• DTE - Web

Setting the Scene

How Hindi film adaptations align with the Hindutva project The most famous line from the 1992 film A Few Good Men, “You can’t handle the truth,” is aimed at the average American who wants their country to be both secure and free but does not ever wonder about the inherent contradiction. In the climax, Colonel Nathan Jessup, played by a snarling Jack Nicholson, has been cornered in court over a cruel hazing practice that led to the death of a young marine. Defending this method of instilling discipline in marines, Jessup claims that the lawyer questioning him, played by Tom Cruise, cannot handle the reality that the young man’s death, “while tragic, probably saved lives.” Jessup alleges that, deep down, the average American knows that the price of their freedom is a functional military, whose undemocratic character become necessary to maintain power, but they are incapable of accepting this about themselves. Jessup is eventually jailed, leaving viewers with the impression that army leaders like him—who commit or defend such excesses—are a few bad eggs, set right by a few good men. This, as critics pointed out and human-rights organisations reported, is a blatant lie. Jessups are more the norm than the exception. In the Indian adaptation, Shaurya, Jessup’s counterpart, Brigadier Rudra Pratap Singh, played by Kay Kay Menon, also insists that the average Indian cannot handle the truth. Singh, whose unit is shown to have committed human-rights abuses in Kashmir, is revealed to be an Islamophobe who claims that “no Muslim can be trusted, because they are only faithful to their community, which is full of poison.” Therefore, someone—the brigadier himself—must take the responsibility of eliminating this threat to the country. The uncomfortable truth in one case is that an undemocratic military maintains American power. In comparison, the truth in India is that a bigoted military paints all Muslims as suspected anti-nationals in the name of national security. This bias has been borne out in Kashmir, despite every union government’s claim to the contrary. In Shaurya, Singh is punished for his excesses against Kashmiris, a fate that is yet to befall any senior officers of the real Indian Army. Akshat Jain works as an editor at the Centre for Science and Environment. He studied media and cultural studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai.

• Director General Office

New energy conundrum

As countries reconcile their energy supply options with climate change, will they reinvent the fossil fuel-based system or reinvest in it? Our energy-guzzling world is on the cusp. It could find a way to leverage the current crisis of energy scarcity and rising prices to reinvent the fossil fuel-based system. Or, it could reinvest in the same carbon-intensive energy system, as people in the already rich countries get increasingly desperate for reliable and affordable power to light and heat their homes this coming winter season. It is an important moment in time; one which makes the actions to combat climate change even more contested and urgent. Let's be clear that at this moment, the developed countries — I point to them, because these countries have already burnt massive amounts of carbon dioxide for energy to build their economies — are faced with a real energy conundrum. They have already used up their share of carbon space; emissions from the burning of fossil fuels by these countries, first coal and then natural gas and oil, have brought the world to the edge of the precipice. They have said in their many pronouncements that they would move away from fossil fuels to cleaner renewable energy systems, that they would reinvent their energy systems. But the question is will they today, when the rubber has hit the road? It is a double-punch moment as well. On the one hand, these countries — from Europe to the United States — are battered because of a fast-heating planet; temperatures have gone through the roof; droughts and extreme weather events are hitting them as well. They know that climate change is a great equaliser and that as emissions stock up in the atmosphere, temperatures will increase and make for an untenable future. On the other hand, ordinary people across Europe are worried, not just because of climate change but because of the lack of energy to heat their homes this coming winter. In the UK, energy prices have spiralled — some say also because of the lack of regulatory control on the domestic gas production — and it is making for a tense polity. In the US, gas prices went up in summer, so much so that people travelled less and consumption of fuel dropped for one climate-friendly moment. But now that prices are down and it is business as usual, the question is if the Joe Biden administration will be able to meet its ambitious climate change goals for 2030. The fact is that this energy disruption has provided the much-needed vault to the beleaguered fossil fuel industry and has given it a new lease of life. Today, governments have changed their tune; they are asking this industry to dig more; to drill more; to supply more. Europe has baptised natural gas, a fossil fuel less polluting than coal but still a major emitter of carbon dioxide, as "clean". Norway and the UK have rebooted their oil and gas drilling; Germany and others in Europe are looking for new suppliers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from every distant shore and are building infrastructure to pipe and pump it. The US has passed a climate bill (the Inflation Reduction Act), which will invest in renewable energy but conditional on spending on oil and gas in Alaska, Gulf of Mexico and the opening up of millions of hectares of federal land for drilling. It is no doubt that this legislation is a momentous development — one that would have seemed impossible just a few years ago. The US will, through this, do more than ever before to build a manufacturing base for renewable energy, particularly solar, and will incentivise its use and generously pay households to switch to electric vehicles or cleaner and more insulated houses to cut energy bills. Europe, even in this desperate scramble for gas, is working to ramp up its investment in renewable power. This spend on everything from nuclear to solar, wind and biomass power is also about its energy independence, as it cuts the umbilical cord with foreign energy suppliers. So, it is the worst of times. It could be the best of times, but there are some caveats. One, this renewed interest in fossil fuels must remain temporary and transient. Given the nature of economies, once the investment has been made in this new infrastructure for LNG terminals or the supply of fossil fuel has increased from new oil and gas discoveries, it will be difficult to wean off. Two, and this is linked to my first caveat, these countries should not be entitled to more use of fossil fuels in our world of shrunk carbon budgets. They need to reduce emissions drastically and leave whatever little carbon budget space that is remaining to poorer countries to use—this, in real terms, means not using fossil fuels but letting the continent of Africa or countries like India use the available cleaner fossil fuels to drive economies and reduce local air pollution. It is not just a moral imperative, but a prerequisite to a world which has a chance to keep the spiralling temperatures under check. This is what we need to keep in mind as countries reconcile their energy supply options with climate change. DTE The writer is the Director-General of CSE and editor of DownToEarth. Views expressed are personal

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Winter? Why Delhi can expect to breathe easier

NEW DELHI: Counting the several steps readied to monitor the city’s day-to-day functioning in order to lessen air pollution, experts expect a less restrictive winter for Delhiites this year. However, extreme weather events or meteorological conditions, which are now the new normal, remain worrying factors. With the new Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) in place to facilitate restrictions based on AQI forecasts and IITM’s decision support system (DSC) to forecast the air quality becoming functional in the next few days, and with better coordination expected between the governments of Punjab and Delhi on stubble burning, experts believe fewer air-related restrictions may be imposed in the city in winter this year. Air pollution in Delhi peaks around October end. On air emergency days with very high pollution, the authorities prohibit many activities, including construction and demolitions (C&D). According to a 2016 IIT-Kanpur study, C&D is the most consistent and third highest contributor to an area’s particle pollution load. The study had estimated that the emission load from C&D activities in Delhi is 5,167kg per day and 1,292kg per day with respect to PM10 and PM2.5, respectively. According to Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, the air quality this winter will depend on how much pollution is controlled or prevented. “Delhi-NCR has a new plan this year, but it will require specific sectoral strategy and planning in advance,” she said. “The implementation, therefore, will define the effectiveness of the new policy which will further define this year’s winter. In any case, there are no quick fixes, so infrastructure work has to be scaled up as quickly as possible.” Last winter, the city saw seven severe air quality days in November, seven in December and one in January. The year earlier, November had nine severe days, while December and January saw four and six such days. “We expect winter this year to be less polluted because of the new GRAP. Also, the same party is in power in Punjab and Delhi, so coordination on stubble burning can be expected,” said Shambhavi Shukla, programme manager (air quality), CSE. “But climate change is an issue with factors like extreme meteorological conditions.” Experts believe that early Diwali (October 24) is also a positive sign for Delhi. “Normally the air quality deteriorates at Diwali with cracker pollutants mixing with the stubble burning smoke. This year, Diwali comes before the intense farm fire season,” explained Gufran Beig, founder project director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research, the Union earth science ministry’s forecasting body. “Also, we expect a timely withdrawal of the monsoon, which is a good thing because late withdrawal means poor air ventilation.” According to professor SN Tripathi of IIT Kanpur, who is also a member of the Commission for Air quality Management, the pollutant movement from stubble burning is crucial. “We need to work on accurate monitoring of stubble burning using satellites to determine the direction the fumes are moving,” said Tripathi. “Proper information on fume progression can help coordinate GRAP measures with block-level officials.”

