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Rain, winds give Delhi best July AQI since 2015

Consistent rain, coupled with gusty winds, gave Delhi an average monthly Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 84 — the lowest pollution levels for the month of July since at least 2015, when the Central Pollution Control Board began collecting AQI readings for the Capital, data shared by the CPCB showed. The average AQI for July this year on par with that of July 2020 — an outlier year due to Covid-19 pandemic-induced restrictions. CPCB data also showed that this July, Delhi logged pollution levels in the “satisfactory” zone on 26 out of 31 days — better than the 25 “satisfactory” days recorded in 2020 and 2022, and the 20 such days in July 2021. The lowest AQI recorded so far this year was 59 on July 29. Delhi is yet to record “good” air this year. CPCB classifies an AQI between 0-50 as “good”, between 51 and 100 as “satisfactory”, between 101 and 200 as “moderate”, between 201 and 300 as “poor”, between 301 and 400 as “very poor”, and over 400 as “severe”. Analysing the CPCB data, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) said in a statement, “The monthly average AQI for Delhi in July remained in the satisfactory AQI category (83.71). Delhi has recorded its lowest monthly average AQI during July this year as compared to the corresponding period for the last four years from 2019. The monthly average AQI of July 2023 is comparable with the monthly average AQI of July 2020 (83.80).” A CAQM official said while the body only looked at a five-year data for July starting 2019, this year was in fact the cleanest since it began recording AQI data. “The years before 2019 were even more polluted,” the official said. Giving details about the concentration of particulate matter in Delhi this July, CAQM said the city’s average PM2.5 concentration was 35 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) — slightly above the reading of 34µg/m³ in July 2020 and better than the 36µg/m in July 2022. Meanwhile, the average PM10 concentration for this July was 77µg/m³, the same as 2020 and better than the 82µg/m³ last year. The national annual safe standard for PM2.5 and PM10 is 40µg/m³ and 60µg/m³, respectively. CAQM said the improvement in AQI was indicative of the efforts take by commission as well as the state governments across the National Capital Region, asking for the state pollution control bodies, regulatory bodies, industries, RWAs, civil society organizations and citizens to further contribute towards cleaner air. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said while this monsoon season has been marked by prolonged rains in Delhi, long-term trends show there has been a marked improvement in AQI over the years. “We are seeing a drop in annual PM 2.5 and PM 10 levels each year and that is reflecting in the monthly data too. It shows that since 2015, there has been a drop in the background emissions, but we also have to acknowledge the role of meteorological conditions. There has been a washout effect too, largely because we have seen good rain in the last two months,” she said.

Cleaner air for Delhi in last 7 months

NEW DELHI: This year, the city saw its cleanest July since 2015, when the Central Pollution Control Board began maintaining the Air Quality Index. The average AQI this July was 84 due mainly to regular rainfall. July 2020 too had logged the same average AQI of 84. Additionally, the period from January to July this year is the second cleanest in three years. The average AQI of Delhi in the seven-month period was 182.6 this year, 209 in 2022, 204.7 in 2021, 159 in 2020 and 215.3 in 2019. Track the pollution level in your city Experts said the prolonged spells of rain in July played a significant role in cleaning the air. Safdarjung, the city's base weather station, logged 384.6mm of rainfall against the normal average of 209.7mm. "Rain help settle down pollutants," said Dipankar Saha, former head of CPCB's laboratory. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, "Intense and prolonged spell of rain created this wash-out effect. Besides, the downward trend in long-term pollution level could also have contributed to further lowering the AQI this season." CPCB's data shows that the average AQI in July was 87 in 2022, 110 in 2021, 84 in 2020, 134 in 2019, 104 in 2018, 98 in 2017, 146 in 2016 and 138 in 2015. In July this year, the AQI was at the 'satisfactory' level for 26 days, including for a consecutive 13 days from July 5 to 17. In the remaining five days, the AQI was in the 'moderate' category. However, no 'good' air day was recorded in the month. According to the Commission for Air Quality Management, there was a reduction in daily average PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations this July. The daily average PM2.5 level in July this year was 35 microgram per cubic metre in contrast with 36 in 2022, 40 in 2021, 34 in 2020 and 47 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019. Similarly, the daily average PM10 concentration in Delhi for July 2023 was 77 microgram per cubic metre against 82 in 2022, 107 in 2021, 77 in 2020 and 143 micrograms per cubic metre in 2019. "CAQM is working closely with all the stakeholders to take effective measures for the prevention, control and abatement of air pollution and to improve the overall air quality in NCR," said the commission in a statement on Monday.

जोशीमठ के सवाल पर संसद में सरकार का गोलमोल जवाब

जोशीमठ भूधंसाव के मामले में सरकार से संसद में सवाल पूछा गया, लेकिन सरकार की ओर से केंद्रीय पर्यावरण, वन एवं जलवायु परिवर्तन राज्य मंत्री अश्विनी कुमार चौबे ने पुरानी बातें दोहरा दीं। उन्होंने बताया कि भूधंसाव के बाद तपोवन-विष्णुगढ़ पनबिजली परियोजना और हेलंंग मारवाड़ी बाइपास का काम रोक दिया गया था। हालांकि, उन्होंने यह नहीं बताया कि हेलंग बाइपास का काम बाद में शुरू कर दिया गया था। राज्यसभा में दिए गए एक लिखित जवाब में उन्होंने बताया कि साल 1976 में तत्कालीन उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार द्वारा गठित मिश्रा समिति ने जोशीमठ में भूस्खलन और स्थानीय धंसाव की चेतावनी दी थी। उस समय 18-सदस्यीय समिति के सदस्य संगठनों के पास उपलब्ध विशेषज्ञता और संसाधनों के अनुसार विभिन्न दीर्घकालिक और अल्पकालिक उपाय सुझाए थे। उनके मुताबिक, मिश्रा समिति की सिफारिशों पर उत्तराखंड सरकार द्वारा कार्रवाई की जानी बाकी है। अपने जवाब में उन्होंने आपदा प्रबंधन पर राष्ट्रीय नीति का हवाला देते हुए कहा कि राहत वितरण और आपदा के कारण प्रभावित लोगों के पुनर्वास सहित आपदा प्रबंधन की प्राथमिक जिम्मेदारी भी राज्य सरकार की है। केंद्र सरकार स्थापित प्रक्रिया के अनुसार आवश्यक वित्तीय और रसद सहायता प्रदान करती है। यहां यह खास बात है कि छह माह से अधिक समय बीतने के बाद भी उत्तराखंड सरकार कोई स्थायी सहायता प्रदान नहीं कर पाई है। वन एवं पर्यावरण मंत्री के जवाब में कहा गया है कि राज्य और केंद्र सरकार के विभिन्न स्तरों पर स्थिति पर लगातार नजर रखी जा रही है। इसके अलावा, केंद्र सरकार और राज्य सरकार जोशीमठ क्षेत्र में भूमि धंसाव के प्रभाव को कम करने के लिए सभी संबंधित एजेंसियों के साथ निकट समन्वय में काम कर रही है। यहां यह भी बता दें कि इन एजेंसियों की रिपोर्ट को अब तक सार्वजनिक नहीं किया गया है। जवाब में कहा गया कि केंद्र सरकार ने विकासात्मक परियोजनाओं के लिए पर्यावरणीय और सामाजिक प्रभावों के आकलन के लिए एक विस्तृत प्रक्रिया भी तैयार की है और इसे समय-समय पर संशोधित पर्यावरण प्रभाव आकलन अधिसूचना, 2006 में निर्धारित किया गया है। अधिसूचना अन्य बातों के साथ-साथ विचार प्रक्रिया के चार चरणों यानी स्क्रीनिंग, स्कोपिंग, सार्वजनिक परामर्श और विशेषज्ञ मूल्यांकन समिति (ईएसी) द्वारा मूल्यांकन प्रदान करती है। अधिसूचना की अनुसूची में सूचीबद्ध विकासात्मक परियोजनाओं के विस्तृत अध्ययन और विश्लेषण के बाद और आवश्यक पर्यावरणीय सुरक्षा उपायों के अनुपालन के अधीन ही पर्यावरणीय मंजूरी जारी की जाती है। सुरक्षा उपायों से संबंधित परियोजना विशिष्ट शर्तें जैसे प्रारंभिक चेतावनी टेलीमीट्रिक प्रणाली की स्थापना, आपातकालीन तैयारी योजना का कार्यान्वयन, आपदा प्रबंधन योजना, बांध टूटने का विश्लेषण, जलग्रहण क्षेत्र उपचार योजना, मलबा निपटान स्थलों का स्थिरीकरण, वृक्षारोपण, चारागाह विकास, नर्सरी विकास, आदि। पनबिजली परियोजनाओं के लिए पर्यावरणीय मंजूरी भी इसमें निर्धारित की गई है। जवाब में कहा गया कि पिछले दशक में, मंत्रालय ने विष्णुगढ़ पीपलकोटी जलविद्युत परियोजना (444 मेगावाट स्थापित क्षमता), घांघरिया से हेमकुंड साहिब (चरण- प्रथम) तक हवाई यात्री रोपवे और चमोली जिले के जोशीमठ तहसील में सेनेटरी लैंडफिल को पर्यावरणीय मंजूरी दी है। इन सभी के लिए उचित प्रक्रियाओं का पालन करके और अपेक्षित पर्यावरणीय सुरक्षा उपायों को शामिल किया गया है। (यह स्टोरी डाउन टू अर्थ से साभार ली गई है।) https://www.downtoearth.org.in/hindistory/development/urbanisation/rules-should-not-be-ignored-in-construction-work-in-environmentally-sensitive-area-joshimath-90889

