… 如果持续下去，气温将达到人类生存的极限。 印度全国有超过37个城市，气温超过了45°C。整个西北部都发出了红色预警，这意味着这些地区人们出现中暑症状和热射病的可能性非常高。 5月29日，印度首都新德里飙破摄氏52.3度。这是印度有史以来的最高温度。 在此之前，印度的高温纪录是2016年在塔尔沙漠测到的51°C。 而现在，创纪录的高温出现在了潮湿的首都新德里——学校停课、户外工作者受到威胁、供水和基础设施紧张…… 但最可怕的是，夜晚也不会凉快下来。 印度环境学家Avikal Somvanshi 表示：“二十年前，早晚温差约为 12 摄氏度或更高，但现在城市里不再有这种现象了。” 以新德里为例，这座城市中生活着太多的人，人们无限压缩绿化面积建造混凝土建筑，来缓解拥挤不堪的空间。 但这样的钢铁森林，加剧了城市热岛效应。 简单来讲，这些混凝土在白天大量吸收热量，又无法像植物一样通过蒸腾作用使水分释放到大气中。 到了夜晚，污染的空气又会将热量困住，无法让温度降下来。 夏季高峰期，这座城市的日夜温差，不会超过 6 到 7 摄氏度。

‘Kolkata’s average summer temp rose by 0.2°C in 10 yrs’

Kolkata: A senior official from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Alipore, highlighted the role of high humidity in exacerbating heat-related discomfort. Kolkata’s average summertime temperature has risen by 0.2°C over the last decade compared to 2001-10 — it is 0.5°C for cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai — while relative humidity, too, has increased significantly in recent years. A study led by environmentalist Anumita Roy Choudhury from Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that Kolkata’s decadal average ambient air temperatures have showed insignificant change but relative humidity has increased by 5% between 2001-2010 and 2014-2023. The study also found a 3.5% rise in the decadal heat index and a threefold increase in days with a daily heat index exceeding 41°C, indicating a dangerous heat level. Additionally, the study says monsoons in Kolkata are becoming more thermally uncomfortable than pre-monsoons due to a higher heat index. The number of extremely hot and humid days, using 30°C wet-bulb temperatures (WBT) as a threshold, has also markedly increased. WBTs above 35°C are considered lethal for extended exposure. As heatwaves may soon become more common, the report suggests the burden of power generation cannot rest solely on thermal plants, which are already operating near full capacity, and India should focus on expanding solar power capacity. We also published the following articles recently Heat, humidity push power demand, fuel sales mixedFind out how power consumption surged by 9% in June due to the intense heat wave and rising humidity. Diesel demand fell by 1.3%, while petrol consumption saw a healthy growth of 3.6%. Jet fuel and LPG sales also posted moderate gains. Get all the details here!111413579 Heat-humidity: Peak power demand in all 3 summer mths at record highsDiscover how Kolkata's peak power demand reached record highs during the hot summer months of April, May, and June due to extreme heat and humidity. Data from CESC reveals a notable increase in demand on the hottest days, reflecting a concerning trend of rising temperatures and humidity in the city.111545983 Humidity raises discomfort, but city likely to see heavy showers till July 4Read about the recent weather conditions in Gurgaon and Delhi. High temperatures and humidity prevailed with no monsoon showers. IMD predicts heavy rains with potential for sudden weather changes. June witnessed record-breaking rainfall in Delhi. Stay updated on the upcoming drop in temperatures.111388805

Rising Humidity and Heat Index Make Kolkata Summers More Unbearable, Study Reveals

Recent findings from the IMD and CSE highlight Kolkata's worsening summer conditions, with rising temperatures and humidity. The study sheds light on a significant increase in heat-related discomfort, emphasising the need for sustainable energy solutions like expanding solar power to mitigate future challenges. Kolkata: A senior official from the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in Alipore has shed light on the significant impact of high humidity on heat-related discomfort in the city. Over the last decade, Kolkata's average summertime temperature has increased by 0.2 degrees Celsius compared to the period from 2001 to 2010. In comparison, cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai have seen a rise of 0.5 degrees Celsius A study led by environmentalist Anumita Roy Choudhury from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that while Kolkata's average ambient air temperatures have shown little change, relative humidity has increased by 5 per cent between 2001-2010 and 2014-2023, as per a TOI report. This rise in humidity has led to a 3.5 per cent increase in the decadal heat index and a threefold increase in the number of days with a daily heat index exceeding 41 degrees Celsius, indicating dangerous heat levels. The study also noted that monsoon seasons in Kolkata are becoming more thermally uncomfortable than the pre-monsoon periods due to a higher heat

