• Sustainable Habitat

Joshimath sinking: Delayed by a decade, cost of Tapovan Vishnugad Hydroelectric Power Project increased by 138%

Despite two SC-appointed committee reports stating that such hydroelectric power projects could have significant environmental impact, the government in 2015 set up yet another committee which gave the go-ahead for at least six hydropower projects. Joshimath in Uttarakhand is facing the worst land subsidence in its history and experts say the reasons are multiple, ranging from rampant infrastructure development to fragile ecosystem and seismic zone. But, at the centre of all the discussion and debate of the 'sinking Joshimath' story is the Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric power project, which is being built by state-run NTPC Limited. Construction of this 520 MW hydroelectric power (HEP) project began in 2006 and was scheduled to be completed in March 2013. But, almost 10 years later, the project is still 'under construction'. Besides, the project has also undergone a major cost escalation from the initial approved investment of Rs 2,978.5 crore to now an anticipated Rs 7,103 crore, which is an increase of 138.4 percent. In between, the cost of the project was revised to Rs 5,867.38 crore. The Tapovan Vishnugad HEP project has had a chequered history, which also is partially the reason for its delay. On February 7, 2021, the entire Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, which also houses Joshimath, was hit by unprecedented floods caused by an avalanche, damaging two hydropower projects and leaving more than 200 people dead or missing. One of the two HEP projects was Tapovan Vishnugad, while the other was Rishiganga HEP project. Both the projects were majorly damaged during the floods. After the Chamoli disaster, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in a report pointed to inadequate prevention and mitigation measures for hydroelectric power projects during the construction stage. The apex disaster management authority also found that there was “no “no functional early warning system” in the region. Now, the project only has a manual flood warning system. On December 27 last year, the power ministry said it tied up with Defence Research and Development Organisation for implementation of an early warning system at vulnerable HEP projects. Prior to that, the project was rocked by the Kedarnath flood in 2013 that killed at least 5,000 people and damaged about 10 hydroelectric projects, including Tapovan Vishnugad. Coming to the present day, hundreds of houses in Joshimath are in the midst of collapse as the land in the region is sinking, which is called subsidence. Residents in the region and several experts say that the HEP project worsened or accelerated the subsidence in Joshimath as it disturbed the fragile ecosystem of the area. As the situation worsened from January 3, two days later, on January 5, the government stopped all works at NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad project. However, NTPC said the tunnel of its Tapovan Vishnugad hydel project has nothing to do with the landslide happening in Joshimath. “NTPC wants to inform with full responsibility that the tunnel has nothing to do with the landslide happening in Joshimath city. In such an odd situation, the company expresses its sympathy and sensitivity to the people of Joshimath city,” the power generator said in a statement, dated January 5. COURT CASES In the past, there have also been petitions in various courts demanding scrapping of the hydroelectric project. In September last year, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Uttarakhand High Court verdict that had dismissed a petition seeking the cancellation of Tapovan-Vishnugad and Rishi Ganga Hydro Projects in the state. A glacier broke off in Uttarakhand's Joshimath in 2021 .(Picture Credits: IANS) A glacier broke off in Uttarakhand's Joshimath in 2021 .(Picture Credits: IANS) Joshimath in Uttarakhand is facing the worst land subsidence in its history and experts say the reasons are multiple, ranging from rampant infrastructure development to fragile ecosystem and seismic zone. But, at the centre of all the discussion and debate of the 'sinking Joshimath' story is the Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric power project, which is being built by state-run NTPC Limited. Construction of this 520 MW hydroelectric power (HEP) project began in 2006 and was scheduled to be completed in March 2013. But, almost 10 years later, the project is still 'under construction'. Besides, the project has also undergone a major cost escalation from the initial approved investment of Rs 2,978.5 crore to now an anticipated Rs 7,103 crore, which is an increase of 138.4 percent. In between, the cost of the project was revised to Rs 5,867.38 crore. The Tapovan Vishnugad HEP project has had a chequered history, which also is partially the reason for its delay. On February 7, 2021, the entire Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, which also houses Joshimath, was hit by unprecedented floods caused by an avalanche, damaging two hydropower projects and leaving more than 200 people dead or missing. One of the two HEP projects was Tapovan Vishnugad, while the other was Rishiganga HEP project. Both the projects were majorly damaged during the floods. After the Chamoli disaster, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in a report pointed to inadequate prevention and mitigation measures for hydroelectric power projects during the construction stage. The apex disaster management authority also found that there was “no functional early warning system” in the region. Now, the project only has a manual flood warning system. On December 27 last year, the power ministry said it tied up with Defence Research and Development Organisation for implementation of an early warning system at vulnerable HEP projects. Prior to that, the project was rocked by the Kedarnath flood in 2013 that killed at least 5,000 people and damaged about 10 hydroelectric projects, including Tapovan Vishnugad. You May Like Are you dreaming to become AI professional? Great Learning by Taboola Sponsored Links RELATED STORIES NHPC Q3 PAT seen up 2.1% YoY to Rs. 776.9 cr: HDFC Securities NHPC Q3 PAT seen up 2.1% YoY to Rs. 776.9 cr: HDFC Securities Torrent Power Q3 PAT seen up 27.1% YoY to Rs. 469.7 cr: HDFC Securities Torrent Power Q3 PAT seen up 27.1% YoY to Rs. 469.7 cr: HDFC Securities JSW Energy Q3 PAT seen up 0.4% YoY to Rs. 322.1 cr: HDFC Securities JSW Energy Q3 PAT seen up 0.4% YoY to Rs. 322.1 cr: HDFC Securities Coming to the present day, hundreds of houses in Joshimath are in the midst of collapse as the land in the region is sinking, which is called subsidence. Residents in the region and several experts say that the HEP project worsened or accelerated the subsidence in Joshimath as it disturbed the fragile ecosystem of the area. As the situation worsened from January 3, two days later, on January 5, the government stopped all works at NTPC’s Tapovan Vishnugad project. However, NTPC said the tunnel of its Tapovan Vishnugad hydel project has nothing to do with the landslide happening in Joshimath. “NTPC wants to inform with full responsibility that the tunnel has nothing to do with the landslide happening in Joshimath city. In such an odd situation, the company expresses its sympathy and sensitivity to the people of Joshimath city,” the power generator said in a statement, dated January 5. COURT CASES In the past, there have also been petitions in various courts demanding scrapping of the hydroelectric project. In September last year, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Uttarakhand High Court verdict that had dismissed a petition seeking the cancellation of Tapovan-Vishnugad and Rishi Ganga Hydro Projects in the state. On January 10, the Supreme Court declined an urgent hearing of the plea relating to the Joshimath sinking incident. A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud and PS Narasimha said there are democratically elected institutions to look into the issue, as it posted the hearing for January 16. “Everything which is important need not come to the apex court. There are democratically elected institutions working on it,” the top court said. A CONSTANT PUSH FOR HYDROPOWER But several reports have been overlooked in the past by the government too, experts say. After the Kedarnath flood in 2013, the Supreme Court had halted the construction of hydroelectric power projects in Uttarakhand, pending a review by the environment ministry on the role such projects had played in amplifying the disaster. A 17-member expert committee, led by environmentalist Ravi Chopra, was set up by the ministry to examine the role of such hydroelectric projects in hilly areas. The Chopra committee concluded that 23 projects would have an “irreversible impact” on the ecology of the region. But private developers working on these projects said they should be allowed to continue as their projects had already been cleared for construction before the Kedarnath tragedy. Later, the Apex Court formed another committee to examine their case. This committee, led by Vinod Tare of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, also concluded that these projects could have a significant environmental impact. Despite these two reports, the environment ministry in 2015 set up yet another committee, led by BP Das, who was part of the original committee, but had filed a “dissenting report”. It was this Das committee which finally cleared at least six hydroelectric projects with some changes. Hydro stations account for about 25 percent of the total installed capacity as against the ideal hydro thermal mix of 40:60, as per the power ministry’s website. The total hydro potential assessed by CEA at 60 percent load factor is 84,044 MW, it states. Rajneesh Sareen, programme director, sustainable building and habitat programme at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said early indicators have been ignored or overlooked to a great extent in Uttarakhand. “Corrective actions could have been taken if activated on time. Joshimath is totally out of balance because it cannot meet the carrying capacity, it can’t take the load. The typology of the construction that has happened in the town has been insensitive to the requirements/conditions at hand. This typology is also out of sync with hill architecture norms. Third is contour-based development, which has been missing/overlooked to much extent,” he said. “Many committee reports highlight that there is some hydrological/ hydro geomorphological shift happening here. These are young mountains. These are areas which should not be stressed,” Sareen said.

