Cse In News

Urban Lab

Delhi hotspot of pollution, finds report

NEW DELHI: Battered by heatwaves and high Particulate Matter (PM) concentration, Delhi-NCR emerged as a major pollution hotspot in North India this summer, a time of the year, which usually does not see high pollution levels, said a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report on Wednesday which was based on a nationwide assessment of summer pollution. Summer this year was not only unusually hot but also uncharacteristically high on particulate pollution, especially in North India. High PM 2.5 levels were observed not just in megacities but in smaller towns and cities as well, said the report. According to the report, North India was the most polluted with Delhi -NCR being the hotspot. Within the NCR, Bhiwadi in Rajasthan reported the highest PM 2.5 average of 134 µg/m³. This was followed by Manesar (119 µg/m³), Ghaziabad (101 µg/m³), Delhi (97 µg/m³), Gurugram (94 µg/m³) and Noida (80 µg/m³), the report states. “The PM2.5 average of NCR region is almost three times the average of the cities in southern India,” it said. The findings have emerged from the analysis of summer air quality undertaken as part of the air quality tracker initiative of the Urban Lab at CSE. However, daily peak pollution levels were found to be the highest in east India 168ug/m3, with cities of Bihar recording the highest levels. North India with 142 µg/m³ summer peak was the second worst in the country. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager at the Urban Lab, said that average pollution this summer is higher than the previous summer. North India has recorded a staggering 23% increase in seasonal PM2.5 levels compared to the previous summer based on an average of cities that have valid daily PM2.5 concentration data of both summers (1 March to 31 May). “Within the region, NCR was the worst performing sub-region with 25.8% increase in seasonal PM2.5 level. Central India registered increase of 15.6% while West India (4.2%) and East India (1.8%) registered increase under 5%,” it said. High summer pollution is a result of a combination of pollution from vehicles, industry, power plants, waste burning, and dust sources and wind-blown dust, aggravated by heat and arid conditions. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of CSE, said, “Due to heat conditions and growing desertification, summer months usually see high dust impacts. The dust is also a carrier of toxic substances from combustion sources including vehicles, industry, power plants etc. This requires significant tightening of action to control emissions from each pollution source as well as massive efforts to combat desertification, improve soil stabilisation, green-walling through afforestation, and reduce the heat island effect in cities,” she said.

Down To Earth

Remembering Anil Agarwal : The visionary environmentalist who predicted our future

A tribute to one of the pioneers who looked into the future and predicted the environmental mess we find ourselves in today. Also extracts from three remarkable obituaries published in 2002 When Anil passed away in the year 2002, he left behind a void which has been difficult to fill. But he also left behind a vision, and he injected in all of us that same incredible passion and drive which he was known for. ADVERTISING Today, as we receive yet another applause for all that he and CSE have stood for and continue standing for, we cannot but feel proud that we were led by someone like him in our formative years. Anil Agarwal, the founder-director of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), was a man unmatched for the sheer fire in his belly, and for his commitment. Anil had graduated as an engineer from one of India's leading engineering colleges in 1970 but gave up a promising technical career to become a science journalist. In 1974, as a science correspondent in New Delhi with Hindustan Times, one of the country's leading dailies, Anil discovered India's most evocative environmental movement -- Chipko. His story was the first reportage on a people's movement to protect the environment, in India or probably anywhere else in the developing world. In 1980, he founded CSE, one of India's first environmental NGOs to analyse and study the relationship between environment and development and also to create public consciousness about the need for sustainable development. In 1982, the Centre -- under his guidance -- published the pioneering Citizens' Report on the State of India's Environment, which provided the first-of-its-kind overview of the level of environmental degradation in the country and its impact on the people of India. The publication of the second Citizens' Report in 1985 caught the eye of the then Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi, who asked Anil to address his Councilof Ministers, a rare invitation for an Indian writer. In 1992, Anil launched Down To Earth, the fortnightly newsmagazine on science, environment and development. Five years later, in 1997, came his exhaustive study on traditional water harvesting systems of India -- Dying Wisdom - which went on to become one of most acclaimed and respected works on the subject. For Anil, life began and ended with work. When you think back, it is truly amazing how much he managed to do in the years as he battled cancer. I remember when we first found out that he had a rare and possibly fatal lymphoma, which had spread to his brain, his spine and his eyes, his only response was, "Is there a possible treatment?" He took the horrendous chemotherapy so calmly that being with him, you would think it was a simple stomach pain. Knowledge was his biggest passion and he never assumed that he had learnt all there was to know. This, to me, is his most endearing message. Till the end he listened to people, travelled and read, as if he was a cub reporter. It is because of this, his intellectual legacy is enormously rich. In the 1980s the fledgling environmental movement got its basis as he established the need for poor countries to be concerned about the environment. Environment for the poor was not a luxury but a matter of survival, he wrote. He conceptualised the alternative economic paradigm of the poor, arguing that the rural poor lived within what he called, "the biomass-based subsistence economy". That is, they lived on the environment as all their basic survival needs, from food to firewood, was collected and used. He mocked our economists who measured welfare in terms of the Gross National Product and demanded instead that poverty should be measured in terms of Gross Natural Product and indicators like the number of hours it takes women to collect water or firewood, should be used to calculate the improvements in our economy. Today, all this is common knowledge. But for someone who has journeyed with him, I know how difficult each step was. In the late 1980s we wrote a book, Towards Green Villages, which outlined how rural regeneration was more to do with decentralisation and devolution of power than with planting trees or smokeless stoves (which were in fashion then). Again, this is well accepted today. But as our correspondence over this publication will reveal, many people disagreed with us, and violently. Every period of his life was a new chapter of discovery. Our book, forced us to fight the most powerful research institutions of the industrialised world. The campaign on air pollution made us take on the powerful automobile industry. But Anil never ever let us, even for one moment, feel that we were less powerful. This is because his faith in democracy was total. As long as we were absolutely sure about our facts, we could challenge the world. "If we have good knowledge and we have social capital -- friends and experts willing to cooperate with us -- we can work Indian democracy," was what he said again and again to us. For Anil, democracy was not a "good idea" to paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi in the current context of Indian politics, it was his way of life. It is because of this belief that Anil was able to find the balance in the challenge: markets were important as much as participatory democracy at the village level. Anil was honoured with the Padma Shri and the Padma Bhushan, two of the nation's highest civilian awards, by the Government of India. Anil chaired the Environment Liaison Centre — the world's largest network of environmental NGOs based in Nairobi (Kenya). In 1987, the United Nations Environment Programme elected him to its Global 500 Honour Roll. Anil spent considerable travelling to various parts of rural India to document community-based environmental regeneration efforts in villages. His reportage and writings helped Indian policy-makers understand the importance of involving people in environmental conservation and natural resource management. Anil also had a deep interest in the management of pollution, especially air pollution, and the threat that environmental change poses to public health. At the global level, he argued for equitable arrangements in dealing with the global warming problem. "Forensic rigour combined with passion" was how a leading journalist from the UK described CSE's work. This was Anil's key quality and what he has left behind for us to emulate. His last many years went in building up two campaigns — to push for community involvement in water management and to clean up Delhi's air. My last memory of him — barely minutes before he died — was Anil correcting me about something I was saying to a journalist on the phone about the report of the Mashelkar Committee on the auto fuel policy. I will miss his guidance. His presence. But I know he will remain with us to keep us on our toes. To keep the fire burning. For readers of Down To Earth we have a particular promise. It was Anil's dream to start a science and environment newsmagazine. He wrote in its inaugural issue: "Down To Earth is not the product of a desire to capture a share of the information market. It is the product of a need that we feel within us, a desire to fill a critical information gap." He worked very hard to bring to you his knowledge and his passion. We will try and keep up the same. We are all clear we can never replace Anil. But we will do our best to be his foot soldiers. Down To Earth will continue to be Anil's strident voice of reason. Today and forever. LOOKING BACK: 2002 ( Extracts from some of the obituaries published in 2002) Tony Juniper in The Guardian Anil Agarwal, who has died aged 54 of cancer, was one of the world's most important environmentalists, campaigning from a developing country — India — at a when many of the international debates around sustainable development were dominated by the west. He established one of his country's most dynamic non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and broadened its campaigning to embrace development and social justice questions. A pioneer who recognised the futility of trading off the needs of people and the environment against each other, he realised that both had to be protected simultaneously. In this respect, he was one of the first campaigners to talk about what became known as sustainable development. In some respects, that shift in thinking mirrored Agarwal's personal journey. In 1986, he had advised Rajiv Gandhi's council of ministers that it should prioritise rural environmental issues because it was forest and soil degradation that affected the lives of poor Indians. He was to later regret giving this steer to the policymakers, as the effects of western-style development became increasingly apparent in the soaring pollution levels that caused misery to millions of India's city-dwellers. During the preparatory meetings leading to the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Agarwal emerged as one of the leading NGO advocates for a fairer world order. Critical of western governments, their giant corporations and the economic philosophy they stood for, he helped shape a new movement that today regards fundamental changes to capitalism and the economic relations between countries as a prerequisite for environmental security. He sought to convince India and other developing countries that following the western development model would prove costly and dangerous. He believed that one of the greatest dangers facing India was its failure to learn from the mistakes of the West. David Dickson in NATURE There can't be many science journalists who, having described the government of their country as a “persistent pest” in need of a “truly deadly pesticide”, have been praised at their death by both the president and prime minister of that country as a national hero. But Anil Agarwal, whose death on 2 January at the age of 54 ended a long fight against cancer, was no ordinary science journalist. A passionate and articulate campaigner for environmental justice, embracing issues ranging from water quality in rural India to the need for global controls on carbon emissions to limit climate change, Agarwal won respect from friends and enemies alike. Agarwal spearheaded the creation of a new form of activism. It was based on a commitment to sound scientific knowledge, combined with the idea that worries about the natural environment, and its destruction by the by-products of modern technologies, is not just a luxury of the industrialized world, but a major concern to the poor of developing countries too. This idea is commonplace today, and forms the cornerstone of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Amita Baviskar in Frontline Agarwal's skill in mounting sustained and hard-hitting environmental campaigns is best exemplified in his work against vehicular pollution. The CSE's 1996 study report titled Slow Murder showed Agarwal at his best, brilliantly dissecting the problem, assigning responsibility and not hesitating to name names. The CSE pointed out how petroleum refineries, automobile manufacturers and regulatory authorities, as well as skewed transport priorities, have variously contributed to the poisoning of air in metropolitan India. Its analysis was followed by a concerted media campaign which precipitated a series of events that finally led to the Supreme Court's orders regarding the phasing out and conversion of polluting vehicles in Delhi. The masterly use of evidence in the study embarrassed several corporate firms into cleaning up their act, at least on the surface. While air quality has improved in the national capital thanks in part to Agarwal's initiative, the controversy over whether compressed natural gas (CNG) is the best alternative fuel rages on after the demise of its leading votary. Agarwal will also be remembered for his compelling intervention in the international debate on climate change. He called the negotiation a case of 'environmental colonialism' that refused to recognise the huge disparity between the North and the South in the consumption of resources, and which nations bore primary responsibility for global warming. The politics of production and consumption, both global and local, was a key theme in Agarwal's work. By identifying unexplored environmental problems and addressing them cogently, he set the agenda for all environmental NGOs involved in research and awareness-building. His opus, and that of the CSE, has inspired and informed an entire generation of environmentalists.

