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Groundwater table rose by 3m in Nilothi, Najafgarh: Report on Delhi lakes

The report, ‘Back from the Brink: Rejuvenating India’s Lakes, Ponds, and Tanks – A Compendium of Success Stories’, looked at 250 water bodies from 22 states. The Delhi government’s lake revival project, based on recycling treated wastewater, has been successful in southwest Delhi, where the groundwater table has increased by up to 6 metres in the last three years, a new study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found. The study, which looked at successful lake rejuvenation models across the country, found the groundwater table had increased by around 6 metres at Pappankalan, by around 4 metres at Nilothi and by 3 metres and at Najafgarh through the artificial lakes created there by the government in 2021. The report, titled “Back from the Brink: Rejuvenating India’s Lakes, Ponds, and Tanks – A Compendium of Success Stories”, looked at around 250 water bodies from 22 different states. The report said that the idea in Delhi was to fill the water bodies with treated effluents. “To ensure that lakes and water bodies remain filled throughout in Delhi, which has just 50-odd rainy days a year, DJB connected the revived and new water bodies to the sewage treatment plants wherever possible,” said the report, adding that efforts have also been made to ensure high percolation into the ground. These efforts include adding a sandy layer at the base, particularly where clay content was high. The model highlights how Delhi created lakes next to existing STPs that treat the water at multiple levels before pumping it. Two lakes have been created near the Pappankalan STP, one next to the Najafgarh STP and three near the Nilothi STP. Though a lake has also been created next to the Dwarka STP, no groundwater data was available as a piezometer was installed only recently. “The lakes have been designed so that there is effective percolation into the ground. In Dwarka, clay and kankar form the top layer up to a depth of 4 metres below ground level, followed by kankar and silt up to a depth of 68 metres below ground level. The presence of clay in the subsoil can hinder percolation of water to below the ground. DJB worked on improving the percolation property of the soil, and the bases of the lakes were rectified by addition of a sand layer,” the report added. The increase in water was assessed using piezometers installed near the lakes that measure water pressure under the ground along with the increase in groundwater table over time. The increase in the groundwater table has also recently been highlighted by the Central Groundwater Board (CGWB), which in its latest report from January 2024, revealed that the number of “safe” tehsils in Delhi had gone up between 2022 and 2023 and the number of zones classified as “over-exploited” dropped. Of Delhi’s 34 tehsils, 13 were classified as “over-exploited” in 2023, the CGWB report said, down from the 15 such tehsils recorded in 2022. The number of safe tehsils is now five, compared to four in 2022. CSE referred to Delhi government data, which said that its 37 operational STPs produce around 500 million gallons per day of water which can be used to revive more water bodies. “This recycled water can be stored in the proposed lakes and water bodies, and further used to reduce the deficit of 200 MGD of water annually faced by Delhi,” the report added. Sushmita Sengupta, senior programme manager of the water programme at CSE, said Delhi has given a good example of water conservation using simple practices. “The project includes filling water bodies with treated wastewater which was previously mixed with the nearby drain. This helps in recharging the groundwater in the nearby borewells. The piezometers near Najafgarh and Pappankalan have shown an increase of as much as 3-4 metres in one year,” she said. The government began reviving lakes across the Capital as part of its “City of Lakes” project in 2019. The DJB, in an affidavit to the National Green Tribunal, said the government was planning to revive around 155 such water bodies.

Waste burning rampant, rain fails to flush out air pollutants

Gurgaon: Intermittent showers and strong winds have failed to clean up the city’s air. In fact, it has deteriorated from ‘satisfactory’ on June 23 to ‘moderate’ on Wednesday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. While the primary reason for this has been cited by environmentalists as burning of waste in open areas, a TOI visit on Wednesday also revealed rampant burning of garbage across the city. The city’s air quality index (AQI) remained in the ‘moderate’ category on Wednesday at 165, up from Tuesday’s 113. Teri Gram station recorded an AQI of 232 on Wednesday, followed by 170 at Sector 51 and 98 at Gwalpahari. Vikas Sadan’s data was not recorded. Residents alleged that shopkeepers, garbage collectors and sanitation workers among others are found setting trash on fire in open areas. Several areas across the city have become hotspots for waste burning, which include Atlas Chowk, areas off Dwarka Expressway, Ghata, and sectors 38, 48, 55, 56, and 65. “Smoke released from burning leaves and trash contains PM10, a coarse particle that can penetrate deep into lungs. Moreover, the burning of waste on open grounds releases various pollutants into the atmosphere, such as PM2.5, PM10, nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide,” Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Garbage and plastic items are found burnt frequently in Udyog Vihar too, one of the big office hubs in the region. “Garbage is found burnt in Udyog Vihar mostly in the late evenings or early mornings. Massive plumes of smoke are seen in the area when people travel to their offices and return home,” said Saloni Kumar who wears a mask while commuting to Udyog Vihar. She said she has been suffering from coughing and congestion because of air pollution. “In new sectors, there is no mechanism to clean roads or maintain green belts. There is hardly any garbage disposal system in place. So, people choose the easy option — burning the waste,” said Satish Saha, a resident of Sector 88. Two months ago, MCG had shared three WhatsApp numbers — 7290097521, 7290076135, and 7290088125 — for citizens to register their complaints on waste burning and improper sanitation. HSPCB, when contacted by TOI, said they are taking action to curb waste burning in open areas. “We have asked municipal corporations to take steps to curb garbage burning incidents,” HSPCB regional officer (Gurgaon) Vijay Chaudhary said.