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

KMC to convert AJC Bose Road flyover underbelly into green oasis

Plans on setting up of vertical garden, taking leaf out of New Town book The dusty and dirty underbelly of the AJC Bose Road flyover in south Kolkata will have vertical gardens, similar to the gardens under the Metro corridor in New Town, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has decided. The garden will serve multiple purposes — add some green to a road that has very few trees along it and limited scope for new plantation, prevent gradual encroachment of the open space, help reduce the dust and add some visual appeal to an otherwise barren corridor. The vertical garden, KMC officials said, will first be set up on the stretch between Minto Park and the SSKM Hospital-end of the flyover. The piers and the deck of the flyover, which can be seen from the road below, will have plants hanging from them. The stretch under several other flyovers in Kolkata — including the Parama, Gariahat, Garden Reach, Taratala and the Park Street flyovers — are poorly maintained. A resident of Gariahat in south Kolkata said the entire stretch below the Gariahat flyover looks ugly. “The open space is being gradually encroached. Fast food stalls have mushroomed and the space is very poorly kept,” he said. “Scores of homeless people have set up home under the flyover. Their numbers have been steadily increasing and the stretch is becoming dirtier with time.” The stretch under the Park Street flyover does not have encroachments but grassless soil on one section makes the area dusty and ugly. Waste is often thrown into the open space. The stretch under the Taratala flyover is dusty, too. “We have decided to create vertical gardens under the AJC Bose Road flyover. We will create the garden on a small stretch initially and then scale it up. We want to start work on the section between Minto Park and the Maidan-end of the flyover,” said Debashis Kumar, mayoral council member in charge of the KMC’s parks and squares department. The KMC has begun discussions with the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC), custodian of the flyover, for its nod for gardening. “The HRBC also needs to be kept in the loop so that the cables supplying electricity to the lights on the flyover and the drainage pipes that channel rainwater from the flyover are not affected during the gardening work,” said a KMC official. “The vertical gardens will add foliage on a stretch that has very little green cover. The footpaths are so narrow on that stretch that there is hardly any scope for new plantation. The vertical gardens will absorb the dust and also enhance the beauty of the area,” said the official. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, an air quality specialist, said green plants are known to absorb dust. “The foliage can filter dust to some extent and also reduce the radiating heat from concrete surfaces in cities,” said Roychowdhury, executive director of New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. Concrete absorbs and radiates heat raising the temperature of the immediate surroundings, she said. This effect is known as the heat island effect.

• Urban Lab

Air pollution: एयर पॉल्यूशन का हॉटस्पॉट बन रहे देश के छोटे शहर, ट्विन टावर विध्वंस से मिलता है ये सबक

Twin towers demolition: प्रदूषण को थामने के लिए ट्विन टावर विध्वंस के दौरान की तैयारियों से हम सीख क्यों नहीं लेते. आज हम आपको गर्मियों के प्रदूषण के ताज़ा आंकड़े भी बताएंगे और ये भी बताएंगे कि विध्वंस के Twin Tower Episode से हम पर्यावरण के लिहाज़ से क्या सीख सकते हैं. सोमवार यानी 29 अगस्त 2022 को दिल्ली का औसत एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स 122 है, जबकि 28 अगस्त को नोएडा में ट्विन टावर ढहाए जाने के 5 घंटे बाद ही एयर क्वालिटी इंडेक्स 100 से नीचे आ गया था.दिल्ल-एनसीआर का औसत AQI 28 अगस्त को भी 150 के आसपास ही बना रहा. इस एक लाइन के छोटे से डाटा में बहुत बड़ा सबक छिपा है. हमने टनों के धूल के गुबार से निपटने के लिए की जो तैयारी की थी, वही तैयारी हमें हर रोज़ रखने की ज़रूरत है, क्योंकि दिल्ली-एनसीआर ही नहीं, अब देश के छोटे-छोटे शहरों में गर्मियों के मौसम में भी प्रदूषण का स्तर खतरनाक हो चुका है. छोटे शहरों में बढ़ता प्रदूषण आमतौर पर प्रदूषण की बात सर्दियों में की जाती है, जब धुंध और स्म़ॉग दिखती है. लेकिन आप शायद नहीं जानते कि भारत के छोटे बड़े हर शहर में प्रदूषण लगभग पूरे साल हमारी सांसे घोंट रहा है. सेंटर फॉर साइंस की ताजा रिसर्च के मुताबिक अब प्रदूषण के हॉट स्पॉट केवल दिल्ली और नोएडा नहीं हैं, राजस्थान का भिवाड़ी, हरियाणा का रोहतक और झज्जर तक दिल्ली जैसे ही खतरनाक वायु प्रदूषण की चपेट में हैं. तो फिर, ट्विन टावर विध्वंस के दौरान की तैयारियों से हम सीख क्यों नहीं लेते. आज हम आपको गर्मियों के प्रदूषण के ताज़ा आंकड़े भी बताएंगे और ये भी बताएंगे कि विध्वंस के Twin Tower Episode से हम पर्यावरण के लिहाज़ से क्या सीख सकते हैं. रविवार दोपहर ढाई बजे 9 सेकेंड में ट्विन टावर के ढह जाने के बाद इतनी ही देर तक धूल का एक गुब्बारा नज़र आया. फिर सब नीचे जमा हो गया लेकिन लोगों की सांसों में घुलने के लिए हवा में ठहरा नहीं क्योंकि बिल्डिंग गिरेंगी और धूल उड़ेगी और इसका अनुमान लगाते हुए वॉटर स्प्रिंक्लर लगे थे, एंटी स्मॉग गन तैनात थी, आसपास की इमारतें कपड़े से ढकी थीं, वक्त रहते सब एक्शन में आ गए थे. नोएडा अथॉरिटी ने शाम को एयर क्वालिटी का डाटा जारी किया जो 100 के नीचे था जबकि दिल्ली एनसीआर में 100 के नीचे एयर क्वालिटी होना तेज बारिश के दिन ही नसीब होता है. गर्मियों में भी प्रदूषण बना चुनौती CSE के ताजा डाटा के मुताबिक इस वर्ष भारत के कई शहरों में गर्मियों में भी वायु प्रदूषण युद्धस्तर पर रहा है जो आम तौर पर सर्दियों में खराब स्तर पर होता है. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक दिल्ली गाजियाबाद और नोएडा ही नहीं, उत्तर भारत के छोटे शहरों में भी प्रदूषण से लोगों का दम घुट रहा है. इस रिपोर्ट के लिहाज से भारत का सबसे प्रदूषित शहर अब राजस्थान का भिवाड़ी है जहां गर्मियों के दौरान प्रदूषण का औसत 134 रहा इसके बाद हरियाणा के मानेसर की बारी आती है जो भारत का दूसरा सबसे प्रदूषित शहर है यहां गर्मियों के प्रदूषण का औसत 119 रहा. तीसरे नंबर पर मध्य प्रदेश का सिंगरौली जिला का है जहां प्रदूषण का स्तर 110 रहा इसके बाद हरियाणा के रोहतक और उत्तर प्रदेश के मुजफ्फरनगर का नंबर आता है. भारत के 20 सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों में 12 शहर दिल्ली एनसीआर के हैं. गर्मियों में भारत के सबसे कम प्रदूषित शहरों की बात की जाए तो मिजोरम का एजवाल और तमिलनाडु का गुम्मीडिपुंडी सबसे कम प्रदूषित है. हालांकि उत्तर भारत के कुछ शहर ऐसे भी हैं जहां पिछली गर्मियों के मुकाबले इस बार प्रदूषण में कमी दर्ज हुई है. पहले नंबर पर उत्तर प्रदेश का वाराणसी है जहां प्रदूषण के स्तर में 59% की कमी आई. इसके अलावा बल्लभगढ़, जालंधर, पाली, आगरा और श्रीनगर में प्रदूषण का स्तर कम हुआ है. प्रदूषण के यह आंकड़े 1 मार्च से 31 मई के बीच के हैं.इस दौरान के सेंट्रल पॉल्यूशन कंट्रोल बोर्ड का पीएम 2.5 डाटा को जमा कर उसका विश्लेषण किया गया है. सीपीसीबी के 356 स्टेशन से यह डाटा लिया गया. यह स्टेशन भारत के 26 राज्यों के 174 शहरों में मौजूद हैं.प्रदूषण के मामले में पूरे उत्तर भारत का हाल सबसे खराब है और दिल्ली एनसीआर गर्मियों के दौरान प्रदूषण का हॉटस्पॉट बना है. वजह है अंधाधुंध निर्माण, उद्योग और गाड़ियां, दिल्ली एनसीआर में कन्सट्रक्शन तो छोटे शहरों में इंडस्ट्री से हवा का हाल बुरा है. कहां रहा पॉल्यूशन का पीक? गर्मियों के मौसम में भी उत्तर भारत में पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 71 माइक्रोग्राम पर क्यूबिक मीटर रहा है. इसके बाद पूर्वी भारत का नंबर आता है जहां पीएम 2.5 का स्तर 69 ग्राम माइक्रोग्राम पर क्यूबिक मीटर रहा है. पश्चिमी भारत में यह स्तर 54 रहा है, मध्य भारत में 46 जबकि उत्तर पूर्वी भारत में 35 और दक्षिण के राज्यों में यह स्तर 31 रहा है. अगर बात इस बारे में करें कि 1 दिन में किस शहर में या किस इलाके में प्रदूषण पीक पर पहुंचता है तो उसमें बाजी बिहार ने मारी है. बिहार में गर्मियों में प्रदूषण का पीक यानी चरम 168 रहा है. उत्तर भारत में प्रदूषण का चरम स्तर 142 था पश्चिमी भारत में 106, मध्य भारत में 89, उत्तर पूर्व में 81 और दक्षिण भारत में यह स्तर 65 रहा है. उत्तर भारत में रोहतक में भी प्रदूषण का पीक काफी खराब रहा और यह 258 तक पहुंचा. इन आंकड़ों से यह साफ होता है कि अब छोटे शहरों में भी प्रदूषण के हॉटस्पॉट बनते जा रहे हैं. पिछले वर्ष की गर्मियों के मुकाबले इस वर्ष गर्मियों में हर रीजन में प्रदूषण में बढ़ोतरी हुई है. उत्तर भारत में पिछले वर्ष के मुकाबले सबसे ज्यादा बढ़ोतरी देखी गई जो 23% की है. उत्तर भारत में एनसीआर रीजन में ही सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषण बड़ा पिछले वर्ष के मुकाबले दिल्ली एनसीआर रीजन के लोगों ने 25.8% ज्यादा प्रदूषण झेला. मध्य भारत में 15% की बढ़ोतरी दर्ज हुई, पश्चिमी भारत में 4 फीसदी, पूर्वी भारत में 1.8%, दक्षिण के राज्यों में प्रदूषण नहीं बढ़ा और नॉर्थ ईस्ट के रीजन में पिछले वर्ष के मुकाबले प्रदूषण के स्तर में कमी दर्ज हुई. सांस लेने लायक कैसे होगी हवा? सीएससी की रिसर्चर अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी के मुताबिक गर्मियों में प्रदूषण के बढ़ने की वजह गाड़ियां, इंडस्ट्री पावर प्लांट, वेस्ट बर्नींग और धूल का ज्यादा उड़ना है. इन समस्याओं से निजात पाने के लिए बड़े स्तर पर जमीन पर काम करना होगा, जंगलों को कटने से बचाना होगा. शहरों में तापमान कम करने के तरीकों पर काम करना होगा और फसलों में और जंगलों में लगने वाली आग पर काबू पाना होगा. विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के मानकों के मुताबिक एयर क्वालिटी 50 से नीचे रहे तभी हवा को साफ मानना चाहिए. मिलीजुली कोशिशों से नोएडा ने एक दिन जो सफलता हासिल की है, उसे हर रोज़ पाया जा सकता है और हवा को सांस लेने लायक बनाया जा सकता है.हालांकि हर रोज़ पानी छिड़कने जैसे आपातकालीन उपाय की जगह दूर की सोच रखते हुए काम करने की ज़रूरत है.