How India’s Climate Plans Are Falling Short

Even as general elections in India continued through the months of April to June, heat wave to severe heat wave conditions prevailed in northern and western India and in parts of eastern India. Many of these areas started experiencing heat waves around May 18. With the onset of the south-west monsoon, India finds itself in an odd extreme weather scenario: On the one hand, people have died of heat and on the other, many states particularly in the north fear floods and find themselves ill equipped to tackle them. On June 28, for instance, the national capital region of Delhi received 235.5 mm of rainfall, the highest-single day amount in June in 88 years. IndiaSpend spoke to experts and activists to understand the changes and developments in the country’s climate, and its environmental regulatory regime over the past decade, and where its policies fell short. This is crucial for the new government and for climate action as the next few years are critical for the Paris targets. Climate change action framework in India India’s climate action plans consist of two elements: adaptation and mitigation. While mitigation has found a lot of focus, not enough attention has gone into planning adaptation, as IndiaSpend reported in December 2023. In terms of commitments and goals, there is a National Action Plan on Climate Change and its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDCs). India’s Climate Goals To put forward and further propagate a healthy and sustainable way of living based on traditions and values of conservation and moderation. To adopt a climate friendly and a cleaner path than the one followed hitherto by others at corresponding level of economic development. To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35% by 2030 from 2005 level. To achieve about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030 with the help of transfer of technology and low-cost international finance including from Green Climate Fund (GCF). To create an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent through additional forest and tree cover by 2030. To better adapt to climate change by enhancing investments in development programmes in sectors vulnerable to climate change, particularly agriculture, water resources, Himalayan region, coastal regions, health and disaster management. To mobilize domestic and new & additional funds from developed countries to implement the above mitigation and adaptation actions in view of the resource required and the resource gap. To build capacities, create domestic framework and international architecture for quick diffusion of cutting-edge climate technology in India and for joint collaborative R&D for such future technologies. India updated its INDC targets in August 2022, seven years since it first submitted its targets to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The update included two new targets: To reduce the emissions intensity of the country’s GDP by 45% by 2030 as against the earlier target of 33-35% (compared to 2005 emission levels). (Emissions intensity is the emission rate of a given pollutant relative to the intensity of a specific activity. For instance, grams of carbon dioxide released per megajoule of energy produced) To achieve about 50% cumulative installed electric power capacity from non-fossil fuel sources (including nuclear) by 2030, as against the 40% targeted earlier. About a year later, in December 2023, it said that it had achieved the two targets originally mentioned in the INDCs, well ahead of deadline: To reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 33-35% by 2030 from 2005 level; and To achieve about 40% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources by 2030 (As on October 31, 2023, the cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources was 186.46 MW; this was 43.81% of the total cumulative electric power installed capacity.) Despite these components as well as many state-level action plans, India’s climate action policies are often driven by “opportunism”, as argued in a 2021 paper by Navroz Dubash, leading climate researcher and Chair of the Advisory Council of the Sustainable Futures Collaborative (SFC), an independent research and action group based in Delhi, and others. “In my opinion, climate change became a pretext for the government to bring businesses, whether in Gujarat or the rest of India,” notes Alok Shukla, member of the convenor collective of Chhattisgarh Bachao Andolan and winner of the 2024 Goldman Environmental Prize. Shukla points to the gaps in the targets being achieved on paper and how these transpired for people on the ground. Stress on afforestation India’s target on achieving an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of CO2 by 2030 has driven its policies on forests and land use, and has meant the implementation of policies around afforestation. India’s third biennial report submitted to the UNFCCC in February 2021 said that the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sequestered 330.76 million tonnes (Mt) of CO2, which is about 15% of India’s total CO2 emissions from all sectors in 2016. It also said the forest and tree cover had increased to 807,276 sq km in 2019 from 802,088 sq km in 2017. The net change in the carbon stocks of forests was +42.6 Mt as per the report, which cites Forest Survey of India (FSI) data. Several experts and the UNFCCC have questioned FSI’s methodology for calculating forest cover. Increase in forest cover has happened outside the area classified in land records as "forests", a 2022 report by the Centre for Science and Environment says. “It has also happened mainly in forests that are defined as "open"—with canopy cover between 10-40%. This shows that forests are growing because people are planting trees on their individual lands, including plantations of rubber, coconut or eucalyptus, all non-forest species, as there are huge restrictions on planting and cutting trees that are listed in the Indian Forest Act.” Further, a June 2020 report by a subcommittee of the Department of Economic Affairs under the Ministry of Finance to assess the financial requirements to meet INDCs noted that it was unclear whether improving the density of existing forests would add up to the target. The report concluded that, as the target uses the word “additional” twice, it “may have to be achieved only by adding areas to the existing forest and tree cover majorly by afforestation outside forest area, thus by creating new forests and from sequestration of carbon in the increased extent of trees outside forest (TOF) comprising urban forestry, agroforestry, avenue plantation”. Analysing the financial instruments to meet the forestry targets, the report said that the focus should be on forest ecosystem instead of plantation, as “[i]t is possible that injudicious plantation may end up exacerbating the environment and ecosystems”.

