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Air pollution: Delhi govt to share source apportionment study report i conference on May 15

Representatives from the Commission for Air Quality Management, Central Pollution Con Board, SAFAR, United Nations Environment Programme, India Meteorological Departme World Bank, Centre for Science and Environment, TERI and NCR (National Capital Region states will be invited for this conference. : The city government will hold a crucial roundtable conference next month where the findings of a realtime source apportionment study will be shared with all stakeholders and a strategy will be developed to further reduce pollution in Delhi-NCR, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday. He told PTI that the conference will be held at the Delhi Secretariat on May 15. participants, seek their suggestions and prepare a strategy to further reduce pollution in Delhi-NCR," Rai said. Real-time source apportionment studies help identify factors responsible for increase in air pollution at any spot such as vehicles, dust, biomass burning, and emissions from industries so that preventive measures can be taken accordingly. Representatives from the Commission for Air Quality Management, Central Pollution Control Board, SAFAR, United Nations Environment Programme, India Meteorological Department, World Bank, Centre for Science and Environment, TERI and NCR (National Capital Region) states will be invited for this conference, Rai said.

More Delhi areas at risk of facing heatwaves: Study

High temperatures—which have risen up to 6-7 degrees above normal over the years—recorded in certain pockets of Delhi in summers are putting all of the Capital at risk of heatwaves, new research carried out by the universities of Cambridge and Yale has found. The research found that this can also negatively impact Delhi’s sustainable development goals (SDGs) progress. Researchers calculated the heat index (HI) for Delhi and the rest of India recorded last April and also looked at the climate vulnerability index (CVI) for the study. States such as Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi were found to have the highest CVI based on high air temperatures and HI readings, finding these “temperature anomalies” to be 6-7 degrees above what the India Meteorological Department (IMD) considers normal for that time of the year. The study, which was released on Wednesday and led by Ramit Debnath from Cambridge university, also found that while the Delhi government has identified only the south and northeast districts as most vulnerable to climate change, all districts in Delhi recorded dangerous air temperature and HI levels, with the highest readings recorded in the New Delhi area, along with some parts of the south district. While the air temperature is the actual temperature, HI also factors in high humidity to give a “real feel” of the temperature and how hot it actually feels to the human body. Heat index is derived from the measured ambient temperature and humidity (absolute or relative). A real feel temperature of 26°–32°C will likely cause fatigue in many people, while 32°–40°C is widely associated with sunstroke, and 40°–54°C with heatstroke. “The Delhi government’s assessment shows that south and northeast Delhi, which are also the most affluent areas, are most vulnerable to climate change (crisis) impact. However, our estimation shows that 100% of the city is at dangerous HI levels. In addition, by downscaling the HI to the district level, results show that even low climate-vulnerable areas in Delhi have high heatwave risks. This is concerning as the current heat action plans are designed and implemented according to the Delhi government’s vulnerability assessment, which does not include HI estimations,” said the study, which was co-authored by Ronita Bardhan and Michele L Bell. “In addition, developments in central, east, west, and northeast districts can further elevate the local HI risk through heat island formation,” it added. The study said in order to remedy the problem, Delhi needs to look at parameters including avoiding overcrowding in high HI areas, and improving access to electricity, water, and health care. “Our results showed that Delhi lies in the 6-7˚C temperature anomaly zone, with HI levels that are in the danger category. The regional analysis also shows that Delhi’s urban sustainability is severely challenged as its current district-level climate change vulnerability measurements (through State Action Plans on Climate Change (crisis)) do not factor in heatwave impacts,” said Debnath in his research. “Some of the critical variables in Delhi that will aggravate heat-related vulnerabilities are concentration of slum population and overcrowding in high HI areas, lack of access to basic amenities such as electricity, water, and sanitation, non-availability of immediate health care and health insurance, poor housing and dirty cooking fuel (traditional biomass, kerosene, and coal),” he added. The researchers said their findings were also consistent with the SAPCC’s vulnerability assessment which found affluent areas to be high-risk areas too, as low-income groups are often known to live near high-income societies. “In Delhi, most slum settlements and affluent neighbourhoods coexist and these high temperatures will have unprecedented consequences on the low-income population. Delhi also has high-level construction activities, mostly involving a low-income labour force, which is then at severe risk from heatwave impacts,” the research said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said the “heat island” is becoming a prominent aspect of urban cities, particularly Delhi, making safeguards against climate change and heat even more important. “We need to look at an action plan that improves greening, protects water bodies, reduces the traffic intensity and also looks to improve thermal comfort in buildings,” she said.

Free doorstep delivery of potted plants soon in Delhi

The Delhi forest department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi will launch a pilot project to deliver small plants and potted plants to people's doorsteps free of cost. The move aims to make Delhi greener, with a ward-wise survey to begin soon. The project is still in the early stages, and the modalities of doorstep delivery will be discussed in the coming weeks. The Delhi government distributes a segment of saplings free of cost each year through its nurseries, but no doorstep delivery takes place. With distribution of free saplings already taking place in the nation capital, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday said a pilot project will be launched soon where saplings and small-potted plants will be delivered to people’s doorsteps. The project will be undertaken by the forest department and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Rai said. “The forest department and the MCD will soon launch a pilot project where we will provide small plants and potted plants at the doorstep, free of cost. For this, a ward-wise survey will begin soon. So far, we have carried out a survey only in my constituency of Babarpur, where people were asked about their species of preference,” Rai said on Wednesday, adding that this will help make Delhi greener. The Delhi government distributes a segment of saplings free of cost each year through its 14 government nurseries. However, no doorstep delivery takes place. The government had attempted something similar in 2019, when Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced doorstep delivery of saplings through a helpline number. However, the move never took off, largely due to manpower shortage in the forest department. When contacted, a forest department official said the plan was still in the early stages and the modalities of doorstep delivery will be discussed in the coming weeks. Rai also took a review meeting on Wednesday with the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the environment department and IIT Kanpur. During the meeting, he said htat while the supersite established by the government at Pandara road in January was already giving accurate data in terms of the sources of pollution, there was a need to expand beyond that location. “Moving forward in this series, five molecular markers have already been installed to get information about the main factors that lead to increased pollution at hotspots. Presently this network has been established in Delhi’s Dwarka, Jahangirpuri, Vivek Vihar, Mundka and Anand Vihar. Along with this, orders have also been issued to install mobile air quality monitoring vans at the 13 pollution hotspots of Delhi, which will allow us to trace the sources of pollution in real time,” Rai said. Rai also said that a ‘Save Environment’ roundtable conference has been planned for May 15 which will look at further ideation on improving Delhi’s real-time source apportionment. For this, representatives from the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), IMD, World Bank, Safar, along with organisations like The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) and the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) among others will take part. “These representatives will be taken to the supersite after the conference and a joint action plan will be formed based on the recommendations from all institutions, states and study results,” Rai added.