• Sustainable Habitat

ट्विन टावर की तरह 50 साल बाद गिरेंगी मल्टीस्टोरी बिल्डिंग्स:हवा में जहर घोलने में आगे, एक तिहाई कूड़ा भी इन्हीं से, बिजली-पानी भी बेतहाशा खर्च

नोएडा के ट्विन टावर के ढहते ही एक तरफ धूल का गुबार उठा, तो दूसरी तरफ जमींदोज होती इमारत देखने के लिए लोगों में उतना ही उत्साह था। पीछे रह गए तमाम सवाल और चिंताएं। चिंता इस बात की कि देशभर में तेजी से बनती हाईराइज इमारतों को, जिन्हें विकास का मीटर समझा जा रहा है, क्या ये इमारतें हमसे बहुत कुछ छीन तो नहीं रहीं? ये इमारतें जहां प्रदूषण और तापमान बढ़ा रही हैं, वहीं बिजली और पानी का बड़ा हिस्सा पी भी रही हैं। बदले में देश को रोज मिलता है लाखों टन मलबा। रियल एस्टेट सेक्टर में बूम आने के बाद करीब एक दशक से देशभर में ऐसी बहुत सारी इमारतें बनकर खड़ी हुई हैं और आगे भी होंगी। सोचकर देखिए, ये सभी इमारतें एक ही वक्त में एक साथ बूढ़ी भी होंगी। अभी इन्हें बनाने का दौर चल रहा है, तब मिटाने का सिलसिला भी एक साथ शुरू होगा। अभी ट्विन टावर से निकले 80 हजार टन मलबे में से 50 हजार टन को उसी के बेसमेंट में भर दिया गया है। 30 हजार टन मलबा अगले 3 महीने में नोएडा के सेक्टर-80 के ‘सी एंड डी वेस्ट रिसाइकलिंग प्लांट’ में रिसाइकल किया जाएगा, लेकिन सबसे बड़ा सवाल यह है कि जब हर तरफ इमारतें तोड़ी जा रही होंगी, तब उनसे निकलने वाला मलबा कहां जाएगा? 46 साल में ही गिरा दिया गया था पहला स्काईस्क्रेपर शिकागो में 1969 में एक गैर-लाभकारी संगठन की स्थापना हुई। जिसे काउंसिल ऑन टॉल बिल्डिंग्स एंड अर्बन हैबिटाट (CTBUH) नाम दिया गया। यह संगठन दुनिया भर में बन रहे स्काईस्क्रेपर, यानी गगनचुंबी इमारतों का लेखा-जोखा रखता है। दुनिया के किस हिस्से में कितने स्काईस्क्रेपर्स बन रहे हैं, उनकी ऊंचाई कितनी है और कहां-कितने टूट रहे हैं। इसी संगठन ने दुनिया भर की इमारतों की ऊंचाई दर्ज करने के लिए कायदे-कानून भी बनाए। CTBUH ने ही दुबई के 828 मीटर ऊंचे बुर्ज खलीफा को दुनिया की सबसे ऊंची इमारत घोषित किया है। बता दें कि दुनिया का पहला स्काईस्क्रेपर ‘होम इंश्योरेंस बिल्डिंग’ 46 साल के बाद गिरा दिया गया था। बीते 20 साल में सबसे ज्यादा स्काईस्क्रेपर तोड़े गए दुनिया भर में साल 2000 से 2019 के बीच सबसे ज्यादा बिल्डिंग्स जमींदोज की गईं, जो अपने समय में आसमान छू रही थीं। इनमें से करीब आधी इमारतें दूसरी बिल्डिंग्स को रास्ता देने या किसी और कंस्ट्रक्शन के लिए तोड़ी गईं। सिंगापुर में 234.7 मीटर के एक्सा टावर को ढहाने का काम चल रहा है, यह अब तक जमींदोज की गई दुनिया की सबसे ऊंची इमारत होगी। इसका निर्माण 1986 में हुआ था। मुंबई में हैं सबसे ज्यादा स्काईस्क्रेपर्स और हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स हमारे देश में सबसे ज्यादा बहुमंजिला इमारतें मुंबई में हैं। मुंबई दुनिया के सबसे ज्यादा हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स वाले शहरों में 7वें नंबर पर है। एम्पोरिस डॉट कॉम के मुताबिक मुंबई में करीब 200 स्काईस्क्रेपर्स और साढ़े 5 हजार हाईराइज बिल्डिंग हैं। दिल्ली NCR में भी 5 हजार से ज्यादा हाईराइज इमारतें बन चुकी हैं। कोलकाता, बेंगलुरू और पुणे जैसे शहरों में भी हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स तेजी से बन रही हैं। इंडिया ब्रांड इक्विटी फाउंडेशन की एक रिपोर्ट के अनुसार इस साल भारत दुनिया का तीसरा सबसे बड़ा कंस्ट्रक्शन मार्केट बनने जा रहा है। 30 से 40 साल में ही जर्जर होने लगती हैं इमारतें हाईराइज अपार्टमेंट का चलन भले ही तेजी से बढ़ रहा है, लेकिन इनकी उम्र को लेकर भी सवाल बने हुए हैं। पहले जब लोग अपना खुद का घर बनाते थे, तो वह दो-तीन पीढ़ियों तक खड़ा रहता था। वहीं, हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स की उम्र 70 से 80 साल तक बताई जाती है, लेकिन असल में ये 30 से 40 साल में ही जर्जर होने लगती हैं। एक्सपर्ट्स का कहना है कि बड़ी इमारतों को ज्यादा समय तक अच्छी हालत में बनाए रखने के लिए लगातार मरम्मत और देखरेख की जरूरत पड़ती है, लेकिन भारत जैसे देशों में यह आसान काम नहीं है। ऐसे में यह इमारतें सिर्फ उनके लिए ही नहीं, बल्कि पूरे देश के लिए बोझ बन सकती हैं। बिजली, पानी, लकड़ी का बड़ा हिस्सा खप रहा है इन इमारतों में 'सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट’ (CSE) की एक रिसर्च रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक इन बिल्डिंग्स को बनाने में ही देश का 40 फीसदी कार्बन उत्सर्जन होता है, 30 फीसदी सॉलिड वेस्ट निकलता है और करीब 20 फीसदी पानी की खपत होती है। देश की 40 फीसदी बिजली इन इमारतों में खप जाती है। सेंट्रल ग्राउंड वॉटर बोर्ड ने हरियाणा के जिन इलाकों को डार्क जोन घोषित कर दिया है, वहां भी हाईराइज इमारतों का निर्माण धड़ल्ले से जारी है। यह भी बता दें कि दुनिया की 25 फीसदी लकड़ी सिर्फ कंस्ट्रक्शन सेक्टर में खप रही है। नोएडा के ट्विन टावर को तोड़ने से करीब 80 हजार टन मलबा निकला है। पूरे देश में लगातार बिल्डिंग बनाई और तोड़ी जा रही हैं। इमारतों के बनाने और बिगाड़ने के इस फेर में लाखों टन मलबा पैदा होता है। इस मलबे को कंस्ट्रक्शन एंड डिमोलिशन वेस्ट कहते हैं। यही मलबा हमारे पर्यावरण और हमारी सेहत के लिए बड़ी मुसीबत बन जाता रहा है। पर्यावरण के लिए काम करने वाली संस्था CSE ने साल 2020 में इस मलबे पर एक रिपोर्ट पेश की। रिपोर्ट में ‘बिल्डिंग मैटीरियल प्रमोशन काउंसिल’ ने बताया कि भारत में इमारतों के बनने और उन्हें तोड़ने से हर साल करीब 1500 लाख टन मलबा निकलता है। लेकिन, इस मलबे को रिसाइकल करने की हमारी क्षमता महज 6,500 टन है। यानी सिर्फ एक फीसदी मलबा। बाकी 99 फीसदी मलबा लैंडफिल, खुले मैदान में जहां-तहां ठिकाने लगा दिया जाता है। फिर इस मलबे में मौजूद धूल, हवा और पानी में घुलकर प्रदूषण फैलाती है। यह तो सरकारी आंकड़े हैं, रिपोर्ट में दावा किया गया है कि पूरे देश में इससे 3 से 5 गुना तक ज्यादा मलबा निकलता है। दिल्ली में बना था कंस्ट्रक्शन वेस्ट को रिसाइकल करने वाला देश का पहला प्लांट इस समस्या से निपटने के लिए सरकार ने 2016 में ‘सी एंड डी वेस्ट मैनेजमेंट रूल’ लागू किया। इसके जरिए नियम बना दिया गया कि घर बनाते या तोड़ते समय जो मलबा निकलेगा, उसका निस्तारण करना जरूरी होगा। चाहे बिल्डर हो, आम आदमी हो या फिर कोई सरकारी विभाग, सबके लिए इस नियम को मानना अनिवार्य कर दिया गया। ऐसा इसलिए किया गया ताकि मलबे को रिसाइकल कर उसका फिर से इस्तेमाल हो सके और साथ ही उसकी वजह से हो रहा प्रदूषण भी रुके। नियम का पालन हो, इसके लिए देशभर में ‘सी एंड डी वेस्ट रिसाइकलिंग प्लांट’ भी बनाने थे। इस प्लांट में कंक्रीट के मलबे को बालू और बजरी में बदल दिया जाता है। 