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कंक्रीटीकण और आर्द्रता के बढ़ते स्तर से भारत के महानगरों में बढ़ रही गर्मी : रिपोर्ट

नयी दिल्ली, 28 मई कंक्रीटीकरण और आर्द्रता का स्तर बढ़ने से भारत के महानगरों में गर्मी बढ़ रही है जहां एक दशक पहले की तरह रात तक में मौसम ठंडा नहीं हो रहा है। यह बात ‘सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरन्मेंट’ (सीएसई) की एक नयी रिपोर्ट में कही गई है। सीएसई ने जनवरी 2001 से अप्रैल 2024 तक छह महानगरों- ​​दिल्ली, मुंबई, कोलकाता, हैदराबाद, बेंगलुरु और चेन्नई के लिए ग्रीष्मकालीन हवा के तापमान, भूमि की सतह के तापमान और सापेक्ष आर्द्रता डेटा का विश्लेषण किया।

कंक्री टी कण और आर्द्रता के बढ़ते स्तर से भा रत के महा नगरों में बढ़ रही गर्मी : रिपोर्ट

यह बा त ‘सेंटर फॉ र सा इंस एंड एन्वा यरन्मेंट’ (सी एसई) की एक नयी रि पो र्ट में कही गई है। सी एसई ने जनवरी 2001 से अप्रैल 2024 तक छह महा नगरों - दि ल्ली , मुंबई, को लका ता , हैदरा बा द, बेंगलुरु और चेन्नई के लि ए ग्रीष्मका ली न हवा के ता पमा न, भूमि की सतह के ता पमा न और सा पेक्ष आर्द्रता डेटा का वि श्लेषण कि या ।

Heat Wave: दिन के अलावा रात को क्यों सता रही गर्मी? शहरों की हवा गर्म होने के पीछे ये है बड़ा कारण!

सेंटर ऑफ साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की एक हालिया रिपोर्ट 'डिकोडिंग द अर्बन हीट स्ट्रेस अमंग इंडियन सिटीज' में दिल्ली, मुंबई, हैदराबाद, बेंगलुरु और चेन्नई का हाल ही में तापमान सूचकांकों का अध्ययन किया गया था। ये शहर रात के दौरान उतने ठंडा नहीं हो रहे हैं, जितने 2001 से 2010 के दौरान होते थे। सेंटर ऑफ साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की एक हालिया रिपोर्ट 'डिकोडिंग द अर्बन हीट स्ट्रेस अमंग इंडियन सिटीज' में दिल्ली, मुंबई, हैदराबाद, बेंगलुरु और चेन्नई का हाल ही में तापमान सूचकांकों का अध्ययन किया गया था। ये शहर रात के दौरान उतने ठंडा नहीं हो रहे हैं, जितने 2001 से 2010 के दौरान होते थे। रिपोर्ट में एक दशक के आंकड़ों का हवाला देते हुए बताया गया है कि दिन में भूमि की सतह का जो तापमान होता था, रात में वह 6.2 से 13.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक कम हो जाता था। लेकिन पिछली 10 गर्मियों में यह 6.2 डिग्री सेल्सियस से 11.5 डिग्री सेल्सियस तक ही घटता है। रात की ठंडक में सबसे ज्यादा 24 फीसदी की कमी मुंबई में देखी गई है। रात के समय में ठंड कम होने का सीधा असर मनुष्य के स्वास्थ्य पर दिखाई देता है। इससे लोगों को दिन की गर्मी से पैदा हुए तनाव से उबरने के लिए बहुत कम समय मिल पाता है।

तंदूर बने दि ल्ली समेत देश के 17 शहर, 48 के पार पहुंचा पारा, कब से मि लेगी राहत

इन शहरों में केवल तापमान ही नहीं बढ़ रहा सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (CSE) ने देश के 6 शहरों- रों दिल्ली, बेंगलुरु, चेन्नै, हैदराबाद, कोलकाता और मुंबई को लेकर एक स्टडी की है। इस स्टडी में पाया है कि सिर्फ तापमान नहीं बढ़ रहा है, बल्कि हवा, जमीनी सतह का तापमान और नमी मिलकर इन शहरों को असहनीय गर्मी की तरफ धकेल रहे हैं। 41 डिग्री का हीट इंडेक्स लोगों के लिए घातक माना जाता है। CSE की एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर अनुमिता रायचौधरी के मुताबिक, इस बदलाव को देखते हुए दिन और रात के लिए हीट मैनेजमेंट प्लान बनाने की जरूरत है। जरूरी है कि लू के समय इमरजेंसी उपाय किए जाएं। इस प्रकोप को कम करने के लिए लॉन्ग टर्म प्लान बने। इसके लिए ग्रीन एरिया और वॉटरबॉडी बढ़ाने, बिल्डिंग का थर्मल कंफर्ट सुधारने, गाड़ियों से निकलने वाली गर्मी को कम करने, एसी और इंडस्ट्री पर फोकस करने की जरूरत है। जनवरी 2001 से अप्रैल 2024 के बीच स्टडी में तुलना की गई है।

तंदूर बने दि ल्ली समेत देश के 17 शहर, 48 के पार पहुंचा पारा, कब से मि लेगी राहत

इन शहरों में केवल तापमान ही नहीं बढ़ रहा सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (CSE) ने देश के 6 शहरों- रों दिल्ली, बेंगलुरु, चेन्नै, हैदराबाद, कोलकाता और मुंबई को लेकर एक स्टडी की है। इस स्टडी में पाया है कि सिर्फ तापमान नहीं बढ़ रहा है, बल्कि हवा, जमीनी सतह का तापमान और नमी मिलकर इन शहरों को असहनीय गर्मी की तरफ धकेल रहे हैं। 41 डिग्री का हीट इंडेक्स लोगों के लिए घातक माना जाता है। CSE की एग्जीक्यूटिव डायरेक्टर अनुमिता रायचौधरी के मुताबिक, इस बदलाव को देखते हुए दिन और रात के लिए हीट मैनेजमेंट प्लान बनाने की जरूरत है। जरूरी है कि लू के समय इमरजेंसी उपाय किए जाएं। इस प्रकोप को कम करने के लिए लॉन्ग टर्म प्लान बने। इसके लिए ग्रीन एरिया और वॉटरबॉडी बढ़ाने, बिल्डिंग का थर्मल कंफर्ट सुधारने, गाड़ियों से निकलने वाली गर्मी को कम करने, एसी और इंडस्ट्री पर फोकस करने की जरूरत है। जनवरी 2001 से अप्रैल 2024 के बीच स्टडी में तुलना की गई है।

https://www.news9live.com/city/delhi/delhi-heatwave-mercury-touches-49-9c-in-mungeshpur-similar-weather-condition-likely-tomorrow-2553884

Why is Delhi witnessing such intense heatwave? A study by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi’s extreme heat is due to the massive surge in built-up areas. The city and adjoining NCR districts have witnesses massive expansion. As per the study, the city has expanded with built-up areas growing from 31.4% in 2003 to 38.2% in 2022. This has also led to surge in urban heat stress. More green cover helps in bringing down the daytime temperatures. However, it directly doesn’t impact the nighttime temperatures or the increasing heat index. But, as the urban expansion traps a lot of heat, it makes the city hotter, even at night. The CSE conducted the study for several major metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Hyderabad