Digitalisation is revolutionising faecal sludge and septage management in India

Digital monitoring helps optimise collection routes, manage treatment facilities effectively and ensure compliance with environmental standards, among other benefits India has achieved a milestone of implementing more than 1,000 faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP) but sustainaining the same remains a key issue. This suggests that faecal sludge and septage management (FSSM) cannot be restricted to creating infrastructure – it also needs an enabling environment for the system to run smoothly and efficiently. In recent years, digital monitoring in FSSM has been seen as a game changer. It has been deemed crucial for creating efficient and sustainable sanitation solutions. Incorporating technologies such as sensors, real-time data tracking and geographic information systems (GIS), municipalities can monitor the entire FSSM chain. This includes the collection, transportation, treatment and reuse / disposal processes. Digital monitoring helps optimise collection routes, manage treatment facilities effectively and ensure compliance with environmental standards. It also enables the timely identification of potential issues, such as system failures or overloads, allowing for prompt interventions and preventing environmental contamination. Overall, the implementation of digital monitoring in faecal sludge management enhances operational transparency, resource efficiency, and the overall effectiveness of sanitation practices. One key area of the process that has benefitted from digitalisation is data collection and mapping. Geographic Information System (GIS) technology is instrumental in mapping sanitation infrastructure, including containment systems and treatment facilities. The spatial data provided by GIS allows authorities to undergo effective planning. Mobile applications such as SaniTab, mWater, Google Forms, and Kobo Toolbox streamline field surveys and data collection, making the process more efficient and accurate. These tools enable field workers to collect and transmit data in real time, ensuring that the information is current and reliable. Further, the concentration of containment systems can be easily identified with the help of satellite imagery and remote sensing technologies. This capability is crucial for implementing targeted interventions, ensuring that resources are allocated to areas most in need. In desludging services, GPS tracking technology proves invaluable. A digital dashboard with GPS tracking makes real-time movement of desludging trucks possible. This enables authorities to track the efficiency of these services, identify areas with higher demand and optimise service routes for better coverage. The system needs a dedicated feature to avoid theft and security issues. In Odisha, for instance, all cesspool vehicles are equipped with GPS monitoring mechanisms and are overseen through the Smart Cities command and control centre in Bhubaneshwar. Similarly, in Wai and Sinnar in Maharashtra, an app called SaniTrack is used to monitor desludging services, setting a best practice example.Many other Indian cities have followed suit, adopting similar mechanisms to improve their FSSM services. Monitoring the performance of the treatment system is another critical area where digital tools contribute to successful FSSM. Digital sensors installed in treatment plants monitor various parameters, such as sludge and water levels, treatment efficiency and overall system performance. The real-time data generated by these sensors enable prompt responses to operational issues, ensuring that any problems are addressed quickly. Odisha has been a pioneer in adopting digital solutions for FSSM. The eastern state launched a programme called Sustainable Urban Services in a Jiffy by the Odisha Government (SUJOG) which is powered by a free, open-source platform called Digital Infrastructure for Governance, Impact and Transformation (DIGIT) developed by the eGov foundation. It enables the collection of data, allowing for gaps and areas of improvement to be identified across the sanitation value chain. Data analytics has enhanced decision-making in FSSM. The huge amount of data generated from sensors, monitoring devices and other sources can be analysed using big data techniques. This analysis provides insights into trends, patterns and potential issues, so that authorities can make more strategic and effective decisions. To make the process easier, Faecal Sludge Management Alliance (FSMA) has developed a platform called FSM Tool Box, which provides 360-degree knowledge about planning, design and implementation of FSSM ranging from technical, financial, administrative, regulatory aspects. Similarly, Athena Infonomics has developed a tool called EquiServe — a common analytical platform that decision-makers can use to reflect on the current situation, discuss and explore different service model options. Another tool called Shit Flow Diagram (SFD), which is seen as an analytical tool, helps in assessment of the sanitation situation of a town as well as support in advocacy and monitoring. Delhi-based think tank, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), has been in the frontline in preparing SFDs of many cities in India as well as the Global South, making FSSM sustainable in these places. Public awareness and engagement are also being raised through digitalisation. Different digital communication channels are used for public awareness campaigns, helping disseminate information about proper sanitation practices, the importance of regular emptying, among other things. Electronic media, podcasts, webinars, FM, social media platforms further enhance community involvement by enabling citizens to report sanitation issues, raise awareness and promote behavioural changes. Municipalities across Indian states have been doing this nicely through utilisation of local resources. A campaign called ‘MALASUR’ designed by BBC Media Action is a great example of this outreach. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of digital solutions for capacity building and advocacy, especially in the sanitation sector. With restrictions on physical gatherings and need for social distancing, the development of e-learning platforms has become crucial. These platforms enable continuous training, knowledge dissemination and advocacy, ensuring that personnel involved in FSSM have access to the latest information and skills necessary for efficient management. In recent past years, we learnt to maximise the outreach through digital platforms like Zoom, MS Teams, Moodle, Coursera, among others. CSE, for instance, is running many online short-term courses on different themes. These courses and related resource material are easily accessible on the Moodle platform. Towards equipping officials as well as to serve the purpose of knowledge dissemination, organisations created easy-to-access web-based platforms such as Menu on Un-Networked Technologies (MOUNT) and the Sanitation Capacity Building Platform (SCBP). These platforms offer comprehensive training material, case studies, research, publications etc that allows an uninterrupted learning and professional development. MOUNT is an aggregator platform divided into four categories – Onsite Sanitation System, Decentralised Wastewater Treatment, Faecal Sludge Management and In-situ treatment. The categories include numerous technologies and respective best management practices from India and Global South. This digital revolution in FSSM is not without challenges: Integration of digital solutions in any existing infrastructure requires a significant capital investment. Municipalities struggling with finances might not adopt such innovative solutions. Hacking and tracking of softwares have become common. So, there might be chances of privacy breaches and loss / theft of collected data. To get the competitive and advance data, regular technological modifications will be needed or they will be obsolete quickly. Digital tools can work better in the core area of a town and face challenges in fringe areas because of poor internet connectivity and power supply. The major challenge with municipalities is that they don’t have enough resources to operate and maintain such digital solutions. There is always uncertainty regarding who will be responsible for long-run sustainability of these systems. Experts in the field of sustainable FSSM have offered their suggestions to bridge these gaps. First, all cities with FSSM infrastructure should develop a digital dashboard for tracking and monitoring the desludging services and treatment efficiency of the FSTP. Both private and government owned desludging vehicles should be equipped with the GPS system. Second, state-level monitoring systems should track the performance of all FSTP regularly. A digital helpline number as well as online grievance redressal cell should be set up. Third, digital monitoring solutions should be incorporated at the time of planning an FSSM project and budgetary aspects of the same to be furnished. This will provide a smooth and timely installation. Fourth, the state or municipality should develop a proper mechanism for ensuring privacy and security of the data and information collected. Fifth, there should be a dedicated skilled team to operate and maintain these digital systems. They should be trained properly. And finally, municipalities can develop a mechanism for selling by-products online, so that farmers or any other needy person can raise a request digitally. Digital solutions also enable timely interventions, preventing environmental hazards and optimizing service delivery, and are pivotal in creating a sanitation system that benefits both communities and the environment. We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

Delhi's Firefighters: Braving Flames in a Record-Breaking Summer

Indervir Singh has worked for the Delhi Fire Services for 32 years but he can't recall responding to as many fires as this summer. Temperatures in the Indian capital, home to around 20 million people, have hit record highs this year, with the mercury hitting nearly 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on several occasions. Calls reporting fires between April and June more than doubled from a year ago to over 9,000, fire services data show. And deaths from fires more than tripled in that period, from just 10 a year ago. Many of the blazes are in Delhi's teeming old quarters, where the narrow lanes are chock-a-block with shops and homes, with webs of electricity cables and other wires hanging from poles. "I have attended to several back-to-back calls" on recent shifts, said the grey-haired Singh, 54, before he rushed to the scene of yet another blaze in his thick jacket, heavy boots and red helmet. Singh was one of over a dozen firefighters and officers interviewed by Reuters, many of whom described working in "doubly" strenuous conditions of extreme heat and numerous fires. Shifts for firefighters are 24 hours long, followed by a day of rest. Senior officers work three full-day shifts at a time and then take a day off. "Some weeks, we have to take leave just to get some sleep," said Ajay Sharma, an officer in northwestern Delhi. Fire officers say electrical failures are responsible for nearly three-quarters of the blazes this summer. With Delhi sweating through what the federal weather office says is one of its longest heat waves on record, demand for air cooling has surged. The India Meteorological Department classified nine heat wave days in Delhi this June, up sharply from the historic norm of one during the month. Scientists say the heat is being worsened by human-driven climate change. Sales of air conditioning units in Delhi have grown at a compounded annual rate of 14% between 2018 and 2023, according to analytics firm GfK. Peak-power demand surged to an all-time high on June 19, government data show. Round-the-clock use of power-intensive appliances like air conditioning units puts severe strain on ageing wiring, while improper maintenance of cables and equipment can also lead to short circuits and start fires, said DFS director Atul Garg. Rajneesh Sareen, who runs the sustainable habitat program at Delhi's Centre for Science and Environment think-tank, said the city is ill-equipped to cope. "Delhi's infrastructure was not originally built to take on the kind of extreme conditions we're seeing right now," he said. OLD DELHI FIRES Reuters accompanied Singh to the scene of a fire on a sweltering day in June. Shortly after receiving a call for help via the DFS control room, Singh's team of six firefighters jumped aboard a red fire truck. Its siren blared as it raced down the streets, with Singh using a microphone to order vehicles to make way.

