• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi air improved in 2022, was second cleanest in 6 years

NEW DELHI: The annual average PM2.5 concentration of Delhi in 2022 fell below 100 micrograms per cubic metre for only the second time since 2017, making the year gone by the second cleanest in the last six years. However, the 2022 average was still 2.5 times higher than the annual national ambient air quality standard of 40 micrograms/cubic metre and 20 times higher than WHO’s safe limit of 5.At 99.7 micrograms per cubic metre, Delhi’s PM2.5 level in 2022 was higher than only the average level recorded during the lockdown year of 2020 (99 micrograms per cubic metre), as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. Capture Track the pollution level in your city Revamped GRAP, weather conditions helped Delhi air In 2022, Delhi recorded an 8% improvement in air quality from the previous year, when the annual average PM2.5 was 107.8 micrograms per cubic metre. CPCB’s data shows that the average annual PM2.5 levels had remained above 100 micrograms/cubic metre from 2017 to 2019, and again rose past that mark in 2021 after a brief dip in 2020, mainly due to the lockdown. Tanushree Ganguly, programme lead, Council on Energy Environment and Water (CEEW) said, “Delhi's annual PM2.5 concentration in 2022 was about 8% lower than in 2021. While winter months (November-December) in 2022 were relatively cleaner as compared to 2021, summer months (March-June) in 2022 were more polluted than in 2021. This is mainly due to prolonged dry spells during the summer months and the consequent dust resuspension in the air.” She added that winter months were better due to favourable meteorological conditions like higher wind speed and temperature and proactive implementation of anti-pollution measures. This year also witnessed a revamped GRAP that considers control measures based on air quality forecasts. Further, this year observed one of the lowest farm fire seasons in neighbouring states in the last five years, said Ganguly. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said, “We are noticing that the severity of winter pollution this year has been relatively low so far. This could have contributed towards moderating the overall annual average, leading to bending of the pollution curve. The combination of ground-level action and meteorological factors have lowered the annual PM2.5 concentration in 2022. However, the focus should be on sustaining and accelerating this downward trend in the future.” Sunil Dahiya, analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), said, “Though Delhi’s air is not clean, there has been a reduction in annual concentration due to efforts made in some sectors, and favourable meteorological conditions. In 2022, cleaner days were recorded during the prolonged monsoon period when rain helped in settling down the pollutants.”

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

PM2.5 level improves in Delhi but still twice national average

Delhi recorded an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 99.71 micrograms per cubic metre (µg/m³) in 2022, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data from the Capital’s 40 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations (CAAQMS), showed on Sunday. While this is an improvement from last year’s annual concentration of 107.78µg/m³ and comparable to 2020’s annual concentration of 99.01µg/m³, these levels are still 2.5 times India’s national annual PM2.5 standard of 40µg/m³. According to data available on the CPCB’s website, Delhi has been showing a declining trend in the annual PM2.5 level since 2017. The average PM2.5 concentration in 2017 was 118.43µg/m³, which improved to 114.86µg/m³ in 2018. In 2019, the concentration was 109.18, which dipped to 99.01µg/m³ in 2020, the lowest in the last six years. However, that was primarily down to a clean first half of the year, owing to Covid-19 induced lockdowns. Delhi, despite no lockdown this year, recorded an average almost comparable to 2020, which experts say is due to a relatively clean winter. In 2020, despite a clean first half of the year, Delhi recorded a polluted winter, with 15 “severe” air quality days in the year. 2022, in comparison, only recorded six “severe” air days – when the air quality index (AQI) reading was over 400. An AQI reading between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”. “2020 was an anomaly in the long-term trend since a lockdown was in place for a couple of months and the average pollution levels till summer were extremely low, but in winter, when the lockdown was lifted, pollution levels went up again. This year (2022) has been much better, largely on the winter front, as we have not seen smog spells like in the past few years. Even then, the annual average is fairly high and while it is a positive that the long-term trend is showing a continuous drop in the average annual concentration, we are still nowhere near the annual standards and so, sustained efforts are required on all fronts,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

'EVs a potential game-changer for environment' in Kolkata

More people might have been swayed by economic, rather than green concerns, while choosing an electric vehicle. The record rise in diesel and petrol forced motorists to opt for cheaper fuel. Moreover, the impending newer age limit on fossil-fuel vehicles also played a role in citizens looking for cleaner fuel, in order to gain longer shelf life," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Whatever be the reason, both the transport department and environment department are pinning hope on EVs as a potential game-changer for the city's environment and climate resilience. "Zero-emission vehicles and solar-powered charging facilities will reduce the city's burden of particulate pollution," said WBPCB chairman Kalyan Rudra. "The drastic fall in diesel vehicles is very encouraging. Diesel is the dirtiest fuel, emitting as many as 24 carcinogens," said Debasis Basu, a preventive medicine specialist. Inadequate public charging infrastructure was again felt to be the biggest stumbling block for EV growth. There is hardly any information available on charging facilities for a would-be EV car-owner. TOI found out that there are nearly 100 charging stations in Kolkata, most of which are located in the eastern part of the city. "For a robust growth of the EV segment, there must be an equitable distribution of public charging stations across the city, much like the petrol pumps network," said Anirban Sen, an EV entrepreneur.

• Director General Office

COP27 was a mirage in the deserts of the Sinai

It is a sign of sheer desperation to say that the world has achieved "something" at the climate change conference of parties (COP27) that just ended in the coastal Egyptian city of Sharm El-Sheikh. The fact is COP27 should go down as the worst event in the history of the three-decade-long negotiations to find ways to mitigate emissions that are taking us to catastrophic damages. This meeting was a grand spectacle—almost like a mirage in the desert. It created a sense of hyper-action, when it actually was about reversing the little gains made till now to combat this existential threat. I was one of the 45,000-odd people at this conference. What struck me was that it was actually designed to take the heat off the negotiations.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Air Quality Of Delhi: दिल्ली-एनसीआर के उद्योग Unapproved Fuels का न करें इस्तेमाल, नहीं तो भरना पड़ेगा जुर्माना, CAQM की चेतावनी