Down To Earth

Dr Tara Bedi calls for ending child labour by 2025

Penukonda (Sathya Sai): Development Economist of UN Projects Dr Tara Bedi stated that the all world leaders agreed to build a greener, fairer, better world by 2030 and India will play a crucial role in achieving it. Talking to The Hans India as part of her visit to 'Young India' project in Penukonda, Bedi said India has slipped three spots from last year's 117 to rank 120 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals adopted as part of 2030 agenda by 192 United Nations member states. With the latest rankings, India is now behind all south Asian nations except Pakistan, which stands at 129. The south Asian countries ahead of India are Bhutan ranked 75, Sri Lanka 87, Nepal 96 and Bangladesh 109. According to the Centre for Science and Environment's State of India's Environment Report 2022, she said that India's rank dropped primarily because of major challenges in 11 SDGs including zero hunger, good health and wellbeing, gender equality and sustainable cities and communities. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and planet, now and into the future. At its heart are the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. They recognise that ending poverty and other deprivations must go hand-in-hand with strategies that improve health and education, reduce inequality and spur economic growth – all while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests. It also includes, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, peace, justice and strong institutions and lastly strengthening global partnerships for the goals. If we promote job creation with expanded access to banking and financial services, we can make sure that everybody gets the benefits of entrepreneurship and innovation, she added. Governments, she felt should take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of worst forms of child labour by 2025 end in all its forms.

Water Programme

दुनिया में सबसे ज्‍यादा भूजल उपयोग करने वाला भारत.. कैसे निपट रहा है गिरते जलस्तर से