• Sustainable Food Systems

India’s ‘Sinking’ Himalayan Town Raises Concerns

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in a Himalayan town in North India where the land is slowly sinking. In Joshimath, panicked residents began moving their belongings out of their homes earlier this month after cracks developed in about 700 of the roughly 4,500 buildings in the town, raising safety concerns. Scores of families have been shifted to relief camps set up in local hotels and schools in recent days and disaster response teams have been deployed. After authorities declared Joshimath a landslide and subsidence-hit zone, surveys are being conducted to earmark houses considered unsafe and officials say some structures will be demolished. While the exact reasons for the land subsidence have yet to be determined, experts say rampant construction in the town and infrastructure projects such as roads and a hydropower project, could have contributed to the land sinking. They point to studies that had warned that the town lies in a fragile region on the debris of a landslide that took place more than a century ago. “What has happened in Joshimath is not a surprise because it is something which took place gradually over a period of time. We know the pressures which were developing, we know these cracks were there,” said Rajneesh Sareen, Program Director of the Sustainable Buildings and Habitat Program at New Delhi’s Center for Science and Environment. Residents say small cracks began developing last year in some structures in the town, situated at a height of nearly 1,900 meters on a hillside where two valleys meet. Neha Saklani, a Joshimath resident, said her family first noticed cracks in their home last year. They were moved to a local hotel by authorities this week after the cracks became much wider. “We have become homeless overnight,” says the distraught college student. “We are determined to leave this town. When we first saw the cracks, we were told the foundations of our house are weak, but now we want to know if the foundations of the entire town are weak?” A gateway to popular Hindu and Sikh shrines and a base for trekkers, Joshimath grew from a tiny town to a sprawling hillside settlement of about 20,000 people. Hotels and lodges sprung up to cater to the influx of visitors while a ropeway, around which cracks have also developed, provides access to a popular skiing destination. Angry residents, who blame the sinking on tunnelling work done for the nearby hydroelectric project, have held protests demanding that it should be halted. Officials have denied that the project is responsible for the subsidence. But the government has ordered a halt to all construction in the region including work on roads and the hydroelectric power station. A motorist navigates his way through a crack on a road in Joshimath, India, Jan. 3, 2023. A motorist navigates his way through a crack on a road in Joshimath, India, Jan. 3, 2023. Experts say the “sinking town” is a red flag for hundreds of other towns settlements that have grown exponentially across Himalayan slopes as increasingly affluent Indians head in large numbers to the mountains for vacations, adventure sports and pilgrimages. Hillsides are being blasted to build or widen roads. “Joshimath is a point in history which should tell us what we should not do in Himalayas and there are many more Joshimaths in the making,” said to Anjal Prakash, Research Director at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy who has been a lead author of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Experts are calling for a revaluation of all infrastructure projects in the Himalayan region, pointing out that climate change is a “force multiplier” that is intensifying the impact of development in the mountains. “We need to take a little pause, as the government has already done,” said Sareen. “Stop the activities, understand what has gone wrong, make a really meaningful choice from here because this is where we can bend the curve.” Experts say while development is necessary to give people access to schools, healthcare and improve incomes in hill areas, it will have to be nuanced to ensure that urban and environmental planning go hand in hand. Joshimath, India Joshimath, India “These mountains are not only one of the youngest, but the density of population is very, very high, if you compare with other mountain regions,” according to Prakash. “So, we have to bring infrastructure to people but at the same time you also have to be environmentally benign and that is where the whole contradiction appears to be.” Authorities have said the safety of all the town’s inhabitants is their first priority. For the residents who are living in trauma, the long-term concern is: how many will have to leave their homes permanently if the land in Joshimath continues to sink? Vikesh Dimri fears he is living in a ticking time bomb. “My house has not yet developed cracks, but they have appeared in my neighbor’s house. I know that it is only a matter of time before I am also affected. I just don’t know what to do,” said the Joshimath resident. While Dimri, who runs a 10-room hotel about 15 kilometers away, said it would be possible for him to relocate, the real worry is for hundreds of people in the town who depend on growing crops or rearing animals on the hillsides. “Where will they go?”

• Down To Earth

Environment conservation needs roadmap for 2023

This year can prove to be an environmental achievement year for India, which is further made possible by India’s G20 presidency India has seen a localised climate disaster nearly every day in the first nine months of 2022, according to the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The country experienced extreme weather events on 241 of 273 days till October 1, which claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed 416,667 houses and killed 69,007 livestock. This pattern of destruction is a testament to the fact that climate change presents a clear and present danger for the world in general and India in particular. India cannot afford a rerun of the same or worse in 2023 or subsequent years, and to ensure this there is an express need to change the narrative regarding how India perceives environmental conservation and fights climate change starting 2023. As countless COP events and other environmental conferences have shown that mere talk is not getting the world anywhere on climate change, it is time now to establish action driven milestones in the fight against climate change. If the world is faltering on this effort, India must take the lead. As part of the same, 2023 presents an opportunity for India to make progress in multiple spheres of environmental conservation based on technology and innovation. The roadmap towards ensuring a greener 2023 must include various sectors of India and guiding them towards sustainable development. For instance, currently, whenever the air quality index in Delhi touches severe levels, the government under the stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan puts a ban on the construction sector. This notoriety of the construction sector as the usual suspect has to end and for this the government in cohesion with the sector stakeholders and ecological experts has to increase stress on green buildings and urban forests. Additionally, small scale builders have abnormally high levels of natural resource consumption; they must be made accountable and sensitised towards adopting more ecologically sustainable practices. Similarly, consumer electronics and the e-waste sector must be overhauled in a major way to account for the well-being of the environment. Due to ever changing technology the quantum of e-waste generated is tremendous. This is exacerbated due to low e-waste recycling capabilities in India. Hearables such as headphones and chargers comprise the most of e-waste generated. The government needs to adopt a two-pronged strategy to tackle e-waste menace in 2023, first on the producer side, the government must push the companies to make it mandatory to ask consumers to deposit/exchange their old headphones when they buy a new one. Additionally, the e-waste collection and recycling mechanism must be made sharper, and accessible to everyone. This can be done by starting doorstep e-waste collection drives from residential, industrial and corporate areas. The year of 2023 must also become the year of electric vehicles (EV). The government must ensure that safety of EV usage, plentiful charging stations, especially along the national highways and incentives and subsidies for buying EVs are handled on priority basis in the new year. The EV technology and production has caught the fancy of India Inc. Recently, Hero Motors has announced Rs 1,500 crore investment into EV production and technology. Given this kind of push, it will become easier for the government to make India EV ready possible in near future. But perhaps the biggest push the government must aim at is the electric commercial vehicle segment in India. Currently, diesel trucks run by imported oil cause high levels of greenhouse gas and air pollution emissions. India imports 88 per cent of the oil it uses and of the total petroleum consumed by the country’s transport sector, nearly 60 per cent is used by freight trucks. These trucks are responsible for 71 per cent of the carbon dioxide emissions, 74 per cent of the particulate matter emissions, and 55 per cent of the nitrogen oxide emissions from road vehicles. Based on India’s current grid emissions, electric trucks would reduce greenhouse gas emissions nine per cent, to 35 per cent per km compared with diesel trucks. A study from the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and UCLA shows that advances in battery technology and decreased battery costs in recent years mean that battery electric trucks would be more affordable to operate than diesel, and India could become a world leader in producing electric commercial vehicles. This transition enabled by the government in 2023 can help India reduce its reliance on imported oil, improve the air quality, and meet the goal of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2070. The Year 2023 can prove to be an environmental achievement year for India, made further possible by India’s G20 presidency. For this to happen, a roadmap based upon the above factors is crucial.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi records 2nd consecutive ‘severe’ air day

Delhi recorded a second consecutive “severe” air day on Tuesday due to a combination of calm winds, low temperatures, and fog, prompting experts to call for a long-term solution and cutting down pollution at the source instead of resorting to emergency level plans. The Air Quality Index (AQI) deteriorated to 450 at 9am on Tuesday before improving slightly to 427 (severe) by 11am. On Monday, AQI sharply deteriorated to 434 from Sunday’s 371 (very poor). It was the poorest air quality since November 4 (447 in the severe category). The air was relatively clean on January 1 with an AQI of 259 (poor). The air quality has gradually deteriorated since, touching the “severe” category for the first time this year on Monday. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR was expected to hold a review meeting in view of the deteriorating air quality. On Monday, the Commission enforced a ban on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles as part of measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) to check the pollution. Centre for Science and Environment executive director (research and advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury underlined spikes in pollution will continue annually based on the meteorological conditions until there is a significant reduction in its sources. “We have seen high AQI each time winds become calm or the temperature dips, as local sources and even external sources are fairly high and can accumulate in the region. This will invariably lead to severe air...” Roychowdhury underlined Grap is an emergency level plan and not a long-term solution, which will be in cutting down pollution at the source. “The move to ban coal and other dirty fuels across NCR from January 1 is a step in the right direction to tackle one such source,” she said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Older vehicles banned in Delhi as AQI hits ‘severe’, worst since November 4