CAQM ने कहा कि कोयले के इस्तेमाल पर प्रतिबंध एक अक्टूबर से PNG बुनियादी ढांचे और आपूर्ति वाले क्षेत्रों में तथा एक जनवरी, 2023 से उन क्षेत्रों में लागू होगा जहां पीएनजी आपूर्ति अब भी उपलब्ध नहीं है। Delhi-NCR और आस-पास के क्षेत्रों में वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन आयोग (CAQM) ने उद्योग और औद्योगिक इकाइयों सहित सभी क्षेत्रों से एक जनवरी 2023 से कोयले सहित अन अनअप्रूव्ड फ्यूल (unapproved fuels) के इस्तेमाल करने से बचने को कहा है। CAQM ने आगे कहा कि दिल्ली (Delhi) की वायु गुणवत्ता को बरकरार रखने के लिए ऐसे लोगों पर हर्जाना (Fine) लगाए जाने की बात की है। सीएक्यूएम ने कहा, ‘अगले साल एक जनवरी से पूरे राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र (NCR) में ईंधन के रूप में कोयले के इस्तेमाल पर प्रतिबंध लगा दिया जाएगा।’ CAQM ने एक जनवरी से लगाया प्रतिबंध वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन आयोग (CAQM) ने एक जनवरी, 2023 से पूरे दिल्ली-एनसीआर में औद्योगिक, घरेलू और अन्य कार्यों में कोयले के इस्तेमाल पर प्रतिबंध लगाने के निर्देश जारी किए हैं। हालांकि, ताप बिजली संयंत्रों में कम सल्फर वाले कोयले के इस्तेमाल पर प्रतिबंध से छूट दी गई है। इसके पहले सीएक्यूएम ने तीन जून को जारी एक आदेश में कहा कि कोयले के इस्तेमाल पर प्रतिबंध एक अक्टूबर से पीएनजी बुनियादी ढांचे और आपूर्ति वाले क्षेत्रों में तथा एक जनवरी, 2023 से उन क्षेत्रों में लागू होगा जहां पीएनजी आपूर्ति अब भी उपलब्ध नहीं है। इस वजह से लगाया गया है Coal पर प्रतिबंध? CAQM की ओर से जारी किए गए एक नोट में कहा गया था,एनसीआर के औद्योगिक ईंधनों पर कोयला हावी हो चुका है। एनसीआर के औद्योगिक इकाइयों में एक साल के दौरान लगभग 17 लाख टन कोयले की खपत होती है। इसमें अकेले छह प्रमुख औद्योगिक जिलों में लगभग 14 लाख टन कोयले का उपयोग किया जा रहा है। यह कदम एनसीआर के वायु प्रदूषण की समस्या से निपटने और ईंधन के रूप में कोयले के उपयोग को खत्म करने के लिए उठाया गया है। जानिए क्या कहते हैं विशेषज्ञ (Specialist) वहीं इस मामले विशेषज्ञों का कहना है कि यह कदम एनसीआर में गंदे ईंधन के इस्तेमाल की वजह से होने वाले वायु प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए उठाया जा रहा है। इस मामले में जब सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी से इंडियन एक्सप्रेस से बातचीत करते हुए बताया था,’अगर हम क्षेत्रीय स्तर पर सफाई चाहते हैं तो हमें सभी गंदे फ्यूल से छुटकारा पाने की जरूरत है। फिलहाल कोयला एनसीआर में प्रमुख औद्योगिक ईंधन है। अगर हम वायू प्रदूषण को कम करना चाहते हैं तो सभी क्षेत्रों में स्वच्छ ईंधन का इस्तेमाल जरूरी है।’

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

80% of PM2.5 in Kolkata air generated locally: Report

Study puts under scanner PCB’s high transboundary pollution claim Nearly 80 per cent of the total PM2.5 content, the most toxic ultrafine particulate pollutant, in the air in Kolkata and its immediate surrounding is generated locally. On average, only about a fifth of the PM2.5 load enters the city from beyond its borders, says a report prepared by a platform of environment analysts. They have pointed out the urgent need to take action against the local contributors to combat PM2.5 pollution in the report. The report prepared by UrbanEmissions.Info is based on pollution data from 2017 and 2019 from 50 cities across India alongside major international cities. Its findings were also mentioned in a recent report by the environmental think tank Center for Science and Environment (CSE). “This information is collated from multiple agencies ranging from the central pollution control board, state pollution control board, census bureau, national sample survey office, ministry of road transport and highways and publications from academic and non-governmental institutions” reads the UEInfo report; that shows that under business as a usual scenario; the overall PM 2.5 load of the city is set to reach around 95,000 tonnes per year in 2030, increasing from around 88,000 tonnes per year in 2018. The analysis shows that the transboundary sources contributed about 19 per cent of the total PM 2.5 pollution of Kolkata in 2018; which means almost 80 per cent of the city’s PM2.5 was generated locally. The finding underlines that the city must prioritise reducing its PM2.5 pollution generated within its boundaries,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, air pollution expert of the CSE. The proportion of pollution from outside sources varies from 13 to 31 per cent, depending on the month. Another independent research by frontline US scientists, published in Atmospheric Pollution Research journal, shows that overall West Bengal receives 46 per cent of its overall air pollution from transboundary sources, less compared to many states at a proportional scale and on a par with the national average. “Our research, too, shows that the contribution of transboundary pollution in Kolkata’s PM 2.5 load is around 20 per cent”, confirmed Abhijeet Chatterjee, an air pollution scientist from Bose Institute. The findings have put under the scanner state pollution control board’s recent claim that the state and city receive unusually high transboundary pollution. “These are satellite-based studies and often do not appropriately reflect the ground realities; however around 20 percent figure of transboundaryPM 2.5 pollution is possible,” PCB chairman Kalyan Rudra said. Green platform Sabu Mancha, on Tuesday, said the PCB’s recent references to transboundary pollution are nothing but an effort to deflect from their failure in containing air pollution in Kolkata and the rest of the state. “We have consulted several scientists around the country and they clearly said that transboundary pollution cannot be stopped only by planting trees,” said Naba Dutta, secretary of the platform. “We are demanding the chief minister’s intervention to ensure efforts to minimise pollution from the major sources like transport, construction, industries and waste burning,” added Dutta.