Not Politics, Not Interest Rates: India’s Economy At Risk From Water

In the Vivekananda Camp slum, adjacent to the US embassy in New Delhi, communal taps supply brackish water for about two hours a day. Water delivered by tankers provides one additional bucket to each of its 1,000 residents for drinking and cooking. In parts of the arid state of Rajasthan, southwest of the Indian capital, tap water is available once every four days for an hour. In rural areas near Mumbai, women and children travel more than a mile to get water. Bengaluru, India’s tech hub of 14 million people, reeled under a water shortage this year and had to rely on tanker deliveries. “We don’t wash the floor or do the laundry for days sometimes,” said Sampa Rai, a 38-year-old in Delhi’s Vivekananda Camp, who scrambles before dawn every day to meet the first tanker delivering water. “Not even the dishes. We have to manage with what we have.” The world’s most populous nation has suffered from water shortages for decades, but crises are coming around with increasing frequency. This year, for example, the summer has been one of the hottest on record and the crunch has worsened with rivers and lakes drying up and the water table falling. The shortages are affecting rural and urban Indians alike, disrupting agriculture and industry, stoking food inflation and risking social unrest. Contaminated water kills about 200,000 Indians each year, according to the government. People and the economy are suffering. That is adding urgency to public and private-sector efforts to conserve the resource, find ways to recycle wastewater and reduce the country’s over-reliance on the annual monsoon, especially in the agricultural sector. Ratings agency Moody’s warned last week that India’s growing water stress could affect its growth, which at a projected 7.2% this April-March fiscal year is the highest among major economies. “Decreases in water supply can disrupt agricultural production and industrial operations, resulting in inflation in food prices and declines in income for affected businesses and workers, especially farmers, while sparking social unrest,” Moody’s said. The government plans to more than triple wastewater recycling by the end of the decade to 70%, according to a federal government policy document dated Oct. 21, 2023 that listed priorities for the next five years. Krishna S. Vatsa, a senior official at the state-run National Disaster Management Authority, confirmed the targets in an interview last week. Authorities also plan to cut the extraction of fresh water – ground water and surface water from rivers and lakes – to less than 50% by the end of the decade from 66%, the highest rate in the world, said the document, which has not been made public and was reviewed by Reuters. It will also launch a national village-level program this year to recommend crops to farmers based on local water availability, Vatsa said. Details of plans to address the water crisis have not been previously reported. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already ordered authorities to build or refurbish at least 75 lakes in each of the 785 districts of the country. The government says work has been started or completed on more than 83,000 lakes. Experts say such lakes can help recharge the water table. Modi launched a nearly $50-billion program in 2019 to provide all rural households with tap water. The government says it has now covered 77% of more than 193 million such families, up from 17% five years ago, but residents and experts say not all pipes have water. “It makes the issue of conservation far more urgent,” Vatsa said. “You cannot sustain such a national pipeline without the availability of water. The pipes will run dry.” He agreed some taps could already be dry. WATER STRESSED India relies substantially on the annual monsoon for its 1.42 billion people and its largely rural-based economy, where water-intensive crops like rice, wheat and sugarcane take up more than 80% of the overall supply. The monsoon itself is prone to severe and extreme weather conditions. Catchment areas are getting scarce because of rapid urbanization, so even in a good monsoon, much of the rainwater drains off into the sea. India’s annual per capita water availability, at about 1,486 cubic meters, is set to fall to 1,367 cubic meters by 2031 as its population grows, government projections show. The country has been “water stressed”, defined as per capita availability of less than 1,700 cubic meters, since 2011. “We have a crisis now every year,” said Depinder Singh Kapur at Indian research body Centre for Science and Environment. “Earlier it used to be drought years versus normal years, now a water crisis is happening every year and with more intensity.” There are pockets where private enterprises are addressing the crisis. In Nagpur, a city of 3 million people, the Vishvaraj Group said it helped build a $100 million plant in 2020 that treats 200 million liters of sewage per day, extracting 190 million liters of treated water that it sells to two thermal power plants. Founder Arun Lakhani said the freed up fresh water will be enough to take care of the expected population growth of the city for the next 35 years. Some industries are investing in wastewater recycling and rain harvesting to cut their dependence on fresh water. Tata Steel (TISC.NS), opens new tab plans to cut its freshwater consumption to less than 1.5 cubic meters per ton of crude steel produced at its Indian operations by 2030, from about 2.5 cubic meters now. JSW Steel (JSTL.NS), opens a new tab and also has similar plans. “At least to plug the gaps in urban areas, treated wastewater is going to be one important resource that we need to start acknowledging,” said Nitin Bassi at Indian think-tank The Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Experts say nearly 90% of water supplied to homes can be recycled, but infrastructure for water distribution and sewage treatment has failed to match the growth of major cities and untreated waste ultimately flows into rivers. Modi’s administration is adding sewage treatment capacity to lift the current rate of 44% in urban areas so more water can be recycled and used in industries, agriculture and other areas. Between 2021 and 2026, it plans to invest about $36 billion to ensure equitable water distribution, reuse of wastewater and mapping of water bodies, the government has said. THIRSTY FARMS The cultivation of crops like rice in semi-arid states has led to rampant extraction of groundwater through borewells and steep falls in water tables, according to government and industry officials. “The elephant in the room is agriculture,” said Lakhani of Vishvaraj. “We still use flood irrigation; we are not on drip or sprinkler irrigation. If we save just 10% water used in agriculture, it will take care of water problems of all the Indian cities.” The government plans to implement a nationwide rural program on water use this year, said Vatsa, the disaster management official. “For every village we need to have water budgeting,” he said. “How much water is available? How much should be used for irrigation? How much should be used for your domestic purpose? That would determine what kind of crops you are going to plant.” Asked about possible resistance from farmers, who are a powerful voting bloc, he said: “There’s no other choice. The water table is just going down and at some point, it becomes completely unviable. The borewells fail.”

NDTV celebrates infrastructure growth at ‘Infrashakti Awards 2024’