A combination of low wind speed, low temperatures and fog led Monday to be Delhi’s first ‘severe’ air of the year with an air quality index (AQI) of 434, according to the daily national bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) at 4pm, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to enforce a ban on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi. Monday’s AQI was a sharp deterioration from Sunday’s reading of 371 (very poor), and was the poorest air quality logged in Delhi since November 4, when the AQI was 447 (severe), CPCB data showed. The 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’. The CAQM had on January 4 imposed measures under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), under which all private construction activities are banned in NCR, among other curbs, but had not enforced a ban on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles . However, after the high pollution levels on Monday, the committee enforced the vehicular ban. The Delhi transport department in an order said BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles have been banned till January 12, or till a downward revision of Grap measures. HT has seen a copy of the order. Vehicles found violating the ban will be prosecuted under section 194(1) of Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 which provides a fine of ₹20,000, the order said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said while vehicular bans are disruptive in nature, they are also emergency measures aimed at controlling a spike in air pollution. “Such measures can be avoided in the future if long-term action is taken. As per Grap, these bans should also be lifted as soon as the AQI improves,” she said. CAQM also held a review meeting with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, asking them to deploy inspection teams to ensure Stage 3 measures of the Grap were strictly being adhered to. Stage 3 of Grap calls for the closure of all brick kilns and hot mix plants not operating on clean fuels, closure of all stone crushers in NCR and a ban on mining and its associated activities.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi government pushes for alternate fuel mix; EVs and CNG to take centrestage

As Delhi grapples with rising pollution levels, hazardous AQI reading and low visibility, the government has issued a prohibition order for BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles till Friday. On Monday, the national capital’s average air quality (AQI) worsened from 371 to 434 at 4pm. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 to 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 to 500 ‘severe’. “Emergency situations call for emergency measures,” said Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary, Government of Delhi. When asked about the worsening situation in the region and long-term measures that are expected to be put in place, Kundra said that the government has been promoting the usage of green vehicles. The idea is to get rid of old polluting vehicles. Vehicles older than 10-15 years should be scrapped or be sent out of the Delhi-NCR, according to him. “We are extensively promoting electric vehicles and the adoption of them in Delhi is the highest in the country. In 2022, almost 10 percent of new vehicle registration came from EVs, in December it went up to 16 percent. In the electric three-wheeler cargo it was around 60 percent in 2022,” said Kundra. In addition, the government also was looking to convert 80 percent of the buses in the region to electric by 2025. “We have already inducted 300 e-buses and have placed an order for nearly 1,500 more. Two days back there was a tender for 4,000 more e-buses and we will soon be out with a tender for 2,500 more e-buses,” reveals Kundra. Speaking on the temporary ban on BS III petrol and BS IV diesel vehicles and the potential challenges for the common man, Kundra said that “Delhi with its extensive Metro network, along with the bus and other last-mile transportation vehicles was efficiently equipped to not create challenges for mobility needs.” On the other hand, in an earlier interaction with Financial Express Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE and KK Gandhi, auto and fuel expert and former ED (Technical), SIAM believe that banning vehicles is a temporary solution. Gandhi had pointed out how resuspended dust is one of the biggest contributors to high particulate matter, as per most studies, “Most of our roads are broken. Every vehicular movement re-introduces these dust particles back into the environment. Unfortunately, no one will touch that as that involves the government directly. The road conditions are quite bad, the pavements broken and there is no systematic cleaning of the roads. A BS VI vehicle automatically does not mean clean emissions. If the vehicle is not maintained properly, even a BS VI vehicle can be more polluting than a BS-IV one.” Roychowdury stated that the current severe condition in Delhi is a “direct outcome of what’s happening across the Indo-Gangetic plain. There is a lot of regional pollution. Need to ensure there is a regional plan in place with clear accountability and state-level coordination.”

• Director General Office

Fast forward to 2023

The second overwhelming trend of 2022 is the impact of climate change 2022 was horrible, just horrible. Last year brought the world to its knees. This was when we started with a sliver of hope. After two years of surreal and back-breaking events, when the novel coronavirus had shut down our world, we thought the worst was over. We hoped that this new phase of reconstruction would be based on learnings of past years. But how quickly all these unravelled. By February end of 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, our world became more divided, more polarised, and deadlier. The eventful year, culminating with the climate conference in Egypt (COP27), had two dominant trends. One, the energy market was in turmoil. Europe learned that its energy policy had left it dependent on Russia and so deeply vulnerable to the crisis that unfolded. This past year, in spite of all the rhetoric and big talk, the developed world has already gone back to “drill baby drill”. Let’s be clear that even if Europe sticks to its green commitment — notwithstanding it being re-invested in brown energy — it is bad for climate and, worse, it is really bad optics. How can the emerging world, which is still in the throes of energy poverty, be asked to move to costly green transition, when at the drop of a hat, the rich go back to fossil fuels, including restarting coal plants and mines. They can call natural gas green or transitional but the fact is that it is a fossil fuel and needs to be phased out. This part of the world does not have any carbon budget left for the use of fossil fuel, even slightly cleaner natural gas. Let’s also be clear that the idea that these investments (like the opening of the UK’s coalmine in Cumbria) are somehow carbon-neutral because they invest in “offsets”— in most cases paying for trees to be planted in the parts of the world that are being told to switch off lights — is hogwash, if not downright immoral. The second overwhelming trend of 2022 is the impact of climate change. It is now real, in our face and devastating every region of the world. In India, our report “Climate India 2022: An Assessment of Extreme Weather Events January-September” shows that we have seen one extreme weather event a day in the first nine months. This number hides the human face of the poor, who suffer the worst devastations since they have to cope with repeated damages to their sources of livelihoods. In the face of these two trends — growing insecurity of the rich and growing vulnerability of the poor — we have seen the worst manifestation of human behaviour. The global community, which till last year, was talking about the need for vaccine cooperation and interdependence, has gone back to shovelling dirt and provocation in others’ faces. Our leaders want to accentuate the differences, not the common objectives to work together for a secure future. But we must change this. This is not a time for war; this is not the age for divisions — even those based on our values and views of the world. We need to have a common minimum programme that brings all countries together on the only issues that matter for humanity: How to avert the existential crisis we face and to build a just and inclusive world order. This is possible only when we go back to a rule-based system of global governance—one that sets rules for the rich and powerful and not just for the poor to abide by. In the case of climate change, this means that we must ensure there are global standards of responsibility based on the contribution of gases and these all must follow—this will set a level playing field so that old and new polluters are all required to do what is then agreed upon. Then we need to reorder the financial systems so that there is enough money available to do development differently. The fact is that the deck is stacked against the emerging world when it comes to investment in cleaner energy sources. There is no money; the cost of finance is high; and high debt burdens mean that many countries pay more than what they even receive in the name of climate gratuity. This year can and must be different. There is no turning away from the urgency of the change that is needed. What will make the difference, I believe, is our ability to speak truth to power. We need to start calling it as it happens; not because we want to name and shame, but because we deserve better. The second is about our ability to listen to each other. It is not that the world is divided; we are divided in our minds and thoughts. We do not even know that “another” exists. Dissent and dialogue are what we must celebrate in 2023. We will then build that new world that we all so desperately hope is still possible.

• Sustainable Food Systems

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• Sustainable Habitat

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• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Why Methane Emissions From Landfills Are Concerning