As India reels under a water crisis, a CSE survey unveils some good news: the country’s lakes and ponds are on a revival route

India’s waterbodies are marking a turnaround: many of those that had been severely polluted or encroached upon or had dried up over the years, are now being revived and rejuvenated, thanks to a basket of government schemes as well as private and community initiatives – finds a new nation-wide survey done by researchers at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The findings of the survey, captured in a book titled ‘Back from the Brink: Rejuvenating India’s lakes, ponds and tanks – a compendium of success stories’, was released here today at a national symposium. Speaking at the event, CSE director general Sunita Narain said: “We need to relearn the art of the waterbody, of our lakes, tanks and ponds. It is an opportunity for us – we can turn around the water story of India, particularly in today’s time of climate change; this is what this book from CSE tells us. But there is a lot more that needs to be done. We need to scale up our work for investing in local water systems to capture every drop of rain so that we can build local resilience against drought. In our cities, we need to revive our lakes and ponds, the sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain-flood and ensure it does not turn into wasted water. We need to protect our forests and green spaces as this is how water recharge will increase.” Narain added: “It is also critical in these times of water stress not only to make sure that wastewater – sewage – is treated, but it is recycled and reused. It is here the waterbodies that we protect in our cities, the same ponds and tanks that we use to divert and harvest rainwater, could be used to channelise the treated sewage and, in turn, recharge groundwater.” The CSE survey Over a period of about a year, a CSE team reviewed 250 waterbodies – created and/or restored under 22 state-level programmes and five Central schemes – in four distinct ecological regions of India: Indo-Gangetic plains, the desert, coastal plains and the Deccan plateau. The schemes and programmes that have been covered include Mission Amrit Sarovar, AMRUT 2.0, the City of Lakes project in Delhi, and the Anaithu Grama Anna Marumalarchi Thittam (AGAMT) scheme of Tamil Nadu, among others. Out of the 250 waterbodies reviewed, about 140 stood out as best cases. Depinder S Kapur, programme director of CSE’s water programme, said: “India has 2,424,540 waterbodies, according to the country’s first census of these water resources which was published last year. Over 97 per cent of these are located in rural areas. These waterbodies, their catchments and their feeder channels act as critical groundwater recharge zones, control flooding, and are home to unique biodiversity.” He added: “The CSE survey and the resulting publication – our compendium of case studies – focuses on the lakes, ponds and tanks among these waterbodies that are used by communities. It is a documentation, a celebration of the successful revival of these waterbodies – of what has worked, what hasn’t, and what more can be done.” Sushmita Sengupta, senior programme manager, water programme, CSE and the lead writer of Back from the Brink, said: “What we have found is that political and bureaucratic-administrative will, along with community involvement, has been instrumental in successful revival of waterbodies. Some of the best restoration work has happened where district collectors or local political leaders have taken a special interest.” She added: “Among the programmes and schemes, Mission Amrit Sarovar has certainly turned the tide, while state-level projects have played a key role as well. A beginning has been made to stem the decline – but the momentum needs to be sustained. The CSE survey and our publication also proposes a set of recommendations to do just that.” What is the way ahead? Treat wastewater before it enters a waterbody: Lakes and waterbodies, in most cases, have become receptacles for untreated wastewater and sewage. The solution lies in treating the wastewater before it enters the waterbodies and tracking so that no faecal sludge enters the waterbody. Says Kapur: “The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 has the provision of recycling and reuse of the wastewater along with the rejuvenation of waterbodies. Funds under this Mission can be used effectively by all states to restore the waterbodies.” Look at every waterbody holistically: The waterbody, catchment and its feeder channels should be treated together for rejuvenation. The actual boundaries of the catchment, waterbody and feeder channels need to be mapped. Aquifer mapping at the regional and local scales will help in understanding the requirements for ensuring scientific restoration for increasing groundwater level and mitigating floods. Create a database, identify the waterbodies: City- or district-level administrations in India rarely have any idea about the number of waterbodies they have. Cities tend to omit encroached and silted waterbodies from the list. To plan for restoration of waterbodies, it should be mandatory for each state to identify, record and compile the total number of lakes and waterbodies within its boundaries. Develop a menu of technologies: This should be made available for treating wastewater and abatement of pollution in waterbodies. Ensure maintenance and monitoring: MGNREGS funds and finances under the 15th Finance Commission (FFC), for one, can be used for ensuring sustainability of the revival projects. Says Sengupta: “Gram panchayats can use a part of the FFC funds for maintaining ponds. For sustainability of any rejuvenation or restoration project, maintenance and monitoring should be made an integral part of the project—a portion of the funding should be blocked only for this.” The CSE symposium brought together a number of practitioners — waterbody managers, project proponents, initiators and drivers – who have been at the forefront of this mission to revive India’s waterbodies. Concluding the discussions, Narain noted: “We must look at lakes once again as a major source for water security, as well as a way for flood mitigation and drought management. Lakes cannot be saved if our sewage is not managed – a reinvention of sewage management system is, therefore, required, especially when it comes to urban waterbodies. We need to learn from experiences on the ground where programmes and schemes have worked, and how and why. We must learn because in this age of climate change there will be more rain – but also more floods and droughts if we do not harvest the rain.”

Increase in Groundwater Level: झीलों के रिवाइवल से मिली ग्राउंडवाटर रिचार्ज में मदद, रिसायक्लड पानी का किया गया उपयोग https://www.gnttv.com/india/story/delhi-government-project-city-of-lakes-helps-in-increasing-groundwater-level-in-treated-wastewater-coll

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) के रिसर्चर्स के किए गए एक नए राष्ट्रव्यापी सर्वेक्षण के अनुसार, उपचारित पानी (ट्रीटेड वाटर) का उपयोग करके झीलों ... https://www.gnttv.com/india/story/delhi-government-project-city-of-lakes-helps-in-increasing-groundwater-level-in-treated-wastewater-collected-in-these-water-bodies-1037229-2024-06-27

