• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

20 tonne of seized plastic heads to Delhi’s waste-to-energy plants

A senior Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) official said while the government was looking for ways to recycle the banned plastic items, but they were yet to find a viable solution. Over 20,000 kilograms of banned single-use plastic (SUP) has been seized by the 48 Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and the Delhi government’s revenue department teams since July 1, when 19 SUP items were banned nationwide, has made its way to the three waste to energy plants in Okhla, Narela-Bawana and Ghazipur. Experts, however, said that incinerating plastic waste may be the usual practice, but the authorities must ensure that waste is segregated first and then the waste to energy plant (WtE) follows the regulations to burn such waste so that it does not release dioxins, furans and unburnt hydrocarbons, otherwise the purpose of the plastic waste ban will be defeated. Dioxins and furans are a common name for a group of chemicals that are formed during combustion processes – largely due to waste incineration or at power generation plants. These are carcinogenic in nature, meaning they are toxic and can cause cancer or damage the reproductive organs. They can also interfere with hormones. A senior Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) official said while the government was looking for ways to recycle the banned plastic items, but they were yet to find a viable solution. “These banned items are being seized from different factories and markets and being sent to the WtE plants for incineration. We will continue to look at other solutions too,” the official said asking not to be named. According to an assessment carried out by Delhi government’s environment department in 2020, Delhi generates 1,060 tonnes of plastic waste every day, which is roughly 10.10% per cent of the total municipal solid waste that the city disposes daily. Of the total plastic waste, 587 tonnes was single-use plastic, the assessment said. According to the environment department’s latest data, of the 1,100 tonnes of plastic waste, 745 tonnes is sent to the three WtE plants, and the rest 345 tonnes is dumped at the three landfills in Delhi. If plastic waste ends up at landfill sites, it may disintegrate into microplastics over time, which can contaminate air, the soil and sources of water, including groundwater. A Delhi government spokesperson did not comment despite repeated attempts. To add capacity to use all plastic waste to generate energy, the government has built a WtE plant at Tehkhand, with a capacity to process 2,000 tonnes to plastic waste day. It is likely to become operational by September. Also, a 2,500 tonnes per day capacity plant is proposed at Rani Khera and another facility with 2,000 tonnes capacity at an undisclosed location. Atin Biswas, a waste management expert and programme director of the municipal solid waste sector at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said WtE plants are easy solutions for handling all kinds of waste, but they are not the way forward. “If you burn any kind of plastic, you will get energy out of it, but at the same time, these plants have not been meeting the standards and invariably, one could be contributing to pollution,” said Biswas. Dipankar Saha, former head of Central Pollution Control Board’s air laboratory said waste to energy plants are among “many solutions” to deal with plastic waste, but the authorities must ensure that before sending it for incineration the waste must first be segregated, and checked if it is chlorinated plastic or not. “For chlorinated plastic, a dual-chamber incinerator is required and the temperatures should be over 1,000 degrees Celsius. Even then, unburnt hydrocarbons are released in the process. For the other kind of plastic too, there are chances of dioxins and furans being released with the other waste, which is carcinogenic in nature.” Experts pointed out that Delhi’s waste to energy plants have been fined for not meeting the prescribed standards. Last year in August, all three plants were fined ₹5 lakh each by the DPCC as the values of dioxins, furans and stack emissions were found to be exceeding the norms. “In India, most WtE plants are defaulting as the waste we generate has a low calorific value. If one needs higher calorific values of over 1600 or 1800 kilocals per kg, then recyclable items also need to be thrown into WtE plants, which would be counterproductive as the informal sector is able to use these items. Using WtE should be the last solution as these plants are regularly exceeding their emission limits and the government can instead segregate the seized waste and identify other solutions where bulk SUP can be incorporated,” said Chitra Mukherjee, a consultant on circular economy and sustainable livelihoods.

• Sustainable Food Systems

India’s shrimp farms test antibiotic control

Fast-growing food sector has become a test case for the use and abuse of the drugs Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/f2fa78dc-e756-4c02-a59e-c75963492d24 In markets from Boston to Beijing, much of the shrimp on sale comes from India, which has quickly grown into one of the world’s largest producers of the shellfish. Globally, the shrimp export market was worth nearly $25bn in 2020, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. And analysts, including those at Rabobank, estimate that India has become the world’s largest exporter by value. Its shrimp exports jumped three-fold in the decade to 2020, to be worth about $5bn, according to the country’s ministry of fisheries. Notably, India is ranked as the number one shrimp supplier to the US, according to Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return Initiative (Fairr) — an investment advisory network focused on sustainable food production. But this rapid expansion has also meant that the country’s shrimp industry has become a test case for whether authorities and producers in a fast-growing farming sector can control the use of antibiotics. Experts say that, for producers in countries like India, who often lack the infrastructure and resources of farmers in richer countries, the pressure to overuse antibiotics can be strong. Like farmers in other sectors, many Indian producers use antibiotics to treat and control disease among their shrimp. However, regulators in Europe and elsewhere worry this can spill into misuse, such as using drugs to help healthy shrimp grow, with significant implications for global health. Overuse of antibiotics for livestock and seafood production exacerbates the rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where drugs cease to be effective against infection. A study in The Lancet medical journal published this year found that more than 1.2mn people died from bacterial AMR globally in 2019. Medical researchers expect the toll to rise. “The problem is going to increase as we intensify and try to produce more food,” says Charles Tyler, a professor of environmental biology at the University of Exeter, who has studied India’s shrimp industry. “That’s going to cause a massive burden in terms of disease. Whatever people say about AMR, it is going to get worse because of the way we’re producing food and the intensification of it.” Whatever people say about AMR, it is going to get worse because of the way we’re producing food and the intensification of it Charles Tyler, University of Exeter Indian shrimp became globally competitive as farmers intensified production, concentrating more and more shrimp into ponds and settling on high-yielding species like whiteleg shrimp. Jennifer Cole, a lecturer in global and planetary health at Royal Holloway University in London, says the wetter climate and more frequent flooding in places like north-east India — a consequence of climate change — has also pushed farmers into aquaculture. The industry’s intensification has led to diseases spreading more easily among shrimp. This can have devastating economic consequences for producers. Because of the industry’s export-oriented nature, antibiotic use in shrimp in India is actually subject to tighter standards than other forms of animal agriculture, says Amit Khurana, director of the sustainable food systems programme at the Centre for Science and Environment think-tank in New Delhi. Some also argue that measuring the scale of antibiotic overuse in the Indian shrimp industry can be difficult. But groups such as Fairr warn there is evidence of high usage as producers administer treatments preemptively or to promote growth. In response, Importing nations have become stricter about India as a source of shrimp. The EU has increased the rate of testing for antibiotic residue in Indian shrimp shipments, according to a 2020 study of the sector for industry journal Reviews in Aquaculture. US regulators have even resorted to rejecting some Indian shipments after detecting antibiotics, according to US producer industry group the Southern Shrimp Alliance. Tyler says some Indian shrimp farmers may use antibiotics during production but then stop doing so several weeks ahead of exporting their product in order to avoid detection. Producers counter-argue that they are being demonised by foreign inspectors, with excessively high testing standards leading to false positives. Indian authorities have, nonetheless, taken note of the dangers, both health and financial, of antibiotic misuse in aquaculture. The fisheries ministry this year wrote to state governments across India warning about AMR and the potential harm to exports if antibiotic use is not curbed. Jatindra Nath Swain, a secretary in the ministry, warned that authorities should “completely stop use of antibiotics and take steps against the violators”, according to Down to Earth news website. Earlier, in 2017, India’s government launched a National Action Plan to tackle the broader issue of AMR by strengthening monitoring and raising awareness about the dangers. It has already banned dozens of antibiotics in aquaculture. Recommended Special ReportFT Health Centre FT Health: Future of Antibiotics Even so, Fairr says Indian regulation is weaker than that of other large countries such as China and the US. The group argues that, with India’s federal system devolving significant powers to states, local initiatives would be more effective. Only three Indian states have their own AMR action plans. Some analysts argue that, in an industry of many small producers with limited resources, farmers need to be given financial incentives to change their approach. Antibiotics remain the cheapest, and often only, option that farmers have to prevent crop failure, according to the Reviews in Aquaculture study. “It’s very easy for us to see that there’s a need to reduce antibiotic usage,” says Philippa Thornton, an analyst at Fairr. But then “asking farmers — particularly in lower income countries — to implement [alternatives] is much more difficult, particularly in the absence of financial capacity”.

