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Overexploitation and tourism, among other factors, have begun to take a toll on the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as a full-blown climate crisis stares in the face of their residents. The years of dire warnings about an impending climate crisis are past. The unabated heatwave leaving the hills singed, along with 2,760 cases of forest fires – said to be the highest ever in Himachal Pradesh, an unprecedented dry spell and 92.4 per cent rain deficiency are not just indicators. Climate change is happening, that too at a scary rate and scale. The severity of the shift in weather in the mountainous regions of Himachal is highlighted by the 21 days of a severe heatwave in the state this year, a record in recent history. The state stood at number three after Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the number of heatwave days in March-April 2022. Total heatwave days in both Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were 25. In comparison, Punjab had just seven severe heatwave days while Uttarakhand had three, Bihar two and Odisha only one. Thousands of tourists driving up to Shimla and hill destinations to escape the heat of the North Indian plains encountered warm weather with the water crisis, while long traffic jams and high vehicular emissions they caused only compounded the woes for locals. Conditions were no different for those rushing to Nainital, Rishikesh and Mussoorie in the neighbouring hill state of Uttarakhand, whose vulnerability to climate-induced disasters, like the Kedarnath tragedy in 2013 and the Chamoli disaster in 2021, is already widely known. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a heatwave as an unusually high temperature or hot weather. For the hills, temperature exceeding 30°C and for the plains, a recording crossing 40°C is described as a heatwave. Environmental scientist Chander Bhushan, CEO, iForest, admits that there has been an increase in the global average temperature. Changes of 1-2°C in average temperature can cause potentially dangerous shifts in climate. This year, coupled with the severity, the timing of the heat wave –it happened in the early months of summer between March and April– is being considered more worrying for the mountain states. He says, “We have entered a new age of hot extremes that will get worse with increasing global warming. We need a heat code and an action plan.” On Himachal, he feels one of the long-term impacts of the heatwaves will be a steady jump in the state's energy bill due to rising dependency on air conditioners and fans. Besides, agriculture and horticulture are already showing effects of this change in terms of productivity. In the British-era hill station of Shimla, the use of electric fans and ACs was unheard of till some years back. The demand has grown by 70-80 per cent this summer. Most aged residents of Shimla recall that till the 1980s, a recording of 24°C would make a big headline in newspapers. But gradually the town started getting warmer. Snowfall pattern has changed over the years. The state capital's forest cover got replaced by a concrete jungle, even in the banned areas. “After 2000, Shimla has become a hothouse, with temperature extremes of 32°C, water shortage and vehicular pollution, even as greenery disappeared to make spaces for buildings and roads,” says Dr Ramesh Chauhan, vice-chancellor at APG Shimla University. Says Kunal Satyarathi, joint secretary at National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), “This is the first time when the hill state recorded so many heatwave days, that too in March-April. The impact of heat, the dry spells and global warming is already visible in the form of forest fires, water crisis and drying-up of the rivers in Himachal Pradesh." Apart from Shimla – where low water supply during summers has become regular, rural populations in several districts are also facing water scarcity due to drought conditions. More than 1,150 water supply schemes in the state have become defunct due to the drying-up of rivulets and streams, their perennial sources. The impact of the heat wave is conspicuously high in the state’s fruit belt. A third of the apple crop –mostly older varieties like Red Royal and Delicious– are severely impacted. The flowering in the orchards started much before usual. This left apple producers in utter panic, who resorted to measures like sprays to protect the plants against diseases, premature bud break, etc. State capital Shimla – which had witnessed the worst ever water crisis in its post-Independence history in 2018, was revisited by an acute water shortage. Due to the dry spell, most natural sources upstream in rural settings hit their lowest bottoms, having no water to be lifted for supply in the town. Rationing was frequent as the total availability of water with the supply agency –Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam– came down to 33-35 MLD against the requirement of 42 MLD. Shimla has begun water rationing to meet the drinking water demand. Hoteliers hired water tenders to meet high water demand because of the heavy influx of tourists. Environmentalist Sunita Narain shared her concern about Shimla’s worst water crisis in 2018 when she drew a parallel with Cape Town in South Africa. Her fears are coming true within three years of 2018, when Shimla's water crisis made headlines in the Washington Post and New York Times, when not a drop of water was available for eight consecutive days, exacerbated by the non-availability of water at the source of Shimla's supply — perennial rivers and streams that had dried up. Last week, massive protests over water shortage began afresh at Theog, after dozens of villagers blocked the Shimla-Rampur National Highway. The police registered an FIR against the state's lone CPI(M) MLA Rakesh Singha and nine others. “The villagers were not receiving water for five-six days. The source had dried up and whatever water was available was being supplied to Shimla town. The women, who had to walk 6-7 km to fetch water on foot, threatened to block the supply of water to Shimla if their demand for regular supply was not met. There is a serious conflict brewing," warns Kuldeep Tanwar, a Himachal Kisan Sabha leader and retired Indian Forest Services officer (IFS). Climate change has not only created a serious shortage in drinking water but has also left the state's hydro-power sector reeling. There is a substantial fall in the water inflow of the Satluj – a glacier- and snow-fed river. This is a clear sign of the adverse impact of receding glaciers and the decline in snowfall in high-altitude mountains. “Results of our study this year, on changes in snowfall, are shocking. There is a 19-27 per cent reduction in the snowfall in the catchment areas of the three perennial rivers viz Ravi, Beas and Satluj. The highest variation among these rivers in terms of loss of snow is 27 per cent in Ravi, followed by Beas is 26 per cent," informs SS Randhawa, a senior scientist who was part of the study jointly done by the state council of Science Technology and Environment; and Indian Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad. The data available with Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Ltd –the country’s highest profit-making power PSU– shows a massive shortfall in power generation this year. This is mainly due to low discharge in the Satluj river, which is feeding several mega hydel projects including the 1,500 MW Nathpa Jhakri Hydel project and 412 MW Rampur project. The total power generated in June 2022 was 884.28 MW, against 1,033.384 MW in June 2021 at the Nathpa Jhakri project. A similar disappointing trend is seen at Rampur hydel project further downstream. There was a clear shortfall of 39.10 MW in June 2022 as the project generated only 246 MW against 285 MW in June 2021. There is also data available showing reduced water discharge in the river in the summers due to less snow cover and no rain in the high mountains. Nand Lal Sharma, chairman and MD at SJNL Ltd, says, "The shortfall in energy generation is quite unusual during the peak summers. Melting of the snow in the high mountains has always been sustaining the water discharge at the projects. The unfavourable climatic conditions, receding of glaciers and lack of snowfall are glaring factors impacting the run of the river projects in Himalayan basins in Himachal and