• Down To Earth

India is not walking the talk on its climate pledges

In 2022, the Indian government made several attempts to dilute environmental laws and pushed for infrastructure projects in eco-sensitive areas. In a year of record-breaking extreme climate events, the government continued to amend key environmental laws and provisions as part of its push for ‘ease of doing business’ – actions that contradict India’s stand on the global stage that it will move away from “business-as-usual”. The dilutions include amendments to penal provisions in umbrella environmental laws, office memorandums and notifications which are executive orders passed to exempt certain projects from environmental impact assessment, as well as a push for infrastructure projects in eco-sensitive areas. These developments took place against the backdrop of major events. The second part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Assessment Report – the first after 2013 – was released in February and April. The report was a grim warning of the impact of climate change; it also presented a pathway to reduce emissions and adapt to the changing weather. In November, countries across the world met for the 27th Conference of Parties in Egypt, where they adopted the Sharm el-Sheikh implementation plan on climate action. In December, countries met for the first time after 2020 for the 15th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity in Montreal, Canada to discuss halting biodiversity loss. In December, India took over the presidency of the G20, an intergovernmental platform comprising 19 countries and the European Union, that works to address issues like climate change, the global economy and financial stability. As the year comes to a close, we take stock of environmental developments in India over the past 12 months. We reached out to the environment ministry for their comments on December 19, and will update the story when we receive a response. Local extreme events This year, the country recorded extreme weather events on 241 out of 273 days (at the rate of close to one every day) between January 1 and September 30, according to a Centre for Science and Environment report released in November. These included unusually heavy rainfall, landslides, floods, thunderstorms, cold waves, heat waves, cyclones, sandstorms, squalls, hailstorms and gales. Some of the record-breaking events include the seventh wettest January, the warmest ever March, and third-warmest April since 1901. The report also found that these events claimed 2,755 lives, destroyed over 1.8 million hectares of crop area, damaged 416,667 houses and killed 70,000 livestock. The report warned that these figures could be underestimated. In 2021, India suffered an income loss of $159 billion – 5.4% of its gross domestic product – due to extreme heat conditions, as IndiaSpend report published in October. And this can only get worse. According to NASA’s temperature analysis, climate change is causing the earth to warm up at a rate of roughly 0.15 degrees Celsius to 0.20 degrees Celsius per decade. The impact of global temperature rise will continue to worsen, cautioned the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report published in February 2022. India’s pledges In keeping with the bold climate pledges from 2021, in August India released its updated Nationally Determined Contributions, or climate pledges, under the Paris Agreement. According to the updated Nationally Determined Contributions, India now stands committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its gross domestic product by 45% by 2030 from 2005 levels, and achieving about 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources, also by 2030. ADVERTISEMENT The updated Nationally Determined Contributions also include the role of healthy and sustainable lifestyle – dubbed LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment) – as a key to combating climate change. Ahead of COP27 in October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with United Nations Chief Antonio Gueterres launched the LIFE mission, which was heavily promoted at COP27 to position India as going beyond policy-making to advocate for individual- and community-level change to help the global fight against climate change. LIFE’s three-pronged strategy includes nudging individuals to practise simple yet effective environment-friendly actions in their daily lives (demand), such as using public transport and choosing sustainable products like cloth bags over plastic; enabling industries and markets to respond swiftly to the reducing demand (supply) for environmentally unsustainable products like disposable/single-use products and packaging; and influencing government and industrial policy to support both sustainable consumption and production (policy). At COP27 in Egypt India, in common with the 57 other nations attending, released its long term strategy for net-zero emissions (to become carbon neutral and thereby prevent further global heating) also known as LT-LEDS. India’s approach is based on four key considerations that inform its climate policy landscape, namely its low historic contribution toward global warming, significant future energy needs of the country, national circumstances as it pertains to committing to low-emission growth strategies, and the need to build climate resilience. The over 100-page document specifies that it will focus on the following seven sectoral priorities including transition in electricity systems, transport and buildings, removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, financial and economic aspects of net zero targets, among others, to meet India’s decarbonisation goals. ADVERTISEMENT Experts pointed out that the significance of LT-LEDS, or the LIFE movement, is that it underscores India’s commitment to depart from the “business as usual” approach. But this is contradicted by the dilutions in domestic environmental laws that are meant to benefit business at the cost of the environment. Environmental laws diluted In the year now ending, the environment ministry continued its push to dilute existing environmental laws. In June and July, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change proposed amendments (here, here and here) aiming to dilute the penal provisions (which includes imprisonment of offenders) embedded in three key environmental laws–the Environment Protection Act, 1986; the Air (prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1981; and the Water (prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1974. “Overall, environmental laws in India protect the fundamental rights of communities,” said Leo Saldanha, a Bengaluru-based policy analyst working with Environment Support Group, an non-governmental organisation that works on issues of social and environmental justice in India. “Dilutions in environmental norms or notifications have been happening since the mid 2000s, but in the last few years we have been witnessing that the parent laws, which are foundations to these notifications, are being diluted.” ADVERTISEMENT The proposed changes include a proposal to remove the provision of imprisonment as a penalty for non-compliance under some sections of these Acts. For example, non-compliance under the Environment Act will currently attract fines (of up to Rs 1 lakh) or imprisonment (up to five years), or both. However, the latest amendment proposes to restrict penalties to fines alone. Similarly, under the Water Act, the amendment seeks to replace the punishment for violations with financial penalties, rather than prosecution in a court of law. Experts note that doing away with imprisonment could affect the implementation of these Acts and encourage a pollute-and-compensate attitude. “The idea behind (dilution of penal provisions) is you can cause damage and get away without criminal punishment,” noted Saldanha. Earlier in April, in a set of proposed notifications, the environment ministry sought to do away with mandatory environmental impact assessments before the expansion of airport terminal buildings, exempt “strategic” highway projects from the purview of environmental impact assessments, and increase the threshold limit for thermal power plants. On April 11, the ministry issued guidelines, through an office memorandum, for exempting mining projects from mandatory Environmental Clearance in instances where the proponent seeks to increase production capacity by up to 50% of the existing threshold limit without increasing the original lease area. ADVERTISEMENT “This year saw many amendments that sought concessions to companies, exemption to clearance process, dilution in public hearing, etc. All of the changes, big and small, reduce the scrutiny of the public from the project,” said Krithika Dinesh, an independent environmental lawyer and researcher. “These changes also shift the focus of environmental laws for the purpose for which it was created, which is to protect the environment to become more of an efficient clearance office” The larger problem is that many of these key laws are amended through office memorandums, which are subordinate laws approved and changed by Ministry officials, and not amendments. Saldhana points out that amendments to existing laws need to be tabled in Parliament. The ministry, under pressure from investors and politically vested interests, has bypassed this and routinely takes environmental decisions via notifications and office memorandums. He added, “they always result in irreversible adverse impact on fundamental rights of impacted communities. They are also unconstitutional, and the Parliament and Judiciary have to step in and stem the environment ministry’s consistent anti-constitutional behaviour”. In December 2021, the ministry sought to weaken institutional oversight over access to and use of India’s bioresources under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. This undermines resource-dependent people’s traditional rights over biodiversity, and could be misused by corporations, IndiaSpend reported in January. ADVERTISEMENT Again in January 2022, through an office memorandum, the ministry said it will introduce a star rating system based on efficiency and timelines of states in granting environment clearances, which weakens environmental safeguards, IndiaSpend reported in January. Apart from dilutions, the government has also sought to divert ecologically sensitive areas for infrastructure projects. This includes the proposed diversion of the Great Nicobar island for a mega project involving the construction of a trans-shipment port, an international airport, a power plant and a township spread over more than 166 sq km of land – an area that currently includes 130 square km of primary forest. The project will witness the felling of nearly 8,50,000 trees and the reclamation of 300 hectares of land from the ocean. This will impact the nesting habitats of giant leatherback turtles and the Nicobar megapode, a flightless bird endemic to the Nicobar islands, according to the May expert appraisal committee report. All these changes to the environmental acts will end up weakening the environment, thereby accelerating climate change and weather impact. This is in direct contradiction to what India has been promising the world that it will do.