• Director General Office

Climate Change: a prickly poser

I write this with considerable anguish. In June, we did come together in Stockholm, marking 50 years of global environmental consciousness. The meet was to celebrate interdependence and the need for a global compact for planet Earth. But more than ever, such events have virtually become a dialogue among the deaf. The world, it seems, lives on two different planets. There is deep division, polarisation and a lack of understanding of each other's concerns. Let me tell you what has left me so troubled and has, once again, told me just how much we must learn to listen to each other. As you know, parts of India have been going through an intense, burning heatwave. It has been a living hell in my city Delhi, as temperatures have touched 47 degrees Celsius. Even as I say this, I know that people like me, who live in relative thermal comfort, are not so badly hit. It is the millions who work out in the sun — from farmers to construction workers to all those who cannot afford electricity to even power a fan — are the worst sufferers. They are bearing the brunt of the inferno that has hit work, made people ill, taken lives and burnt and shrivelled up part of the wheat crop. Scientists point out that this time the temperature rise was way too early in the year — in March as against May — making the heat impact more devastating. They connect it to the abnormal behaviour of Pacific Ocean currents, La Niña, which have been unusually prolonged, leading to the heatwaves. There is also evidence about changes in the Western Disturbance — the winds from the Mediterranean — which are, in turn, influenced by the changes in the Arctic jet stream. The Western Disturbance would bring rain to the Indian subcontinent during this early summer period, reducing the heat's impact. But this year, the Western Disturbance has been weak. It is still not clear if this is a long-term trend, but what is absolutely clear is that there are clear and attributable links between the heatwave and global climate change. So, things are bad, very bad. It is also certain that we in India must learn to do things differently, knowing that this heat will only get worse. The State of the Global Climate 2021 report by the World Meteorological Organization, released in May 2022, grimly tells us that the four key indicators of climate change — greenhouse gas (GHG) concentration, sea-level rise, ocean heat and ocean acidification — reached record levels in 2021. What, then, are the options? One, provide affordable electricity to all so that people can cope with these temperatures. Two, build homes with better insulation and ventilation to improve thermal comfort. Three, plant trees for shade; and four, increase storage of water for drinking and irrigation. These will also cool our cities' microclimate. But there are enormous limitations. There is no way we can live or adapt to the rising temperatures that we are beginning to see. It is also clear that the poor in our world are the ones most impacted by this. But my anguish is not only because of the dire conditions I see in the world around me. As a climate change activist and environmentalist, it makes me realise that I have failed — we all have failed — to make things better. What rubs salt to the wound is when I get interview calls from western media wanting to find out more about the devastating heat conditions. The most predictable question, after the first few enquiries about life and death, is what is India doing to combat climate change. Then comes the query, why does India continue to use coal for its electricity. And then the final one— this one takes the cake — is to ask (or say) that power demand in this heat will go up, which will mean more burning of coal. What do I have to say about that? What can I say? How do I explain that India's contribution to GHG emissions is insignificant by any parameter. How do I explain that the stock of emissions in the atmosphere, which is tipping us over and leading to this heatwave, is not of India's making. How do I explain that we need to discuss reparations and not blame the poor, or even the relatively rich, in India. How do I explain that the global media powerhouses need to get real about the impacts of climate change on countries like India — my country. That we must and will do more to reduce GHG emissions in our own interests, but what we must discuss today is how the richest countries — their countries — are the cause of the problem, and that we must begin to discuss not just how they will reduce emissions at scale but also the need for paying for this loss and damage to the rest of the world. This is the inconvenient truth that is not heard. We can scream, but that part of the world is not listening. This has to change if we want a better world. If we want our world to survive. (Writer is Director General of CSE and editor of Down To Earth, an environmentalist who pushes for changes in policies, practices and mindsets)

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

In new Grap, eye on better waste management to cut garbage fires

“If waste is being segregated, it is not going to landfills or open dumps, then it will not be burnt, and a long-term plan is in place,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). To minimise pollution from the burning of solid waste and frequent landfill fires, the revamped Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), notified by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Wednesday to reduce air pollution in the National Capital Region, has listed ways to tackle problems inherent to the current solid waste management system in Delhi, mainly the lack of waste segregation. The commission said the infrastructure for waste collection, material recovery and safe disposal is not adequate due to which waste is burnt for easy disposal. The policy has outlined nine strategies to address this, including adoption of a system in which wet waste is collected daily, while days are fixed for collection of dry or non-recyclable waste, besides incentivising waste segregation at source through property tax rebates, and an overhaul of concessionaire agreement with waste collectors so payments are based on “treated quantity of waste”, instead of “tipping quantity”. A comprehensive study on Delhi’s air pollution by IIT Kanpur (2016) found that waste burning contributes to nearly 10% of PM10 and PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) in ambient air. The city generates more than 11,144 tonnes of municipal waste daily and multiple studies estimate that 2-3% of this is burnt openly, adding to particulate matter, sulphur and nitrogen oxide levels. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), who is also one of the nine-expert members who framed the new comprehensive policy, said to reduce waste burning instances, including landfill fires, focus must be on the reduction of the source and not penal action. “We have not looked at fines, which are reactive in nature, but instead, a road map has been built to start segregation at source and to eliminate landfill sites completely. If waste is being segregated and it is not going to landfills or open dumps, then it will not be burnt and for that, a long-term five-year plan is in place now which focuses on eliminating landfills and introducing segregation at source,” she said. The fine data from three municipal corporations shows that while the penal rates are high, the corporations have a woefully low recovery rate — over the last four years, it has remained less than 20%. The new policy also directs the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to incentivise source segregation through property tax rebates and mapping of bulk waste generators to enforce in situ (in place) management. An official from the MCD sanitation department said while many of the recommendations such as decentralised processing and setting up of material recovery facilities are already being worked upon, separate collection of dry/wet waste can be carried out only after an area reaches a critical level of segregation. “If very few people are segregating waste in an area then we cannot simply refuse to collect garbage as it will lead to another crisis. It has to be a phased process,” the official said. A property tax incentive on segregation will be implemented from July 16, under the Sahbhagita (partnership) scheme, and resident bodies will be provided 5% property tax incentive on 100% segregation and composting of waste, the official added.