Heat Wave 28 May Update: उत्तर भारत में गर्मी का सितम जारी, सिरसा में पारा 48 पार, पूर्वोत्तर में बारिश ने बरपाया कहर

शहरीकरण व उमस के कारण शहरों में जानलेवा बनी गर्मी : सीएसई सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) की ताजा रिपोर्ट के अनुसार एक दशक की तुलना में अब भारतीय महानगरों में रात का तापमान ज्यादा नहीं गिर रहा है, जिसके चलते रातें ठंडी नहीं हो रही हैं। सीएसई ने जनवरी 2001 से लेकर अप्रैल 2024 तक देश के छह महानगरों दिल्ली, मुंबई, कोलकाता, हैदराबाद, बेंगलूरू और चेन्नई के हवा और सतह के तापमान व उमस के स्तर में आए बदलावों की समीक्षा की है। इसके अनुसार बढ़ते शहरीकरण व उमस से महानगरों में गर्मी का तनाव बर्दाश्त के बाहर हो रहा है।

कंक्रीटीकण और आर्द्रता के बढ़ते स्तर से भारत के महानगरों में बढ़ रही गर्मी : रिपोर्ट

कंक्रीटीकरण और आर्द्रता का स्तर बढ़ने से भारत के महानगरों में गर्मी बढ़ रही है जहां एक दशक पहले की तरह रात तक में मौसम ठंडा नहीं हो रहा है। यह बात ‘सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरन्मेंट’ (सीएसई) की एक नयी रिपोर्ट में कही गई है। सीएसई ने जनवरी 2001 से अप्रैल 2024 तक छह महानगरों- ​​दिल्ली, मुंबई, कोलकाता, हैदराबाद, बेंगलुरु और चेन्नई के लिए ग्रीष्मकालीन हवा के तापमान, भूमि की सतह के तापमान और सापेक्ष आर्द्रता डेटा का विश्लेषण किया। थिंक टैंक ने कहा कि बढ़ी हुई आर्द्रता सभी जलवायु क्षेत्रों में गर्मी की स्थिति को बढ़ा रही है, यहां तक ​​कि दिल्ली और हैदराबाद में हवा के तापमान में मामूली गिरावट भी बेअसर साबित हो रही है। बेंगलुरु को छोड़कर, 2001-2010 के औसत की तुलना में 2014-2023 तक अन्य पांच महानगरों में ग्रीष्मकालीन औसत सापेक्ष आर्द्रता 5-10 प्रतिशत बढ़ गई। सीएसई की रिपोर्ट ऐसे समय आई है जब भीषण गर्मी भारत के बड़े हिस्से में स्वास्थ्य और आजीविका को प्रभावित कर रही है। सीएसई में अनुसंधान मामलों की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा, ‘शहरी केंद्रों के लिए एक व्यापक ताप प्रबंधन योजना विकसित करने के लिए दिन और रात के तापमान के साथ-साथ गर्मी, सापेक्ष आर्द्रता और भूमि की सतह के तापमान में बदलती प्रवृत्ति का आकलन करना आवश्यक है।’ सीएसई की नगर प्रयोगशाला के वरिष्ठ कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक अविकल सोमवंशी ने कहा कि भीषण गर्मी और आर्द्रता से निपटना विशेष रूप से महत्वपूर्ण है क्योंकि यह मानव शरीर के मुख्य शीतलन तंत्र ‘पसीने’ को प्रभावित कर सकता है। उन्होंने कहा, “त्वचा से पसीने का वाष्पीकरण हमारे शरीर को ठंडा करता है, लेकिन उच्च आर्द्रता स्तर इस प्राकृतिक ठंडक को सीमित कर देता है। परिणामस्वरूप, लोग गर्मी और बीमारी से पीड़ित हो सकते हैं।’’ अध्ययन में कहा गया कि महानगरों रात में ठंडक नहीं हो रही है। सोमवंशी ने कहा, “गर्म रातें दोपहर के चरम तापमान जितनी ही खतरनाक होती हैं। अगर रात भर तापमान अधिक रहता है तो लोगों को दिन की गर्मी से उबरने का मौका कम मिलता है।’’ अध्ययन में कहा गया कि आर्द्रता के बढ़ते स्तर ने दिल्ली, मुंबई, कोलकाता और चेन्नई में मानसून को मानसून पूर्व अवधि की तुलना में अधिक गर्म बना दिया है।

How Bengaluru lost its cool

The study highlights that while the decadal average air temperature in the city has increased by 0.5°C compared to 2001 - 2010; relative humidity has remained stable, leading to a surge in heat stress. Moreover, the increase in built-up area, from 37.5% in 2003 to 71.5% in 2023, has aggravated the situation. The assessment conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based NGO, is based on various factors such as changes in heat patterns during summer season (March to August) from January 2001 to April 2024, increase in built-up area over the two decades, and land surface temperature variation in the given years. “Air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity are the factors that impact thermal discomfort and heat stress. Although air temperature might record a drop, relative humidity, and land surface temperature can combine to enhance discomfort. Bengaluru’s summertime has registered a 0.5°C increase in decadal average ambient air temperature while the relative humidity has remained stable over the last two decades, leading to an increase of 2% in heat index,” noted the study. What is heat index The heat index is a measure of how hot it feels when humidity is factored in with the air temperature. It is considered that a heat index of 41°C is dangerous to human health. CSE’s analysis also noted that the urban heat island phenomena are stronger at night than daytime in Bengaluru. During the daytime in summer, the core of Bengaluru was found to be 0.6°C cooler than its peripheries and peri-urban areas. But at night the core was 2.5°C warmer than its peripheries and peri-urban areas. The analysis also shows that nights are cooling down by just 10.1°C, which is 15% down from the 2001-10 level. Although the city’s green cover has increased from 18.8 % in 2003 to 26.4% in 2023, it had no impact on nighttime temperature and increasing heat index in the city. “Hot nights are as dangerous as midday peak temperatures. People get little chance to recover from daytime heat slaughter if temperatures remain high overnight, Bengaluru’s heat index risen by 2% over 2 decades and as heat island phenomenon is stronger at night than day, Bengaluru doesn’t cool down after sundown too Increase in built-up area, land surface temperature variation studied Home Bangalore Entertainment Videos Photos Sports News Opinion Loksabha Elections Coronavirus All 5/27/24, 4:06 PM How Bengaluru lost its cool