• Renewable Energy

Energy transition offers a ray of hope to farmers struggling in chilly winter

Farmers in many states, where electricity supply for agriculture comes only at night, have to face the cold weather and wild animals when they irrigate their farms at night. The electricity is important to power pump sets which have become an integral part of the agricultural system. A recent Rajasthan-based study claims that the state and country can save a significant amount on the infrastructure required for future energy needs by turning to solar energy. When the plunging mercury set new records in the Ganganagar district of Rajasthan and people shivered even in their warm quilts, Satveer Singh, a 50-year-old farmer from Mohanpura village, had to visit his wheat field late at night to irrigate the crop. The reason, he argues, is electricity supply which usually comes at night for agricultural work. Singh says that many people in the village have lost their lives due to snakebites and other such accidents when they stepped out at night for irrigating their fields. “My pain is nothing compared to those fellows,” he says. He hopes the government will understand their pain and provide electricity (for agriculture) in the daytime. It is not an isolated demand. In Rajasthan, farmers have been struggling due to the odd schedule of power supply for agriculture for a long time. A couple of months ago, a group of farmers protested in the Ajmer district against power being supplied only at night. In the latest Rajasthan state budget, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot admitted that the farmers are facing trouble as they are forced to irrigate their farmlands during the night. He promised to provide relief. But this problem is not limited to Rajasthan and not only because of the cold weather. The presence of wild animals when the farmers move out at night, also puts their lives at stake. This December, Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation in the Mysuru district of Karnataka had to modify the power supply timing for irrigation pump sets from night to morning hours. It happened after a fatal incident due to a leopard attack. Karnataka has been discussing the issue and planning to provide electricity to farmers in the daytime instead of night. Similarly, in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, many districts only get power supply at night. The state, in 2020, announced that it would supply eight hours of power to farmers during the daytime. The issue of power supplied to farmers during the night is so big that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had to launch a programme in his home state of Gujarat with the promise of providing electricity to farmers during the daytime. Launched in 2020, the scheme Kisan Suryoday Yojna had a target of providing power supply targeted to agriculture to some 18,000 villages of the state by the end of 2022. Agriculture and electricity Since Independence, India has seen several changes in all aspects of life. The change is also visible in agriculture, where the sector has become dependent on groundwater for irrigation. Pump sets powered by electricity and diesel have become an integral part of the agricultural system. The share of borewell irrigation was a mere 1% during 1960-61, and it reached 60% in 2008. A recent study by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment says, “Nearly 90% of India’s total groundwater draft during a given year is used to irrigate 70% of the country’s total irrigated land area. The number of electric pumps increased exponentially to over 21 million.” The agriculture sector in India consumes a significant portion of the total energy consumed in the country. In 2020-21, the agriculture sector consumed 18% of 12,27,000 GWh (Gigawatt hour). And the demand for agricultural electricity is increasing in India, says a 2019 study. The report said that in 2008-09, the sector consumed 107 billion units, reaching 205 billion units in 2017-18. Another Delhi-based think tank, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI), predicts that the electricity demand may reach 307 billion units in 2030. Chairman of All India Power Engineers Federation, Shailendra Dubey says that the agriculture sector requires a significant amount of electricity. The agriculture sector gets electricity during the night to maintain the transmission load factor. Generally, the agriculture-related power supply is planned in two shifts. He added that half of the villages get electricity during the daytime and half at night. Sunlight offers hope Since renewable has become dominant in energy-related narratives in the country, it has offered new hope to millions of farmers who are termed the backbone of the country. India has launched a solar-based irrigation scheme named PM-KUSUM. It envisages solar-based solar pumps in rural areas. Under this demand-driven scheme, the government plans solarisation of 3.5 million agriculture pumps. When the entire country is planning an energy transition, it offers another hope for farmers as a 2022 study predicts that moving the energy-related demand of the agricultural sector to daytime hours will drastically reduce the cost of the power sector. Saying that this shift will save transition costs, the report Opportunities for Renewable Energy, Storage, Vehicle Electrification, and Demand Response in Rajasthan’s Power Sector advocates the same. The report published by National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) says, “Shifting agricultural load may allow an opportunity to provide more reliable electricity supply while maximising the use of the abundant in-state solar resources.” Agricultural demand makes up nearly 50% of Rajasthan’s overall state electricity demand. The report claims that if this demand is shifted to daytime hours in the state, overall costs for the power sector can be 18% lower in Rajasthan and 1.5% lower across India by 2050. When demand gets shifted to sunlight hours, less energy storage capacity and thermal capacity are needed to provide energy during evening hours. Unexpectedly, there is also less solar capacity built in the long term. This is because excess solar energy is used to charge storage. When evening demand is shifted, the study claims that less energy is needed to charge storage, and thus less overall solar capacity is needed to serve demand. Relying on solar, a few states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka have started giving additional solar energy for irrigation during the day. Somit Dasgupta, a senior visiting fellow at the International Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) says that it will certainly be helpful to the distribution companies as evening and morning are usually the peak times in most states. Though the weather has a big role to play when it comes to solar, it can reduce the power purchase costs of discoms (distribution companies), and they can reduce their losses as such costs at peak times are maximum than non-peak hours, he adds. In many agricultural electricity connections, the power comes either in the evening or at night. At night the power load is lower, and it might be the reason the agriculture sector gets supply at night, says an expert. When you take solar power through decentralised route, you also save on transmission and distribution losses, which are very high in the grid. If you use a pump with solar and what you are generating and giving the same to the grid, you will also have the benefit of selling the surplus solar, he adds. If we shift to the daytime (solar peak hours), we can utilise the maximum amount of solar energy going into the grid. So, this will also ensure that we can reduce the load on fossil fuels and less dependency on the need for extra battery storage systems, adds Dasgupta.