The NDTV Infrashakti Awards 2024 celebrated India’s remarkable infrastructure growth story by honouring extraordinary initiatives. Speaking at the event, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, revealed that India would launch the first phase of a GPS and satellite-based toll system in the next three months, before implementing it nationwide. During a fireside chat with NDTV’s CEO and Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia, Mr Gadkari spoke at length about the importance of tackling pollution in India by promoting non-polluting sources for personal and public transportation. The NDTV Infrashakti Awards were created to inspire innovation and excellence across the country by recognising individual and institutional initiatives. A significant component of the Infrashakti campaign, the awards focused on celebrating stories behind India’s infrastructural advancements. From engineering marvels to sustainable urban planning, the awards honoured exceptional contributions that defined the nation’s growth. Gadkari spoke on the importance of tackling pollution in India by promoting non-polluting sources for personal and public transportation. The Union Minister highlighted the government’s initiatives, including the promotion of electric scooters, cars, and buses, as well as the need to expand the use of bio and alternative fuels. Gadkari mentioned ongoing projects like electric trolley buses in Nagpur and the adoption of hybrid engines in construction equipment, which operate on diesel and CNG. He also stressed how the potential of tractors powered by ethanol, methanol, CNG, and electricity was set to revolutionise the agricultural sector, benefiting farmers significantly within the next year. “Green hydrogen is the future,” Gadkari stated, envisioning India as an exporter of energy rather than an importer. Pranav Adani, Managing Director (Agro, Oil and Gas) and Director, Adani Enterprises, while delivering the keynote address spoke on the transformative power of infrastructure, mentioning “Human history, whether ancient or modern, shows us that infrastructure is the fundamental key to all the progress.” The NDTV Infrashakti Awards 2024 comprised six jury-selected categories and one popular choice/viewers’ choice category. The categories include Rural Infra Pioneer, Renewable Energy Star, Water Saviour, Urban Infra Hero, Infra Visionary, and Transport Trailblazer. The public can also vote for the Inclusive Infrastructure category in the popular choice award, which allows everyone to make their voice heard. The awards were judged by an esteemed panel of five jury members – Dr. Bibek Debroy, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister; Renu Sud Karnad, Chairperson, GSK Pharmaceuticals and former MD and current non-executive Director of HDFC Bank Ltd; Dilip Cherian, image guru specialising in Litigation Landscaping and Policy Analyst; Gul Panag, actor, sustainability advocate, and social activist; and Professor G Raghuram, Professor Emeritus at Gujarat Maritime University. The stellar guest list also included Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri as the Guest of Honour. The minister, in conversation with NDTV’s Marya Shakil, laid emphasis on India’s growing focus and shift to green energy, while adding, “No matter which way you look at it, if you look at green energy, the transition, biofuels… look at the 15 per cent transition we have done. We did 15 per cent biofuel blending. And we are solving the problem in agriculture,” With this Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri presented NDTV Infrashakti Lifetime Achievement Award for Connecting India to E Sreedharan, the “Metro Man” of India. Anuj Dayal, Executive Director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, accepted the award on Sreedharan’s behalf. The Infrashakti Award for Rural Infra Pioneer went to the CEO of DeHaat, Shashank Kumar, for his vision and commitment to leveraging technology for rural development, which has not only improved infrastructure but also revitalized rural economies, creating a ripple effect of socio-economic benefits. The NDTV Infrashakti Award for Inclusive Infrastructure was awarded to Swarga Foundation. Swarnalatha J, on receiving the award, remarked, “People call me by different names. I am here to tell the whole world that I am not just special because of my disability but because of my ability to turn every adversity into an opportunity.” Arun Krishnamurthy, recipient of the NDTV Infrashakti Award for Water Saviour, has been a beacon of hope in water conservation and management. His dedication to environmental stewardship underscores the critical importance of water conservation in India’s development agenda. The NDTV Infrashakti Award for Renewable Energy Star went to Pankaj Kumar and Siddhant Agarwal of Quant Solar. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri also presented NDTV Infrashakti Award for Infrastructure Financier to the State Bank of India. The Infrashakti Award for Transport Trailblazer was given to Afcons Infrastructure for innovative solutions, significant contributions to the transport infrastructure sector and for setting new benchmarks in project execution and management Sudhanshu Mani was honoured as Infrashakti Infravisionary, for his visionary initiatives that have not only addressed critical challenges but have also propelled India towards sustainable and inclusive growth. Sandeep Patel, Founder of Nepra, received the Urban Infra Hero Award for his instrumental leadership in pioneering projects that enhance liveability and resilience in urban centres, setting a new standard for integrated urban development. Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlighted the urgency of addressing climate change. “If there’s a takeaway from the summer we just had, with its persistent heatwaves and unprecedented floods, it’s that climate change is real and constant. We can’t keep blaming climate change; we must ensure our infrastructure development is sustainable and mitigates the impact.” The NDTV Infrashakti Awards 2024 showcased the pulse of a vibrant country by recognising and celebrating the efforts of those transforming India’s infrastructure landscape. By acknowledging infrastructure development, which has the power to change lives and connect communities, these awards serve as guiding beacon for a Viksit Bharat. The NDTV Infrashakti Awards aim to inspire further innovation and excellence in the sector, honouring the visionaries driving India’s growth story and contributing vastly to a sustainable future.

Lack of heat-related death numbers shows that India is unprepared for the next crisis

Though India experienced one of its worst summers with record heatwave days and prolonged warm night periods since April across the country, a reliable estimate of how many lives were lost is not available. This implies India would remain unprepared to deal with a similar crisis next year because the magnitude of what actually happened has not been recorded. India experienced one of its worst summers with record heatwave days and prolonged warm night periods since April across the country (HT ARCHIVE)PREMIUM India experienced one of its worst summers with record heatwave days and prolonged warm night periods since April across the country (HT ARCHIVE) Most estimates suggest India is grossly underestimating death numbers, given that non-optimal temperature (unusually high or low temperatures associated with mortality rates) ranks among the top 20 risk factors for death in India as per the Global Burden of Disease 2021. For children, this is among the top five risk factors. The Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) is the largest and most detailed scientific effort ever conducted to quantify levels and trends in health. Led by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, it provides estimates of all-cause mortality — deaths by cause, years of life lost and years with disability among others. Continue reading with HT Premium Subscription Daily E Paper I Premium Articles I Brunch E Magazine I Daily Infographics Subscribe Now @1199/year freemium