India: Migration from climate change getting worse

Protima Rai still remembers the aftermath of tropical Cyclone Bulbul that struck the Sundarbans in 2019 leaving behind a trail of destruction and lost lives. The cyclone that had formed in the Bay of Bengal forced Rai, 27, and hundreds of other families from to migrate from their village to safer areas. Climate change forces people to move on "The fields were not fit for cultivation. Rising sea levels and increasing salinity deprived the people living in the core Sundarbans areas of their main sources of livelihood — which is agriculture and fishing," Rai told DW. Substantial migration from the Sundarbans still continues on a permanent, seasonal and temporary basis. According to the Rural Household Survey, over 25% of the principal earners of individual families migrated temporarily searching for work. The Sundarbans is a cluster of low-lying islands in the Bay of Bengal, spread across India and Bangladesh, famous for its unique mangrove forests. The Indian Sundarbans has 104 islands in total, of which 54 are inhabited by humans. Environmentalists point out that coastal erosion and rising sea levels are gradually eating away at the land in the Sundarbans. Many people from the villages are being forced to migrate to cities, like Kolkata, because their fertile land is turning saline with an increasing number of storms and floods. No political plan to help "There is no structured policy or action plan from the administration to provide social protection in countering climate change and related migration," Jayanta Basu, a Kolkata-based environment and climate expert, told DW. The eastern state of Odisha is also an important source of migrant workers, and climate change plays an important role in increasing vulnerabilities, pushing people in search of work. Over the years, the Chilika Lake, the largest brackish water lagoon in the state and an important bird area, has been exposed to changing environmental conditions, impacting the livelihoods of the local people. "Employment options are limited after extreme weather events hit Mangalajodi town on the northern banks of the lake. Many have decided to move out permanently," Sugyan Behera, who works in the tourism industry, told DW. The town has a population of 10,000 people, mostly engaged in work around the wetlands. Climate migration is often influenced by extreme events — such as storms, floods, and droughts — or slow-onset events — like sea levels rising or saline water intrusion into agricultural land. A report published in December 2020 by ActionAid and Climate Action Network South Asia showed that even if the global community acts on their greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation pledges and targets, about 37.5 million people will still be displaced by 2030 and an estimated 62.9 million by 2050, across five South Asian countries — Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Highest number of displacements India alone will see 45 million people being forced to migrate from their homes by 2050 due to climate disasters — three times the current number number of people on the move as a result of extreme weather events. According to the "State of India's Environment-2022" report, India is the fourth worst-hit country in the world when it comes to climate change-induced migration, with more than three million people forced to leave their homes in 2020-2021. The highest number of migrations took place in China with more than 5 million people driven out of their homes due to weather-related disasters. Sunita Narain, director of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), points out that given the impacts of the climate crisis, it is essential to invest in building local climate resilience and protecting economies. In an extensive study across 15 states, CSE found that wherever such an investment had been made, it brought benefits to villages while stemming migration. In fact, in villages where water harvesting was organized and ecological resources were used for the benefit of locals, reverse migration started. Narain referred specifically to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a social security measure that aims for rural folk to safeguard their 'right to work.' "You can change the future. It does not have to be a story of climate distress driving migration. The value of MGNREGA and such schemes is to invest in ecological infrastructure that bolsters local livelihoods and community resilience, crucial in the era of climate change," Narain told DW. Abinash Mohanty, sector head of climate change and sustainability at IPE Global, an international development organization, also maintained that India needs to map the sectoral impacts through hyper-granular risk assessments to restrict climate cataclysm, in particular the issue of climate-induced migration. Climate-induced migration not taken seriously enough "Limiting migration calls for conducive policies and action plans, especially that can climate-proof climate-sensitive sectors like agriculture and tourism, among others. While India has a robust climate action plan both at the national and sub-national level, it hardly encompasses climate-induced migration as a pivotal issue," Mohanty told DW. India records some of the highest numbers of displacements in the world every year, the vast majority of them triggered by disasters. According to the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) in India there are currently about 14 million people who have been displaced due to climate change. Though migrants receive immediate support in terms of relief and rehabilitation in the aftermath of these disasters, there is little long-term institutional support for their needs. A 2021 study, 'Climate induced displacement and migration in India' found that people are migrating to escape poverty because of collapse of traditional livelihoods and the dismal infrastructure that is failing due to climate change. In the hilly districts of Uttarakhand, erratic rainfall patterns and a receding water table has forced people to abandon their homes and farms to migrate to the plains. In Saharsa district of northern Bihar, a relocated community continues to be overwhelmed by incessant floods. "Inter-state and intra-state (rural-urban) migration due to drought, floods and other extreme events have been taking place in the country for a long time and it is widely acknowledged that nature of this migration has changed due to increasing frequency of climate induced extremes," Chandra Bhushan, founder of International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology, told DW. "While states have started to seriously look the issues of migrants since COVID 19, there are no separate policy or initiatives for climate induced migration," added Bhushan.

