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Pre-monsoon season this year second hottest in India: CSE http://www.millenniumpost.in/nation/pre-monsoon-season-this-year-second-hottest-in-india-cse-484998

While summer or pre-monsoon season this year has overtaken 2016 records as the second hottest pre-monsoon season in the country, winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster, according to the latest findings by the Urban Lab of Centre for Science and Environment. According to the study, land surface temperatures in Delhi have been the highest since 2010 and that the city recorded significant positive anomaly (temperature higher than expected) on all three temperature parameters. In a bid to understand the warming trend in a comprehensive way, the study by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has analysed the temperature trends by covering all three dimensions of heat stress -- surface air temperature, land surface temperature, and relative humidity (heat index). In Delhi, air temperature has been 1.77 degrees Celsius hotter than 2010, and the land surface temperature 1.95 degrees Celsius hotter, the study said. According to the CSE analysis, the daily average heat index crossed 40 degrees Celsius in June, 2022. It said March and April have been unusually dry in Delhi, but humidity started to rise in May with some scattered rain spells. But this spike in humidity has led to an increase in the heat index in the city, indicating increased thermal discomfort among the population. "The highest land surface temperature was observed on May 16, 2020 when 53.9 degrees Celsius was recorded within city limits, followed by May 14, 2022 with maximum land surface temperature of 51.8 degrees Celsius. In the previous years, maximum land surface temperature was observed to be in mid-40s range," the CSE findings said. It further said during the heatwave in May, 2022, the land surface temperature across Delhi shot above 38 degrees Celsius, which was "unusual as the green pockets within the city have not heated up to this magnitude in the previous years," and that the average land surface temperature has been getting higher than daily average air temperature. "Industrial and agricultural zone recorded highest increase in land surface temperature between March to May. The regions at the city periphery in the north, southwest, and northwest Delhi have seen the extremely high surface temperature rise from March 19 to May 14, 2022," the study said. The study further noted that even the temperature of the water bodies rose to 29-30 degrees Celsius in May.

Cse Report: This Year Was The Second Hottest Pre-monsoon, In 20 Years, Heat Took More Than 20 Thousand Lives

This year the pre-monsoon months were the second warmest since 2010 in terms of recorded temperatures in India’s history. It broke the record of the year 2016. Big cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Hyderabad also remained hot. The reason for this was considered to be heat-island, traffic, industries, increasing use of AC and waste. Heat islands are hard surfaces that store heat, so that the temperature of cities does not decrease even during the day. The Center for Science and Environment (CSE) has released the report based on the data collected from the Indian Meteorological Department. According to this, the extreme heat in the north-western part of the country got everyone’s attention, but almost the same trend is seen in the whole country. The depleting ponds in the cities, decreasing greenery are adding to the heat. The pre-monsoon time covers the summer months from March to May. The report claimed that 20,615 people died due to heat wave during 2000 to 2020. above average heat in monsoon The June-September temperature, as per the nationwide average, was 0.3 to 0.4 degrees above the pre-monsoon months. The average temperature for this decade was 0.49 degrees above the baseline from 1951 to 1980. The increase was 0.73 degrees more in the post-monsoon months i.e. October to December and 0.68 degrees more in the winter months of January and February. Average temperature was 1.24 degrees higher The mean air temperature in pre-monsoon in 2022 was 1.24 degrees above the baseline. This baseline is determined by the temperature recorded between 1971 and 2000. Earlier, the average temperature was 1.20 degrees in 2016 and 1.45 degrees in 2010. In March-April this year, the daily mean maximum temperature of northwest India was 4 degrees above the baseline from 1981 to 2010. These regions include Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Rajasthan.

2022 pre-monsoon summer heat overtake 2016 as 2nd hottest pre-monsoon season on record: CSE

While extreme heat waves in the states of the northwest draw maximum public attention, the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country have been largely neglected, indicated a new country-wide analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 summer was 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends. Moreover, the heat waves lashing India this summer are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature trends that is expected to worsen with growing climate change impacts, it said. Year 2022 summer was 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), the latest CSE analysis said. Talking about the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country that 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," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. "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," she said. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE, said: "Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem." The Urban Lab of CSE has analysed 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. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 -- pre-monsoon or summer (March, April and May as per IMD classification) -- is 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends that relate to 1971-2000 climatology. Baselines are defined based on historical timelines and may vary for different metrics; the anomaly is generally computed from the 1951-80, 1971-2000, or 1981-2010 climatology baseline. This is warmer than the 1.20 degrees Celsius anomaly noted in 2016 pre-monsoon, but lower than the 1.45 degrees Celsius anomaly recorded in the 2010 pre-monsoon season. Similarly, land surface temperature anomaly has been extreme this pre-monsoon season, with a 1.46 degrees Celsius departure from the baseline (1971-2000). It must be noted that pre-monsoon seasonal trends in both land and air temperature are identical to the annual trends, but with more pronounced highs and lows. Monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon period on an average, while winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster. High heat stress and heat waves in the northwestern states, but Other regions even hotter in absolute terms.

Waste-to-energy plants have mostly failed in India – and yet governments are building more

Many countries, realising the limitations of such plants, are shifting focus to reducing waste and segregating at the source. On June 13, the National Human Rights Commission issued a notice to the Haryana government regarding inaction over hazardous waste contaminating the groundwater near the Bandhwari landfill. The waste dumping site, located near the Delhi and Haryana border, has been in the news for many years now. To deal with the many health, environmental, and waste management challenges, the Haryana government has proposed a waste-to-energy plant. In 2018, Haryana’s Chief Minister ML Khattar laid the foundation stone for a 15-megawatt capacity plant. Later, when a proposal was mooted to increase its capacity from 15 megawatts to 25 megawatts, it received intense opposition from the local people. Neelam Ahulawalia from Aravalli Bachao Citizens Group, which has run an online campaign against the proposed waste-to-energy plant that has received support from more than 34,000 people, said, “On August 31 last year, a public hearing was organised regarding the increase of the capacity of the proposed waste-to-energy plants. Around 300 people were present there. Everyone opposed the plan vehemently.” In their petition, they have argued, “Despite the fact that waste incineration is a completely failed model in India, the Haryana government is in the process of setting up a waste-to-energy plant in our Aravalli Forest at the Bandhwari landfill site, which is not only a complete waste of huge amount of money but is another environmental disaster in the making.” Their fear seems reasonable when one looks at the history of waste-to-energy plants in India. The first waste-to-energy plant was set up in Timarpur in Delhi in 1987. Built by a company from Denmark, the plant was supposed to incinerate 300 tonnes of municipal solid waste per day to generate 3.75 megawatts of electricity. Established with the cost of Rs 20 crore, the plant survived for only around 20 days. The reason for its failure was the poor quality of waste coming to the plant, states Dharmesh Shah, a technical advisor with Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment, a non-governmental organisation. This waste-to-energy plant failure story has continued since then. “A total of 14 waste-to-energy plants have been installed in India, out of which seven plants were closed,” said Swati Singh Sambyal, an independent waste management and circular economy expert. Burgeoning waste Landfills have become a common feature of the landscape in many Indian cities. Increasing population, urbanisation and industrialisation are some of the main reasons for increased waste generation. A 2018 World Bank report also underlined the connection between economic development and waste generation. During the budget session in 2022, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change informed that the total quantity of solid waste generated in the country was 1,50,761 tonnes per day in 2019-’20. The same World Bank report from 2018 states that India’s per capita waste generation lies at 0.57 kg per day as compared to 0.52 kg in South Asia and 0.74 kg at the global level. India, however, is yet to find a sustainable way to deal with this burgeoning waste in every city. Talking to Mongabay-India, founder and CEO of iForest, Chandra Bhushan said, “Our capacity to manage waste has not grown with the pace of our capacity to generate waste. There is a huge gap between the quantity and quality of waste we are generating, and the capacity of the municipality to manage that waste.” iForest is a Delhi-based think-tank. To deal with these challenges, state governments are relying on waste-to-energy plants. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s website says that the total estimated energy generation potential from urban and industrial organic waste in India is approximately 5,690 megawatts. A report titled “To Burn or Not To Burn”, by the Centre for Science and Environment that was published in 2019, says that plants of a combined capacity of 382.7 megawatts are proposed in India. According to the report, the plants with a capacity of 69.2 megawatts are operational, the ones with a capacity of 84.3 megawatts are under construction and 66.35 megawatts plants are non-functional. Sambyal is one of the authors of this report. Waste not fit The proposed Bandhwari waste-to-energy plant is one among these plants and the Aravali Bachao Citizens Group opposes the plant on various grounds including a Central Pollution Control Board report, which says that the waste dumped at the Bandhwari site is not fit for incineration. This is true for almost all the waste-to-energy plants,” Sambyal said, adding that most of the waste sent to waste-to-energy plants is unsegregated and has inert content which is not suitable for burning in waste-to-energy plants. “Additional fuel is required to burn this waste which makes the plant unviable,” She said. “This is the reason why waste-to-energy plants in many cities are not functioning properly or were shut down.” The quality of waste suitable for the waste-to-energy plant is decided based on its composition, calorific value, and moisture content. The existing waste going to waste-to-energy plants is majorly organic waste. “To Burn or Not to Burn” says that organic waste is around 40%-70% of the total waste, paper and cardboard contribute about 6% to 7%, and then come recyclable plastic (6% to 10%), and non-recyclable plastic (5%-10%). Other than this, metal, glass and domestic hazardous waste contribute around 1%- 3%. “Indian waste has low calorific value and high moisture content,” Sambyal explained. “The calorific value of waste in India ranges from 1,411 kcal/kg to 2,150 kcal/kg. If it is compared to the calorific value of garbage in Sweden, Norway, Germany and United States ranges between 1,900 kcal/kg and 3,800 kcal/kg. India’s is too low to burn. In this case, these plants need supplementary energy to burn the waste.” Pollution coming from waste-to-energy plants is another issue and the poor quality of waste put into the plants is making them unviable. Bhushan explains that most of these plants are established at competitive bidding, which means they have to provide energy at Rs 5 or Rs 7 per unit. If supplementary energy is needed, they are not economically viable and get closed down. More than half of the waste-to-energy plants have shut down today, which says that technology improvements do not work with the quality of waste that is being generated today. To add a comparative perspective, solar and wind energy cost somewhere between Rs 2 and Rs 3 per unit while the tariff of thermal energy is in the range of Rs 4.5 to Rs 6. However, Shah has a completely different take on the factor about energy. He said that the energy part of this project is negligible. “Waste-to-energy is just a waste management tool,” he told Mongabay-India. “The Waste-to-Energy was brought in because ‘incineration’ got a very bad name in the Global North.” “A lot of the communities were protesting it because the plants were polluting a lot,” he told Mongabay-India. “The industry then came up with a new idea and named it waste-to-energy, adding an energy component to it. Energy is negligible and it can never be competitive unless it gets a huge subsidy.” Controversies over plants Bandhwari is not the only place where people are protesting against waste-to-energy plants. The proposals of installing such plants in Mumbai, Bengaluru and even Delhi for Okhla plants, have been met with protests. The residents and environmental activists are concerned about the impact of waste-to-energy plants on their health. A resident of Sukhdev Vihar in Delhi said that this fear is not without any reason. “We are concerned about our health,” he claims. “Earlier, the National Green Tribunal fined the Okhla waste-to-energy plant for violating pollution norms. The plant is set up at a 40-metre distance from Sukhdev Vihar, violating all the norms.” Similar fear prevails among citizens in other cities as well. Responding to a question relating to the health concerns of citizens, Shah claims that there is ample evidence globally that talks about the health impact of waste-to-energy plants. “A report from Zero Waste Europe funded by the European Commission has a compilation of case studies of incineration and its impact on human health,” Shah told Mongabay-India. “Where waste-to-energy plants are running in western Europe and the United States, investments are way high. We spend a fraction of that.” “I have compared the Okhla incinerator, which costs Rs 200 crore, at least 10 times less than any incinerator running in West Europe,” he added. “That itself is a big concern because most of the plants are under pollution control. They are inherently polluting.” “So, they invest the most amount of money in the pollution control component,” he said. “Here they cut the cost, so pollution control is substandard. In urban areas, burning waste is one major reason for air pollution. Now, you are legitimising it by burning substandard waste in an incinerator.” “Europe has some of the most advanced burning facilities, still, the sub-continent has taken the first step to phase out incinerators and pushing for a circular economy,” he said.