• Sustainable Food Systems

Restore by use: Regenerative agriculture can help save water; here is how

hy in News? Farmers in Madhya Pradesh who follow regenerative farming methods find that they reduce the need for frequent irrigation, which conserves water and energy. What is Regenerative Agriculture? Background: The Green Revolution of the 1960s pulled India from the brink of starvation, but the revolution also made India the world’s biggest extractor of groundwater. According to the UN’s World Water Development Report, 2022, India extracts 251 cubic km or more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater withdrawal each year; 90 % of this water is used for agriculture. Currently, there is severe and widespread deficiency of organic carbon and micronutrients in Indian soils. If agriculture is to continue to feed the country’s undernourished population — 224.5 million, according to the UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2022 — and drive its economy, it needs to work in harmony with nature, not against it. Farmers, activists and agricultural research organisations across the world are thus developing methods of chemical-less farming which uses natural inputs and cultivation practices such as crop rotation and diversification, which fall under the wider umbrella of regenerative agriculture. About Regenerative Agriculture: Regenerative agriculture is a holistic farming system that focuses on soil health, food quality, biodiversity improvement, water quality and air quality through methods such as reducing the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, reducing tillage, integrating livestock and using cover crops. It adheres to the following principles: Minimize soil distribution through conservation tillage Diversify crops to replenish nutrients and disrupt pest and disease lifecycles Retain soil cover using cover crops Integrate livestock, which adds manure to the soil and serves as a source of carbon sinks. What are the Advantages of Regenerative Agriculture? Improves Soil Health: It goes a step ahead of sustainable agriculture and aspires not only to maintain the resources like soil and water but also to improve them. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, healthy soil helps in better water storage, transmission, filtering and reduces agricultural run-off. Water conservation: Healthy soil helps in improving water-use efficiency by better water storage, transmission, filtering and reduces agricultural run-off. Studies have established that 1% increase in soil organic matter per 0.4 hectare increases water storage potential by more than 75,000 litres. Energy Conservation: Regenerative Agriculture practices conserve energy used by irrigation aids such as pumps. What are Indian Efforts to Promote Regenerative Agriculture? The National Project on Organic Farming: The National Project on Organic Farming is the country’s longest experiment on the practice, ongoing since 2004 and conducted by ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming System Research, Meerut. Systematic Rice Intensification: A method in which seeds are spaced at wider distances and organic manure is applied to improve yields. Zero-Budget Natural Farming: It is also known as Subhash Palekar Natural Farming and emphasises on preparing and using inputs made from crop residue, cow dung and urine, fruits, among other things. Samaj Pragati Sahyog: It is a grassroots organisation that promotes natural methods to control agricultural pests such as composting and recycling of crop residues, use of farm yard manure, cattle urine and application of tank silt, has also made efforts to this end. It has conducted field trials with 1,000 farmers on more than 2,000 ha of land in four districts of Madhya Pradesh and one district of Maharashtra in 2016-18, to measure the water saved. UPSC Civil Services Examination Previous Year Question (PYQ) Prelims Q. How is permaculture farming different from conventional chemical farming? (2021) Permaculture farming discourages monocultural practices but in conventional chemical farming, monoculture practices are predominant. Conventional chemical farming can cause an increase in soil salinity but the occurrence of such phenomenon is not observed in permaculture farming. Conventional chemical farming is easily possible in semi-arid regions but permaculture farming is not so easily possible in such regions. Practice of mulching is very important in permaculture farming but not necessarily so in conventional chemical farming. Select the correct answer using the code given below. (a) 1 and 3 (b) 1, 2 and 4 (c) 4 only (d) 2 and 3 Ans: (b) Exp: Permaculture is an attempt to best use land so that generations in the future can continue to make use of the land in productive manners, allowing for personal subsistence. Permaculture relies on three ethics: care for the earth, care for people and fair share. It draws from several disciplines including organic farming, agroforestry, integrated farming, sustainable development, and applied ecology. Chemical farming is defined as the practice where chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and fertilizers are used in agriculture to control pests and disease or control and promote growth. Permaculture is a totally integrated design system that is modelled on nature. Permaculture farming promotes multi cropping and integrated farming systems, whereas chemical farming is more suitable for monoculture cropping due to use of crop specific inputs like irrigation, chemical fertiliser and harvesting methods. Hence, 1 is correct. Chemical farming makes the soil less fertile over time due to use of chemical fertilizers, which can lead to serious problems like soil salinisation. But such problems do not occur in permaculture farming as it relies on organic fertilizers. Hence, 2 is correct. The concept of permaculture involves well-designed systems that do not produce waste and tries to copy well-designed systems. Permaculture tries to take into account local conditions like arid climate, which helps in developing a suitable system to ensure sustainable production. In case of chemical farming, intense use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation make the soil less fertile over time, thus restricting its practice in semi-arid regions. Thus, conventional chemical farming is not suitable for semi-arid regions. Hence, 3 is not correct. Mulching is a long-established horticultural practice that involves spreading a layer of material on the ground around plants to protect their roots from heat, cold, or drought or to keep the fruit clean.The material used for covering is called ‘mulch’. Mulching is usually practiced while cultivating commercially important crops, fruit trees, vegetables, flowers, nursery saplings, etc. Mulching is an important component of permaculture farming for promoting maximum efficiency. Whereas, conventional chemical farming does not consider it as essential. Hence, 4 is correct. Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer. Mains Q. How far is Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? (2019) Q. What is Integrated Farming System? How is it helpful to small and marginal farmers in India? (2022) Source: DTE

• Down To Earth

Year In Review: Green Law Dilutions In Year Of Record Extreme Events

The government made multiple attempts to whittle down provisions of environmental regulations in India, in a year marked with extreme weather events Mumbai: In a year of record-breaking extreme climate events, the government continued to amend key environmental laws and provisions as part of its push for 'ease of doing business'--actions that contradict India's stand on the global stage that it will move away from "business-as-usual". The dilutions include amendments to penal provisions in umbrella environmental laws, office memorandums and notifications which are executive orders passed to exempt certain projects from environmental impact assessment, as well as a push for infrastructure projects in eco-sensitive areas. These developments took place against the backdrop of major events. The second part of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)'s Sixth Assessment Report (AR6)--the first after 2013--was released in February and April 2022. The report was a grim warning of the impact of climate change; it also presented a pathway to reduce emissions and adapt to the changing weather. In November, countries across the world met for the 27th Conference of Parties in Egypt, where they adopted the Sharm el-Sheikh implementation plan on climate action. In December, countries met for the first time after 2020 for the 15th Conference of Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montreal, Canada to discuss halting biodiversity loss. In December 2022, India took over the presidency of the G20, an intergovernmental platform comprising 19 countries and the European Union, that works to address issues like climate change, the global economy and financial stability. As the year comes to a close, we take stock of environmental developments in India over the past 12 months. We reached out to the environment ministry for their comments on December 19, and will update the story when