Organic Farming Empowers Widows In Maharashtra

Widows of farmers from Vidarbha and Marathwada, who switched to organic farming, experience better income and health. By sowing certain crops, they also challenge superstition Hingoli: Ever since Kalavati Savandkar, a widow aged 45, adopted organic farming methods on her three acres of farmland, life has changed for the better. For the first time in many years, she earned a profit from her produce. As a bonus, she says, consuming organically grown food has improved her family’s health, leading to less frequent hospital visits. Kalavati also found forest produce growing by itself on her farm. She shows off a recent harvest of about three quintals of turmeric that she has put out to dry on her farm in Tembhurni village, of Vasamat block in Hingoli district, 90 km west of Solapur. She is hopeful that the turmeric will fetch Rs 4,000-6,000 per quintal. Tulasiram, Kalavati’s husband, died by suicide in 2016 as he could not repay a bank loan. He became part of a statistic--Maharashtra registered the highest number of farmer suicides in India in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Kalavati, along with 182 other female farmers in the area, adopted organic farming in 2020-21, and has been cultivating local varieties of pulses, soybean, cotton and millets, as also vegetables such as spinach, tomato and coriander. The Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (Makaam) had started this initiative for female farmers, mostly widows of farmers who had died by suicide, sugarcane cutters and marginal farmers from the drought-affected Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra. “Farmers in both the regions would cultivate cash crops like soybean and cotton,” says Seema Kulkarni, national facilitation team member at Makaam. “Female farmers would not have food to consume at home. The pandemic made women realise this problem, as they had to depend on rations provided by social organisations. Hence, most female farmers agreed to experiment. We did not want them to completely stop cultivating cash crops. They now cultivate 15-25 crops--pulses, millets, vegetables, oilseeds and one main crop (soybean or cotton) for food security.” Many of the women faced initial resistance from their families when they decided to take up organic farming. To surmount this problem, Makaam asked the women to start experimenting on half an acre. The organisation trained women in methods of producing manure from farm and animal waste, and vermicompost. They also provided training to produce Dashparni Ark (pesticides made using leaves of various trees, cow urine and cow dung). Once the half-acre experiment began to show signs of success, several women were able to surmount their family’s initial objections, and go organic on a larger scale. Farmers’ Suicides in Maharashtra A study of National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data by Makaam found that about 382,000 farmers died by suicide in India between 1995 and 2021. With 87% of these male, more than 320,000 women would have been left to fend for themselves. In Maharashtra, between 1995 and 2021, NCRB data show that 91,998 farmers and agricultural labourers died by suicide. As many as 5,318 farmers/cultivators and 5,563 agriculture labourers died by suicide in 2021 alone, according to NCRB data. The Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra record the most number of farmer suicides, as per a study on deaths by suicide between 2013 and 2018. Bankruptcy or indebtedness, farming-related issues, family problems, illness and drug abuse were the major reasons for farmer suicides, as per NCRB data from 2013 to 2015. “Following the death of farmers, their widows often face challenges like lack of land rights, debt, stigma, poor social security, violence and sexual harassment,” said Kulkarni. Maharashtra has 2.36 million women-owned land holdings out of a total 15.29 million operational land holdings, as per the latest available Agriculture Census from 2015-16. Asha Shinde, whose husband died by suicide seven years ago, got half an acre of land in her name. Her two sons were not ready to leave cash crops such as soybean and switch to organic farming. Shinde had a tough time convincing them. “I cultivated pigeon peas as the main crop and green gram and black gram as intercrops. Cowpea, millets, maize and sesame seeds were mixed among other crops to function as pest control. Roselle plant and boru are planted at the borders as a buffer zone,” she said. “Intercropping is the scientific sowing of interdependent crops to increase the quality and productivity of the soil,” explains Swati Satpute, member of the state facilitation team at Makaam. “By mixing crops, a population of insects, macro- and micro-organisms is built to strengthen crops, and they also control pests and diseases.” Organic farming in Maharashtra “To promote organic farming, the Maharashtra government has adopted the Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKKY), a central government-sponsored scheme, in 2016-17,” said Sripad Kulkarni, an official of the Agriculture Department of Maharashtra. “60,985 farmers adopted organic farming on 41,012 hectares of land under the scheme. 1,628 groups of farmers are given Rs 10 lakh per group for three years to facilitate the conversion.” The state has also implemented the Dr Panjabrao Deshmukh Organic Farming Mission (PDOFM) to promote the practice since 2018 in six suicide-prone districts of Vidarbha. This programme is separate from PKKY. About 8,337 beneficiaries, under the PDOFM practice organic farming on 13,548 hectares of land across six districts--Akola, Washim, Amravati, Buldhana, Yavatmal and Wardha, said Kulkarni, the agriculture department official. While the state has started the process of switching to natural farming, Makaam is in early-stage collaborations with agricultural universities to get scientific information about organic farming, research on organic farming and access to seeds, though this is not part of the state scheme as of now. According to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), organic and natural farming are profitable, sustainable and productive. The report underlines the use of organic manure to improve soil structure and enhance soil fertility, and increase microorganisms in the soil. The findings also indicate that the use of organic manure increases the water-holding capacity and porosity of the soil. Besides, nutrients in soil like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium improve plant and animal biodiversity. Latabai Narwade, a 50-year-old widow from Kothari village of Hingoli district, says she has observed changes in soil health since she started organic farming two years ago. “Earlier,” she says, “the soil would become hard like rock in the summer, and we had to invest a good amount of money for ploughing. Now, the soil remains airy and thin, and we don’t have to spend much for ploughing. The soil also absorbs more water, unlike earlier. Even though it rained heavily, the water did not accumulate on my farm this year.” “Organic farming increases organic matter/microorganisms like earthworms in soil and that increases nutrients in soil. For instance, earthworms keep going up and down in soil making it more porous,” said Ramanjaneyulu G.V., an agriculture scientist at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture in Hyderabad. On the other hand, he said, chemicals, such as those in pesticides, kill microorganisms, reducing natural organic matter in the soil. In the third year since Latabai converted to organic farming on her half-acre land, she harvested 20 kg of yellow gram, 25 kg of black gram, two quintals of cotton and two quintals of turmeric. “Earlier, I would get 3-4 quintal of cotton and 10-12 quintal of turmeric using chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Though my income has been less in these three years, I am in profit because earlier, I had to spend Rs 30,000 per acre for pesticides, fertilisers, seeds and labour. Now I produce my own fertilisers, pesticides and seeds. I have to spend only Rs 10,000 for ploughing and weeding.” Farmers can label their produce as ‘organically grown’ only after completing three years of organic farming, which fetches a premium price in the market. Currently, Latabai sells her extra produce at the market rate for regular produce, and says her produce will fetch a better price from next year. Enhanced food security To their surprise, women farmers who had switched to organic farming found wild vegetables growing on their farms. ‘Wild vegetables’ are those that grow automatically without the farmer needing to sow seeds. “Earlier, wild vegetables got killed due to chemical fertilisers and pesticides,” says Satpute of Makaam. “Now, with organic manure, they are getting revived. We have observed 19 such vegetables that had earlier become rare, growing in farms in Vidarbha and Marathwada.” Some of these vegetables, she said, are Portulaca Oleracea, known locally as Ghol, and believed to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, Hibiscus Sabdariffa or Ambadi that is a jute alternative and Celosia Argentea, called Kurdu in the local language, which is high in Vitamin E. The naturally growing vegetables, together with organically grown food such as pulses and millets, has increased the physical strength and fitness of families, resulting in fewer hospital visits. “As we are now able to eat a variety of vegetables, pulses, millets, my family members have become healthier. No one got affected even with Covid-19 during the pandemic. Earlier my body would ache regularly but now I can work long hours at the farm without body pain,” said Kalavati. Subba Rao, a scientist from the National Institution of Nutrition, India, (NIN), said, “Health benefits of organic food come from lesser or zero exposure to chemicals in fertilisers and pesticides. However, no study has till now established whether the nutritional value of organic food is better than regularly grown food.”