Dangerous heatwaves trends exposed in India’s biggest cities: CSE

CSE's analysis exposing rising urban heat stress in major Indian cities. Rising temperatures, humidity, and land surface heat pose threats, urging comprehensive heat management plans for urban resilience An unprecedented new analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) reveals that Indian cities are grappling with a potent combination of factors fueling extreme urban heat stress - rising temperatures, escalating humidity levels, and increasing land surface heat. This deadly mix is converging to create hazardous conditions that threaten public health and quality of life in the concrete jungles. The Urban Lab at CSE carried out a comprehensive assessment of air temperature, land surface temperature and relative humidity across six megacities - Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. The time frame spans summer seasons from January 2001 till April 2024, providing insights into regional heat stress variations. ADVERTISEMENT The analysis focused on day and night temperature trends, humidity levels, seasonal variations, land surface temperature patterns and growth in built-up areas. It leveraged data from IMD weather stations, NASA's MODIS land surface observations, USGS satellite imagery and complex geospatial calculations. The study shatters the notion that rising air temperatures alone drive the urban heat crisis. Instead, it highlights the complex interplay between air temps, land surface temps, and relative humidity that culminates in acute thermal discomfort. Even cities experiencing a marginal air temperature decline can face intensifying heat stress due to humidity and surface heat factors. ADVERTISEMENT "Assessing changing trends in heat, humidity, land surface temperature, along with day and night variation is crucial for developing comprehensive heat management plans," said Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE's executive director of research and advocacy. "This allows implementing emergency measures during heatwaves and longer-term strategies like expanding green cover and enhancing buildings' thermal comfort." The Deadly Humidity Escalation A central finding is the significant increase in average relative humidity levels across most megacities over the last decade compared to 2001-2010. This 5-10% humidity surge has grave implications, as it compromises the human body's natural cooling mechanism of sweating. ADVERTISEMENT When humidity is high, sweat evaporation is limited, increasing the risk of heat stress and illnesses at relatively lower temperatures. The analysis found the heat index - which factors humidity into perceived heat - has risen faster than ambient temps in all six cities studied. Hottest Combo: Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai Chennai's summer average heat index was a scorching 37.4°C, with humidity contributing a staggering 6.9°C on top of air temperature. Kolkata's heat index averaged 36.5°C, humidity adding 6.4°C. Mumbai's stood at 34.3°C, humidity boosting it by 5°C. Disturbingly, the data shows monsoons have become more thermally uncomfortable than pre-monsoon periods in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, with higher heat indices during the monsoon season. ADVERTISEMENT The Unrelenting Night Heat Traditionally, nights provided respite from daytime heat. But the study indicates cities are no longer cooling adequately at night compared to 2001-2010 levels. Key examples: In Delhi, night cooling of land surface temps has decreased by 9% In Mumbai, this night cooling effect has plunged by 24% "Hot nights are extremely dangerous, denying recovery from daytime heat exposure," warned CSE's Avikal Somvanshi. "Studies predict a much higher mortality risk from excessive night heat than suggested by climate models focusing on daily averages." Urban Heat Island Effect ADVERTISEMENT Another alarming trend is the intensifying urban heat island effect, where city cores are considerably warmer than surrounding areas due to reduced ventilation, heat-trapping buildings, human activities, and lack of greenery. This effect is more acute at night when: Delhi's core cools 3.8°C less than peri-urban zones In Bengaluru, the core is 2.5°C warmer than outskirts Concretization Compounds the Crisis A direct correlation emerges between increasing built-up urban areas and rising heat stress across cities. Chennai and Bengaluru have seen their built-up areas more than double in two decades, while Mumbai's has grown over 13 percentage points. Conversely, green cover declined in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai - exacerbating heat islands, though the study notes increasing green spaces moderates daytime heat better than night temperatures.