'Can't abandon single-use plastics until we get affordable alternatives', say Tiruchy vendors

Though the ban has come for appreciation from many, people are of the opinion that it will be successful only when production of banned plastics is completely stopped. TIRUCHY: The countrywide ban on single-use plastic has come into effect from July 1. However, a majority of street vendors, who have their business dependent on plastics, do not seem ready for the change. R Kannan, who runs a fast-food shop on Shastri Road, said, "I buy 50 pieces of thermocol bowls, which is banned, for `40. But, 50 pieces of eco-friendly areca plates cost Rs 100. If I switch to these plates, I will have to increase the price of foodstuff. That would mean losing customers. This can be effected only when there is enough awareness among customers." A flower seller in the same locality said he buys 80 pieces of plastic carry bags at Rs 25, but 70 pieces of cloth bag would cost him Rs 120. Without a cost-efficient alternative, he does not stand a chance of abandoning plastics. A juice shop owner on Bharathidasan Salai told The New Indian Express, "While ordering parcels, people should bring their own utensils. But, there isn't much awareness, and they invariably ask them for plastic containers. In such cases, we would not want to lose whatever little business we get, and are forced to use plastics." Though the ban has come for appreciation from many, people are of the opinion that it will be successful only when production of banned plastics is completely stopped. "We usually pack snacks in plastic covers. Now, we are being told to use aluminum foil, which will cost us 30 per cent more. This is unmanageable," a proprietor of a cottage industry in Chennai, said. Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh of the Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi, said, "It is impossible to expect a dramatic change unless affordable, eco-friendly alternatives for plastics are made available. A complete halt of producing plastics can happen only at that point." Environment Minister Siva V Meyyanathan said, "The initiative for bio-degradable cover production is being taken up in the State. Once production increases, the prices will come down. Production of plastic covers will completely stop soon." Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary (Climate Change and Forests), said that the State has been promoting the use of alternatives such as 'Manja Pai,' banana leaves and areca leaves. "Nothing happens in a day. Once it gets going full steam, people will get used to it. Initiatives like vending machines have received very good response from the public, and these will be started across the States in the coming days," she said. Corporation commissioner R Vaithinathan said, "We are encouraging the production of alternatives like cloth bags, areca plates and wooden sticks, through women schemes, under which they will receive training through National Urban Livelihood Mission. The price of the alternatives will eventually come down when production and consumption increase. The women we train will be linked to NGOs to collaborate and sell their products. This will promote entrepreneurs."

Monsoon season was 0.58 degree C warmer this decade than long-term average

Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director (research and advocacy), called this a very disturbing trend as policy preparedness to mitigate rising heat due to climate change is nearly absent in India The June to September monsoon season has been 0.3-0.4 degrees Celsius hotter than pre-monsoon seasons in the decade from 2012 to 2022, according to a new Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) analysis based on India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s long-term data. Anumita Roychowdhury, CSE’s executive director (research and advocacy), called this 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 water bodies will worsen public health risks,” she said in a statement. “This requires an urgent time-bound mitigation.” The decadal average temperature for the pre-monsoon or summer period was 0.49 degrees Celsius hotter than long-term normal (1951-80 baseline). This is a significant increase but not as much as that for the other three seasons. The post-monsoon period from October to December has been hotter by 0.73 degrees Celsius than the long-term normal. The winter season from January to February, as per IMD classification, has been warmer by 0.68 degrees Celsius, and the monsoon by 0.58 degrees Celsius. HT on March 22 reported that there has been a sharp upward trend in average temperatures across seasons in the country since 1991 compared to the average surface air temperature baseline recorded between 1981 and 2010. The trend is more evenly pronounced during the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The seasonal average air temperature for this summer from March to May was 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends between 1971 and 2000. This was warmer than the 1.20 degrees Celsius anomaly noted in 2016 summer. But it is lower than the 1.45 degree anomaly recorded in 2010 summer. Land surface temperature anomaly has been extreme this summer with a 1.46-degree Celsius increase compared to the baseline (1971-2000). Institute of Climate Change Studies director DS Pai said the temperature anomalies are increasing mainly because of less clouding on a higher number of days. “So, if rainy days are reducing, cloudless or less cloudy days will increase. If we analyse the overall increase in maximum and minimum temperatures during these two seasons [monsoon and post-monsoon] we can also find out if there is an incursion of warm air from other regions.” Pai said the rise in average temperatures is mainly linked to global warming. “We cannot link less cloudy days in monsoon and post-monsoon seasons to global warming directly but there may be indirect effects of climate change on cloud and rain patterns.” The CSE said that the average daily maximum temperature this year for March and April in northwest India was almost 4 degrees Celsius above the normal compared to its baseline of 1981-2010. “This is almost twice as much as the increase observed at all India levels and it holds true for even average daily minimum, daily mean, and land surface temperatures. Temperatures became relatively closer to normal during the month of May.” CSE cited National Crime Records Bureau data and said 2,137 people reportedly died due to heat strokes in northwest India between 2015 and 2020. “...the southern peninsula region... reported 2,444 deaths due to excessive environmental heat with Andhra Pradesh alone accounting for over half of the reported casualties.” It added Delhi reported only one death for the same period. “Most deaths have been reported among working-age men (30-60), usually not considered highly vulnerable to temperature anomalies. The understanding of the public health impacts of meteorological conditions like the heat waves is still weak in India.” The seasonal average temperatures of Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad were 1-2-degree Celsius higher than the all-India average due to the urban heat island phenomenon. “Due to excessive hard and dark surfaces, cities tend to absorb the heat coming from the sun during the day; a city also generates a lot of waste heat due to human activities which adds to the natural heat. This extra heat should dissipate after sunset, but due to pollution and continuing generation of waste heat the city fails to cool down, leading to warmer condition compared to rural areas,” said the CSE analysis. It added that temperature and humidity data suggested massive variations in temperature within the cities. In terms of absolute air temperature, Hyderabad, with a 7.1-degree Celsius variation (difference between hottest and coolest part of the city), had the most pronounced heat islands. Kolkata, with just 1.3 degree Celsius, had the least pronounced ones. Delhi had a 6.2-degree Celsius variation and Mumbai 5.5. Some urban or metropolitan areas were significantly warmer than their surrounding rural areas or areas with more green cover. The phenomenon is referred as Urban Heat Island effect. Avikal Somvanshi, a senior programme manager with CSE’s Urban Lab, said understanding the overall temperature anomaly, extreme heat conditions, and the mixed trends in heat patterns across India has become necessary to assess the emergent risk. “Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem.” CSE sourced the intracity temperature variation data from the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations and surface air from NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