Energy Security~II

According to cumulative global wind installations, India ranks fourth in the world in terms of installed wind power, with a capacity of 41.8 GW as of November 2022. But this is not enough for the country to meet its target of sourcing 450 GW of electricity from renewable sources by 2030, set in its Nationally Determined power target of 60 GW by 2022 and 140 GW by 2030 compared to solar power target of 100 GW by 2022 and 280 GW by 2030. An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi, shows that this wind power target can be achieved only if India increases its installed capacity by over 12 GW annually for the next eight years. The National institute of Wind Energy (NIWE) estimates that the country has a wind potential of 302 GW at 100 m hub-height (indicates how high the turbine stands above the ground) and 695 GW at 120 m hub-height. Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu are the country’s top seven states with high wind energy potential. Tamil Nadu and Gujarat top the list by accounting for 24 and 23 per cent of the country’s total installed wind power capacity respectively. The advantage of wind power is that such plants could be spread all over the country based on the survey of wind conditions and thus be able to feed nearby consumers directly. Where India’s transmission and distribution (T&D) losses in the power sector are ‘substantial’ (over 20 per cent of generation, which is more than twice the world average), this set-up would be fairly cost effective as transmission losses would be reduced. The other renewable energy sources are biomass and small hydro projects, which have been targeted to reach up to 10 GW and 5 MW respectively by 2022. India achieved the target of 10 GW of biomass power before 2022 with the present installed capacity of 10.17 GW of biomass power. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has realized the potential and role of biomass energy in the Indian context and hence initiated a number of programmes for promotion of efficient technologies for its use in various sectors of the economy to ensure derivation of maximum benefits. SubHimalayan states like Arunachal Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh are installing many mini hydroelectric plants in their remote areas; some of them in locations where roads are yet to reach. Interestingly, the first small hydro-power plant in Asia was established by the British in 1897 at Sidrapong about 12 kilometers from Darjeeling. The visionary project had two hydroelectric sets producing 65 KW each, which was sufficient to meet the energy needs of Darjeeling at that time. In addition, new technologies with huge potential are emerging for generating renewable energy. Among them are ‘geothermal energy’ which is the thermal energy in the Earth’s crust which originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials. The word geothermal comes the Greek words geo (earth) and therme (heat). It is not only a clean but also renewable energy. It is renewable because heat is continuously produced inside the earth. Though heat in geothermal zones below the surface of the earth is being used in many parts of the world, at present this remains at the nascent stage in India. Hydrogen is a highly efficient energy carrier. It has the highest energy density by weight as compared to other conventional fuels like natural gas, petrol, and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Its lowest and highest heating values are 120.7 megajoules (MJ)/ kg and 141 MJ/kg respectively. This is the highest as compared to other non-conventional fuels. Hydrogen has zero carbon content and also is a non-polluting source of energy. Other advantages of using hydrogen as fuels are: it addresses climate change issues, reduces fossil fuels imports, tackles energy security concerns; and also helps integration of renewable energy and decarburization of different sectors. Electrolysis is an electrochemical process that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen using electricity. If electricity comes from renewables, the hydrogen from electrolysis has the potential to be zero carbon. India is pouring crores of rupees to explore the potential of hydrogen energy. As a viable alternative to conventional and coal or gas based power generation, India has also planned to source a major portion of its energy from nuclear power plants having the latest technologies and greater safeguards. ‘Energy independence is India’s first and highest priority’ said India’s former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a scientist of repute. Further, he asserted that the nation has ‘to go in for nuclear power generation in a big way using Thorium based reactors.’ Presently, nuclear power constitutes the fifth–largest source of electricity in India, contributing approximately 2 per cent to the nation’s overall power generation. Energy conservation is a sine qua non for ensuring energy security. Conservation is the effort to reduce wasteful energy by using fewer energy services. While there is enough talk about how the climate is changing and carbon footprints of developing countries are getting out of control, a bevy of professionals have been driving a revolution without the rhetoric. These professionals, called energy conservation specialists, help various companies cut down their energy consumption, saving them money as well as conserving one of the nation’s most prized resources. We know that energy is neither created, nor destroyed. It is simply converted from one form to another by the action of various processes. However, during these processes, some of the energy is converted into forms that are not intended to or cannot be utilized. Let us take a simple example of an incandescent light bulb. When electricity passes through its filament, it glows due to the material’s resistance and light is produced. Simultaneously due to the same resistance heat is also produced and that is energy being wasted ~ both in terms of electricity used and unutilized heat (these also add to cooling cost, one of the biggest components of domestic power uses). Of course, one solution is switching to compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which use less power and heat up less. Simply, switching from a 100W bulb to the new range of 36W tube lights, which give twice as much light output renders a saving of about 60 per cent ~ a huge saving in terms of energy consumed and cost. Again, replacing a 40W tubelight with a 36W one will directly save 4W. Currently, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) are being widely used. They consume very little power, are very hardy and last long. Indian industries have been regarded as a role model across the world when it comes to social responsibility. Today, energy saving is top in the list of social responsibilities of every individual. Energy saving measures also help in curtailing pollution that is one of the major factors contributing to Global Warming. The IEA defines energy security as the uninterrupted availability of energy sources at an affordable price. Energy security has many aspects. Long-term energy security mainly deals with timely investments to supply energy in line with economic development and environment needs. On the other hand, shortterm energy security focuses on the ability of the energy system to react promptly to sudden changes in the supply–demand balance. We need sustainable and clean fuels so that we can drive our energy transition to renewable and other non-fossil energy sources. But a country like India will find it difficult to get out of the coal-trap easily. Though dirty, it is cheaper. It makes the entire world unsafe and insecure. This is where the rubber meets the road. We shall not forget what Robert Redford said: “The measure of our success will be the condition on which we leave the world for the next generation.” (The writer is a retired IAS officer)

Why ESG is a crucial investment despite the sceptics

To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, an estimated $125 trillion is needed for climate investments globally. India alone will require $160 billion per year, three times the current investment levels, to reach its target by 2030. In the first six months of 2023, India experienced extreme weather events on 143 of the 181 days, as per data collated by the Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth. The data sourced from the Disaster Management Division of the India Meteorological Department and media reports noted that 651 lives were lost and 1 million hectares of crop area were affected. (image) It’s not as though floods and heatwaves didn’t occur before. But anyone following newspaper headlines...