• Industrial Pollution

Het einde van steenkool is nog niet in zicht, het einde van onrecht evenmin

Met elk nieuw rapport van het VN-Klimaatpanel (IPCC) wordt duidelijker hoe verwoestend de impact van de klimaatcrisis is en zal zijn, en dus ook hoe snel en diepgaand er gewerkt moet worden aan de energietransitie. Maar hoe moet dat in een land dat afhankelijk is van steenkool? Voor antwoorden op die vraag reisde MO*journalist Gie Goris naar de Indiase deelstaat Jharkhand. ‘Wie over rechtvaardige transitie wil nadenken, moet beginnen met het rechtvaardig maken van steenkool.’ Waar haalt Europa de arrogantie vandaan om India de les te spellen?’, werpt Sunita Narain fel tegen. Ik heb haar net verteld dat ik in India ben om te onderzoeken hoe het land zo snel mogelijk de transitie naar hernieuwbare energieopwekking kan maken. Vandaag zorgt steenkool voor meer dan 70 procent van de elektriciteitsopwekking. Het gevolg daarvan is een jaarlijkse uitstoot van 1,1 gigaton CO2, of 2,5 procent van de mondiale uitstoot. Wil de wereld de opwarming onder twee graden Celsius houden, dan moet steenkool zo snel mogelijk stoppen. Sunita Narain: ‘Alle fossiele brandstoffen moeten afgebouwd worden, niet enkel de brandstof waar het Zuiden op rekent’ Sunita Narain is directeur van het Centre for Science and Environment en een van de sterkhouders van de Indiase milieubeweging. Ik hoef haar dus niet te vertellen hoe urgent het klimaatprobleem is, of hoe nefast steenkool. Nog minder moet ik haar vertellen wat India zou moeten doen. ‘Het Westen heeft eerst zowat het hele koolstofbudget van de planeet opgesoupeerd met zijn industriële revolutie en explosieve consumptie, maar voelt zich nu wel gewettigd om de rest van de wereld te vertellen dat ze zich verantwoordelijk moeten gedragen. Tegelijk verklaart de Europese Unie dat aardgas “groen” is, omdat ze die fossiele brandstof nodig heeft. De realiteit is dat álle fossiele brandstoffen afgebouwd moeten worden, niet enkel de brandstof waar het Zuiden op rekent’, besluit ze. Incredible India Ik neem een rammelende bus naar Dhanbad, de bakermat van Indiase steenkool, in de deelstaat Jharkhand. De bergen die links en rechts en voor en achter opdoemen wanneer we de stad naderen, zijn geen bergen. Het zijn lijken. Ontzielde landschappen: kaalgekapt en afgegraven, daarna uitgegraven en uitgeput, gestapeld tot kale en dode bermen van meer dan honderd meter hoog en kilometers lang. Daartussen vervolledigen enorme kraters van de open mijnbouw het kunstmatige heuvellandschap. Sommige kraters zijn volgelopen met water, dat de staalblauwe lucht reflecteert. Andere zijn gevuld met grijze rook die uit scheuren in de grond opwalmt, weer andere trillen van de grijpkranen, vrachtwagens en bulldozers. De levenloze heuvels met landschapspuin worden in vaktaal overburden genoemd, letterlijk: overlast. Het landschap, met zijn enorme biodiversiteit en vruchtbare grond, zijn eeuwenoude culturen en economische potentieel, wordt herleid tot afval, overlast, datgene wat in de weg ligt van winst en groei. De Franse term ervoor, mort-terrain, komt dicht in de buurt. Je kan moeilijk pleiten voor ondergrondse mijnbouw’, zegt de tachtigjarige antimijnbouwactivist Xavier Dias in Ranchi gelaten. ‘Er gebeuren veel minder arbeidsongevallen in de open mijnen, er vallen veel minder doden. Maar daarbij zijn natuurlijk ook gewoon veel minder banen, en dat is een ongeval in slow motion voor de mensen die hun grond moeten afstaan. Vroeger was de regel dat wie 1,2 hectare land verloor, daar een vaste baan voor in ruil kreeg. Dat is allemaal verleden tijd.’ Dias was jarenlang nauw betrokken bij de strijd voor rechten en erkenning van Adivasi’s, de inheemse bevolkingsgroepen die in de deelstaat Jharkhand ongeveer een kwart van de bevolking uitmaken. Inheemsen en dorpelingen behoren tot de “overlast” die uit de weg geruimd moet worden om aan de brandstof kunnen die India moet opstuwen in de vaart der volkeren De Adivasi wonen vaak bovenop de minerale rijkdom van de deelstaat. Voor adepten van Incredible India en voor grootindustriëlen behoren zij letterlijk tot de overlast die ze uit de weg moeten ruimen vooraleer ze aan de brandstof kunnen die India moet opstuwen in de vaart der volkeren. En de Adivasi zijn niet alleen. Op heel wat plaatsen moeten ook dorpen van lage kasten verdwijnen. Tussen 1950 en 1995 moesten al 1.049.640 mensen verhuizen om plaats te maken voor koolmijnen in Jharkhand. Sindsdien is er een versnelling in de mijnbouw ingezet én is er massaal overgeschakeld op open mijnbouw. ‘Wij geven ons leven, maar niet ons land’: met die slogan voerden de Adivasi lang campagne tegen de onteigeningen. Maar bijna nooit konden ze die strijd echt winnen. ‘En dus,’ zegt dokter Mitalesh Dangi tijdens een sit-in die hij samen met een twintigtal dorpelingen houdt voor het districtskantoor in Barkagaon, ‘vechten we nu voor betere compensatie, voor meer en goede banen, voor iedereen die getroffen wordt.’ Het is een nooit eindigend gevecht. Het eerste decennium van deze eeuw werden minstens 210 nieuwe steenkoolmijnen in deze deelstaat vergund. De mijnbouw – niet enkel voor steenkool, ook uranium, ijzererts en kopererts, pyriet en grafiet – zorgt dan ook voor een spectaculaire terugval van de bosoppervlakte in Jharkhand. Het district Dhanbad bijvoorbeeld bestond oorspronkelijk voor 65 procent uit bos, nu is dat nog nauwelijks 0,05 procent. Dhanbad presenteert zichzelf als steenkoolhoofdstad van India, omdat de stad omringd wordt door niet minder dan 112 steenkoolmijnen. En er komen er voortdurend bij. Geen land voor oude mensen Onze witte Suzuki rammelt langs alle kanten, vooral onder de chauffeur, maar die laat zich daardoor niet ontmoedigen. Pro Street Driver staat er trots op zijn portier. Het drie decennia oude stadsautootje doet op de bultige zandwegen rond de steenkoolstad Hazaribagh wat de gemiddelde SUV in gebetonneerd Vlaanderen nooit moet doen: rijden waar geen auto hoort te rijden. Uiteindelijk stoppen we aan de rand van de gigantische krater van de Amrapali-mijn. Zowat vijftig meter lager, langs de terrasvormig afgegraven mijn, zit een man steenkool te verzamelen. Hij draagt een opvallend, knalgeel T-shirt. Een kanarie in de koolmijn, denk ik. Hij leeft van de resten die te klein zijn om met de megamachines van de open mijnbouw op te scheppen. Een beetje verder vult een andere man jute zakken met gevonden steenkool. De kleuren van zijn kleren zijn nauwelijks nog zichtbaar onder het zwarte stof, dat hem van kop tot teen bedekt. Zijn fiets staat klaar. Daarop wordt straks tot 200 kilogram steenkool-in-zakken geladen, om te verkopen aan kleine steenovens, wegrestaurants en stedelijke huishoudens. De mijn wil uitbreiden, en dus moeten de mensen weg. Dorpen weg. Grond en dieren, verleden en toekomst: alles moet weg. Van achter de mijnrand duiken drie vrouwen en een kind op. Elk van de vrouwen draagt een zinken bad, gevuld met steenkool, op het hoofd. Hun handen en hun gezicht zijn zwart van het kolenstof, hun ogen wit en vragend. Wat kom ik hier doen, weet ik wie zij zijn en besef ik waarom ze dit werk doen? Ze rechten hun rug en stappen gedecideerd weg, op zoek naar afnemers of naar de eigen keuken. Bij de Parej-steenkoolmijn, ook in de buurt van Hazaribagh, zie ik aan de overkant van de mijnkrater een serie huizen staan, op amper twintig meter van de rand van de mijn. Even later blijkt dat ik het dorpje Durukeshmar toevallig op de laatste dag van zijn bestaan bezoek. Tenminste: morgen was aangekondigd als de deadline om te verhuizen. Want de mijn wil uitbreiden, en dus moeten de mensen weg. Dorpen weg. Grond en dieren, verleden en toekomst: alles moet weg. ‘Maar wij vertrekken niet’, zegt Ragunat Manji, een van de inwoners. ‘De voorbije twintig jaar zijn hier al zes dorpen verdwenen. Het moet ooit ophouden.’ Intussen is hij, net als de andere inwoners van Durukeshmar, afhankelijk van de mijn voor een inkomen. Want voldoende grond om te boeren is er al lang niet meer. Hij laadt de vrachtwagens die de steenkool naar de eindgebruikers voeren: thermische elektriciteitscentrales, staalovens, andere industrieën. Het is slechtbetaald en onzeker werk, maar er is geen alternatief. Buurman Sergio Murmu is een van de dorpelingen die eerder al eens moesten verhuizen. Met de vergoeding die hij toen voor zijn grond kreeg, bouwde hij hier een pukka huis, van stenen en cement, in plaats van het lemen kutcha huis waarin hij geboren werd. Daardoor is de kans groter dat hij nu opnieuw vergoed wordt. Hij en de andere dorpelingen aanvaarden voorlopig de vergoedingen niet die Central Coalfields Limited, een dochter van Coal India Limited (CIL), biedt. En hij wil hervestiging dichter bij huis. Een baan in de mijn kreeg hij niet, dus werd Sergio zoals zoveel van zijn generatiegenoten koilawalla: verkoper van zelf geraapte steenkool, zwoegend met een overladen fiets aan de hand, heuvel op, heuvel af. ‘We vertrekken in de namiddag en zorgen dat we tegen acht uur ’s avonds in Charhi zijn, waar we in een wegrestaurantje kunnen overnachten. Rond twee, drie uur ’s nachts vertrekken we dan naar Hazaribagh. Het is een tocht van zeker veertig kilometer. Dat kunnen alleen twintigers of dertigers aan.’ Geld, véél geld ‘Eens de mijn operationeel is, wordt iedereen afhankelijk van steenkool’, zegt Harishwar Dayal, directeur van het Centrum voor Fiscale Studies in Ranchi, de hoofdstad van Jharkhand. ‘De mensen die moeten verhuizen, verliezen daardoor de mogelijkheid om van landbouw of boscultuur te leven. Zij hopen op een vaste baan, maar de meesten moeten zich behelpen met steenkool rapen en verkopen. Of ze gaan aan de slag in verlaten steenkoolmijnen, waar ze uitgebuit worden en eigenlijk aan illegale mijnbouw doen.’ ‘De echt goede banen in de mijnen gaan meestal naar beter geschoolde migranten uit andere deelstaten. Veel kleine ondernemingen, zoals steenovens, draaien op de steenkool uit het informele circuit, terwijl de grote industrieën bevoorraad worden door de staatsmijnen. Maar ook gezinnen rekenen op steenkool, om te koken. Kortom: het steenkoolstof daalt neer op de levens van alle mensen die in de buurt van een mijn wonen.’ Harishwar Dayal: ‘De royalties die de mijnen betalen op de steenkoolwinning vormen de belangrijkste bron van inkomsten voor de deelstaatregering.’ Steenkool gooit niet enkel het leven van de lokale bevolking overhoop. Ook politieke en economische machtsverhoudingen worden er definitief door hertekend. Dat verklaart waarom zowel de centrale overheid in Delhi als de deelstaatregering in Jharkhand volop inzetten op steenkool. Harishwar Dayal: ‘De royalties die de mijnen betalen op de steenkoolwinning vormen de belangrijkste bron van inkomsten voor de deelstaatregering.’ En bovendien zorgt steenkool in Jharkhand voor energiezekerheid in India, voegt Arun Kumar toe. Hij is onderdirecteur van het departement Mijnbouw van de deelstaat. ‘Steenkool zorgt voor zeventig procent van de inkomsten van de deelstaatoverheid en voor zestig procent van de elektriciteit. Kan je nagaan hoe snel er hier over energietransitie gesproken zal worden’, zegt hij, nadat we samen twee duiven uit zijn kantoortje gejaagd hebben. Wanneer ik vraag of Jharkhand zonder steenkool kan overleven, gaat hij onverstoord verder: ‘We willen de komende tien jaar de steenkoolproductie verdubbelen. Zorgt dat voor een conflict tussen mijnbouw en milieu, tussen economische groei en klimaat? Ongetwijfeld. Maar we kunnen geen toekomst bouwen zonder mijnen. Ooit zullen er wel scenario’s gemaakt worden voor een land zonder steenkool, maar daar zijn we nu nog niet aan toe.’ Een half uur later, wanneer eindelijk alle dossiers doorgenomen en afgetekend zijn, pauzeert Kumar. ‘De hebzucht van de mens en de vereisten van een technologische wereld zorgen ervoor dat we ons eigen leven en het bestaan van de planeet beschadigen’, zegt hij plots. De hebzucht waarover hij het heeft, bestaat’, reageert dé steenkoolexperte bij uitstek, Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt. ‘Maar je vindt haar vooral bij de steenkoolmaffia.’ Die term duikt overal op: in de dorpen die bedreigd worden, tijdens gesprekken met academici, vakbondsleiders en activisten, in de literatuur en – onvermijdelijk – ook in Bollywood, waar de prent Gangs of Wasseypur tien jaar geleden al voor veel filmbloed en veel verkochte tickets zorgde. ‘India is sowieso een van de meest corrupte landen ter wereld’, zegt Lahiri-Dutt aan de telefoon, want ze werkt als onderzoekster aan de Australian National University in Canberra. ‘In een regio zoals Jharkhand gaat het vooral om lokale onderaannemers en transportbedrijven die aangetrokken worden door de enorme bedragen die omgaan in de steenkoolsector. Daar hebben ze flink wat smeergeld voor over, en politici hebben dat nodig voor hun eigen herverkiezing.’ Rechtvaardige transitie, iemand? Niet alleen hebzucht bestaat, ook de scenario’s waarvan Arun Kumar verwacht dat ze ooit geschreven worden, die van een land zonder steenkool, bestaan al. Nog niet in het universum van overheidsdiensten of industriële conglomeraten, wel in de denktanks van Delhi of in onderzoek dat met internationaal geld gefinancierd wordt. Sandeep Pai van het Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington onderzoekt bijvoorbeeld wat een rechtvaardige energietransitie zou betekenen voor Jharkhand. ‘Om te beginnen,’ zegt hij aan de telefoon vanuit Montréal, ‘is de eigenlijke vraag niet wanneer de laatste koolmijn in Jharkhand dichtgaat, maar wanneer de laatste opengaat. Idem voor de steenkoolcentrales, die nog relatief jong zijn en waarvan er ook nog nieuwe gepland zijn. De productie en het gebruik van steenkool zullen nog blijven toenemen, al zou dat over een jaar of twintig echt moeten pieken. Wie over rechtvaardige transitie wil nadenken,’ voegt hij nog toe, ‘moet eigenlijk beginnen met het rechtvaardig maken van de huidige exploitatie.’ Lahiri-Dutt: ‘Rechtvaardigheid is een leeg begrip als je het plaatst binnen de huidige steenkooleconomie’ Dat is ook de mening van Lahiri-Dutt. ‘Rechtvaardigheid is een leeg begrip als je het plaatst binnen de huidige steenkooleconomie’, zegt ze. ‘Als er al zorg gedragen wordt voor iemand anders dan de staat of de bedrijven, dan is het voor de ambtenaren en de minderheid van vaste arbeiders. De honderdduizenden mensen die huis en inkomen verloren of die overleven in de grijze marge van het officiële verhaal, verdienen rechtvaardigheid. Want als ze nu vergeten worden, zullen ze nog minder meetellen als er straks naar hernieuwbare energieproductie overgeschakeld wordt.’ Die vergeten groep, dat is 80 tot 90 procent van de mensen die door steenkool en dus ook door een transitie geraakt worden, zegt Chandra Bhushan van het International Forum for Environment, Sustainability & Technology in Delhi. ‘Die mensen hebben eigenlijk geen belang bij of belangstelling voor steenkool’, voegt hij toe in een gesprek met Sandeep Pai. ‘Als ze de kans krijgen, door betere scholing of via ander werk, laten ze die steenkool meteen achter zich.’ Alleen is er van een grotere investering in onderwijs, laat staan in het scholen of herscholen van volwassenen, geen sprake in Jharkhand.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Many NCR towns still to notify list of approved fuels: CAQM