New study tracks heat wave; exposes dangerous trends in big cities

CSE: Increasing relative humidity across all climate zones has worsened the heat index (combination of air temperature and relative humidity) and heat stress in every city An unprecedented heat wave has been enveloping Indian cities, worsening the urban heat island effect, this summer. A new analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says there are far deeper and longer term evidences on the nature of this changing trend that is impacting the biggest cities of the country. The analysis shows that the heat stress is not just about rising temperatures. It is a deadly combination of air temperature, land surface temperature and relative humidity that leads to acute thermal discomfort and heat stress in cities, CSE said in a release on Monday. Even if there is a variation in air temperatures across climatic zones with some parts recording even a decline, the other two factors – relative humidity and land surface temperature – combine to enhance discomfort and heat-related disease burden. According to the US National Weather Service, the heat index is a measure of how hot it really feels when humidity is factored in with the actual temperature. It is considered that a heat index of 41°C is dangerous for human health. “Assessing the changing trend in heat, relative humidity and land surface temperature along with day and night time temperatures is necessary to develop a comprehensive heat management plan for the urban centres. This is needed to implement emergency measures during heatwaves to protect public health, and also to develop longer term strategies to mitigate heat by increasing green areas and waterbodies, improving thermal comfort in buildings, and reducing waste heat from vehicles, air conditioners and industries,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at CSE. “Addressing the combination of high heat and humidity is particularly important as this can compromise the human body’s main cooling mechanism: sweating. The evaporation of sweat from skin cools our bodies, but higher humidity levels limit this natural cooling. As a result, people can suffer heat stress and illness, and the consequences can even be fatal even at much lower ambient temperatures. Interestingly, night time temperature is remaining elevated in cities,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE. The full CSE analysis as well as individual study reports on the six cities can be accessed here: https://www.cseindia.org/decoding-the-urban-heat-stress-among-indian-cities-12191 Key highlights Overall trends in urban heat stress in mega cities Variations across climatic zones: Cities in the warm-humid and moderate climate zones show an increase, while cities in composite and hot-dry climate zones indicate a decline. Ambient air temperature has changed by less than 0.5°C between 2001-10 and 2014-23. Ambient air in Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai has gotten hotter while Delhi and Hyderabad seem to be bucking the trend: Decadal summer-time average ambient temperature has risen by about 0.5°C in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Chennai compared to 2001-10. Kolkata’s decadal average is also up by 0.2°C. Delhi and Hyderabad, two metros which are located in composite climate zones known for the driest and harshest summers, have registered lower decadal average compared to 2001-10. Decadal summer-time average for Delhi is down by 0.6°C and for Hyderabad, by 0.9°C, compared to 2001-10. Relative humidity has increased in all zones: This increase has made heat stress worse in warm-humid and moderate climate zones, while it has nullified the fall in air temperatures in composite and hot-dry climate zones, especially during monsoons. Average relative humidity (RH) has significantly increased in the last 10 summers compared to the 2001-10 average. Barring Bengaluru, decadal summer-time average RH has increased by 5-10 per cent in the other five mega cities. The last 10 summers of Hyderabad have been on an average 10 per cent more humid compared to 2001-10. Similarly, Delhi’s last 10 summers have been 8 per cent more humid. Mumbai’s relative humidity is up by 7 per cent, while summers in Kolkata and Chennai are 5 per cent more humid on an average. Bengaluru has seen no change in humidity levels during summers. Both Delhi and Hyderabad might have registered the biggest rise in RH levels, though they are located in one of the driest climatic zones. This jump in decadal RH still does not bring their overall humidity levels at par with that of other mega cities which are located in more humid climates. Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai are still over 25 per cent more humid than Delhi and Hyderabad. The increased humidity in Delhi and Hyderabad somewhat nullifies their marginal drop in ambient air temperatures; in the other four cities, it intensifies the heat stress. Heat index rising faster than ambient temperature in all the cities: Given the rise of relative humidity during summers, the heat index (HI) has risen among mega cities. Chennai´s summer average heat index stood at 37.4°C (impact of humidity: 6.9°C) making it the hottest among the mega cities. Kolkata with a summer HI average of 36.5°C (impact of humidity: 6.4°C) and Mumbai with 34.3°C (impact of humidity: 5°C) were almost equally hot. Delhi’s summer HI average stood at 32.2°C (impact of humidity: 3.3°C) and Hyderabad’s at 29.3°C (impact of humidity: 1.2°C). Bengaluru was the least hot among the mega cities with a summer HI average of 26.9°C (impact of humidity: 0.8°C). Monsoons more thermally uncomfortable in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai with their heat index being higher than during pre-monsoon period. During 2001-10, the HI used to rise between pre-monsoon and monsoon in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, while it used to drop for the southern megacities of Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai. This trend has changed and in the last 10 summers, monsoon has become even hotter in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata, while in Chennai the marginal cooling noted with monsoon has disappeared. Monsoon is still a bit cooler than pre-monsoon for Bengaluru and Hyderabad, but the magnitude of cooling has reduced. Overall, monsoons on average have become 1°C hotter while pre-monsoons are hotter by 0.5°C on heat index compared to 2001-10. Cities not cooling down at night at the rate they used to during 2001-10: This phenomena is observed across all climatic zones. During the summers of 2001-10, land surface temperatures used to drop by 6.2°C-13.2°C from the day-time peak. Hyderabad used to cool down at night the most, while Kolkata the least. Now, in the last 10 summers (2014-23), night-time cooling has reduced to 6.2°C-11.5°C. In the current decade, Hyderabad on an average is relatively cooler by just 11.5°C -- 13 per cent down from 2001-10 levels. Delhi nights are a little cooler by just 11.2°C: 9 per cent down from 2001-10. Bengaluru nights are cooling down by just 10.1°C (15 per cent down). Chennai nights are cooler by just 9.7°C (5 per cent down from 2001-10), and Mumbai nights by 7.8°C (24 per cent down from 2001-10 level). Kolkata is the only megacity where night-time temperature is cooling down at the same rate as it used to during 2001-10 -- but it cools down the least among the megacities with land surface temperature dropping only 6.2°C at night. It must be noted that night-time cooling is getting lesser in the last few years for all megacities compared to the mid-2010s. Says Somvanshi: “Hot nights are as dangerous as mid-day peak temperatures. People get little chance to recover from day-time heat if temperatures remain high overnight. A study published in the Lancet Planetary Health has noted that the risk of death from excessively hot nights would increase nearly six-fold in future. This prediction is much higher than the mortality risk from daily average warming suggested by climate change models.” All cities have registered significant increase in their built-up area that contribute to urban heat island effect: There is direct co-relation between increase in built-up area and increase in urban heat stress. All megacities have become more concretised in the last two decades; this has contributed to the rise in heat stress; increase in green cover can moderate day-time heat, but is not that ineffective in arresting night-time heat. In 2023, Kolkata had the highest percentage of its land under concrete and the lowest green cover among the megacities; Delhi has comparatively the least area under concrete and the maximum green cover. Over the last two decades, built-up area in Chennai has doubled. Kolkata has registered an only 10 percentage points increase in its built-up area, making it the slowest as far as concretization is concerned. Hyderabad has doubled its green cover in the last two decades -- fastest among the megacities. Green cover has declined in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Most decline was noted in Chennai whose green cover shrank by almost 14 percentage points. City-wise highlights Delhi • Cooler than previous averages, but high humidity worsening heat stress: March-April of 2024 was 3°C cooler than the average of 2014-23. Delhi’s summer-time has registered a 0.6°C lower decadal average ambient air temperature, but relative humidity has increased by 8 per cent between 2001-10 and 2014-23. • High humidity responsible for adding to heat stress: An average 3.3°C of heat stress is being added. • City not cooling down at night: Diurnal cooling down of land surface temperature between day- and night-time is down by 9 per cent. • Urban heat island phenomena stronger at night: At night, the peri-urban area cools down by 12.2°C, while the city core cools down by only 8.5°C – thus the city core is cooling down 3.8°C less than its peri-urban areas. • Direct co-relation between increase in built-up area and rise in urban heat stress: Built-up area has increased from 31.4 per cent in 2003 to 38.2 per cent in 2022. Green cover has increased from 32.6 per cent in 2003 to 44.2 per cent in 2022. Increase in green cover shows impact on daytime temperatures, but it has had no impact on night-time temperatures and the increasing heat index. • Monsoons getting more thermally unconformable than pre-monsoons: Average heat index during monsoons is 9.4°C more than pre-monsoons. Mumbai • Both air temperature and humidity have increased, worsening the heat stress: Mumbai’s summer-time has registered a 0.6°C increase in decadal average ambient air temperature; relative humidity has gone up by 7 per cent between 2001-10 and 2014-23. • High humidity responsible for adding to heat stress: This is adding an average of 5°C of heat stress to the city. The heat index of the city has increased by 7 per cent. March-April 2024 was similar thermally to the average of 2014-23. • Both pre-monsoons and monsoons more thermally uncomfortable by over 2°C: Thermal distinction between monsoon and pre-monsoon has disappeared. • Not cooling down at night at the same rate as in 2001-10: Diurnal cooling down of land surface temperature between day- and night-time is down by 24 per cent. • Urban heat island phenomena stronger at night: During day-time, the core of Mumbai is 3.5°C cooler than its peripheries and peri-urban areas. But at night, the core is 0.4°C warmer. • Direct co-relation between increase in built-up area and rise in urban heat stress: Mumbai’s built-up area has increased from 38.4 per cent in 2003 to 52.1 per cent in 2023. Green cover has decreased from 35.8 per cent in 2003 to 30.2 per cent in 2023. What should be done? Implement city-specific heat management plans: These plans need to go beyond immediate emergency responses to help cope with specific heat events during summer and prevent heat lock-in. Says Somvanshi: “This is not only about summer action for public health protection, but more sustained action throughout the year to heat-proof the city and undertake heat mitigation, along with monitoring, to improve the overall adaptive thermal comfort of built structures and reduce energy and carbon intensity of the built environment.” Target all heat generators: Key heat generators such as concrete built surfaces, barren land and waste heat generators like vehicles, industries, and cooling devices should be brought under the ambit of the plan. Adopt guidelines and action plans to reduce thermal load on buildings and enhance thermal comfort; manage waste heat. Modify land use to mitigate heat: Ensure reversal land-use changes to expand the green areas and waterbodies for stronger cooling effect. Increase shaded areas. Develop a tracking mechanism: This is for tracking annual and diurnal trends in temperature, humidity and overall heat index to inform planning and implementation. Consider both day- and night-time temperatures for planning: Often, health emergency action considers only the high day-time temperatures, and not the night-time temperatures and relative humidity. This trend poses risks to public health and energy security of the city. The heat problem is not just about focusing on daily maximum temperatures crossing the 45°C benchmark – the standard focus during summers – but involves a much more complex set of indices. Strengthen scientific tracking of key factors impacting heat: Develop and combine a robust database on ambient heat and temperature, surface heat absorption and land surface temperatures, and changing land use, including vegetative cover and waterbodies that are determinants of heat island effect and relative humidity. This requires effective leveraging of available satellite technology. Given advancements in technology, such data is available but needs policy integration. Put in place emergency action plans for heat wave episodes to protect public health: It is critical to develop emergency healthcare systems for heat-related disease burden, expand the shaded areas in cities, ensure availability of drinking water in public spaces, and reduce heat exposure for vulnerable and occupationally exposed groups in cities.