Migration durch den Klimawandel wird schlimmer – DW – 19.04.2023

Der Klimawandel zwingt die Menschen zum Weiterziehen „Die Felder waren nicht für den Anbau geeignet. Der steigende Meeresspiegel und der zunehmende Salzgehalt beraubten die Menschen in den Kerngebieten der Sundarbans ihrer Haupterwerbsquellen – Landwirtschaft und Fischerei“, sagte Rai der DW. Eine beträchtliche Migration aus den Sundarbans hält immer noch auf einer dauerhaften, saisonalen und vorübergehenden Basis an. Laut Rural Household Survey wanderten über 25 % der Hauptverdiener einzelner Familien vorübergehend auf der Suche nach Arbeit aus. Die Sundarbans sind eine Gruppe tiefliegender Inseln im Golf von Bengalen, die sich über Indien und Bangladesch erstrecken und für ihre einzigartigen Mangrovenwälder berühmt sind. Die indischen Sundarbans haben insgesamt 104 Inseln, von denen 54 von Menschen bewohnt sind. Umweltschützer weisen darauf hin, dass die Küstenerosion und der steigende Meeresspiegel das Land in den Sundarbans allmählich zerfressen. Viele Menschen aus den Dörfern sind gezwungen, in Städte wie Kalkutta abzuwandern, weil ihr fruchtbares Land durch immer mehr Stürme und Überschwemmungen versalzen wird. Zunehmender Salzgehalt des Süßwassers im indischen Kochi Um dieses Video anzusehen, aktivieren Sie bitte JavaScript und erwägen Sie ein Upgrade auf einen Webbrowser, der HTML5-Videos unterstützt Kein politischer Plan, um zu helfen „Es gibt keine strukturierte Politik oder einen Aktionsplan der Regierung, um sozialen Schutz bei der Bekämpfung des Klimawandels und der damit verbundenen Migration zu bieten“, sagte Jayanta Basu, eine in Kalkutta ansässige Umwelt- und Klimaexpertin, gegenüber der DW. Der östliche Bundesstaat Odisha ist auch eine wichtige Quelle für Arbeitsmigranten, und der Klimawandel spielt eine wichtige Rolle bei der zunehmenden Anfälligkeit und treibt die Menschen auf die Suche nach Arbeit. Im Laufe der Jahre war der Chilika-See, die größte Brackwasserlagune des Bundesstaates und ein wichtiges Vogelschutzgebiet, sich ändernden Umweltbedingungen ausgesetzt, was sich auf die Lebensgrundlagen der Menschen vor Ort auswirkte. „Die Beschäftigungsmöglichkeiten sind begrenzt, nachdem extreme Wetterereignisse die Stadt Mangalajodi am Nordufer des Sees heimgesucht haben. Viele haben beschlossen, dauerhaft wegzuziehen“, sagt Sugyan Behera, der in der Tourismusbranche arbeitet, gegenüber der DW. Die Stadt hat eine Bevölkerung von 10.000 Menschen, die hauptsächlich in der Umgebung der Feuchtgebiete arbeiten. Die Klimamigration wird oft durch extreme Ereignisse – wie Stürme, Überschwemmungen und Dürren – oder langsam einsetzende Ereignisse – wie den Anstieg des Meeresspiegels oder das Eindringen von Salzwasser in landwirtschaftliche Flächen – beeinflusst. Ein im Dezember 2020 von ActionAid und Climate Action Network South Asia veröffentlichter Bericht zeigten, dass, selbst wenn die Weltgemeinschaft ihre Zusagen und Ziele zur Minderung von Treibhausgasen (THG) einhält, bis 2030 immer noch etwa 37,5 Millionen Menschen und bis 2050 geschätzte 62,9 Millionen Menschen in fünf südasiatischen Ländern – Bangladesch, Indien, Nepal, Pakistan und Sri Lanka. Höchste Anzahl von Verschiebungen Allein in Indien werden bis 2050 45 Millionen Menschen aufgrund von Klimakatastrophen zur Flucht aus ihrer Heimat gezwungen sein – dreimal so viele Menschen wie heute aufgrund von Extremwetterereignissen. Laut dem Bericht „State of India’s Environment-2022“ ist Indien das am vierthäufigsten betroffene Land der Welt, wenn es um die durch den Klimawandel verursachte Migration geht, mit mehr als drei Millionen Menschen, die zwischen 2020 und 2021 gezwungen sind, ihre Heimat zu verlassen. Die meisten Migrationen fanden in China statt, wo mehr als 5 Millionen Menschen aufgrund von wetterbedingten Katastrophen aus ihren Häusern vertrieben wurden. Sunita Narain, Direktorin des Zentrums für Wissenschaft und Umwelt (CSE), weist darauf hin, dass es angesichts der Auswirkungen der Klimakrise unerlässlich ist, in den Aufbau lokaler Klimaresilienz und den Schutz der Volkswirtschaften zu investieren. In einer umfassenden Studie in 15 Bundesstaaten stellte CSE fest, dass überall dort, wo eine solche Investition getätigt wurde, sie den Dörfern Vorteile brachte und gleichzeitig die Migration eindämmte. Tatsächlich begann in Dörfern, in denen die Wassergewinnung organisiert und ökologische Ressourcen zum Wohle der Einheimischen genutzt wurden, die Rückwanderung.

Heatwave in India & Asia: क्या जल्दी आ गई गर्मी ... भा रत समेत एशि या के कई देश क्यों जूझ रहे हैं गर्म पा रे से?

भा रत समेत एशि या के कई देशों के लो ग बेहा ल हैं. वजह गर्मी है जो इस बा र पहले आ गई. इस बा र एशि या ई महा द्वी प में इतनी गर्मी पड़ क्यों रही है? भा रत में पि छले हफ्ते 13 लो गों की ही ट स्ट्रो क से मौ त हो गई. बां ग्ला देश में ता पमा न ने 60 सा ल का रि कॉ र्ड तो ड़ दि या . था ईलैंड में भी गर्मी से दो लो ग मा रे गए हैं. दुनि या भर के वैज्ञा नि कों का मा नना है कि ग्लो बल वॉ र्मिं ग ही इस बुरे मौ सम की वजह है. संयुक्त रा ष्ट्र के IPCC की नई रि पो र्ट के मुता बि क जि तना ग्लो बल वॉ र्मिं ग बढ़ेगा . उतनी बा र ही मौ सम की मा र दो गुनी तेजी से बढ़ेगी . चा हे गर्मी हो या बा रि श. था ईलैंड के मौ सम वि भा ग ने कहा कि बुधवा र को वहां रि कॉ र्ड तो ड़ गर्मी थी . पा रा 44.6 डि ग्री सेल्सि यस पर था . था ईलैंड के मौ सम वि भा ग के डि प्टी डा यरेक्टर जनरल था ना सि ट इमा ना नचा ई ने बता या कि अगले हफ्ते तक के लि ए अधि क ता पमा न की चेता वनी जा री की गई है. क्ला इमेट पॉ लि सी इंस्टी ट्यूट क्ला इमेट एना लि सि स के सा इंटि स्ट फहद सईद कहते हैं कि था ईलैंड, ची न और दक्षि ण एसि या में इस बा र रि कॉ र्ड तो ड़ गर्मी पड़ने वा ली है. ये आपदा है आपदा . भा रत में ही टवेव से 31 सा ल में 24 हजा र लो गों की मौ त यूनि वर्सि टी ऑफ कैंब्रि ज के स्कॉ लर रमि त देबना थ की स्टडी के मुता बि क भा रत में गर्मी की वजह से 31 सा लों में 24 हजा र लो गों की मौ त हो चुकी है. गर्मी से वा यु प्रदूषण भी बढ़ा है. ग्लेशि यर भी पि घले हैं. भा रत इस समय कई तरह की प्रा कृति क आपदा ओं का सा मना कर रहा है.है देश के अलग-अलग हि स्सों में अलग-अलग तरह की प्रा कृति क घटना एं और आपदा एं देखने को मि लती हैं. ऐसा हर सा ल जनवरी से अक्टूबर के मही ने तक देखने को मि लता ह भा रत का 90% हि स्सा अत्यधि क गर्मी वा ले इला के में रमि त के मुता बि क भा रत का 90 फी सदी इला का अत्यधि क गर्मी वा ले खतरना क जो न (Extreme Heat Danger Zone) में आता है. भा रत अधि क गर्मी को बर्दा श्त करने के लि ए तैया र नहीं है. ही टवेव को आपदा में शा मि ल करना हो गा . ता कि लो गों के लि ए बेहतर प्ला न बना ए जा सकें. भा रत के सो शल डेवलपमेंट गो ल्स में गरी बी , भूख, असमा नता और बी मा री तो है लेकि न ही टवेव को लेकर कुछ खा स नहीं कहा गया है.है अधि क गर्मी की वजह से भा रत में आउटडो र वर्किं ग कैपेसि टी में 15 फी सदी की गि रा वट आएगी . 48 करो ड़ लो गों का जी वन बुरी तरह से प्रभा वि त हो गा . 2050 तक जी डी पी को 5.4 फी सदी का नुकसा न हो गा . भा रत में पि छले हफ्ते 13 लो गों की मौ त म्यां मा र समुद्री सतह से ज्या दा ऊपर नहीं है. का फी इला के नि चले हैं. यहां पर जलवा यु परि वर्तन का का फी ज्या दा असर दि ख रहा है.है यहां भया वह बा ढ़ आ रही है. या फि र अचा नक से बा रि श शुरू हो जा ती है. उधर भा रत की हा लत भी बहुत अच्छी नहीं है. महा रा ष्ट्र में पि छले हफ्ते 13 लो गों की मौ त ही टस्ट्रो क की वजह से हुई है.है उत्तर और पूर्वी रा ज्यों में पा रा 3-4 डि ग्री ऊपर भा रत में इस समय उत्तरी और पूर्वी इला के सा मा न्य से 3 से 4 डि ग्री सेल्सि यस ज्या दा ता पमा न बर्दा श्त कर रहे हैं. उत्तर-पूर्व में गुवा हा टी के लो गों को गर्मी महसूस हो रही है. वो इला का आमतौ र पर ठंडा रहता है. हा लत ऐसी है कि पूरे एशि या में गर्मी का नक्शा ला ल हुआ पड़ा है. यहां तक कि रूस का बड़ा इला का भी ज्या दा गर्मी बर्दा श्त कर रहा है. जल्दी गर्मी का आना सभी के लि ए खतरना क हम इंसा न कि सी भी मौ सम के लि ए उसके तयशुदा समय पर आने के आदी हैं. अगर मौ सम का समय बदल जा ए. तो लो ग बी मा र हो जा ते हैं.हैंफसलें खरा ब हो जा ती हैं.हैंव्यवहा र में बदला व आता है. जल्दी गर्मी आने से उन इला कों में दि क्कत हो गी , जहां पर इसे बर्दा श्त करने की व्यवस्था एं नहीं हैं. हर कि सी के पा स एसी या कूलर नहीं हो ता . अगर इला का हरा -भरा हो तो भी आप गर्मी से बहुत हद तक रा हत पा सकते हैं.हैंलेकि न शहरी इला के में यह संभव नहीं है. यूनि वर्सि टी ऑफ कैलि फो र्नि या के पर्या वरणवि द मि शेल मेंडेज कहती हैं कि कुछ जगहों पर ही टवेव प्रा कृति क घटना है.है लेकि न कई जगहों पर रा जनी ति क वि कल्प. अगर लो ग या सरका र चा हे तो दशकों में गर्मी को बर्दा श्त करने का इंफ्रा स्ट्रक्चर, नी ति यां या सुवि धा एं खड़ी कर सकते थे. पर आमतौ र पर ऐसा हो ता नहीं ह अल-नी नो ने कर दि या खेल, गर्मी की दौ ड़ेगी रेल अगर गर्मि यां देर से आती हैं, तब भी ज्या दा ता पमा न रहता है. ऐसे में ही टवेव की वजह से मरने वा लों की संख्या बहुत ज्या दा हो जा ती है. दुनि या भर के एक्सपर्ट ये मा नते हैं कि इस बा र चि लचि ला ती गर्मी पड़ेगी . सेंटर फॉ र सा इंस एंडएं एनवा यरमेंट (CSE) के मुता बि क ये सा ल अलनी नो (El-Nino) या एन्सो न्यूट्रल ईयर (ENSO-neutral year) हो सकता है.है मतलब ये कि इसकी वजह से गर्मी ज्या दा रहेगी . मॉ नसून में बा रि श भी सा मा न्य से कम हो गी . ( नेशनल सेंटर फॉ र एटमॉ स्फि यरि क सा इंस के रि सर्च सा इंटि स्ट अक्षय देवरा स ने CSE को बता या था कि अभी के हि सा ब से 2023 की गर्मि यां अल-नी नो या नी एन्सो -न्यूट्रल की तरफ इशा रा कर रहा है. अल-नी नो , ला -नी ना और न्यूट्रल फेज अल-नी नो सा उदर्न ऑसी लेशन के हि स्से हैं. जो वा युमंडली य सर्कुलेशन को बदलते हैं. अमेरि कन जि यो सा इंस इंस्टि ट्यूट के अनुसा र अल नी नो और ला नी ना शब्द का संदर्भ प्रशां त महा सा गर की समुद्री सतह के ता पमा न में समय-समय पर हो ने वा ले बदला वों से है,है जि सका दुनि या भर में मौ सम पर प्रभा व पड़ता है. अल नी नो की वजह से ता पमा न गर्म हो ता है और ला नी ना के का रण ठंडा .