Uttarakhand.” Glacier Outburst Floods (GLOFs) are yet another phenomenon in high-altitude regions linked to global warming and climate crisis. Himachal Pradesh has 958 glacial lakes of size 500 sq. metres, according to a report by the State Council of Science and Technology. Of these, 109 were formed in the last few years, while 352 exist in the Satluj Basin. The damage which GLOFs can cause in the state and all projects is unimaginable. Anand Sharma, a former director of the meteorological centre at Dehradun, who had correctly forecast the excess rainfall that led to the Kedarnath disaster, stressed the need for setting up an early warning system to forecast disasters in view of climate changes happening in the mountain ecosystem. He says policy planners must make vulnerability studies before building infrastructures like dams, roads, and bridges. He adds, “This is the basic reason for massive destruction and deaths in any flash flood, cloudbursts or lake bursts, like the Kedarnath tragedy of 2013 in Uttarakhand or the Beas and Satluj river floods in Himachal in 2005.” In 1995, massive flash floods in the Beas resulted in the deaths of 35 persons. In 2000, the Satluj flooded, leaving 135 persons dead and loss of property worth Rs 1,455 crore. Again in 2005, there were flash floods in the Satluj, caused by the bursting of the Pareechu lake in the Tibetan region, and Garsa valley floods in Kullu. Forty-six persons got buried and killed in a massive landslide at Cotrupi in Mandi in August 2017, following heavy rains, again raising the demand for an early warning system in the state that is prone to calamities and climate change. Data from the State Disaster Management Authority shows the deaths of 4,306 persons in calamities like landslides, flash floods, house collapse and monsoon rains between January 1, 2019, and June 18, 2022. The loss to infrastructures like bridges, highways and property was more than Rs 1,722 crore. There were 42 cases of landslides alone in 2021, of which two happened in Kinnaur, claiming 49 lives. On July 28, 2021, nine people died and seven went missing after flash floods ripped through Lahaul-Spiti – a district that had till then never seen monsoon rains. Earlier, nine tourists died when hit by a boulder racing down a mountain at Batseri near Chitkul in Kinnaur. Forty others were buried in a major landslide after rains in Kinnaur on August 11, 2022. Kinn¬¬aur, a high-altitude district bordering Tibet, witnessed the outbreak of a devastating wildfire that burnt down Himachal's precious chilgoza forests. The fire continued for almost 72 hours, leaving a trail of destruction. More than 40 bighas of chilgoza forests were reduced to ashes. The temperature at Kalpa, a high-altitude mountain valley, reached 19°C in February 2021, a record. There is already a decline in winter snowfall there. The pattern of rainfall has completely changed, and so have snow and temperature. The winter snowfall cycle is completely disturbed, impacting the horticulture economy and availability of water in towns and villages earlier having abandoned water discharge in rivers, streams, rivulets and perennial springs. Rohan Lal Negi, a noted environmentalist and orchard owner, says, “Extreme weather events have caused multiple impacts on land, crops, fruits, and water sources. My own orchard has dried up. It has stopped bearing fruits. The soil looks like a desert. In fact, every third or fourth orchard in Kinnaur is showing signs of withering, battered by heat and dry conditions. Some farmers have abandoned lands and orchards. They are no longer productive and economical, except those growing new varieties in the upper ranges." Negi says it's the first time in 65 years that he has noticed such a devastating impact of heatwaves in this highly fertile land, where water, snow and forests have been the best companions of farmers. Forests, which used to be the source of food, fodder, water and wood, are vanishing, with mega hydel projects and dams built in Kinnaur. This year, the water in the Satluj – one of Himachal's most water-laden rivers, has touched the lowest bottom. This is a highly worrying sign. Lahaul-Spiti, another ecologically fragile district, is notable for the negative effects of climate change over the past 15 years. The district remains under snow for six to seven months and is also cut off from the rest of the world due to the closure of Rohtang Pass (13,059 ft). It’s only after the new road across Rohtang Pass was completed in 2020 that the valley got its all-weather connectivity. But there are new worries among locals. The new road means higher tourist influx, movement of vehicles, fast-food eateries, plastic waste and garbage, which are wreaking havoc on the environment. More than 10,000 tourists and other vehicles entering Lahual during peak summer are bound to accelerate the melting of glaciers, which are the source of water for the local ecosystem. “For almost 15 years, I have been carrying out a consistent campaign to adopt the Bhutan model in Lahaul-Spiti, to save this high-altitude region from an unnatural death. There is hardly anyone in the government that's listening. If Lahaul-Spiti goes, an entire ancient civilisation, centuries-old glaciers –our heritage– will get lost," he warns, recalling how the intervention of the National Green Tribunal in 2015 saved Rohtang Pass from environmental disaster. Dr Suresh Attri, Principal Scientific Officer (Environment), Department of Environment Science and Technology, says, "Himachal Pradesh is one of the pioneering states to have prepared a climate action plan (Level-II). There are the latest technological tools available for analysis, and future projections on climate behaviour. The department is making effective interventions in the planning process and also mitigations. “What is still alarming is that not only is Shimla becoming hotter, but the rise in humidity. Last week, after the arrival of monsoons, the town witnessed an unusual rise in humidity. We can find its direct link with heatwave days. It needs more studies on the impact of such changes in the climate.” Shimla witnessed the hottest day on May 27, 2010, with 32.4°C, 8°C higher than normal. It surpassed the earlier record of 31.7°C on May 20, 2004.
अगर हम हर तरह के सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक पर पाबंदी लगाना चाहते हैं तो इस सूची में चिप्स, गुटखा और शैंपू की बहुपरतीय पैकेजिंग भी शामिल करनी होगी सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक पर 1 जुलाई से प्रभावी भारत की पाबंदी पर विचार करते हुए यह जानना जरूरी है कि हम किस चीज के खिलाफ खड़े हैं—हमारे सामने चुनौती कितनी विकट है. कोई भी जो समुद्रतट पर गया है और जिसे बोतल में संदेश मिला है, वह जानता है यह कठोर चुनौती है. बोतल प्लास्टिक से बनी है. पानी भी तकरीबन ऐसा ही है. यही संदेश है. बोतल विशाल समुद्र के मुकाबले बहुत नन्ही मालूम देती है, पर आपने कचरे के भंवरों के बारे में सुना है? सबसे बड़ा भंवर द ग्रेट पैसिफिक गार्बेज पैच यानी प्रशांत महासागर में कूड़े-करकट का विशाल खंड करीब 16 लाख वर्ग किमी इलाके में फैला है—कैलिफोर्निया और जापान के बीच अर्ध-घुलित कचरे का तैरता हुआ पुल. हिंद महासागर में हमारा भी ऐसा ही एक कचरे का खंड है, जो दक्षिण अफ्रीका और ऑस्ट्रेलिया के बीच नीले समुद्र में जहर घोल रहा है. वैज्ञानिकों ने इसे 'महीन प्लास्टिक का सूप' कहा है.</p> पहली चीजें पहले. यह पाबंदी भारत के लिए छोटा, दरअसल बहुत छोटा, पर बेहद आगे का कदम है. अपने इस सीमित रूप में भी यह पाबंदी हमें कम से कम सोचने और आगे बढऩे को मजबूर कर सकती है. हम दैनिक उपयोग की जो चीजें एक बार इस्तेमाल करके फेंक देते हैं, यह उनकी सूची देती और रोकती है. अफसोस कि यह अधूरी सूची है, पर जिन्हें नहीं पता, उनके लिए इसमें प्लास्टिक के हल्के कप हैं जो आपको सड़क किनारे दुकानों में मिलते हैं, स्ट्रॉ जिन्हें आप ठंडे पेय खत्म करने के बाद दोबारा सोचे बगैर फेंक देते हैं—और हां, हर जगह मौजूद प्लास्टिक की थैलियां, 120 माइक्रॉन मोटाई से कम कुछ भी, दिसंबर, 2022 तक. हमारे हाथों से निकलते ही वे यहां-वहां उड़ जाती हैं, सड़कों पर प्रेतों की तरह मंडराती हैं, कचरे के पहाड़ों से मिट्टी में पहुंच जाती हैं, या नालियां बंद कर देती हैं और अंतत: हमारी नदियों में बहकर समुद्रों में चली जाती हैं—जिसे छूती हैं, उसमें जहर घोल देती हैं. समुद्रों में प्लास्टिक डालने वाली दुनिया की नदियों में गंगा छठे पायदान पर है. सिंधु दूसरे नंबर पर है. समुद्रों में उन्हें अक्सर सदियों पुराने टूथब्रश मिलते हैं, पर ज्यादातर प्लास्टिक का रूप-रंग बरकरार नहीं रहता. यह टूटता है और इसके पॉलीमर बिखर जाते हैं. यही प्लास्टिक का वह सूप है जो मछलियों के भीतर, आपके भीतर, हर चीज के भीतर पहुंच जाता है. दूसरे, हमें स्वीकार करना होगा कि उद्योग की तरफ से भविष्य के पूर्वाभास और प्रतिरोध के समूचे एहसास के बावजूद प्रतिबंधित चीजों की यह फेहरिस्त उतनी पर्याप्त व्यापक नहीं है. अगर हमारा मकसद वाकई सिंगल-यूज प्लास्टिक से निजात पाना है तो इसमें बहु-परतीय पैकेजिंग बेशक होनी ही चाहिए. यह वह सर्वव्यापी शैतान है जिसमें लिपटकर तेजी से बढ़ रही तमाम उपभोक्ता वस्तुएं—चिप्स से लेकर शैंपू और गुटके पाउच तक—हमारे पास आती हैं. गफलत में न रहें, प्लास्टिक से होने वाले दूषण के मामले में ये असली खतरा हैं. इसे इकट्ठा करना लगभग असंभव है और फिर इसे संसाधित करना बिल्कुल नामुमकिन है. बस इतना किया जा सकता है कि इसे सीमेंट संयंत्रों में भस्म कर दिया जाए, जो तकरीबन कभी होता नहीं. हमें कैसे पता? कचरों के जिन विशाल ढेरों पर इन्हें फेंक दिया जाता है, उन पर मिलने वाली प्लास्टिक की किस्म के विरले और व्यापक अध्ययन की बदौलत. इसे तब याद रखें जब आप प्लास्टिक की रंगीन पीली पन्नी के भीतर से मसालेदार आलू की कुछ फांकें निकालते हैं.