2022 pre-monsoon summer heat overtake 2016 as 2nd hottest pre-monsoon season on record: CSE

While extreme heat waves in the states of the northwest draw maximum public attention, the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country have been largely neglected, indicated a new country-wide analysis by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Thursday. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 summer was 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends. Moreover, the heat waves lashing India this summer are symptomatic of the anomalous temperature trends that is expected to worsen with growing climate change impacts, it said. Year 2022 summer was 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), the latest CSE analysis said. Talking about the increase in overall anomalous temperature in other regions of the country that 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,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, CSE. “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,” she said. Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, Urban Lab, CSE, said: “Currently, the attention is largely on the maximum daily heat levels and extreme conditions of heat waves. But it is equally important to pay attention to the overall rising temperature and humidity trends in different regions to understand the gravity of the problem.” The Urban Lab of CSE has analysed 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. The seasonal average air temperature for 2022 — pre-monsoon or summer (March, April and May as per IMD classification) — is 1.24 degrees Celsius warmer than the baseline trends that relate to 1971-2000 climatology. Baselines are defined based on historical timelines and may vary for different metrics; the anomaly is generally computed from the 1951-80, 1971-2000, or 1981-2010 climatology baseline. This is warmer than the 1.20 degrees Celsius anomaly noted in 2016 pre-monsoon, but lower than the 1.45 degrees Celsius anomaly recorded in the 2010 pre-monsoon season. Similarly, land surface temperature anomaly has been extreme this pre-monsoon season, with a 1.46 degrees Celsius departure from the baseline (1971-2000). It must be noted that pre-monsoon seasonal trends in both land and air temperature are identical to the annual trends, but with more pronounced highs and lows. Monsoon is hotter than the pre-monsoon period on an average, while winter and post-monsoon seasons are warming up faster. High heat stress and heat waves in the northwestern states, but Other regions even hotter in absolute terms.

Environment Ministry proposes more fines, less imprisonment for violations

Fines proposed in lieu of imprisonment are 5-500 times greater than those currently levied The Environment Ministry proposes to soften the provisions of the Environment Protection Act (EPA) by replacing a clause that provides for imprisoning violators with one that only requires them to pay a fine. This, however, doesn’t apply to violations that cause grave injury or loss of life. The proposed fines, in lieu of imprisonment, are also 5-500 times greater than those currently levied. The Act currently says that violators will be punishable with imprisonment up to five years or with a fine up to ₹1 lakh, or with both. Were violations to continue, an additional fine of up to ₹5,000 for every day during which such failure or contravention continues after the conviction would be levied. There’s also a provision for jail terms to extend to seven years. The Environment Ministry in a note this week, laying out the rationale governing the amendments, said that it had received “suggestions” to decriminalise existing provisions of the EPA to weed out “fear of imprisonment for simple violations”. The two major changes proposed are appointing an “adjudication officer” who would decide on a penalty in cases of environmental violations such as reports not being submitted or information not provided when demanded. “However, in case of serious violations which lead to grievous injury or loss of life, they shall be covered under the provision of Indian Penal Code, 1860 read with Section 24 of EP Act,” the document notes. Funds collected as penalties would be accrued in an “Environmental Protection Fund”. In case of contraventions of the Act, the penalties could extend to anywhere from ₹5 lakh to ₹5 crore, the proposal notes. The Ministry has sought comments from the public on its proposals until July 21. The removal of prison terms also applies to the Air Act, that is the cornerstone legislation for dealing with air pollution, and the Water Act, which deals with violations to water bodies. An analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment found that Indian courts took between 9-33 years to clear a backlog of cases for environmental violations. Beginning 2018, close to 45,000 cases were pending trial and another 35,000 cases were added in that year. More than 90% cases were pending trial in five of the seven environment laws. Environmentalist Vikrant Tongad said that the existing clause of imprisonment was to deter violators and not to imprison. The proposed penalties were too meagre and the proposed amendments opened up avenues for “large scale corruption” as the proposed ‘adjudication officers’ would be “arbitrary” in their decision making.

'Café Classroom': a pursuit to relearn relationship across humans and nature

The idea of coexistence and interdependency between atmosphere and humans more often than not falls into the trap of assumption – a deficit of understanding the human-led asymmetrical balance between the two. Over the years, the capitalistic way of life has sharply stifled the atmosphere, turning the natural process of breathing into a forceful exercise. As the terms pollution, toxicity, and suffocation received mainstream attention, especially in the year 2016, the urgency to curb the further deterioration of the atmosphere was all-time heightened. The series Café Classroom, part of the Does the Blue Sky Lie? Testimonies of Air’s Toxicities project by Khoj studios, emerges from the exigency to “relearn” our relationship with the natural world. Curated by Pradip Saha, Director of Damage Control, a communications agency in the sustainable development context, the Café Classroom acutely emphasised the collective effort of citizens, creative minds, environmentalists, economists and policymakers, to restore the equilibrium of the ecosystem. In an interview with STIR, Saha explains, “The Café Classroom was not conceived to address ‘rising air pollution’, but to use air pollution as an entry point for a larger discussion about ecological crisis. We used two threads. One was to enter through air pollution and move towards the larger crisis of climate change. The other was to connect ecological crisis (environment is a management term, it is anthropocentric and fails to address larger issues) to its reason which is political economy.” The Café Classroom began with in-person talk Decoding Dirty Air: Joining the Dots for the Big Solution by Anumita Roy Chowdhury, who is the Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, India. The lecture at the Canteen, Khoj, Khoj studios traced the spiral concern around air pollution since the year 1996. Against the political and social issues, the crisis of air pollution and entailing health issues are deemed of lesser importance. The detrimental air makes for a “compelling human story,” which continues to be the most conflicted and unresolved one. While giving the statistical data on the declining quality of the air in the national capital New Delhi, India, Chowdhury observed the road design structure favours the car owner resulting in the disproportional effect on the pedestrians. The unfavourable road structures fail to promote the interest among the public to take a walk across the short distance. The talk walked us through the variety of places in Delhi which have been transformed into people-friendly and accessible on foot. Largely, the mobility by a vehicle is perceived as a sign of privilege. To deflate such preconceived notions of entitlement, Chowdhury gave an example of a Dutch minister who visited the queen on a bicycle. The image introduced the idea of owning the environment rather than being a purchaser of an automobile. When the atmosphere is a universal equaliser, we need to reciprocate it in a similar fashion. The next in-person talk Assessment of Vulnerability/Risk to Climate Change by Sandhya Rao focussed on the interconnection between climate change and vulnerability. While looking at the data produced by the IPCC report, Rao underlined how humans are forcing a substantial increase in the temperature globally. Be it Texas cold snap in February 2021, Canada heat wave in July 2021, floods in Germany in July 2021, Greece wildfire in August 2021, a Day Zero declared in Chennai, summer of 2019, Delhi urban flood in July 2021 and ongoing heat wave in the Indian Subcontinent are the cumulative results of the urbanisation and destruction of natural habitats. The vulnerability determined by climate change highlights the inequality among humans. The talk had Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand as the case studies to indicate how the factors such as economic, social, cultural, institutional, and politics play a significant role to define the living conditions of the people. Rao highlighted an informed decision-making process is pertinent to make an appropriate adaptation.