वायु प्रदूषण : दिल्ली सरकार 15 मई के सम्मेलन में प्रदूषण स्रोत संबंधी अध्ययन रिपोर्ट साझा करेगी

अप्रैल (भाषा) दिल्ली सरकार अगले महीने एक अहम गोलमेज सम्मेलन का आयोजन करेगी जिसमें सभी साझेदारों के साथ वास्तविक समय में प्रदूषणों के स्रोतों की जानकारी साझा करेगी और दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण को कम करने के लिए रणनीति विकसित की जाएगी। पर्यावरण मंत्री गोपाल रॉय ने बुधवार को यह जानकारी दी। राय ने ‘पीटीआई-भाषा’को बताया कि यह सम्मेलन 15 मई को दिल्ली सचिवालय में आयोजित किया जाएगा। राय ने बताया कि इस सम्मेलन में वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन आयोग, केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड, सफर, संयुक्त राष्ट्र पर्यावरण कार्यक्रम, भारत मौसम विज्ञान विभाग, विश्व बैंक, सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट, टेरी और एनसीआर (राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र) के राज्यों के प्रतिनिधियों को आमंत्रित किया जाएगा।

To combat marine litter, CSE launches Coalition of Coastal Cities

Marine litter is a serious trans-border issue. Global research estimates say that about 80% of marine litter comes from land-based mismanagement of solid waste that reaches the ocean bed through various land-to-sea pathways. Remaining 20 percent is the contribution of coastal settlements. One of the most common sources of marine litter is tourist and beach litter. Majority of these wastes is made up of multi-layered and low-value plastics, polystyrene, plastic products like cutlery and carry bags, cigarette butts, etc. These wastes are either not collected or are mismanaged and eventually leak into the oceans through the stormwater drainage system, canals and small and big rivers. India with its 7,517 km of coastline across nine states and 66 coastal districts is home to about 250 million people. The coastline has 486 census towns and 36 class I towns. It also hosts 12 major and 185 minor ports. A large amount of footwear waste like soles, synthetic bases and cloth bases are also being found in marine litter in India. Other contributors to marine litter include fishing communities (mostly fishing gear), flood waters, discharge of untreated municipal sewage, automobile and industrial waste generated at the coasts and waste from shipbreaking yards. To address the problem of trans-boundary marine litter and to focus on combating the scourge of marine litter across the country, a National Coalition of Coastal Cities has been launched by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The coalition was launched during the two-day National Consultation Workshop, organised and spearheaded by CSE at Nimli in Rajasthan that concluded on Wednesday. “The problem of marine litter is a serious trans-boundary issue. Eight million tonnes of plastic waste from 192 countries that have a coastline goes into our oceans every year. India with a 7,000-plus km coastline has a role to play in controlling this menace,” Sunita Narain, director general, CSE, was quoted as saying in a statement. She said about 90 percent of all the waste that ends up in the marine ecosystem is plastics. Out of 460 million tonne (MT) of global plastic production, close to 353 MT comes back as plastic, i.e., 8 MT (2.26 percent) of which is leaked into the marine ecosystem. Researchers at CSE said that in India, estimated extent of marine litter is about 0.98 metric tonne of trash per km stretch of the coastline with a concentration of 0.012 kg per square metre. Atin Biswas, programme director, solid waste management unit, CSE, said estimates indicate that about 15,434 tonne of plastic waste is leaked into South Asian seas every day accounting for a colossal 5.6 MT of plastic waste a year. Siddharth G Singh, programme manager, solid waste management unit at CSE, too said that tributaries of major Indian rivers are the pathways that carry around 15-20 % of plastic waste into the marine environment. India is the world’s second largest fish producing nation with about 2,50,000 fishing boats, 40,00,000 fisherfolk and 3,600 fishing villages. India’s coastline also has a rich biodiversity protected by about 4,120 km of mangroves. One of the key challenges worldwide is from abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). A large part of ALDFG is lost in deep seas making it difficult to recover. India has 174,000 units of fishing gear in operation, of which 154,008 units are gillnets/driftnets, 7,285 units are traps and the rest are fishing lines. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), India loses 15,276 tonne of gillnets annually. Biswas said that in 2021, 58,000 kg of ghost net was recovered from the beaches and the ocean bed. The scale of the threat can be gauged from the fact that out of 1,000 eggs laid by a female turtle only 10 are able to convert into adult turtles because of marine litter and ghost nets. Key problems identified in the workshop included absence of adequate research-driven data, lack of synergy in policy and practice among institutions connected to the causes of marine litter, and an unmet need for investment in a communication strategy to engage with citizens, fishing communities and industrial establishments. It was felt that policies like the single-use plastic ban and EPR (extended producer responsibility) need to be enforced stringently. The coalition will be a platform for further research, capacity building and advocacy on the subject.