‘I’m in hell’: How rising heat is amplifying India’s social divides

Patna, India — Satendra Kumar had been feeling unwell during the recent prolonged heatwave, sweating in his family’s one-room hut, but forced himself to go to work to repay the loan he had taken out for his daughter’s marriage. May 30, a Thursday, was particularly searing as he rode his bicycle to the workshop where he was employed as a carpenter in Aspura, 59km (37 miles) from Patna, the capital of Bihar state. Once there, his health deteriorated, and Kumar asked his manager for a rare half-day off. On the way home, he lost consciousness under the scorching sun, falling off his bike less than 1km away from his home. By evening, his family’s frantic search for Kumar ended in a nearby government-run health centre, where he lay dead. If you ask Suraj Kumar, 21, what killed his father, it was the “unbearable heat”. The doctor noted the same in their postmortem report. “I’m leaving my studies and looking for a job now,” said Suraj, speaking at the family home. “The loan repayments are on me as well as the household expenses.” Schools were ordered to shut and hospitals rushed to create “heat units” after temperatures in several areas of India’s north and south hovered around 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in May and June. The weeks-long heatwave killed more than 200 people and led to more than 40,000 suspected cases of heatstroke, according to data from India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. Experts and climate activists say the deaths are likely to be higher as local authorities may not correctly attribute some to heat. The effect of record-breaking heatwaves has been disproportionately unequal, reinforcing divides within Indian society along caste and class lines, activists and researchers told Al Jazeera. “The exclusion from welfare on caste-basis discrimination, or its crisscross with class factors in India is so widespread that it touches you whether it is the state budgets, development programmes, or a disaster like a heatwave,” said Paul Divakar, a renowned Dalit activist from the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights. “It is not only the natural part of the heat but the deliberate situation that we build where people from marginalised backgrounds are not treated as equal citizens. And they are the most vulnerable to this deadly heat.” ‘How are we supposed to cope?’ The Kumar family of six had long dreamed of buying an air cooler for the 3.7-metre by 2-metre (12 feet by 7 feet) shanty, which Sanju Devi, Kumar’s 45-year-old wife, had made a home. The room has a gas stove to the right of the bed, although the family mostly cook indoors using cow dung as cooking fuel. Kitchen utensils are stuffed under the bed frame and, with their few belongings, they can pack up their lives in one suitcase, according to Devi. Their village of Aspura has nearly 500 homes predominantly belonging to Kumar’s community which has been woodworkers for generations. They are listed among what the country calls “Other Backward Classes” (OBC), however, a survey studying their socioeconomic conditions has recommended their inclusion in the “Scheduled Castes” category, which could make them eligible for more opportunities in areas such as employment and education. “Let alone food, we did not have money to buy wood for the cremation,” Devi said quietly as she spoke with Al Jazeera from her home in Aspura. “How are we supposed to cope with this heat?” Increasing temperatures and humidity have drastically affected the working hours for millions in India, said Avinash Chanchal, senior campaign manager at the environmental NGO Greenpeace India. Many now work fewer hours and their earnings have dropped significantly. “But at the same time, they have to spend more money on heat-related, may we say, adaptative measures,” he explained. A recent study by Greenpeace, in collaboration with the National Hawkers Federation, of the street vendors in the capital, New Delhi, found that 49.27 percent of respondents experienced a loss of income during heatwaves with 80.08 percent acknowledging a decline in customer numbers. ‘This city is becoming unbearable to live in’ The neighbourhood of Mustafabad is among New Delhi’s poorest areas and comprises informal settlements where many households and garages are engaged in waste management. Dua Khatoon was 18 when she married a dismantler in the area more than 40 years ago. She soon learned the basics of the trade as well, plucking copper wires from transmitters and circuit boards. The walls of her work area inside a garage have turned black from the smoke. When the heatwave struck this summer, the 59-year-old widow said she left her survival “up to the grace of Allah”. “This place feels like an oven; like I’m in hell,” she said, speaking inside her work area, the space littered with copper wire. “This city is becoming unbearable to live in. We don’t recognise this heat. It is very difficult to put into words this constant burn in your body. It feels like death.” Khatoon is paid 50 Indian rupees ($0.6) for sorting through 10kg of waste. In contrast, the rent for the house she shares with her two sons and their families is 9,000 rupees ($110) per month. With their earnings, the family was able to buy an air cooler, with air conditioners unaffordable for most Indians. According to a government survey, the top 5 percent of the wealthiest Indians own 53 percent of the country’s air conditioners. The family has seen how dangerous venturing out into the sweltering heat to go to work can be. In June, Dua’s 28-year-old daughter-in-law Fozia said she had heatstroke while walking to a nearby well-off neighbourhood where she is employed as a domestic worker. “I couldn’t breathe and the vision was fading away fast,” Fozia recalled. “When I entered the owner’s home, their AC [air-conditioner] saved my life. I sat down to apply ice packs and took leave.” She was forced to take three days unpaid leave to recover. Deepening segregation in cities During their research with several communities in central India, Chanchal of Greenpeace said they found a lack of awareness regarding heat-related health issues. “Then there is literally zero intervention by the government … for these communities to deal with heat,” he said. The study on the heatwave’s effect on Delhi’s street vendors revealed that 97.6 percent of street vendors needed access to medical facilities, 95.9 percent lacked proper washroom facilities, and 91.5 percent did not have access to adequate drinking water. “The government does not appear to be preparing for this crisis,” Chanchal said. “They don’t have any concrete plans in place.” In fast-deteriorating climate conditions, Divakar, the Dalit activist, said the survival of marginalised communities is also stacked against the basic architecture of Indian cities, which have increasingly become segregated in the last decades. “If we look at the socioeconomic conditions of these communities or how the places have been built, and how much breathing space is between them,” he said. “We can see a difference and the inequality.” Divakar, who has also worked with the victims of floods and droughts, said caste-based discrimination has again been reinforced by the recent heatwave. “We need policy regulation and stricter implementation of the existing guidelines. And strengthening the agency of the communities themselves,” he added. “With conscious investment in equity measures in every sphere of our life – from wages, access to civic development, to the financial inclusion.” Chanchal called for the government to create a legally binding heat-action plan, including “vulnerability mapping”, and “come up with the policies”. India is among the largest emitters of gases heating the planet and is highly vulnerable to climate effects. A report by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment found that the country experienced extreme weather on nearly 90 percent of days in 2023. Divakar noted the Indian government’s progressive standings on the global stage, including its commitments to the Paris Agreement to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. “But the government is not taking equity measures in these. Unless we do that, we are only treating climate as a problem of the elite while the most affected ones continue to die.”