NEW DELHI: Despite directions from the pollution-control panel, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), most towns in the National Capital Region (NCR) have not notified the list of approved standard fuels to industrial clusters housing umpteen number of smaller units, boilers and furnaces, which continue to use coal and other dirty fuels for Delhi -NCR and adjoining states flagged in its policy document to curb air pollution in the region. The policy mandates phasing out coal and other dirty fuels in a time-bound manner to curb air pollution, a major share of which comes from industrial emissions. According to the panel’s report, the respective state governments need to notify the list of approved fuels under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. For instance, the approved fuel list for Delhi bans the use of coal, furnace oil, and other downstream and recycled fuels. There are 19 districts in the NCR that contribute to high levels of pollution in Delhi-NCR. “However, the approved fuels lists in other NCR states, while banning pet coke and furnace oil, continue to rely upon polluting fuels like coal, LDO etc with no clearly defined targets for their replacement,” the report said. According to experts, coal usage dominates the industrial districts in NCR that increases pollution. The lists from Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi are still widely varying: considering the central theme of a common air shed for NCR, which calls for a common approved fuel list for the entire region, as per the report. Experts said that clean fuel transition is critical for finding a permanent solution to air pollution. “This will require rapid transition to natural gas and reliable supply of electricity for industrial processes. Even with the current natural gas infrastructure in Delhi, substantial transition is possible with targeted development,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The key industrial districts in the NCR include — Ghaziabad, Panipat, Bhiwadi, Alwar, Gurugram,Gautam Budh Nagar, Faridabad, and the twin towns of Sonipat and Panipat. “NCR needs a district-wide mechanism for enforcement of a clean fuel policy to prevent illegal use of banned fuels. A monitoring and surveillance system and visible display of CTO (Consent to Operate) from pollution control boards by each unit is needed in this regard,” the report said. ‘Will remit issues due to ban on 4-wheelers’ New Delhi: The government will look into the “practical problems” that can arise out of the proposed ban on BS-IV diesel vehicles if air pollution rises to the “severe plus” level, and take a call after holding discussions with people, said Environment Minister Gopal Rai. As part of its new policy to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, the CAQM has for the first time recommended to impose the ban on diesel four-wheelers when the AQI breaches the 450 mark.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

कचरे की आग को कम करने के लिए बेहतर कचरा प्रबंधन पर नजर

नई दिल्ली: ठोस कचरे के जलने और बार-बार लैंडफिल की आग से होने वाले प्रदूषण को कम करने के लिए, राष्ट्रीय राजधानी क्षेत्र में वायु प्रदूषण को कम करने के लिए बुधवार को वायु गुणवत्ता प्रबंधन आयोग (CAQM) द्वारा अधिसूचित संशोधित ग्रेडेड रिस्पांस एक्शन प्लान (Grap) में सूचीबद्ध तरीके हैं। दिल्ली में वर्तमान ठोस अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन प्रणाली में निहित समस्याओं से निपटने के लिए, मुख्य रूप से अपशिष्ट पृथक्करण की कमी। आयोग ने कहा कि अपशिष्ट संग्रह, सामग्री की वसूली और सुरक्षित निपटान के लिए बुनियादी ढांचा पर्याप्त नहीं है, जिसके कारण कचरे को आसानी से निपटाने के लिए जलाया जाता है। नीति ने इसे संबोधित करने के लिए नौ रणनीतियों की रूपरेखा तैयार की है, जिसमें एक ऐसी प्रणाली को अपनाना शामिल है जिसमें प्रतिदिन गीला कचरा एकत्र किया जाता है, जबकि सूखे या गैर-पुनर्नवीनीकरण योग्य कचरे के संग्रह के लिए दिन निर्धारित किए जाते हैं, इसके अलावा संपत्ति कर छूट के माध्यम से स्रोत पर अपशिष्ट पृथक्करण को प्रोत्साहित किया जाता है, और एक कचरा संग्रहणकर्ताओं के साथ छूटग्राही समझौते का ओवरहाल इसलिए भुगतान "टिपिंग मात्रा" के बजाय "कचरे की उपचारित मात्रा" पर आधारित है। IIT कानपुर (2016) द्वारा दिल्ली के वायु प्रदूषण पर एक व्यापक अध्ययन में पाया गया कि अपशिष्ट जलने से परिवेशी वायु में PM10 और PM2.5 (फाइन पार्टिकुलेट मैटर) का लगभग 10% योगदान होता है। शहर में प्रतिदिन 11,144 टन से अधिक नगरपालिका कचरा उत्पन्न होता है और कई अध्ययनों का अनुमान है कि इसमें से 2-3% को खुले में जलाया जाता है, जिससे पार्टिकुलेट मैटर, सल्फर और नाइट्रोजन ऑक्साइड का स्तर बढ़ जाता है। सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) में कार्यकारी निदेशक, अनुसंधान और वकालत अनुमिता रॉयचौधरी, जो नई व्यापक नीति तैयार करने वाले नौ-विशेषज्ञ सदस्यों में से एक हैं, ने कहा कि लैंडफिल आग सहित अपशिष्ट जलने की घटनाओं को कम करने के लिए, ध्यान देना चाहिए स्रोत की कमी पर हो न कि दंडात्मक कार्रवाई पर।