Something Fishy: Medicine Treats, Bacteria Tricks and Cycle Repeats

Ernakulam: Unlike before, 40-year-old Gopi’s mornings now begin with a grim routine: fishing out the bodies of foul-smelling fish and crabs. Puffed up like balloons, they float lifeless on the water surface. “The number of dead fishes are increasing,” says Gopi, sitting in a traditional canoe, in a shallow pond in Vypin Island in Ernakulam, Kerala. For centuries, in Ernakulam on the western coast of India, fishermen like Gopi did not need any fish feed or fish seed to secure a good catch. The moon, the sea, and gravity were enough. With the moon shining its brightest, high tides from the Arabian Sea surged inland, swelling the estuaries of an interconnected water system. Piggybacking on the high tides, a variety of fish, prawns, and nutrients travel inland. Where the mouth of the estuaries narrow, fishermen put semi-permeable wooden gates to create traditional ponds. As the water retreats back to the sea, fishermen pull down the gates to trap fish and shrimp. A traditional fish pond with a wooden gate set-up. Photo: Monika Mondal Then they wait patiently for three to four months for the young fishes to mature, while the ebb and flow of the sea’s tides keep the ponds nourished, aerated and fresh. But over the years, this zero-investment natural farming, with minimal environmental impact, has begun to falter. And along with the healthy fishes, the number of traditional fishermen like Gopi is also dwindling. Gopi is losing faith in the traditional method. He says, “Fungal and bacterial infection keeps killing the fishes.” Gopi (left) setting up a net to catch fishes. Photo: Monika Mondal Though modern medicines offer solutions to treat infections, lately that solution is backfiring. Drugs like antimicrobials (antibiotics, antivirals, antifungals) which treat diseases by attacking microbes (bacteria, virus and fungus), are not able to kill the pathogens. Microbes are ubiquitous, but not all of them lead to diseases, instead they make life possible as we know it. But when microbes are constantly exposed to antimicrobials, they can self-mutate in response to the stressful environment, and develop resistance to the antimicrobials – a process called antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Overuse, misuse and the improper disposal of drugs like antibiotics in hospitals, livestock farms, fisheries and households, has allowed AMR pathogens to proliferate to far off spaces. And with the changing climate, more farm diseases are hitting production, resulting in the need to use more antibiotics. In 2017, Kerala recognised the threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in farming (with changing climate more farm diseases hit production and need more antibiotics), and set up the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan (KARSAP). Kerala, where Gopi practices fishing, is one of the few states in India, (apart from Delhi and Madhya Pradesh) which has an action plan to fight against AMR. But researchers found that ponds like Gopi’s, which do not use any antibiotics, are also highly contaminated with antibiotics resistant gene microbes: these microbes are resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics, which are used to treat common infections and diseases. AMR has a domino effect, impacting every form of life. Research shows that more and more microbes around the world are becoming resistant to drugs. In 2019, directly and indirectly, 4.95 million people in 204 countries died because drugs could not treat microbial infections. Recent estimates suggest if drug resistant microbes keep mutating and infiltrating boundaries, by 2050 microbial infections will kill one person every three seconds or 10 million annually, 20% of whom would be Indians alone. Developing countries, like India, where polluting industries are expanding while waste management practices are not, are considered hot spots of AMR pathogens. India is not only the biggest consumer but also the biggest producer of antibiotics. Kerala, the pioneer in AMR management in India, has made several strides including opening India’s first AMR-smart hospital, managing the sale and availability of antibiotics, and proposing better public health care. But rampant unplanned urbanisation, improper waste disposal and existing gaps in the healthcare system, have not translated plans and policies into the successful reduction of AMR cases. In recent reports, there is an uptick in AMR related cases in the state. Researchers have pointed out that the solution lies in focusing on the relevance of the environment in the One Health approach — which according to WHO, is the interconnection amongst humans, animals, and the environment. But this approach often remains focused on human health and animals and rarely focuses on the environment and its compartments. Investigating AMR About 600 years ago, Vypin island came into being as a result of a major flood in 1341. Since then it has been a fishing village. Even today, fishing ponds appear at every other intersection of concrete roads – some are traditional like Gopi’s, some are pit ponds and some are modern aquaculture setups. Just a few kilometres away from Gopi’s pond, lives Abdulla Mohammed Hatha, a microbiologist at the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT). Growing up on Vypin Island in the 1960s and 70s, Hatha watched his uncles practice the same traditional fishing which Gopi now does. But since then, fishing became unsustainable, and many fishers left. Now, Hatha has a small pit pond, where he practices, “mostly experimental and recreational fishing”. In the 1990s, Hatha began monitoring diseases in commercial fish stocks off the coast of Cochin and, in 2008, he and his PhD students started investigating traditional ponds. They found disease-causing pathogens breeding in the water. When they exposed microbes to various antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, instead of succumbing, the invisible-to-the-naked-eye microorganisms started growing around the drugs. Meaning, the pathogens had developed AMR. Over the years, he has observed “a rise in the population, diversity and resistance amongst pathogen species like Vibrio.” Vibrio pathogens live in warm coastal waters above 20 Degrees Celsius and are dangerous to both humans and nonhumans. Vibrios that infect fish can lead to skin lesions, ulcer, fin rot or systemic infections and sudden death. When vibrios enter the food chain, through infected food or water, they can also infect humans. Between January 2023 to March 2024, the well-known species Vibrio cholerae, which causes cholera, infected 824,479 and killed 5,900 people, in 31 countries across Africa, America and Asia. WHO considers cholera as an ongoing pandemic, which started in 1961 and largely affects people in Africa and Asia. Eliminating the microbes is not the solution, as they are integral for the functioning of life as we know it, but experts have suggested a simpler method: keeping the environment healthy. “The crux of the problem is the water quality,” says Hatha, who has found AMR microbes everywhere he has ever looked, from the Arctic to Antarctica. He suggests embracing the One Health approach, which recognises the health of humans, animals, and the environment as interconnected. To safeguard public health, a healthy environment must be ensured for all living beings, according to Hatha — especially for those at the bottom of the food chain: microbes. Traditional ponds and untreated water Gopi has never used antibiotics. No traditional pond does. He says, “Using antibiotics (or any medicine) in open traditional farms (where water keeps moving) is not feasible.” Because his pond is part of an estuary, using any amount of antimicrobials to treat the fish would literally mean a drop in the ocean. His best option to tackle the illnesses is to physically filter the infected fishes. “But profit remains elusive,” he explains. Gopi must now buy healthy fish seeds from the market and look after their diet. “If I spent 1000 rupees, I would make approximately 500,” he says. Earlier, laborers assisted Gopi, but not since profit dwindled. Gopi says environmental change is weakening fish immunity to fight bacteria and parasites. “Disease is a serious concern, especially during the monsoon season, when water salinity varies,” he says. Not too far away from Gopi’s farm, another farmer named Babu P.B. complains, “The nearby schools, factories, homes and hospitals all dump their waste in the water directly,” he says. India disposes over 70% of its waste untreated directly into water bodies which end up in the sea through coastal cities like Cochin. Such waste contains heavy metals and chemicals, but also antibiotics that come from treating human and animal infections, as well as the meat, poultry and seafood industries where they are used as growth promoters and to prevent diseases and increase shelf life. Also read: On Gujarat Coasts, Muslim Fishermen Feel Alienated, Suicidal and Out of Business “Disposal of inadequately managed or untreated waste (effluent), from antibiotic manufacturing units, farms, households and healthcare systems, containing AMR-causing determinants can lead them to reach larger as well as surface water bodies like rivers, lakes, ponds,” says Rajeshwari Sinha, Programme Manager of the Sustainable Food Systems Unit at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a public interest research organisation, in an email to The Wire. “Water, a key component of the environment, can be both a source and a sink of AMR determinants,” she continues. Research has found that water can act as a “gene exchange” medium that transports microbes across otherwise disconnected lands and habitats. Shaffi Fazaludeen Koya, research fellow with the Boston University School of Public Health, adds: “If we really regulate the non-human health sector and use antibiotics appropriately in the meat industry, poultry, then it can slow down resistance, and probably reduce the burden of resistance.” Disease burden or the burden of disease refers to the intensity or severity of the disease and its possible impact on daily life. The burden of resistance, in turn, means the impact of antibiotic resistance on peoples’ lives. Koya’s comment therefore means that managing the non-human health sector can also lead to a reduction in treatment failures in humans. What doesn’t kill them makes them stronger When microbes are repeatedly exposed to antibiotics, their first response is not to die, but to fight. Bacteria can unleash a defense mechanism by mutating its genes—part of its DNA which performs a particular task. Through genetic mutation, bacteria can develop defenses against antibiotics, rendering them ineffective and allowing the bacteria to proliferate. In a true sense, for microbes, what does not kill them makes them stronger. Unlike humans, who transfer genetic information from parents to offspring, or “vertically,” microorganisms can mutate and pass genetic information both vertically and horizontally, meaning they pass it not only to their offsprings, but also to their neighbors and to other species of microbes. All of this—from a microbe being exposed to an antibiotic, to adapting and sharing genetic information—can happen in a few minutes. For example, strains of E. coli bacteria which can lead to many diseases in humans from food poisoning to sepsis and meningitis, can reproduce every 20 minutes, passing on genetic information from one generation to the next. For a similar response, humans may take tens of years or generations. “This is the natural way for bacteria to gain resistance because it has to survive. It is an evolutionary process. But our human interventions have enhanced this process,” says Koya from Boston University. Once a resistant gene comes into the environment, it can jump from animal to human pathogens and vice versa. Meaning, there are no geographical or biological boundaries to the spread of AMR. The movement of animals, birds and humans is one way AMR spreads. For example, the longest migratory bird flight is by the Arctic tern, which flies between the Arctic and Antarctica—about 20,000 miles each year or the equivalent of three round trips to the earth and moon in its 30-year lifespan. And scientists have found drug resistant microbes in its gut. Tracking 12 of these birds, researchers— including microbiologist Hatha from CUSAT—also discovered that they made 166 stopovers along their journey. Upon testing 17 antibiotics, they found the birds were resistant to all of them. A separate study found several genes of resistant microbes at the north and south poles. This is why experts regard AMR as a One Health issue, wherein an unhealthy environment unleashes a domino effect of reactions from the smallest microbes to the biggest mammals, to all parts of the planet. What is the ‘Kerala model’? Kerala, the state where Gopi fished since childhood, has implemented India’s most successful AMR control program, according to studies and experts. In 2018, it launched the Kerala Antimicrobial Resistance Strategic Action Plan, which includes stewardship programs for medical staff, awareness campaigns for citizens and advocacy for reduced antibiotic usage.