2017 तक देश के 53 शहरों में ऐसे प्लांट बनने थे, लेकिन 2020 तक सिर्फ 13 शहरों में ही प्लांट शुरू हो पाए। भारत का पहला ‘सी एंड डी वेस्ट रिसाइकलिंग प्लांट’ 2009 में दिल्ली के बुराड़ी में बना था। सुप्रीम कोर्ट की बिल्डिंग के नए हिस्से को बनाने में ऐसी 18 लाख ईंटों का इस्तेमाल किया गया है, जो बुराड़ी रिसाइकलिंग प्लांट में तैयार हुई हैं। बर्बाद हो रहे पानी के स्रोत, खत्म हो रही हरियाली अब जब मलबे को रिसाइकिल करने के लिए कोई प्लांट ही नहीं है, तो नियम का पालन होता भी कैसे। जिन शहरों में प्लांट चालू हो गए हैं, वहां के लोगों को भी प्लांट के बारे में नहीं पता है, न ही इसके नियमों के बारे में कोई जानकारी है। CSE ने अपनी रिपोर्ट में बताया कि कंक्रीट, ईंट और मेटल के मलबे से हरियाली और पानी के स्रोत बर्बाद हो रहे हैं। दिल्ली-NCR में तो चोरी-छुपे कंस्ट्रक्शन का मलबा अरावली की पहाड़ियों से लेकर दूसरे कचरे के साथ लैंडफिल में फेंकने की शिकायतें आती रही हैं। 20 साल में घरों को तोड़कर बिल्डिंग बनाने की रफ्तार बढ़ी भारत में बीते 2 दशक में रियल एस्टेट सेक्टर में बूम आया है। खासकर हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स तेजी से बनाई जा रही हैं। इसके लिए दिल्ली, मुंबई से लेकर देश के हर हिस्से में इमारतें तोड़ी जा रही हैं। फिर भले ही उनकी हालत ठीक हो। पुराने घरों को तोड़कर उनकी जगह बहुमंजिला इमारतें बन रही हैं। पुरानी इमारतें तोड़ने और नई बनाने के सिलसिले में बेहिसाब मलबा भी निकल रहा है। कचरा कैसा भी हो, उसे इधर-उधर ठिकाने लगाया जाएगा, वहां मुसीबत आएगी ही। कुछ ऐसा ही हाल मुंबई का है। मुंबई में वेटलैंड में ही डंप हो रहा मलबा मुंबई के बाहरी हिस्से में एक डंपिंग ग्राउंड है। नाम है देवनार। 2008 में वहां आए दिन आग लगने लगी। जून 2019 में डाउन टु अर्थ में प्रकाशित एक रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक ऐसी घटनाएं देख हाई कोर्ट सख्त हो गया। कोर्ट ने देखा कि BMC वहां मलबे के निस्तारण के नियमों का पालन नहीं कर रही थी। हाई कोर्ट ने उस इलाके में नए कंस्ट्रक्शन पर रोक लगा दी। इसके बाद वसई और ठाणे के आसपास वेटलैंड में लोगों ने कंक्रीट का मलबा फेंकना शुरू कर दिया। सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने कुछ शर्तों के साथ कंस्ट्रक्शन से बैन हटाया तो सरकार ने वेटलैंड वाले इलाकों में मलबा डंप करने के लिए एक तरह से कानूनी अनुमति दे दी। अब शहर में 10 डंपिंग साइट्स हैं और सारी की सारी वेटलैंड वाले इलाके में ही हैं। जिसका बुरा असर वहां पड़ रहा है। वेटलैंड भूगर्भ जलस्तर बनाए रखने, धरती की उवर्रता बनाए रखने में मदद करता है। कंक्रीट का मलबा फेंकने से वेटलैंड के साथ ही वहां का ईकोसिस्टम भी तबाह हो जाता है, जिसमें ढेरों जीवों व वनस्पतियों को पनाह मिलती है। पर्यावरण के साथ ही सेहत के लिए भी है घातक कंस्ट्रक्शन वेस्ट से निकलने वाले मलबे में कुछ घातक चीजें भी होती हैं। जो पानी और मिट्‌टी के जरिए पर्यावरण के साथ ही स्वास्थ्य को भी नुकसान पहुंचा सकती हैं। इसलिए इसकी रिसाइकिलिंग में की गई लापरवाही भारी पड़ सकती है। शीशा, एस्बेटस, पेंट और घुलनशील केमिकल, ग्लू, और टार जैसी तमाम चीजें इस मलबे में होती हैं। खाली ड्रम, शीशे वाला सामान, लैंप और लाइट बल्ब में मौजूद मर्करी, थिनर, सिलिका, क्रोमियम, कैडमियम के साथ ही कई ऐसी हैं, जिन्हें मलबे से अलग करना जरूरी होता है। इनके संपर्क में आने से त्वचा और सांस से जुड़ी परेशानियां, पैरालिसिस, एनीमिया, डरमेटाइटिस जैसी समस्याओं का सामना करना पड़ सकता है। इनमें सिलिका, आर्सेनिक, क्रोमियम सबसे घातक हैं। सिलिका के संपर्क में आने से लाइलाज रोगों के होने का खतरा रहता है। अकेले अमेरिका में ही 20 लाख से ज्यादा वर्कर काम के दौरान सिलिका की चपेट में आ चुके हैं। अनुमान है कि भारत में एक करोड़ से ज्यादा मजदूर सिलिका के संपर्क में आकर बीमार हैं। इनमें से हजारों मजदूर हर साल टीबी और कैंसर जैसी बीमारियों से जान गंवा देते हैं। ऊंची इमारतें हवा का बहाव रोक लेती हैं। इनसे तापमान और प्रदूषण भी बढ़ता है। जानते हैं कैसे… CSE में ‘सस्टेनेबल बिल्डिंग एंड हैबिटाट प्रोग्राम’के प्रोग्राम डायरेक्टर रजनीश सरीन ने बताया कि आमतौर पर हाईराइज बिल्डिंग को ज्यादा बेहतर माना जाता है। दूसरे विकल्पों पर ध्यान दिए बिना सबका फोकस इसी बात पर आकर ठहर गया है। जबकि, हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स से पर्यावरण को काफी नुकसान पहुंचता है। हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स में ‘एयर लॉक’ हो जाती है। हवा का बहाव थम सा जाता है। इससे प्रदूषण बढ़ाने वाले तत्व दूर नहीं जा पाते और प्रदूषण स्तर बढ़ता है। हवा थमने का असर तापमान पर भी पड़ता है और तापमान बढ़ता है। ऐसी स्थिति में लोग एयरकंडीशनर का सहारा लेने तो को मजबूर होते हैं या फिर उनकी तबीयत खराब होती है। हाईराइज इमारतों के साथ दूसरी सबसे बड़ी समस्या है कि ‘एयर लॉक’ की तरह ही इनके अंदर हीट भी लॉक हो जाती है। पहले जब लो राइज यानी एक-दो फ्लोर वाले मकान होते थे, तब रात में छत पर सोते समय ठंडक महसूस होती थी। ऐसा इसलिए होता था, क्योंकि रात में आसमान आसपास की गर्मी को सोख लेता था। आसमान एक तरह से ‘यूनिवर्सल हीट ऑब्जॉर्बर’ का काम करता है। अब 24-30 मंजिल की बिल्डिंग्स बन गई हैं। नीचे की मंजिलों और आसमान के बीच संपर्क कम हो गया है। ऐसे में नीचे के फ्लोर पर हीट लॉक हो जाती है। जिससे गर्मी बढ़ती है। तीसरी मुख्य बात यह है कि ऐसा माना जाता है कि हाईराइज बनाने से जगह की बचत होगी, लेकिन कई रिसर्च में यह बात साफतौर पर सामने आई है कि जैसे-जैसे बिल्डिंग की ऊंचाई बढ़ती है, वैसे-वैसे जगह की जरूरत भी बढ़ती जाती है। यह सोच गलत है कि हाईराइज से जगह की बचत होती है। चौथी समस्या ऊर्जा की खपत से जुड़ी है। ज्यादा बड़ी बिल्डिंग बनाने के लिए बड़ी मशीनों की जरूरत होती है। उन्हें चलाने के लिए उतनी ही ज्यादा बिजली की जरूरत पड़ती है। उतना ही ज्यादा कार्बन उत्सर्जन भी होता है। ऊपर की मंजिलों तक पानी पहुंचाने के लिए पंपिंग मशीनों को भी ज्यादा पावर चाहिए। लिफ्ट में भी बिजली की ज्यादा खपत होती है। इस तरह, हाईराइज में बिजली की खपत कई गुना बढ़ जाती है। जब एकसाथ बूढ़ी होंगी बहुत सी इमारतें... अभी दिल्ली-NCR, मुंबई से लेकर देश के हर बड़े शहर में बड़े पैमाने पर हाईराइज बिल्डिंग्स बनाई जा रही हैं। चिंता का विषय यह है कि एक ही समय में बनी बिल्डिंग्स एक साथ बूढ़ी होंगी, और तब जब उन्हें तोड़ने की बारी आएगी, तो एक बड़ी चुनौती देश के सामने खड़ी हो जाएगी। इस मलबे को कैसे और कौन निपटाएगा?