Not politics, not interest rates: India's surging economy at risk from water

In the Vivekananda Camp slum, adjacent to the US embassy in New Delhi, communal taps supply brackish water for about two hours a day. Water delivered by tankers provides one additional bucket to each of its 1,000 residents for drinking and cooking. In parts of the arid state of Rajasthan, southwest of the Indian capital, tap water is available once every four days for an hour. In rural areas near Mumbai, women and children travel more than a mile to get water. Bengaluru, India's tech hub of 14 million people, reeled under a water shortage this year and had to rely on tanker deliveries. "We don't wash the floor or do the laundry for days sometimes," said Sampa Rai, a 38-year-old in Delhi's Vivekananda Camp, who scrambles before dawn every day to meet the first tanker delivering water. "Not even the dishes. We have to manage with what we have." The world's most populous nation has suffered from water shortages for decades, but crises are coming around with increasing frequency. This year, for example, the summer has been one of the hottest on record and the crunch has worsened with rivers and lakes drying up and the water table falling. The shortages are affecting rural and urban Indians alike, disrupting agriculture and industry, stoking food inflation and risking social unrest. Contaminated water kills about 200,000 Indians each year, according to the government. People and the economy are suffering. That is adding urgency to public and private-sector efforts to conserve the resource, find ways to recycle waste water and reduce the country’s over-reliance on the annual monsoon, especially in the agricultural sector. Ratings agency Moody's warned last week that India's growing water stress could affect its growth, which at a projected 7.2% this April-March fiscal year is the highest among major economies. "Decreases in water supply can disrupt agricultural production and industrial operations, resulting in inflation in food prices and declines in income for affected businesses and workers, especially farmers, while sparking social unrest," Moody's said. The government plans to more than triple waste water recycling by the end of the decade to 70%, according to a federal government policy document dated Oct. 21, 2023 that listed priorities for the next five years. Krishna S. Vatsa, a senior official at the state-run National Disaster Management Authority, confirmed the targets in an interview last week. Authorities also plan to cut the extraction of fresh water - ground water and surface water from rivers and lakes - to less than 50% by the end of the decade from 66%, the highest rate in the world, said the document, which has not been made public and was reviewed by Reuters. It will also launch a national village-level programme this year to recommend crops to farmers based on local water availability, Vatsa said. Details of plans to address the water crisis have not been previously reported. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already ordered authorities to build or refurbish at least 75 lakes in each of the 785 districts of the country. The government says work has been started or completed on more than 83,000 lakes. Experts say such lakes can help recharge the water table. Modi launched a near $50-billion programme in 2019 to provide all rural households with tap water. The government says it has now covered 77% of more than 193 million such families, up from 17% five years ago, but residents and experts say not all pipes have water. "It makes the issue of conservation far more urgent," Vatsa said. "You cannot sustain such a national pipeline without the availability of water. The pipes will run dry." He agreed some taps could already be dry. WATER STRESSED India relies substantially on the annual monsoon for its 1.42 billion people and its largely rural-based economy, where water-intensive crops like rice, wheat and sugarcane take up more than 80% of the overall supply. The monsoon itself is prone to severe and extreme weather conditions. Catchment areas are getting scarce because of rapid urbanisation, so even in a good monsoon, much of the rainwater drains off into the sea. India's annual per capita water availability, at about 1,486 cubic metres, is set to fall to 1,367 cubic metres by 2031 as its population grows, government projections show. The country has been "water stressed", defined as per capita availability of less than 1,700 cubic metres, since 2011. "We have a crisis now every year," said Depinder Singh Kapur at Indian research body Centre for Science and Environment. "Earlier it used to be drought years versus normal years, now a water crisis is happening every year and with more intensity." There are pockets where private enterprise is addressing the crisis. In Nagpur, a city of 3 million people, the Vishvaraj Group said it helped build a $100 million plant in 2020 that treats 200 million litres of sewage per day, extracting 190 million litres of treated water that it sells to two thermal power plants. Founder Arun Lakhani said the freed up fresh water will be enough to take care of the expected population growth of the city for the next 35 years. Some industries are investing in waste water recycling and rain harvesting to cut their dependence on fresh water. Tata Steel plans to cut its fresh water consumption to less than 1.5 cubic meters per tonne of crude steel produced at its Indian operations by 2030, from about 2.5 cubic metres now. JSW Steel also has similar plans. "At least to plug the gaps in urban areas, treated waste water is going to be one important resource that we need to start acknowledging," said Nitin Bassi at Indian think-tank The Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Experts say nearly 90% of water supplied to homes can be recycled, but infrastructure for water distribution and sewage treatment has failed to match the growth of major cities and untreated waste ultimately flows into rivers. Modi's administration is adding sewage treatment capacity to lift the current rate of 44% in urban areas so more water can be recycled and used in industries, agriculture and other areas. Between 2021 and 2026, it plans to invest about $36 billion to ensure equitable water distribution, reuse of waste-water and mapping of water bodies, the government has said. THIRSTY FARMS The cultivation of crops like rice in semi-arid states has led to rampant extraction of groundwater through borewells and steep falls in water tables, according to government and industry officials. "The elephant in the room is agriculture," said Lakhani of Vishvaraj. "We still use flood irrigation, we are not on drip or sprinkler irrigation. If we save just 10% water used in agriculture, it will take care of water problems of all the Indian cities." The government plans to implement a nationwide rural programme on water use this year, said Vatsa, the disaster management official. "For every village we need to have water budgeting," he said. "How much water is available? How much should be used for irrigation? How much should be used for your domestic purpose? That would determine what kind of crops you are going to plant." Asked about possible resistance from farmers, who are a powerful voting bloc, he said: "There's no other choice. The water table is just going down and at some point it becomes completely unviable. The borewells fail."