Thanks to rain, Delhi breathed year's cleanest air yesterday

NEW DELHI: Delhi breathed its cleanest air of 2023 on Saturday with an air quality index (AQI) of 59 in the "satisfactory" category. Before this, Delhi saw a lower AQI than this in October last year when there were two "good" air days. Experts said widespread rain in the city and neighbouring districts helped improve the air quality. Track the pollution level in your city The Central Pollution Control Board's data shows that in July, so far, the AQI was in the "satisfactory" category for 24 days and "moderate" for five days. This July saw the longest spell of the AQI being in the "satisfactory" range - 13 consecutive days from July 5 to 17. An analysis of July's AQI since 2015, when CPCB started maintaining air quality records, shows that the average AQI in this month has been 84, making it the second cleanest July after 2020. The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas tweeted that Delhi on Saturday registered its best AQI of 2023. Delhi_air_quality Rain unlikely early next week: IMD Delhi's average AQI clocked 59 today. The earlier recorded best AQI of Delhi during the current year was 64 on July 9. Let's continue working together towards cleaner skies and a healthier environment," said CAQM. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, which is a forecasting model under the ministry of earth sciences, the air quality is likely to remain satisfactory till August 1. Experts said rain helped in settling down the pollutants and monsoon months in Delhi are the cleanest. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, "This is an indication of the cleansing effect of the intense and prolonged spell of rains. We need to see how high the AQI bounces back post-monsoon. Speed-up action now is needed to prevent severe winter smogs." This year has so far not seen a single "good" air day. The last time Delhi saw one was on October 9 and 10, 2022 when the AQI was 48 and 44, respectively. The CPCB classifies AQI between 0 and 50 as "good", between 51 and 100 "satisfactory", between 101 and 200 "moderate", between 201 and 300 "poor", between 301 and 400 "very poor" and over 400 "severe". Meanwhile, some parts of the city saw drizzling during the day. However, rain intensity is likely to be reduced from Sunday. According to the India Meteorological Department, Ridge in north Delhi, Pitampura and Delhi University received heavy rain during the last 24 hours till 8.30am on Saturday. Between 8.30am on Friday and 8.30am on Saturday, Ridge, Pitampura and DU logged 83.4, 67 and 78.5mm, respectively. During the same period, Safdarjung recorded 15.4mm, Palam 34.9mm, Lodhi Road 18.6 mm and Ayanagar 27.4mm. However, from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm, 0.5mm rainfall each was seen at SPS Mayur Vihar and Sports Complex near Akshardham while Palam saw only "trace" rainfall. Met officials said there is a possibility of a drizzle on Sunday while rain is unlikely on Monday and Tuesday. The maximum temperature was recorded at 31.6oC, three notches below normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 25oC, two degrees below normal.

Data Lab | India houses 75% of the world’s tigers, but let's not get fixated on numbers

Roaring into the headlines in 2022, the government of India released a tiger census report containing some remarkable findings. The report revealed that the tiger population in India had reached 3,167, showing a notable increase of about 6.7 per cent compared to the last census in 2018, which had reported 2,967 tigers. During the report's unveiling, PM Modi said that India stands apart from other tiger-range countries as its tiger numbers continue to grow. He attributed this positive trend to the long-standing coexistence of people and wildlife in the country. Undoubtedly, the report warrants celebration, but the need to holistically understand these numbers is pivotal. To do that, WION spoke to Dr Anish Andheria, India’s leading wildlife expert and the President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust. The report is a clear indicator of India’s positive stride in conservation over the years, but there are a few problem areas that need some attention. But, firstly a bit on the role of a tiger in the ecosystem. Role of a tiger in the ecosystem Tigers stand as ambassadors for preserving diverse habitats. They defy limitations, thrive in a wide array of landscapes, from the snowy peaks of Uttarakhand to the mangroves of Bengal, and even the arid areas of Rajasthan's Ranthambore. “In the name of tigers, we conserve various other forms of biodiversity that coexist within the same ecosystem,” Andheria told WION. As apex predators, tigers play a crucial role in regulating the herbivore population within an ecosystem. Without tigers, the deer population would surge, leading to continuous grazing and overburdening the ecosystem. Consequently, tigers effectively control prey density, ensuring the stability of the habitat. "If we hadn't conserved tigers or hadn't started Project Tiger in 1973, India would have lost almost 50 per cent of the forests that exist today, and we would have had a major pan-India water crisis by now. So, it's that important," Andheria noted. Tigers, as sizeable carnivores, inhabit a total of 13 countries, all of which are located in Asia. Among these nations, India alone boasts nearly 75 per cent of the global tiger population. With vast countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Russia, and more having habitats but very few tigers, India roars as the conservation champion, doing something truly remarkable, says Andheria. In India, the higher density of human beings creates various pressures, which limits the drastic increase in tiger numbers, as the habitat remains constant in terms of area. “It's not always the number of tigers that is important; what matters is whether the population growth is reasonable. We should not only focus on 2018 and 2022 but also look back to 2006 when there were only 1411 tigers in India. From 2006 to 2022, we have more than doubled the tiger population, thanks to efforts such as patrolling, community involvement, cracking down on illegal wildlife trade, and motivating forest guards,” adds Andheria. Importance of tiger corridors The term "corridor" is often used loosely, but its primary significance lies in serving as a conduit between two tiger breeding populations. Tigers utilise riparian tracks for their movement. A corridor is intentionally designed to facilitate the seamless movement of tigers from one habitat to another, noted Andheria. Surprisingly, among India's 53 tiger reserves, not a single one has an adequate number of breeding females to ensure the long-term stability of the tiger population. “These parks need at least 20 female tigers of breeding age to maintain a healthy reproduction rate (a number derived through mathematical methods). The only way to ensure the stability of the tiger population is by connecting reserves with less than 20 female breeding tigers to another population that also has less than 20 female breeding tigers through a corridor, effectively uniting them as one. This facilitates both genetic transfer and population stability if the corridor maintains good quality,” said Andheria. The threats faced by tigers outside tiger reserves are massive. To ensure stable tiger populations, it is equally crucial to secure the safety of corridors, just as it is essential to protect the tiger reserves, he adds. Based on the data, states that have excelled are the ones where the corridors are in good condition. ‘Rare black’ tigers of Similipal in decline In the Similipal Tiger Reserve, there exists a remarkable find: Bengal big cats with a gene mutation that causes a rare melanistic trait, characterised by their distinct dark stripe patterns. A 2021 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that tigers in the Similipal Tiger Reserve, located in eastern India, are isolated with limited gene flow to other tiger populations. As per the results of the 2022 tiger census, tiger populations in this region are declining due to extensive human disturbance. The Similipal area is significantly affected by human habitation, with several villages right in the heart of the reserve. Rampant hunting, a reduced prey base, and a large number of cattle holdings contribute to the issue as well, particularly when cattle are left for grazing in the reserve. “Furthermore, the tigers in Similipal have maintained their isolated status, indicating the lack of connectivity to other tiger reserves. This suggests that there are insufficient neighbouring reserves to support the movement of tigers in and out of Similipal,” explained Andheria. What is the status of Rajasthan's Sariska national park? In 2005, Sariska lost all its tigers, leading to the formation of a special committee with environmental activist Sunita Narain at the helm, eventually becoming the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Tigers were later reintroduced from Ranthambore, and though they started breeding, Sariska continues to face challenges, with over 30 villages still present within the core tiger zone. Despite endeavours to augment tiger density through Project Tiger, "Sariska has not realised its full potential as a significant breeding habitat," unlike Panna National Park. Panna faced a similar fate as Sariska in 2007-2008 but rebounded with 55 tigers almost a decade ago, boasting no villages within its core area, said Andheria. Western Ghats losing tigers? Tiger populations have decreased around Kerala's Wayanad region, where a significant constituency is advocating for tiger hunting or removal, unlike Karnataka, which is performing better. The high-altitude Western Ghats area also experiences lower tiger numbers due to reduced prey density. In contrast, grasslands with more deer have a higher tiger population, while areas with fewer prey animals see fluctuating tiger populations. Although some parts of the Western Ghats show a declining tiger population, the overall performance in the Western Ghats is satisfactory,” notes Andheria. What should India’s game plan be? Andheria suggests that India should step away from solely prioritising numbers and, instead, incentivise and commend states that have achieved success in tiger conservation. Valuable practices can be borrowed and adopted from these well-performing states as lessons for improvement. “The government cannot prevent the poor from venturing into the forest for subsistence. Instead, they need to provide them with alternative income sources that do not rely on the forest,” he added. Moreover, to effectively and promptly mitigate animal-human conflict, the forest department should secure additional funding, address understaffing by filling vacancies and work in tandem with local communities that live within these core tiger zones.