भारत दुनिया के उन चंद देशों में से है, जिसे पानी खूब मिला है. यहां करीब 9 नदियों का व्यापक तंत्र है, जिससे भारत का करीब 81 फीसद भौगोलिक क्षेत्र कवर होता है. इसके बावजूद भारत एक भयानक जल संकट से जूझ रहा है. भारत के बड़े शहरों में सूखते जलाशय और पानी का गिरता स्तर गंभीर संकट बन गया है. इस पर कोढ़ में खाज की स्थिति यह है कि पीने, खेती, उद्योग, व्यापारिक और निर्माण गतिविधियों के उपयोग के चलते पानी के स्रोतों पर बढ़ते दबाव के बीच भूजल स्तर (यानि वॉटर टेबल- जमीन के नीचे के पानी के स्तर को वॉटर टेबल और सतह से ऊपर के पानी को वॉटर लेवल के आधार पर मापा जाता है) अपने निम्नतम स्तर पर जा पहुंचा है. वर्तमान में 85 फीसद ग्रामीण और 50 फीसद शहरी आबादी भूजल पर निर्भर करती है, जिसकी बदौलत भूजल (Ground Water) का दोहन करने वाले देशों में भारत अव्वल पर आ गया है. जलशक्ति मंत्रालय की हालिया रिपोर्ट बताती है कि ग्राउंडवॉटर रिचार्ज यानि बारिश के पानी के दोबारा भूमि में जाने की यह स्थिति है कि सालाना 3880 बीसीएम (बिलियन क्यूबिक मीटर) के एवज में महज 432 बीसीएम ही रिचार्ज हुआ है. यही नहीं 17 राज्यों और केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों के विभिन्न स्तर पर मौजूद 1186 जल इकाइयों को अतिशोषित यानी अत्यधिक दोहन की श्रेणी में डाला गया है. यह वह इकाइयां हैं जहां वॉटर रिचार्ज यानि जमीन में पानी जाने से ज्यादा उसको निकाला जा रहा है. जिस तरह के हालात भारत में पानी के लेकर पैदा हो रहे है, ऐसे में जल प्रबंधन ही एकमात्र ऐसा जरिया है जो इसका सटीक इलाज बन सकता है. जल की चक्रीय व्यवस्था लागू करना हम बचपन से पढ़ते आ रहे हैं कि किस तरह बारिश होती है, किस तरह धरती का पानी आसमान में जाता है और फिर वापस धरती पर आता है. यह प्रकृति का ऐसा चक्र है, जिसमें बाधा पैदा कर दिए जाने की वजह से और अतिदोहन की वजह से पूरी दुनिया में जलसंकट उभरा है. आज भूजल आर्थिक तौर पर कई क्षेत्रों जैस कृषि, उद्योग, ऊर्जा, मत्‍स्‍य पालन, परिवहन, घरेलू उपयोग में इस्तेमाल होता है. ऐसे में पेय जल का अन्य कामों में इस्तेमाल और सीवेज जल का पुनर्चक्रण नहीं होना जल संकट पैदा करने में एक बहुत बड़ी वजह बनी है. चौंका देने वाले कुछ आंकड़े बताते हैं कि दुनिया भर में करीब 80 फीसद अपशिष्ट जल बगैर उपचारित किए यूं ही पर्यावरण में छोड़ दिया जाता है. अगर भारत की बात करें तो यहां शहरी स्तर पर रोजाना पैदा होने वाले कुल 72,368 मिलियन लीटर सीवेज का एक तिहाई ही उपचारित किया जाता है. ऐसे में कृषि और उद्योग जहां सबसे ज्यादा अपशिष्ट जल पैदा होता है, उन्हें इसे भूजल के साथ मिलने से रोकने के उपाय अपनाना चाहिए. हालांकि सरकार इसे लेकर काम कर रही है. राष्ट्रीय स्वच्छ गंगा मिशन के तहत 11 ताप विद्युत उत्पादन इकाइयों के साथ काम कर रही है, जिसके तहत विभिन्न उपयोगों के लिए इनकी एसटीपी से निकले उपचारित पानी का उपयोग किया जाएगा. यही नहीं सीवेज के कीचड़ का उपयोग बायोगैस बनाने में करने के लिए भी सरकार प्रोत्साहन दे रही है, जिसकी मिसाल वाराणसी के दीनापुर की एक इकाई है जहां 140 एमएलडी संयत्र से ज़रूरत के हिसाब से पर्याप्त बिजली का उत्पादन किया जा रहा है. क्षेत्रीय आधार पर समाधान भारत हर लिहाज से विविधताओं से भरा देश हैं, यहां हर इलाके की भौगोलिक बनावट अलग है, इसलिए समाधान भी स्थानीय स्तर पर ढूंढा जाना बेहद जरूरी होता है. मसलन गुजरात, राजस्थान में जलवायु शुष्क है, इसलिए वहां भूजल संकट है तो दक्षिण में क्रिस्टलीय एक्वाफियर से भूजल की उपलब्धता पर असर पड़ता है. इसके साथ ही अलग-अलग जगह पर बारिश का अलग अलग प्रभाव रहता है, जिससे ग्राउंड वॉटर रिचार्ज में असमानता देखने को मिलती है. हालांकि, भारत में पानी राज्य का विषय है, यानी प्रत्येक राज्य के पास अपने तरीके से पानी के मुद्दों पर चर्चा करने और हल करने का संप्रभु अधिकार है. केंद्रीकृत दृष्टिकोण का नहीं होना, जो पूरे नदी बेसिन को एक जल विज्ञान इकाई के रूप में मानती है, जल संरक्षण और प्रबंधन को काफी हद तक प्रभावित करती है और जल-कुशल रणनीतियों के कार्यान्वयन को रोकती है. जल शक्ति मंत्रालय के गठन के साथ अब इस मुद्दे को आंशिक रूप से जांच के दायरे में रखा जा रहा है, जो पानी से संबंधित कार्यक्रमों को एक ढांचे के दायरे में लाने के लिए काम कर रहा है. मसलन, जल शक्ति मंत्रालय एक नई राष्ट्रीय जल नीति तैयार कर रहा है, जिसका मकसद जलस्रोतों का इस्तेमाल और जल प्रबंधन एकीकृत राष्ट्रीय दृष्टिकोण से होना है. सरकार ने सिंचाई, घरेलू जल आपूर्ति और अन्य क्षेत्रों में पानी के उपयोग में सुधार के लिए एक राष्ट्रीय जल उपयोग दक्षता ब्यूरो (NBWUE) बनाने का भी प्रस्ताव दिया है. इससे देश भर में जल-कुशल उपकरणों को बढ़ावा मिलेगा. जल प्रबंधन को लेकर चुनौतियां सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के मुताबिक, भारत में जलउपचार संयत्र की लागत प्रति मिलियन लीटर एक करोड़ रुपये आती है. इसके साथ शहरी क्षेत्रों में अपशिष्ट जल उपचार संयत्र के लिए जगह की कमी, ऊर्जा की कमी, कुशल श्रमिकों की कमी जैसी दिक्कतें भी शामिल हैं. हालांकि पिछले एक दशक में पूरे देशभर में अपशिष्ट जल उपचार में निवेश को लेकर कई उल्लेखनीय नीतियां और फैसले लिए गए हैं. स्वच्छ भारत अभियान के तहत जल उपचार के लिए कम लागत वाली स्वदेशी तकनीक को विकसित करने पर विशेष काम हो रहा है. इसमें भाभा एटोमिक रिसर्च सेंटर और गुजरात टेक्नोलॉजिकल यूनिवर्सिटी जैसे प्रतिष्ठित संस्थानों का भी सहयोग मिल रहा है. इसके साथ ही निजी संस्थान भी अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन के क्षेत्र में योगदान दे रहे हैं. इसके अलावा स्थानीय स्तर पर भी जल प्रबंधन पर विशेष तौर पर काम हो रहा है, जिसके चलते कस्बों और शहरों में उपचार मॉडल की संख्या में काफी इजाफा हुआ है. आगे चलकर अपशिष्ट जल उपचार एक व्यवसाय के तौर पर उभर सकता है जो निजी संस्थानों और स्थानीय निकायों के लिए कमाई का एक जरिया बन सकता है और इससे होने वाली कमाई का इस्तेमाल समाज के दूसरे कामों में किया जा सकता है. 6000 करोड़ की केंद्र की अटल भूजल योजना भूजल स्रोतों के प्रबंधन को सुनिश्चित करती है. और जल प्रबंधन में समुदायों के योगदान को बढ़ाती है. अटल जल को सात राज्यों – गुजरात, हरियाणा, कर्नाटक, मध्य प्रदेश, महाराष्ट्र, राजस्थान और उत्तर प्रदेश के 81 जल-तनावग्रस्त जिलों और 8,774 ग्राम पंचायतों में लागू किया जा रहा है. इसमें कोई दोराय नहीं है कि जलवायु परिवर्तन और बढ़ती आबादी के बीच भूजल दोहन पर नियत्रण बेहद मुश्किल है. ऐसे में सही तरह से जल का प्रबंधन और वर्षा जल संचयन की एक मात्र ऐसा तरीका है, जिसके जरिए हम इस मुसीबत का मुकाबला कर सकते हैं. जल संरक्षण को प्रोत्साहित करने के लिए, केंद्र ने सभी जिलों (ग्रामीण) के सभी ब्लॉकों को कवर करने के लिए “जल शक्ति अभियान: “कैच द रेन – व्हेयर इट फॉल्स, व्हेन फॉल्स” थीम के साथ शुरू किया है. इसका मतलब है लोगों को मॉनसून से पहले और मॉनसून के महीने में जहां बारिश हो रही है उसे वहीं पर रोकने और भूजल स्तर को बढ़ाने के लिए प्रोत्साहित करना है.

Rural Water-Waste Management

सबसे ज्‍यादा भूजल उपयोग करने वाला भारत.. कैसे निपट रहा है गिरते जलस्‍तर से

Director General Office

Water-wisdom for climate change

This monsoon, when the precious rainwater goes down the drain, let us take a moment to recapitulate the knowledge of water management and what it means in a climate-risked world. There are two incontrovertible facts: one, water is a key determinant of health security and economic growth. Two, water wars are not inevitable but will happen if we do not manage our resource prudently. This requires us to get the policy and practice of water management right. The good news is water literacy has increased. Over the past decades, the country has learnt critical lessons on water management and evolved a new paradigm. Till the late 1980s, water management was largely confined to the issue of irrigation projects — building dams and canals to store and supply water over long distances. Then came the big droughts of late 1980s. It became clear that it was not enough to plan for augmenting water supply through large projects. This was when the Centre for Science and Environment published its report, Dying Wisdom, which documented traditional technologies for rainwater harvesting in ecological diverse regions of India. The slogan was: rain is decentralised, so is the demand for water. So, capture rain when and where it falls. There was a paradigm shift in policy. During the droughts of the late 1990s, states launched massive programmes to capture rainwater by building ponds, digging tanks and setting up check-dams on streams. By the mid-2000s, these efforts coalesced into the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) — investing labour into building rural water assets. By this time, it was understood that groundwater, considered a "minor" resource was the "major" supplier of water for both drinking and irrigation. It was understood that over 50 per cent of agriculture in the country was still rain-fed, and so water conservation and rainwater harvesting — ensuring that every well and waterbody was recharged — was critical for productivity and well-being. In the 2010s, the crisis of urban drought hit home. Policy evolved as it learnt that augmenting water supply was only a part of the challenge — cities were getting dependent on long-distance sources; pumping and piping this water meant losses in distribution and rising electricity costs, which made the available water expensive and its supply inequitable. As water supply dried up, people turned to groundwater, but without recharge — ponds and tanks had been decimated by real estate or simply through neglect— it only meant declining water levels. That was the decade when water supply was linked to pollution — more water supply meant more wastewater. This, without adequate treatment, leads to pollution of rivers and waterbodies, which in turn destroys available water; increases the cost of cleaning up drinking water. A few years later, research showed that the bulk of urban residents were not even connected to underground sewerage network, which is capital- and resource-intensive. Instead, they depended on on-site sewage "disposal" systems, where household toilets were connected to septic tanks or just holding tanks or even to open drains in the vicinity. The sewage treatment infrastructure was not designed to fit the city sanitation system and so remained underutilised. Rivers remained polluted. In all this, new solutions emerged — if affordable water supply was critical, then cities needed to cut the length of distribution pipelines, which meant increased focus on local water systems like ponds, tanks and rainwater harvesting structures. Then, if cities needed to ensure affordable sanitation for all and affordable treatment of wastewater, on-site systems could be re-engineered so that waste was collected from each household, transported and treated. But most importantly, we have learnt that if this urban-industrial wastewater is treated for reuse then water will not be lost; our rivers will not be lost. Moreover, this means, doing everything from investing in water-efficient irrigation and household appliances to changing diets to ensure that the crops we eat are water-prudent. This decade, we can put all that we have learnt into practice to turn around the water story of India, as in this decade we will see the revenge of nature as climate change impacts grow. We need to scale up our work to invest in local water systems to capture every drop of rain so that we can build local resilience against drought. We also need to do this in our cities — the lakes and ponds are the sponges that will allow us to harvest the rain-flood and to make sure it does not turn into wasted water. Then we need to protect our forest and green spaces as this is how groundwater will get recharged. In times of water stress we must make sure that wastewater — sewage — is not only treated but also recycled and reused. It is here that the waterbodies we protect in our cities — the same ponds and tanks that we use to divert and harvest rainwater — could be used to channelise the treated sewage and in turn recharge groundwater. Only this approach can make us water-secure. (Writer is Director General of Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and the Editor of Down To Earth magazine. She is an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets)