Emission norms for industrial boilers to be tightened

In Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), industries contribute to 30% of PM 2.5 emissions in winter and 22% in summer The government has issued a draft notification for tightening the particulate matter (PM) norms for industrial boilers and provided new standards for their different sizes. The Union environment ministry issued the draft on Monday and has given the public 60 days to submit objections or suggestions. The standard for boilers of steam generation capacity of two tonnes per hour has been reduced from 1200 mg/Nm3 to 500 mg/Nm3 and those with a capacity of two tonnes per hour to less than 10 tonnes per hour from 800 mg/Nm3 to 150 mg/Nm3. Boilers with 10 tonnes per hour and more capacity will have to meet a standard of 50 mg/NM3, compared to 150 to 600 mg/Nm3 earlier. In Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), industries contribute to 30% of PM 2.5 emissions in winter and 22% in summer, according to a 2018 The Energy and Resources Institute and Automotive Research Association of India study. A Central Pollution Control Board official said the technology of boilers and emission control systems have improved now and that is why the standards for industries have to rationalised. “We will tighten standards for other sectors as well. PM emissions are a major problem in India. Industries will have to install some emission control systems to meet the new standards.” Centre for Science and Environment executive director Anumita Roy Chowdhury welcomed the tightening of the norms as an important development. “We have been asking for this tightening of standards for boilers to address pollution from small and medium scale units that dominate. For instance, in the NCR region, nearly 70% of the boilers are tiny -- less than two tonnes. These are extremely polluting.” Chowdhury said only tighter norms can push towards the adoption of emission control systems for boilers. “The bigger solution will come from the adoption of bigger common boilers equipped with emission control system and on clean fuels that are managed centrally and are shared by multiple industrial units.”.

Explainer : अगर प्लास्टिक के टिफिन या प्लेट्स में गर्म खाना खा रहे हैं तो क्यों संभलें

01 जुलाई से देशभर में प्लास्टिक बैग से संबंधित 19 आइटम्स पर बैन लगा दिया गया है. देश में पिछले कुछ सालों से प्लास्टिक से जुड़े सामानों पर प्रतिबंध लगाने की कवायद तो चल रही है लेकिन ये सही तरीके से लागू नहीं हो पा रहा है. इनका इस्तेमाल ना केवल पर्यावरण बल्कि सेहत के लिए भी नुकसानदेह है. हालांकि ये रोक सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक पर लगाई गई, जिसमें बहुत पतली पन्नी वाले प्लास्टिक बैग इस्तेमाल होते हैं लेकिन प्लास्टिक के डिब्बे या प्लेट्स में आप अगर खाना खा रहे हैं तो ये भी सेहत को बिगाड़ सकता है. प्लास्टिक हमारी ज़िंदगी में हर कहीं मौजूद है. सुबह उठकर प्लास्टिक की पन्नी में दूध लाने से शुरू कर दिन में प्लास्टिक के टिफ़िन में खाना ले जाने से लेकर शाम को प्लास्टिक की कटोरी और चम्मच में जंक फ़ूड खाने तक हर कहीं प्लास्टिक मौजूद है. बहुत सारी रिसर्च बताती हैं कि जब हम खाना प्लास्टिक के कंटेनर में रखते है तो उसमें से कुछ मात्रा में केमिकल्स हमारे खाने या पानी में मिल जाते है. ये केमिकल दिखते तो नहीं लेकिन धीमे धीमे हमारे शरीर को बहुत नुकसान पहुंचते हैं. खाने या पानी में केमिकल्स का मिलना इस बात से तय होता है कि प्लास्टिक के डब्बे में जो खाना रखा जा रहा है वह कितना गरम है. हम जब ज़्यादा गरम खाना प्लास्टिक के बर्तनों में रखते है तो खाने में ज्यादा केमिकल्स मिल जाते हैं. क्या होते हैं ये केमिकल्स ये बहुत सारे अलग अलग केमिकल का मिश्रण होता है लेकिन सबसे खतरनाक केमिकल जो हमारे खाने में प्लास्टिक से मिल जाता है वह है ‘एंडोक्रिन डिस्ट्रक्टिंग’ नाम का ज़हर. ये केमिकल हार्मोंस असंतुलन पैदा करते हैं जिससे कि हार्मोंस सही से काम करने की क्षमता खो देते हैं. लंबे समय तक प्लास्टिक के बर्तनों में खाना कैंसर का कारण बन सकता है जिससे मौत भी हो सकती है. आपको यह जानकार आश्चर्य होगा कि यह केमिकल प्लास्टिक में पहले से मौजूद नहीं होते बल्कि प्लास्टिक में गरम खाना जाने के बाद बनने शुरू होते हैं. अनुसार पानी में न घुल पाने और बायोकेमिकली ऐक्टिव न होने की वजह से प्योर प्लास्टिक बेहद कम जहरीला होता है. लेकिन जब इसमें दूसरी तरह के प्लास्टिक और कलर आदि मिला दिए जाते हैं तो यह नुकसानदेह साबित हो सकते हैं. ये केमिकल खिलौने या दूसरे प्रॉड्क्ट्स में से गर्मी के कारण पिघलकर बाहर आ सकते हैं. कहा भी जाता है कि माइक्रोवेव प्लास्टिक कैंसर पैदा करने वाले केमिकल्स डाइऑक्सिन को खाने में मिला देता है लेकिन जब तक आप अपना भोजन माइक्रोवेव में नहीं गर्म करते तब तक ये केमिकल आपके खाने में नहीं आएगा. इसलिए माइक्रोवेव प्लास्टिक में खाना ज़्यादा देर तक गरम न करें. या ठंडा होने के बाद खाने को प्लास्टिक के टिफ़िन में पैक करें. कैसे पहचानें प्लास्टिक अच्छा है या नहीं यूं तो हम सभी लोग पानी के लिए बॉटल या खाना रखने के लिए प्लास्टिक लंचबॉक्स यूज करते हैं लेकिन कभी हमने उन्हें पलटकर देखा है कि उनके पीछे ISI लिखा है या फिर एक सिंबल बना है. अच्छी क्वॉलिटी के प्रॉडक्ट पर इन दोनों या फिर सिंबल का होना जरूरी है. यह मार्क ब्यूरो ऑफ इंडियन स्टैंडर्ड (BIS) जारी करता है और इससे पता लगता है कि प्रॉडक्ट की क्वॉलिटी अच्छी है. खाना पैक करने के लिए कौन सा प्लास्टिक सेफ पॉलीप्रोपायलीन (PP) से बना प्लास्टिक जिससे बोतल कैप, ड्रिंकिंग स्ट्रॉ, योगर्ट कंटेनर, प्लास्टिक प्रेशर पाइप सिस्टम आदि बनते हैं. केमिकल रेजिस्टेंस इसकी खूबी है. एसिड इसके साथ रिएक्ट नहीं करते, इसलिए इसको क्लीनिंग एजेंट्स, फर्स्ट ऐड प्रॉडक्ट्स आदि की पैकेजिंग के लिए भी यूज किया जाता है. पॉलिस्टरीन (PS) से बना प्लास्टिक जिससे बने प्रॉडक्ट्स पर 6 नंबर दर्ज रहता है. फोम पैकेजिंग, फूड कंटेनर्स, प्लास्टिक टेबलवेयर, डिस्पोजेबल कप-प्लेट्स, कटलरी, सीडी, कैसेट बॉक्सेज आदि में इसे इस्तेमाल किया जाता है. यह फूड पैकेजिंग के लिए सेफ है लेकिन इसको री-साइकल करना मुश्किल है और गर्म करने के दौरान इसमें से कुछ गैसें निकलती हैं. ऐसे में इसके ज्यादा इस्तेमाल से बचें. प्लास्टिक फूड कंटेनर्स के बड़े नुकसान देश और दुनिया के प्रमुख रिसर्च इंस्टिट्यूट्स में हुई स्टडी के मुताबिक, इस तरह के केमिकल्स से ब्रेस्ट कैंसर का खतरा रहता है. यही नहीं, पुरुषों में स्पर्म काउंट घटने का भी रिस्क होता है. प्रेग्नेंट महिलाओं और बच्चों के लिए ये ज्यादा नुकसानदेह होते हैं. किन चीजों पर दें ध्यान पानी की बोतल को गर्म होने से बचाएं- हम प्लास्टिक बोतल को तेज धूप में खड़ी कार में रखकर छोड़ देते हैं. गर्म होकर इन प्लास्टिक बोतलों से केमिकल निकलकर पानी के लिए रिएक्ट कर सकता है. ऐसे पानी या सॉफ्ट ड्रिंक्स आदि को न पिएं. पानी की टंकियों में तेज धूप में होने वाली रिएक्शन को लेकर भी खतरा जताया जा रहा है. इसे लेकर स्टडी की जा रही हैं लेकिन अभी पक्के तौर पर कुछ नहीं कहा जा सकता. सावधानी के तौर पर टंकी के ऊपर शेड बनवा सकते हैं. पॉलिथिन में चाय न लें. बच्चे को फीड करने के लिए प्लास्टिक बॉटल का इस्तेमाल न करें. प्लास्टिक बॉटल को माइक्रोवेव या गैस पर पानी में बिल्कुल न उबालें. बॉटल को गर्म पानी से साफ करना काफी नहीं है. इसके अलावा क्लोरीन सलूशन से साफ कर सकते हैं. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की एक स्टडी में कहा गया है कि बच्चों के दांत निकलते वक्त उसे जो खिलौने दिए जाते हैं उनमें बेहद खतरनाक केमिकल्स पाए गए हैं. प्लास्टिक की वजह से होता है कैंसर प्लास्टिक की बोतलों में पानी को जमाने या लंबे समय तक प्लास्टिक की बोतल में पानी पीने से भी कैंसर होने का खतरा बढ़ जाता है. इतना ही नहीं, एक ही प्लास्टिक बोतल का बार-बार इस्तेमाल करना भी कैंसर के लिए जिम्मेदार है. प्लास्टिक की बोतल को लंबे समय तक धूप में या गर्मी में रखना भी सही नहीं है. खाने को प्लास्टिक से रैप करने वाले पदार्थों में से प्लास्टरवाइजर्स खाने में आ सकता है जो कि कैंसर का कारण बन सकता है. बच्चों की बोतलों में बीपीए का इस्तेमाल किया जाने से भी कैंसर होने की आशंका बढ़ जाती है.