we receive a response. Record-breaking local extreme events This year, the country recorded extreme weather events on 241 out of 273 days (at the rate of close to one every day) between January 1 and September 30, according to a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report released in November 2022. These included unusually heavy rainfall, landslides, floods, thunderstorms, cold waves, heat waves, cyclones, sandstorms, squalls, hailstorms and gales. Some of the record-breaking events include the seventh wettest January, the warmest ever March, and third-warmest April since 1901. The report also found that these events claimed 2,755 lives, destroyed over 1.8 million hectares of crop area, damaged 416,667 houses and killed 70,000 livestock. The report warned that these figures could be underestimated. In 2021, India suffered an income loss of $159 billion--5.4% of its gross domestic product--due to extreme heat conditions, as IndiaSpend report published in October 2022. And this can only get worse. According to NASA's temperature analysis, climate change is causing the earth to warm up at a rate of roughly 0.15 to 0.20°C per decade. The impact of global temperature rise will continue to worsen, cautioned the IPCC report published in February 2022. India on the global stage: LIFE, updated NDCs and the net-zero pathway In keeping with the bold climate pledges from 2021, in August 2022 India released its updated Nationally Determined Contributions, or Climate Pledges, under the Paris Agreement. According to the updated NDC, India now stands committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its GDP by 45% by 2030 from 2005 levels, and achieving about 50% cumulative electric power installed capacity from non-fossil fuel-based energy resources, also by 2030. The updated NDCs also include the role of healthy and sustainable lifestyle--dubbed LIFE (Lifestyle for Environment)--as a key to combating climate change. Ahead of COP27 in October 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with United Nations Chief Antonio Gueterres launched the LIFE mission, which was heavily promoted at COP27 to position India as going beyond policy-making to advocate for individual- and community-level change to help the global fight against climate change. LIFE's three-pronged strategy includes nudging individuals to practice simple yet effective environment-friendly actions in their daily lives (demand), such as using public transport and choosing sustainable products like cloth bags over plastic; enabling industries and markets to respond swiftly to the reducing demand (supply) for environmentally unsustainable products like disposable/single-use products and packaging; and influencing government and industrial policy to support both sustainable consumption and production (policy). At COP27 in Egypt India, in common with the 57 other nations attending, released its long term strategy for net-zero emissions (to become carbon neutral and thereby prevent further global heating), also known as LT-LEDS. India's approach is based on four key considerations that inform its climate policy landscape, namely its low historic contribution toward global warming, significant future energy needs of the country, national circumstances as it pertains to committing to low-emission growth strategies, and the need to build climate resilience. The over 100-page document specifies that it will focus on the following seven sectoral priorities including transition in electricity systems, transport and buildings, removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, financial and economic aspects of net zero targets, among others, to meet India's decarbonisation goals. Experts pointed out that the significance of LT-LEDS, or the LIFE movement, is that it underscores India's commitment to depart from the "business as usual" approach. But this is contradicted by the dilutions in domestic environmental laws that are meant to benefit business at the cost of the environment. Dilutions in environmental law In the year now ending, the environment ministry continued its push to dilute existing environmental laws. In June and July 2022, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) proposed amendments (here, here and here) aiming to dilute the penal provisions (which includes imprisonment of offenders) embedded in three key environmental laws--the Environment Protection Act, 1986; the Air (prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1981; and the Water (prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1974. "Overall, environmental laws in India protect the fundamental rights of communities," said Leo Saldanha, a Bengaluru-based policy analyst working with Environment Support Group, an NGO that works on issues of social and environmental justice in India. "Dilutions in environmental norms or notifications have been happening since the mid 2000s, but in the last few years we have been witnessing that the parent laws, which are foundations to these notifications, are being diluted." The proposed changes include a proposal to remove the provision of imprisonment as a penalty for non-compliance under some sections of these Acts. For example, non-compliance under the Environment Act will currently attract fines (of up to Rs 1 lakh) or imprisonment (up to five years), or both. However, the latest amendment proposes to restrict penalties to fines alone. Similarly, under the Water Act, the amendment seeks to replace the punishment for violations with financial penalties, rather than prosecution in a court of law. Experts note that doing away with imprisonment could affect the implementation of these Acts and encourage a pollute-and-compensate attitude. "The idea behind (dilution of penal provisions) is you can cause damage and get away without criminal punishment," noted Saldanha. Earlier in April, in a set of proposed notifications, the environment ministry sought to do away with mandatory environmental impact assessments (EIAs) before the expansion of airport terminal buildings, exempt "strategic" highway projects from the purview of EIA, and increase the threshold limit for thermal power plants. On April 11, the ministry issued guidelines, through an office memorandum, for exempting mining projects from mandatory Environmental Clearance in instances where the proponent seeks to increase production capacity by up to 50% of the existing threshold limit without increasing the original lease area. "This year saw many amendments that sought concessions to companies, exemption to clearance process, dilution in public hearing, etc. All of the changes, big and small, reduce the scrutiny of the public from the project," said Krithika Dinesh, an independent environmental lawyer and researcher. "These changes also shift the focus of environmental laws for the purpose for which it was created, which is to protect the environment to become more of an efficient clearance office" The larger problem is that many of these key laws are amended through office memorandums, which are subordinate laws approved and changed by Ministry officials, and not amendments. Saldhana points out that amendments to existing laws need to be tabled in Parliament. The ministry, under pressure from investors and politically vested interests, has bypassed this and routinely takes environmental decisions via notifications and office memorandums. He added, "they always result in irreversible adverse impact on fundamental rights of impacted communities. They are also unconstitutional, and the Parliament and Judiciary have to step in and stem the environment ministry's consistent anti-constitutional behavior". In December 2021, the ministry sought to weaken institutional oversight over access to and use of India's bioresources under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. This undermines resource-dependent people's traditional rights over biodiversity, and could be misused by corporations, IndiaSpend reported in January 2022. Again in January 2022, through an office memorandum, the ministry said it will introduce a star rating system based on efficiency and timelines of states in granting environment clearances, which weakens environmental safeguards, IndiaSpend reported in January 2022. Apart from dilutions, the government has also sought to divert ecologically sensitive areas for infrastructure projects. This includes the proposed diversion of the Great Nicobar island for a mega project involving the construction of a trans-shipment port, an international airport, a power plant and a township spread over more than 166 square km of land--an area that currently includes 130 square km of primary forest. The project will witness the felling of nearly 850,000 trees and the reclamation of 300 hectares of land from the ocean. This will impact the nesting habitats of giant leatherback turtles and the Nicobar megapode, a flightless bird endemic to the Nicobar islands, according to the May 2022 expert appraisal committee report. All these changes to the environmental acts will end up weakening the environment, thereby accelerating climate change and weather impact. This is in direct contradiction to what India has been promising the world that it will do.