Data on methane emissions from landfills, and policies to curb them , are inadequate, studies and experts tell us Mumbai: More than a quarter of methane emissions in Mumbai--which generates the most solid waste among India's metro cities–originate in its landfills, a study has shown. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas and tackling emission sources that can potentially be mitigated, and reduce global warming, is crucial. Apart from causing a major health and social impact, such as contamination of water, fire outbreaks and a rotting odour, landfills emit methane when organic waste such as food scraps, wood and paper decompose. It is estimated that, globally, 30-70 million tons of methane is emitted from landfills each year. In India, the waste sector accounts for about 20% of methane emissions, as per the Global Methane Tracker 2022. Methane is a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming the atmosphere over a 100-year period, and is responsible for almost a quarter of global warming. Reducing methane emissions is a priority for curbing climate change, IndiaSpend reported in July 2022. Climate change mitigation, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), refers to efforts to reduce or prevent emission of greenhouse gases. Waste- related emissions, such as methane, can be mitigated through the use of new technology like waste-to-energy plants; making existing units, such as waste management facilities, energy-efficient or by changes in behaviour, such as less wastage of food. A study published in August 2022 by researchers from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research and GHGSat Inc., a global emissions monitoring platform from Canada, found that more than a quarter of methane emissions (26%) in the metropolitan city of Mumbai originated in landfills. For national capital Delhi, landfills accounted for 6% of methane emissions. Landfills and the growing waste problem Every day between the years 2016-2020, Greater Mumbai generated between 6,500 and 9,400 million tonnes of waste, as per a June 2021 report published by the Praja Foundation, a Mumbai based not-for-profit working on accountability and governance issues. Most of this waste is dumped in three main landfills of Mumbai: the Deonar dumping ground, Kanjurmarg and Mulund dump yards. While the Mulund dumpyard has been closed for waste disposal since 2018-19, the Deonar and Kanjurmarg dump yards received up to 1,700 and 5,500 million tonnes of waste, respectively, in 2019-20. "In India we don't have many landfills made in a scientific manner. Landfills are basically dumpsites outside city boundaries; they eventually become bigger landfills. But under Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), there is a provision on how landfills need to be treated, which many cities do not follow," said Pratima Singh, Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (CSTEP), a Bengaluru-based think-tank, where she leads the air pollution domain. "When your wet waste and dry waste is not segregated and dumped in an open area, this in presence of oxygen gets degraded further--through a process called aerobic decomposition--with help of microorganisms, and in 20-21 days the decomposition starts releasing methane," she added. In 2021, the per capita per day solid waste generation across 28 selected cities of India was in the range of 190 to 990 grams, with the average being 390 grams, as per a joint study by the Niti-Aayog and the Centre for Science and Environment. Bigger and more affluent cities have been adding more waste per day, the study noted. With increased urbanisation and unabated consumption, the waste we generate is expected to grow in the coming years. India will, in a couple of decades, generate nearly thrice the waste it currently does--"165 million tonnes by 2030 and 436 million tonnes by 2050", according to a June 2021 report by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. Only 22-28% of the waste now collected is processed or treated. Estimating landfill emissions No government authority is continuously monitoring methane emissions from landfills. For reporting purposes, they collaborate with other organisations for a specific period of time, experts told us. For instance, in 2006, the CPCB, in collaboration with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, and the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), Delhi had made an attempt to assess the status of methane emissions from dump-sites. Most data are also dependent on satellites, experts added. Using satellite data to detect methane emissions is still relatively new, but it is being brought to use more widely. It also means that several independent organisations are tracking greenhouse gases, data on which were earlier only provided by the government. IndiaSpend's Chasing Methane is one such attempt to track methane emissions across sectors from India. In the first phase, the project presents data from the European Space Agency's Sentinel 5-P satellite at 1110-metre resolution, along with an emissions inventory from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. The data gathered between January and September 2022 show that metro cities like Mumbai, Pune and Bengaluru are some of the highest methane emitting cities in the waste sector in India. Apart from satellite data, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change provides two models to estimate methane emissions from landfills: the default method and the first order decay method. The default method is simple and it assumes that all methane emissions are released in the same year of waste disposal. It uses the quantity of waste generated and disposed to estimate the amount of methane released. The first order decay method looks at methane emissions across time periods. These two methods also provide very different figures for methane emissions. For instance, a 2016 study by researchers from Delhi Technological University found that methane emissions at Ghazipur landfill in the year 2011-12 under the IPCC default method was 3,845.20 gigagram per year, while under the First Order Decay method the emissions come up to 2,611.99 gigagram per year. (1,000 gigagram equals 1 million tonnes) This is equivalent to emissions from 17- 25 coal fired plants in a year. The limitation in estimating methane emissions from landfills is the lack of data on municipal solid waste generation and actual disposal in landfills, said Singh. This is also exacerbated as legacy waste, or waste that has been collected and kept for years, is considered. While methane capture at landfills is urgent, there are discrepancies between estimated methane emission provided by technology like satellites and what was happening on the ground, according to a Massachusetts Institute of Technology report. "A new airborne methane sensor deployed by NASA, for instance, found that California landfills have been leaking methane at rates as much as six times greater than estimates from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency," the report noted. Further, satellites with more precision are set to be launched in 2023, including the Environmental Defense Fund's MethaneSAT, which aims to track not only the rate of methane emissions and location but also how those emissions are changing. Earlier in November, at COP27 held in Egypt, the United Nations launched a high-tech, satellite-based global methane detecting system called MARS or Methane Alert and Response System. It was developed as part of the Global Methane Pledge, signed by 103 countries to cut 30% of methane emissions by 2030 from 2020 levels. The system is intended to provide data to governments and businesses and allow them to act on mitigating the emissions. Policies on emissions from landfills Between now and 2050, landfill waste is predicted to grow at double the rate of the population in the world. Experts noted the need to monitor emissions from landfills and design policies to mitigate these emissions. Further, the government has also been implementing policies to deal with the waste problem in cities. For instance, the Solid Waste Management Rules of 2016 mandate segregation of waste at the household level and urban local bodies need to transport them separately in collection vehicles. Policies for landfills are definitely there, but cities have failed to follow them, which is why we are dealing with the problem of legacy waste, said Singh. "Many cities are now trying to come up with solutions, like incineration, or transporting the waste to another area, which are not the solution. The first and foremost solution is that we segregate the waste at household level." We reached out to the CPCB and asked them if they maintain data on methane emissions from landfills and for comment on policy measures taken to contain these emissions. We will update this story when we receive their response. "The regulatory framework on waste management has been very strong, but the implementation has been very poor," said Priti Mahesh, Chief Programme Coordinator at Toxics Link, a not-for-profit focussing on environmental issues. "There is also no monitoring of recycling facilities; whether any standards are being met or whether they are different from what was happening in the informal sector?" CPCB's annual report 2020-21 shows that of 150,847 tonnes of waste collected each day, only 47% or 70,973 tonnes per day was treated in 2020-21. Further, 27% or 40,863 tonnes of waste ended up in landfills and 25.8% or 39,010 tonnes each day was completely unaccounted for. "While standards are being created by CPCB, enforcement is a state subject under state control boards. And, due to the lack of capacity in terms of resources available to them and knowledge of it, not much action is happening on ground," noted Mahesh. Furthermore, technology adoption to contain methane emissions in India is limited, as per studies. In the United States, landfill gas emissions declined by 40% from 1990 to 2016 through methane abatement strategies such as landfill gas collection and control systems, according to a March 2019 paper by Veera Pekkarinen, supported by the European Union's ClimaSlow project. The study noted that there is potential to spread these technologies to developing countries. The government has also initiated waste to energy plants for generating energy from municipal solid waste. But improper handling of organic waste has been identified as one of the root causes for failure of waste-to-energy technology, according to a 2017 study. Further, it has often been found that adoption of such practices have not only increased the cost of waste processing, but also bring environmental and health hazards if not managed properly. "Measuring methane from landfill sites doesn't specifically fall under the mandate of [a] municipal authority. Only when they are asked specifically by CPCB on emissions from the landfill sites, is there a study conducted," noted Singh. "So there are no specific solutions that target the emissions apart from general solutions on treating the waste problem."