कलर कोडिंग या स्टार रेटिंग- FSSAI के फूड लेबलिंग प्लान से छिड़ सकती है एक नई आहार जंग

भारत में पैक के सामने की ओर लेबलिंग का आधार 2010 में रखा गया था, जब एक PIL के जवाब में दिल्ली हाईकोर्ट ने FSSAI से जंक फूड को सख़्ती से विनियमित करने के लिए कहा था. शफाली मित्तल के यहां ‘घर में कोई जंक फूड नहीं’ का सख़्त नियम रहा है. उन्हें पता होना चाहिए- उन्होंने आहार और पोषण की पढ़ाई की है. लेकिन खाने के लिए तैयार पैक स्नैक्स, जिनके हेल्थ लेबल्स बहुत ख़राब होते हैं, उनकी इस पकड़ को कमज़ोर कर रहे हैं कि 17 और 23 साल की उम्र के उनके दो बेटे क्या खाते हैं. पिछले आठ साल से भारत में इस पर बहस चल रही है, कि उत्पाद को ज़्यादा उपभोक्ता हितैषी बनाने के दौरान, पीछे के तकनीकी डिसप्ले के अलावा, सामने की ओर किस तरह लेबल्स लाए जाएं- सीधी स्टार रेटिंग्स हों या रंग कोडित चेतावनियां हों. इस फैसले में, जो जल्द आ सकता है, मित्तल जैसे बहुत से पैरेंट्स से बात की जा सकती है. फिलहाल, खाद्य पैकेज पर लिखी किसी भी चीज़ से उन्हें ये पता नहीं चलता कि इसमें कितना कुछ सेहत के लिए नुक़सानदेह है. ऑस्ट्रेलिया, न्यूज़ीलैण्ड, चिली, इज़राइल, पेरू, ब्राज़ील, और मेक्सिको तथा कई अन्य देशों में पैक के सामने की ओर बहुत तरह के लेबल होते हैं, जो 10 सेकण्ड्स से भी कम समय में संकेत दे देते हैं कि खाद्य उत्पाद स्वास्थ्य के लिए कितना हानिकारक है. क़रीब एक इंच के लेबल के पीछे विचार ये है कि उपभोक्ता को अधिक स्वस्थ खाद्य पदार्थों की ओर धकेला जाए. इन देशों में बहुत से अध्ययन हुए हैं जिनसे पता चलता है कि कौन से लेबल प्रभावी रहे हैं, कौन से नहीं रहे हैं. भारतीय खाद्य सुरक्षा और मानक प्राधिकरण (एफएसएसएआई) इस पर विचार कर रही है कि देश के लिए कौन सा लेबल अपनाया जाए. उसमें फूड पैकेट्स पर अतिरिक्त हानिकार पोषकों पर- ख़ासकर फैट, नमक और शुगर- प्रमुखता से जानकारी होनी चाहिए, जिससे सुनिश्चित हो जाए कि उपभोक्ता पूरी जानकारी के साथ इसका चयन करें कि वो क्या खाना चाहते हैं. सब कुछ डिज़ाइन पर निर्भर करता है. एफएसएसएआई बैठकों में दो प्रमुख संकेतों के बीच खींचतान रहती है- चिली द्वारा इस्तेमाल चेतावनी चिन्ह, और ऑस्ट्रेलिया द्वारा इस्तेमाल हेल्थ स्टार रेटिंग. लेकिन दिप्रिंट ने सिलसिलेवार दस्तावेज़ देखे हैं जिनसे पता चलता है, कि एफएसएसएआई के भीतर पैक के सामने की ओर लेबलिंग का निर्णय, कथित तौर पर काफी हद तक खाद्य दिग्गज़ों के पक्ष में झुका है. उसमें एक मज़बूत रंग संकेत और विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के दक्षिण-पूर्व एशिया क्षेत्रीय ऑफिस (डब्लूएचओएसईएआरओ) द्वारा निर्धारित पोषक तत्व सीमा के पालन जैसे पिछले प्रस्तावों को ख़ारिज कर दिया गया. उसकी बजाय, एफएसएसएआई अब एक हेल्थ स्टार रेटिंग के साथ आगे बढ़ रही है, जिसका उन देशों में अस्वस्थ भोजन का उपभोग घटाने में कोई असर नहीं रहा है जहां उसे लागू किया गया था. सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य और उपभोक्ता समूहों के सख़्ती के साथ स्टार रेटिंग से असहमत होने के बावजूद, एफएसएसएआई नए नियमों का मसौदा तैयार कर रही है, जिसे जल्द ही सार्वजनिक कर दिया जाएगा. परामर्श बैठकों में हिस्सा लेने वाले कम से कम तीन हितधारकों ने कहा कि एफएसएसएआई खाद्य पदार्थों की रेटिंग के लिए एल्गोरिदम तैयार करने की प्रक्रिया में है, जिसके आधार पर उन्हें स्टार दिए जाएंगे. हर कोई संतुष्ट नहीं है. सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य विशेषज्ञों का प्रतिनिधित्व करने वाले एक समूह न्यूट्रिशन एडवोकेसी इन पब्लिक इंटरेस्ट के संयोजक अरुण गुप्ता कहते हैं, ‘हेल्थ स्टार रेटिंग अस्वास्थ्यकर उत्पादों के इर्द-गिर्द एक स्वास्थ्य हेलो बना देती है. ये उत्पादों की अस्वास्थ्यकर नेचर को बिल्कुल कम कर देती है. एक उपभोक्ता के नाते मुझे लगता है कि अगर इसमें एक स्टार भी है, तो ये भले ही कम स्वस्थ है लेकिन स्वस्थ है. इसमें बुनियादी रूप से यही कमी है’. सही लेबल खाद्य उत्पादकों, औद्योगिक प्रतिनिधियों, पोषण वैज्ञानिकों, डॉक्टरों और उपभोक्ता समूहों के साथ बेशुमार बैठकें करने, और स्टडीज़ पर करोड़ों रुपए ख़र्च करने के बाद एफएसएसएआई ये तय कर पाई कि खाद्य पैकेट्स पर कौन से डिज़ाइन से उपभोक्ताओं को उनमें मौजूद अधिक नमक, चीनी, और वसा के बारे में सबसे अच्छी तरह पता चलेगा. बड़ों तथा बच्चों में ग़ैर- संचारी रोगों में चिंताजनक बढ़ोत्तरी की वजह से ही नीति में ये बदलाव किया गया है. वैज्ञानिक सबूत चीनी, नमक, और वसा से भरपूर खाद्य और पेय पदार्थों के उपभोग को, सीधे तौर पर मोटापे, उच्च रक्तचाप, ह्रदय रोग, स्ट्रोक, अवसाद, यहां तक कि कैंसर जैसी बीमारियों से जोड़ते हैं. चिली में हुई स्टडीज़ में भी- जहां एक काला षट्कोणीय चिन्ह इस्तेमाल किया जाता है जिससे अधिक नमक, चीनी या वसा का पता चलता है- ज़ाहिर होता है कि मीठे पेय पदार्थों का उपभोग गिरकर 24 प्रतिशत रह गया था. दूसरी ओर ऑस्ट्रेलिया में खाद्य पदार्थों को स्टार दिए जाते हैं. खाद्य पैकेट्स में जितना ज़्यादा नमक, चीनी, या वसा होगी, उसे उतने ही कम स्टार मिलेंगे, और ये चीज़ें जितनी कम होंगी स्टार उतने अधिक होंगे. अगर खाद्य पदार्थों में नट्स या फलों जैसी पॉज़िटिव सामग्री मिला दी जाती है, तो उनकी स्टार रेटिंग सुधर जाएगी. साक्ष्यों से पता चलता है कि ऐसी स्टार रेटिंग्स का उपभोग व्यवहार को बदलने में कोई ख़ास प्रभाव नहीं रहा है. वैश्विक सबूत के बावजूद 15 फरवरी 2022 को एफएसएसएआई ने, भारतीय प्रबंधन संस्थान अहमदाबाद के एक अध्ययन की सिफारिशों के आधार पर, जिसे उसने कमीशन किया था, भारत के लिए स्टार रेटिंग को चुन लिया. पांच प्रतीकों के लिए शोधकर्ताओं ने 20,000 से अधिक प्रतिभागियों के एक सैम्पल सर्वे से इनपुट्स लिए, और उनमें से दो के बीच कड़ा मुक़ाबला था- चेतावनी लेबल्स और हेल्थ स्टार रेटिंग. पहचान की आसानी और लेबल की समझ के चलते स्टार रेटिंग जीत गई, लेकिन जब किसी अतिरिक्त पोषक की पहचान में आसानी की बात आती है, तो चेतावनी लेबल्स को बेहतर रैंक और अंक मिलते हैं. खाद्य उद्योग प्रतिनिधि स्टार प्रतीकों को लागू करने पर राज़ी हो गए हैं, लेकिन उपभोक्ता समूहों को कहीं कुछ दाल में काला लगता है. किसी उत्पाद में अस्वास्थ्यकर सामग्री को कम करने के अलावा, स्टार रेटिंग पोषक तत्व-विशिष्ट नहीं होती. एक थिंक-टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट में प्रोग्राम डायरेक्टर सस्टेनेबल फूड सिस्टम्स, अमित खुराना समझाते हैं कि इसमें ये पता नहीं चलता कि क्या किसी उत्पाद में कम स्टार ज़्यादा नमक, चीनी, या वसा की वजह से हैं. गुप्ता कहते हैं कि पैक्स पर ये पॉज़िटिव संकेत, सकारात्मक पोषक तत्वों के साथ मिलकर एकदम सही नुस्ख़ा बन जाता है, जिसका खाद्य निर्माता आसानी