</p><div id="shoppingWidget_mobile"></div> <p class="text-align-justify">करना क्या होगा? दो आसान कदम, जिनमें यूं ही इस्तेमाल किए गए गैर-विशेष प्लास्टिक के विविध रूप—जो निर्मित प्लास्टिक के तकरीबन आधे हैं—शामिल हों. सबसे पहले एक-एक प्लास्टिक की थैली और ईयरबड और चिप्स के पैकेट बीनने होंगे. दूसरे, प्लास्टिक के इन बेकार सामान को इकट्ठा करके रिसाइकल या भस्म करना होगा—किसी भी हालत में इसे कचरे के पहाड़ों या जलाशयों में नहीं जाने देना है. इन्हें भस्म भी पर्यावरण के अनुकूल तरीके से करना होगा, ताकि इसका हश्र कामगारों के लिए और ज्यादा प्रदूषण या स्वास्थ्य के खतरे पैदा करने में न हो. कोविड ने पहले ही हमारे ऊपर बहुत बोझ डाल दिया है, जिससे हमारे बीच प्लास्टिक का एक विस्फोट हो चुका है, भले ही जिसे टाला नहीं जा सकता था और जो दस्तानों से लेकर बॉडी सूट तक बचाव के पहनावों की शक्ल में सामान्य हो चुका है.</p>प्लास्टिक के कचरे को इकट्ठा करना खुले तौर पर अपने आप में मुश्किल काम है. मसलन, प्लास्टिक की थैलियों को ही लीजिए. उन पर पाबंदी नई बात नहीं. करीब 25 राज्य और केंद्र शासित प्रदेश उन पर पहले ही पूर्ण पाबंदी लगा चुके हैं. मगर हम जानते हैं कि व्यवहार में क्या होता है. मोटाई को लेकर खास तौर पर चिंता है—सरकारें और नियामक आसान रास्ता अपनाते हुए कह देते हैं कि निर्णय करना और नियम लागू करना मुश्किल है. इसे पूरे प्राणपण से लागू करना हमारी सबसे बड़ी चुनौती और इस लड़ाई में जीत या हार तय करने वाला तत्व है. एक और चुनौती जिम्मेदारी तय करना है. सरकार अच्छी नीयत से शोर-शराबा करती है—2019 के स्वतंत्रता दिवस के दौरान प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी के उस आह्वान को देखिए जिसमें उन्होंने भारतीयों से ''प्लास्टिक की आदत'' छोड़ने को कहा था. अब विभिन्न पैकेजिंग सामग्री को 'उत्पादकों की बढ़ी हुई जिम्मेदारी' का हिस्सा माना जाता है, जिसमें बनाने (या खपत करने) वाली कंपनियों के लिए बेकार प्लास्टिक को इकट्ठा करके पुन: संसाधन के लिए भेजना जरूरी है. सालाना लक्ष्य हैं. घड़ी की तरह काम करना मालूम देता है... सैद्धांतिक तौर पर ही. हकीकत में बनाई या खपत की गई प्लास्टिक की मात्रा का हिसाब-किताब केवल उद्योग ही रखता है. जगजाहिर कुछ भी नहीं है जिससे हम उनकी घोषणाओं की सटीकता का आकलन कर सकें. इस तरह ईपीआर व्यवस्था खोखली है.</p> <p class="text-align-justify">इस बीच क्या हो रहा है? आधे-अधूरे समाधान जो महज सत्य छिपाने के काम आते हैं. अपने ईपीआर लक्ष्य पूरे करने के वास्ते अपनी ओर से कचरा इकट्ठा करने के लिए कंपनियां जिन एजेंसियों को ठेके देती हैं, उन्हीं में से एक के दौरे में मैंने देखा कि नगर निकायों के ट्रकों से लाए गए कचरे को कनवेयर बेल्टों पर रखा और छांटा जा रहा था. दोबारा इस्तेमाल किया जा सकने वाला सामान, एल्यूमिनियम वगैरह, वापस बाजार में जा रहा था. आखिर में उनके पास साफ-सुथरे ढंग से छांटे गए प्लास्टिक के पहाड़ जमा हो गए जो कहीं नहीं जा सकते थे—जलाने वाले सीमेंट संयंत्रों तक इन्हें ले जाना उनके लिए बहुत महंगा था. इनमें बड़ा हिस्सा बहु-परतीय पैकेजिंग और पाउचों का था.</p> बड़े कारोबार—और ज्यादातर मध्यम वर्ग—के लिए वैल्यू चेन में और नीचे अनौपचारिक क्षेत्र के लाखों लोग हैं जो प्लास्टिक के पुन: इस्तेमाल के लिए विकल्प खोज ही लेते हैं. ये हमारे कचरे के असल योद्धा हैं, जो पृथ्वी पर पड़ने वाला बोझ कम से कम टाल तो देते ही हैं. इसके आगे, रिसाइकल करने वाली 'फैक्ट्रियां' हैं, जो चार्ल्स डिकेंस के उपन्यासों सरीखी दुनिया हैं, जिसमें और ज्यादा गरीब लोग हमारे पापों का प्रायश्चित करने के लिए भयावह स्थितियों में काम करते हैं. दिल्ली के औद्योगिक इलाके बवाना में ऐसी ही एक फैक्ट्री में छांटी गई विभिन्न प्लास्टिक को टंकियों में साफ किया, उबाला, तपाया और कुंडलियों से निकाला जाता है, जब तक कि वे तार की तरह नहीं बन जाती. फिर इनके टुकड़े कर प्लास्टिक के दाने बनाए जाते हैं जो नई शक्ल लेकर पुन: आपके पास पहुंचते हैं.</p> सख्त नीति के तौर पर हम रिसाइकल की गई प्लास्टिक पर जोर देना पक्का करें. यह उस मोलभाव का एक हिस्सा है जो हमें अपने भविष्य की खातिर करना ही चाहिए. दूसरा है स्थानीय सोचना—अमीर देश अपने कचरे की गाड़ियां गरीब दक्षिण के सिर पर डालते रहे हैं और 2018 में प्लास्टिक कचरे के आयात पर चीन की पाबंदी के बाद हर कोई 'मेरे पिछवाड़े नहीं-की भावना' में जकड़ा है. भारत की प्लास्टिक के कचरे की समस्या उतनी बड़ी नहीं है जितनी पश्चिम की है, पर हम भी वहीं पहुंच रहे हैं. गोवा सरीखे समृद्ध राज्य प्रति प्रति व्यक्ति 60 ग्राम से ज्यादा उत्पन्न करते हैं; 37 ग्राम प्रति व्यक्ति के साथ दिल्ली भी तेजी से आगे आ रही है. भारत का प्रति व्यक्ति औसत, जो करीब 8 ग्राम है, निचले पायदान पर है, पर हमारी आबादी का मतलब है कि हम दुनिया के नंबर 2 उत्पादक हैं. दुनिया भर में 1950 के बाद जितनी भी प्लास्टिक का उत्पादन हुआ, उसका आधे से ज्यादा बीते करीब 12 साल में हुआ है. अब जब हम 5 ट्रिलियन डॉलर की अर्थव्यवस्था बनने के इच्छुक हैं, हमें इस खतरे को खत्म करना ही होगा. लेखिका सेंटर फॉर साइंस ऐंड एनवायरनमेंट, नई दिल्ली की महानिदेशक हैं
CSE is warning that Paris Climate Deal would fail without US being part of it. India would be among the worst affected India has been one of the worst sufferers of increasing global temperatures, even though the country’s consumption of fossil fuels is well below that of the developed world, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said in a Facebook Live session on the World Environment Day on Monday. Themed around US President Donald Trump’s decision to unilaterally pull out of Paris Agreement last week and its implications for India, the discussion featured CSE’s Director Sunita Narain and Deputy Director General Chandra Bhushan. Bhushan headed a team which compared year-on-year and seasonal temperature rise over the last 117 years. The New Delhi-based environmental thinktank said that such a study had never before been conducted in India. Here are 10 talking points that came up during the session: 1. According to CSE data, the winters have been growing consistently warmer in India, with temperatures in January and February this year registering an unprecedented increase of 2.95 degree Celsius, compared to a 2 degree increase last year. The Bhushan-led study kept the 30 years from 1901-30 as the base for their observations. 2. The study billed 1995 as the ‘tipping point’, saying that temperature had been increasing by a degree Celsius until 1995, after which temperatures started registering a higher increase. The Paris Agreement, signed by participating countries in April 2016, asks of the countries to try capping the global temperature rise at 1.5 degree Celsius. 3. While many of Donald Trump’s backers continue denying climate change as conspiracy theory, India has been reeling from its effects. CSE’s Director Sunita Narain pointed out that the ongoing drought afflicting South Indian states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala was a symptom of climate change. Over 330 million people in the four states have been directly affected in what has been dubbed as one of the worst droughts in India in recent years. 