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Curbing air pollution is among top 10 priorities of Delhi government: Environment Minister Gopal Rai

Gopal Rai, the minister of the environment, has stated that he views research rating Delhi as the most polluted capital city in the world as a challenge rather than as a source of discouragement. New Delhi: Gopal Rai, the minister of the environment, has stated that he views research rating Delhi as the most polluted capital city in the world as a challenge rather than as a source of discouragement. Despite several orders from the Supreme Court, Central Pollution Control Board, and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), the problem of air pollution in Delhi-NCR persists because Delhi's neighbouring states are not serious about implementation, he said in an interview with PTI. “I do not get discouraged. I take it as a challenge. There are cities in India which are more polluted than Delhi. But none of them has worked on the pollution problem like Delhi has. Curbing air pollution is among the top 10 priorities of our government and Delhi has emerged as a fighter city”, When questioned about his thoughts on research designating Delhi as the world's most polluted capital city, he responded. 22 of the world's 30 most polluted cities, including the most polluted capital city in the world, Delhi, are located in India, according to a report published by the Swiss organisation IQAir last year. The first state to implement a tree transplantation strategy and convert all industrial facilities to PNG status is Delhi. He said that we enacted the odd-even (vehicle rationing) plan when no other state had the guts to. According to research done in the past by The Energy and Resources Institute and the Centre for Science and Environment, 31% of the pollution in Delhi is produced locally, and the remaining 80% comes from nearby national capital region locations. Delhi's air pollution is not the only issue. A single airshed covers the territory within 300 kilometres of the national capital. Everyone is impacted by pollution in this area, he claimed.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

I don't get discouraged by studies ranking Delhi most-polluted capital city in world Gopal Rai

Environment Minister Gopal Rai has said he doesn't get discouraged by studies ranking Delhi as the most-polluted capital city in the world and takes it as a challenge instead. In an interview to PTI, he said the problem of air pollution in Delhi-NCR persists despite several directions by the Supreme Court, Central Pollution Control Board, and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) as Delhi's neighbouring states are not serious about implementation. The minister also said the air pollution issue in the region can only be resolved through a panel of state environment ministers which should meet once every month. “I do not get discouraged. I take it as a challenge. There are cities in India which are more polluted than Delhi. But none of them has worked on the pollution problem like Delhi has. Curbing air pollution is among the top 10 priorities of our government and Delhi has emerged as a fighter city,” Rai said when asked about his opinion on a study ranking Delhi as the most-polluted capital city in the world. A report released by Swiss organisation, IQAir, last year said that 22 of the world's 30 most polluted cities are in India, with Delhi being the most polluted capital city globally. “Delhi is the first state to convert all industrial units into PNG ones and bring in a tree transplantation policy. We implemented the odd-even (car rationing) scheme when no other state had the courage to do it,” he said. On the CAQM's new policy to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR, Rai said the states need to implement it properly. The policy lists sector-wise action plans to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR in the next five years. “The problem is that the CAQM cannot implement policies. The states have to do it. Haryana, for example, still allows diesel generator sets in certain areas that lack power supply. It has been going on for years. “We have banned firecrackers bursting in Delhi, but still people do. Where do you think these firecrackers come from?” he asked. Thirty-one per cent of Delhi's pollution is generated locally and the rest comes from neighbouring areas in the national capital region, the minister said, citing studies conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute and the Centre for Science and Environment in the past. Air pollution is not Delhi's problem alone. The area in the radius of 300 kilometres of the national capital comes under a single airshed. Pollution in this range affects everyone, he said. “We need a holistic policy and political will power to address this problem. It won't be resolved until some sort of commitment is made at the ministerial level. “I have been demanding that a committee be constituted at the ministerial level and a joint action plan be prepared to combat air pollution in Delhi-NCR. The panel must meet once every month. Joint action is the only solution for now,” he said. Rai said he has written several letters to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav stressing the need for a panel of ministers and joint action plan but “he's not even responded once”. “We have not lost hope. We need their support and we will continue to ask for it. We are not going to sit idle if the others decide not to cooperate. We will continue to take all measures to reduce our share of pollution. We are also keeping an eye on new technological solutions from around the world to curb air pollution,” he said. Rai said Delhi can even achieve the emission reduction target set under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) by 2024 if the neighbouring NCR cities reduce their share of pollution. “Electric buses ply inside Delhi, while diesel-run buses pollute the air on the border,” he pointed out. NCAP covers 132 non-attainment cities, which do not meet the prescribed national ambient air quality standards. These cities have been identified based on the ambient air quality data obtained during the 2011-2015 period under the National Air Monitoring Programme. The acceptable annual standard for PM 10 and PM2.5 is 60 micrograms per cubic metre and 40 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively. In 2017, Delhi's annual PM10 average stood at 240 micrograms per cubic metre. The targeted PM 10 concentration by 2024 is 168 micrograms per cubic metre. On the issue of stubble burning in Punjab, Rai said the AAP government in the state is definitely going to bring a positive change. However, it may take some time to bring the number of farm fires to zero. Punjab generates around 20 million tons of paddy straw annually. Punjab and Haryana attract attention during the paddy harvesting season in October and November with farmers setting their fields on fire to quickly clear off the crop residue before cultivating wheat and potato. It is one of the main reasons for the alarming spike in pollution in Delhi-NCR. Asked if farmers will be fined for burning stubble in Punjab, Rai said one cannot expect the baton to resolve the issue. PTI GVS BUN RCJ RCJ

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Here's why all states need to be on same page on electric vehicle policy: Explains CAQM report

Though Delhi and the National Capital Region states have drafted policies on electric vehicles replacing diesel ones, these policies vary in scope and approach, says the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). The e-vehicles policy of Delhi, notified in 2020, targets a 25% electrification of all new vehicle registrations by 2024. “This policy also aims to register a minimum of 50% of all new stage carriage buses as e-buses, including both city fleet and fleet for last mile connectivity. All delivery service providers shall convert 50% of their fleet operating in Delhi to electric by 2023 and 100% by 2025,” said the <a href="https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tag/caqm+report">CAQM report</a> published on Wednesday.<br><br>The policy in Uttar Pradesh, notified in 2019, wants “nearly 10 lakh EVs, combined across all segments of vehicles” by 2024. “There is no vehicle segment-wise target for the state to support this roll-out,” notes CAQM.<br><br>In contrast to Delhi and UP, Haryana’s draft policy does not have an overall electrification target but only aims to convert 100% of the buses owned by the state transport undertakings to e-buses (battery e-vehicles or fuel cell e-vehicles) by 2029, with the first phase of 100% conversion of the bus fleet in Gurgaon and Faridabad by 2024. The policy in Rajasthan, notified last year, also has targets, neither for the overall fleet nor for vehicle segments. The policy recommends only a lump sum as an incentive for EV buyers, the amount depending on the battery capacity of the vehicle.<br><br>CAQM’s report said vehicle electrification targets for NCR in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP need to be set in terms of the percentage of the new vehicle sales to be achieved by the end of the plan period while targeting total e-vehicles in particular categories.<br><br>Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), <a href="https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tag/centre+for+science+and+environment">Centre for Science and Environment</a>, and a member of the expert group involved in preparing the new Delhi policy said, “The EV policies of the NCR state governments may vary, but have several common elements. It is necessary that all states set time-bound fleet electrification targets and adopt a more harmonized and robust approach towards incentive structures and charging infrastructure with a committed funding strategy to build scale quickly.”<br><br>CAQM’s policy document said the new generation transformation awaiting the motor vehicles sector was large-scale electrification to achieve zero tailpipe emissions with battery-operated vehicles. “On the basis of lifecycle emissions, it is estimated that tailpipe emissions account for as much as 65-80% of automobile emissions. According to an estimate of <a href="https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tag/niti+aayog">NITI Aayog</a>, despite India’s current energy mix, lifetime emissions from electric vehicles today are 19-34% lower than internal combustion engines,” said the report.