Water to water, not water to waste

Access to clean water, life is unhealthy and unbearable. Successive governments, both at the Centre and in states, have worked, over the years, to provide clean water to rural communities. But experience shows that even as water supply has “reached” villages, the number of villages that has again fallen into the “unreached” category has grown. This zero-sum game is because water supply is not only about building pipes but also about ensuring the sustainability of the source of the supply system. Meaning, even if water supply has “reached” the village, the built and delivered infrastructure breaks down if the source dries up or gets contaminated. The key challenge then is to ensure sustainability of the water supply system, particularly the source of water supply. The Government of India’s ambitious and much needed Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) recognises this fundamental flaw and stresses that its objective is sustainability so that water continues to flow through the pipes to the taps. In this way, JJM’s most important objective is to provide a “functional” tap in every home, and not just the provision of the tap. This requires focus on improving the durability of water assets—by ensuring that the pond or lake or tank is not encroached upon and that the watershed, so critical for the drainage to be secured, is not destroyed. This also requires source sustainability by ensuring that the water source—be it river, lake or well—is recharged and is not polluted either by the excreta dumped on the land or by wastewater from households that now have toilets and taps. The fact is, 80 per cent of the water supplied to households is discharged as wastewater. In rural households, sanitation programmes focus on building toilets which use minimal water. Most of the wastewater is in the form of greywater—defined as wastewater from all human uses like bathing, washing clothes and washing utensils, other than toilets—which is discharged into the open. This greywater creates pools of water and breeding grounds for vectors and other diseases and becomes another source of contamination for groundwater and surface water. This is why greywater management—to reuse that used water for cultivation or for recharging groundwater—is key to source sustainability. This is water to water, not water to waste. At the same time, water supply has to be linked to the system of sanitation and wastewater generation. We need to understand that when we pollute water, we waste it. The fact is, the toilet building programme is incomplete unless the wastewater—the faecal sludge that is contained in the receptacle of the single- or double-pit or unlined, linked or honey-comb individual toilet—is safely disposed of. This means the faecal sludge must be either treated within the toilet—in situ treatment—so that when it is emptied, the sludge can be reused as manure without polluting water or land. Or, there are systems to collect the faecal matter and to take it to treatment plants before it is reused on the land. We know that the faecal matter—what we excrete after eating food that takes the nitrogen and phosphorous from the soil—is full of nutrients. This matter must be put back on the land and not disposed of in waterways. But it must be done after treatment so that the waste does not add to our health burden. But the most important learning is that unless communities are involved, water supply programmes will remain dysfunctional and indeed broken. The problem lies in the fact that land and water bureaucracies are fractured—somebody owns the pond; another agency the drain; and yet another the catchment. Water security requires this to change. This means giving much greater control over the water structures to the local community—by deepening democracy and through devolution of powers—is then the answer to water management. This has to be the next game changer in our quest to supply clean water to all. This is even more important in today’s climate-risked world. In this decade we will see the revenge of nature. We need then to scale up our work to invest in water systems and to make them durable—not just to withstand another rain but another deluge. We need to speed up our work, because climate change will make sure that we have more rain but in fewer rainy days. This means doing much more to capture the rain, when and where it falls, so that the groundwater is recharged. Our water future is about our water wisdom and in this, we must recognise that water and culture go together. Water shortage is not about mere failure of rain. It is about the failure of society to live and share its water endowment. (The writer is Director General of CSE and editor of Down To Earth, an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets)

India is On a Renewables Spree But is Pushing for More Coal-based Power Plants. What’s Happening?