Data gaps in heatwave deaths widen as India battles record-smashing temperatures

Over the past few months, a growing number of heat-related fatalities have been reported as unrelenting heatwaves kept large swathes of India simmering. Various government agencies such as National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Union health ministry keep records on the casualties from sweltering heatwaves. However, a closer look at the official data from 2015-2023, presented by the health ministry, unravels discrepancies between the information provided by various agencies. [...] Considering these contexts, human casualty is an important indicator of loss and damage due to heatwaves — a significant climate-related extreme weather event. “Deaths due to extreme events” is an important indicator under the sustainable development goal on climate action (SDG 13) as well. It should also be monitored, quantified and reported by India under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030). At a time when heatwave has been surpassing records in India, data veracity, along with data gaps on “mortality due to heatwave”, needs to be addressed. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/climate-change/data-gaps-in-heatwave-deaths-widen-as-india-battles-record-smashing-temperatures-90839

Data-driven testing needed to address vehicle pollution in Delhi NCR, say experts

Experts advocate for a policy-level intervention that identifies vehicles based on their condition and calls for further strengthening of PUC norms. They stress the importance o monitoring nitrogen oxides (NOx) and adding all pollutants relevant to the air quality ind (AQI). New Delhi: Experts in the National Capital Region (NCR) are recommending a more scientific approach to phase out polluting vehicles instead of relying on a blanket rule that mandates the disposal of "end-of-life" vehicles, reported a national daily. Currently, vehicles that are 15 years old cannot legally operate on Delhi's roads, as mandated by orders from the National Green Tribunal in 2015 and the Supreme Court in 2018. Diesel vehicles have a shorter limit of 10 years. These vehicles are referred to as "end-of-life" vehicles, and the intention is to reduce the number of vehicles on the city's roads with outdated emission standards. The Delhi transport department has been actively impounding 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles and sending them to scrap yards in Uttar Pradesh, as Delhi lacks its own scrapyard for vehicles. ing for much lower emission levels of pollutants like nitrous oxides (NOx). However, the current PUC test only monitors carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) and does not cover other harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter. In a 2017 report, the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority highlighted that the current PUC certificate mechanism fails to account for the impact of transitioning to tighter emission standards. Since 2018, the Delhi transport department has deregistered around 5.5 million older vehicles. Nonetheless, experts advise the Delhi government to consider factors beyond just the age of vehicles to target polluting vehicles more effectively. Amit Bhatt, the Managing Director (India) of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), emphasizes that the actual lifespan of a vehicle depends on various parameters, including usage and maintenance. He argues for a new system where real-world vehicle performance determines if it is at the end of its life. Sagnik Dey, a lead researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Delhi and coordinator at the Centre for Excellence for Research for Clean Air (Cerca), points out that there is no fixed time frame for when emissions from a vehicle may exceed permissible standards as it ages. Different vehicles have varying usage patterns and maintenance conditions, impacting their pollution levels. Experts advocate for a policy-level intervention that identifies vehicles based on their condition and calls for further strengthening of PUC norms. They stress the importance of monitoring nitrogen oxides (NOx) and adding all pollutants relevant to the air quality index (AQI). While scraping older vehicles is considered necessary, car owners express concerns over the disposal of vehicles in good working condition. He believes that age alone does not determine a vehicle's pollution level and cites the responsible maintenance of his dream car as an example. Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director of Research and Advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), supports scrapping older vehicles due to their higher emission levels compared to current models. However, she emphasizes the need to gradually incorporate remote sensing to measure pollutants emitted in real-world conditions as a more comprehensive approach. Experts call for a shift from solely considering the age of vehicles to a more nuanced approach based on emissions and real-world performance

Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity Are Winners From Indonesia, Cameroon & Brazil

The Foundation recognises that people, nature, and the climate are part of one joined-up ecosystem that supports life on earth. On 19 July three inspiring individuals were announced by the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation as winners of the 2023 Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity, in recognition of their leadership restoring and protecting vital ecosystems: Bandi “Apai Janggut”, customary community leader (Indonesia), Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet, campaigner and agronomist (Cameroon) and Lélia Wanick Salgado, environmentalist, designer and scenographer (Brazil). The three individuals will share the €1 million Prize, equivalent to Rs 91,238,000.00 equally. The Prize for Humanity is a manifestation of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s commitment to putting sustainability at the heart of everything it does and is given to individuals and organisations who are leading society’s efforts to tackle the biggest challenges facing humanity today – climate change and nature loss. Indian environmentalist Sunita Narain on the Jury who selected these three winners said: “Climate change is an existential threat. We know this. We need to find solutions that provide us inspiration and direction on what can and must be done to regenerate the environment so that we build resilience of communities and also mitigate emissions. This is what the winners of this year’s prize represent. This recognition of the work of community leaders is our duty to hope. These transformational answers will provide communities, who are worst impacted by the impacts of climate change and indeed are victims of the emissions that we have contributed to the atmosphere, the courage to act.” This is the fourth year in which the prize has been awarded. In 2020, its first year, the prize was awarded to Greta Thunberg; in 2021 it was awarded to the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy; and in 2022, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) were joint recipients. Humanity and nature The Foundation recognises that people, nature, and the climate are part of one joined-up ecosystem that supports life on earth. We cannot exist without nature. We depend on it for the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. At the same time, nature shapes and is shaped by the climate. Through our actions, we have disrupted the balance of nature and caused global temperatures to rise. Therefore, protecting and restoring nature – including the land and the sea – are critical for tackling climate change and for human survival. A flourishing natural world provides solutions for storing carbon and for reducing the impacts of global warming where these cannot be avoided. Humanity needs to find solutions for climate change which do not threaten the natural world. The Jury, chaired by former Federal Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, chose these three individuals out of 143 nominations from 55 countries. The winners were chosen for their leadership and tireless work over decades to restore vital ecosystems including forests, landscapes, and mangroves, and protect land with and for the benefit of local communities. They have all been committed to acting locally to restore and protect the land and biodiversity critical for the healthy functioning of our whole Earth and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Merkel said: “Ecosystems support all life on Earth. The health of our planet and people depends on them, and healthy ecosystems will help us combat climate change. The Jury selected these three individuals in recognition of transformational work happening in the Global South, led by communities who are most impacted by climate change but have done the least to cause it. We believe the recipients will continue to inspire others and generate further positive climate action throughout the world.” The Three Winners Bandi aka “Apai Janggut” is an elder and customary leader of the Indigenous Group of Dayak Iban Sungai Utik Long House, located in the rainforests of western Kalimantan, in Indonesian Borneo. Bandi has led his community in fighting for recognition of their traditional land rights for over 40 years. In 2020, the Indonesian government gave the Dayak Iban community legal recognition and ownership of 9,500 hectares of land. Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet is an advocate for gender equality and community rights to forests and natural resources from Cameroon. For over 30 years she has fought for the rights of women to secure land in tenure, ultimately to play a role in restoring vital ecosystems, end poverty and tackle climate change. In 2022 she was named ‘Champion of the Earth for Inspiration and Action’ by the UN Environment Programme and received the ‘Wangari Maathai Forest Champions’ Award by Collaborative Partnership on Forests. Lélia Wanick Salgado is a Brazilian environmentalist, designer and scenographer. In 1998 she co-founded the Instituto Terra, dedicated to the restoration of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Instituto Terra has been responsible for planting more than 2.7 million trees and restoring more than 700 hectares of degraded land. In collaboration with smallholder farmers, an additional 2,000 have been reforested, recovering 1,900 water springs. The Prize honours the work and intentions of its founder, Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian When he died in 1955 at the age of 86, Calouste Gulbenkian was the richest man in the world. Much of his fortune had been made from Middle East oil. Today we all know the damage that the oil industry has caused to the planet, but at the time, it was seen as an emerging technology offering huge benefits over coal. Calouste Gulbenkian was a business architect – a convener and coalition builder – establishing and maintaining relationships with partners around the world. He did not see himself as an ‘oil man’. Never tied to a single country, he travelled the world exploring his joint passions for art and nature. He regarded philanthropy as his duty and established the Foundation, which continues his work to, “benefit all of humanity”, and today under the Board’s direction is prioritising sustainability and equity in everything it does.