Record heat, surging fires push Delhi’s firefighters to the brink

Indervir Singh has worked for the Delhi Fire Services for 32 years but he can’t recall responding to as many fires as this summer. Temperatures in the Indian capital, home to around 20 million people, have hit record highs this year, with the mercury hitting nearly 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) on several occasions. Calls reporting fires between April and June more than doubled from a year ago to over 9,000, fire services data show. And deaths from fires more than tripled in that period, from just 10 a year ago. Many of the blazes are in Delhi’s teeming old quarters, where the narrow lanes are chock-a-block with shops and homes, with webs of electricity cables and other wires hanging from poles. “I have attended to several back-to-back calls” on recent shifts, said the grey-haired Singh, 54, before he rushed to the scene of yet another blaze in his thick jacket, heavy boots and red helmet. Singh was one of over a dozen firefighters and officers interviewed by Reuters, many of whom described working in “doubly” strenuous conditions of extreme heat and numerous fires. Shifts for firefighters are 24 hours long, followed by a day of rest. Senior officers work three full-day shifts at a time and then take a day off. “Some weeks, we have to take leave just to get some sleep,” said Ajay Sharma, an officer in northwestern Delhi. Fire officers say electrical failures are responsible for nearly three-quarters of the blazes this summer. With Delhi sweating through what the federal weather office says is one of its longest heat waves on record, demand for air cooling has surged. The India Meteorological Department classified nine heat wave days in Delhi this June, up sharply from the historic norm of one during the month. Scientists say the heat is being worsened by human-driven climate change. Sales of air conditioning units in Delhi have grown at a compounded annual rate of 14% between 2018 and 2023, according to analytics firm GfK. Peak-power demand surged to an all-time high on June 19, government data show. Round-the-clock use of power-intensive appliances like air conditioning units puts severe strain on ageing wiring, while improper maintenance of cables and equipment can also lead to short circuits and start fires, said DFS director Atul Garg. Rajneesh Sareen, who runs the sustainable habitat program at Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment think-tank, said the city is ill-equipped to cope. “Delhi’s infrastructure was not originally built to take on the kind of extreme conditions we’re seeing right now,” he said.

Groundwater table rose by 3m in Nilothi, Najafgarh: Report on Delhi lakes

The Delhi government’s lake revival project, based on recycling treated wastewater, has been successful in southwest Delhi, where the groundwater table has increased by up to 6 metres in the last three years, a new study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found. The study, which looked at successful lake rejuvenation models across the country, found the groundwater table had increased by around 6 metres at Pappankalan, by around 4 metres at Nilothi and by 3 metres and at Najafgarh through the artificial lakes created there by the government in 2021. The report, titled “Back from the Brink: Rejuvenating India’s Lakes, Ponds, and Tanks – A Compendium of Success Stories”, looked at around 250 water bodies from 22 different states. The report said that the idea in Delhi was to fill the water bodies with treated effluents. “To ensure that lakes and water bodies remain filled throughout in Delhi, which has just 50-odd rainy days a year, DJB connected the revived and new water bodies to the sewage treatment plants wherever possible,” said the report, adding that efforts have also been made to ensure high percolation into the ground. These efforts include adding a sandy layer at the base, particularly where clay content was high. The model highlights how Delhi created lakes next to existing STPs that treat the water at multiple levels before pumping it. Two lakes have been created near the Pappankalan STP, one next to the Najafgarh STP and three near the Nilothi STP. Though a lake has also been created next to the Dwarka STP, no groundwater data was available as a piezometer was installed only recently. “The lakes have been designed so that there is effective percolation into the ground. In Dwarka, clay and kankar form the top layer up to a depth of 4 metres below ground level, followed by kankar and silt up to a depth of 68 metres below ground level. The presence of clay in the subsoil can hinder percolation of water to below the ground. DJB worked on improving the percolation property of the soil, and the bases of the lakes were rectified by addition of a sand layer,” the report added.

Inter-City Buses Entering Capital To Switch To Cleaner Fuels By Year-End

Inter-city buses from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Madhya Pradesh coming to Delhi-NCR will switch to electric or CNG or BS VI mode by year-end to reduce pollution. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in the national capital region and adjoining areas has fixed deadlines for transition of inter-city buses of the five states or UTs operated by state govt. CAQM said buses operated by state PSUs and private entities will also have to switch to cleaner fuels. The move is aimed at reducing vehicular pollution, among the major sources of air pollution. According to source apportionment study carried out by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) in 2018, the contribution of transport to PM2.5 in Delhi’s air is 39% and NCR’s air is 13%. Transport contributes 19% to Delhi’s PM10 and 7% to NCR’s PM10. Due to concerns of highly polluting inter-city buses to Delhi from other states, Delhi govt in Jan last year requested all the states/ UTs to work towards migration towards a cleaner service. “It emerged during a meeting with these five states or UTs that transition to only CNG/ EV buses by these states will take a much longer time. It became necessary to prioritise replacing older BS-lll/ IV inter-city diesel buses running from these states to Delhi-NCR with BS-VI diesel compliant buses and action was initiated in this direction towards appropriate replacement of such buses,” CAQM said. In a meeting on April 5, the commission fixed the deadline for transition to cleaner fuels. Out of 541 requirements of inter-city buses from Uttarakhand to Delhi-NCR, 160 EV/ CNG/ BS-VI diesel buses are running now and 379 buses have to make the transition. 190 buses have been targeted for transition by Dec 31, 2024, and the remaining by March 31, 2025. The deadline for inter-city buses from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh to switch to cleaner fuels is Dec 31, 2024. The deadline for buses from Jammu and Kashmir for complete transition is Sept 30, 2024. “Apart from the bus services operated by state govt, inter-city bus services being operated by the state PSUs and private entities have to switch to electric or CNG or BS VI-complaint. Bus services operating under the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) licence regime are, however, not to be covered in the ambit of these guidelines,” CAQM said in an order dated June 14. It added that transport and traffic departments of Delhi govt, NCR states and these five states and Union Territories, will ensure strict compliance through regular monitoring of the field level implementation, including for bus services being operated by the state PSUs and other private entities. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment, said: “This is a very important intervention. This strategy, if scaled up, can be a win-win from the perspective of scaling up public transport connectivity in the region and reducing emissions from mass commuting. Upscaled inter-city bus services based on clean fuel and technology and preferably on battery technology to eliminate tailpipe emissions from the heavy-duty bus fleet, can contribute substantially towards controlling transport related emissions in the region and also in the pollution hotspots around interstate bus terminals like Anand Vihar.”