• Down To Earth

A LOOK BACK TO THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN INDIA

More than 88% of the days between January 1 and September 30 this year saw extreme weather events in India, according to a new report released on Tuesday by the Centre for Science and Environment. The report brings attention back to India’s climate vulnerabilities ahead of a significant UN climate summit.The report, “Extreme Weather Report 2022,” published by the Centre for Science and Environment indicated that these catastrophes resulted in 2,775 fatalities, affected 1.8 million hectares (ha) of cropland, demolished approximately 4,16,667 homes, and resulted in the deaths of close to 70,000 cattle (CSE). The green think tank stated that because data for each occurrence is not compiled and agricultural losses and damages to public property are not tallied, this estimate of loss and damage is likely an underestimation.In addition to extreme heat waves, cyclones, snowfall, lightning, storms, cold waves and cold days, torrential rains, floods, and landslides were also classified as extreme weather phenomena by the IMD in the study.To fill up the gaps in the official data, the researchers compiled information from two important Indian government agencies: the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Disaster Management Division of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. They also used media reports. The highest number of days with extreme weather was reported in central and north-western India, with 198 and 195 days, respectively. Central India ranked first in terms of the number of fatalities with 887, then the East and North East of India (783 deaths).

• Down To Earth

Year-ender | 10 biggest environmental moments of 2022

From the iconic cheetah’s return to India to the Russia-Ukraine war sparking a global energy crisis, 2022 has been a mixed bag for the environment. In 2022, the world continued to face two existential crises—a rapidly warming planet and declining biodiversity—while simultaneously dealing with the impacts and effects of a global pandemic. While some major strides were taken towards protecting wildlife, ecosystems and the planet at large, there were also some setbacks and heartbreaks. Here’s a look at this year's defining moments. environment-wise: 1. COP15 ends with ‘Paris Moment’ for nature: In a landmark deal, nations from around the world agreed to protect a third of the planet for nature by 2030. The goal is to safeguard biodiversity, with 23 targets being set up to protect vital ecosystems such as rainforests and wetlands, and the rights of indigenous peoples. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres hailed the deal, saying, “We are finally starting to forge a peace pact with nature.” Canada’s minister for the environment and climate change Steven Guilbeault added, “It is truly a moment that will mark history as Paris did for climate.” 2. Russia-Ukraine war sparks global energy crisis: Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. It prompted global condemnation. European countries announced sanctions on imports of oil and coal from Russia, the world’s largest exporter of fossil fuels. Global supply chains, already strained due to the pandemic, were deeply impacted. All fuels were affected. As per the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) World Energy Outlook 2022, prices for spot purchases of natural gas reached levels never seen before, regularly exceeding the equivalent of USD 250 for a barrel of oil. Coal prices also hit record levels, while oil rose well above USD 100 per barrel in mid-2022 before falling back down. There are also concerns on how this may affect countries’ net-zero targets. 3. Cheetahs return to India: India’s ambitious plan to reintroduce cheetahs to the subcontinent kicked off in September this year. Eight individuals were released in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, after they became extinct in the country some seven decades ago. The animals had been translocated from Namibia. Though conservationists remain sceptical about their ability to thrive in an ecosystem that has undergone change in the interim period, the cheetahs are so far acclimatising to their new surroundings. 4. Global CO2 emissions from fossil fuels hit a record high: To prevent an irreversible climate crisis, global temperature rise needs to be below 1.5°C by the end of the century and countries need to meet their net-zero goals. Global carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels and cement, however, increased by 1.0% in 2022 - a new record high of 36.6bn tonnes of CO2 - as per new estimates. As per the 2022 Global Carbon Budget report, the increase in fossil emissions in 2022 has been primarily driven by an uptick in oil emissions as global travel continues to recover from pandemic levels. Coal and gas emissions grew more slowly, though both had record emissions too. 5. Ecuador became the first country to grant legal rights to wild animals: Estrellita, a monkey, was taken away from the forest illegally, kept as a pet and then taken to a zoo, where she died later. A case was filed to recognise her rights, claiming that her removal from her natural habitat violated her dignity. In a landmark judgement, Ecuador’s court recognised her rights as an individual wild animal. “Wild species and their individuals have the right not to be hunted, fished, captured, collected, extracted, kept, retained, trafficked, traded or exchanged,” the court also noted. 6. India witnesses a year of extremes: India had 241 days of extreme weather events in 2022, according to a report by the Centre for Science and Environment. Painting a grim picture, it stated that the country has seen a disaster nearly every day in the first nine months — from heat and cold waves, cyclones, lightning to heavy rain, floods and landslides. These disasters claimed 2,755 lives, affected 1.8 million hectares of crop area, destroyed over 416,667 houses and killed close to 70,000 livestock. 7. USA’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022: Being one of the world’s biggest polluters, the US’s commitment to the Paris Agreement has always been vital. This year saw the country set off on a solid path towards reaching its climate goals with a landmark law. The Inflation Reduction Act offers more than $350 billion in historic investments, including funding home energy rebates, climate-smart agriculture, onshore clean energy manufacturing, and bolstering coastal areas and habitats impacted by the climate crisis. It will ensure that the US meets more than 40% of its commitments under the Paris Agreement. 8. Electoral defeat of Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro : As per Brazil’s national space research agency INPE, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon reached 1,454 sq km in September, a 48% increase over last year. It added that deforestation through the first nine months of 2022 amounted to 8,590 sq km, the highest such tally on record since the deforestation alert system was established in 2007. For environmentalists, the electoral defeat of Jair Bolsonaro this year was arguably the world’s best environmental news of 2022. His government accounts for the most Amazon destruction in the last 34 years - a 59.5% increase in deforestation over a presidential term. 9. Tuvalu will be the first country to replicate itself in the metaverse: Tuvalu is actively threatened by rising sea levels brought on by climate change. Up to 40% of its capital is underwater at high tide currently and the entire Pacific nation is estimated to be underwater by the end of the century. This year, its foreign minister Simon Kofe announced the country’s plan to become the first digitised nation in the metaverse. In a video message, he said, “Our land, our ocean, our culture, are the most precious assets of our people. And to keep them safe from harm, no matter what happens in the physical world, we'll move them to the cloud. Islands like this one won't survive rapid temperature increases, rising sea levels, and droughts. So we'll recreate them virtually. Piece by piece we’ll preserve our country, provide solace to our people and remind our children and our grandchildren what our home once was". 10. The UN takes a big step towards ending plastic pollution: At the 2022 United Nations Environment Assembly, it was unanimously agreed that a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution was the need of the hour, and our planet. It calls for the development of a robust treaty that will hold nations, businesses and society at large accountable for eliminating plastic pollution from the environment. The year also saw India ban single-use plastic to tackle plastic pollution and reduce its impact on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Critics, however, claim lack of awareness and low on-ground implementation had taken the sting out of the ban.

• Industrial Pollution

Increase use of scrap in production: Minister Kulaste to steel makers.. Read more at: https://www.constructionworld.in/steel-news/increase-use-of-scrap-in-production--minister-kulaste-to-steel-makers/38260

Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste has instructed the domestic steel sector to expand the use of scrap in their manufacturing, emphasising the importance of carbon emissions. India consumes 30 MT scrap per year to create steel, with 26 MT generated domestically and the remainder imported. India's t.. Carbon emissions are a source of concern. The steel industry must enhance its utilisation of scrap in steel manufacturing. He stated this during the CII Steel Summit 2022. The steel industry must also employ cutting-edge technologies to reduce carbon emissions, according to the Minister of State for..

• Director General Office

हरियाली का रास्ता

पहला, जहां पर्यावरणीय कार्रवाई ने प्राकृतिक संसाधन प्रबंधन के लिए विकास रणनीति को तय करने में भूमिका निभाई. पर्यावरणीय पहल सुनीता नारायण डायरेक्टर-जनरल, सीएसई, नई दिल्ली पर्यावरण आंदोलन ने आजाद भारत के 75 वर्षों में नीतियों को आकार देने और विकास के तौर-तरीकों को परिभाषित करने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई है. इस आंदोलन क... https://www.aajtak.in/india-today-hindi/special-issue/story/the-green-road-to-progress-1602640-2022-12-26