A report published on May 8 found that in 2023, India overtook Japan to become the world’s third largest solar power generator. Another recent report showed that in the first quarter of 2024, coal’s share of total power generation capacity in India dropped below 50% — for the first time since 1966. In 2024 alone, India has also issued at least 69 gigawatts (GW) worth of renewable energy tenders: far higher than the union government’s annual target of 50 GW. But as hope-instilling as India’s renewable energy push may be, there’s more to the picture. The country is commissioning new fossil fuel-based power plants, and especially so over the last couple of years — as several recent reports show. We’re also reviving stalled projects, and expanding existing ones. Understandably, India needs more coal for all these power plants, hence, the country’s coal production has increased over the last fiscal year, and so have coal imports. So what’s with these seemingly contradictory findings? Why is India pushing for more renewable energy, but also promoting coal-based power plants and increasing coal production and imports at the same time? Some scientists told The Wire that they wouldn’t worry much about the commissioning of new coal-based power plants because many of these plants stagnate at the commissioning or installation stages. But some others are not convinced: renewed action to promote new coal-based power plants can be detrimental for the country and its people because there are serious concerns of such plants turning out to be “stranded assets” — infrastructure that are inefficient, can no longer be used and become liabilities instead, they told The Wire. Moreover the “narrative” that India is short on power resources stems entirely from mismanagement of existing coal resources, they added. It will be crucial to take urgent steps to develop and implement methods to efficiently store renewable energy so that it becomes a reliable source of power to replace coal in future, experts said. These developments also come at a time when Science is making it increasingly clear that India cannot afford more coal-based power being installed, due to the impacts of both coal extraction and the burning of the fossil fuel on the environment (such as loss of biodiversity and increased air pollution) — and the impacts, in turn, on people’s health, as well as the rights and livelihoods of local communities. India is third-largest solar power generator First, the good news. India is on a solar power generation spree. In 2023, it overtook Japan to become the world’s third largest solar power generator, as per a report released on May 8 this year by global energy think tank Ember. India ranked ninth in solar power generation in 2015. This spurt in installing and generating renewable energy is in line with India’s international climate change mitigation pledges. As per our latest Nationally Determined Contributions submitted to the United Nations, India aims to ensure that 50% of the country’s electricity generation will come from non-fossil fuel based sources by 2030. And more good news has been coming in. A recent report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) found that in the first quarter of 2024, coal’s share of total power generation capacity in India dropped below 50% — a first since 1966. The report also showed that India issued at least 69 gigawatts (GW) worth of renewable energy tenders in 2024 alone. This overshoots the union government’s target of 50 GW of renewable energy to be commissioned every year, the report noted. …but we’re still pushing for coal-based power plants The Indian government, however, continues to push coal as its mainstay for power generation. And coal is crucial as it meets around three-quarters of all of India’s electricity demands. India is not only reviving stalled coal-based power plants and expanding existing ones, but also commissioning brand new fossil fuel-based power plants. The Indian power ministry told Reuters in February this year that the country will start operating new coal-fired power plants of a combined capacity of 13.9 gigawatts (GW) this year alone. This is the highest annual increase in at least six years. India plans to add at least 53.6 GW of coal-fired power capacity by March 2032; this is in addition to the existing plants of 26.4 GW currently being constructed, as per the Reuters report. For a few years, till the end of 2022, they saw a declining trend in new coal-based power plants coming online in the country, said Sunil Dahiya, researcher at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). However, India is definitely moving away from this trajectory, Dahiya told The Wire. Expansions and revival of stalled coal-fired power plants continue, and have picked up pace in recent years. A report by the Global Energy Monitor (GEM) and CREA and co-authored by Dahiya in August 2023 found that three non-captive coal plant expansions (amounting to 3.9 GW) received permits in the first five months of 2023 alone, up from zero the year before. It also found that seven other coal plant proposals (a total of 7.6 GW) also moved ahead with regards to their permits by receiving their terms of reference. Two new coal plants (2.9 GW) appeared under consideration for the first time in 2023 too. Private players are also hoping to cash in on this push for coal-based projects. Adani Power, JSW Group and Essar Power are among the companies that have told India’s power ministry that they would be keen to expand old plants or develop stalled projects facing financial stress, according to sources and a government presentation quoted by Reuters in a report in March this year. Commissioning new plants, expanding existing ones, and reviving stalled ones will continue to occur – and perhaps even increase – as per several of these news reports and studies. Coal production and imports at a high More coal-based power plants means that we need more coal to fuel them. India’s coal production continues to rise. As per latest data published by the Ministry of Coal, the country’s coal production reached 997.4 million tonnes in the fiscal year 2024. That’s a whopping 11.6% increase from the previous year (893.19 million tonnes). Of this, Coal India Ltd (CIL) alone produced 773.6 million tonnes. The government-run company also recorded an increase of 10% year-on-year of coal production. India’s coal imports have increased too. As of March 2024, India’s total coal import was 261 million tonnes, the highest in the last three years. And there’s fraud here as well, suggests an investigative report by the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) published on May 22. The OCCRP obtained documents (later shared with the Financial Times) that suggest that at least 24 shipments of coal belonging to the Adani Group that arrived in Tamil Nadu between January and October 2014 were originally priced as low-quality coal (of less than 3,500 kilocalories/ kilogram, which was sourced from Indonesia). However, the Adani Group sold the same coal as high-quality coal (of higher calorific value, at around 6,000 kilocalories/ kilogram) to the state’s power company – the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation – for triple the cost, per the OCCRP report. Along with the huge loss to the public caused by the fraudulent deal (which meant that citizens bought electricity at far higher costs than they should have), the burning of low-quality coal is also known to be more polluting, and thus, more damaging to both the environment and human health. In March this year, the Ministry of Coal observed what they called a “notable increase” (a staggering 94.21% increase, actually) in coal imports by imported coal-based power plants from April 2023 to January 2024, when compared to the corresponding period in the previous year. The Ministry put it down to the huge drop in import prices of coal during the time. In April this year, the Ministry ordered all coal-based power plants fueled by imported coal to run at full capacity till October 15. So coal is here to stay — for some time at least. In an interview to MoneyControl in January this year, Prahlad Joshi, Union Minister for Coal, Mines and Parliamentary Affairs, said that the government will “continue increasing coal production even beyond 2030,” citing India’s huge surge in power demands, something that is also predicted for the coming years. “There is no question of any reduction in coal production after 2030. For the next 40 years at least, coal is going to stay (as a key energy source) in India,” Joshi told MoneyControl. India, while on its way to increasing its renewable energy power generation, is also not cutting back on coal mining and imports, or halting the commissioning of new coal-based power plants. Experts say that while it may look contradictory, both coal and renewables will have to go hand in hand for some time until issues such as storage of renewable power are addressed to ensure that renewable energy becomes as reliable as coal. However, commissioning new coal plants is just not the way to go, some added. ‘Issue is not power shortage but mismanagement’ According to Dahiya, the “narrative” — that we need more coal-based power plants and therefore more coal — is something that has been pushed forward by the Indian government citing surging energy demands especially during the summer when there is a huge demand for more electricity to power fans and other cooling systems such as air conditioners. The government has cited power shortages during such seasons to commission more coal-based power plants and even permit coal mines to hike production without a fresh environmental impact assessment or public consultation, as The Wire Science reported. “However our analysis showed that it was not a power shortage because of a limitation of power generation capability, but a management crisis because power plants did not stock up enough coal,” Dahiya told The Wire. And we don’t need any new coal-run power plants either, according to Dahiya. He pointed out that the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) in its 2018-19 report had explicitly mentioned that India does not need any new coal-based power plants to come up apart from the ones which are already in different stages of the pipeline. However, officials doubled back on this stand, Dahiya said. The latest Electric Power Survey, National Electricity Plan as well as the report on Optimal Generation Mix, all recommended that India build more coal-based power plants. As per the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air-Global Energy Monitor (CREA-GEM) report in August 2023 that also analysed the five-year projections in India’s latest National Electricity Plan (NEP), “more than 8 GW of non-captive coal-fired power plant capacity in active construction is unnecessary, and all 34.9 GW of the pre-construction capacity is also not needed.” The story of stranded assets When it comes to reviving stalled projects, it makes sense to revive power plants that are new, and whose construction is almost over, Dahiya told The Wire. But there is a lot of wastage of public money where older, less efficient power plants are sold to new buyers for far lower costs than they were built with initially, he said. Such “stranded assets” – infrastructure that is inefficient, can no longer be used and becomes a liability instead – are a “waste of public money”, Dahiya said. “We are tracking numbers: this year alone around 2.7 GW of new coal-based power plants came into the permitting process,” he said. “So we are definitely seeing signs that coal is coming back strong in India after early signs of a declining trend before 2023. That puts us in danger of another wave of stranded assets down the line.” Per the GEM-CREA report, the National Electricity Policy (NEP 2023) shows that India’s coal power capacity that is currently under development exceeds estimated electricity requirements for both 2027 and 2032. Moreover, India’s coal resources are also high: mining capacity, as of 2 years ago, was 2.4 billion tonnes (this included mines which have already received environmental clearances and at various stages of development), Dahiya said. So if more mines are added, there’s a “very high likelihood” of a stranded asset wave sweeping across the coal mining sector as well, with India’s push to add more coal mines to its existing network to cater to power demands. “Ultimately…forests will be destroyed, and the traditional livelihoods of communities will be destroyed too,” Dahiya told The Wire. However, if we add 300 GW of renewable energy as we plan to over the next six years, that itself has the potential to meet the growth in power demands in the coming years, Dahiya said. “The biggest premise for this to happen is to install 50 GW of RE every year. If we do that systematically every year, our analysis says that by 2027, India’s coal consumption will peak and then start declining. But this might also not happen because we have seen that India makes sweet promises on installing RE but doesn’t meet those deadlines. That might lead to a delay in the peak of coal consumption.” Incidentally, India failed to achieve its target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by the end of 2022. To worry or not? The announcements about building new coal-based power plants, however, is not something he would worry much about; mere announcements don’t mean actual commissioning, said Sandeep Pai, director of Swaniti Global. That’s because most of the announcements don’t actually mean that new coal-based power plants would be built, he told The Wire. Moreover, for the new coal-based power plants that are indeed being added to India’s kitty as per these reports, other older and more inefficient ones might be wound down, said Pai, who has studied several aspects pertaining to the coal industry, from its importance as a livelihood generator, to policy in the context of climate change and just transitions. If the new coal plants are more efficient due to better and improved technology they are better than the current older ones as they will be better for the environment, people and their rising needs. One factor that elevates coal as a crucial resource is its reliability: a stark contrast to the unpredictability of green energy. Solar power is available only during daylight hours; wind power generation is seasonal. Like wind power, hydropower (which is considered a clean and green energy source in India despite numerous impacts such as the displacement of people, arresting environmental flow of water and more) also varies across seasons due to changes in rainfall patterns. With increased impacts of climate change that often affect rainfall patterns, the unpredictability of hydroelectric power is only likely to get worse. Storage is key That’s why developing and implementing storage of renewable energy is crucial for India. And currently, there is no efficient provision to do so. India’s power demands are very high but the quantum required to shift demands from fossil fuels to renewable energy will take time. So till the time large-scale energy storage systems are deployed, coal capacity addition is happening — but this is a temporary phenomenon and soon these assets are at risk of being stranded, said Vibhuti Garg, director – South Asia, IEEFA. Developing batteries for storage — mostly lithium, but also sodium ions — is in the process, says Garg. And there has been some progress recently, Garg told The Wire. “The government is releasing FDRE tenders to develop storage for hydro and green energy.” In firm and dispatchable renewable energy (FDRE) power, energy storage systems help transform variable renewable energy into FDRE, which ensures that consumers receive power round-the-clock. It appears that FDRE systems may be deployed in less than a year, Garg added, the government is also encouraging domestic manufacturing of batteries. Garg, however, is clear that India has to stop commissioning new coal-based power plants. “This is something we should ideally not be doing at all,” she told The Wire. In fact, a 2021 study is categorical about this: there is no economic case either for new coal plants in India, it noted. “By 2025, the cost of electricity from renewables with storage will be comparable to the domestic social costs of the cheapest new coal plants,” it said. As per the study, “Indian policymakers should start preparing now for this eventuality, especially with policies to re-employ and compensate workers in coal and related sectors who will have to find new employment.” Investing in modernising the grid, and investing in battery and other storage options to further renewable energy and its storage and use, will be more beneficial than investing in coal projects, according to Dahiya. “Renewable energy plus storage is definitely the way forward… If we manage our already existing coal and gas resources well, if we install renewable energy at a pace that is required, and modernise the grid so that electricity can be transferred from one place to another, we can meet all our projected energy demands.” The one thing limiting renewable energy right now, Dahiya said, is the cost of storage. “But if we include all the costs of coal — the social costs, environmental costs, health costs, livelihood costs — the cost of coal is too high. Public health has definitely got a back seat when it comes in competition with coal.” Why this matters: Health, environment, rights Science has shown — and continues to show — that coal-based power plants, while contributing to India’s carbon emissions, also have a big impact on citizens’ health. A November 2023 report by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that coal-based thermal power plants contribute around 8% of particulate matter (PM) to the air in the Delhi-NCR region. Particulate matter is a major air pollutant that is released when fossil fuels are burnt. These carbon particles (ranging between 2.5 and 10 mm in diameter) can lodge in peoples’ lungs causing varying health conditions and diseases — including cancers, respiratory illnesses and more. Just as the current government has come under fire for diluting environmental norms and weakening existing legislations pertaining to forest protection in recent times, there also arise numerous questions regarding dilutions in environmental policies and norms around the running of thermal power plants too, delays in the implementation of norms and inability on the government’s part to ensure compliance. For instance, as per the CSE report, of the 11 thermal power plants in the Delhi-NCR region, three exceed particulate matter norms mandated by the government. Four of the 11 plants — three in Haryana, one in Punjab — exceed nitrogen oxide emission norms. Nitrogen oxide is another air pollutant that also causes respiratory illnesses. Sulphur dioxide is another pollutant that power plants emit. However, as per the CSE report, only two of the 11 plants in the NCR region have sulphur dioxide control measures in place, and only one meets existing emission standards for this pollutant. “[Sulphur dioxide] is a reactive gas and converts to sulphates in the form of fine particulate matter — PM2.5 — which poses even a greater risk to health and environment,” said D. D. Basu, former director of the Central Pollution Control Board, in the CSE press release. “Therefore, control of SO2 [sulphur dioxide] is crucial from the perspective of controlling particulate matter emissions.” As per the report, while the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change introduced strict emission norms for coal-based power plants in December 2015 which were to be complied within two years, these have been diluted for several parameters. The deadlines have been repeatedly extended in 2017, 2019 and 2021. As per the latest deadlines, different categories of power plants (categorised based on their polluting levels) need meet sulphur dioxide emission norms only by December 2024, 2025 and 2026. The lack of crucial data pertaining to power plant emissions that has to be placed in the public domain is another concern: per the CSE report, https://www.cseindia.org/environmental-status-of-coal-based-thermal-power-plants-in-the-national-captial-region-11966, five of the 11 plants have a “poor status” when it comes to this. The process of coal extraction too comes at huge prices to the environment, peoples’ health and indigenous rights as well. Apart from the ecological concerns of biodiversity loss and the degradation of natural systems that coal mining causes, pollution goes hand-in-hand with coal extraction. Studies such as this one from the Talcher coal mines of Odisha show that coal mining pollutes both surface and underground water resources in the area. Jharkhand’s coal mines, meanwhile, are symbolic of the social, cultural and livelihood losses that indigenous communities face due to the loss of forests that they depend on for both sustenance and livelihood.