4. “Climate change and extreme weather events are directly linked,” Narain declared. Citing events like the cloud burst in otherwise rain-starved Ladakh in 2010 and the excruciating heat wave across the country the same year, besides unprecedented winter temperature rise this year, Narain said that climate change was “very real and with us in India.” Paris Climate Deal likely to fail without US 5. The Paris Climate Deal won’t be successful, Narain said, “if the world’s largest economy continues to spew pollution.” Narain was scathing of Trump’s decision to pull US out of the Paris Deal, noting that consumption of fossil fuels in the US was more than that of other countries. “US accounts for 20% of carbon dioxide stock in the atmosphere,” she also pointed out. CSE data CSE data 6. Critiquing Trump’s reasons for pulling out of the deal, Narain argued that while US consumption of coal had been decreasing in recent years, it still used more of coal than other countries. “In US, overall coal usage has been declining due to discovery of shale gas. Coal clearly is not able to compete with shale,” Narain said. She added that the US had “hit a jackpot” in discovering shale gas. 7. Narain also declared that without the US, Paris Climate Deal would simply “fail.” “Without US’ money and technology, leapfrog (to clean energy) will not happen,” she said. She reckoned that EU and major developing countries like China, Brazil and India would have to assume leadership roles to save whatever they could of the Paris Accord. Implications for India 8. Trump’s withdrawal from the deal could have “major and deadly implications for the planet, more so for India which is seeing deadly climate,” Narain said. She highlighted that India would have to invest even more money in developing its renewables. “India has already been investing billions of dollars in making its farmers adapt to clean energy, with little outside aid. But the foreign aid could dry up even more in the wake of Trump’s decision last week,” she said. India remains committed to Paris Deal 9. Noting that India’s position in Paris Deal was “clear,” Narain reckoned that India’s efforts at tackling climate change would start bearing fruit after 2030. “The real difference will happen after 2030,” she said. 10. Narain said that solar power held great promise in India, noting that prices of solar power would further go down. “The solar power sector in India, like shale gas in the US, would be able to produce cheap energy,” she said.
India is in a demographic dividend phase, with half the total population being in the working-age group as of 2011, and will be in this zone for over two decades. However, demographic dividend phases don’t automatically translate into economic growth, and without effective policymaking, they may increase unemployment. A study by researchers at Harvard University and the World Bank also showed that the Indian situation is in a ‘capability trap’. If India does not create enough jobs, and its workers are not adequately prepared for those jobs, we may have a demographic liability within this capability trap. India is in a demographic dividend phase, with half the total population being in the working-age group as of 2011, and will be in this zone for over two decades. In this time, the country will add another 183 million people to this age group by 2050. This means, as the UN Population Fund in 2019 observed, a whopping 22% of the global workforce added over the next three decades will come from India. However, demographic dividend phases do not automatically translate into economic growth, and without effective policymaking, they may beget adverse outcomes such as rising unemployment. The contrasting experiences of East Asia’s and Latin America’s demographic dividend phases evidence this. The evidence in India also brews pessimism. With unemployment at a 45-year high and poor health and education, India’s demographic dividend, actually poses a risk. A recent graphic anecdote is the violence in Bihar related to job recruitment woes (where 10 million aspirants signed up for 35,000 jobs), which shone a harsh spotlight on India’s worsening job crisis. Employment scene The Indian economy has been underperforming for some time now, which the pandemic only aggravated. The unemployment rate, 7.6% in April 2022, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, is still high despite a mild reduction. According to the 2021 ‘State of Working India Report’, the working-age population grew by 115.5 million between 2017 and 2021, but the labour force grew only by 7.7 million, and the workforce actually shrank by 11.3 million. The unemployment rate across education levels is equally concerning. The 2022 ‘State of Inequality Report’ observed that the rate of unemployment and education levels ascend together, with things even worse for educated young women, for whom the unemployment rate rose to 42%. The public sector has done little to help, as several state-run employment-oriented programmes have been subjected to budget cuts, if not shelved entirely. Even growth-driving sectors such as IT are not very large employers, accounting for only around 4 million out of a 500 million total workforce. It is well known that more than eight out of 10 workers are informal, mostly from socio-economically marginalised groups. A May 2020 International Labour Organisation report shows that more workers have fallen into precarious and informal forms of work. Noticeably, young people are willing to accept less pay and poor working conditions out of sheer desperation, if not exiting the formal labour force altogether. Female employment also does not resonate with the optimistic combination of high economic growth, low fertility rate, and rise in female schooling. In fact, India has recorded one of the lowest female workforce participation rates in the world – only 25%, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2020-21 – consistently declining for nearly seven decades since 1950. Women work disproportionately more in the informal economy than men, are concentrated in labour-intensive, low-paying, and highly precarious sectors, and suffer the highest gender age gap in Asia, according to an Oxfam report of 2019. Per the Global Gender Gap Index 2021, India’s position is 140 out of 156 countries, despite legal guarantees. And despite several schemes and programmes, early and child marriage still persists, child sex ratio is still negatively skewed, and discrimination prevails. Education and skill A demographic dividend needs to be supplemented by high-quality school education, relevant higher education, and skill development to bear fruit. However, this is again doubtful in the case of India. UNICEF, in 2019, reported that at least 47% of Indian youth will not possess the education and skills necessary for employment by 2030. While over 95% of India’s children attend primary school, the National Family Health Surveys confirm that poor public education infrastructure and teacher training, plus malnutrition have ensured poor learning outcomes. The Centre for Science and Environment found in 2021 that an astounding 375 million children may suffer long-lasting health and educational impacts due to the pandemic, affecting economic productivity. Over 250 million children were already forced out of school during the pandemic, with state-run mid-day meals taking a hit, and sharp digital divides glaringly visible. In 2018, the Annual Survey of Education Report showed that just half of the children in Grade 5 could read a Grade 2 text. Worse, as shown by the Survey in 2021, the proportion of primary school children who could not recognise letters of the alphabet has doubled since 2018. Coming to vocational training, according to a UN Population Fund report, in 2019-20, only 15% of India’s workforce received any such training. PLFS 2017-2018 showed that more than 40% of those aged 15-29 who received formal technical training are not part of the labour force at all, while only 3% of the total workforce is formally skilled (which is 24% in China, 52% in the USA, 68% in the UK, and 80% in Japan). Capability trap Thus, India’s success with its demographic dividend phase ultimately depends on strong state institutions and sound policy. In this backdrop, it is critical for India to acknowledge the diversity between the states based on the stages of demographic transition they are in. For instance, as noted by the Population Fund, Kerala has an ageing population, while in Bihar, the number of working people will keep increasing. So ageing Kerala would need policies to attract migrant labour from young states such as Rajasthan and Bihar, while relatively young states such as Bihar and Madhya Pradesh require a strong health and education system to prepare their workforce for the future. A study by researchers at Harvard University and the World Bank assessing the state capability showed that the Indian situation is in a ‘capability trap’ – where the destination and route are known but the country lacks the ability to implement the strategy. As the Confederation of Indian Industry has noted, if India does not create enough jobs, and its workers are not adequately prepared for those jobs, we may have a demographic liability within this capability trap. A comprehensive and inclusive economic and social strategy will foster an environment of empowerment, protection, and investment in people. Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea have already shown us how demographic dividend can be reaped. On World Population Day today, there are important lessons to learn from them.