• Sustainable Food Systems

ORGANIC TAKEOVER: HOW 10,000 FARMERS OF TELANGANA, ANDHRA ARE STEERING A SILENT MOVEMENT

Catering directly to the consumers’ needs assures better marketability and incomes. This is what nearly 10,000 farmers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have realised over the past decade and are now steering a silent organic movement. It all began in 2009, when a group of consumers in Hyderabad, then part of unified Andhra Pradesh, established a cooperative society to source chemical-free produce directly from farmers. Operating under the guidance of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), a Hyderabad-based research non-profit, the cooperative society over a period of time roped in a few farmers and began to sell the produce through a farmer-run retail store in Secunderabad and mobile retail vans that travelled to urban areas. Soon, more and more organic farmers joined the cooperative society and what had started off as a consumers’ initiative became a farmers’ group. In 2013, when the government floated the concept of farmer producer organisation (FPO) to aggregate collection of produce and create market links for better prices under the Companies Act of 2013, CSA and the cooperative society saw this as an opportunity. Establishing an FPO also helps gain financial support from the government. Thus, in 2014, all the farmers’ groups under the cooperative society registered themselves as organic FPOs, and the society at the helm as Sahaja Aharam Producer Company Limited, a unique “federation” of organic FPOs. That was the year when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. But Sahaja Aharam continued its operation as a federation with FPOs from both the states. Today, as many as 23 organic FPOS with over 9,000 farmers across 180 villages are part the federation. The groups are spread over the southern plateau and hills of Andhra Pradesh, as well as the north, central and southern parts of Telangana. The farmers grow paddy, cereals, oilseeds, pulses, fruits, vegetables and spices. To obtain membership, FPOs buy equity in the federation. A board of five directors coordinates operations at the federation level along with the heads of the FPOs and support from CSA. Market is key Since inception, Sahaja Aharam has realised that there is a growing market for organic produce that can help farmers earn more. So it provides marketing and retail support for certified organic produce. Some of its member-FPOs, though, market both conventional and organic produce. The federation also encourages and helps farmers to obtain organic certification and trains them on cultivation of specific crops; weed, pest and disease management; and preparation of organic and biological inputs. Some farmers are also trained in poultry and livestock farming. Venkat Reddy from Kallem village in Jangaon district, Telangana, who has converted 1.2 hectares (ha) of his 6.07 ha farm to organic, said, “There was an initial loss in paddy yield after the shift, but the cost has reduced from Rs 25,000 per 0.4 ha to Rs 15,000. Currently, I grow organic paddy for my own consumption. But after seeing other farmers get 10-15 per cent more income from this variety, I plan to bring in more area under it.” Regenerative or chemical-free cultivation has helped improve the local environmental conditions as well. Enabavi village in Telangana’s Hanamkoda district, which declared itself as the first organic village in the region in 2006 is now entirely free of pesticides, fertilisers and genetically modified crops. All 52 farmer families of the village have shifted 110 ha to regenerative agriculture by composting organic waste, using cow dung manure and pest-trapping crops and harvesting water. “This has led to a rise in soil fertility,” said GV Ramanjaneyulu, executive director of CSA. With more farmers trying to benefit from regenerative agriculture, the federation is focused on helping its members gain a better market share. For this, it plans production strategies with its FPOs. It apprises them of trends in organic produce, sales figures and rates from the previous years. “Unlike traditional FPOs, a lot of effort and business insight goes into production planning,” said Prasanna T P, chief executive of Sahaja Aharam. Further, to ensure quality, the federation tests 1 per cent of total produce for chemical pesticide residue. “Sahaja Aharam buys my produce at 10-15 per cent higher price than the market,” said Vekanna Reddy, a farmer from Mulang village, Siddipet district, Telangana. The federation buys cereals, millets, pulses, vegetables and oilseeds at 10 per cent higher prices, which can increase based on quality. For paddy, rates can go higher. The federation sells raw and processed products, which include food items, cosmetics and other non-food products. Some 45 per cent of the product range consists of organic fruits and vegetables. To set market prices, Sahaja Aharam follows two criteria. First, the farmers’ share in the price must either be 50 per cent over the cost of cultivation, 12-15 per cent above the local market or 50 per cent of the average price in the previous year, whichever is highest. For instance, it procures paddy crop from farmers at Rs 42 per kg and sells it for Rs 80 — cultivators earn more than half the retail price. Farmers are paid in two tranches, once during procurement and then after sale of products. Second, to remain competitive, prices fixed by the federation are merely 15-20 per cent higher than those for conventional produce, but lower in comparison to those of some other organic players, particularly for pulses, groundnut oil and spices. Some 15 per cent of the price funds the federation’s operations. For sales, the federation has expanded the retail stores. It now has two stores in Secunderabad and one each in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Stores in Hyderabad and Secunderabad sell online as well. Their vans still operate in Hyderabad. Sahaja Aharam also sells unlabelled produce in bulk to 110 aggregators. Currently, 55 per cent of sales are to bulk aggregators, 43 per cent through retail stores and 2 per cent online. Turnover has increased multifold over the last few years, from Rs 90.3 lakh 2018-19 to some Rs 2.61 crore in 2021-22. Game-changer The federation’s efforts to increase farm incomes go beyond market access. “It has helped me re-learn sustainable farming techniques to increase yield. Earlier I used to earn Rs 29,600 per kg from paddy, now I earn Rs 33,000,” Krishan, a farmer from Jeedikal village in Jangaon district, who practices organic farming in his entire 2.8 ha, said. “I can save 50 per cent of cultivation costs, around Rs 10,000, by using organic inputs that I make,” he added. The federation encourages farmers to grow traditional and new crops, based on water requirement, pest resistance, yield and market preferences. It also enables knowledge exchange and peer learning. Further, it has introduced a mobile application called Pestoscope and set up surveillance centres in villages, and shares weather predictions from the India Meteorological Department and states. Sahaja Aharam also introduced an enterprise resource planning tool in 2018, developed by CSA, to manage production, finances, warehousing, sales and data analysis. To diversify incomes and provide more livelihood opportunities, the federation has set up “food hubs” at six districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for storage and processing. It is also diversifying its product range to include ready-to-eat and non-food products. The federation provides several lessons on hand-holding support, storage, processing and marketing, however, like other FPOs in the country, it faces challenges such as poor financial support and lack of skilled humanpower. Addressing these hurdles will help it grow better. (This is the second in a series of multiple reports that show how better market access to non-chemical produce is key to the success of regenerative agriculture) This was first published in the 16-31 August edition of Down To Earth

• Sustainable Food Systems

Organic takeover: How 10,000 farmers of Telangana, Andhra are steering a silent movement