Sustainable Food Systems

CSE stands by its report on adulteration of honey sold by Dabur, Patanjali in India

Honey samples from leading brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Himalaya all failed the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance test, the study had said Honey sold by several major brands in India has been found adulterated with sugar syrup, environment watchdog Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) claimed on Wednesday. CSE food researchers selected 13 top as well as smaller brands of processed and raw honey being sold in India to check their purity. It was found that 77 per cent of the samples were adulterated with the addition of sugar syrup. Out of the 22 samples checked, only five passed all the tests. "Honey samples from leading brands such as Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Zandu, Hitkari and Apis Himalaya, all failed the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) test," the study said. Samples of these brands were first tested by the CSE at the Centre for Analysis and Learning in Livestock and Food (CALF) at the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) in Gujarat. According to the Centre for Science and Environment, almost all the top brands passed the tests of purity, while a few smaller brands failed the tests to detect C4 sugar--it is the basic adulteration using cane sugar. "But when the same brands were tested using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) laboratory tests currently being used globally to check for such modified sugar syrups almost all big and small brands failed. Out of the 13 brands tests, only three passed the NMR test, which was done by a specialised laboratory in Germany," it claimed. "What we found was shocking. It shows how the business of adulteration has evolved so that it can pass the stipulated tests in India. Our concern is not just that the honey we eat is adulterated, but that this adulteration is difficult to catch. In fact, we have found that the sugar syrups are designed so that they can go undetected," said Amit Khurana, programme director of CSE's Food Safety and Toxins team. The CSE also claimed that it tracked down Chinese trade portals which were advertising fructose syrup that can bypass tests to check adulteration. It also found that the same Chinese companies that advertised this fructose syrup that can beat C3 and C4 tests were also exported to India. CSE director general Sunita Narain said they then conducted an undercover operation to find out more. "Chinese companies informed CSE that even if 50-80 per cent of the honey is adulterated with syrup, it would pass all stipulated tests. A sample of the syrup that can bypass tests was then sent by the Chinese company as paint pigment to get through customs," she claimed. Commenting on the development, Patanjali Ayurved spokesperson S K Tijarawala told PTI, "We manufacture only the natural honey, which is approved by the food regulator FSSAI. Our product meets the standards laid by FSSAI.” He also alleged that it was a conspiracy to defame the natural honey producers of the country. "This is a conspiracy to sell German technology and costly machinery. This is also a conspiracy to defame the natural honey producers of the country and promote the processed honey. This would also dampen India's contribution to the global honey market," he said. Dabur too refuted the claim, saying the recent reports seem "motivated and aimed at maligning our brand". "We assure our consumers that Dabur honey is 100 per cent pure. It is 100 per cent indigenous, collected naturally from Indian sources and packed with no added sugar or other adulterants. We also assure our consumers that Dabur does not import any honey/syrup from China and our honey is sourced entirely from Indian beekeepers," it said in a statement. It added that Dabur is complying with all 22 parameters mandated by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India for testing honey. "In addition, Dabur honey is also tested for the presence of antibiotics, as mandated by FSSAI. Further, Dabur is the only company in India to have an NMR testing equipment in our own laboratory, and the same is used to regularly test our honey being sold in the Indian market. This is to ensure that Dabur Honey is 100 per cent pure without any adulteration," it said. Dabur also shared a copy of an NMR test report from Germany that stated that Dabur honey has passed the test. CSE responds to statements from Dabur and Patanjali on its investigation in honey adulteration: On December 2, 2020, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released its findings on the nefarious business of adulteration in honey, which is damaging people’s health. Two of India’s big names in the business – Dabur and Patanjali – have issued statements to the media on CSE’s findings. CSE responded to these statements today. Regarding Dabur’s claim about maligning its brand and that its honey is NMR passed from Germany and is meeting Indian standards: CSE says: We stand by our findings. Our findings have revealed that 10 out of 13 brands have failed all tests of purity. Most of these are big brands, including Dabur. This is not only about Dabur. In fact, we have talked about how smaller brands are also adulterated. This is about the consumer’s health. We have shared detailed laboratory results of all samples on our website. The NMR test report available on Dabur’s website and shared with media in support of the company’s statement is a report of the Bruker equipment/machine for NMR profiling. Bruker is a company which developed NMR and promotes it. We would like to make the consumer aware that this is not a laboratory report, which involves expert interpretation of the information by the equipment. In the case of NMR, it is critical that final conclusion on a sample’s adulteration is based on interpretation and confirmation by a laboratory expert on NMR. Even the report shared by Dabur mentions that expert interpretation is necessary before deducing any conclusion. On the other hand, CSE has shared the findings based on laboratory reports from Germany, which involves expert interpretation and confirmation of the data obtained by the machine/equipment. This is a universally accepted practice. Furthermore, Dabur has shared the report of only one sample. Also, there is no mention of the batch number of the sample tested. So, it remains unclear which batch is being talked about. On the other hand, we have provided three batch numbers of three samples tested of Dabur; that is BM3463, with the date of manufacture of May 25, 2020; BM3589, manufactured on July 10, 2020; and BM3636, manufactured on August 5, 2020. All three batches were found to be adulterated. In the absence of this information on laboratory test by the batch number, Dabur’s claim of purity is not tenable. We have also noted that Dabur is constantly changing the language on its claims regarding NMR tests. In earlier advertisements, it has said “NMR tested, pure honey”; as of today -- after the release of the CSE investigation -- Dabur is claiming “source NMR tested”. “Is this jugglery another attempt to confuse the consumer?” asks CSE director general Sunita Narain. Dabur’s claim about compliance with Indian laws is no surprise. That is what we have been saying -- that the business of adulteration is sophisticated. The Indian labs testing for parameters set by the FSSAI could not detect this evolved adulteration. The fact that samples deliberately adulterated by us by up to 50 per cent of syrups passed all Indian tests is a robust proof of this. So, any claim of meeting all Indian standards actually holds limited value. Regarding media reports which quote Patanjali, where CSE is being accused of promoting the German technology: CSE says: We would like to make our position clear once again about this. NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is an advanced test that can detect adulteration with modified sugar syrups, which may otherwise go undetected. It is being used in different parts of the world for the same reason and even the Indian government has mandated it since August 2020 for honey meant to be exported. So, it could be important to include such advanced testing in government testing system that can help the enforcement agencies to know if the honey sold to consumers is adulterated or not. It can also help the agencies know which companies are selling adulterated honey, which is a crime, and take required punitive action against the defaulters. In fact, we have emphasised that NMR should not be made mandatory because it will likely help for a limited time -- the business of adulteration is so sophisticated that very soon there would be syrups which can bypass the NMR test as well. CSE’s report on laboratory results of honey testing is available here: https://www.cseindia.org/report-laboratory-results-of-honey-testing-10494