Go by emissions, not age, to scrap end-of-life vehicles in Delhi, say experts

The National Capital Region (NCR) requires a more scientific basis to phase out polluting vehicles instead of a blanket rule that forces residents to discard their “end-of-life” vehicles, experts have recommended, adding that the authorities should invest in on-road emission tests and strengthen pollution-under-control (PUC) tests to detect vehicles that actually harm the environment. In Delhi, no vehicle which is 15 years old can legally operate on the roads, according to orders issued by the National Green Tribunal in 2015, and the Supreme Court in 2018. For diesel vehicles, this time period is cut down to 10 years. The government calls them “end-of-life” vehicles. The aim behind these rules is to cut down on the number of vehicles on the city’s roads with dated emission standards, and over the past few months, the Delhi transport department has accelerated its drive to impound 10-year-old diesel and 15-year-old petrol vehicles, sending them to be scrapped in yards located in Uttar Pradesh — Delhi at present has no scrapyard for vehicles. BS-VI or Bharat Stage VI are the latest emission norms in the country, and any new vehicle being manufactured has to comply to its standards. The norms are much more stringent than the previous BS-IV norms — for example, BS-VI allows for diesel vehicles to emit nitrous oxides (NOx) at a rate of 80 mg/km, compared to 250 mg/km for BS-IV. However, the existing PUC test only monitors carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC), not other emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter. In 2017, the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority — now dissolved — had informed the court in its Report No. 73 that the current PUC certificate mechanism negated the impact of switching to tighter emission standards. A direct correlation between age and mileage of the vehicle and its ability to meet emission norms has also been analysed by Delhi Technology University (DTU) through a study published last year. “The current process to phase out vehicles is not scientific as vehicles may last longer, or less than the 10- or 15-year-old timeline. We need a new mechanism where factors such as mileage and real-world emissions are factored in. Based on that, a vehicle can be allowed to run longer — or less — than the Supreme Court and NGT benchmark,” Rajeev Kumar Mishra, assistant professor at DTU’s department of environmental engineering and lead author of the study, said. Since 2018, the Delhi transport department has legally de-registered around 5.5 million overage vehicles, but experts have urged the Delhi government to consider factors other than age to remove polluting vehicles from the Capital’s roads. “The actual life of a vehicle depends on multiple parameters — how much it is used daily, and how well it is being maintained. We see commercial vehicles that barely last seven to eight years, whereas a well-maintained private vehicle, even with a lower mileage, can last well beyond 15 years,” said Amit Bhatt, managing director (India) of the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). Bhatt said instead of arbitrarily assigning a time frame to make a vehicle obsolete, NCR needs a new system where the actual real-world performance of the vehicle determines whether it is at the end of its life or not. “In its present form, the PUC certificate is not enough, as the test is taken when the vehicle is not running but is idle. Rather, we need to monitor real-world emissions and for that, remote sensing has begun across several countries,” said Bhatt. Sagnik Dey, lead researcher at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi and coordinator at the Centre for Excellence for Research for Clean Air (Cerca), said there is sufficient data to show that as a vehicle ages, its emissions also increase, but there is no fixed time frame as to when these emissions may go beyond permissible standards. “We cannot say for sure when a diesel vehicle or a petrol vehicle starts polluting considerably. In the case of cabs, we have seen some of the cabs cross 200,000km in under 10 years, whereas a private vehicle may not even cross 80,000km in that period. A cab is likely to reach its end-of-life in around seven years, whereas a private vehicle, if maintained well, may not even do so in 15 years,” said Dey. He asked for a policy-level intervention moving forward, where vehicles are identified based on their condition, arguing for PUC norms to be strengthened further too. “We need to monitor NOx too and add all pollutants that form a part of the AQI (air quality index),” Dey said. This is a point that many car-owners echo. Anuj Agrawal, 41, who runs a travel business in Gurugram, owns two cars that now need to be scrapped. He, however, said his cars are still in a great working condition. “Since I was a child, I wanted to be able to earn enough to buy a luxury car. I worked hard for 12 years and bought an Audi A4 2.0. I also always get it serviced in front of my eyes. This is my dream car and in great working condition. I refuse to believe that it is more polluting than any other vehicle,” he said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said scrapping older vehicles is essential, as these were vehicles running on emission norms of BS-IV or less. However, she said, it is important to gradually incorporate remote sensing moving forward. “We need to keep in mind that these older vehicles are designed to emit several times more than what the vehicles we sell today are emitting, so inherently, there is more pollution through them. Certifying vehicles that are compliant based solely on the PUC is also not adequate, as it is an idling test and does not capture real-world emissions. For that, we need remote sensing, which measures a much wider bunch of pollutants and how much of these pollutants are being emitted in real-world conditions,” she said.