A federation of farmer-producer organisations has tapped into the growing organic market to help members raise incomes Catering directly to the consumers’ needs assures better marketability and incomes. This is what nearly 10,000 farmers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have realised over the past decade and are now steering a silent organic movement. It all began in 2009, when a group of consumers in Hyderabad, then part of unified Andhra Pradesh, established a cooperative society to source chemical-free produce directly from farmers. Operating under the guidance of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), a Hyderabad-based research non-profit, the cooperative society over a period of time roped in a few farmers and began to sell the produce through a farmer-run retail store in Secunderabad and mobile retail vans that travelled to urban areas. Soon, more and more organic farmers joined the cooperative society and what had started off as a consumers’ initiative became a farmers’ group. In 2013, when the government floated the concept of farmer producer organisation (FPO) to aggregate collection of produce and create market links for better prices under the Companies Act of 2013, CSA and the cooperative society saw this as an opportunity. Establishing an FPO also helps gain financial support from the government. Thus, in 2014, all the farmers’ groups under the cooperative society registered themselves as organic FPOs, and the society at the helm as Sahaja Aharam Producer Company Limited, a unique “federation” of organic FPOs. That was the year when Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh. But Sahaja Aharam continued its operation as a federation with FPOs from both the states. Today, as many as 23 organic FPOS with over 9,000 farmers across 180 villages are part the federation. The groups are spread over the southern plateau and hills of Andhra Pradesh, as well as the north, central and southern parts of Telangana. The farmers grow paddy, cereals, oilseeds, pulses, fruits, vegetables and spices. To obtain membership, FPOs buy equity in the federation. A board of five directors coordinates operations at the federation level along with the heads of the FPOs and support from CSA. Market is key Since inception, Sahaja Aharam has realised that there is a growing market for organic produce that can help farmers earn more. So it provides marketing and retail support for certified organic produce. Some of its member-FPOs, though, market both conventional and organic produce. The federation also encourages and helps farmers to obtain organic certification and trains them on cultivation of specific crops; weed, pest and disease management; and preparation of organic and biological inputs. Some farmers are also trained in poultry and livestock farming. Venkat Reddy from Kallem village in Jangaon district, Telangana, who has converted 1.2 hectares (ha) of his 6.07 ha farm to organic, said, “There was an initial loss in paddy yield after the shift, but the cost has reduced from Rs 25,000 per 0.4 ha to Rs 15,000. Currently, I grow organic paddy for my own consumption. But after seeing other farmers get 10-15 per cent more income from this variety, I plan to bring in more area under it.” Regenerative or chemical-free cultivation has helped improve the local environmental conditions as well. Enabavi village in Telangana’s Hanamkoda district, which declared itself as the first organic village in the region in 2006 is now entirely free of pesticides, fertilisers and genetically modified crops. All 52 farmer families of the village have shifted 110 ha to regenerative agriculture by composting organic waste, using cow dung manure and pest-trapping crops and harvesting water. “This has led to a rise in soil fertility,” said GV Ramanjaneyulu, executive director of CSA. With more farmers trying to benefit from regenerative agriculture, the federation is focused on helping its members gain a better market share. For this, it plans production strategies with its FPOs. It apprises them of trends in organic produce, sales figures and rates from the previous years. “Unlike traditional FPOs, a lot of effort and business insight goes into production planning,” said Prasanna T P, chief executive of Sahaja Aharam. Further, to ensure quality, the federation tests 1 per cent of total produce for chemical pesticide residue. “Sahaja Aharam buys my produce at 10-15 per cent higher price than the market,” said Vekanna Reddy, a farmer from Mulang village, Siddipet district, Telangana. The federation buys cereals, millets, pulses, vegetables and oilseeds at 10 per cent higher prices, which can increase based on quality. For paddy, rates can go higher. The federation sells raw and processed products, which include food items, cosmetics and other non-food products. Some 45 per cent of the product range consists of organic fruits and vegetables. To set market prices, Sahaja Aharam follows two criteria. First, the farmers’ share in the price must either be 50 per cent over the cost of cultivation, 12-15 per cent above the local market or 50 per cent of the average price in the previous year, whichever is highest. For instance, it procures paddy crop from farmers at Rs 42 per kg and sells it for Rs 80 — cultivators earn more than half the retail price. Farmers are paid in two tranches, once during procurement and then after sale of products. Second, to remain competitive, prices fixed by the federation are merely 15-20 per cent higher than those for conventional produce, but lower in comparison to those of some other organic players, particularly for pulses, groundnut oil and spices. Some 15 per cent of the price funds the federation’s operations. For sales, the federation has expanded the retail stores. It now has two stores in Secunderabad and one each in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam. Stores in Hyderabad and Secunderabad sell online as well. Their vans still operate in Hyderabad. Sahaja Aharam also sells unlabelled produce in bulk to 110 aggregators. Currently, 55 per cent of sales are to bulk aggregators, 43 per cent through retail stores and 2 per cent online. Turnover has increased multifold over the last few years, from Rs 90.3 lakh 2018-19 to some Rs 2.61 crore in 2021-22. Game-changer The federation’s efforts to increase farm incomes go beyond market access. “It has helped me re-learn sustainable farming techniques to increase yield. Earlier I used to earn Rs 29,600 per kg from paddy, now I earn Rs 33,000,” Krishan, a farmer from Jeedikal village in Jangaon district, who practices organic farming in his entire 2.8 ha, said. “I can save 50 per cent of cultivation costs, around Rs 10,000, by using organic inputs that I make,” he added. The federation encourages farmers to grow traditional and new crops, based on water requirement, pest resistance, yield and market preferences. It also enables knowledge exchange and peer learning. Further, it has introduced a mobile application called Pestoscope and set up surveillance centres in villages, and shares weather predictions from the India Meteorological Department and states. Sahaja Aharam also introduced an enterprise resource planning tool in 2018, developed by CSA, to manage production, finances, warehousing, sales and data analysis. To diversify incomes and provide more livelihood opportunities, the federation has set up “food hubs” at six districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for storage and processing. It is also diversifying its product range to include ready-to-eat and non-food products. The federation provides several lessons on hand-holding support, storage, processing and marketing, however, like other FPOs in the country, it faces challenges such as poor financial support and lack of skilled humanpower. Addressing these hurdles will help it grow better. Source: https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/organic-takeover-how-10-000-farmers-of-telangana-andhra-are-steering-a-silent-movement-84503

• Rural Water-Waste Management

Why Mass Gatherings, Like The Kanwar Yatra, Could Cause Episodic Pollution

Mass gatherings, without adequate waste management infrastructure, can end up polluting water, land or the air, and have harmful impacts on human health and the area's ecology Haridwar: "My daughter and husband had an upset stomach and not even once did we find a toilet to use," said Annu Devi, a resident of Meerut who was one of the 40 million Kanwar pilgrims who came to Haridwar this year in July. "All of us have no other option than defecating in the open." With the 12-day long Kanwar Yatra (journey), when devotees of Lord Shiva from across the country, especially north India, take a trip to the Ganges, Haridwar becomes home to several million Kanwariyas, as the pilgrims on the journey are known. The number of pilgrims is higher on Mondays, the day considered the most pious by devotees of Shiva. The Kanwar Yatra took place this year from July 14 to July 26. Advertisement Because of a lack of infrastructure to handle the excess waste generated by the visitors, festivals such as these cause what is known as 'episodic pollution'. This usually happens because of mass gatherings that end up creating untreated waste, which pollutes the land, air or water, and impacts people's health, and the area's ecology. There is evidence of episodic pollution from mass gatherings like the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and in Nashik in 2003, polluting river and land, and the excessive bursting of firecrackers during Diwali polluting air. Better planning, management and facilities in the city for waste disposal can help in coping with episodic pollution, say experts. 4,200 toilets for 3 million pilgrims The 2,525 km long Ganga rises in the western Himalayas in Uttarakhand, flowing southeast through the gangetic plains of north India into Bangladesh, emptying into the Bay of Bengal. Following the Amazon and the Congo, Ganga is the third largest river of the world, by discharge. Over 450 million people live in the Ganges River basin, and human waste is the cause of most of the pollution of the river. As of 2019, 122 million litres of sewage a day was produced from the district of Hardiwar, including Roorkee, and all sewage treatment plants were working at full capacity, as per a report by the G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment. During the Kanwar Yatra, with the river Ganga at its centre, people, mainly from the north Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, travel to Haridwar to bathe in the river. They also take the Ganga Jal, the river's water--considered holy--back home, filled in plastic containers, which come in all sizes from 250 ml to 5 litres. This happens through the Hindi month of Saawan which is believed to bring the monsoon, overlapping with July and August. Haridwar witnesses episodic pollution every year due to the Kanwar Yatra with the arrival of around 20-30 million pilgrims who stay in the city for at least 24 hours, said Vijay Verma, the director of Haridwar-based JP Health and Research Institute that researches on Ayurveda, allopathy and the environment. "Apart from 1,360 permanent (Nagar Nigam and Sulabh) toilets, we had installed 2,840 mobile toilets this year which came with two tankers each from the sewer department so that the waste could be sucked constantly," said Haridwar's District Magistrate, Vinay Shankar Pandey. Pandey put the number of pilgrims at 40 million or, an average of 3 million a day. That means 3 million pilgrims had just 4,200 toilets between them. As a result, all of the 10 pilgrims IndiaSpend spoke to said they had to defecate in the open as they were not able to find any toilet. "2019 recorded 3 crore (30 million) pilgrims during the Kanwar yatra in Haridwar who stayed in a very compact area of around 5 kilometres radius of the city," said Verma. "The entire area is used not just to be lived in but also defecation and urination around Ganga." The presence of chemicals and microorganisms in Ganga river water varied at different sampling sites. A study, published in the Archives of Agriculture and Environmental Science in 2018, looked at samples from Har ki Pauri, Vishnu Ghat, Daksh Mandir, Pul Jatwara and the Bhimgoda Barra after the celebration of the Kanwar Mela in 2017. It concluded: "mass bathing and religious activities greatly influenced the water quality of River Ganga." This study adds that the pH of river water increases, likely due to the usage of detergents used by the pilgrims to bathe and wash clothes in the river as bathrooms are not usually accessible. There is a larger presence of faecal coliform or bacteria present in human excreta, in the water during the Kanwar Yatra, the study said. Verma has been observing the Kanwar Yatra in the city for over three decades. He says, "most of the visitors are between the ages of 20 and 35, who go all the way to Gomukh [source of the Bhagirathi, one of the main streams of the Ganga] resulting in its pollution as well." The Pathri power house [where the waste is filtered and treated] in Haridwar sees tons of waste in the river post the Kanwar Yatra which includes submerged plastic and religious waste. This not only harms aquatic animals but also impacts Rajaji National Park, home to many endangered birds, Verma said. Because of the waste, the Ph level of water fluctuates, and its temperature changes, which impacts aquatic life. Plastic containers of all sizes being sold at the ghat in Haridwar for pilgrims to carry back the water of the Ganga, July 20. Pollutants after mass gatherings include anti-inflammatory and common antibiotics, caffeine and antibacterial medicines. Once pharmaceutical residues enter water and soil, they also become incorporated into plants grown in these soils or waters. This has been reported in cabbage, cucumber, corn, carrot, lettuce and green onion in experimental studies. Amongst other pollutants, the overall concentration of polypropylene copolymer (PPCP), a plastic, also increased. This could be a result of mass bathing, urban waste, effluent from domestic sewage treatment plants and effluent treatment plants of the nearby industrial area, the researchers wrote. Episodic pollution worsens the situation. Take for instance, the Prayagraj Kumbh in 2019, which had over 122,000 eco-toilets, as per a paper by Delhi Technical University, published in April 2020. In 2019, the waste generated during the 55-day long Kumbh was about 18 times more than what the district produces daily. The existing sewage treatment capacity of the district at about 254 million litres per day was not able to treat even half of the generated waste at that time, the Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment had said. Overburdening an already inadequate waste management system One Monday morning, there was a knock at the door and when I went to open it, a group of four men insisted that I let them in so that they could use the toilet, says Anil Chauhan, a resident in the Paudi area of Haridwar. "I got scared at first, then let them in to avoid any sort of violence or ruckus." Due to a lack of public toilets, pilgrims either need to knock on doors or urinate and defecate in the open. And this in the backdrop of a sewage treatment system that is inadequate for even the city's regular population. Even on a usual day, without the influx of pilgrims, nearly 19% of the plastic waste generated in Haridwar is mismanaged, which means it is either leaked on land, water or burnt, as per a 2020 report from the International Forum for Environment, Sustainability and Technology (iFOREST). "Episodic pollution could be managed only by limiting the daily arrival of pilgrims in the city and ensuring a proper arrangement and management for the waste they leave behind," said Ravi Chopda, director of People's Science Institute, Dehradun.