• DTE - Web

‘Save Soil’: Why India should listen to this clarion call

Country aims to become land degradation neutral by 2030 In March 2022, renowned spiritual leader and yoga proponent Sadhguru set out on a 100-day motorbike journey covering 27 countries and a distance of 30,000 kilometres to raise awareness about the widespread loss and degradation of soil—one of the most serious and alarming environmental issues in the modern era. He hit the road in front of London’s Parliament Square and traversed Europe and the Middle East—meeting government leaders, influencers, and the general public—before coming to a halt in India in June. The 'Save Soil' campaign has been gaining traction both home and abroad, with thousands of eminent figures, including scientists, celebrities, policy experts, and even heads of states coming together with this common goal. Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation, based in Coimbatore, says 81 countries, two United Nations agencies— United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the World Food Programme (WFP)—and the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) have already pledged their support to this campaign. The movement has come up as a wake-up call at a time when soil extinction in India as well as across the globe call for urgent intervention from governments and policy makers. According to a United Nations report, almost one-third of the world's farmable land has disappeared in the last four decades due to intensive agricultural practices. If the current rate of loss continues, all of the world's topsoil could become unproductive within 60 years, posing a major threat to food security and exacerbating the issue of climate change. Why is healthy soil important Soil degradation is the physical, chemical and biological decline in soil quality due to its improper or poor management for agriculture, industrial or urban purposes. The degradation can involve water erosion, wind erosion, salinity, loss of organic matter, fertility decline, soil acidity, structure decline, mass movement or soil contamination. Healthy soil will be teeming with biodiversity. According to Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, millions of microscopic and larger organisms in the soil “perform many vital functions including converting dead and decaying matter as well as minerals to plant nutrients, controlling plant disease and insect and weed pests, improving soil structure with positive effects for soil water and nutrient holding capacity, and ultimately improving crop production”. The minerals and microbes in soil help clean water by filtering and buffering potential pollutants. Organisms like earthworms, ants and termites also facilitate this process by creating channels and routes for water and air to flow through. Moreover, soil is the second largest carbon sink after the ocean, thereby playing a crucial role in mitigating climate change. India’s depleting soil cover Prime Minister Narendra Modi has set a 2030 target for India to become land degradation neutral, a state “whereby the amount and quality of land resources, necessary to support ecosystem functions and services and enhance food security, remains stable or increases within specified temporal and spatial scales and ecosystems,” according to UN Convention to Combat Desertification. However, data released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) shows a grim picture with almost all Indian states recording an increase in degraded land in the past 15 years. As per the latest Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of the ISRO published in June 2021, 87.85 million hectors of land in India (around 30 per cent of the country's geographical area) has already been degraded, of which 3.32 mha was added between 2003 and 2019 alone. Interestingly and alarmingly, the biodiversity-rich northeastern states recorded the most rapid increase in degraded soil. Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Jammu and Kashmir, and Karnataka have the highest area of degrading land. In Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat, and Goa, the area of degrading land account for more than 50 per cent of each of their total area. Rajasthan, however, along with Uttar Pradesh and Telangana—has recorded a reduction in the degrading soil as these three states combinedly reclaimed around 0.7 mha of land in the last 15 years. An analysis of the ISRO data done by the environmental magazine Down to Earth shows that more than half of the degraded land in the country is either rainfed farmland, responsible for the food security in the country, or forest land that offers the best defence against climate change. Around 37 mha of the degraded land falls in the 'agriculture unirrigated' category. The DTE analysis further claims that water erosion is the most common reason (80 per cent) for degradation of unirrigated farmland, followed by wind erosion, salinity/alkanility in land and water logging. A 2022 report of the Centre for Science and Environment, too, reiterates the gravity of the situation as it claims 13 Indian states/UTs have over 30 per cent of land under degradation—Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Nagaland, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura, Ladakh, Karnataka, Odisha and Telangana. As per the report, in Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Delhi, more than 60 per cent of land is under degradation. India supports 18 per cent of the world's human population and 15 per cent of the livestock, but has only 2.4 per cent of the world's land area. The country, where agriculture is a large contributor to the GDP, is already paying a heavy price for soil degradation. The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) has estimated that the economic losses from land degradation and change of land use in 2014-15 stood at 2.54 percent of India’s GDP or Rs. 3.17 lakh crore. Almost 82 per cent of the estimated cost is on account of land degradation and 18 per cent due to land use change. The TERI study further urges government to speed up the process of reclamation as the cost of land degradation will outstrip the cost of reclamation in 2030. According to experts, the wrong and inappropriate farming practices that led to widespread land degradation in India in the recent decades included low and imbalanced fertilization, excessive tillage and use of heavy machinery, crop residue burning and inadequate organic matter inputs, poor irrigation and water management, poor crop rotations, pesticide overuse and soil pollution. Overgrazing, deforestation, careless forest management, rampant industrialization and urbanization, infrastructure development and mining are the other major human-induced causes for loss of fertile land. Land shortage, land fragmentation, poor economy, and population have also contributed to the degradation of land, along with natural causes such as earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, landslides and floods. Policy interventions need of the hour PM Modi says India is working towards restoring 26 million hectors of degraded land by 2030. This, he claims, would contribute to India's commitment to achieve an additional carbon sink of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. However, it would require a major policy overhaul, since experts point out that even though more than half of India's farm land remains rainfed, the country's farm policy has always encouraged resource sensitive and chemical intensive cropping, which work well in irrigated farms. The government, however, has taken a few promising steps. In his address on the World Environmental Day, Modi informed that the government has focused on five main things to save soil. 1) How to make the soil chemical free. 2) How to save the organisms that live in the soil, which are called Soil Organic Matter in technical language. 3) How to maintain soil moisture, how to increase the availability of water till it. 4) How to remove the damage that is happening to the soil due to less groundwater. 5) How to stop the continuous erosion of soil due to the reduction of forests. He also claimed that the Soil Health Card, launched in 2015, has played an important role in changing the mindset of farmers. These cards provide every farmer with soil nutrient status of his land and teach him about the dosage of fertilizers to be maintained for good soil health. In last year’s budget, the government announced natural farming along the Ganga river corridor. In March, the Centre started the rejuvenation project of 13 rivers, which it claims will help in increasing the forest cover by over 7,400 sq km. Schemes like Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region also promote low cost organic farming. PM Krishi Sinchayi Yojana and ‘Per drop more Crop’ campaign seek to educate farmers on how to maintain soil moisture, while National Afforestation Programme (NAP) and Green India Mission (GIM) aim to control continuous erosion of soil due to the reduction of forests. However, given the pace of soil degradation, the government will have to do more and further harmonise the existing policies at the central and state level. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India is working towards restoring 26 million hectors of degraded land by 2030. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says India is working towards restoring 26 million hectors of degraded land by 2030. The 'Save Soil' movement is urging nations to mandate 3-6 per cent organic content in agricultural soils around the world through policy driven initiatives. The average organic content in India’s soil is 0.68 per cent, but nearly 60 per cent of the land has below 0.5 per cent. In December 2022, Sadhguru, along with renowned soil experts and scientists, released a Global Save Soil Policy Handbook for seven regions—Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and Northern Africa, North America and Oceania—offering “practical and scientific policy recommendations” that the governments can put into action to revitalize the soil. The document puts forward a three-pronged strategy, including attractive incentive for farmers to reach the minimum threshold of 3-6 per cent organic content. Facilitating and streamlining of carbon credit for farmers and developing a mark of superior quality for food grown from soils that have the target 3-6 per cent organic content level are the other two policy recommendations. “Alongside this, we should also clearly articulate the various health, nutritional, and preventive health benefits of consuming such foods. As a result of this initiative, people would be more healthy, more productive, and more resilient – thereby leading to gains in man-days, and a lower stress on our health care systems,” the document says. In its Asia-specific recommendations, the document calls for a Package of Practices (PoP) where all the work done by the research institutes will be cataloged and documented. The nutritional requirements and means of production for specific crops should be precisely articulated to avoid problems that arise due to excess usage of inputs or application of the wrong inputs. Implementing this will ensure the pollution and contamination of soils from excess use of agrochemicals does not occur, says the handbook. The documents points out the lack of a farmer ecosystem, and suggests that farmers be given hands-on training on their land to adopt sustainable soil management (SSM) practices. “Soil doctors” must be developed and nurtured to support farmers in their region and farmers must be rewarded for ecosystem services provided by their SSM practices, it says. Standardisation of indicators to assess soil health and setting up of laboratories to conduct biological, physical and chemical properties of soil are the other major recommendations of the document. But, not all are impressed. While the ‘Save Soil’ campaign’s recommendations for all nations remain oriented around the same 3-6 per cent soil organic matter goal, some experts point out that increasing organic matter by any amount will help boost fertility, improve biodiversity and fight climate change. “Fixing on a specific number obscures the variations in soil types across countries and environments,” Jo Handelsman, a noted biologist, tells the Grist. Also, experts like Antony of 'A Growing Culture' believe that while industrial agriculture is the main factor for soil degradation, the ‘Save Soil’ movement makes it sound like the soil was ruined because of our collective abuse of the environment. However, all ecofreaks have been unanimous in admitting what Sadhguru called attention to is a very dire situation and it is high time the governments formulated policies that revitalise ecolology and soil.

• Environment Education

“The modern education industry is no longer bound by time or space”

Various trends in the education sector have been deployed with varying degrees of success in the past, but the trends that have emerged in the last few years have completely altered the sector’s dynamics and are unquestionably here to stay for the foreseeable future said, Shikha Tripathi, Principal, Orchids The International School, Pune, Maharashtra in an interview with Nidhi Shail Kujur of Elets News Network (ENN). Edited Excerpts: Tell us about your achievements regarding ‘Innovation in Education’ during the year 2022. 1. Green school program- CHANGING COLORS, GOING GREEN. Initiatives are taken by the audit team of this program. The audit team members check the process and prepare a report card of the school in terms of electricity consumption, air quality, land usage, and water consumption. At the end of the year, the report is shared with the CENTRE OF SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT, DELHI. 2. Vrikshabandhan- On the occasion of Raksha Bandhan, children take a pledge to save the environment by tying knots to trees. 3. Sanskaarshaala- Students were trained in terms of etiquettes and values during assembly and special sessions were organised. Storytelling sessions and activities are part of this program where children are groomed for personality development. 4. Muskaan- spreading smiles. Donation to those in need is a special activity which is for humans, by humans. 5. Sunshine call- Each parent of the school is contacted for feedback on the child. This may be virtual too. How are futuristic technologies going to transform education in the year 2023? Technology today is evolving at a rapid pace, enabling faster change and progress, causing an acceleration of the rate of change. However, it is not only technology trends and emerging technologies that are evolving, a lot more has changed this year due to the outbreak of COVID-19 making IT professionals realize that their role will not stay the same in the contactless world tomorrow. And an IT professional in 2023-24 will constantly be learning, unlearning, and relearning (out of necessity if not desire). Artificial intelligence will become more prevalent in 2023 with natural language processing and machine learning advancement. Artificial intelligence can better understand us and perform more complex tasks using this technology. It is estimated that 5G will revolutionize the way we live and work in the future. Computing power has already established its place in the digital era, with almost every device and appliance being computerized. Datafication is simply transforming everything in our life into devices or software powered by data. Artificial Intelligence, or AI, has already received a lot of buzz in the past decade, but it continues to be one of the new technology trends because its notable effects on how we live, work and play are only in the early stages. Extended reality comprises all the technologies that simulate reality, from Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality to Mixed Reality and everything else in between. However challenging the field is it also offers lucrative six figure incomes, and roles can range from offering a promising career path for someone who wants to get into and stick with this evergreen trending technology • Ethical Hacker • Malware Analyst • Security Engineer • Chief Security Officer What innovation accelerated the transformation of growth in the education landscape in the year 2022? Traditional education is no longer the centre of attention. The modern education industry is no longer bound by time or space. Various trends in the education sector have been deployed with varying degrees of success in the past, but the trends that have emerged in the last few years have completely altered the sector’s dynamics and are unquestionably here to stay for the foreseeable future. The digital transformation in the education sector has accelerated immeasurably, causing a shift toward online and cloud-based delivery platforms from primary to higher education. Technologies that will upend the education sector: 1. Learning for life through subscription services 2. A combination of real, AI, AR, AND VR 3. Nano-Learning 4. Personalised learning. 5. Gamification Learners can read text, view images, and watch videos all at the same time. As a result, youngsters have a strong desire to explore new boundaries. Collaboration and communication are also encouraged through digital learning tools. Students may now exchange links, videos, and lecture notes on a single platform. What is your mission and vision to impact the paradigm shift of the education arena in the year 2023? “To learn is to change. Education is a process that changes the learner.” – George Leonard “Our mission is not instruction but producing learning with every student by whatever means works best.” Principles that guide this change in learning include: Student and teacher share responsibility for the quality of the student’s learning process (only indirectly and secondarily, the quality of the teacher’s teaching). For both student and teacher, core motivation is the satisfaction derived from improving the quality of each student’s learning. Our role as teachers is to be a “guide on the side” instead of a “sage on the stage.” We have moved from an instruction paradigm, in which an instructor transfers knowledge to students, to a learning paradigm, in which a teacher’s role is that of the coach. The result is a student learning how to learn and discovering knowledge with the coaching guidance of a teacher.