Director General Office

The New York Times Announces Speaker Line-Up for Climate Conversations in New York and Sharm el Sheikh

The New York Times Climate Conversations event series will take place online and in-person with audiences in New York and Sharm el Sheikh. Conversations will be held to coincide with the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York and the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt. The New York Times today announced the first speaker line-up for the New York and Sharm el Sheikh editions of global event series The New York Times Climate Conversations, which will be broadcast online alongside in-person events. Following the inaugural three-day program in London earlier this year, the second event in the series will take place at the Times Center in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 20. With the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly opening in New York in September, audiences are invited to join this deep investigation into the nexus between climate change and critical international issues. Confirmed speakers for the New York event include Al Gore, Former Vice President of the United States; John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, United States; Esther Duflo, Co-Director, Abdul Latif, Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) and more. Panelists will explore urban inequality and climate action, the global food crisis, the climate finance gap and the state of U.S. climate ambitions. A conversation between artists and activists will close the program. The Climate Forward Conversations series will culminate in a three-day event to be held from Tuesday, Nov. 8 to Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Park Regency Sharm el Sheikh Resort, taking place alongside COP27, with panelists responding to real-time negotiations and debate taking place at the summit. Journalists from The New York Times including Somini Sengupta, Lisa Friedman, and David Gelles will be joined by climate activists and leading environmental experts for timely, hard-hitting debates which analyze global policy and decode the critical conversations taking place at COP27 to help audiences understand the current outlook for our planet. Audiences will hear from inspiring environmental leaders and affected communities, with a special focus on the Global South. Confirmed speakers for Sharm el Sheikh include Nigel Topping, U.K. High-Level champion for climate action COP26; Wanjira Mathai, Vice President and Regional Director for the World Resources Institute Africa; Todd Stern, former White House staff secretary; Vanessa Nakate, climate justice activist; Bogolo Kenewendo, director for Climate Champions Africa and special adviser to the U.N.F.C.C.C.; Ellyanne Chlystun-Githae Wanjiku, East Africa’s youngest climate change ambassador; Omnia El Omrani, COP27 Youth Envoy; Dr. Eleni Myrivili, chief heat officer, City of Athens; Sunita Narain, director general of the Center for Science and Environment, New Delhi; and Elizabeth Wathuti, U.N. Young Champion of the Earth and founder of the Green Generation Initiative. “Our climate coverage seeks to help readers understand the devastating realities of climate change as it impacts communities around the world today,” said Hannah Fairfield, climate editor for The New York Times. “By bringing together climate experts with journalists from The New York Times, the Climate Forward Conversations events invite audiences to engage with perspectives and solutions that are essential to exposing tensions and understanding climate-focused developments in public policy, technology, innovation and politics.” Join the conversations live in New York on Tuesday, Sept. 20, or live in Sharm el Sheikh from Tuesday, Nov. 8 to Thursday, Nov. 10. Delegate tickets start from $100, or register in advance for free online access. Find the full speaker program and ticket information on the Climate Forward Conversations website. The Climate Forward Conversations event series is presented by Morgan Stanley.

DTE-Hindi

देश में चारे का संकट...

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Water Programme

Panchayat’s pipeline plan keeps greywater at bay

As predicted, the pipelines cost only one-third of what is required for side drains and solved the problem of waste accumulation. CHENNAI: Think out of the box, and walk away from conventional norms. This is all you have to do in certain times, to reap the rewards in life. And what if such a decision can make not just the life of one but many — a community — better? This was exactly what the leaders of Ariyanendal panchayat at Paramakudi taluk in Ramanathapuram considered when their village found it hard to put an end to greywater (wasterwater) stagnation on roads and the related health hazards it brought. Panchayat president S Rajendran and vice-president K Manimuthu discovered a simple but effective solution by tweaking the existing drainage system plan that was commonly followed across the State. Instead of constructing side drains, they decided to put up pipelines to transport greywater from each house to community soak pits. They didn’t want to build concrete drains and connect them to vertical soak pits as the open side drains might get clogged with waste, and require frequent maintenance. But they hit a roadblock. The funds allotted under the Swacch Bharat Mission to solve the issues in the village were provided only for the construction of concrete drains and not pipelines. “We felt it would be a good model and last longer than the concrete drains. So, the villagers held a meeting and decided to pitch in money for the pipeline,” says Rajendran. The village has 761 houses of which 392 didn’t have that space to build individual soak pits and had to be connected to community soak pits. Further, the sewer lines were laid at a shallow depth using PVC pipes. Soon the master plan became a reality, reaping instant rewards. As predicted, the pipelines cost only one-third of what is required for side drains and solved the problem of waste accumulation. The gram panchayat further takes care of the cleaning of the community soak pit once a month. “Now, we are a model village in terms of 100% end-to-end management of greywater,” Rajendran says. The plan not only solved the water stagnation but also improved the underground water recharge level. “Since it is an arid area, we used to get salty water below 200 feet. But now, we get good water at 120-130 feet,” states Manimuthu. Following the successful implementation of the project, the then director of the District Rural Development Agency visited the village in November last year. “The DRDA ordered the provision of more funds for pipelines for greywater management and recommended them instead of concrete drains,” says S Navaneethan, district DRDA co-ordinator. Further, a seminar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment on ‘Best Practices in Water Supply and Sanitation in India’ showered praises on the panchayat for its innovative efforts. Now, the village on the Madurai-Rameswaram National Highway is a model for greywater management in the State. But the panchayat hasn’t stopped with just that. It now buys plastic waste from the villagers for Rs 20 a kg, shreds it and sells it for Rs 60 a kg, and further uses them for laying roads. “We have plans to dig a well to harvest rainwater. The rainwater will pass through two mud drains and concrete drains alternatively amid kalvazhai plants. They will absorb the pollutants and this water will then be used for irrigation. Already, over 80 households in the village are maintaining kitchen gardens with the help of greywater,” adds Rajendran.