• Urban Lab

Three cities logged high air pollution in summer, finds data

Kochi: Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram —three main cities in the state— are among the eight in south India that showed an increasing trend in summer air pollution, says an analysis using data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The analysis of summer air quality was done as part of the air quality tracker initiative of the Urban Lab at the Delhi-based environmental think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Summer from March 1 to May 31 were used for the analysis, as rains had set in during June in several regions. Interestingly, rise in pollution levels in the state was amidst good summer rains during April-May. As the availability of real-time air quality data has improved in several regions with the expansion of air quality monitoring systems, it has become possible to assess regional differences and understand unique regional trends, the study said. In all three cities, the summer average and peak increased compared to the previous summer. Kozhikode saw a jump of 76% in the summer average and a 17% increase in peak. Kochi has the most divergent trend with a 55% increase in the summer average, but its peak increased by 145%. Other cities with an increasing trend are Madikeri, Bengaluru, Puducherry, Amravati and Chikkaballapur. Kollam and Kannur are among the five cities that showed a declining trend in air pollution. In sharp contrast, Hyderabad, with a summer average of 47 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³), and Bengaluru, with 40 µg/m³, showed the highest pollution in the south. The summer of 2022 was not only unusually hot, but also uncharacteristically high in particulate pollution, especially in north India. High PM 2.5 levels were observed across multiple cities and regions, and pollution was not confined to a few megacities or a specific region — it is a widespread national problem. “This analysis identifies the unique patterns of pollution across all regions and puts a spotlight on a large number of towns and cities that do not get policy attention. Summer particulate pollution spikes due to arid conditions, high heat and temperature, and more airborne dust particles that travel long distances compounding the problem from local sources,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE.

• Sustainable Food Systems

ORGANIC TAKEOVER: HOW 10,000 FARMERS OF TELANGANA, ANDHRA ARE STEERING A SILENT MOVEMENT

-Down to Earth A federation of farmer-producer organisations has tapped into the growing organic market to help members raise incomes Catering directly to the consumers’ needs assures better marketability and incomes. This is what nearly 10,000 farmers of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have realised over the past decade and are now steering a silent organic movement. It all began in 2009, when a group of consumers in Hyderabad, then part of unified Andhra Pradesh, established a cooperative society to source chemical-free produce directly from farmers. Operating under the guidance of the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (CSA), a Hyderabad-based research non-profit, the cooperative society over a period of time roped in a few farmers and began to sell the produce through a farmer-run retail store in Secunderabad and mobile retail vans that travelled to urban areas. Down to Earth, https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/agriculture/organic-takeover-how-10-000-farmers-of-telangana-andhra-are-steering-a-silent-movement-84503?fbclid=IwAR338TM5O3ebQeiATPOCylvdi7_rfdrUiN4Rhtqltnp2z2ggr7UUR2bi7NM

• Urban Lab

Hubballi, Bengaluru most-polluted cities during summer, says study

HUBBALLI: Bengaluru and Hubballi were the two most-polluted cities in south India the previous summer. Vijayapura is the least-polluted city, while Mangaluru has registered a declining trend in both summer average and peak compared to the previous summer. A study conducted by the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has revealed that smaller cities are becoming pollution hotspots than mega cities. CSE has said that the data was collected from Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) official portal, and Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. "The data has been captured from 356 official stations under the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) spread across 174 cities in 26 states and Union Territories," it added. As Karnataka has 23 real-time stations, city-wide average is used for analysis, and 39 cities of south India were chosen for the study. Most polluted city in the region was Hyderabad with summer average of 47 g/m³ followed by Bengaluru and Hubballi with 40 g/m³. Hubballi has registered peak with 76 g/m³ while Bengaluru's peak summer pollution is 63 g/m³. Along with Gummidipoondi in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka's Vijayapura has recorded the lowest summer average in the south India. Madikeri, Bengaluru and Chikkaballapura have been identified among eight cities in the region that have shown increasing trend - that is, both summer average and peak have increased compared to their previous summer. Hubballi and Yadgir have been identified among six cities in the region that show mixed trend in their summer average and peak pollution level compared to the previous summer. Mangaluru is one among five cities in the region that has shown declining trend in both summer average and peak decreased compared to its previous summer. It has shown the most divergent trend with a decline in peak average by 73%, and summer average decline by 31%. Vaman Acharya, former chairman of Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, said there are mainly three reasons fort the summer pollution to increase in smaller cities. "Though they are not industrialised in a big way, construction works like road doubling are causing dust. The number of trees is decreasing compared to tier-1 cities. Construction waste from old buildings' demolition is not being disposed properly. So there is a need to tackle the issue on a priority."

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Kolkata focus now on car-centric transit: Experts

KOLKATA: While private buses have steadily gone off roads, the city has witnessed a steeper rise in personal vehicles compared to pre-Covid years. This year, over 9,000 cars have been registered with the PVD Kolkata till July 31. By contrast, the entire pre-Covid year of 2019 saw 11,633 car registrations. In the two-wheeler category, too, this year's registration figures look set to beat pre-pandemic numbers. Till July 31, 11,712 two-wheelers have been registered in the city, while the figure in all of 2019 was 19,391. "These are signs of a weakening of the public transport system, which received a blow during the pandemic," said transport expert Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment. Traffic and transport planning experts feel the city's focus has shifted from mass transit to a car-centric transit policy. "We have built elevated corridors, which eat into the carriageway. They mainly serve the car population. Thus, we are actually encouraging cars and discouraging the bus system, which has been the backbone of the city's transport," said Ajay Das, former chief of traffic and transportation planning directorate. Sharif Qamar, convener, Centre for Sustainable Mobility, TERI, said, "In an over-populated city like Kolkata, we need more mass transit systems which facilitate dispersal of a large volume of commuters in one go. More cars mean more congestion and pollution."