• Director General Office

From the Editor-in-Chief

In a tribute to India's 75th year of independence, India Today has chosen on its 47th anniversary to do a special issue to celebrate this immense journey with a retrospective gallery of the events and the personalities who have made this country what it is today 'The best’ is a difficult concept to master. If you ask a parent, “Which of your children is the best?”, it really can have no answer. But a striving for excellence is what defines us—each of us tries to be the best we can become and then better that. In a nation’s journey, this continual quest to create a better tomorrow becomes its primary life-force. And this process cannot unfold without us reviewing the best of the past, which has shaped our present. India, as an independent nation, has turned 75 this year. As a tribute to this milestone, India Today has chosen on its 47th anniversary to do a special issue to celebrate this immense journey with a retrospective gallery of the events and the personalities who have made this country what it is today. How does one capture the entire life of a nation in the rearview mirror? How can you accumulate all the infinite moments of accomplishments that over a billion people have marked and then choose between them? In a real sense, it’s impossible to quantify greatness. What we have taken recourse to, therefore, is only an approximation. But one underpinned by a certain logic: whatever events, moments or projects we zeroed in on, they have touched the lives of many. This is easy to understand, say, with a Bhakra Nangal Dam, or the high-yielding variety of seeds that ushered in the Green Revolution, freeing the country from endemic want and giving us self-sufficiency in food. Or with the Mid-Day Meal Scheme that benefitted millions of children, or a famous battle victory like the Kargil war that ensured intrusions by the Pakistan army on the LoC were rebuffed. But this criterion can be applied even if a ‘best moment’ arises within the mysterious ambit of an individual’s psychology. A Dilip Kumar, for instance, cut so deep into himself in his search for an inner Devdas that it famously affected his real life. But what he gave us was a truly collective moment. Meena Kumari’s ethereal loneliness belongs to us, as does Shammi Kapoor’s infectious joy. With this governing principle in mind, we sought to analyse India’s passage through the decades within 34 broad categories. Many of them have to do with the State or the evolution of our polity in the most general terms. Thus, political movements make the cut, as do economic policies and landmarks in infrastructure or breakthrough initiatives in health and welfare. Since India as a nation-state is defined by its adherence to the Constitution, one of the most progressive documents of its kind in the world, we have similarly found our judicial history to be an indispensable part of it—landmark judgments that extended freedoms for everybody thus feature on these pages. So do the decisive battles India has fought, securing our freedom on another front, and the diplomatic successes we have achieved in peacetime, extending our esteem in the world. Outside of the affairs of the State, though, there are domains vital to our existence. Breakthroughs and innovations in science and its applications affect us all; environmental initiatives address some of the most universal aspects of life; and architecture, especially when seen through the lens of sustainability, creates the physical world we inhabit. From the general to the more specific, think of business persons and how their genius and worldview impact us. J.R.D. Tata, for instance, cannot be understood without doffing our hats at the creative ways he has given to society with the institutions—and even a city—that he has built. The glorious attainments of the world of sport, again, spring from the level of the individual athlete or player to create a sense of collective joy. From Milkha Singh in 1960 to Kapil’s Devils in 1983 to Neeraj Chopra in 2020, they have all crafted truly national moments. In the arts and culture world, we had to make a difficult categorial omission—especially with cinema and television. How do we talk of the best films without, inevitably, invoking a Ray or an Adoor? How do we account for the vastness of regional cinema or television, with the millions of subjective opinions it evokes? Here, we decided to restrict our choice to Hindi cinema purely because it is the one that is the most travelled one on the map and the one that most Indians enjoy. Then we further subdivided it into its constituent parts—thus, we have separate lists for the best films, directors, actors, actresses, songs and film albums. Similarly, with TV, universality is the criterion. But the richness of the vast non-Hindi parts of the Indian universe filters through in other realms. In literature, for instance, we scan not only Indian writing in English and the best novels in Hindi but also take a substantial look at regional literature. Art is its own language, of course. The masters of the canvas are duly represented. As are the best plays, regardless of language, and the finest of the classical dancers and musicians who have ennobled our cultural lives. Selections are bound to be subjective, and we did not wish for our opinions to cloud the act of choosing. Therefore, to select the best, we invited the best. We enlisted domain experts in each category who could adjudicate on their fields with unquestionable authority. Thus, we have eminences like Raghunath Mashelkar, Rajmohan Gandhi, Ashok Gulati, Gita Piramal, T.C.A. Raghavan and Lt Gen. Deependra Singh Hooda gracing these pages. Sunita Narain, India’s foremost name in environmental studies, crafts savants Laila Tyabji and Jaya Jaitly, sociologist Amita Baviskar, architect Habeeb Khan, writers Jerry Pinto and Alok Rai, anthropologist G.N. Devy, art curator Giles Tillotson, dance historian Ashish Mohan Khokar, legal scholar Gautam Bhatia, TV producer Amit Khanna, and illustrious names from the world of cinema and writing associated with it—like Varun Grover, Nasreen Munni Kabir, Khalid Mohamed, Rajeev Masand—and many others bring their unique insights into this edition. “Impossible” is a word that kept recurring as a motif in their introductory passages as they set about to make a shortlist of the “best” and the inevitable omissions assailed them. But what each of these 34 experts has given us, and you, the reader, is collectively nothing short of an almanac of our nation. A few others curate the best of Indian experiences, whether in travel, food or hospitality.

• Sustainable Food Systems

Regenerative Farming

In News Recently, the experience of farmers in Madhya Pradesh who follow regenerative farming methods finds the reduced need for frequent irrigation which conserves water and energy. What is Regenerative Agriculture? Regenerative agriculture is a way of farming that focuses on soil health. When soil is healthy, it produces more food and nutrition, stores more carbon and increases biodiversity. It includes the use of natural inputs, minimum-till, mulching, multi-cropping and sowing of diverse and native varieties. Natural inputs help improve soil structure and its organic carbon content. Planting water-guzzling and water-efficient crops together or in alternating cycles reduces the frequency and intensity of irrigation. They conserve energy used by irrigation aids such as pumps. In India, the Union government is promoting regenerative agriculture with an aim to reduce the application of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and to lower input costs. Why is regenerative agriculture needed? Soil degradation: Agriculture today, including the use of heavy machinery, fertilizers and pesticides to maximize food production, is contributing to soil degradation and loss. Within 50 years, there may not be enough soil left to feed the world, according to the regenerative farming organization Regeneration International. Climate Change: Intensive farming also churns up CO2 naturally stored in soil and releases it into the atmosphere. This contributes to the global warming that is driving climate change. Agriculture accounts for over a third of greenhouse gas emissions globally, according to the United Nations (UN). Extreme events: Damaged soil and eroded land can make environments more vulnerable to extreme weather events like flooding, which are increasing in frequency and intensity as the Earth warms. Potential Benefits of Regenerative Agriculture Multiple benefits: Regenerative farming can improve: Crop yields Volume of crops produced Health of soil Soil’s ability to retain water Reducing soil erosion. Feeding people: Improved yields will help feed the world as the global population grows. Environmental benefits: Regenerative farming can also reduce emissions from agriculture and turn the croplands and pastures, which cover up to 40% of Earth’s ice-free land area, into carbon sinks. These are environments that naturally absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Related Terms Rice intensification: It is a method in which seeds are spaced at wider distances and organic manure is applied to improve yields. Zero-budget natural farming: Also, known as Subhash Palekar Natural Farming, emphasizes on preparing and using inputs made from crop residue, cow dung and urine, fruits, among other things. The studies show irrigation frequency and energy consumption in natural farming decreases over time. Major Challenges associated with Agriculture Groundwater: The Green Revolution of the 1960s pulled India from the brink of starvation, transformed the country’s ability to feed itself and turned it into a big food exporter. But the revolution also made India the world’s biggest extractor of groundwater. According to the UN’s World Water Development Report, 2022, the country extracts 251 cubic km or more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater withdrawal each year. 90 per cent of this water is used for agriculture. No gain in production: A study by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, shows that over 39 million hectares (ha) of area in the country under wheat, rice and maize have not shown improvement in the past decade. Degrading soil health: A 2022 report by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), State of Bio Fertilizers and Organic Fertilizers in India, shows the severe and widespread deficiency of organic carbon and micronutrients in Indian soils. Lack of scientific study: Civil society organizations and farmers do not have the capacity to conduct long-term studies. Way forward/ Suggestions Sustainable farming: according to the UN’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, 2022 if agriculture is to continue to feed the country’s undernourished population of 224.5 million then it needs to work in harmony with nature, not against it. Chemical-less farming: Farmers, activists and agricultural research organizations across the world are developing methods of chemical-less farming which uses natural inputs and cultivation practices such as crop rotation and diversification which fall under the wider umbrella of regenerative agriculture. Soil Health: According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, healthy soil helps in better water storage, transmission, filtering and reduces agricultural run-off. Studies have established that one per cent increase in soil organic matter (an indicator of soil health) per 0.4 ha increases water storage potential by more than 75,000 liters. Global practice: This practice is used in Latin America, the United States, Canada, Africa, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Application in India: States like Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim and Gujarat have introduced schemes to promote it. Research: concerted research is required to understand the role of regenerative agriculture in saving water. The scientific findings will further help inform policy measures and future initiatives. The National Project on Organic Farming is the country’s longest experiment on the practice, ongoing since 2004 and conducted by ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming System Research to promote organic farming. Source: DTE