All these vehicles are on the radar of the transport department, which is launching a campaign to ensure owners of such vehicles are brought to book, officials said. In a city where pollution is a menace for much of the year, 1.7 million vehicles registered in Delhi, including 300,000 cars, do not have valid pollution under control (PUC) certificates, officials of the transport department have said, adding that these certificates are to be renewed periodically, usually every year, to ensure tailpipe emission control. All these vehicles are on the radar of the transport department, which is launching a campaign to ensure owners of such vehicles are brought to book, officials said. Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said, “We are running a campaign to urge owners of vehicles without valid PUC certificates to immediately get their vehicles checked and certified. Our target is to ensure that no vehicle without valid PUC runs in Delhi. For that, we need the cooperation of vehicle owners. Enforcement will also be tightened and vehicles without valid PUC certificates will face penal action,” he said. A PUC certificate is a mandatory document certifying that the vehicle’s tailpipe emission falls within permissible limits. A vehicle plying without a valid PUC certificate is liable to be prosecuted under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicles Act and may lead to imprisonment of up to three months or fine of up to ₹10,000, or both. Promoted These rescue stories will bring tears to your eyesImpactGuru| Sponsored Get Certified from IIT Madras CCE & IntellipaatIntellipaat| Sponsored Protestors find millions in cash at Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa's mansionHindustan Times Back-To-College OffersDell| Sponsored If Your Dog Isn't On This List, It's Not A Smart BreedDaily Sport X| Sponsored Amid crisis, Sri Lanka president flees on naval ship, hints video: ReportHindustan Times Exciting Deal! Up to 45% off n Dell PowerEdge T150 ServersDell Technologies| Sponsored Egypt's New Discovery is Challenging Our HistoryRich Houses| Sponsored A transport department official said the department has identified 1.7 million vehicles in the capital that do not have a valid PUC certificate. “Among the 1.7 million vehicles, nearly 288,000 are cars, 1.37 million are two-wheelers, and the rest are vehicles such as trucks, auto-rickshaws, four and three wheeled goods carriers, etcetera. All of these vehicles are on our radar and their owners are being sent text messages asking them to renew the PUC certificates at the earliest,” said a transport department official, asking not to be named, adding that the department did not have figures on how many of these vehicles are still plying. Sharing the long-term plan to ensure PUC compliance, a second senior official said the department is planning to start issuing fines at the doorstep of owners who fail to renew their vehicles’ PUC certificate. “Under the MV Act, only vehicles plying without PUC certificates can be fined. We are planning to develop some mechanism at fuel stations to track such vehicles when they come for refueling and then issue them fines,” said the official, asking not to be named. The official said the department is likely to float a request soon, inviting firms with expertise to implement a ‘vehicle scanning mechanism’ at petrol pumps. “That will likely take some time,” said the official. A vehicle owner may get her vehicle checked for emissions at any one of the numerous PUC certifying centres across the capital. Delhi has around 966 such centres spread over 10 zones. The list of authorised centres is available on the website of the transport department. The fee for pollution checking is ₹60 (excluding GST) for two- and three-wheelers, ₹80 for four-wheelers, and ₹100 for diesel vehicles. The certifying process is computerised and each certificate is valid, usually for a year, and has to be renewed periodically, officials said. The data of vehicles received by PUC centres is forwarded to the transport department which maintains integrated centralised data records of vehicles. An official at one of these centres said towards the end of last year, there was a software upgrade after which the issuance of the certificates is running smoothly. A PUC centre operator in east Delhi said currently there is no “unusual rush” at the PUC centres but people are coming to get their vehicles checked. The transport department has been issuing public notices for PUC norms compliance and is also running an enforcement campaign. The data of fines issued in the last one month for pUC norms violations was not readily available with the department. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said studies have shown that vehicles are the second highest contributor to particulate pollution in Delhi and their share increases during winter. “Vehicles are also responsible for high toxic exposures. Proper maintenance and repair of vehicles is necessary to keep them low emitting during their useful on-road life. While 100% compliance based on credible PUC tests is necessary, it is also important to upgrade to more advanced vehicle emission surveillance systems, such as remote sensing, for more stringent monitoring,” she said. A transport department official said the department has identified 1.7 million vehicles in the capital that do not have a valid PUC certificate. “Among the 1.7 million vehicles, nearly 288,000 are cars, 1.37 million are two-wheelers, and the rest are vehicles such as trucks, auto-rickshaws, four and three wheeled goods carriers, etcetera. All of these vehicles are on our radar and their owners are being sent text messages asking them to renew the PUC certificates at the earliest,” said a transport department official, asking not to be named, adding that the department did not have figures on how many of these vehicles are still plying. Sharing the long-term plan to ensure PUC compliance, a second senior official said the department is planning to start issuing fines at the doorstep of owners who fail to renew their vehicles’ PUC certificate. “Under the MV Act, only vehicles plying without PUC certificates can be fined. We are planning to develop some mechanism at fuel stations to track such vehicles when they come for refueling and then issue them fines,” said the official, asking not to be named. The official said the department is likely to float a request soon, inviting firms with expertise to implement a ‘vehicle scanning mechanism’ at petrol pumps. “That will likely take some time,” said the official. A vehicle owner may get her vehicle checked for emissions at any one of the numerous PUC certifying centres across the capital. Delhi has around 966 such centres spread over 10 zones. The list of authorised centres is available on the website of the transport department. The fee for pollution checking is ₹60 (excluding GST) for two- and three-wheelers, ₹80 for four-wheelers, and ₹100 for diesel vehicles. The certifying process is computerised and each certificate is valid, usually for a year, and has to be renewed periodically, officials said. The data of vehicles received by PUC centres is forwarded to the transport department which maintains integrated centralised data records of vehicles. An official at one of these centres said towards the end of last year, there was a software upgrade after which the issuance of the certificates is running smoothly. A PUC centre operator in east Delhi said currently there is no “unusual rush” at the PUC centres but people are coming to get their vehicles checked. The transport department has been issuing public notices for PUC norms compliance and is also running an enforcement campaign. The data of fines issued in the last one month for pUC norms violations was not readily available with the department. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, said studies have shown that vehicles are the second highest contributor to particulate pollution in Delhi and their share increases during winter. “Vehicles are also responsible for high toxic exposures. Proper maintenance and repair of vehicles is necessary to keep them low emitting during their useful on-road life. While 100% compliance based on credible PUC tests is necessary, it is also important to upgrade to more advanced vehicle emission surveillance systems, such as remote sensing, for more stringent monitoring,” she said.