• Solid Waste Management and Circular Economy

India faces uphill battle to reduce mountain of plastic waste

Restrictions aim to tackle problem, but critics say change will be costly Dhiraj Kumar, a vegetable merchant in New Delhi, hands a plastic bag filled with produce over to a customer. It is a daily ritual he has been performing for three decades. The government, however, is pushing to do away with single-use plastics, as the country tries to clean up its reputation as a major plastic polluter. As of this month, 19 types of single-use plastics are banned in India. Plastic bags are not entirely prohibited yet, but by the end of the year they will have to be of greater thickness to promote reuse -- a change critics say will increase expenses. Kumar has no plans to stop using his bags, laughing off the policy. "There are hardly any alternative, viable options available to us," he said. "If we start using paper bags or other available options, our costs will hugely increase and this job will no longer be profitable. It's better they take us to jail, because I cannot pay the fine, even if they take my half-year income." Ice-cream sticks, straws, plastic cups, cutlery, earbuds with plastic and wrapping are among the items covered by the ban. Violators face up to five years in jail, a fine of 100,000 rupees ($1,200) or both. But since the rule was imposed at the beginning of July, there has been little visible change. Sanjay Singh, one of Kumar's customers, echoed the merchant's concern and called it a "lazy policy decision." "We are already witnessing huge inflation and if they start using other bags, the result will be only an increase in the costs for us," said Singh, a government employee. The country's inflation rate in June was 7.01%, government statistics showed on Tuesday, slightly cooler than the previous month. This highlights the enforcement challenge in a country of over 1.3 billion people at a time of serious economic pressure, while at the same time, environmentalists insist something must be done to reduce India's plastic waste. There is conflicting data on just how much plastic garbage is generated in the country. In 2015, government figures stated that 9.5 million tonnes were produced annually. India has ranked at or near the top of rankings of plastics pollution over the years. Figures from the statistics website Our World in Data show India produced 12.99 million tonnes of "mismanaged" plastic waste in 2019, topping China's 12.27 million tonnes. Mismanaged waste is defined as either littered or inadequately disposed of, meaning it is placed in dumps or uncontrolled landfills. Activists question government claims that around 60% of plastic waste is recycled. A 2019 survey by the Centre for Science and Environment, a nonprofit research organization, found that only 12% was actually recycled in India. In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the phasing out of single-use plastics in the country by 2022. Environmental campaigners welcome the ban as a start toward reducing the impact of plastics, even if practical solutions remain elusive. "We are already witnessing the consequences of plastic pollution. It is devastating people and ecosystems," said Avinash Chanchal, campaign manager for Greenpeace India. "Plastic is poisoning communities and choking our oceans," he said. "We have to end the business model which relies on disposable products and one-way packaging." According to a report by advocacy group International Coastal Cleanup, the packaging industry is one of the major culprits behind the plastic waste problem. Yet concerns remain over the feasibility of implementing the prohibition on plastic. "The country got a full one year to implement the ban, but the states did not make the efforts" to wean people off plastic, said Bharati Chaturvedi, an environmentalist and director of the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group. "Many companies using straws for single-use drinks tried and are still trying to delay the ban." But Chaturvedi also insisted that when it comes to plastic bags like the ones Kumar uses to sell his vegetables, there is an obvious alternative. He said vendors have to collectively ask customers to bring their own bags. Activists say the government needs to take the next step toward doing away with single-use plastics, while making the shift easier for citizens. "The government should come up with a just transition plan to support the small-scale industry and people who are dependent on the plastic industry for their livelihood," said Greenpeace's Chanchal. He is optimistic and believes that India's culture and tradition can play a role. "We should simply go back to our roots and embrace the solutions which we have practiced for many decades," he said. "There are many eco-friendly solutions for single-use plastic and Styrofoam plates, glasses and straws, such as banana leaf and stem plates, et cetera."