Lightning Deaths Increase In India As Compared To 2022

As of July 25, 2023, Bihar had recorded the maximum number of deaths from lightning, at 160. Mumbai: On July 5, 15 people reportedly died after being struck by lightning in Bihar; seven people, including two children died from lightning in Uttar Pradesh on July 7; 22 people died, and eight children suffered burns in UP, from lightning on July 11. Between April 1 and July 25, 429 people have died from lightning in India, up from 300 that died in the same period in 2022, according to data put together by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a New Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organisation, and shared with IndiaSpend by Kiran Pandey, Programme Director of the Environment Resources Unit at CSE. They collate data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the Disaster Management Division and media reports. As of July 25, Bihar had recorded the maximum number of deaths (160), higher than the same period last year when it recorded 57 deaths, Pandey said. In 2021, more people died due to lightning strikes than floods or cold exposure. As many as 40% of the 7,126 accidental deaths reported by the National Crime Records Bureau attributed to weather events were due to lightning strikes. Between 2000 and 2021, over 49,000 have died from lightning strikes across the country. The latest numbers from the IMD are from March 2023, and show that 68 people died due to various weather events, of which 60 died due to lightning strikes. “Lightning is often called a silent killer. This is because even though lightning kills more people every year than heat waves, floods, landslides and cyclones, it somehow does not make headlines,” said Akshit Sangomala, who writes on climate change, science and policy for CSE in New Delhi. “This could be because the deaths are not clustered together and spread over time and space.” “This could also be a reason why lightning has not been declared a natural disaster by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), as yet. Some states, such as Bihar, have made a demand for this declaration,” he further added. We reached out to the NDMA for comment--on why lightning has not been declared a natural disaster despite a high national death toll--via call and email, and will update the story when we receive a response. Global warming could increase lightning strikes Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground. It can occur “between opposite charges within the thunderstorm cloud (intra-cloud lightning) or between opposite charges in the cloud and on the ground (cloud-to-ground lightning)”, according to the US government’s National Severe Storms Laboratory. Tall objects like trees, bushes and buildings are more susceptible to being struck by lightning, but lightning can also strike in an open field. If humans are struck by lightning, it can result in multisystem dysfunction, and survivors may experience prolonged disability following recovery from the initial strike. Electrical energy can also cause muscular spasm and necrosis, thrombosis, blood vessel tear, unconsciousness, and motor and sensory function abnormalities. Data from the annual reports of the Lightning Resilient India Campaign showed that lightning strikes increased 34% from 2019-20 to 2020-21, while reducing 19.5% between 2020-21 and 2021-22. The report is a joint initiative of the Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council (CROPC), a nonprofit that works with the government, the IMD, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the India Meteorological Society and World Vision India, a child-focused humanitarian organisation. “The reason attributed to reduction in lightning is due to Covid-19 pandemic-induced reduction in aerosol level, pollution, environmental upgradation and relatively stable weather system in the Indian subcontinent,” said Pandey. Studies find that with greater pollution, and a warming earth, lightning strikes are more likely. A study from the US, published in November 2014, by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, estimated that lightning strikes will increase by about 12% for every degree of rise in global average air temperature. Another study, by scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Ambedkar University and the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism, published in July 2022, found a correlation between the intensity of lightning flashes and atmospheric concentration of aerosols and carbon dioxide. “The increase in lightning strikes in India and around the world is related to the increase in the frequency and intensity of thunderstorms with which they are associated. The thunderstorms are directly related to the increase in air temperatures and availability of moisture in the atmosphere, which are necessary for the genesis of storms,” said Sangomala. He said greenhouse gases increase both air temperatures and moisture levels and therefore lead to more storms and hence lightning strikes. “As the Earth warms further, there could definitely be more lightning strikes, including in India.” Preventing death and destruction from lightning strikes In March 2019, India’s Meteorological Department began the Lightning Resilient India Campaign with the aim to reduce lightning deaths by 80% in three years. “The campaign, through multi- stakeholders engagement at national and state level with governments, academia, NGOs and communities, has been successful in bringing down deaths by more than 60% within two years,” the 2021-22 annual report says, without providing the detailed data. There are different sources for lightning deaths used by government agencies. The NCRB collects data based on police reports from states and districts. The Lightning Resilient India Campaign uses data from the state-level disaster management departments where available, and NCRB where not available, said Colonel Sanjay Srivastava, chairman of CROPC. Hence the numbers from the two sources might differ. We have requested the data put together by the campaign and will update the story when we receive it. Across India, lightning deaths remained similar between 2019 and 2021, the year for which the latest comparable data from NCRB are available. Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand had the most deaths because of lightning in 2021, as per NCRB data. At the state level, deaths reduced in Bihar and Jharkhand, while Madhya Pradesh and Odisha saw an increase, between 2019 and 2021. In 2021, the National Disaster Management Authority released a protocol for early warning dissemination on thunderstorms and lightning that emphasised the need for an effective warning system “to minimise the loss of life”. “The Ministry of Earth Sciences communicates warnings directly to the general public through the DAMINI mobile app and the RAIN ALARM mobile app about 30-40 minutes in advance of the event. Warning for lightning occurrence is also provided up to three hours in advance through other mobile apps like MAUSAM, UMANG and MEGHDOOT,” as per the protocol. During winters, northern parts of India such as Jammu and Kashmir are particularly vulnerable to lightning strikes, according to a study that looked at lightning strikes between 1998 and 2013. While lightning strikes occur frequently in hilly regions over India throughout the year, sparse population over the hilly terrain means there are fewer casualties, the study, by scientists from Banaras Hindu University, and published in February 2020, said. “The favourable climatic conditions, such as availability of moisture content, unstable atmosphere and strong convection, cause severe cases of lightning over the regions of Orissa and Maharashtra,” the study added. In Madhya Pradesh, while there are guidelines for lightning strikes on the website of the state's disaster management authority, lightning has not been categorised as a natural disaster. Orissa labels lightning as a ‘state-specific disaster’ and says it has installed a robust infrastructure in order to mitigate lightning-related casualties in the state. In Odisha, Pandey credited the use of early warning communication systems and awareness programmes at the community level for the reduction in deaths due to lightning. Deaths due to lightning in Odisha reduced from 446 in 2017 to 287 in 2021. “Lightning risk management is a collective effort. In Odisha, our strength is a coalition of all 20 government universities, including IIT Bhubaneswar, AIIMS Bhubaneswar and NIT Rourkela, working together with the state and districts,” said Colonel Sanjay Srivastava, chairman of CROPC. “A similar model is there in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland, Assam etc.” However, Pandey added that the lack of lightning protection systems that are used to prevent or lessen lightning strike damage to buildings are the biggest drawback in the mitigation of lightning in India. “The coverage of LPS is just 2% and in rural areas it is almost zero. This is the main cause of death due to lightning.” In India, lightning protection systems are being manufactured and tested at the Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) in Bengaluru which is capable of testing equipment for strikes up to 40 kilo Ampere (kA), explained Pandey, adding that as India has had strikes greater than 312 kA, there is a need to upgrade its testing capacity. "Lightning is an evolving science, and there is a huge requirement of research-based knowledge for its mitigation,” said Srivastava. “Currently, data analysis, research and development, socio-economic risk assessment, etc. is being done by only CROPC. More organisations, academia and funding are required."