• Down To Earth

BL Podcast. Can robots be climate friendly?

Thunderstorms, torrential rains, landslides, floods, cold waves, heat waves, cyclones, droughts, dust storms, hail or snowstorms: India experienced at least one of them every day in the first nine months of 2022, according to the New Delhi-based Center for Science and Environment (CSE). These climate extremes claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares (ha) crop area, 416,667 houses and killed over 69,007 animals, states the report. These data will carry a lot of weight, even if India hasn’t submitted its Long-Term Low Emissions Growth Strategy for low carbon transition pathways nor took charge as the president of G20. Experts want nations to capture and assess their progress toward enhancing resilience and make more detailed and ambitious commitments in their national climate plans. What can help nations do this is as simple as an artificially intelligent robot. AI is a powerful tool that can address the challenges posed by climate change.

• Director General Office

Greta Thunberg vs India’s Surmeet Kaur

Lalit Kala Academy hosts art show highlighting Earth’s changing relationship with humanity. Noted environmentalist & Padma Sri Sunita Narain inaugurated exhibition titled – ‘Feminine Connection’. Artist Surmeet Kaur’s exhibition showcases adverse effects of human activity on Earth. Her artworks question self-centered attitude of human beings. She says, “We’ve poisoned the soil, which provides us everything.” Kaur wants to shatter the popular belief that Earth is our ‘Mother’. Humans have taken ‘Mother Earth’ for granted, she says. She believes Earth should be cared for and nurtured like child.