• Down To Earth

The cereal monopoly: A recipe for undernutrition

In an effort to counter malnutrition, the Union government introduced rice fortified with iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12 in the country After every visit to the Public Distribution System (PDS) outlet, Shantamma sits on her porch in a village in Chikkaballapur, Karnataka, picking out husk, rocks and other impurities. The slightly discoloured grains of rice she is throwing away are fortified with nutrients, but she does not know this. <p>In an effort to counter malnutrition, the Union government introduced rice fortified with iron, folic acid and vitamin B-12 in the country.</p><p>Like Shantamma, many in her village are in the dark about the rice that they are eating. They are unaware of the controversy surrounding fortification and the dangers it could pose to people with certain illnesses.<div class="ad-320-1023 inart2_processed" id="in-article3-1"></div></p><div id="outstream_ad" style="background-color: transparent;" align="center"></div><p>With a monthly income of Rs 9,000 and a family of four to care for, Shantamma acknowledges that the PDS provides rice and ragi, but it is not enough. “Can we go to sleep with just rice in our stomachs? We need to spend money on vegetables, oil, sugar and pulses,” she says.</p><p>Close to 71 per cent&nbsp;of India cannot afford healthy meals, according to a 2022 report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). A diet becomes unaffordable when it costs more than 63&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of a person’s income. India fares worse than countries like China (12 per cent) and Brazil (19 per cent).</p> <p>A study by the Centre for Science and Environment found that 1.7 million in India die every year due to diseases caused by a poor diet. These figures only show that the country’s food programmes need to begin addressing nutrition insecurity, rather than singularly focusing on food security.</p><p>Mallikarjun, an agricultural labourer in Chikkaballapur, says that the recent rise in food prices means that his family shops for vegetables and meat fewer times in the week. Fruits are out of the question. “With no land to cultivate vegetables, we are forced to buy what we cannot afford. We have just started eating less vegetables,” he says.</p><p>About 60&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;of Indians receive foodgrains through the PDS — a majority of states are supplied with rice and wheat. While the cereal-heavy programme might meet caloric requirements, it masks serious nutritional deficiencies.</p><p>The green revolution increased the country’s dependence on cereal. Overcultivation of cash crops, and the decline of millets, has contributed to the crisis. There is a need to diversify food crops immediately.</p><p>This is evident in the nutritional status of ration cardholders, who score poorly across all indicators. A 2019 study by a private consulting firm assessed the nutritional gaps in households that consumed foodgrains received through the PDS.</p><p>The study revealed that all beneficiaries – men, women, pregnant and lactating women and children – had low levels of basic macro and micronutrients.&nbsp;This included serious deficiencies in protein, fat, calcium, iron and folic acid.</p><p>The study expounds that only 18&nbsp;per cent&nbsp;and 20 per cent&nbsp;of the protein needs of men and women were met through government programmes. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and children, who avail nutritional supplements through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), fared comparatively better. However, at least 50 per cent&nbsp;of their protein needs still went unmet.&nbsp;</p><p>Why do these programmes fail to address nutritional insecurity?&nbsp;The problem, experts say, is with the lack of dietary diversity.</p><p><strong>Monotonous diets</strong></p><p>“We are only providing people with cereal. The body needs more than just carbohydrates – it needs pulses, legumes, eggs, oil and meat. It needs variety,” says Dr Veena Shatrugna, former deputy director of the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. There are more than 20 micronutrients that the body needs, she explains.&nbsp;</p><p>Most micronutrients are available naturally in legumes, greens, fruits, dairy, egg, meat products and oils, which remain out of reach for many deprived communities.&nbsp;</p><p>“Though the PDS comes under the justiciable right to food, many people, including the government, view it as a charity initiative. They think something is better than nothing,” says Dr Vandana Prasad, a Delhi-based community paediatrician and a public health expert.&nbsp;</p><p>It is natural to crave variety, experts say. To satiate this craving, many people have come to depend on biscuits, chips and other ultra-processed foods. “My child cries if I don’t give him something with his rice, so I end up buying biscuits or chips to go along with his food,” says Geetha (name changed), a construction worker in Bengaluru.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>An excess of these easily available snacks&nbsp;with a cereal-heavy diet can cause obesity and trigger non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. India already suffers from a diabetic problem of epic proportions with 74.2 million afflicted with the disease. It is only surpassed by China.&nbsp;</p><p>Cereal-heavy diets can also hide malnutrition and keep people from seeking out treatment. “Several studies establish that the effects of undernutrition are severe, affecting thinking, intelligence, cognition and daily activities,” says Dr Prashant N S, assistant director at the Institute of Public Health, Bengaluru.&nbsp;</p><p>According to the World Bank, India loses up to US $12 billion annually due to vitamin and mineral deficiencies.</p><p><strong>Rice fortification</strong></p><p>The latest ‘silver bullet’ to tackle&nbsp;anaemia caused by malnutrition&nbsp;is rice fortification. In his Independence Day address last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that rice supplied under all schemes would be fortified by 2024.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>The move was not received&nbsp;well by experts, doctors and nutritionists, who have called into question the evidence, effectiveness and ethics behind the decision.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Evidence to support the effectiveness of fortification in tackling anaemia is nebulous. An RTI query submitted to the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) found that both fortified rice and regular rice in midday meals had a similar effect on the reduction of anaemia.</p><p>Contemporary research also calls into question the high stipulation of iron requirements in the past. “The daily requirement for iron as a nutrient was thought to be very high (before 2020). One could not possibly meet this through a normal diet. Such a situation brings up the need for fortifying the diet,” says Dr Anura Kurpad, professor of physiology and nutrition at St John’s Medical College, Bengaluru. In 2020,&nbsp;new research revealed that a regular, diverse diet could sufficiently meet iron requirements.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Focus on individual&nbsp;</strong></p><p>For those who do suffer from vitamin and mineral deficiencies, a clinical approach is vital. The PDS, which is designed to count households as units, and not individuals, is insufficient to address malnutrition. “A case management approach is the right way to address nutritional deficiencies. A clinical intervention, with doctors who can monitor and stop dosages, is safe,” says Kavitha Kuruganti, of the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), who&nbsp;was part of a recent fact-finding visit to Jharkhand on rice fortification.&nbsp;</p><p>The fact-finding report observed&nbsp;that fortified rice could be dangerous for people who suffer from thalassemia, sickle cell anaemia, malaria, tuberculosis and even those with severe acute malnutrition.&nbsp;Even people who have the&nbsp;genetic trait and not the clinical disease could absorb an excess of iron and be at risk.&nbsp;</p><p>Kapil Mohan, Additional Chief Secretary of Food and Civil Supplies, Karnataka, explains, “This is only a miniscule amount of the population. The programme will benefit the majority.”&nbsp;</p><p>It is unclear if those with thalassemia and sickle cell anaemia were informed&nbsp;when they were provided with&nbsp;fortified rice. There is also uncertainty whether alternative options will be made available to them at PDS centres.&nbsp;</p><p>In conversation with DH, a PDS dealer, on the condition of anonymity, said that there were no information campaigns about fortified rice in Chikkaballapur. “Vendors like me attended an informational session conducted by the District Commissioner. I only explain to consumers when they ask me about the fortification process,” he says. A vast majority does not ask.&nbsp;</p><p>A lack of effort to raise awareness is a grave violation of citizens' rights to make informed choices. “Citizens should have the first say in what they consume. Their food choices should not be dictated. The government must take a collaborative approach,” says Dr Prasad.&nbsp;</p><p><strong>Unscientific approach</strong></p><p>There is also a tendency to attach a notion of ‘impurity’ towards meat-eating. “There is a push towards vegetarianism that is proving discriminatory towards minority, tribal and scheduled caste communities. For instance, traditionally, many marginalised communities consumed beef which is a cheap and nutritious source of protein and iron,” says Dr Prasad. However, restrictions on beef consumption exist in 20 out of 28 states.</p><p>Meat products have high biological value, since they are rich in protein, iron, vitamin B-12, zinc, selenium and phosphorus. Nutritionists have long advocated for the inclusion of eggs in midday meals due to their high&nbsp;protein, vitamin and mineral content.&nbsp;</p><p>A parent in Bengaluru who receives eggs for her five-year-old daughter through ICDS says, "My daughter goes to the anganwadi for the eggs. She can eat anything with eggs,” she says. Yet, in a country with a meat-eating population of 70 per cent,&nbsp;only 13 states and 3 union territories provide eggs in midday meals.</p><p>Even Karnataka, which started providing eggs in seven districts recently, came out with a National Education Policy position paper that suggests a ban on eggs and meat in midday meals. It claims they lead to ‘lifestyle disorders’.&nbsp;</p><p>Attaching morality to food and nutrition can be extremely detrimental. “People are free to use religion as a justification for their own food choices but not to thrust it upon others,” says Dr Prasad.</p><p><strong>Way forward&nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p><p>“Food cultures have evolved over long periods. Kitchens were once nutritionally rich places because of the many different varieties of grains, meat, vegetables and fruit,” says Kuruganti.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p>Cultivating a holistic diet is inextricable from agricultural diversity. Local food crops, such as millets, have retreated from farms following the green revolution. The lack of crop variety, owing to the rapid expansion of commercial and cash crops, has&nbsp;contributed to poor diets.&nbsp;</p><p>“A serious effort needs to be made to diversify India’s food basket, and to protect farmers who grow diverse foods, rather than just cereals,” concludes Dr Kurpad.&nbsp;</p><p>Without sufficient evidence and stakeholder involvement, the fortified rice project becomes a one-size-fits-all solution. This ignores cultural diversity and nutritional requirements.</p><p>A sound way forward&nbsp;is to adopt a collaborative, decentralised approach. There is a need to empower citizens to make informed choices. Communities have a right to access and consume&nbsp;diverse foods through a public distribution system that makes this possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Delhi: Diesel curbs fuel heart burn in private car owners

NEW DELHI: The decision to ban diesel vehicles that don’t confirm to BS-VI when Air Quality Index (AQI) is in the “severe-plus” category as part of the new Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) has come as a bolt from the blue for NCR residents, who said private cars shouldn’t be treated equally to commercial ones. Rajiv Kakria, a GK-I resident and convener of Save Our City campaign, claimed, “There is no empirical evidence that diesel cars pollute to that extent. We are soft targets, which makes it seem that the authorities are doing something. We are also concerned about air pollution, but harping on diesel vehicles is based on exaggerated figures. Why don’t they curtail flights during these months and have an odd-even for aircraft?” Out of the more than 1.3 crore vehicles registered in Delhi, diesel-run vehicles are less than 10 lakh. However, there are a significant number of car users who commute from other parts of NCR to or via Delhi. Mayank Mathur (40), a marketing professional and a resident of Bhiwadi, which is located close to the Rajasthan-Haryana border, said just travelling for work to Dwarka and back meant traversing 120km every day. “I also have to visit other locations sometimes. Keeping these factors in mind, I had opted for a diesel-run car. Though expensive, the car has a lower running cost than its petrol variant. There is no public transport anywhere close to where I live and the new rule has me at a loss as I don’t know how I will commute when it is implemented,” added Mathur. Pankaj Agarwal, general secretary of Delhi RWAs Joint Front, said it must be ensured that the same norm was followed in the entire NCR and only Delhi shouldn’t be “punished”. “The norms also must be fair to all users. There should be a compensatory mechanism for those not allowed to drive a diesel car after 10 years,” he added. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and a member of the expert group that was involved in preparation of the new policy, said stopping the entry of diesel trucks as an emergency measure was already in place and this was being expanded to include other diesel vehicles. “Diesel emissions are highly toxic and carcinogenic and are responsible for high particulate and nitrogen oxide emissions. The primary focus of the new policy is on systemic solutions in all key sectors of pollution, which, if implemented with speed and scale, will minimise the need for emergency action,” added Roychowdhury. Amit Bhatt, managing director for India, International Council on Clean Transportation, said this would have a huge impact because a lot of vehicles in places like Ghaziabad and Gurgaon run on diesel and are a big source of emission. “The problem of Delhi should be addressed in an air shed much beyond its boundary,” he added.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Explained: Delhi's new winter plan to fight rising pollution levels