The current list of banned items is not comprehensive India’s ban on certain items that are defined as single-use plastic came into effect on July 1 in the midst of enormous pressure from certain industries to defer the deadline. The fact is that even if the current ban on single-use plastic is too limited, it is a critical step to control the menace of plastic pollution. We do not need to be warned about the problem. We live it every day. Our cities are littered with non-biodegradable plastic material, and it is greatly adding to environmental stress and degradation. The way ahead is to ensure that ubiquitous plastic items in our daily lives are recycled or disposed of safely. For this, we need a three-pronged strategy. First, all the plastic produced and used should be collected for disposal. Second, the waste plastic material must be recycled or incinerated — it should not reach landfills or choke our waterbodies. Third, the reuse or disposal has to be in a manner that is environmentally friendly and does not end up creating more pollution or health hazard for workers. But, most importantly, those plastic items that are difficult to collect or recycle should be eliminated from use. This is where the current ban, however limited, fits in. The objective is to identify items of everyday utility that are used once and thrown and added to litter. This is why the list of banned items includes earbuds, cutlery, straws, and carry-bags (of thickness less than 120 microns, by December 2022). The ban on carry-bags is not novel. As many as 25 states and Union Territories have already banned them, according to the latest report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The states say it is difficult to regulate this item based on plastic thickness. But we know that the enforcement is inadequate. This is why enforcing the new ban will make or break India’s fight against plastic waste. The current list of banned items is not comprehensive. One can argue that if the aim is to get rid of the items that are difficult to collect or are single-use, then this list should have included multi-layered packaging. This is what is used in almost all fast-moving consumer goods — from chips to shampoos to gutka pouches. This is the real menace when it comes to plastic contamination because these items are almost impossible to collect and absolutely impossible to process. The only thing that can be done with this packaging material is to send it to cement plants for incineration. This is why the few studies — mostly done by the CPCB — on the characteristics of plastic found in landfill sites show up this single-use plastic. The government says all packaging material has been included as part of the extended producer responsibility (EPR) notification. Under this, the companies that manufacture or consume this material are required to take it back and send it for reprocessing. Even company-wise annual targets have been fixed on how much is to be recollected. This sounds good on paper, but there are huge problems in the way EPR has been designed or is being implemented. For instance, there is no information on the quantity of this plastic material or the waste the company generates. Not only is it based on self-declaration, but there is nothing available in the public domain to assess its accuracy. This means the target that has been set for each company is meaningless. There is no benchmark on which it can be said to be adequate. Worse, under EPR, companies are required to recycle or reprocess the material they collect only by 2024. The question, then, is: What is happening to the plastic waste that is being collected — is it being stored or dumped? I saw this in practice when I visited an authorised Producer Responsibility Organisation (PRO), an agency that is contracted by companies to collect waste on their behalf to meet the EPR targets. This PRO was getting waste from municipal bodies. It would put the waste on large conveyor belts, where its staff picked up the items to sort them into different bundles — from aluminium tins to pouches. The problem was what to do with the sorted material. The PRO would sell what was of value, but the items that could not be recycled were simply stored in the same warehouse. I saw mountains of neatly sorted and bundled multi-layered packages and pouches. The PRO said it was running out of space and the only option was to send the material for incineration to cement companies; but the transport cost was prohibitive. Back to square one. Only this time, the waste was not littered but packed, with nowhere to go but, perhaps, a dump yard. This is why the most contentious issue is what we mean by recycling. We would like to assuage our guilt by believing that the waste we throw is reprocessed. But we must understand that this is either not happening, or, if it is happening, it is because of the millions of poor people working in the informal sector who manage to make value out of our refuse. They are the real waste warriors. It is time we understood this so that we become responsible for our own waste and not use the banned items today, and ask for more to be banned tomorrow — because we must and can live without them.
Heat waves second deadliest natural force in India See the details at https://ibgnews.com/2022/07/11/heat-waves-second-deadliest-natural-force-in-india-have-killed-over-20k-people-from-2000-onwards/
परिवहन विभाग के अधिकारियों ने कहा है कि एक ऐसे शहर में जहां प्रदूषण साल के अधिकांश समय के लिए एक खतरा है, दिल्ली में पंजीकृत 1.7 मिलियन वाहनों, जिनमें 300,000 कारें शामिल हैं, के पास वैध प्रदूषण नियंत्रण (पीयूसी) प्रमाण पत्र नहीं है। टेलपाइप उत्सर्जन नियंत्रण सुनिश्चित करने के लिए समय-समय पर, आमतौर पर हर साल नवीनीकरण किया जाना है। अधिकारियों ने कहा कि ये सभी वाहन परिवहन विभाग के रडार पर हैं, जो इस तरह के वाहनों के मालिकों पर कार्रवाई सुनिश्चित करने के लिए एक अभियान शुरू कर रहा है। परिवहन मंत्री कैलाश गहलोत ने कहा, "हम बिना वैध पीयूसी प्रमाण पत्र के वाहनों के मालिकों से अपने वाहनों की तुरंत जांच और प्रमाणित करने का आग्रह करने के लिए एक अभियान चला रहे हैं। हमारा लक्ष्य यह सुनिश्चित करना है कि बिना वैध पीयूसी के कोई भी वाहन दिल्ली में न चले। इसके लिए हमें वाहन मालिकों का सहयोग चाहिए। प्रवर्तन को भी कड़ा किया जाएगा और वैध पीयूसी प्रमाण पत्र के बिना वाहनों को दंडात्मक कार्रवाई का सामना करना पड़ेगा, "उन्होंने कहा। पीयूसी प्रमाणपत्र एक अनिवार्य दस्तावेज है जो प्रमाणित करता है कि वाहन का टेलपाइप उत्सर्जन अनुमेय सीमा के भीतर है। वैध पीयूसी प्रमाण पत्र के बिना वाहन चलाने पर मोटर वाहन अधिनियम की धारा 190 (2) के तहत मुकदमा चलाया जा सकता है और तीन महीने तक की कैद या 10,000 रुपये तक का जुर्माना या दोनों हो सकता है। परिवहन विभाग के एक अधिकारी ने कहा कि विभाग ने राजधानी में 17 लाख वाहनों की पहचान की है जिनके पास वैध पीयूसी प्रमाणपत्र नहीं है। "1.7 मिलियन वाहनों में, लगभग 288,000 कारें हैं, 1.37 मिलियन दोपहिया हैं, और बाकी ट्रक, ऑटो-रिक्शा, चार और तीन पहिया माल वाहक, वगैरह जैसे वाहन हैं। ये सभी वाहन हमारे रडार पर हैं और उनके मालिकों को एसएमएस भेजकर पीयूसी प्रमाणपत्रों को जल्द से जल्द नवीनीकृत करने के लिए कहा जा रहा है। इनमें से कई वाहन अभी भी चल रहे हैं। पीयूसी अनुपालन सुनिश्चित करने के लिए दीर्घकालिक योजना को साझा करते हुए, एक दूसरे वरिष्ठ अधिकारी ने कहा कि विभाग उन मालिकों के दरवाजे पर जुर्माना जारी करने की योजना बना रहा है जो अपने वाहनों के पीयूसी