के साथ भरपूर फायदा उठाएंगे. गुप्ता कहते हैं, ‘अगर आप किसी एयरेटेड ड्रिंक के साथ फलों का रस मिला दें, या चीनी हटाकर उसमें कोई स्वीटनर डाल दें, तो उत्पाद को बेहतर स्टार मिल जाएगा. इसमें फिर भी चीनी की काफी मात्रा होगी. लेकिन ये उद्योग को ठीक लगता है क्योंकि इस तरह से वो उपभोक्ता को भ्रमित रख सकते हैं’. चॉकलेट्स में नट्स, अनाज में फल, आटे में मल्टीग्रेन, और ऐसे बहुत से फ़ॉर्मूलों का उद्योग में पहले ही इस्तेमाल हो रहा है. चुनाव का बचाव करते हुए, एफएसएसएआई के पूर्व कार्यकारी अधिकारी पवन कुमार अग्रवाल, जिन्होंने अपने कार्यकाल के दौरान पैक के सामने लेबलिंग पर हुई बैठकों की अध्यक्षता की थी, कहते हैं कि लेबल कैसा भी हो लेकिन एक शुरुआत होनी चाहिए. अग्रवाल कहते हैं, ‘परफेक्ट मॉडल कोई नहीं है. दुनिया का कोई देश ये दावा नहीं कर सकता कि उसने इसे जल्दी और सही रूप में हासिल कर लिया है. चिली और दूसरे देशों को भी आज की मौजूदा स्थिति में आने में बरसों लग गए थे. अगर पिछले 4-5 सालों में पता चला है कि कोई चीज़ भारत में काम कर जाएगी, तो मुझे लगता है कि उसे अपना लेना चाहिए. ये कोई पत्थर की लकीर नहीं है. इसमें पहले ही बहुत देर हो चुकी है’. इस बीच, एफएसएसएआई के साथ बैठकों में उद्योग इस पर राज़ी हो गया है, जब नए लेबलिंग नियम लागू होंगे तो वो उनका पालन करेगा. दिप्रिंट ने एफएसएसएआई बैठकों में उद्योग की नुमाइंदगी करने वाली दो इकाइयों, फेडरेशन ऑफ इंडियन चैंबर्स ऑफ कॉमर्स एंड इंडस्ट्री (फिक्की) और कन्फेडरेशन ऑफ इंडियन इंडस्ट्री (सीआईआई) से संपर्क साधने के कई प्रयास किए, लेकिन कोई प्रतिक्रिया नहीं मिल सकी. लंबा इतज़ार भारत में पैक पर सामने की ओर लेबलिंग की बुनियाद 2010 में रखी गई, जब स्कूलों में अस्वास्थ्यकर और प्रॉसेस्ड फूड पर पाबंदी की मांग करने वाली एक जनहित याचिका की सुनवाई करते हुए, दिल्ली हाईकोर्ट ने एफएसएसएआई को जंक फूड को विनियमित करने के लिए क़दम उठाने का निर्देश दिया. एफएसएसएआई ने लेबलिंग पर पहले 2014 और फिर 2018 में चर्चा की. विशेषज्ञ समूहों का इनपुट मिलने के बाद एफएसएसएआई ने एक मसौदा जारी किया, और नमक, चीनी तथा वसा के उपभोग के लिए डब्लूएचओ-एसईएआरओ द्वारा निर्धारित सीमा को भी अपना लिया. उसके बाद 2019 के अपने मसौदे में एफएसएसएआई ने डब्लूएचओ-एसईएआरओ की सीमाओं को त्याग दिया, और नई सीमाएं लेकर आई जिन्हें उपभोक्ता समूह अवैज्ञानिक बताते हैं. नमक, चीनी, और वसा की सीमा में इज़ाफा बहुत से अस्वास्थ्यकारी पैक स्नैक्स को तथाकथित ‘स्वस्थ’ श्रेणी में घुसा देगा, जहां उन्हें पैक के सामने की ओर लेबल लगाने की ज़रूरत नहीं होगी. सीमाओं पर अपने रुख़ का बचाव करते हुए एफएसएसएआई ने कहा, ‘पहले, सीमाएं डब्लूएचओ-एसईएआरओ मॉडल पर आधारित थीं, जो सांकेतिक हैं और जिन्हें वैसे भी किसी देश में लागू नहीं किया जाता. हितधारकों ने इन पर कई तरह की चिंताएं जताई थीं, और कोई आम सहमति नहीं बन पाई थी. इसलिए, वैज्ञानिक पैनल ने 2019 के मसौदा नियमों में प्रस्तावित श्रेणियों और सीमाओं की समीक्षा की, और मौजूदा प्रस्तावित सीमाओं में बहुत से देशों में लागू वैश्विक मॉडल्स, और डब्ल्यूएचओ-पॉपुलेशन न्यूट्रिएंट इंटेक गोल्स का ख़याल रखा गया है’. अग्रवाल, जिनके कार्यकाल में सीमाओं में संशोधन किया गया था, समझाते हैं कि डब्लूएचओ-एसईएआरओ सीमाओं में स्नैक्स की सामग्री में क़रीब 80 प्रतिशत कमी की गई है, जिससे वो भारत के लिए बहुत स्वादहीन हो जाते हैं. वो कहते हैं, ‘हम जो सीमा देते हैं अगर वो लोगों के उपभोग पैटर्न से बहुत अलग होगी, तो वो कभी लागू ही नहीं होंगी. नमक और चीनी में कमी लाने की प्रक्रिया क्रमिक होना चाहिए. ये एक दिन या एक साल में हीं हो सकती. हमने बहुत विस्तृत विश्लेषण करके इन सीमाओं में बदलाव किया है’. अग्रवाल के अनुसार 2017 में, एफएसएसएआई ने कंपनियों से संकल्प लिया, कि वो अपने खाद्य पदार्थों में नमक, चीनी, और वसा की मात्रा कम करेंगी. क़रीब 20 कंपनियां आगे आईं, लेकिन उनकी पहल को सीमित सफलता ही मिली. वो कहते हैं, ‘खाद्य व्यवसाय में लगीं इकाइयां इसमें मुनाफे के लिए हैं. जब वो बाज़ार में हिस्सेदारी के लिए एक दूसरे से मुक़ाबला करती हैं, तो ऐसे में ये मान लेना ग़लत है कि वो अलग तरह से बर्ताव करेंगी, और बाज़ार में हिस्सेदारी और मुनाफे की क़ीमत पर पोषण पर ध्यान देंगी’. फरवरी 2022 में हितधारकों की बैठक में एफएसएसएआई ने ऐलान किया कि चार साल के लिए लेबलिंग स्वैच्छिक होगी, और फिर इसे अनिवार्य कर दिया जाएगा. एफएसएसएआई का कहना है कि ये एक वैश्विक मानदंड है, और कंपनियों को पैक के सामने की ‘अग्रणी’ लेबलिंग को स्वीकार करने में समय लगेगा. खाद्य निर्माताओं समेत आठ करोड़ से अधिक व्यवसाइयों का प्रतिनिधित्व करने वाले समूह, कन्फेडरेशन ऑफ ऑल इंडिया ट्रेडर्स के संस्थापक और महासचिव प्रवीण खंडेलवाल के अनुसार, छोटे खाद्य निर्माता और व्यवसाइयों से, जिनकी भारतीय बाज़ार में 75 प्रतिशत तक हिस्सेदारी है, कभी परामर्श नहीं किया गया. ‘एफएसएसएआई फिक्की, सीआईआई जैसे बड़े उद्योग प्रतिनिधियों और कुछ मुठ्ठीभर खाद्य दिग्गजों को बुलाती है, जो केवल 15 प्रतिशत कारोबार की नुमाइंदगी करते हैं. हालांकि छोटे खिलाड़ी नए क़ानूनों का पालन करेंगे, लेकिन हितधारकों की बैठकों में उनकी चिंताओं को सुने जाने की ज़रूरत है. इन आरोपों पर कि खाद्य उद्योग उसके फैसलों को प्रभावित कर रहा है, एफएसएसएआई का कहना है कि उपभोक्ता समूह और उद्योग संघ दोनों परामर्श का एक अभिन्न अंग रहे हैं, और अंतिम अधिसूचना जारी किए जाने से पहले उनकी टिप्पणियों पर विचार किया जाएगा. इस बीच, हानिकारक खाद्य पदार्थों के ज़्यादा कड़े नियमन के लिए उठने वाली आवाज़ें तेज़ होती जा रही हैं. भारत में, चार में से एक वयस्क और 20 में से एक बच्चा या तो अधिक वज़न का है या मोटा है. विश्व मोटापा फेडरेशन के अनुसार, ये संख्या विश्व अनुपात से ज़्यादा तेज़ी से बढ़ रही है, और अगर कोई हस्तक्षेप नहीं किया गया, तो 2040 तक ये संख्या तीन गुना बढ़ जाएगी. बदलती जीवन शैली का असर मित्तल का बड़ा बेटा माधव सिंगापुर से वापस घर लौटा है, और उनके दिन उसे चर्म विशेषज्ञों के यहां ले जाने में बीत रहे हैं. वो कहती हैं, ‘उनकी त्वचा की चमक चली गई है और उसके बाल झड़ रहे हैं. डॉक्टर मुझसे कहते हैं कि ऐसा पोषण की कमी से हो रहा है’. मित्तल कहती हैं कि सिंगापुर में माधव की ख़ुराक का एक बड़ा हिस्सा भारतीय भोजन के खाने के लिए तैयार फूड पैकेट्स हैं, और वो अब ज़ाहिरी तौर पर अपना असर दिखा रहे हैं. वो कहती हैं, ‘भविष्य पैक किए हुए भोजन का है. काम की व्यस्तता, सामाजिक जीवन और 10-मिनट डिलीवरी एप्स के साथ कुछ भी ख़रीदना बहुत सुविधाजनक हो गया है’. लेकिन वो सोचती हैं कि क्या कोई चेक कर रहा है कि उन सीलबंद पैकेट्स में कंपनियां क्या मिला रही हैं.