How companies are tweaking ESG disclosures selectively

The Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) disclosures as mandated by SEBI is still in the nascent stage in India but an assessment of the last three years' submissions by corporates found that companies are tweaking them on their own. As part of its Business Responsibility and Sustainability Report (BRSR), Tata Power added a new parameter of freshwater consumption in the table while reporting on water withdrawal by source while GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals reported only the total volume of water withdrawal from different sources and deleted the row asking total water consumption. An analysis of BRSR reports of 14 different companies (randomly picked) from 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2033-23 by the Centre for Science Environment (CSE) found that companies have often provided data selectively, as per their understanding, and added or deleted rows of information as per their convenience. In the case of Tata Power, instead of providing information on total water consumption which the BRSR format asks for, it has introduced a new parameter called total freshwater consumption. “The volume of freshwater consumed forms only a small part of total water consumption; therefore, the water intensity calculated by the company (litre/rupee) is incorrect,” noted the report. What does it mean? The BRSR disclosures by companies may not provide a clear picture of the ESG and they are not at fault completely. There is some ambiguity in the BRSR reporting framework that needs a tweak by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), found the CSE report that focused on data provided by companies about Principle 6 – Environmental Stewardship. A review of the disclosure format shows that while it is easy to compare financial data or governance structures across different companies, comparison of environmental data throws up practical problems. Calling for a sector-specific approach in the BRSR framework, the report pointed: “A company may have different sectors having different pollution loads; another may have some air polluting units or a few units which pollute water sources, or both; a company also may have units sourcing energy from dirty fuels as well as those sourcing energy from renewables. In such scenarios, comparison between companies is futile; comparisons can be made only among companies from the same sector.” The BRSR framework should allow industries with different business activities to report according to their businesses. This will facilitate comparison and will help bring clarity to the environmental stewardship of a company as a whole. Report Findings Consolidated company data is not always useful. An average value that takes into account both good and bad units does not represent the sustainability of a company, says the CSE assessment. “Instead, sustainability can be judged if poor or average performing units are identified and a roadmap is prepared for them to improve their performance on various indicators. In the existing format, SEBI has not focused on unit-wise information from companies, except in case of unit-wise data related to water withdrawal, consumption and discharge,” it noted. According to the assessment, the current BRSR format makes it difficult to understand the reasons behind the increase or decrease in values of the parameters. “Take the case of JSW Energy, the information shows that its sourcing of energy from non-renewables has dipped from 157,320 GJ in 2020-21 to 126,000 GJ in 2021-22 – but the company does not provide any reasons for this reduction. Similarly, in the case of water consumption, Bharat Forge Limited, JSW Energy Limited, Orient Cement, Tata Chemicals and Tata Power report that they have increased their water consumption between 2020-21 and 2022-23 – without clarifying why this increase happened,” it noted. Energy intensity is a critical parameter in view of India’s commitment to reduce the emissions intensity of its GDP by 20-25% over the 2005 levels by 2050. “SEBI should clarify how energy intensity values can be used to assess the performance of a company and its contribution in achieving this national target – especially as companies are expected to report on GHG emissions intensity separately under the BRSR format,” it recommended.