World faces a triple health jeopardy

The post-Second World War 1940s saw mass production of penicillin — the first antibiotic, discovered in 1928 — and the world’s dependence on this line of medicines grew substantially. More discoveries were made in the decades that followed. But all this stopped by the 1980s. What then happened was not discovery of novel classes of antimicrobials, but reformulation of the same classes of drugs against which bacteria can develop resistance easily HIGHLIGHTS As drug pipeline for new antibiotics dries up It is time to look at antibiotics as global public good We now know that antibiotics — medicines that we take in times of grave health dangers — are getting increasingly ineffective in killing the microbes that make us ill. This silent pandemic of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is caused by overuse and misuse of antibiotics, which has made pathogens mutate and build defence mechanisms against these drugs. Today, AMR is taking lives. Estimates say that the inability of life-saving medicines to work has led to some five million deaths in 2019. This is not all. Not only are we not conserving the existing stock of medicines, the drug pipeline for new antibiotics is drying up, or has done so already. Major pharmaceutical companies in the business of research, development and discoveries are opting out of this line of medicines. It would mean that in the years to come we are in for a triple jeopardy: One, the antibiotics we know today would be increasingly ineffective; two, there would be no new antibiotics available; and, three, there would be a critical need for access to these medicines for all. This is a dire health emergency — perhaps more serious than anything we have seen till date. The post-Second World War 1940s saw mass production of penicillin — the first antibiotic, discovered in 1928 — and the world’s dependence on this line of medicines grew substantially. More discoveries were made in the decades that followed. But all this stopped by the 1980s. What then happened was not discovery of novel classes of antimicrobials, but reformulation of the same classes of drugs against which bacteria can develop resistance easily. The problem is compounded because there are, what the World Health Organization (WHO) calls, “priority pathogens”. Most of these priority pathogens are Gram-negative bacteria that have complex cell walls and cause some of the worst infections in the world, including pneumonia. We need new classes of antibiotics to address these priority pathogens and we need them to be accessible to people across the world, even those who do not have the ability to pay the high cost of new drugs. WHO’s annual review of antimicrobial agents in different stages of drug development reveals that in the past five years, only two of the 12 antibiotics approved can be considered novel; and of these, only one is targeting a “critical” priority pathogen. (WHO’s priority pathogens are sub-categorised into “critical”, “high” and “medium”). What’s worse is that the drug pipeline is drying up, and fast. For the past few years, only one or two antibiotics have made it to the stage of new drug application. The future is even bleaker. There are just nine new drug candidates in phase 3 of clinical trials — the point before a drug can make it to the approval stage — and most of them do not target critical priority pathogens. The real irony is that this does not mean there is no research on novel antibiotics. The pre-clinical basket has over 217 antimicrobial possibilities. However, these are being developed not by large pharmaceutical firms, but in the back rooms of universities and small businesses. As per WHO, 80 per cent of the pre-clinical novel drug finds are in businesses with less than 50 employees. But as the drug moves up the ladder, the costs of development increase, and innovation falls through the cracks. So, why is Big Pharma not investing in R&D, or even taking the innovation from the small businesses to big markets, or using it to make big finds? Worse, why is Big Pharma getting out of the antibiotic business, when, as my colleagues in their analysis ask, they are making humongous profits through other drugs? The reasons are both economic and moral. Pharmaceutical companies say the cost of development is high; there are risks and so forth. But the real reason is that there is much more profit in drugs that are used for treating diseases like cancer or diabetes. There is even more profit in doing research and bringing to the market drugs that are made for what are called orphan diseases — rare diseases that may afflict only a few million, but for which medicines are necessary and high-end. The moral issue is that the companies are exiting the critical antibiotic business when they are making record profits. This desperate health emergency calls for game-changing solutions. What is being done today by G7 governments to incentivise companies to invest in novel antibiotics is important, but not enough. This class of medicines is defined by two imperatives. One, their usage has to be limited — misuse and overuse is what is creating the problem of AMR. These life-saving drugs must be conserved, which means careful, restricted use, even if less money is made in sales. Two, access to these medicines is to be ensured—this means that drugs will have to be affordable, which also limits the profit interest of pharmaceutical firms. So, it is time to look at antibiotics as a global public good. This would perhaps mean new taxes — on profits of pharmaceutical firms — and creation of conditions that ensure public research is used for common good. We cannot fail, even if the markets fail. (Courtesy: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/; Writer is Director General of CSE and editor of Down To Earth, an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets)

वनांतील दुष्काळासाठी धोरण हवे!