IEA calls for next national climate plans to target coal phase-down

Governments should promise in their next round of climate plans, due by early next year, not to build any new coal-fired power stations and to shut down existing ones early, the head of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said. Speaking on Monday at an old London coal power plant-turned-shopping centre, IEA head Fatih Birol said he would be “very happy” to see new NDCs (Nationally Determined Contributions) that “include no new unabated coal and also early retirements of existing coal”. In 2021, the Glasgow Climate Pact, agreed at the COP26 UN climate summit, called on countries for the first time to accelerate efforts “towards the phase-down of unabated coal power”. “Unabated” means power produced using coal without any technology to capture, store or use the planet-heating carbon dioxide emitted during the process. Birol, a Turkish energy analyst, said that stopping coal-plant construction was “as our North American colleagues would say, a no-brainer”. Yet, he added, while “the appetite to build new coal plants is in a dying process, some countries still do it”. He singled out China’s plans to build 50 gigawatts (GW) of new coal plants. Made with Flourish Shutting down existing coal plants, particularly young ones in Asia, is more difficult because the companies that have built and operate them would lose money, Birol noted. There is almost $1 trillion of capital to be recovered from existing coal plants, “so who is going to pay for this?” he asked, calling it “a key issue”. Birol praised the Just Energy Transition Partnerships that have been set up between wealthy countries and several coal-reliant emerging economies like South Africa and Indonesia to help address the problem. He added that “there are some countries in Asia who can, in my view, afford to retire their coal plants earlier”, without mentioning which. Malaysia’s Deputy Prime Minister Fadillah Yusof announced at the event organised by the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which includes 60 countries, that Malaysia aims to reduce its coal-fired power plants by half by 2035 and retire all of them by 2044. It will also tackle social and economic challenges through reskilling programmes for workers and promoting renewable energy adoption, he added. Speaking later at London’s defunct Battersea power station, Indonesia’s deputy minister for maritime affairs and investment, Rachmat Kaimuddin, explained some of the challenges his country faces in phasing out coal. Kaimuddin (right) speaks alongside Germany’s climate envoy Jennifer Morgan (centre) in London on June 24, 2024. (Photo: Powering Past Coal Alliance) After China and India, Indonesia has the world’s biggest pipeline of new coal power plants under construction. Kaimuddin said the state energy company would not build any more but added that cancelling existing contracts is “very, very difficult” unless the company constructing the plant wants to pull out – which none have yet. In addition, shutting down existing power power plants is expensive, he said, because many coal power plants have “take or pay” contracts signed in the 1990s under which the government pays them whether their electricity is required or not. Another concern is that the Southeast Asian nation does not want to lose its energy security in the switch to renewables, Kaimuddin noted. Indonesia currently mines domestically most of the coal it uses. “We’re trying to partner with other people to try to build [a] renewable supply chain in the country,” he said. Millions of people in Indonesia work in the coal industry, he added, so a shift towards clean energy will need to include new jobs for them. “It doesn’t have to be green jobs – it has to be jobs, right?” he said. Five things we learned from the UN’s climate mega-poll Singapore’s climate ambassador Ravi Menon told the same event that the economies of China, India and Indonesia are growing and so are their energy needs, meaning that renewables have to be rolled out rapidly to meet demand. Energy storage is also required to smooth intermittent supply from solar and wind, while electricity transmission infrastructure, including power lines, is needed to transport power from solar and wind farms to cities that account for a large share of consumption. Both Kaimuddin and Menon said carbon credits should be used to offset losses for the owners of coal plants that are shut down early. “Retiring [plants] definitely will destroy financial value and… and we also need a better way to compensate them,” said Kaimuddin. The event’s focus on coal raised concerns among some campaigners. Avantika Goswami, climate lead at the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment, told Climate Home that “singling out coal” in the NDCs, rather than including fossil fuels more broadly, “equates to giving a free pass to oil and gas-dependent countries, many of whom are wealthy”. It could penalise many developing countries, where coal is a cheap source of fuel and energy needs are still growing, she warned. “A global climate policy that allows unfettered use of oil and gas – which together account for 55% of fossil fuel emissions – is incomplete and inequitable,” she added. (Reporting by Joe Lo; editing by Megan Rowling) This story was updated after publication to include comment from Avantika Goswami at the CSE.

Delhi minister stages hunger strike for more water to city amid extreme heat

“There are 2.8 million people in the city who are aching for just a drop of water,” Delhi Water Minister Atishi said on Monday, the fourth day of her fast. Millions of Indians face water shortages every summer when water demand rises in farms, offices and homes against a limited supply, but a prolonged heatwave this year has worsened the shortfall, including in Delhi and the southern tech hub of Bengaluru. Delhi relies on the Yamuna River that runs through the capital for most of its water needs but the river slows down during dry summer months, causing shortages that lead to protests and calls for better water conservation. Atishi blamed the neighbouring farming state of Haryana for guzzling up a large share of river water. Haryana’s government responded that it was Delhi’s mismanagement that was causing water shortages. Experts said a federal-level review of decades-old water sharing pacts was needed to accommodate population growth. Delhi, a city of 20 million people, is one of the world’s most densely populated capitals, where upscale neighbourhoods and manicured lawns are just a few miles away from unplanned working-class areas and slums. But, in contrast to growing unplanned development over the years, the city’s water allocation from rivers has remained unchanged since 1994, said Depinder Kapur, the director of water programme at think tank Centre for Science and Environment. The technologies will enable, still, all of us to enjoy fashion because isn’t that at the end of the day everyone wants to be looking good. “What was true 10-15 years ago is not true anymore. So, there is a situation of crisis and it’s a distribution issue,” he said. The Delhi government is working on plans to improve the groundwater table by reviving lakes and storing water overflow from the Yamuna during the seasonal monsoon rains, but officials say the summer shortfall is difficult to tackle by these measures alone. “Water crisis in Delhi is a year-long crisis because extreme temperatures are not going anywhere,” said environmentalist Vimlendu Jha. “Delhi needs a comprehensive water management plan in which Yamuna can’t be the only major source of water.”

Send only less-polluting buses to Delhi region, non-NCR states told

Buses from five states coming to Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) will have to transition to electric, CNG or BS VI by the end of the year to reduce vehicular emissions in the region, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR has said in an order. CAQM has asked Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir, the states from which inter-city buses come to Delhi-NCR, to facilitate transition to cleaner fuels by the end of 2024, fixing deadlines for each of the states and UTs. The apex pollution control body for NCR said that this will be applicable to buses operated by the state Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) as well as private entities, which make trips to Delhi-NCR and back. The decision was taken after deliberations with these state governments in a meeting held on April 5, CAQM said. “It emerged during the meeting with these five states and UTs that transition to only CNG or EV buses by these states will take much longer time. But it becomes necessary to prioritise replacing older BS-III or BS-IV inter-city diesel buses running from these states to Delhi-NCR with BS-VI diesel compliant buses and action was initiated in this direction towards appropriate replacement of such buses,” CAQM said in its order, dated June 14, a copy of which HT has seen. The document said the deadline to switch to cleaner fuels for inter-city buses from Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh is December 31, 2024, and for Jammu and Kashmir, it is September 30, 2024. For Uttarakhand, CAQM said that out of the 541 buses required to run to and from Delhi-NCR, 160 were currently complaint, and the remaining 379 is required to switch to clean fuels. For 190 buses, the deadline to transition is December 31, 2024, with the remaining required to be done by March 31, 2025. After Uttarakhand, the highest number of inter-city buses to Delhi-NCR comes from Himachal Pradesh (238), followed by Punjab (147). Himachal Pradesh already has 207 of its buses using clean fuels, and Punjab has 105 out of its 147 buses running on cleaner fuels, it said. “Apart from the bus services operated by the state government, inter-city bus services being operated by the state PSUs and private entities also have to switch to electric or CNG or BS VI complaint. Bus services operating under the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) licence regime are, however, presently not to be covered in the ambit of these guidelines,” the order added. Earlier, CAQM set a deadline of January 1, 2024 for all NCR states to ensure their buses going to Delhi were running on cleaner fuel, stating that those not following these norms would not be allowed to enter the Capital. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said that the latest move is an important one for transition to cleaner fuels in NCR. “This can not only provide cleaner public transport, but also ensure significantly lower emissions from tailpipes of these heavy-duty buses. This will also help pollution hot spots in Delhi such as Anand Vihar,” she said.