चीन को पछाड़ कर दुनिया का सर्वाधिक आबादी वाला देश बना भारत : यूएन रिपोर्ट

‘डाउन टू अर्थ’ से साभार भारत 29 लाख की आबादी के अंतर से चीन को पछाड़ कर दुनिया में सर्वाधिक आबादी वाला देश बन चुका है। यूनाइटेड नेशंस पॉपुलेशन फंड (यूएनएफपीए) की द स्टेट ऑफ वर्ल्ड पॉपुलेशन रिपोर्ट, 2023 के अनुसार भारत की जनसंख्या 1,42.86 करोड़ (1.428 अरब ) तक पहुंच गई है, जबकि चीन की आबादी 142.57 करोड़ (1.425 अरब) है। यूएनएफपीए की बीते वर्ष की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक 2022 में भारत की आबादी 140.6 करोड़ थी। 2023 में इसमें 1.56 फीसदी की बढोत्तरी (142.86 करोड़) हो गई है। वहीं, बीते वर्ष की तरह ही भारत की कामकाजी उम्र मानी जाने वाली करीब दो-तिहाई आबादी 68 फीसदी है जो कि 15 से 64 वर्ष आयु के बीच है। 19 अप्रैल, 2023 को जारी यूएन की ताजा रिपोर्ट का शीर्षक “8 अरब जिंदगियां, अनंत संभावनाएं : अधिकारों और पसंद का मामला” रखा गया है। यूएनएफपीए इंडिया की प्रतिनिधि एंड्रिया वोजनार के मुताबिक दुनिया की कुल 8 अरब आबादी में भारत की 1.4 अरब आबादी का आशय है कि यहां 1.4 अरब संभावनाएं हैं। उन्होंने कहा कि भारत का यह आंकड़ा भारत की शिक्षा, सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य और स्वच्छता, आर्थिक प्रगति और तकनीकी दक्षता की कहानी है। सर्वाधिक युवा शक्ति वाला (25.4 करोड़ – 15 से 24 आयु वर्ग) यह देश में नई सोच, नए समाधान, इनोवेशन का बड़ा स्रोत बन सकता है। रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक अगर महिलाएं और लड़कियां, विशेष रूप से समान शैक्षिक और कौशल-निर्माण के अवसरों, प्रौद्योगिकी और डिजिटल नवाचारों तक पहुंच और सबसे महत्वपूर्ण रूप से अपने प्रजनन अधिकारों और विकल्पों का पूरी तरह से उपयोग करने के लिए सूचना और शक्ति से लैस हैं, तो प्रक्षेपवक्र आगे बढ़ सकता है। रिपोर्ट में यह भी कहा गया है कि 68 रिपोर्टिंग देशों में 44 प्रतिशत भागीदार महिलाओं और लड़कियों को यौन संबंध बनाने, गर्भनिरोधक का उपयोग करने और स्वास्थ्य देखभाल की मांग करने पर अपने शरीर के बारे में सूचित निर्णय लेने का अधिकार नहीं है। यह बताता है कि दुनिया भर में अनुमानित 257 मिलियन महिलाओं को सुरक्षित, विश्वसनीय गर्भनिरोधक की आवश्यकता है। यूएनएफपीए की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक भारत में 25 फीसदी आबादी 0-14 वर्ष आयु, 18 फीसदी आबादी 10-19 वर्ष आयु, 26 फीसदी आबादी 10-24 आयु समूह की है। जबकि 68 फीसदी आबादी 15-64 आयु समूह में है। वहीं 65 से अधिक आयु वाले सिर्फ 7 फीसदी लोग देश में हैं। 1978 से लगातार प्रकाशित होने वाली यूएन की इस ताजा रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि भारत की कुल प्रजनन दर (यानी गर्भ धारण कर सकने वाली प्रत्येक महिला पर होने वाला जन्म ) 2.0 है। जबकि भारतीय मर्द की औसत आयु प्रत्याशा 71 और महिला की 74 है। यूएनफपीए के प्रतिनिधि की ओर से कहा गया है कि परिवार नियोजन को प्रजनन लक्ष्यों के एक टूल के तौर पर नहीं इस्तेमाल किया जाना चाहिए। महिलाओं को प्रजनन के विकल्प मिलने चाहिए। यह स्वतंत्रता महिलाओं को मिलनी चाहिए कि वह कितने बच्चों को जन्म देना चाहती है। इतिहास बताता है कि प्रजनन नीतियां इस हिसाब से तैयार की जाती हैं कि वह न्यूनतम रहने वाली जन्मदर को बढाएं। यह नीतियां न सिर्फ निष्प्रभावी हैं बल्कि इनसे महिलाओं के अधिकार भी प्रभावित होते हैं। रिपोर्ट में इस्तेमाल किए गए सर्वे में पाया गया कि जनसंख्या से संबंधित सबसे महत्वपूर्ण मामलों की पहचान करने पर, 63 प्रतिशत भारतीयों ने जनसंख्या परिवर्तन के बारे में सोचते समय विभिन्न आर्थिक मुद्दों को शीर्ष चिंताओं के रूप में पहचाना। इसके बाद पर्यावरण संबंधी चिंताएं 46 प्रतिशत और यौन और प्रजनन स्वास्थ्य और अधिकारों और मानवाधिकारों की चिंताएं 30 प्रतिशत थीं। वहीं, भारत में उत्तरदाताओं की राय थी कि उनके देश में जनसंख्या बहुत अधिक है और प्रजनन दर बहुत अधिक है। राष्ट्रीय प्रजनन दर पर भारत में पुरुषों और महिलाओं के विचारों में कोई महत्वपूर्ण अंतर नहीं था