शेती हे जसे शेतकऱ्यांच्या उदरनिर्वाहाचे साधन, तशीच वनोपज ही आदिवासींची रोजी-रोटी. दुष्काळ किंवा अतिवृष्टीचा फटका वनांना आणि पर्यायाने आदिवासींनाही बसत असताना, त्यांच्यासाठी दुष्काळ धोरण का नाही? केसरी मटामी (राहणार पुसेर, तालुका चामोर्शी, जिल्हा गडचिरोली) म्हणतात, ‘‘या वर्षी एप्रिल-मे महिन्याच्या अवकाळी पावसामुळे तेंदू पानांना नवीन पालवी फुटली नाही. पुरेशी उष्णता न मिळाल्यामुळे जुनी पाने गळून पडली नाहीत. परिणामी उत्पादन ५० टक्क्यांपेक्षा कमी झाले, ६० टक्क्यांपेक्षा कमी मजुरी मिळाली.’’ गोंदिया, गडचिरोली, चंद्रपूर, भंडारा, नागपूर या सर्व वनक्षेत्रांतील मोह फूल संकलन आणि तेंदुपत्ता संकलन या वर्षी सरासरीच्या ४० ते ५० टक्केच झाले. दुष्काळ, अतिवृष्टी, ओला दुष्काळ अशा अनेक नैसर्गिक आपत्तींमुळे शेतकऱ्यांचे मोठय़ा प्रमाणात नुकसान होते. या सर्व नैसर्गिक आपत्तींचे दुष्परिणाम वन क्षेत्रावरही होतात, मात्र त्याचा फारसा अभ्यास केला जात नाही. वन क्षेत्रावरही शेतीएवढाच परिणाम होतो. या वर्षी विदर्भातील वनक्षेत्रांत अवकाळी पावसाने तेंदुपत्ता, मोह फुले, मोहाचे फळ म्हणजे टोर कमी प्रमाणात झाले, अशा नोंदी अनेक ग्रामसभांत झाल्या आहेत. ग्रामसभांना वनहक्क कायद्याअंतर्गत सक्षम यंत्रणा मानण्यात आले आहे. वनहक्क व्यवस्थापन समितीला गौण वनोपज गोळा करणे आणि विक्रीचे अधिकार मिळाले आहेत. प्रादेशिक हवामान केंद्र, नागपूरच्या मासिक अहवालात म्हटले आहे की, मे २०२३ मध्ये संपूर्ण विदर्भातील उपविभागात सामान्य ९.९ मिमीच्या तुलनेत ५३.२ मिमी पावसाची नोंद झाली आणि ४३९ टक्के निर्गमन झाले. सर्व ११ जिल्ह्यांमध्ये पाऊस झाला आणि एकूण पावसाचे दिवस २४ होते. याच कालावधीत मोका चक्रीवादळ आले. २०२३ च्या पहिल्या चार महिन्यांतील १२० दिवसांपैकी ८४ दिवस भारताने अत्यंत प्रतिकूल हवामानाचा अनुभव घेतला. जानेवारी ते एप्रिल २०२३ दरम्यानच्या या घटना ३३ राज्ये आणि केंद्रशासित प्रदेशांमध्ये दूरवर पसरल्या होत्या. याउलट, ‘सेंटर फॉर सायन्स अँड एन्व्हायर्न्मेंट’ आणि ‘डाऊन टू अर्थ’द्वारे जारी केलेल्या ‘स्टेट ऑफ इंडियाज एन्व्हायर्न्मेंट इन फिगर्स, २०२३’नुसार, २७ राज्ये/ केंद्रशासित प्रदेशांत याच कालावधीत ८९ दिवस देशाने अत्यंत तीव्र हवामानाचा अनुभव घेतला. २०२२ च्या पहिल्या चार महिन्यांत उष्णतेच्या लाटा ही सर्वात सामान्यपणे उद्भवणारी अत्यंत तीव्र हवामान घटना होती, तर २०२३ मध्ये तिचे स्थान गारपिटीने घेतले. २०२३ मध्ये ८४ दिवसांपैकी ५८ दिवस ३३ राज्ये/ केंद्रशासित प्रदेशांत गारपीट झाली. गेल्या वर्षी याच कालावधीत, २२ राज्ये/ केंद्रशासित प्रदेशांत गारपीट झाली होती. २०२३ मध्ये, पहिल्या चार महिन्यांत, ७० टक्के दिवसांमध्ये अत्यंत तीव्र हवामान होते, असे ‘डाऊन टू अर्थ’च्या सुनीता नारायण यांनी ‘स्टेट ऑफ इंडियाज एन्व्हायर्न्मेंट इन फिगर्स, २०२३’मध्ये म्हटले होते. २०१४ आणि २०१५ च्या मार्च आणि एप्रिलमध्ये अवकाळी पाऊस आणि गारपिटीमुळे देशाच्या अनेक भागांमध्ये रब्बी तसेच बागायती पिकांचे मोठे नुकसान झाले. भारतीय हवामान खाते, पुणे यांनी १९८१ ते २०१५ या ३५ वर्षांमध्ये भारतातील चार एकसंध प्रदेशांत झालेल्या गारपिटीचे तपशीलवार विश्लेषण २०१६ साली केले. गारपिटीशी संबंधित हवामानशास्त्रीय आणि अनुकूल बाबींचा अभ्यास करून योग्य वेळी अंदाज वर्तवणे आणि कृषी सल्लागार वेळेवर उपलब्ध करून देणे, हा त्यामागचा उद्देश होता. २४ फेब्रुवारी ते १४ मार्च २०१४ या कालावधीत महाराष्ट्रात ३१ वर्षांतील सर्वाधिक ११ दिवस गारपीट झाली. देशातील इतर राज्यांपेक्षा महाराष्ट्रात गारपिटीची सर्वाधिक शक्यता असल्याचेही या अभ्यासातून स्पष्ट झाले. तुलनेने गुजरात, छत्तीसगड, तमिळनाडू, त्रिपुरा, मेघालय, सिक्कीम आणि नागालँडमध्ये ही शक्यता कमी आहे. या अभ्यासातून पुढे आलेली माहिती पिकांचे नुकसान कमी करण्यासाठी उपयुक्त असल्याचे आढळले. महाराष्ट्रातील विदर्भ, मध्य प्रदेश, छत्तीसगड, झारखंड, ओडिसा, तेलंगणा आणि आंध्र प्रदेशच्या वन क्षेत्रांत २००पेक्षा जास्त प्रकारची वन उत्पादने असून ही या उत्पादनांची मुख्य व्यापारी केंद्रेसुद्धा आहेत. आदिवासी व इतर वनहक्कधारकांची अर्थव्यवस्था शेतीसोबत तेंदूपत्ता आणि मोह फुलांभोवती फिरते, पण जेव्हा भीषण दुष्काळामुळे शेती करणे अशक्यच होते, तेव्हा जंगल हेच त्यांच्या उपजीविकेचे एकमेव साधन असते. हे आदिवासी रोज सुमारे आठ तास जंगलात वनोपज गोळा करतात आणि संध्याकाळी किती गोळा केले याचा आढावा घेतात. अलीकडे त्यात झालेली तूट त्यांच्यासाठी धक्कादायक आहे. त्यांना सरकारी अन्नपुरवठा योजनेतून पुरेसा तांदूळ मिळतो, परंतु पोषणासाठी तेवढेच पुरेसे नाही. महत्त्वाचे म्हणजे, वनोपाज मौल्यवान रोकड आणते जी लग्नसमारंभ, आजार आणि भातपेरणीसाठी बियाणे खरेदी करण्यासाठी आवश्यक असते. वनोपज नसल्यामुळे २०१६ आणि २०२३ साली आदिवासींना मोठा फटका बसला. देशातील अनेक गावे वनक्षेत्रालगत आहेत. ‘वन हक्क कायदा २००६’ आणि ‘भारतीय आदिवासी मंत्रालय’ यांच्या मार्च २०२३ च्या अहवालानुसार व्यक्तिगत वन हक्क श्रेणीत २१ लाख ९९ हजार १२ कुटुंबांना ४६ लाख ५७ हजार ६०५ एकर जमीन देण्यात आली आहे. एक लाख ग्रामसभांना सामूहिक वन हक्क देण्यात आले आहेत. ज्यात एक कोटी २९ लाख एकर जमीन आदिवासी आणि इतर पारंपरिक वन निवासींना देण्यात आली आहे. जवळपास ३० कोटींच्या वर आदिवासी व इतर पारंपरिक वननिवासी वनांवर अवलंबून आहेत आणि ही सहा हजार कोटी रुपयांची अनौपचारिक अर्थव्यवस्था आहे. वन उत्पादन त्यांच्या वार्षिक उत्पन्नाच्या ४० टक्के आणि त्यांच्या अन्नाच्या गरजेच्या २५-५० टक्के योगदान देते. सरकारचे दुष्काळ व्यवस्थापन धोरण जंगलातील दुष्काळ व अवकाळी पाऊस विचारात घेत नाही आणि त्यामुळे होणाऱ्या नुकसानीची भरपाईही देत नाही. या वर्षी विदर्भातील तेंदू पानाचे संकलन नागपूर जिल्ह्यात ५० टक्के, गोंदियात ३५ टक्के आणि गडचिरोलीत ५० टक्के झाले. तसेच या वर्षीच्या अवकाळी पावसामुळे मोह फुलांचे संकलनसुद्धा ५० टक्क्यांच्या खाली झाले आणि मोह झाडाला येणाऱ्या फळांचे उत्पादनही ५० टक्क्यांपेक्षा कमी राहिले. दरवर्षी जून-जुलै महिन्यांत येणाऱ्या वनांतील हिरव्या भाज्या, फुले आणि मुळे यंदा मे महिन्यातच आली. तेंदूपत्ता व अनेक झाडांवर कीड लवकर आली. दुष्काळ व्यवस्थापनासाठी स्थापन करण्यात आलेल्या बहुतांश अधिकृत समित्यांमध्ये वन विभागाला प्रतिनिधित्व देण्यात आले असले, तरीही दुष्काळ व्यवस्थापनाच्या धोरणात वनक्षेत्रातील दुष्काळासाठी कोणत्याही तरतुदी नाहीत. ‘नॅशनल इन्स्टिटय़ूट ऑफ डिझास्टर मॅनेजमेंट’चे संचालक अनिल के. गुप्ता यांच्या म्हणण्यानुसार, वनक्षेत्रातील दुष्काळाचा आणि अवकाळी पावसाचा थेट परिणाम तेथील जलविज्ञानावर होतो, मात्र वनक्षेत्रातील दुष्काळासाठी कोणतेही वेगळे वर्गीकरण नाही. केंद्रातील माजी ग्रामीण विकास सचिव एन. सी. सक्सेना यांनी वन क्षेत्रातील दुष्काळाचा समावेश औपचारिक दुष्काळ व्यवस्थापन योजनांमध्ये करणे अत्यंत गरजेचे असल्याचे मत व्यक्त केले आहे. आदिवासी मंत्रालयाने २०१३-१४ मध्ये सुरू केलेली ‘लघु वनउत्पादन योजना’ (गौण वनोपाज योजनेसाठी) हे आदिवासींना वाजवी किंमत देण्याच्या दिशेने पहिले पाऊल होते. सुरुवातीला, नऊ राज्यांमधील दहा वनोपज समाविष्ट होते. नंतर त्यांचा विस्तार २४ गौण वनोपज आणि सर्व राज्यांमध्ये करण्यात आला. ‘लघु वन उत्पादन योजना’ आदिवासी मंत्रालयाला एक फिरता निधी देते. या योजनेनुसार नुकसान झाल्यास केंद्र आणि राज्याने ७५:२५ या प्रमाणात भरपाई देणे अपेक्षित आहे. सध्या योजनेत २३ गौण वनोपज आहेत आणि ती सर्व राज्यांना लागू आहे, मात्र आज या योजनेला १० वर्षे झाली तरीही तिच्या अंमलबजावणीची राज्यवार काय स्थिती आहे, याचा कोणालाही अंदाज नाही. आदिवासी मंत्रालय आणि विभागाने याप्रश्नी अभ्यास करणे गरजेचे आहे. उपजीविकेचे स्रोत संपले तर पुन्हा मोठय़ा प्रमाणात स्थलांतर होण्याची चिन्हे आहेत.