Down To Earth

दबाव में हिमाचल की पारिस्थितिकी, इस साल अप्रैल से जून तक रोज औसतन 31 बार लगी आग

हिमाचल प्रदेश में इस वर्ष एक अप्रैल से 30 जून तक जंगल में आग लगने की 2,763 घटनाएं सामने आई हैं. अगर राज्य के वन संरक्षण और अग्नि नियंत्रण विभाग के आंकड़ों की मानी जाए तो 2007 के बाद से यह सबसे अधिक है. बीते महीने हिमाचल के किन्नौर स्थित जंगी गांव के 66-वर्षीय किसान रोशन लाल जंगल की आग से परेशान रहे. गांव से सटे जंगल में बीते 12 जून को आग लग गई थी. उन्होंने मोंगाबे-इंडिया को बताया कि उन्होंने इस स्तर पर आग पहले कभी नहीं देखा था. आग तीन किलोमीटर में फैली और सैकड़ों पेड़ों को अपनी चपेट में ले लिया. आग बुझाने में लगभग तीन दिन लगे लेकिन तब तक 2,000 बीघा (161 हेक्टेयर) से अधिक वन भूमि आग से प्रभावित हो चुकी थी. किन्नौर के डिविशनल फॉरेस्ट ऑफिसर (डीएफओ) रेजिनाल्ड रॉयस्टन ने मोंगाबे-इंडिया को जानकारी दी कि धरातल पर तबाही साफ नजर आ रही है. उन्होंने कहा कि आग ने पारिस्थितिक और आर्थिक रूप से महत्वपूर्ण देवदार और कीमती लकड़ी के लिए मशहूर नीले देवदार के पेड़ों को प्रभावित किया. लाल ने कहा, “मेवा वाले सैकड़ों चिलगोजा देवदार के पेड़ इस आग की भेंट चढ़ गए. जंगी गांव के निवासियों के लिए ये पेड़ आजीविका के एक प्रमुख स्रोत हैं.” जंगी निवासियों के अनुसार प्रभावित क्षेत्र हिमालयी तहर ( जंगली बकरी से संबन्धित एक प्रजाति) और काले भालू का भी घर था. आग लगने का कारण इनके इंसानों वाले इलाके में आने का खतरा बना रहा. हालांकि, डीएफओ रेजिनाल्ड रॉयस्टन ने कहा कि चूंकि आग ऊंची पहाड़ी ढलानों पर लगी है और वहां कोई मानव निवास नहीं है. विभाग इस निष्कर्ष पर नहीं पहुंच पा रहा है कि आग की घटना आकस्मिक थी या जानबूझकर की गई थी. “लेकिन क्षेत्र में लंबे समय तक शुष्क मौसम को एक संभावित कारण माना जा रहा है. इसने जंगल में नमी के स्तर को काफी कम कर दिया है. इससे उन्हें तीव्र आग लगने का खतरा बढ़ जाता है,” रॉयस्टन ने आगे कहा. रिकॉर्ड तोड़ आग की घटनाएं हिमाचल प्रदेश में वन क्षेत्र राज्य के भौगोलिक क्षेत्र के 66 प्रतिशत हिस्से में मौजूद है. जैव विविधता के मामले में ये वन काफी समृद्ध हैं. साथ ही, ये वन नाजुक हिमालयी पारिस्थितिकी तंत्र के संरक्षण में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाते हैं. हिमाचल प्रदेश में बढ़ती आग की घटनाएं अधिकारियों और नागरिकों के लिए चिंता का एक प्रमुख कारण है. ये वन राज्य के पर्यावरण, पारिस्थितिक और आर्थिक कल्याण के लिए महत्वपूर्ण हैं. सरकारी आंकड़ों से पता चलता है कि इस साल हिमाचल प्रदेश के कई जिलों में जंगल में आग लगी. हिमाचल प्रदेश के वन संरक्षण और अग्नि नियंत्रण विभाग द्वारा मोंगाबे-इंडिया के साथ साझा किए गए आंकड़ों के अनुसार, राज्य में इस साल एक अप्रैल से 30 जून तक 2,763 आग की घटनाएं दर्ज की गईं. इस समय सामान्यतः जंगल में आग की घटनाएं बढ़ जाती है. इस दौरान यहां प्रति दिन औसतन 31 आग की घटनाएं हुईं. इस अवधि में 618 आग की घटनाओं के साथ धर्मशाला जिला शीर्ष पर रहा, इसके बाद चंबा (522), मंडी (364), शिमला (286), हमीरपुर (285), रामपुर (190), बिलासपुर (151) और सोलन (110) का स्थान रहा. संभाग के रिकॉर्ड के अनुसार, 2007 में बिलासपुर में सबसे अधिक आग की घटनाएं सामने आईं. तुलनात्मक रूप से पिछले वर्षों में राज्य में अब तक दर्ज की गई 2,763 घटनाओं की तुलना में पूरे वर्ष में आग की घटनाएं कम रही हैं. वित्तीय वर्ष 2021-22 में 1,275 आग की घटनाएं सामने आईं. जबकि 2020-21 में 1,045 और 2019-20 में 1,445 आग लगी थी. अब तक एक वर्ष में सबसे अधिक जंगल की आग 2009-10 (1,906) और 2018-19 (2,544) में हुई थी. मई 2022 में हिमाचल प्रदेश के पालमपुर के पास जंगल की आग। तस्वीर- सुमित महार/हिमाधरा कलेक्टिव मई 2022 में हिमाचल प्रदेश के पालमपुर के पास जंगल की आग. तस्वीर - सुमित महार/हिमाधरा कलेक्टिव इन आग की घटनाओं में लगभग 23,239 हेक्टेयर वन क्षेत्र, जो कि राज्य के क्षेत्रफल का लगभग 0.45% है, प्रभावित हुआ है. आग के प्रभाव का कुल मूल्यांकन 64 करोड़ (640 मिलियन) रुपया किया गया है. कुल प्रभावित क्षेत्र में से 18,600 हेक्टेयर प्राकृतिक वन क्षेत्रों का हिस्सा था, और अन्य 4,500 हेक्टेयर में पौधरोपण था. इन पौधों को लगाने के लिए वन विभाग हर साल काफी खर्च करता है. जंगल की आग बुझाने के प्रयासों में तीन वन विभाग के कर्मियों की फील्ड ऑपरेशन के दौरान मौत हो गई. मिट्टी को प्रभावित करने वाली आग मोंगाबे-इंडिया से बात करते हुए वन संरक्षण और अग्नि नियंत्रण विभाग के मुख्य वन संरक्षक (सीसीएफ) अनिल शर्मा ने कहा कि हिमाचल में जंगल की आग की ज्यादातर घटनाएं जमीन की आग की थीं. इसका मतलब आग जमीन से सटकर लगी और मिट्टी को भी प्रभावित किया. “अंतरराष्ट्रीय स्तर पर जंगल की आग को दो-तीन प्रमुख श्रेणियों में वर्गीकृत किया जाता है, जिसमें क्राउन फायर जो पेड़ों के शीर्ष से फैलती है और पेड़ के सभी हिस्से को खा जाती है. यह सबसे तीव्र होती है और नियंत्रित करने में मुश्किल होती है. एक अन्य आग का प्रकार होता है-जमीन की आग. इसमें जंगल को नुकसान होता है, लेकिन यह ज्यादातर अपने ग्राउंड कवर को जला देता है और मिट्टी को प्रभावित करता है,” शर्मा ने समझाया. “इस साल के जंगल की आग में क्राउन फायर में आग लगने की घटनाएं बहुत सीमित थीं. यह ज्यादातर जमीनी आग थी. अच्छी बारिश के बाद आग से क्षतिग्रस्त जंगल के हरित आवरण के वापस सुधरने की संभावना है,” उन्होंने कहा. उन्होंने कहा कि राज्य का चीड़ का जंगल 1,259 किलोमीटर में फैला है और राज्य के कुल वन क्षेत्र का 3.4 प्रतिशत है. इस जंगल में आग की घटनाओं की अधिक आशंका रहती है. विभाग ने जंगल की आग की संवेदनशीलता के स्तर के अनुसार 2,026 बीट्स की पहचान की है, जिनमें से 339 बीट अत्यधिक संवेदनशील हैं. वर्षा की कमी, शुष्क मौसम और अन्य कारक सीसीएफ अनिल शर्मा ने मोंगाबे-इंडिया को बताया कि ज्यादातर मामलों में जंगल की आग मानवीय लापरवाही का परिणाम है. “उदाहरण के लिए, यदि कोई जलती हुई सिगरेट फेंकता है या यदि किसान वन क्षेत्रों से सटे अपने खेतों में आग लगाता है तो इससे वन क्षेत्र में आग लग सकती है. कुछ आग जानबूझकर भी लगाई गई थी, ताकि मानसून के बाद अच्छी गुणवत्ता वाली घास का चारा प्राप्त किया जा सके. शर्मा ने कहा, “लेकिन हिमाचल में इस मौसम में लंबे समय तक शुष्क रहने और सामान्य तापमान से अधिक तापमान से आग की संभावना बढ़ गयी है.” हिमाचल प्रदेश मौसम विभाग से प्राप्त आंकड़ों के अनुसार, राज्य में मार्च और अप्रैल के महीनों में क्रमशः 95 प्रतिशत और 90 प्रतिशत कम वर्षा देखी गई. मौसम विभाग के निदेशक सुरेंद्र पॉल के अनुसार 2002 के बाद से यह आंकड़ा सबसे अधिक है. मई और जून के महीनों में भी वर्षा की कमी क्रमशः 23% और 48% थी, जिसमें हिमालय के ऊपरी भाग में अभूतपूर्व वर्षा की कमी देखी गई थी. भारत मौसम विज्ञान विभाग (IMD) के आंकड़ों के आधार पर दिल्ली स्थित गैर लाभकारी संस्था सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने हीटवेव के दिनों का आकलन किया. रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक राज्य में 27 हीटवेव वाले दिन दर्ज किए गए, जो राजस्थान (39) और मध्य प्रदेश (38) के बाद देश में तीसरा सबसे अधिक है. किन्नौर में स्थित एक पर्यावरण कार्यकर्ता जिया लाल ने मोंगाबे-इंडिया को बताया, “हम सभी को आत्मनिरीक्षण करना चाहिए कि पिछले एक दशक में राज्य में वर्षा और बर्फबारी के पैटर्न में भारी परिवर्तन क्यों है.” लाल ने कहा कि यह बड़े पैमाने पर विकास परियोजनाओं का प्रत्यक्ष परिणाम है जिसने समग्र राज्य की पारिस्थितिकी को परेशान किया है. “इसके अलावा, वैश्विक और साथ ही अन्य घरेलू जलवायु परिवर्तन की घटनाएं हिमाचल में पहले की तुलना में अधिक बार सूखे की पुनरावृत्ति में मदद कर रही हैं. इससे वन संसाधनों, वन्यजीवों और पर्यावरण को भारी नुकसान होता है,” लाल ने कहा. हिमाचल के किन्नौर जिले के जंगी गांव के पास जंगल क्षेत्र में 12 जून को लगी आग। तस्वीर- विशेष प्रबंध हिमाचल के किन्नौर जिले के जंगी गांव के पास जंगल क्षेत्र में 12 जून को लगी आग. तस्वीर - विशेष प्रबंध जंगल की आग की घटनाओं को कैसे नियंत्रित किया जा सकता है, इस पर सीसीएफ अनिल शर्मा ने कहा कि आग की सभी घटनाओं को रोकना असंभव है. इसके लिए सबको जागरूक होने की जरूरत है. उन्होंने कहा, “हम स्थानीय लोगों, पंचायतों, स्कूली बच्चों के साथ बड़े पैमाने पर संपर्क कार्यक्रम आयोजित करते हैं, ताकि उन्हें जंगल की आग से वन संसाधनों, वन्यजीवों और पर्यावरण को होने वाले नुकसान के बारे में जागरूक किया जा सके.” शर्मा ने कहा कि उन्होंने देहरादून में भारतीय वन सर्वेक्षण के साथ भी समझौता किया है, और उपग्रहों की मदद से वहां के अधिकारी राज्य के वन क्षेत्र के किसी भी हिस्से में धुआं उठने पर अलर्ट भेजते हैं. “यह हमें जल्द से जल्द मौके पर पहुंचने में मदद करता है और विभाग आग को रोकने के लिए हर संभव उपाय करता है,” उन्होंने कहा.