Heat Action Plans: What They Are, Why We Need Them

Recent assessment of Heat Action Plans at city, district and state levels revealed several gaps, including that they are underfunded and not built for local contexts. Kochi: At least 11 people died and more than 600 others suffered from heat-related health issues after they had to stand out in the open on Sunday, April 16, for more than five hours to attend a government award function in Maharashtra’s Navi Mumbai. As per some reports, local officials said that the event – which has come under fire for several reasons, including the lack of adequate arrangements to deal with the heat – went against existing Heat Action Plans. What are Heat Action Plans, and why do we need them? Hot, hotter, hottest India’s summers are hot, but they’re also getting hotter. February this year, for instance, was the hottest on record in India since 1901, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Heat waves are now more frequent across many parts of India. As per the IMD, a heatwave is said to occur when the average maximum temperature is 4.5-6.4º C above the long-term average (or above 40º C in the plains, 30º C in hilly areas, or 37º C in coastal areas). India recorded 280 days of heat waves across 16 states in 2022 – the most ever in a decade – as per a report by the Centre for Science and Environment. Maharashtra itself experienced four heat waves in two summer months last year. The IMD warned in February this year that in the months to come – from March to May – there was an “enhanced probability” for the occurrence of heat waves in many parts of central and adjoining northwest India. Currently, as of April 17, the IMD issued a heat wave alert for up to five days in parts of eastern and western Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Jharkhand and coastal Andhra Pradesh. Schools and colleges have remained closed as the heat wave progressed in West Bengal and Tripura. Science shows that climate change plays a major role in the increased occurrence and intensity of these heat waves. For instance, climate scientists found that climate change made the heat waves that swept across large parts of India and Pakistan in May last year a whopping 30 times more likely. The impacts of heat waves on human health include dehydration, dizziness, exhaustion, stroke and even death. Heat Action Plans Given how much heat waves impact people, especially the poor and other vulnerable sections, governments and administrations have begun developing Heat Action Plans, which are documents that list preparatory, adaptive and responsive measures for government departments to tackle the heat and its impacts. Odisha’s 2022 state Heat Action Plan developed by the Odisha State Disaster Management Authority, for instance, provides Standard Operating Procedures for different departments and district administrations and also includes steps such as rescheduling working hours for daily wage labourers, provisioning drinking water and first aid facilities at temporary working sheds, changing school timings, and so on. The city of Ahmedabad implemented South Asia’s first HAP in 2013 after a heatwave in 2010. This, scientists found, may have prevented more than 1,000 deaths due to heat in 2014-15. However, there are many gaps in HAPs in India, found a recent assessment of 37 HAPs at city, district and state levels by the Delhi-based Centre for Policy Research (CPR). These included being underfunded and not being built for local contexts. The assessment also found that HAPs are not sufficiently transparent. There is no national repository of HAPs and very few HAPs are listed online, the report noted. The report recommends creating a national repository of HAPs within the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and that independent, and publicly accessible external evaluations of their performance be conducted regularly. Focus areas In December last year, the Union government said that the NDMA and the IMD are working with 23 states that are prone to heatwave conditions to develop state-level action plans. These include Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Jharkhand. HAPs are a new policy instrument and are currently spreading, Aditya Valiathan Pillai, associate fellow at CPR and one of the co-authors of the report on HAPs, wrote in an email to The Wire. It is crucial that areas like Delhi and other hot north Indian states, and humid areas which could present a high risk of mortality during a heatwave, have coverage, he said. Do any specific levels of HAPs – such as at the state, district or local levels – take priority? Not necessarily, according to Pillai. “So the idea is not to privilege HAPs at one level over the other but to figure out ways of making them work together in complementary ways,” he wrote in an email to The Wire. “So in a state, you would want the state and city/district HAPs to be designed to speak to each other.” That’s because each level of government handles different things (as per the Constitutional division of powers), Pillai clarified. If one wants to protect agriculture from heat, for example, you need an insurance mechanism which will need to be at the state level because of the scale it will need to involve and because agriculture is a state subject. “But setting up cooling centres would of course be better at the local level,” he wrote. To make our HAPs more effective and impactful, it is necessary to incorporate granular scale heat vulnerability and hotspot mapping assessments by leveraging the latest advancements in geospatial technology and field-based assessments, said Shreya Wadhawan, Research Analyst, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). This involves mapping heat-sensitive areas based on land use, vegetation fraction, built-up areas, adaptive capacity, and population characteristics, she wrote in an email to The Wire. “Further, it is essential to recalibrate forecast models to region-specific thresholds for energy and water demand, crop, and health impacts to enable impact-based heat forecast alerts. This will help decision-makers plan in advance to address the issue of heat stress,” she wrote.

Heat kills

The death of 11 people at an event in Navi Mumbai from a heatstroke is a grim reminder of what the summer has in store for India. Already, warnings have been issued by experts and several states have cautioned citizens not to step outdoors in the hours between noon and 4 p.m. The event at Navi Mumbai was held when the temperature was recorded at 38.2 deg C, not unusual for this time of the year, but clearly the intensity of a spell that commenced as early as February took its toll. Last year, when temperatures had soared to 50 deg C and above in parts of the sub-continent, scientists had warned that these extreme conditions had been exacerbated by climate change. This year, the outlook is grim and the India Meteorological Department has warned of the enhanced probability of “above normal maximum temperatures” over most parts of the northeast, east and central India and some parts of the northwest. The average temperatures in February in central India were 29.5 deg C, around 2 deg C above normal. While the government has alerted states to put in place health action plans, the efficacy of such measures is questionable. Heatwaves have cascading effects, not just on health but on ecosystems, agriculture, water and power supplies. Already, there are projections of power shortages forced by the weather, and of a reduction in wheat production which could hit both domestic availability and exports from the world’s second largest producer. India is well aware of the consequences of such conditions. Last year, the Centre for Science and Environment had estimated that localised climate events on 241 of 273 days until October had claimed at least 2,755 lives, affected at least 1.8 million hectares of crop and killed nearly 70,000 livestock. A measurement called wet bulb reading, which combines air temperature and relative humidity, gauges heat stress on the human body. A wet bulb reading of 35 deg C is said to be the threshold beyond which humans cannot survive. A report by the World Bank last November had warned that India could become one of the first countries in the world where this threshold would be reached, and there are reports that Nagpur has already recorded wet bulb readings of above 32 deg C this year, with the summer not having yet reached its peak. For now, administrations across the country have put in place measures to mitigate human suffering. West Bengal has announced a closure of schools while Odisha has asked classes to be concluded before noon. While welcome, these measures are likely to provide little relief. Economic activity must go on, and suffering will be a consequence. But outdoor events of the kind held in Navi Mumbai must be avoided.

In harm’s way: Mathura Road, IIT-Delhi, Gurgaon among five ozone hotspots

NEW DELHI: Mathura Road, Lodhi Road, IIT-Delhi, Dhirpur in north-west Delhi and Gurgaon are among the ozone hotspots in April so far, according to an analysis conducted by the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the forecasting body under the Union ministry of earth sciences. The five locations exceeded the eight-hour standard of 50 parts per billion (ppb) on most days in April. Of these, Gurugram reported the highest level of ozone as exceeded 100 ppb on most days. Ozone is a harmful gas that is found in two regions of the atmosphere. Up in the stratosphere, it protects the Earth from sun’s harmful rays. In the troposphere, which is the layer of atmosphere that humans live in, the presence of more than permissible level of ozone can harm health and plants. It can inflame a person’s airways, cause chest pain and wheezing in healthy humans. For people with asthma or lung diseases, the effect can be much worse. The analysis by SAFAR found that Delhi University, Pusa and T3 at IGI Airport were the stations that recorded low ozone concentration. SAFAR’s analysis said that April 8-10 saw the highest average ozone that crossed 60 ppb. “Some stations saw high levels of ozone mainly due to an increase in volatile organic compounds (VOC). The sources of VOC are natural sources and vehicle exhaust. High temperature also plays an important role,” said Gufran Beig, the founder project director of SAFAR. “If the temperature rises to 40 degrees Celsius or above, the production rate of ozone will increase and hence, in the coming days, we may see further rise in ozone,” Beig said. He added that ozone toxicity is higher than particulate matter and the health impact is immediate. “Those with respiratory conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and particularly children with premature lungs and older adults are at risk when the ozone level increases more than the permissible limit of 50 ppb,” he said. Ground level ambient ozone is produced from the complex interaction between nitrogen oxides and VOCs that are emitted by vehicles, power plants, factories and other combustion sources. The compounds undergo cyclic reactions in the presence of sunlight to generate ground-level ozone, according to a study done by the Centre for Science and Environment last year. Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive director for research and advocacy at CSE, said: "Increase in the number of days exceeding ozone standard is a predictable trend in summer in Delhi. It has not drawn adequate regulatory attention. Stringent measures are needed. Ozone is not directly emitted by any source. But gases from different sources react under the influence of sunlight to form ozone. Even short duration exposure can worsen symptoms in people suffering from asthma and respiratory conditions.”