City to get 500 more e-buses, premium services planned

Chennai: State transport minister SS Sivasankar announced on Tuesday the procurement of 500 additional electric buses for Chennai, with tenders for the first batch of 500 e-buses reaching the final stage this week. These A/C e-buses will replace a third of the Metropolitan Transport Corporation’s ageing fleet. The second phase of the project will cost approximately 959 crore, with 70% funded by the World Bank and the rest by the state govt. Another key announcement by the minister was a feasibility study for introducing premium bus services in the city. These services would feature A/C, Wi-Fi connections, CCTV, GPS trackers, and luxury seats in the existing newer red-coloured MTC buses. In response to opposition leader Edappadi Palaniswamo’s remarks about the old bus fleet, the minister noted that when the DMK came to power in 2021, 50% of the transport department’s fleet consisted of old buses. “During the previous DMK regime (2006-2011), about 15,000 new buses were added. However, from 2011 to 2021, under AIADMK, only 14,000 buses were bought. Under the current leadership, new buses have been procured, evident to the opposition leader while traveling from Chennai to Salem,” he said, adding that 7,700 new govt buses will replace old ones by the end of this year. We also published the following articles recently Buses & Bongos: This 86-year-old dabbles both with easeDriven by passion and talent, I continue to captivate audiences in London with my rhythmic performances. From discovering my talent as a schoolboy in Bhopal to becoming a sought-after percussionist, my journey showcases dedication and musical excellence, despite challenges posed by technology and the pursuit of financial security.111150644 Inter-City Buses Entering Capital To Switch To Cleaner Fuels By Year-End Anumita Roychowdhury advocates integrating battery technology in heavy-duty bus fleets for emission control, emphasizing the importance of transitioning to clean fuel technologies to effectively reduce pollution around high-traffic areas like interstate bus terminals.111269705 JK Tyre launches new tyre range for trucks, buses, and EVs: Lower operating costs, 10% longer lifeDiscover JK Tyre's latest tyre lineup, featuring energy-efficient options like JETWAY JUM XM and long-lasting models such as JETWAY JUC XM. Also, explore heavy-load transportation solutions with JETSTEEL JDC XD and the low-noise design of JETWAY JUXe for TATA Motors' EV buses.111169308

India's Air Pollution Crisis: Over 870 Million Slowly Being Poisoned, Promises To Clean Air Fail. What Modi 3.0 Can Do