Delhi breathes easier as air gets better due to strong winds, rain

NEW DELHI: Delhiites breathed the cleanest air since Sept 11 last year, as the air quality index (AQI) dipped to 61 in the 'satisfactory' category on Thursday. A lower AQI than this was seen on Sept 11 when it was 53. Rain, along with strong winds, cleaned the air. Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB's air laboratory, said, "Rain is the cause for the low AQI. However, it doesn't mean that the air pollutants have disappeared. It is a common phenomenon that rain washes everything away; that's the beauty of the sub-tropical region. However, when there will be no rain, the pollution will bounce back." He added, "To reduce the emissions, everyone has to work throughout the year." Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment, said, "This is very typical of the monsoon season. Consistent and prolonged rain has a washout effect that cleans up the air. In seasonal comparison, monsoon months are usually the cleanest." The Central Pollution Control Board's data shows that Sept 2023 had witnessed nine 'satisfactory' days and one 'good' day when the AQI touched 45 on Sept 10. Oct last year saw one 'satisfactory' day with an AQI of 89 on Oct 17. However, no 'satisfactory' day was seen from Oct 18, 2023, to June 26 this year. The first 'satisfactory' day of the year was recorded on June 27 with an AQI of 79. No 'good' air day has been seen in 2024 till now. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the air quality is likely to remain 'satisfactory' until July 7 and then for subsequent six days, it may stay in the 'satisfactory' to 'moderate' category.

5 Hry cities among India’s most polluted in June

Gurgaon: Haryana accounted for over half of India’s top 10 most polluted cities in June for at least ten days of the month, and Gurgaon wasn’t one of them — underscoring just how air pollution has festered in areas surrounding the capital though they don’t get as much attention as Delhi-NCR. According to a report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Rohtak, which shares a border with Delhi, was the most polluted among 251 Indian cities included in the study. Rohtak’s average concentration of particulate matter 2.5 (tiny particles that can be inhaled) for June was 116µg/m³, more than twice the level considered safe in India (60µg/m³). The city’s daily PM2.5 levels exceeded this safety standard every day of the month as well. Of the 60 cities that were in the top 10 most polluted in June, Rohtak featured 28 times, followed by Charkhi Dadri and Panchkula (16 times), Ballabhgarh (11 times) and Faridabad (10 times). Gurgaon made it to the list nine times, and Delhi four times, the report said. Experts said on Thursday that alarming levels of pollution in cities across the country showed how persistent the problem was. “Throughout June, a total of 60 cities appeared on the daily most polluted cities list. Among these, 23 cities made the list at least five times. Only Faridabad is under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP). Other cities are not included in the plan, so no measures will be taken to achieve clean air targets,” said Sunil Dahiya, analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). NCAP, introduced in 2019, shortlisted 130 cities where the air quality did not meet the national ambient air quality standards from 2011 to 2015. Funds are provided to municipalities of these cities to achieve clean air targets, under the programme. Asked about pollution in Haryana, a state pollution control board official told TOI on Thursday that each city has its “specific plan” to cut sources of pollutants. “We have city-specific plans to mitigate winter pollution and overall air pollution, but we will have an even more targeted approach when we get results of the source apportionment study in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Sonipat and Panipat. This study is likely to be completed by the end of August. It will help us implement cost effective measures to tackle local sources of pollution,” the HSPCB official said. The report also found that cities that are included in NCAP were unable to meet their targets to curb air pollution in June too. Of the 96 NCAP cities with adequate data, 89 met India’s daily safety standard of PM2.5 level, but 88 of them could not meet World Health Organization’s standard of 15 µg/m³ in June. The only city that also met the WHO standard was Aizawl, Mizoram. “This indicates that even the cities under NCAP, which aims to reduce PM concentrations by 20-30% by 2024, are facing challenges in meeting the desired air quality targets,” Dahiya said. Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said India will need to make a concerted effort to reduce air pollution in cities across the country. Stricter enforcement of emission standards, promotion of clean technologies, and public awareness campaigns are crucial to combat this menace,” Tiwari said. India is the world’s second most polluted country where fine particulate air pollution (PM 2.5) shortens an average citizen’s life expectancy by 5.3 years, according to the Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) report by the University of Chicago in 2021.