Thermal power plants in Delhi-NCR not following government order to use biomass to generate electricity: CSE

A recent (February 2023) notification by the Environment Ministry has given these plants more leeway to delay meeting the directives, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which conducted the study, said. Many coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR have made very little progress on complying with directions to use biomass or agricultural residue for electricity generation, according to a new study released on Thursday. A recent (February 2023) notification by the Environment Ministry has given these plants more leeway to delay meeting the directives, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), which conducted the study, said. In October 2021, the Union Ministry of Power had mandated the plants to replace five to 10 per cent of the coal they use for electricity generation with biomass or agricultural residue. This was done to address the twin challenge of stubble burning and emissions. These plants had to achieve five per cent of co-firing by September 2022, and escalate it to seven per cent the following year. However, hardly any progress has been made by the plants in Delhi-NCR, the green think tank said. The 11 coal-based power plants in Delhi-NCR, in addition to adhering to the ministry's policy, were also given a separate direction by the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) in September 2021 to co-fire biomass. Any non-adherence to the CAQM directive is considered an offense 'punishable with imprisonment' for a term that may extend up to five years or with fine of up to Rs 1 crore or both as per the CAQM Act, 2021. "Our study shows that cumulatively, less than one per cent of the coal consumed per year in these 11 plants had been replaced with agro-residues until December 2022," Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution, CSE, said. The key reasons for this include a huge demand-supply gap. The power plants surveyed by CSE have pointed out that they do not have reliable long-term supply of pellets. The Indira Gandhi thermal power plant in Jhajjar, Haryana, has invited manufacturers to set up a biomass pellet making unit on its premises, but the facility is yet to come up.

Villages in WB’s Alipurduar gasp for air as pollution from Bhutan takes toll

A bottle of cough syrup and a few strips of medicines, packed in a polythene packet, were kept on a table next to the cot, on which 54-year-old Chameli Singh Bathyal was taking a nap. A resident of Rangamati, a small village at Kalchini in West Bengal’s Alipurduar district tucked amidst tea gardens and forests, crisscrossed by rivers and streams, has been suffering from recurring cough and breathlessness over the past four years. “You see that? That’s the Pasakha Industrial Estate (PIE) in Bhutan. The smoke and polluted water they release are taking a heavy toll on villagers living on this side of the border. I’m suffering from cough and breathlessness over the past four years at least. Now it is getting more frequent and intense. Acidity and diarrhea occur frequently and my body aches,” she said, sitting up on the cot and pointing to the door. PIE is Bhutan’s first major industrial town and is located in a valley surrounded by hills on three sides. Because of its close proximity to the Indian border, availability of minerals such as quartz, dolomite and limestone, good road connectivity with Phuentsholing, PIE has become a major attraction. There are around 40 industries, including silicon-carbide plant, ferro-silicon factories, cement, steel and alloy industries. Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), in a report for the Bhutan government, said in some places inside the PIE, the PM10 level reached a maximum of 466 micrograms per metre cube, at least four times above the daily permissible limit in India. The level of PM 2.5 was also hovering around 4–5 times above the daily permissible limit according to Indian standards. “There are substantial uncontrolled fugitive emissions of dust particles along with gases from the industries,” the report said, attributing the high emissions to burning of fossil fuels and air polluting industries in the area. Chameli’s room faces the PIE at Phuentsholling in Bhutan, right across the Indo-Bhutan border. A small rivulet, locally known as ‘Singhi jhora’, follows adjacent to the industrial estate. Singhi with Bhalu jhora and Basra, all originating in Bhutan and polluted – meet a few kilometres downstream and form the Kaljani river, which flows into Jaldapara National Park and Buxa Tiger Reserve. The stretch of the Kaljani river from Bitala to Alipurduar was tagged as unfit for bathing by the central pollution control board but was delisted in 2022 as the water quality claimed to have improved. While the winding and downhill village road leads to the Singhi rivulet a few metres below, the PIE is just a stone’s throw from the Bathyal’s house and one can even see the smoke billowing out of the chimneys. “The smoke is less now. Come in the evening and you will get the true picture, because that’s the time when they release the smoke in full throttle. We need to close the doors and windows,” said Dhiraj Singh Bathyal (62), her husband, who also complained of breathlessness and frequent cough. Mohan Subba, a local youth, who works in the pump-station on the bank of the Singhi jhora, said that he frequently suffers from diarrhea and other gastro-intestinal problems including acidity. “We all drink the same water knowing well that it is not clean. We also catch small fishes that are found in these waters. The water is pumped out from the Singhi jhora stream and supplied to the villages. We have no other option. The industrial estate dumps their waste water into the stream,” said Subba. Locals said that there are around 11 villages close of the Indo-Bhutan border in Kalchini block in which at least 22,000–25,000 people, mostly tea garden workers, live with many suffering from lung ailments, gastro-intestinal problems and skin-diseases. “Almost every other villager you come across in this part of Kalchini would tell you the same story and the same problems. The industrial pollution, soot and dust from the PIE have made life miserable here,” said Jairaj Lama, a resident of central Dooars. Locals like Lama and Subba even claimed that such is the pollution level, that if it doesn’t rain for a few days, the leaves of the trees get brown and wrinkled. The tin-roof of the village huts gets rusty and corroded after every six months. “The trees, the tea plantations and the grass all get covered with a layer of dust and soot if it doesn’t rain. And, when it rains, the PIE releases more smoke as the pollution gets subdued,” said Minati Thapa, a local resident and a tea garden worker. Kalchini block in Alipurduar has around 21 tea estates of which the Central Dooars Tea Estate in Rangamati is just one. Most of the people are tea garden workers earning around ₹2,500 to ₹4,000 per month. While locals have been complaining about the problems over the past few years, the Cooch Behar Himalayan Nature Development Society, an NGO working on this issue since 2014, moved a PIL in the Supreme Court in May 2019. As the pollution was coming from across the border, the union environment ministry, ministry of external affairs, the state pollution control board, the central pollution control board and the Alipurduar civic body were all made parties. “Before filing the PIL, we had written letters to everyone including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), ministry of external affairs and union environment ministry among others. But everyone has been passing the buck,” said Mahendra Thapa, general secretary of the NGO. But, till date, nothing has been done and the villagers of Rangamati and its adjoining areas continue to suffer. “The division bench of Justice SA Bobde and Justice BR Gavai heard the case once in July 2019. But that’s it. The matter was never heard again. It is still pending,” said Sukriti Kashyap, environment lawyer and the petitioner’s counsel. Locals continued to rue the fact that not much has been done in this regard by both political leaders and the administration. “I am not aware of the issue. No one informed me, if they approach me, I will definitely take it up and pursue it,” said John Barla, union minister of state for minority affairs and a BJP MP from Alipurduar. “This doesn’t come under the purview of the CPCB. It is an international matter. The matter was referred to the MoEF&CC,” said a senior official of the CPCB.