• Renewable Energy

सर्द रातों में सिंचाई की समस्या का समाधान बनती सौर बिजली

कई राज्यों में किसानों को रात में अपनी फसलों में पानी देना पड़ता है। इन राज्यों में खेती के लिए बिजली सिर्फ रात में ही मिलती है। ऐसी स्थिति में सिंचाई करते वक्त सर्द मौसम और जंगली जानवरों के खतरे का सामना करना पड़ता है। पंप सेटों को चलाने के लिए बिजली जरूरी है। ये पंप सेट खेती-बाड़ी का अहम हिस्सा बन गए हैं। राजस्थान पर आधारित एक हालिया अध्ययन में दावा किया गया है कि राज्य और देश सौर ऊर्जा के रास्ते पर चलकर भविष्य की ऊर्जा जरूरतों के लिए आवश्यक बुनियादी ढांचे पर बड़ी रकम बचा सकते हैं। राजस्थान के गंगानगर जिले में लुढ़कता पारा नए रिकॉर्ड बना रहा है। हालात ऐसे हैं कि लोग गर्म रजाई में भी ठिठुर रहे हैं। ऐसे वक्त में मोहनपुरा गांव के 50 वर्षीय किसान सतवीर सिंह को सर्दे रात अपने गेहूं के खेत में पानी देने के लिए जाना पड़ा। उनके मुताबिक इसकी वजह बिजली आपूर्ति है जो खेती के कामों के लिए अक्सर रात में आती है। सिंह कहते हैं कि गांव के कई लोग सांप के काटने और ऐसे ही अन्य हादसों में अपनी जान गंवा चुके हैं। ये लोग रात में खेतों की सिंचाई के लिए निकले थे। वे कहते हैं, “मेरा दर्द अपने उन साथियों की तुलना में कुछ भी नहीं है।” उन्हें उम्मीद है कि सरकार उनका दर्द समझेगी और दिन में (खेती के लिए) बिजली मुहैया कराएगी। ऐसा भी नहीं है कि यह कोई ऐसी मांग है जिसे सिर्फ इसी गांव के लोग पूरा कराना चाहते हैं। राजस्थान में किसान लंबे समय से खेती-बाड़ी के लिए बिजली आपूर्ति की ऐसी समय-सारणी से जूझ रहे हैं। कुछ महीने पहले किसानों के एक समूह ने अजमेर जिले में सिर्फ रात में बिजली की आपूर्ति के खिलाफ विरोध-प्रदर्शन किया था। राजस्थान के सबसे हालिया बजट में, मुख्यमंत्री अशोक गहलोत ने माना कि किसानों को परेशानी का सामना करना पड़ रहा है क्योंकि वे रात के समय अपने खेतों पटवन करने के लिए मजबूर हैं। उन्होंने राहत देने का वादा किया था। लेकिन यह समस्या सिर्फ राजस्थान तक सीमित नहीं है। ऐसा भी नहीं है कि यह समस्या सिर्फ ठंड की वजह से है। रात में जब किसान बाहर निकलते हैं तो जंगली जानवरों के चलते उनकी जिंदगी दांव पर लगी होती है। इस दिसंबर, कर्नाटक के मैसूरु जिले में चामुंडेश्वरी बिजली आपूर्ति निगम को सिंचाई पंप सेट के लिए रात से सुबह के घंटों तक बिजली आपूर्ति के समय को बदलना पड़ा। यह तेंदुए के हमले से हुई जानलेवा घटना के बाद हुआ। कर्नाटक इस मुद्दे पर चर्चा कर रहा है और किसानों को रात के बजाय दिन में बिजली देने की योजना बना रहा है। इसी तरह, महाराष्ट्र के विदर्भ इलाके के कई जिलों में सिर्फ रात में बिजली की दी जाती है। राज्य ने साल 2020 में किसानों को दिन के समय आठ घंटे बिजली मुहैया कराने की घोषणा की थी। इस तरह देखा जाए तो किसानों को रात में बिजली आपूर्ति का मुद्दा बहुत बड़ा है। खुद प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी को किसानों को दिन में बिजली देने के वादे के साथ अपने गृह राज्य गुजरात में एक कार्यक्रम शुरू करना पड़ा। साल 2020 में शुरू की गई, किसान सूर्योदय योजना के तहत 2022 के आखिर तक राज्य के लगभग 18,000 गांवों में खेती को ध्यान में रखते हुए बिजली देने का लक्ष्य था। खेती और बिजली आजादी के बाद से ही भारतीयों ने जीवन जीने के तरीकों में कई बदलाव देखे हैं। ये बदलाव कृषि में भी दिखते हैं। भारत में खेती-बाड़ी अब भूमिगत जल पर निर्भर हो गई है। बिजली और डीजल से चलने वाले पंप सेट कृषि से जुड़े कामों का हिस्सा बन गए हैं। साल 1960-61 के दौरान बोरवेल सिंचाई का हिस्सा मात्र 1% था। साल 2008 में यह बढ़कर 60% तक पहुंच गया। दिल्ली स्थित सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की एक हालिया स्टडी में कहा गया है, “किसी भी साल में भारत के कुल भूजल का करीब 90% देश की कुल सिंचित भूमि के 70% के पटवन (सिंचाई) के लिए इस्तेमाल किया जाता है। इसके चलते इलेक्ट्रिक पंपों की संख्या तेजी से बढ़ते हुए दो करोड़ दस लाख से ज्यादा हो गई है। देश में खपत होने वाली कुल बिजली का एक बड़ा हिस्सा कृषि क्षेत्र में खपता है। साल 2020-21 में, कृषि क्षेत्र ने 12,27,000 GWh (गीगावाट घंटा) का 18% उपभोग किया। साल 2019 में किया गया एक अध्ययन बताता है कि भारत में खेती के लिए बिजली की मांग बढ़ रही है। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 2008-09 में इस सेक्टर ने 107 अरब यूनिट की खपत की। वहीं 2017-18 में खपत बढ़कर 205 अरब यूनिट तक पहुंच गई। दिल्ली स्थित एक अन्य थिंक टैंक, द एनर्जी एंड रिसोर्स इंस्टीट्यूट (टीईआरआई) का आकलन है कि 2030 में बिजली की मांग 307 अरब यूनिट तक पहुंच सकती है। ऑल इंडिया पावर इंजीनियर्स फेडरेशन के अध्यक्ष शैलेंद्र दुबे का कहना है कि कृषि क्षेत्र को काफी मात्रा में बिजली की जरूरत पड़ती है। ट्रांसमिशन लोड फैक्टर को बनाए रखने के लिए कृषि क्षेत्र को रात के समय बिजली मिलती है। आमतौर पर कृषि से संबंधित बिजली आपूर्ति दो पारियों में करने की योजना है। उन्होंने कहा कि आधे गांवों को दिन में और आधे को रात में बिजली मिलती है। सूरज की रोशनी उम्मीद की किरण भारत में बिजली से जुड़ी चर्चाओं में अक्षय ऊर्जा केंद्र में है। इसने लाखों किसानों की उम्मीदों को पंख दिए हैं। भारत ने प्रधानमंत्री-कुसुम (PM-KUSUM) नाम से सौर-आधारित सिंचाई योजना शुरू की है। यह गांवों में सौर ऊर्जा से चलने वाले सौर पंपों पर आधारित है। मांग पर आधारित इस योजना के तहत सरकार 35 लाख कृषि पंपों को सौर ऊर्जा से लैस करने की योजना बना रही है। फिलहाल पूरे देश में एनर्जी ट्रांजिशन (स्वच्छ तरीके से बिजली बनाना) की योजना पर काम हो रहा है। तो एक तरह से यह किसानों के लिए उम्मीद की एक और किरण है। क्योंकि 2022 के एक अध्ययन में अनुमान लगाया गया है कि कृषि क्षेत्र को दिन के समय बिजली मुहैया कराने से बिजली सेक्टर की लागत में भारी कमी आएगी। इस रिपोर्ट का नाम राजस्थान में नवीन ऊर्जा, स्टोरेज, व्हीकल इलेक्ट्रिफिकेशन और डिमांड रिस्पॉन्स के लिए अवसर है। रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक इस बदलाव से ट्रांजिशन लागत में बचत होगी और इसमें इसी मुद्दे की वकालत की गई है। नेशनल रिन्यूएबल एनर्जी लेबोरेटरी (एनआरईएल) की ओर से प्रकाशित इस रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है, “कृषि लोड (बिजली से जुड़ा) में बदलाव से प्रचुर मात्रा में राज्य के सौर संसाधनों के इस्तेमाल को ज्यादा से ज्यादा करते हुए अधिक विश्वसनीय बिजली आपूर्ति करने का अवसर मिल सकता है।” राजस्थान में कुल बिजली मांग का लगभग 50% खेती-बाड़ी से जुड़ा है। रिपोर्ट में दावा किया गया है कि अगर इस मांग को राज्य में दिन के समय पर ले आया जाए, तो बिजली क्षेत्र की कुल लागत राजस्थान में 18% कम हो सकती है। वहीं पूरे भारत में 2050 तक 1.5% कमी लाई जा सकती है। जब बिजली की मांग दिन के समय में स्थानांतरित हो जाती है, तो शाम के समय बिजली देने के लिए ऊर्जा स्टोरेज क्षमता और तापीय क्षमता की कम जरूरत होती है। अप्रत्याशित रूप से, लंबी अवधि में बनाई गई सौर क्षमता भी कम है। ऐसा इसलिए है क्योंकि स्टोरेज को चार्ज करने के लिए अतिरिक्त सौर ऊर्जा का इस्तेमाल किया जाता है। अध्ययन में दावा किया गया है कि जब शाम में बिजली की मांग को शिफ्ट किया जाता है, तो स्टोरेज को चार्ज करने के लिए कम ऊर्जा की आवश्यकता होती है। इस तरह मांग को पूरा करने के लिए कुल सौर क्षमता की कम जरूरत होती है। सौर ऊर्जा पर भरोसा करते हुए मध्य प्रदेश, महाराष्ट्र और कर्नाटक जैसे कुछ राज्यों ने सिंचाई के लिए दिन में अतिरिक्त सौर ऊर्जा देना शुरू कर दिया है। इंटरनेशनल काउंसिल फॉर रिसर्च ऑन इंटरनेशनल इकोनॉमिक रिलेशंस (आईसीआरआईईआर) के सीनियर विजिटिंग फेलो सोमित दासगुप्ता का कहना है कि यह निश्चित रूप से बिजली वितरण कंपनियों के लिए मददगार होगा। ऐसा इसलिए क्योंकि आमतौर पर शाम और सुबह ज्यादातर राज्यों में पीक टाइम होते हैं। हालांकि जब सौर ऊर्जा की बात आती है तो मौसम की एक बड़ी भूमिका होती है। यह डिस्कॉम (वितरण कंपनियों) की बिजली खरीद लागत को कम कर सकता है। इस तरह वे अपने नुकसान को कम कर सकते हैं क्योंकि पीक समय पर ऐसी लागत गैर-पीक घंटों की तुलना में अधिकतम होती है। एक विशेषज्ञ का कहना है कि खेती से जुड़े कई कनेक्शनों में बिजली या तो शाम को आती है या रात में। रात में बिजली से जुड़ा लोड कम होता है। शायद यही वजह है कि कृषि क्षेत्र को रात में आपूर्ति की जाती है। वो कहते हैं, “जब आप विकेंद्रीकृत रास्ते से सौर ऊर्जा लेते हैं, तो आप ट्रांसमिशन और डिस्ट्रीब्यूशन घाटे से भी बचते हैं, जो ग्रिड में बहुत ज्यादा हैं। अगर आप सौर ऊर्जा वाला पंप इस्तेमाल करते हैं और जितनी सौर ऊर्जा आप पैदा कर रहे हैं और सरप्लस ग्रिड को दे रहे हैं तो इससे आपको लाभ भी होगा।” अगर हम दिन के समय (सौर पीक ऑवर) में शिफ्ट हो जाते हैं, तो हम ग्रिड में जाने वाली सौर ऊर्जा की अधिकतम मात्रा का इस्तेमाल कर सकते हैं। दासगुप्ता कहते हैं, “इससे यह भी पक्का होगा कि हम जीवाश्म ईंधन का इस्तेमाल कम कर सकते हैं और अतिरिक्त बैटरी स्टोरेज सिस्टम की जरूरत पर निर्भरता कम कर सकते हैं।”