Director General Office

Reinventing growth

Future actions of all countries must accept the reality of climate equity and use it to drive economic development Climate change is an existential threat, we know that. But what we continue to deny is the need for drastic emission reduction, that too in a world where millions still need the right to development. In India, the poor, already surviving on the margins, are severely impacted by extreme weather events. They are the first victims of climate change — and remember, always, that they have not contributed to the stock of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. So, as we move ahead, we must recognise the imperative of climate justice. The reasons are inconvenient but simple. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has a long residence time in the atmosphere and so, what is emitted in the past has accumulated and will "force" temperatures to rise. Then, CO2 is linked to the way the world runs the economy — fossil fuels (coal or gas) are still determinants of growth. Most importantly, millions of people are still waiting to get the benefits of economic progress — which means access to affordable energy. And, this at a time when the world has literally run out of carbon space to accommodate their need for development. So, what will this part of the emerging world do? Their growth — use of fossil fuels — will add to the jeopardy that awaits us. How can this "growth" be reinvented so that it is low-carbon, sustainable and yet affordable? It is not enough to berate and bully the emerging world countries into action. For far too long, the world has worked overtime to erase or dilute climate equity in the negotiations. The much-lauded 2015 Paris Agreement got rid of the very concept of historical emissions; it consigned climate justice to a postscript. It even removed the idea of "compensation" for the loss and damage suffered because of climate change. Worse, it created a weak and meaningless framework of climate action that would depend on what a country could do; not what it was expected to do based on its contribution to the stock of emissions or fair share. It should not surprise us then that the sum of the nationally determined contributions (NDC) — UN jargon for national reduction targets — takes the world towards a minimum of three degrees Celsius temperature rise or more. The world should no longer dilly-dally around with empty promises of net-zero targets for 2050. It must discuss how countries will front-load emission reductions for 2030. The "old" industrialised countries and new entrant China have appropriated 73 per cent of the carbon space till 2019, and, even with the reduction targets announced, will occupy 70 per cent by 2030. This is why future actions must accept the reality of climate equity and use it to drive economic growth. If we do this, then the opportunity of real change opens up — if we invest today in the poorest economies they can grow without pollution. For instance, the energy needs of the poorest in the world. Millions of women still use biomass to cook, which adds to their health burden as these stoves are extremely polluting. The way ahead would be to use clean renewables to meet the needs of these households, which are still outside the fossil fuel energy system. But the cost of renewable energy is beyond their affordability. So, the world must not preach the need for energy transitions but pay for these to happen — today. This is where the discussions on markets — Article 6 of the Paris Agreement — should be put to work. The current effort is to find smart and cheap ways to build a market instrument that will reduce the cost of carbon purchase from the developing world. A repeat of the complicated, convoluted and cheap Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) must not be allowed. Instead, market instruments should be used for transformational action so that projects that will bring "big bang" carbon reductions can be paid for through this instrument. For instance, the provision of clean energy through millions of mini-grids in the world of the poorest. In this way, the market will be driven by public policy and intent, and not left to discover new scams in the name of carbon offsets. This is also where discussions on nature-based solutions must be firmly rooted. We must not miss the wood for the trees — literally in this case. There is an opportunity to use the ecological wealth of poor countries and communities for mitigation as trees and natural ecosystems sequester CO2. So, trees should not be viewed as carbon sticks but as opportunities for livelihoods and economic well-being of the poor. The rules for carbon offsets for forests must be developed with this in mind — deliberately and with statecraft. The fact is, we have lost precious time in finding "smart" ways to do as little as possible to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and it is time this stopped. We need to drive policies knowing that we live in an interdependent world, where cooperation is critical, and that ensuring this requires fairness and justice. Climate change is our biggest challenge yet as a human race and it is time, we stand up to it. DTE The writer is the Director-General of CSE and editor of DownToEarth. Views expressed are personal

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

दिल्ली-वाराणसी सहित कई शहरों में छोटे-छोटे कण से शरीर के भीतर जा रहा है जहरीला प्रदूषण, बढ़ा है पीएम

विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के वायु प्रदूषण मानकों के अनुसार दिल्ली और कोलकाता खतरनाक पीएम-2.5 प्रदूषक तत्वों के कारण सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषित शहरों में से हैं। हाल ही में जारी एक रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है वर्ष 2019 में पीएम-2.5 से अधिक प्रदूषित शहरों की सूची में मुंबई 14वें स्थान पर थी। वहीं दिल्ली में 106 व कोलकाता ने प्रति एक लाख लोगों में 99 लोगों की मौत के अनुमान दर्ज हैं। हांलाकि चीन के बीजिंग में प्रति एक लाख जनसंख्या पर सबसे अधिक 124 मौतें दर्ज की गई थीं। शहरों की वायु गुणवत्ता से संबंधित इस रिपोर्ट में 2010 से 2019 तक के आंकड़ों का इस्तेमाल किया गया है। यह रिपोर्ट बताती है कि 20 शहरों में से भारत के 18 शहरों में महीन प्रदूषक तत्वों से प्रदूषण में सबसे ज्यादा पीएम-2.5 में वृद्धि दर्ज हुई है, जबकि अन्य दो शहर इंडोनेशिया में दर्ज किए गए। भारतीय शहरों, कस्बों में प्रयागराज, वाराणसी, चुनार, मिर्जापुर, रामपुर, भदोही, रीवा, सतना और गोपालगंज में भी भारी वृद्धि देखी गई है। पर्यावरण जानकारों के मुताबिक विश्लेषण के लिए सेटेलाइट से मिले डेटा और जमीनी निगरानी दोनेां को आधार बनाया गया है। रिपोर्ट ने दुनिया भर के 7,239 शहरों के आंकड़ों का विश्लेषण किया और पाया कि पीएम-2.5 में सबसे अधिक वृद्धि वाले 50 शहरों में से 41 भारत में और 9 इंडोनेशिया में हैं। दूसरी ओर, 2010 से 2019 तक पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण में सबसे अधिक कमी वाले 20 शहरों में से सभी चीन में हैं। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट की विशेषज्ञ अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी कहती हैं, दिल्ली और कोलकाता पीएम2.5 से संबंधित बीमारियों की सूची में भी छठ और आठवें स्थान पर हैं। स्वच्छ हवा बेंचमार्क को पूरा करने के लिए सबसे कड़े फैसलों के साथ समयबद्ध, सभी क्षेत्रों के साथ संयुक्त प्रयासों के साथ योजनाओं पर अमल की जरूरत है। उन्होंने कहा कि भारतीय शहरों को इससे भी सबक लेने की जरूरत है कि बीजिंग ने वायु प्रदूषण सुधारा फिर भी बीमारियों और ज्यादा उम्र वाली आबादी के कारण पीएम2.5 से संबंधित बीमारी का सबसे ज्यादा बोझ सह रही है। बता दें कि बढ़ती आबादी वाले शहरों में वायु प्रदूषण और भी खतरनाक है। पीएम2.5 वृद्धि के आधार पर दस सबसे ज्यादा प्रदूषित शहर दिल्ली- 110 (माइक्रोग्राम प्रति क्यूबिक मीटर, वार्षिक औसत) कोलकाता-84 कानो, नाइजीरिया-83.6 लिमा, पेरू-73.2 ढाका बंगलादेश-71.4 जकार्ता, इंडोनेशिया-67.3 लागोस, नाइजीरिया-66.9 कराची, पाकिस्तान-63.6 बीजिंग चीन-55 अकरा, घाना-51.9 विश्वस्वास्थ्य संगठन के दिशानिर्देशों के अनुसार पांच माइक्रोग्राम प्रति क्यूबिक मीटर पीएम2.5 मान्य है