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Noida Supertech towers' debris a risk to nearby buildings, may cause pollution, say experts

Experts say waste left behind in the basement will pose a serious threat to the environment and nearby residents and should be immediately transported to recycling plants or sent to construction sites for reuse The Supertech twin towers took nine seconds to vanish from the Noida skyline, but the mountain of rubble they left behind would take months to clear and is likely to pose a hazard to building structures nearby and add to air pollution. The Apex and Ceyane towers in Emerald Court in Noida’s Sector 93A on August 28 became the highest buildings to be demolished in India, a little over a year after the Supreme Court ordered them razed for illegal construction. Approximately 35,000 cubic metres of rubble would be left behind after the demolition, according to calculations made by project officials. As per the plan, the basements of the towers would house a big chunk of the debris, while the remainder would be transported to a remote area of Noida and processed scientifically. Experts, however, have flagged concerns over construction and demolition (C&D) waste created by the demolition. The Noida planning authority states that 21,000 cubic metres of debris will be transported to and dumped in a remote area within the city's Work Circle 7 boundaries. According to reports, the identified area is six hectares in size. The remaining waste will be buried/stored in a pit dug at the twin tower site. This implies that approximately 1,200 to 1,300 "truckloads" of debris would be removed from the site. Also read: Noida Supertech buildings razed. What happens to the homebuyers now? Experts raise concerns Rajesh K, a C&D waste demolisher in Bengaluru said, "The plans for C&D waste in Supertech demolition seem ambiguous and vague. The recycling plant in Noida has a capacity of 300 tonne per day and it will take almost three months to recycle the waste carried to the plant." Twin towers graphic According to a 2016 notification by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), every state to set up C&D waste recycling plants in all cities with a population of more than 10 lakh. Rajesh said the waste left behind in the basement will pose serious threats to the environment and nearby residents. "When we leave the waste in the basement, there are chances of water seeping into the holes created by the explosion leading to water accumulation. This may affect the stability in the soil around the site, weakening the building structures nearby," he added. Experts also said that the rubble from the demolition is in large chunks and needs to be cut into smaller pieces for transportation to recycling plants. "This will happen over the next three months, and may add to the air pollution as we will be adding fine particulate matter into the air," Rajesh said. "At this moment, some parts will be taken to the recycling plant. Now, we have to ensure what has been taken to the recycling site should be quickly turned back into recycled materials to minimise the impact on carbon footprint," Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Centre for Science and Environment said. The waterlogging at the cavity area may have several impacts including pollution of groundwater, she said. "The debris will contain several toxic chemicals due to the explosives, and when water percolates into the water table below, it may carry chemicals with it," she added. "We need to understand if the builder has a clear plan to take the debris away from the site. As of now, their strategies are unclear, she said. Also read: Noida twin towers demolition: Timeline of key events Debris clearance Experts said while there are rules about recycling building waste, most of the time it is dumped in landfills or on city outskirts. "This problem is prevalent across the country," Akash Vashisht, an environmental lawyer, said, adding the damage it does to the environment is equivalent to that wrought by plastic or other forms of waste. "After the demolition, we have to segregate the waste into different components like steel, soil, etc and transport them for recycling. It is an opportunity for local authorities to show the best practices of implementing C&D waste management rules," he said. Also read: Twin tower demolition 'largely successful'; residents can return after 6.30 pm: Noida CEO Past demolitions Rajesh said Edifice Engineering, the Mumbai-based firm that carried out the Supertech demolitions, has done two major demolitions in the past, one in Kochi and another in Bengaluru two months back. "In the case of apartments in Maradu, Kochi, Edifice has removed the steel and left behind the debris for months that led to several National Green Tribunal cases," he said. Also read: Twin towers demolition: Supertech says it lost Rs 500 crore In 2021, the Kerala State Pollution Control Board said, the Maradu municipality has not yet provided facilities following the requirements of the Solid Waste Management and Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016. "In the case of Bengaluru, the recent demolition of floors at Raheja building in Koramangala, we did not get a single truckload of construction waste," he added. Other environmental experts in Bengaluru add nobody knows where the construction debris was sent.

• Sustainable Food Systems

Catalyzing action in states to combat antimicrobial resistance

Recognizing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as a key threat to global health, food security, and development, the WHO Country Office for India and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) organized a workshop to trigger action on developing and implementing state action plans for the containment of AMR (SAPCAR) from 8–10 August 2022 at Neemli in the state of Rajasthan. Speaking at the event, WHO Representative to India Dr Roderico Ofrin called attention to the need for bridging silos between sectors through sharing information, best practices and collaborating on sector-specific activities. Effective strategies to combat AMR necessitates adoption of “one health” – a collaborative, multisectoral and transdisciplinary approach – which recognizes the interlinkages between humans, animals, plants and the environment as well as the need to work cohesively at the local, regional, national and global levels. About 77 participants from 19 states and union territories including experts from environment, livestock, fisheries, crops, and food sectors attended the event to discuss way forward. India’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance (NAP-AMR) and the Delhi Declaration on AMR launched by Union Ministers for Health and Family Welfare, Environment, and Food, underscore the political commitment to tackle AMR. The NAP-AMR envisages the development of SAPCAR since human health, animal health, agriculture, fisheries, water, and sanitation are all state subjects under the Indian constitution. In addition to death, disability, AMR results in longer hospital stays and financial hardship for those impacted. The cost to the economy too is quite significant. In 2019, bacterial AMR infections caused nearly 1.3 million deaths globally and played a role in 5 million deaths. By 2050, India is expected to have two million deaths every year due to AMR. An intersectoral collaboration and action at the state level will be critical for AMR containment. Currently, only three states have formally launched their SAPCAR – Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The workshop will serve in expediting the roll-out of state action plans on AMR and addressing challenges that need to be understood and addressed for effective implementation at the sub-national levels.

• Urban Lab

नोएडा ट्विन टावर के गिरने से सता रही प्रदूषण की चिंता, CSE एक्सपर्ट बोले- दिल्ली-NCR में लंबे समय तक रहेगा असर

नोएडा स्थित सुपरटेक ट्विन टावरों को 28 अगस्त को गिरा दिया जाएगा। इन टावरों को विस्फोटक की मदद से ध्वस्त किया जाएगा। इन दोनों टावरों को गिराने से होने वाले कंपन और प्रदूषण को लेकर लोगों के बीच चिंता बढ़ गई है। एक तरफ जहां इस टावर के पड़ोस में रहने वाले लोगों को अपने घर को नुकसान पहुंचने का खतरा मंडरा रहा है तो दूसरी तरफ प्रदूषण का खतरा भी सता रहा है। टावर को गिराए जाने से भारी मात्रा में धूल और मिट्टी प्रदूषण फैलाएगी। लिहाजा आस-पास रहने वाले लोगों को काफी मुश्किल का सामना करना पड़ सकता है। वहीं पर्यावरण के एक्सपर्ट का मानना है कि यह धूल-मिट्टी एक दिन के लिए नहीं रहेगी बल्कि इससे वायु में पैदा हुआ वायु प्रदूषण कई दिनों तक लोगों को परेशान करेगा। लोगों को कई तरह की मुश्किलें हो सकती हैं। इसका असर पूरे दिल्ली और एनसीआर में देखने को मिलेगा और प्रदूषण का स्तर बढ़ सकता है। 4 सितंबर तक का समय बता दें कि इन टावरों को ध्वस्त किए जाने को कई बार चुनौती दी गई। लेकिन 12 अगस्त को सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने टावर को ध्वस्त करने की इजाजत दे दी। कोर्ट के आदेश के बाद 28 अगस्त को दोपहर 2.30 बजे इन टावरों को गिरा दिया जाएगा। अगर किसी भी तरह की तकनीकी दिक्कत आती है या फिर मौसम सही नहीं रहता है तो सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने इसके लिए 4 सितंबर तक का समय दिया है। देश की सबसे ऊंची इमारत हो रही ध्वस्त बिल्डिंग को ध्वस्त किए जाने की प्रक्रिया नियंत्रिण परिस्थितियों में की जाएगी। लेकिन बावजूद इसके पर्यावरण को लेकर चिंता बनी हुई है। सबसे बड़ी चिंता यूपी प्रदूषण नियंत्रमण बोर्ड ने जाहिर की है। बिल्डिंग में ब्लास्ट के बाद इसके गिरने से आसमान में उठने वाला धुंआ हवा की गुणवत्ता को खराब कर सकता है। माना जा रहा है कि इसकी वजह से पीएम10 कई दिनों तक बढ़ा रहेगा। पीएम 2-5 भी प्रभावित होगा। बता दें कि ट्विन टॉवर कुतुब मीनार से भी ऊंचे हैं और भारत की सबसे ऊंची इमारत है जिसे ध्वस्त किया जाएगा। आस-पास के लोगों को होगी दिक्कत Ads by एक्सपर्ट ने धूल, धुंआ और वायु प्रदूषण को लेकर सबसे अधिक चिंता जाहिर की है। इसकी वजह से आस-पास रहने वाले लोगों के स्वास्थ्य पर असर पड़ सकता है। लोगों की आंख में खुजली हो सकती है, नाक में भी खुजली हो सकती है। अस्थमा से पीड़ित लोगों को ज्यादा दिक्कत होगी। आईआईटी कानपुर के सिविल इंजीनियरिंग के वरिष्ठ प्रोफेसर डॉक्टर सच्चिदानंद ने कहा कि यह बड़े स्तर का ध्वस्तिकरण है, लेकिन मुझे नहीं लगता है कि इसके लंबे प्रभाव होंगे। मुझे संदेह है कि यह हफ्ते से ज्यादा नहीं रहेगा।