Single-Use Plastic Ban In India Explained: What Will Be The Challenges And What Should We Expect?

Team Banega Swasth India speaks with an expert from Centre for Science and Environment on the significance of the Single-use-plastic ban in India effective from July 1 and the challenges that lie ahead In a move that could have significant impact in checking plastic pollution, India banned the use of ‘single-use plastic’ from July 1, 2022. The Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change had issued the notification last year in August announcing a ban on single-use plastic effective from July 2022, items like Balloon sticks; Cigarette packs; Cutlery items including plates, cups, glasses, forks, spoons, knives, trays; Earbuds; Sweet boxes to name a few have been banned. Team Banega Swasth India speaks with Atin Biswas, Pragramme Director – Municipal Solid Waste from Centre For Science And Environment (CSE) about this ban, what it means for India, what will be the challenges on the road ahead. Here’s what we discussed: NDTV: Centre has announced a single-use-plastic ban on some items. Is this the way ahead for India’s journey to manage plastic menace? Atin Biswas: We are little late on this ban, but it is a great beginning. This single-use-plastic ban list covers a lot of waste streams. Though, I had expected that the government would have included the multi-layer plastic packaging in this list but unfortunately that has not been covered. It should have been included but nonetheless, it is a great start. Going forward, we have to see how well it is enforced on ground. NDTV: Will this plastic ban in India make any difference or will it be like previous bans where enforcement has been an issue? According to you, what are some of the challenges with such types of bans? Atin Biswas: There have been plastic bans in the past as well. As many as 25 Indian states had banned plastic previously with some form of state notification within their own jurisdictions. But all these bans had a very limited impact on ground. Now, if this ban is genuinely enforced, I think it will have an impact. But the problem is that there is no overall strategy. Basically, this notification means that there is a law which will prohibit certain items for production, sale and consumptions. The enforcement of the ban has been left with the local authorities and municipal bodies. I am a little skeptical about that as I don’t know how much local authorities will be able to do alone as there is no holistic approach towards the ban. My worry is that, as a consumer, one might get these items somewhere in the market like we have seen in past as well. Another challenge of the notification is that this list contains majority of items that are not really branded, so you don’t really know who is making these items and who to hold accountable. NDTV: How prepared do you think industries are in enforcing this single-use plastic ban in India? Atin Biswas: This ban was notified last year in August, so ample time has been given. Currently, we have banned only 10% or 20% of plastic items that should have been banned. We have spent almost the year; we knew this ban was coming. The question really is have we done enough to educate all the stakeholders about this ban. The biggest of all is the consumer. I haven’t seen any advertisements, newspaper or TV commercials or something on social media on this ban that will help inform people about this ban taking place in the country. We have to adopt an inclusive approach otherwise enforcement will be very difficult. We are talking about environment, global warming, climate change – these are non-negotiable. Companies need to invest and do research in finding more sustainable alternatives to these banned products. It is no more a question of finding alternatives, industries will have to spend money in research and development and find sustainable alternatives. NDTV: How can the issue of proper enforcement and alternatives be tackled by the government? Atin Biswas: Plastic was an incidental invention; we were kind of experimenting with things when we invented plastic and since then it has become a major part of our lives. Today, we are living in a time, when we have started actually breathing, eating plastic. We are actually living a life full of plastic items. There have been many global studies that suggest that we have been ingesting 5 grams of plastic every year. And we all know what plastic is made of, so it is putting us all in tremendous health hazards. We have come at a stage, where 10-12 years down the line, we might even see another pandemic just because micro plastics are being found in our blood. Government cannot succeed until unless the approach is inclusive. We have to understand that beating plastic pollution is simply not government’s responsibility – it is the responsibility of industries, brands, manufacturers and most importantly the consumers. NDTV: Why it is so difficult to get greener and more sustainable alternatives to plastic at the similar cost? Atin Biswas: Finding an alternative to plastic is not easy, but it is necessary to find solutions. We have got ourselves in a situation where a decision to ban plastic items is non-negotiable. The decision to ban plastic items is a very timely, I wish, It would have come few years back, still, it is a good start. Everyone will have to focus on finding green alternatives. There are sustainable options available in the market like compostable and bio-degradable plastic. We need specific facilities to recycle these greener alternatives of plastic and government should look upon this and start educating the masses, so that the consumer is well informed. NDTV: Your message for consumers to make this plastic ban effective in India Atin Biswas: We all need to follow the 3Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. In our waste composition – more than half of the waste is food or kitchen waste. In this kitchen waste 70% is water. So, when we compost water evaporates and leaves behind the substitutes, which can be used for gardening purposes. Today, we spend million and billions of rupees on transporting and dumping the food waste. What Kerala has done that they have successfully introduced home composting. Today, there are more than 20,000 households in the city of Thiruvananthapuram that are following the practice of composting, which means they are reducing the waste at source and the municipality is free from the burden of managing so much waste. If you speak in numbers, nearly 200 tonnes of waste every day is saved for 365 days a year in that city – Imagine so much money and resources that they are saving just by following this simple rule – Reduce. The problem is that we start only thinking about managing waste, when we are already sitting on a waste mountain. We don’t think of solutions or situations and think of strategies that will help building a scenario wherein these waste mountains will not exist. It is the awareness and multi-stakeholders approach that India needs to focus on.

Colour coding or star rating—FSSAI food labelling plan can trigger a new nutrition war The ground for front-of-pack-labelling in India was laid in 2010, when in response to a PIL, the Delhi High Court asked FSSAI to strictly regulate junk food.