• Down To Earth

The Char Dham Road Project is a Freeway to Disaster: CP Rajendran

Joshimath is a serious warning signal. Any realistic development strategy should balance infra development, acceptable levels of risk, and carrying capacity of the terrai, says the noted expert on earthquakes. Dr CP Rajendran is among India’s foremost experts on seismo-tectonics, earthquakes and tsunami geology. He is also a strong critic of the development model being pursued in Uttarakhand, a hilly state where the intensity of large-scale infrastructure projects has been rising along with the risks this poses to the fragile ecosystem, the latest being the cracks and land slide in Joshimath. Rajendran, who is also an adjunct professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Bengaluru, is fearlessly vocal about the ills of such constructions, especially the large number of tunnels—66 to be exact—and dams that are being built across the small hilly state. He speaks to senior journalist Rashme Sehgal. Edited excerpts. RS: You were critical of the government’s Char Dham project, which is under construction at a relentless pace. In the next 10 years, the government also plans to build 66 tunnels in Uttarakhand, which already has 18 tunnels in operation. What is the problem with these projects? CPR: I have always thought the Char Dham road project is a freeway to disaster. As feared, it is indeed turning out to be an unscientific road construction project with catastrophic consequences for the mountain ecology. There are important environmental caveats to be respected before engaging in a mammoth engineering project in the Himalayas. The authorities, in their enthusiasm for “smoother” and “faster” “all-weather” connectivity for pilgrim tourists from the plains and the armed forces, ignored the government’s own recommended best practice norms to minimise the impact on the mountain ecosystems and landscapes. These engineering interventions are being done with scant regard to the local geology and environment. The construction of highways and railway tracks has now become a prime cause of landslides, whose occurrences have doubled over the years. RS: Many tunnels are being built as part of a rail project that will criss-cross the Himalayas. Half the work on the Rishikesh-Karnprayag rail project is complete. Tunnels will account for 70% of this project. What kind of environmental impact does this imply? CPR: Out of the 125 km track, the train will travel 105 km through tunnels. The longest tunnel will be 14 km long, from Devprayag to Janasu. Unlike many mountain chains in the world, the Himalayas are the youngest and most active in terms of tectonics. There is a belief that building tunnels may decrease the infrastructural impact on the environment. In fact, these subsurface structures could result in gross damage to the environment, including the concentration of pollutants from traffic exhausts compounded by a micro-environment with no sunlight and limited dispersion in long-distance tunnels. Rail traffic may rely on electric locomotion, but constantly generated vibrations during train movements is another issue related to tunnels that will keep the mountain slopes eternally unstable and thus make them vulnerable to slide at the slightest trigger. Blasting to make these tunnels would often lead to weakening rock formations, further leading to landslides, besides generating huge quantities of excavated rock waste. The irreversible impact on groundwater, such as descending water levels, has also been observed in tunnel construction areas. RS: And the world’s longest 30-km road tunnel is also being constructed between Dehradun and Tehri despite scientists warning on the increase in landslides from large-scale construction works. CPR: Landslides do not occur in isolation. Depending on the nature of rocks, their competency, and the blasting methods employed, road and dam constructions act as contributing triggering mechanisms. The geology of the rocks and the nature of fissility within them (their tendency to split along planes of weakness) are important criteria to be considered. Many times, a slip occurs along such fractures. Increased anthropogenic activities like road construction have made hill slopes extremely unstable. That is why recurring landslides have increased in numbers in the Himalayas, to which heavy downpours and cloud bursts due to climatic changes have also contributed. Excavating a tunnel induces stress changes, and consequent deformation within rock formations could also contribute to landslide vulnerability. RS: Homes have developed cracks in villages around flattened mountain slopes and where massive excavation work is being done to construct tunnels. The list of peoples’ complainants is growing. What does this indicate? CPR: Residents constantly complain about damage to their homes and the drying up of water sources. Such massive construction procedures will impact villagers and the livelihood of people there. Blasting during construction has resulted in cracks in houses and other buildings. Equally alarming is vanishing spring water and other community water sources. For instance, a People’s Science Institute report says, “Their natural water sources, gharats, irrigation canals have all dried up, so much so that the village does not even have enough water to immerse cremated remains. Adding to their woes, cracks have started appearing on the walls of homes and other buildings...” Erratic rainfall and ecological degradation associated with land use change for infrastructure development are already impacting mountain aquifer systems. In August 2018, a NITI Aayog report spoke of “increasing evidence that springs are drying up or their discharge is reducing throughout the Indian Himalayan Ranges and, indeed, throughout the entire Hindu Kush Himalayan region”. Groundwater use in the Himalayan states differs from that in the plains, as large and contiguous aquifers do not exist in the hills. Villagers tap into small pockets, called perched aquifers, where water percolates into the soil, depending on the orientation of the rocks. Sometimes, these small aquifers overflow as springs, but there is enough evidence to show these are drying up. Tunnelling may cause impediments to groundwater if it heads in a direction perpendicular to the tunnel axis. It can adversely affect the structures and can also influence the local ecosystem by hampering vegetation. Despite claims of a successful tourism policy, the social conscience confronts many issues concerning the mountain population. Most of the local population continues to live in abject poverty, and the innumerable dams across the Himalayan rivers provide no relief to the people—read women—who must trudge miles looking for water from natural springs, which are also drying up fast. RS: In strategically important Joshimath town, not only have many houses developed cracks, the town itself is sinking. Residents recently met the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Secretary and told him they believed the Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric project tunnel and a bypass—part of the rail project—are responsible for their crisis. Is that right? CPR: The residents allege that cracks have been developing in their houses since last year, but they did not get a proper response from the district administration. The geoscientists who visited Joshimath have recorded that several areas in that town in the Chamoli district, located at an altitude of 6,150 feet, are sinking rapidly due to human-induced causes. An expert team constituted by the Uttarakhand Disaster Management Authority certified in its 2022 report that “Joshimath town located on the thick cover of landslide material has been witnessing gradual sinking for a long time… Further uphill from the Joshimath-Auli Road, cavities and ground fissures were found.” The Tapovan Vishnugad hydro project tunnel that passes just below Joshimath could be a contributing factor, among others. During the tunnel construction, it was reported that the boring machine had perforated a water-bearing stratum on the left bank of the Alaknanda River near Shelong village. RS: In June 2022, the Chamoli district magistrate ordered the construction of a one-and-a-half-kilometre wall along the Alaknanda river to stop soil erosion. Will this help, or is it a cosmetic solution? CPR: While implementing a freeway project in the Himalayas, a major question that stares you down is whether the mountain morphology with steep slopes and sharp gradients is easily amenable to human engineering. All these “hard approaches”, like building a retaining wall, will not work in such a dynamic environment in the long term. Upslope erosion or the river scouring during the flood seasons will eventually degrade such walls. The bank stabilisation must be done primarily by planting the appropriate species of trees. The rivers need their space to flow, and we must respect their relationship with their floodplains. RS: With 100 dams under construction in Uttarakhand, scientists have warned of disturbances to the isostatic equilibrium, thereby increasing the possibility of earthquakes in the mountains. CPR: It is reported from many sites that the gravitational load created by the large reservoir disturbs the isostatic equilibrium of the earth’s crust. The crust converts the received potential energy of hydrostatic pressure into the kinetic energy of vertical displacement that lasts for many decades, which are generally reservoir-generated earthquakes. The entire central Himalayas are currently locked, and the accumulated stresses due to Indian plate collisions are waiting to be released in earthquakes. RS: Apart from Joshimath, Bhatwari and Uttarkashi are also sinking. Why would this be happening? CPR: What we see in Joshimath and towns like Uttarkashi is a warning of what is in store for us in future. Experts believe the resilience of the Himalayan ecosystem is likely to overshoot. It is thanks to the unprecedented combination of climate change and its consequences, like flooding, droughts and wildfires, alongside other global change drivers (such as changes in land use, pollution, fragmentation of natural systems and over-exploitation of resources). The melting of Himalayan glaciers is also likely to impact local rivers, either in the form of massive seasonal flooding or forcing them to dry up. We must remember that the Himalayan environment is on the brink of collapse. It may not be able to withstand another push generated by intrusive anthropogenic activities in the form of massive construction projects like highways, railway tracks and dams. Nor are there any serious attempts for compensatory afforestation. RS: Why does the government not pay attention to scientific objections and conduct technically sound environmental impact assessments led by independent experts? CPR: I fail to understand why the concerns expressed by many experts have been ignored. Economic interests play a major role. This is clear from the fact that there is a mad rush to award hydroelectric projects to private companies. Why? Infrastructural development is one thing, but we also need to understand the fragility of the landscape we are interfering with. A realistic development strategy should be based on a blueprint that strikes a balance between infrastructure development, acceptable levels of risk, and the carrying capacity of the terrain. The average daily footfall last year in these areas was around 58,000. Ground reports say plastic waste has been dumped in large or small pits, and the cleaning operations resort to open burning, which is highly hazardous. The Char Dham routes also witnessed a growing mound of garbage since the beginning of the pilgrimage season. Unregulated human activity during pilgrimages is most likely to impact water and air quality in these regions. Imagine the millions of travellers visiting the hills as part of the Char Dham pilgrimage circuit using the upcoming rail and road travel facilities and how this will pollute the mountain environment. Many hydroelectric projects need to be reviewed from the perspective of their long-term adverse impact. The 2013 Kedarnath flood was a wake-up call. The intensity of this disaster was directly proportional to the unregulated rise in tourism that led to a construction boom in unsafe zones such as the river valleys, floodplains and slopes vulnerable to landslides, which violated land use laws. Any human-induced change beyond the carrying capacity of the Himalayas will impact stream run-offs and erosional and depositional processes. Considering such vulnerabilities, we need to keep the scale of human-induced disturbances to the minimum possible level. In its current form, the Char Dham project goes against all environmental safeguards. RS: These projects cost lakhs of crores of rupees. Could these funds have been better utilised? CPR: Many scholars like Sunita Narain have suggested how we should go about funding a development strategy for the Himalayas that does not come at the cost of the environment. This strategy should be based on the region’s natural resources like forests, water, biodiversity and ecotourism. Rather than building massive dams, our focus should be on small projects that would help provide a local energy supply. Agriculture in the Himalayan ranges is closely linked to animal husbandry and natural forests. Most farmers have now abandoned traditional practices and local seed varieties and wait for the State or private sector to supply them with the necessary inputs. Reportedly, due to massive migrations from villages to the plains, less than 20% of agricultural land in the Himalayan districts of Uttarakhand is being farmed. The remaining 80% has become fallow land. It is one area that needs a massive influx of funds. An appropriate development strategy should also be able to use traditional knowledge of agriculture, construction practices, and local cultural aspects.