SEBI Prods Companies To Report On Their ‘Green’ Performance

The Centre For Science And Environment (CSE) analyses data reported by 14 top companies – and recommends, among other things, reporting of sector-specific instead of generic data. Indian companies, nudged by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), have started reporting on their environmental and sustainability performance, but their submissions lack details and relevant information – finds a survey and assessment done by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). In May 2021, SEBI, in a welcome move, launched an initiative called ‘Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting (BRSR)’. Under it, the Board wanted the top 1,000 listed companies in India – identified based on their worth in the stock market -- to disclose their non-financial data from 2021 to 2023, including data on “environmental stewardship”. SEBI’s BRSR framework asks for this data for two financial years: the current and the previous. CSE has reviewed 28 reports submitted by 14 of these top companies. Its assessment, titled ‘Strengthening Environmental Reporting under BRSR (Business Responsibility and Sustainability Reporting)’, is largely focused on data provided by the companies about their actions and records on environmental stewardship. Says Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE: “We have reviewed the reports for two consecutive years -- 2021-22 and 2022-23 -- and also analysed the data for three consecutive years: 2020-21 to 2022-23. The primary aim behind our assessment has been to find out how the format can be strengthened to get quality data out in the public domain, which can then be used by policymakers and investors for more informed decision-making.” Shobhit Srivastava, deputy programme manager, industrial pollution, CSE adds: “The criteria for selection of the 14 companies was to have as much diversity as possible in terms of the sector. The selection is random as well, and is based on the availability of reports.” The problem lies, says CSE, in the way the BRSR format and questionnaire have been designed, and the kind of questions that have been asked of the companies -- it leaves room for the submission of information that is incomplete, thus defeating the purpose behind the entire exercise: that of creating a reporting structure for Indian companies that would help investors make rational decisions. What ails the existing reporting guidelines? Consolidated company data vs unit-specific data: “Consolidated company data is not always useful,” says Srivastava. An average value which takes into account both good and bad units cannot represent the sustainability of a company, says the CSE assessment. Instead, sustainability can be judged effectively if poor or average-performing units are identified and a roadmap is prepared for them to improve their performance on various indicators. Data without the rationale behind it: The current BRSR format makes it difficult to understand the reasons behind the increase or decrease in values and numbers of the parameters. Companies tweaking the questionnaire: Companies have often provided data selectively, as per their understanding, and added or deleted rows of information at their convenience. It should not be left to them to decide how they wish to present the data. Some important indicators are categorised as ‘voluntary’, not ‘mandatory: Some key indicators such as water withdrawal, consumption and discharge have been placed under ‘Leadership Indicators’, where companies can share information voluntarily. These can be moved to the ‘Essential Indicators’ category, which lists mandatory data points that need to be provided mandatorily. Says Yadav: “The BRSR questionnaire has some problems. For example, the format does not seek information on the type of fuels used by a company, the sources of renewable and non-renewable energy, or how is the undischarged treated water being used. In the case of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes generated by a company, information on waste-wise management and disposal is critical – but the questionnaire does not ask for it.”

Uttarakhand Forest Fires will Blow Out with the Season. Its Economic, Ecological Consequences will Last

Ahead of World Environment Day—June 5—the news is grim. Forest fires are raging across large swathes of forest land across Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Tamil Nadu. Things got worse last month with a pall of smoke lying heavy over the hills. However, it is the fires in Uttarakhand that have hogged the headlines. This is partly because the Supreme Court has excoriated the Uttarakhand government for its lackadaisical attitude towards firefighting and images of Indian Air Force using helicopter buckets (popularly called Bambi Buckets) to douse fires in Nainital district were flashed nationally. The state has a forest area of 38,000 square kilometres, according to a 2019 Forest Survey of India report. Since November last year there have been 1,000-plus forest fires in Uttarakhand. November to June is considered to be the forest fire season in India. Six people have lost their lives, thousands of hectares of forests have been burnt to the ground, the loss of flora and fauna is still to be counted. Thousands and thousands of litres of water have been poured in an attempt to douse the flames, according to media reports. The losses do not include the long-term effects on soil nutrient and the environment. Tourism, a big money churner, is also hit. The state government has already spent close to Rs 20 lakh and counting on controlling the forest fires. As per the Annual Report 2023-24 of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change the ongoing four-year National Collaborative Scheme on Forest Fire Management Rs. 22.31 crore has been allotted for a period of four years starting 2022–23 of which only Rs. 3.81 crore has been released so far. A 2018 World Bank report states that one in four people in India are dependent on forests for their source of livelihood and even conservative estimates around financial losses due to forest fires each year stood at Rs.1,100 crore. Hills are on Fire Forest fires in Uttarakhand are an annual affair. But their intensity and frequency over the years have increased. In a paper titled Forest Fires and Climate Attributes Interact in Central Himalayas: An Overview and Assessment, published in March 2023, researchers Usha Mina, A.P. Dimri and Sandhya Farswan say that incidents of forest fires have increased from 922 in 2002 to 1,165 in 2017, 4,714 in 2018 and 41,600 in 2019. “Extended periods of warm temperatures, changing monsoon patterns including a lack of pre-monsoon rainfall and drought-like conditions increase the availability of dry fuel. This helps forest fires to spread rapidly and worsen their impact,” says Tamanna Sengupta, programme officer, climate change, Centre for Science and Environment. Forest fires are both natural and man-made. Uttarakhand has been reeling under unnatural high temperatures over the past few weeks. Also, scanty rain and snow last winter made the soil dry. Add needles from the thousands of chir pine to this incinerator and you have a furnace ready to be lit. Lightning, grazers deliberately lighting a fire to encourage new grass, slash and burn method of agriculture, burning of trash and sheer carelessness (such as throwing a cigarette stub or not putting out a campfire) can lead to raging fires. Then there are criminals who want to hide illegal logging and jerks who will do anything to make reels (last month Uttarakhand Police arrested three youths who set a forest on fire to create reels). Necessary Cover These annual fires deplete Uttarakhand’s forest cover. Forests play an important economic role by generating revenues of their own and impacting other sectors including agriculture, energy, tourism and health. The economic returns over and above its contribution to environment make systematic investment to increase forest cover valuable. Globally, we rank third in net gain in average annual forest area between 2010 and 2020. According to a media report from 2019, Uttarakhand earned about Rs 350 crore in profits from its forests. The contribution of the forestry sector to gross value added stood at 1.48% between 2011 and 2016, states Strengthening Forest Fire Management in India a 2018 report jointly prepared by the environment ministry and the World Bank. Most of the value added by the forest sector came from industrial timber followed by firewood. However, this estimate does not account entirely for the value that forests add as goods and services provided by forests in India are not bought and sold in the formal economy. India’s rural poor are most dependent on forests as cash and subsistence income from forest goods account for a greater part of income of the poorest households. It has been widely reported that pine needles have added fuel to recent episodes of forest fires in Uttarakhand. The state’s forest department is trying to generate some revenue from the needles. Last month Pushkar Singh Dhami, Uttarakhand’s chief minister, launched the Rs 50-crore Pirul Lao, Paisa Pao campaign in Rudraprayag district. The project urges people to collect pine needles from the forest floor and sell them at Rs 50 a kilogramme. Pine needles have commercial value for packaging fruits and when mixed with cow dung acts as fertilizer. Pine needles can also be used to generate electricity. However, bio-energy projects set up by Uttarakhand Renewable Energy Development Agency has admitted that it has been “unsuccessful” in this across the six plants set up in the state. The attempt has failed largely because appropriate technology is not available.