प्रमाणपत्र को नवीनीकृत करने में विफल रहते हैं। "एमवी अधिनियम के तहत, केवल पीयूसी प्रमाण पत्र के बिना चलने वाले वाहनों पर जुर्माना लगाया जा सकता है। हम ईंधन स्टेशनों पर कुछ तंत्र विकसित करने की योजना बना रहे हैं ताकि ऐसे वाहनों को ट्रैक किया जा सके जब वे ईंधन भरने के लिए आते हैं और फिर उन्हें जुर्माना जारी करते हैं, "अधिकारी ने नाम न बताने के लिए कहा। अधिकारी ने कहा कि विभाग जल्द ही एक अनुरोध जारी कर सकता है, जिसमें विशेषज्ञता वाली फर्मों को पेट्रोल पंपों पर 'वाहन स्कैनिंग तंत्र' लागू करने के लिए आमंत्रित किया जाएगा। अधिकारी ने कहा, "इसमें कुछ समय लगने की संभावना है।" एक वाहन मालिक राजधानी भर में कई पीयूसी प्रमाणन केंद्रों में से किसी एक पर उत्सर्जन के लिए अपने वाहन की जांच करवा सकता है। दिल्ली में लगभग 966 ऐसे केंद्र हैं जो 10 क्षेत्रों में फैले हुए हैं। अधिकृत केंद्रों की सूची परिवहन विभाग की वेबसाइट पर उपलब्ध है। प्रदूषण जांच का शुल्क दोपहिया और तिपहिया वाहनों के लिए ₹60 (जीएसटी को छोड़कर), चार पहिया वाहनों के लिए ₹80 और डीजल वाहनों के लिए ₹100 है। अधिकारियों ने कहा कि प्रमाणन प्रक्रिया कम्प्यूटरीकृत है और प्रत्येक प्रमाणपत्र आमतौर पर एक वर्ष के लिए वैध होता है और इसे समय-समय पर नवीनीकृत करना पड़ता है। पीयूसी केंद्रों द्वारा प्राप्त वाहनों का डेटा परिवहन विभाग को भेजा जाता है जो वाहनों के एकीकृत केंद्रीकृत डेटा रिकॉर्ड रखता है। इनमें से एक केंद्र के एक अधिकारी ने कहा कि पिछले साल के अंत में, एक सॉफ्टवेयर अपग्रेड था जिसके बाद प्रमाण पत्र जारी करना सुचारू रूप से चल रहा है। पूर्वी दिल्ली में एक पीयूसी केंद्र संचालक ने कहा कि वर्तमान में पीयूसी केंद्रों पर कोई "असामान्य भीड़" नहीं है, लेकिन लोग अपने वाहनों की जांच कराने आ रहे हैं। परिवहन विभाग पीयूसी मानदंडों के अनुपालन के लिए सार्वजनिक नोटिस जारी करता रहा है और एक प्रवर्तन अभियान भी चला रहा है। पीयूसी मानदंडों के उल्लंघन के लिए पिछले एक महीने में जारी किए गए जुर्माने के आंकड़े विभाग के पास आसानी से उपलब्ध नहीं थे। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की कार्यकारी निदेशक (अनुसंधान और वकालत) अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी ने कहा कि अध्ययनों से पता चला है कि दिल्ली में कण प्रदूषण में वाहनों का दूसरा सबसे बड़ा योगदान है और सर्दियों के दौरान उनकी हिस्सेदारी बढ़ जाती है। "वाहन भी उच्च जहरीले एक्सपोजर के लिए जिम्मेदार हैं। वाहनों को उनके उपयोगी ऑन-रोड जीवन के दौरान कम उत्सर्जन रखने के लिए उचित रखरखाव और मरम्मत आवश्यक है। जबकि विश्वसनीय पीयूसी परीक्षणों के आधार पर 100% अनुपालन आवश्यक है, अधिक कठोर निगरानी के लिए अधिक उन्नत वाहन उत्सर्जन निगरानी प्रणाली, जैसे रिमोट सेंसिंग में अपग्रेड करना भी महत्वपूर्ण है, "उसने कहा।
KOCHI: The southern Peninsular region and central India had higher normal temperatures in comparison to the northwest during the pre-monsoon or summer season, says a study by Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The south peninsular India’s normal minimum was 4-10°C higher than temperatures in northwest India and the central India’s normal maximum was 2-7°C higher. The countrywide analysis by CSE indicates that while extreme heat waves in the northwestern states draw maximum public attention, the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country have been largely neglected. The states in northwest India are known for extreme heat conditions, but this summer, other regions were much hotter. This rising heat stress demands urgent intervention to implement city and region-wise heat action plan to reduce the thermal loading and heat-island effects that adversely affect public health, energy consumption and overall welfare “This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretization, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat-dousing forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. The Urban Lab of CSE analyzed the temperature trends in India from January 2015 till May 2022. The effort has been to understand the warming trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress — surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index) — at the national, regional and local levels. It is important to focus on both extreme heat conditions and overall anomalous heat conditions. The IMD criteria says that a heatwave is declared when the daily maximum temperature exceeds the normal for the season by at least 4.5°C in at least two sub-division stations on two consecutive days. In absolute terms, a heat wave is declared when the temperature exceeds 45°C. The normal temperature for the season is defined based on a day at a particular station and in relation to the baseline of 1981-2010 average. Much of the heatwave conditions in March have been due to a departure from the normal.
New Delhi: There’s a bit of circumspection about India Meteorological Department’s rain forecasts these days. So many predictions have gone wrong that people are questioning the integrity of the 130-year-old organisation. However, experts believe that megacities worldwide, like Delhi, are facing similar forecast challenges because local factors such as aerosols, urban heat and high-rise buildings tunnelling the wind alter rain-causing conditions like moisture convergence, cloud formation, wind directions. In Delhi, even the monsoon line of trough, which stretches from Rajasthan to Bengal, oscillates north and centre, making forecasting difficult. But this may be resolved by an upgrade in IMD’s systems by incorporating these factors and parallel weather indications, the experts added. “Climate change has modified local weather across the world,” said professor Manju Mohan of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT-Delhi. “Delhi has a micro-climate. It is an atmospheric process that modifies events like rain. We found evidence of such factors affecting the accuracy of frequency and occurrence of rain.”
Pre-monsoon summer heat levels in 2022 overtake 2016 as the second hottest pre-monsoon season on record for India Even as the monsoon has made its footfalls felt across the country, there seems to be little respite from the searing heat – aided by steep rises in humidity levels -- in many pockets. The heat waves lashing India this summer are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature trends that is expected to worsen with growing climate change impacts. Since 2016, the summer of 2022 has been the second hottest after the summer of 2010. Mega cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad are much hotter than the larger region around them due to heat island effects caused by surface absorption of heat and local waste heat generated by traffic, industry and air conditioning (among other urban activities). A new country-wide analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) indicates while extreme heat waves in the states of the northwest -- as per the classification of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) -- draw maximum public attention, the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country have been largely neglected. “This is a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India. Without heat action plans, rising air temperature, radiating heat from land surfaces, concretisation, heat-trapping built structures, waste heat from industrial processes and air conditioners, and erosion of heat dousing forests, urban greens and waterbodies will worsen public health risks. This requires urgent time-bound mitigation,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE.