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Kolkata second worst in pollution

Research organisation’s study of 103 most populous cities in the world An air pollution report published by the US-based research organisation Health Effects Institute (HEI) on Wednesday said Kolkata is the second worst among 103 most populous global cities considering exposure to the most toxic PM 2.5 pollutants. This is the first study that has a city-level analysis. It includes a detailed study of air pollution and global health effects in more than 7,000 cities around the world, focusing on fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). PM 2.5 pollutants can penetrate into the deep crevices of the lungs and trigger a range of critical ailments. The report shows Kolkata’s annual average PM 2.5 level in 2019 was 83.95 micrograms per cubic meter, nearly 17 times above the safe limit of 5 micrograms specified by the World Health Organisation, and was only second to Delhi. The report says Delhi has the highest average level of PM 2.5 (110 micrograms) among the world’s most populated cities. India is home to 18 of the 20 cities with the most severe increase in fine particle pollutants (PM 2.5) from 2010 to 2019. Delhi and Kolkata reported 106 and 99 deaths per 1 lakh population in 2019, which could be attributed to PM 2.5 pollution, says the report titled “Air Quality and Health in Cities”. The study used ground based air quality data from satellites and models to produce air quality estimates for cities around the world. No Indian city falls in the top 20 most polluted cities when NO2 is considered. On the PM 2.5 scale, Kolkata is followed by Kano in Nigeria, Lima in Peru and Dhaka in Bangladesh. Beijing, earlier known as the pollution capital of the world, is in 9th position after a significant reduction compared to the previous year (2018). The report says Kolkata stands eighth in “PM 2.5 attributable death rate” — the number of deaths per 1 lakh population. “Data from this report show that residents of Kolkata are exposed to poor air quality, including very high levels of PM 2.5. It is critical to address air pollution in the city and plan for targeted actions on sources including transportation, industries and waste,” Pallavi Pant, a senior scientist of HEI told The Telegraph on Wednesday. “Of the 50 cities with the most severe increase in PM 2.5, 41 are in India and nine in Indonesia. Of the 20 cities with the greatest decrease in PM 2.5 pollution from 2010 to 2019, all are located in China,” the study said. Anumita Roy Choudhury, an air pollution expert with the environment think-tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said: “Kolkata needs the most stringent time-bound multi-sector action to meet the clean air target.” Pulmonologist Arup Haldar said the report suggested the worst fears of Kolkata doctors were true. “An increasing number of non-smoking COPD cases and asthma cases without family history are being reported in the city. They could be directly related to rising pollution levels. We are also observing an increasing number of lung cancer cases linked to air pollution,” he said. “I will seek a detailed report from the pollution control board and try to undertake appropriate steps to fix the problem,” state environment minister Manas Bhuniya said. Pillion rider dies in bridge accident A man riding pillion on a scooter with a colleague died after the two-wheeler was hit by a bus on the Howrah-bound flank of the Vivekananda Setu on Wednesday evening, police said. The rider Sougata Roy Chowdhury, 35, and his colleague Sheikh Shahzada, 27 — who work for a mobile phone company — were returning home when the accident happened around 5.50pm. Police said, a Bihar-bound bus allegedly hit the scooter and ran over the pillion rider. Both were taken to SSKM Hospital where Roy Chowdhury was declared dead. Sheikh Shahzada is being treated at the hospital. Roy Chowdhury, a resident of Dakshin Paschim Para of Sankrail in Howrah. The bus driver has been arrested. Both the scooter and the bus have been impounded and would be sent for test.

Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

Don't implement one-charger plan until EU does: Industry to Centre

The industry bodies also said that the evidence-based policy making should be based on a thorough market and consumer research with a proper impact assessment on consumer ease against cost preference A number of industry bodies on Wednesday asked the Consumer Affairs Ministry to not implement the one-charger policy until the European Union (EU) does the same, Business Standard has learnt. “Closer examination of the feasibility of the common charger is required, and the lessons that will be learned from the EU must be closely examined before any precipitate action” a presentation by one of the industry groups said in an internal meeting. The industry bodies also said that the evidence-based policy making should be based on a thorough market and consumer research with a proper impact assessment on consumer ease against cost preference. Further, it said, digital penetration and accessibility of mobile devices across the length and breadth of India is the most important issue. There is also a need of funding towards wireless charging and interoperability of charging solutions Speaking of e-waste, the industry bodies said that the one-charger policy might not have the desired effect. “I am not sure that it will impact the e-waste as you can have a common port but not a common charger because the power requirements of different devices are different” said Pankaj Mohindroo, chairman ICEA to Business Standard. It must also be noted that India is a large base of charger manufacturing and it could affect the industry. “We have a massive manufacturing base and aspire to be world leaders in charger manufacturing, '' said Mohindroo. It could affect the business in India as other countries will also follow suit which will reduce choice and manufacturing. The industry bodies have kept these points across the ministry and the final decision will be reached after the expert committee is set up. Earlier, speaking to Business Standard Atin Biswas from the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) had said that the adoption of common chargers across all the platforms required a certain amount of re-engineering from the device’s perspective due to differing power requirements. He further elaborated that there was a lack of proper inventory on e-waste in India and the ones responsible for channelling the e-waste to the actual destination are mostly the informal sector.

Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

प्रदुषण ने फिर बढ़ाई चिंता! दुनिया के सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों की सूची में शामिल है देश के ये दो बड़े शहर

शहरों में वायु गुणवत्ता और स्वास्थ्य पर लेटेस्ट स्टेट ऑफ ग्लोबल एयर रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, औसत वार्षिक जनसंख्या पीएम 2.5 एक्सपोजर के मामले में नई दिल्ली और कोलकाता दुनिया के शीर्ष 10 सबसे प्रदूषित शहरों में से हैं। नई दिल्ली और कोलकाता सूची में पहले और दूसरे स्थान पर हैं, जबकि मुंबई को 14 वें स्थान पर रखा गया है। 7,239 शहरों में से, 2010 से 2019 तक PM2.5 प्रदूषण में सबसे अधिक वृद्धि वाले 20 शहरों में से भारत के 18 शहर हैं अन्य दो शहर इंडोनेशिया में हैं। List of most polluted cities: PM2.5 सूक्ष्म कणों को संदर्भित करता है जो शरीर में गहराई से प्रवेश करते हैं और फेफड़ों और श्वास नली में सूजन बढ़ाते हैं, जिससे कमजोर इम्यून सिस्टम के साथ दिल और सांस संबंधी समस्याएं होने का खतरा होता है। एचईआई की एक वरिष्ठ वैज्ञानिक पल्लवी पंत ने कहा, “जैसे-जैसे दुनिया भर के शहर तेजी से डेवलप हो रहे हैं, वहां रहने वाले लोगों के स्वास्थ्य पर वायु प्रदूषण का बुरा प्रभाव भी बढ़ने की उम्मीद है। डब्ल्यूएचओ के वायु गुणवत्ता डेटाबेस का जिक्र करते हुए, कहा कि वर्तमान में केवल 117 देशों में पीएम 2.5 को ट्रैक करने की प्रणाली है, और केवल 74 देश NO2 स्तरों की निगरानी कर रहे हैं। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) में कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा कि दिल्ली पीएम 2.5 के मामले में सबसे प्रदूषित शहर के रूप में जाना जाता है, लेकिन यह धीरे-धीरे सुधार कर रहा है।