The Commission for Air Quality Management has revised its set of anti-air pollution measures. Under the revised guidelines, curbing measures will be imposed pre-emptively based on forecasts unlike the previous rules which mandated restrictions only after levels had worsened Poor visibility, a burning sensation in the eyes and gasping for fresh air represent a common winter day in Delhi. The national capital tops every chart of being the most polluted city in the world. At times, the Air Quality Index (AQI) has indicated ‘hazardous’ levels of pollution in Delhi. In a bid to tackle the menace of air pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has updated a set of anti-air pollution measures — called Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) — which will be implemented in Delhi and its vicinity in line with the severity of the situation. The Graded Response Action Plan was notified by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2017. It is brought into effect every year mid-October when pollution levels in the region starts deteriorating. Released by CAQM on Wednesday, the new restrictions under GRAP will incorporate the air pollution index which reflects the concentration of pollutants and not just particle matter (PM) 2.5 and 10 that were considered as a trigger to impose the curbs. Moreover, all the restrictions under the three most serious levels will be imposed pre-emptively and not after pollution levels have spiked, according to a Hindustan Times report. Let’s take a closer look at how Delhi plans to control air pollution. Why does Delhi choke every winter? In 2021, Delhi was found to be the most polluted city in the world for the fourth consecutive year. The national capital last year saw 14.6 per cent increase in PM2.5 concentrations than 2020, according to an Economic Times report. Owing to poor air quality, Delhi's city hospitals got more patients with respiratory conditions like asthma, respiratory infections and even heart attacks in 2021. According to an Observer Research Foundation (ORF) report, children are the most vulnerable to pollutants. Poor air quality is directly associated with respiratory problems as deficit in lung function and growth in children. A new study conducted by Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago revealed that life expectancy in Delhi is being reduced by 9.7 years due to air pollution. A range of urban factors along with stubble burning by farmers in neighbouring regions contribute to the increasing pollution levels in the national capital. However, the Supreme Court last year said that stubble burning is only partly responsible for pollution in Delhi, according to a Business Standard report. According to a report published by The Outlook, weather plays a key role in increasing pollution levels. Delhi and its neighbouring cities encounter a phenomenon called winter inversion, which results in low wind speeds and combined with a dip in temperature pollutants are brought closer to the ground. Other contributors include construction activities, harmful pollutants emitted by industries as well as the use of fireworks during Diwali which usually falls just before winter arrives in Delhi. ***** Explained: How air pollution is cutting life by 10 years in Delhi Air pollution claims over 10 lakh lives every year and yet we tend to ignore it ***** What do the new GRAP guidelines say? GRAP for the National Capital Region (NCR) has now been classified under four stages based on the severity of air pollution: Stage I- ‘Poor’ (AQI 201-300), Stage II- ‘Very Poor’ (AQI 301-400), Stage III- ‘Severe’ (AQI 401-450) and Stage IV- ‘Severe Plus’ (AQI over 450). Before revising GRAP, the categories were 'Good' (AQI 0-50), 'Satisfactory' (AQI 51-100), 'Moderate' (AQI 101-200), 'Poor' (AQI 201-300), 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400) and 'Severe' (AQI more than 401). Under the new policy, measures such as ban on entry of trucks and construction activities will be implemented based on the early warning given by forecasting system. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at Centre for Science and Environment and part of the expert member on GRAP told Hindustan Times, “The idea is to not wait and then take action, but to take action in advance and when GRAP was formed, we did not have forecasting models. Now, these models will be used to forecast in advance and therefore these peak pollution events can be prevented in advance.” The revised GRAP measures call for an embargo on entry of trucks and heavy goods vehicles, except those carrying essential commodities, under the ‘Severe Plus’ (Stage IV) category or when AQI is more than 450. Under ‘Stage III’, when the situation turns severe, authorities will enforce a ban on construction and demolition activities, except essential projects like railways, metros, airports and the like. Along with these activities, brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers that don’t operate on clean fuels will also be prohibited under this stage. A ban on coal and firewood — including the use of tandoors in eateries — and on diesel generator sets can be imposed under ‘Stage I’. The policy also said that state governments can considering allowing 50 per cent staff from public, municipal and private offices to work from home and the closure of educational institutions as part of emergency measures. What do experts say? Experts have lauded the revised GRAP. It is believed that by going for pre-emptive actions based on AQI projections the curbs are expected to bring down peak-level of air pollution in Delhi. Ritwick Dutta, an environmental lawyer and founder of the Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment (LIFE) was quoted in Hindustan Times saying, “The existing plan had been a failure as the implementation was largely taking place during winter and peak-pollution events, but one needs to ensure this gets implemented throughout the year.” He added that pollution levels can cross over 200 even during summers and hence pollution control measures should be implemented in Delhi throughout the year. According to a Times of India report, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of CSE had similar views about the revised policy. She pointed out that when GRAP was first implemented in 2017, CAQM didn't have the necessary technology to anticipate the worsening condition of air quality. "Earlier, GRAP failed because Delhi did not have a forecasting system in 2016-17. One had to wait for 48 hours. Now, we have better science and IIT Madras has a better forecasting system," she said.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

EV policy: States need to be on the same page

With the rising demand for to curtail pollution, various Indian states have drafted their own e-vehicle . While some states have set a segment-wise target, the others have opted for an estimated goal, reported TOI citing Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) report. For instance, in the national capital Delhi , the drafted policy aims towards achieving a 25% electrification of all new vehicle registrations by 2024. This policy also aims to register a minimum of 50 per cent of all new stage carriage buses as e-buses, including both city fleet and fleet for last mile connectivity. All delivery service providers shall convert 50 per cent of their fleet operating in Delhi to electric by 2023 and 100 per cent by 2025,” TOI quoted CAQM report. National Capital Region (NCR) Haryana, one of the key states of the NCR region, has taken into consideration the electrification of 100% of its state-owned buses. The policy aims towards converting all state-owned buses to e-buses with battery e-vehicles or fuel cell e-vehicles by 2029. The first phase of this conversion of the bus fleet in Gurgaon and Faridabad by 2024. “The EV policies of the NCR state governments may vary, but have several common elements. It is necessary that all states set timebound fleet electrification targets and adopt a more harmonised and robust approach towards incentive structures and charging infrastructure with a committed funding strategy to build scale quickly,” TOI quoted Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, and a member of the expert group involved in preparing the new Delhi policy, as saying.

• Clean Air & Sustainable Mobility

Fighting farm fire with fire in Delhi: A five-year plan

NEW DELHI: The proportion of pollutants from harvest residue burning in Delhi's air last year varied from 4% to 48% on different days. Given the farm fires' big load on air quality, the Commission on Air Quality Management's new policy desires to have harvest stubble taken care of by December 31, 2026. The policy directs the governments of Punjab and Haryana, along with Delhi, to ensure in-situ and ex-situ management of the stubble and to initiate schemes to diversify crops other than paddy, promote short duration paddy varieties and prevent straw burning. In-situ management would have the post-harvest stubbled managed within the field through mulching or decomposition employing bio-decomposers. Ex-situ management would require the stubble to be baled and used as fuel in kilns and powerplants or to make biofuels. However, with no unified plan, such a target relies largely on the capabilities of the different state governments and other agencies that must provide resources to over one million paddy cultivators in Punjab alone. The policy also held the Punjab Preservation of Sub Soil Water Act, 2009, and The Haryana Preservation of Sub Soil Water Act, 2009, responsible for the delayed paddy harvest season. These Acts decree a timeline for crop planting. As Anumita Roy Chowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment explained, "The governments have fixed a date before which paddy cannot be sown in order to preserve the groundwater. Paddy sowing is put off till the monsoon." But delayed planting and harvesting of rice result in a small window for the next crop, shorter than the time a farmer needs to ready the field for wheat planting and forcing him to resort to burning of rice stubble. CAQM wants farmers to cultivate alternative crops that don't necessitate stubble burning and to plant short duration, early maturing varieties of rice like PUSA 44 or Basmati varieties that had soft paddy usable as fodder. It also recommends animal husbandry in Delhi Lal-Dora areas to consume crop residues and paper industry to use agricultural waste. Fighting farm fire with fire in Delhi: A five-year plan TNN | Jul 15, 2022, 07.02 AM IST NEW DELHI: The proportion of pollutants from harvest residue burning in Delhi's air last year varied from 4% to 48% on different days. Given the farm fires' big load on air quality, the Commission on Air Quality Management's new policy desires to have harvest stubble taken care of by December 31, 2026. The policy directs the governments of Punjab and Haryana, along with Delhi, to ensure in-situ and ex-situ management of the stubble and to initiate schemes to diversify crops other than paddy, promote short duration paddy varieties and prevent straw burning. In-situ management would have the post-harvest stubbled managed within the field through mulching or decomposition employing bio-decomposers. Ex-situ management would require the stubble to be baled and used as fuel in kilns and powerplants or to make biofuels. Fighting farm fire with fire in Delhi: A five-year plan However, with no unified plan, such a target relies largely on the capabilities of the different state governments and other agencies that must provide resources to over one million paddy cultivators in Punjab alone. Congratulations! You have successfully cast your vote The policy also held the Punjab Preservation of Sub Soil Water Act, 2009, and The Haryana Preservation of Sub Soil Water Act, 2009, responsible for the delayed paddy harvest season. These Acts decree a timeline for crop planting. As Anumita Roy Chowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment explained, "The governments have fixed a date before which paddy cannot be sown in order to preserve the groundwater. Paddy sowing is put off till the monsoon." But delayed planting and harvesting of rice result in a small window for the next crop, shorter than the time a farmer needs to ready the field for wheat planting and forcing him to resort to burning of rice stubble. CAQM wants farmers to cultivate alternative crops that don't necessitate stubble burning and to plant short duration, early maturing varieties of rice like PUSA 44 or Basmati varieties that had soft paddy usable as fodder. It also recommends animal husbandry in Delhi Lal-Dora areas to consume crop residues and paper industry to use agricultural waste. The new policy also underlines teh importance of a strong biomass supply chain to scale up ex-situ crop residue management and, accordingly, recommends that the railways shift crop residue from Punjab and Haryana to other states. The policy also recommends that till paddy removal remains unmanaged, it must be ensured that no stubble is burnt between 8am and 2pm from September to February every year. Roy Chowdhury said, "On the ground, we understand that there are challenges. So, each intervention requires a response. For instance, a good roster system is needed for bio-decomposers and tools to reach the small farmers. The ground level issues need to be addressed by the governments for these recommendations to work. And there must be accountability."