Not politics, not interest rates: India's surging economy at risk from water

In the Vivekananda Camp slum, adjacent to the U.S. embassy in New Delhi, communal taps supply brackish water for about two hours a day. Water delivered by tankers provides one additional bucket to each of its 1,000 residents for drinking and cooking. In parts of the arid state of Rajasthan, southwest of the Indian capital, tap water is available once every four days for an hour. In rural areas near Mumbai, women and children travel more than a mile to get water. Bengaluru, India's tech hub of 14 million people, reeled under a water shortage this year and had to rely on tanker deliveries. "We don't wash the floor or do the laundry for days sometimes," said Sampa Rai, a 38-year-old in Delhi's Vivekananda Camp, who scrambles before dawn every day to meet the first tanker delivering water. "Not even the dishes. We have to manage with what we have." The world's most populous nation has suffered from water shortages for decades, but crises are coming around with increasing frequency. This year, for example, the summer has been one of the hottest on record and the crunch has worsened with rivers and lakes drying up and the water table falling. The shortages are affecting rural and urban Indians alike, disrupting agriculture and industry, stoking food inflation and risking social unrest. Contaminated water kills about 200,000 Indians each year, according to the government. People and the economy are suffering. That is adding urgency to public and private-sector efforts to conserve the resource, find ways to recycle waste water and reduce the country's over-reliance on the annual monsoon, especially in the agricultural sector. Ratings agency Moody's warned last week that India's growing water stress could affect its growth, which at a projected 7.2% this April-March fiscal year is the highest among major economies. "Decreases in water supply can disrupt agricultural production and industrial operations, resulting in inflation in food prices and declines in income for affected businesses and workers, especially farmers, while sparking social unrest," Moody's said. The government plans to more than triple waste water recycling by the end of the decade to 70%, according to a federal government policy document dated Oct. 21, 2023 that listed priorities for the next five years. Krishna S. Vatsa, a senior official at the state-run National Disaster Management Authority, confirmed the targets in an interview last week. Authorities also plan to cut the extraction of fresh water - ground water and surface water from rivers and lakes - to less than 50% by the end of the decade from 66%, the highest rate in the world, said the document, which has not been made public and was reviewed by Reuters. It will also launch a national village-level programme this year to recommend crops to farmers based on local water availability, Vatsa said. Details of plans to address the water crisis have not been previously reported. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already ordered authorities to build or refurbish at least 75 lakes in each of the 785 districts of the country. The government says work has been started or completed on more than 83,000 lakes. Experts say such lakes can help recharge the water table. Modi launched a near $50-billion programme in 2019 to provide all rural households with tap water. The government says it has now covered 77% of more than 193 million such families, up from 17% five years ago, but residents and experts say not all pipes have water. "It makes the issue of conservation far more urgent," Vatsa said. "You cannot sustain such a national pipeline without the availability of water. The pipes will run dry." He agreed some taps could already be dry. WATER STRESSED India relies substantially on the annual monsoon for its 1.42 billion people and its largely rural-based economy, where water-intensive crops like rice, wheat and sugarcane take up more than 80% of the overall supply. The monsoon itself is prone to severe and extreme weather conditions. Catchment areas are getting scarce because of rapid urbanisation, so even in a good monsoon, much of the rainwater drains off into the sea. India's annual per capita water availability, at about 1,486 cubic metres, is set to fall to 1,367 cubic metres by 2031 as its population grows, government projections show. The country has been "water stressed", defined as per capita availability of less than 1,700 cubic metres, since 2011. "We have a crisis now every year," said Depinder Singh Kapur at Indian research body Centre for Science and Environment. "Earlier it used to be drought years versus normal years, now a water crisis is happening every year and with more intensity." There are pockets where private enterprise is addressing the crisis. In Nagpur, a city of 3 million people, the Vishvaraj Group said it helped build a $100 million plant in 2020 that treats 200 million litres of sewage per day, extracting 190 million litres of treated water that it sells to two thermal power plants. Founder Arun Lakhani said the freed up fresh water will be enough to take care of the expected population growth of the city for the next 35 years. Some industries are investing in waste water recycling and rain harvesting to cut their dependence on fresh water. Tata Steel plans to cut its fresh water consumption to less than 1.5 cubic meters per tonne of crude steel produced at its Indian operations by 2030, from about 2.5 cubic metres now. JSW Steel also has similar plans. "At least to plug the gaps in urban areas, treated waste water is going to be one important resource that we need to start acknowledging," said Nitin Bassi at Indian think-tank The Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Experts say nearly 90% of water supplied to homes can be recycled, but infrastructure for water distribution and sewage treatment has failed to match the growth of major cities and untreated waste ultimately flows into rivers. Modi's administration is adding sewage treatment capacity to lift the current rate of 44% in urban areas so more water can be recycled and used in industries, agriculture and other areas. Between 2021 and 2026, it plans to invest about $36 billion to ensure equitable water distribution, reuse of waste-water and mapping of water bodies, the government has said. THIRSTY FARMS The cultivation of crops like rice in semi-arid states has led to rampant extraction of groundwater through borewells and steep falls in water tables, according to government and industry officials. "The elephant in the room is agriculture," said Lakhani of Vishvaraj. "We still use flood irrigation, we are not on drip or sprinkler irrigation. If we save just 10% water used in agriculture, it will take care of water problems of all the Indian cities." The government plans to implement a nationwide rural programme on water use this year, said Vatsa, the disaster management official. "For every village we need to have water budgeting," he said. "How much water is available? How much should be used for irrigation? How much should be used for your domestic purpose? That would determine what kind of crops you are going to plant." Asked about possible resistance from farmers, who are a powerful voting bloc, he said: "There's no other choice. The water table is just going down and at some point it becomes completely unviable. The borewells fail."