In 2019, the BJP government pledged to reduce pollution by 20-30% in 131 cities and launched a national clean air programme, but India is still home to 42 of the world’s 50 most polluted cities. About 876 million Indians, more than the combined population of the United States and Canada, live in areas where pollution far exceeds national air quality standards. The capital city experiences inhalable dust levels 100 times higher than WHO guidelines. Kolkata: It was 2016 when Prasanta Purkait, 43, a technician for a pest control company here in West Bengal’s capital, first experienced difficulty breathing. He noticed an uneasiness in his throat and a heavy feeling in his chest, the symptoms progressively worsening while a persistent cough would not subside despite medication. Living in a densely populated South Kolkata locality near Gariahat police station, Purkait cycles about 10 km every day to different parts of Kolkata for work. Over time, the city’s air pollution took a toll on his health, leading to a diagnosis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As these conditions progressively damage his lungs and strain his heart, Purkait continues to cycle through the congested streets for his job. "I have never smoked,” said Purkait. Doctors told him Kolkata's pollution was to blame. "I wear masks and gargle with warm water… but my symptoms become unbearable during the winter." In November 2023, Kolkata’s air quality was in the ‘moderately polluted’ and ‘poor’ categories according to the ​​National Air Quality Index run by the union ministry for environment, forests and climate change (MoEF&CC), which considers eight pollutants including particulate matter and noxious gases. Kolkata’s AQI levels hovered between 195 and 271 in the winter of 2023, crossing 300 in January 2024. As per AirNow, following the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency index, an AQI over 100 is considered "unhealthy for sensitive groups," while 151-200 is "unhealthy" for the general public and poses increased risks for sensitive groups. Levels between 201-300 are "very unhealthy," with heightened health risks for everyone. AQI exceeding 301 is labelled "hazardous," indicating emergency health conditions affecting everyone. During this period, Kolkata's PM 2.5 level, which measures inhalable particulate matter or dust particles of diameters below 2.5 micrometres or microns, were up to 20 times higher than the WHO’s safe limit. Particulate matter that falls within the PM 2.5 category are very fine particles, about 30 times thinner than the width of a human hair, which, when inhaled, penetrate deep into the lungs and are associated with a variety of respiratory and cardiovascular failures. A 2010 study by the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, the West Bengal Department of Environment, and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) found that about 70% of Kolkata's residents suffer from respiratory disorders due to air pollution. "When I struggle with my COPD flares, I cannot sleep at night,” Purkait said, struggling for breath as he spoke. “I feel like I am dying." Purkait's medical expenses have increased, with inhalers becoming a lifeline. The unhygienic conditions and lack of ventilation in the settlement where he lives, one of the regions in South Kolkata with a poor air quality index (AQI), worsen his health. Over 800 Million At Risk Of Dying Earlier Delhi, the world’s most polluted capital city, sees PM 2.5 levels soaring 100 times above WHO limits during peak winter months. From October to February, Delhi’s air quality fluctuates between ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’, while from March to May, it remains in the ‘poor’ category. India is home to 42 of the world's top 50 most polluted cities. Whether ruled by parties that constitute India’s political opposition or by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 1.3 billion Indians live in areas where the annual average particulate pollution level exceeds the WHO’s guideline of 5μg/m3 (microns per cubic metre) by 16 times. More than two-thirds of the population, or 876 million people, more than the population of the United States and Canada combined, live in areas where air pollution exceeds India’s own national air quality standard of 40 µg/m3, which shaves 5.3 years off the life of the average Indian. While air pollution remained absent from political discourse during the recently concluded 45-day general elections to the Lok Sabha, the 2024 State Of Global Air Report, a work of collaborative research by the US-based Health Effects Institute and Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, gives the Modi 3.0 government a clear and urgent agenda to address air pollution and its health impacts. With their billion-plus populations, India and China together accounted for 54% of the total global disease burden from air pollution-related ailments in 2021; and the same year, nearly 50% of all ozone-related COPD deaths in the world were in India, according to the report. The study pegged pollution-related deaths among children under five in India in 2021 at 169,400 deaths, the highest in the world, followed by Nigeria and Pakistan. “Increasingly, rising temperatures are worsening air pollution and its health effects,” the report said, underscoring the need for urgent and integrated action on improving air quality and cutting greenhouse gas emissions. “Pollution undercuts health, stability, and productivity from individuals and families up to entire societies, nations, and regions.” ‘Year-Round Measures Needed’ Air quality improvement or environmental issues are not yet a priority in India, said Abhijit Chatterjee of Bose Institute, an interdisciplinary research centre in Kolkata, also an advisor to the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), an MoEF&CC project. “If you don't get water for four days, there is outrage,” said Chatterjee. “But have you ever protested about the quality of the air you breathe?” Chatterjee said clean air, unlike drinking water, was not a voting issue because it was not visible. Residents in Delhi, particularly those with jobs that required exposure to the outdoors, echoed similar concerns. A 30-year-old reporter in the capital city said her coughing and breathlessness fade away when she leaves the city. "Half of the winter, I'm either coughing or sneezing," she said, requesting that her name not be used. A post-Covid bout of bronchitis has meant that her condition is easily triggered by pollution and dust. In 2019, for the first time, both the BJP and the Congress included in their election manifestos promises to address air pollution. The BJP promised to completely eliminate crop residue burning, and to develop advanced technologies and devices for better pollution monitoring in major cities. The BJP’s manifesto also announced the relaunch of the NCAP as a mission to reduce air pollution in the country’s most polluted 131 cities, with a goal to reduce pollution levels in each of these cities by at least 35% over the next five years. Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), in its 2019 manifesto, promised measures such as the odd-even number plate scheme for vehicles and the graded response action plan (GRAP) during winter, citing Delhi’s non-statehood status as a limitation to implementing comprehensive pollution control measures. Full statehood would allow them to introduce 100% electric buses in Delhi, vacuum cleaning of roads within a year, and enforcement of stringent rules for construction sites, the manifesto said. Air quality improvement measures are largely seen as stopgap arrangements, said Keshav Suryanarayanan, deputy manager at ITDP India, which represents the Institute of Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), a global non-profit organisation that works with cities worldwide to design transport systems that, among other things, reduce pollution. "Measures to improve air quality need to be permanent and implemented year-round. Because pollution is permanent, the solutions should be too,” said Suryanarayanan. Winter smog becomes a concern because of its visibility, he said, “but the air is toxic all year round". The Stubble-Burning Threat The union government has said that a central sector scheme for promotion of mechanisation for in-situ management of crop residue in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and the national capital territory of Delhi promotes use of machines to clear post-harvest fields with a 50% subsidy to individual farmers and 80% subsidy for establishments. The schemes for crop residue management are aimed at reducing pollution from stubble burning. In 2023, the BJP government in Haryana also announced a paddy stubble management policy, aiming to utilise paddy straw left over on the field post-harvest for generation of sustainable energy. The policy aims to completely curb crop residue burning practices by 2027. Similarly, the Punjab government has promised to manage all 19.5 million tonnes of paddy straw in the state post-harvest, to prevent air pollution from crop residue burning. Between 2018 and 2022, the centre released funds totalling Rs 2,440.07 crore to these states, through which more than 200,000 machines to clear crop residue have been delivered to individual farmers and groups. Despite these measures and notwithstanding reductions in emissions in recent years, stubble burning remains a contributor to Delhi's air pollution during peak pollution seasons. In 2023, between 15 September and 23 November, 55,725 farm fires were recorded across six states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Ravi Kumar, 32, a small farmer from Punjab’s Ferozepur district, has elderly family members suffering from asthma. “I know stubble burning is harmful to health, but I don’t have the money to use machines to clear my field,” he told Article 14. “We don’t burn the stubble by choice.” In response to AQI levels dipping in Delhi, the AAP, BJP and Congress have blamed one another (here, here, and here) for the worsening conditions. The BJP has accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP for air pollution in Delhi and stubble burning in Punjab, while AAP has pointed fingers at the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments for not taking steps to address the issue. Experts and environmentalists said resolving the air pollution crisis would need a coordinated approach among state and central governments. “Addressing air pollution cannot solely be a state agenda, as national-level policies play a pivotal role,” said Naba Dutta, general secretary of Sabuj Mancha, a platform of environmental groups. Promit Mookherjee, a researcher at the think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF), said India needed a framework to bring different state governments together by establishing regional task forces or groups to formulate policies collaboratively. “The challenge lies in coordinating efforts between states, as the political will required to prioritise air pollution varies,” said Mookherjee. Unlike Delhi, where air pollution is a pressing issue, states such as Punjab or Uttar Pradesh may not prioritise it, he said. Fixing The National Plan For Better Air The flagship National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), outlined in the BJP's 2019 manifesto, was launched in January 2019 to reduce particulate pollution of key pollutants PM 10 and PM 2.5 by 20%-30% in 131 cities by 2024. In September 2022, this target was revised to a 40% reduction by 2026. Multiple independent studies showed how the NCAP’s targets and methods require updating. A 2024 analysis by the think tank Climate Trends revealed mixed results for NCAP, showing that 17 cities had witnessed improvements while others experienced worsening air quality. While cities such as Kanpur, Meerut, and Lucknow met the NCAP targets, all of India’s 13 least polluted cities in 2023 still exceeded the WHO's limit of 5 µg/m³, which underscores the challenges in achieving internationally recognised air quality standards. Meanwhile, despite the NCAP’s focus on better monitoring and mitigation measures, air pollution levels in major Indian cities including Delhi, Patna, Kolkata and Mumbai remained mostly unchanged or worsened during the winter months of 2023 compared to 2022, according to data. ... A cyclist rides through Kolkata's streets, passing construction sites. In January 2024, Kolkata's PM 2.5 level, which measures inhalable particulate matter or dust particles of diameters below 2.5 micrometres or microns, were up to 20 times higher than WHO-prescribed safe limits. Delhi reported the highest PM2.5 levels at 102 µg/m³ in 2023, a 2.5% increase from 2022. Patna recorded the highest PM10 levels in 2023, at 212.1 µg/m³, a 5.8% worsening from its 2019 levels. Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi city, with a population of 1.78 million, saw a 72% reduction in PM 2.5 and a 69% decrease in PM 10, according to official data. However, independent monitors still flag Varanasi’s air quality as ‘unhealthy’. Cities such as Navi Mumbai, Ujjain, and Mumbai observed a rise in PM 2.5 levels, possibly due to an increase in active monitors as well as extended monitoring time. For PM10, Durgapur, Thane, and Mumbai showed an increase of 53%, 46% and 36%, respectively. A 2024 article in Health Policy Watch, an online news outlet, highlighted that by the end of 2023, more than half of the funding allocated for the NCAP remained unused. Compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards and the clean air targets under the NCAP requires extensive air quality monitoring. However, a 2023 study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) revealed that only 12% of India’s 4,041 census cities and towns have such monitoring systems, and just 200 cities monitor all six key pollutant criteria. A major challenge with the implementation of NCAP is that it lacks legal enforcement. “It serves more as a guideline for the government rather than a mandated requirement,” Mookherjee said. Scorecards maintained under the programme offer a measure of accountability but there is no legal obligation for compliance. Ending The Rural-Urban Divide The programme’s urban-centric focus also neglects rural areas and non-NCAP cities, which also face significant pollution. “Air pollution is not restricted to cities,” Chatterjee said, adding that addressing this problem would require a regional ‘airshed’ management approach, which monitors pollutants concentrated in given areas not limited to conventional city or district boundaries. In 2023, union minister of state for environment, forests and climate change Ashwini Kumar Choubey told Parliament that an IIT-Delhi study to delineate India’s major airsheds based on satellite data had found eight to nine major airsheds of “varying geographic coverage”, such as one or two over the Indo-Gangetic Plain, two to three smaller airsheds in north-eastern India, etc. Sector-wise recommendations had been made by a committee regarding an airshed-based approach, he said. Even five years since its launch, the NCAP lacks a roadmap for defining airsheds and developing cross-jurisdictional monitoring processes needed for effectively implementing airshed-based air quality management.