New Delhi: There’s a little bit of circumspection about India Meteorological Division’s rain forecasts today. So many predictions have gone incorrect that persons are questioning the integrity of the 130-year-old organisation. Nonetheless, specialists consider that megacities worldwide, like Delhi, are going through comparable forecast challenges as a result of native components comparable to aerosols, city warmth and high-rise buildings tunnelling the wind alter rain-causing situations like moisture convergence, cloud formation, wind instructions. In Delhi, even the monsoon line of trough, which stretches from Rajasthan to Bengal, oscillates north and centre, making forecasting tough. However this can be resolved by an improve in IMD’s methods by incorporating these components and parallel climate indications, the specialists added. “Local weather change has modified native climate internationally,” mentioned professor Manju Mohan of the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences, IIT-Delhi. “Delhi has a micro-climate. It’s an atmospheric course of that modifies occasions like rain. We discovered proof of such components affecting the accuracy of frequency and incidence of rain.” Based on Dr M Mohapatra, DGM, IMD, over time the climate forecasting has improved. “The science of meteorology isn’t 100% correct wherever on the earth. Our forecasts have improved 40-50% in latest days. However, sure, there are specific gaps. We’re taking steps to enhance forecasting,” he mentioned. He defined that rain is forecast on the idea of six fashions based on mathematical equations solved by computing methods and which entails approximations with error parts that are diminished by human observations. “We try to enhance these observations,” Mohapatra mentioned, including a particular analysis centre is developing in Bhopal to boost prediction accuracy. There are 4 components liable for rain in Delhi: the monsoon trough line passes by way of the town to north-west UP, Haryana and east Rajasthan; low stress space improvement; western disturbance with moisture; and native convective clouds as a consequence of native warmth and moisture. However, even change in wind or distinction in stress created by native warmth can have an effect on any of 4 components in a really quick time. “For instance,” elaborated Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme supervisor, Centre for Science and Surroundings, IMD can predict average to mild rain as a result of primarily based on cloud peak and wind pace course, moisture is shifting from Agra towards Delhi. However as soon as the winds attain the town, the native local weather can push it away, resulting in no rain or perhaps extreme moisture inflicting extra precipitation. Thus, in each instances the forecast goes incorrect.” Dr Ok J Ramesh, former head of IMD, believes it’s time to improve the forecasting system. “The rains could also be altered by the high-rise buildings tunnelling the winds,” he mentioned. “So, de-warning practices must also be adopted. If rainfall shifts to the east and that is detected by doppler radar, the data needs to be shared.”
If we want to ban single-use plastic of all sorts, the list must include the multi-layered packaging we get our chips, gutkha and shampoo in We must know what we are up against—how immense the challenge before us is—as we look at India’s ban on single-use plastic that kicked in on July 1. Anyone who has been to a beach and has received a message in a bottle knows it’s a stark one. The bottle is made of plastic. So is the water—almost. That’s the message. The bottle may seem tiny compared to the vast sea, but have you heard of trash vortexes? The largest one, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, is estimated to have an area of 1.6 million sq. km—a floating bridge of semi-dissolved trash between California and Japan. We have one of our own, in the Indian Ocean, toxifying the blue waters between South Africa and Australia. Scientists have called it a “thin plastic soup”.
DELHI: High humidity and lack of rain made the temperature in Delhi feel like 48 degree Celsius on Friday afternoon and 52 degree Celsius by the evening. The actual high, as measured at the Safdarjung weather station, was 39 degrees Celsius. High humidity, which on Friday ranged between 74% and 49% causes this wet-bulb effect, where the temperatures being felt are higher than they actually are. The day’s maximum temperature of 39 degree Celsius was two degrees above the season’s normal. The minimum temperature on Friday was 29.2 degree Celsius, a notch above the season’s average and around one below Thursday’s 30 degree Celsius. Several areas in the city recorded a maximum temperature of over 40 degree Celsius, with Najafgarh logging 40.5 degree Celsius (actual temperature) for the highest in the city, followed by 40.4 degrees at Pitampura, 40.3 degrees at Pusa and 40.1 degree Celsius at Jafarpur. The city has been receiving moist easterly winds that have raised the humidity levels while partial or weak cloud cover has led to no rainfall and kept the daytime temperatures high. This is the reason the feel temperature, or heat index, has remained high, always spiking as the day progresses. “This occurs during summer when the humidity increases as the day unfolds but the temperature does not show much variation or the maximum they fall is a degree or two between 1pm and 5pm,” explained Mahesh Palawat, vice-chairman, Skymet, a private weather forecasting agency. RK Jenamani, senior weather scientist, India Meteorological Department, reiterated, “The temperatures do feel warmer due to the high humidity. But since we have not developed such a system yet in India to calculate heat index, we can’t comment on the feel temperature or heat index calculated using different systems. We have not validated the methods used to calculate heat index and their consideration of Delhi's weather conditions while doing it.” Experts felt that calculating the heat index was a must for a region like Delhi, where the humidity rises alongside heat and people are unaware of its ill effects. The heat index has a lot of relevance for Delhi because the human body has limited capacity to deal with humidity, said Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Centre for Science and Environment. Somvanshi went on, “When there is dry heat, the body sweats, which evaporates and cools the body. But during humidity, one sweats but the body cannot cool down because the sweat doesn’t evaporate. Thus, the heat balance of the body goes askew due to high humidity and can result in organ failure. That is the reason most heatstroke deaths in India occur in coastal Andhra Pradesh with its high humidity and temperature and not in Rajasthan with its dry heat.” According to the weather department, Delhi has been deprived of rain for over four days now though IMD had been forecasting rain and issuing rain alerts and then changing its predictions. Amid this uncertainty, respite from heat and humidity is likely from Saturday evening. The maximum and minimum temperature on Saturday may hover between 37 and 29 degree Celsius. “There is a possibility of rain from Saturday evening because winds from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea are bringing in moisture and the monsoon line of trough is moving north again from central India. Light to moderate rain may continue till Sunday. There might be isolated intense spells on Sunday,” said Palawat.
India must include financial incentives for adoption of effective cooling plans The steady rise in the planet’s temperature as a consequence of humanity’s unfettered use of fossil fuel forms the backdrop to altered weather patterns everywhere. India too has been registering instances of anomalous weather with alarming frequency with an erratic monsoon and coastal erosion. However, some recent changes are seemingly paradoxical. An analysis of public weather data over the last half a century by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), suggests that the all-India average temperature during the monsoon months (June-September) is higher than the summer months (March-May). Monsoon temperatures are 0.3°C higher than average summer temperatures when compared from 1951-80. In 2012-2021, this anomaly rose to 0.4°C. The India Meteorological Department has said that India’s average temperature has risen 0.62°C from 1901-2020 but the CSE analysis says — supporting similar studies on these lines — that this has not meant a uniform rise in temperatures across seasons. It is the winter (January and February) and post-monsoon (October-December) average all-India temperatures that have risen faster than even the monsoon and summer temperatures. Average daily maximum temperature for north-western States in March was 30.7°C, whereas the all-India average was 33.1°C or 2.4°C hotter. The average daily minimum temperature showed an even larger (4.9°C) difference. Central India’s normal maximum was 2°-7°C higher, while south peninsular India’s normal minimum was 4°-10°C higher than temperatures in northwest India. The shattering of temperature records is only one part of the changes; there is also evidence of the toll on lives. From 2015-2020, 2,137 people had reportedly died due to heat stroke in northwest India but southern India had reported 2,444 deaths due to excess environmental heat, with Andhra Pradesh accounting for over half the reported casualties. The urban heat island effect — whereby cities because of concrete surfaces and dense populations tend to on average be hotter than rural habitations — also contributed to heat stress. Indian authorities are cognisant of these trends with some States, led by Gujarat, having Heat Action Plans (HAP). The National Disaster Management Authority is working with 23 out of 28 heat-prone States to develop HAPs that stress changes in the built environment: using material that keeps the indoors cooler, having an early warning system about heatwaves and improving health infrastructure to treat heat stroke patients. However, much remains in terms of reaching out to rural India as well as governments taking steps to plan infrastructure and housing in ways that recognise the dangers from a warming environment. It is time that India includes financial incentives, preferably via Budget outlays, for effective cooling plans. Adapting to and mitigating this most visceral challenge is the need of the hour.