Colour coding or star rating—FSSAI food labelling plan can trigger a new nutrition war The ground for front-of-pack-labelling in India was laid in 2010, when in response to a PIL, the Delhi High Court asked FSSAI to strictly regulate junk food. Shafali Mittal has had a strict ‘no junk food in the house’ rule. She should know — she has studied diet and nutrition. But ready-to-eat packed snacks with poor health labels are weakening her grip on what her two sons, aged 17 and 23, eat. For the past eight years, India has been debating how to come up with front-of-pack labels, in addition to technical back-of-pack displays, while making them more consumer friendly—simple star ratings or colour coded warnings. The decision, which is expected soon, is likely to speak to many parents like Mittal. Right now, nothing on the food packages tells her how much of it is unhealthy. Countries like Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Israel, Peru, Brazil, and Mexico, among others, use a range of front-of-pack-labelling which indicates to the consumer, in less than 10 seconds, how unhealthy a food product is. The idea of the label, about an inch big, is to nudge the consumer to select healthier foods. Plethora of studies done in these countries show which label has worked and which hasn’t. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has been deliberating which label to adapt for the country. It should bring information on excess harmful nutrients—primarily fat, salt and sugar—more prominently on food packets to ensure that the consumers make informed choices about what they eat. Everything hinges on the design. In the FSSAI meetings, the tussle is between two main symbols—warning signs used by Chile, and the health star rating used by Australia. But a series of documents accessed by ThePrint show that decision-making on front-of-pack-labelling within the FSSAI is allegedly severely compromised in favour of food giants. It rejected previous draft proposals such as a robust colour indication and adhering to nutrient thresholds set by the World Health Organization’s South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO-SEARO). Instead, FSSAI is now charging ahead with a health star rating, which has had no impact on reducing unhealthy food consumption in the countries where it was implemented. Despite public health and consumer groups vehemently disagreeing to the star rating, FSSAI is drafting new regulations that it will put in public domain soon. At least three stakeholders who took part in the consultancy meetings said that FSSAI is in the process of devising algorithms to rate food, based on which stars will be assigned to them. Not everyone is convinced. “Health star rating creates a health halo around unhealthy products. It minimises the unhealthy nature of the product. As a consumer I feel that even if it has one star, it’s less healthy, but it’s healthy. That’s the basic flaw with this,” says Arun Gupta, convenor of Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest, a group representing public health experts. The right tag It took countless meetings with food producers, industry representatives, nutrition scientists, doctors, consumer groups, and crores of rupees on commissioned studies for the FSSAI to decide which sign on food packets would best tell the consumers about the high salt, sugar and fat in it. An alarming rise in non-communicable diseases in adults as well as in children is a trigger for this policy move. Scientific evidence directly links consumption of foods and beverages rich in sugar, salt and fats to illnesses such as obesity, hypertension, heart diseases, stroke, depression, even cancer. Studies in Chile, which uses a black hexagonal sign saying ‘high in’ salt, sugar or fat, show that consumption of sugary drinks dropped to 24 per cent. Australia, on the other hand, gives stars to foods. Higher the salt, sugar or fat in food packets, fewer the stars it will get and vice versa. The star rating will improve if positive ingredients are added in the food, such as nuts or fruits. Evidence shows such health star ratings have had no significant impact in changing consumption behaviour. Despite global evidence, on 15 February 2022, the FSSAI selected the health star rating for India based on the recommendations of a study by the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad, which it had commissioned in 2021. Researchers took inputs from a sample survey of more than 20,000 participants for five symbols. And it was a close fight between two of them—warning labels and health-star rating. The star rating wins for ease of identification and understanding of labels, but warning labels get a better rank and score when it comes to ease of identification of a nutrient which is While food industry representatives have agreed to implement the star symbols, consumer groups smell a rat. Apart from minimising the unhealthy ingredients in a product, a star rating is not nutrient-specific. It doesn’t tell if a product has less stars because of more salt, sugar or fat, explains Amit Khurana, programme director, sustainable food systems, Centre for Science and Environment, a think-tank. This positive symbol on packs, along with extra points for positive nutrients, is a perfect recipe, which food manufacturers will easily exploit, says Gupta. “If you add fruit juice to an aerated drink, or remove sugar and add a sweetener, the product will get a better star. It will still contain high amounts of sugar. But this suits the industry because this way, they can keep the consumer confused,” says Gupta. Fads like nuts in chocolates, fruits in cereal, multigrain in flour and many more such formulations are already used by the industry. Defending the selection, Pawan Kumar Agarwal, FSSAI’s former chief executive officer who headed the meetings on front-of-pack-labelling during his tenure, says that a beginning must be made, irrespective of the label. “There is no perfect model. No country in the world can claim that they have got it quickly and rightly. Even for Chile and other countries, it took them several years to get to where they are now,” Agarwal says. “If over the last 4-5 years it has been found something will work in India, I think we should go ahead with it. It is not cast in stone. It is already very delayed.” Meanwhile, the industry, in FSSAI’s meetings, has agreed to abide by the new labelling rules when they are implemented. ThePrint made several attempts to reach out to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), two industry bodies represented in FSSAI meetings, but could not get a response. The long wait The ground for front-of-pack-labelling in India was laid in 2010, when hearing a public interest litigation on banning unhealthy, processed food in schools, the Delhi High Court asked the FSSAI to take measures to regulate junk food. The labelling was first discussed by the FSSAI in 2014 and later in 2018. After inputs from expert groups, the FSSAI released a draft, also adapting the thresholds set by the WHO-SEARO for salt, sugar and fat consumption. The FSSAI did away with the WHO-SEARO thresholds in its subsequent draft in 2019, and introduced new thresholds which the consumer groups allege are unscientific. This upping the limit of salt, sugar and fats will push a lot of unhealthy packed snacks in the so-called ‘healthy’ category where they would not require a front-of-pack-labelling. Defending its stance on thresholds, the FSSAI said, “Earlier thresholds were based on the WHO-SEARO model, which is suggestive and not implemented as such in any of the countries. The stakeholders raised various concerns on the same and no consensus could be made. Hence, the scientific panel reviewed the categories and thresholds proposed in the draft regulations, 2019 and the current proposed thresholds take into account global models implemented across various countries & WHO-Population Nutrient Intake Goals.” Agarwal, under whose tenure the thresholds were revised, explains that the WHO-SEARO thresholds reduce the contents in snacks in India by almost 80 per cent, making them too bland for the Indian palette. “If the threshold we give is very different from the consumption pattern of the population, then these will not be implemented at all. The process of reduction of salt, sugar has to be gradual. It cannot happen in a day or a year. We did a very detailed analysis and revisited these thresholds,” he says. In 2017, according to Agarwal, FSSAI took pledges from companies to reduce salt, sugar and fat in their foods. About 20 companies came forward but their initiatives had limited success. “Food businesses are for-profit entities. When they are competing with each other for market shares, assuming that they will behave differently and focus on nutrition at the cost of market shares and profits is wrong,” he says. In February 2022, the FSSAI announced in the stakeholders’ meeting that the labelling will be voluntary for four years and then made mandatory. FSSAI says this is the global norm and the “path-breaking” front-of-pack-labelling needs time to be accepted by the companies. Smaller food manufacturers and traders who make up 75 per cent of the Indian market were never consulted while deliberating front-of-pack-labelling, according to Praveen Khandelwal, founder and general secretary of Confederation of All India Traders, a group representing over eight crore businesspersons including food manufacturers. “FSSAI calls big industry representatives like FICCI, CII and a handful of other food giants who represent only 15 per cent of the business. Though the smaller players will abide by new rules, their concerns need to be heard at stakeholders’ meetings.” On allegations that the food industry is influencing its decisions, the FSSAI says that both consumer groups as well as industry associations have been an integral part of the consultations and their comments will be considered before final notification is issued. Meanwhile, the cry for stricter regulation on harmful food is growing louder. In India, one in four adults and one in 20 children are either overweight or obese. These numbers are growing faster than the world average and unless there is an intervention, these numbers will triple by 2040, according to the World Obesity Federation. The impact of changing lifestyles Mittal’s older son, Madhav, is back home from Singapore and her days are spent taking him to dermatologists. “His skin has lost sheen and his hair is falling. The doctors tell me it is because of lack of nutrition,” she says. A large part of Madhav’s diet in Singapore has been ready-to-eat Indian food packets and that is apparently now showing results, Mittal says. “The future is packed food. With busy work and social lives and 10-minute delivery apps, it is so convenient to just buy everything,” she says. But is anyone checking what these companies are adding to those sealed packets, she wonders.

दिल्ली में निकलता है सबसे ज्यादा प्लास्टिक कचरा, दूसरे नंबर पर कोलकाता : सिद्धार्थ सिंह

दिल्ली में निकलता है सबसे ज्यादा प्लास्टिक कचरा, दूसरे नंबर पर कोलकाता : सिद्धार्थ सिंह राजधानी दिल्ली में भी एक जुलाई से सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक (एसयूपी) पर प्रतिबंध लग गया है, लेकिन यह प्रतिबंध कागजों और भाषणों में ही नजर आ रहा है, जबकि जमीन पर नहीं के बराबर दिख रहा है। एसयूपी की जिन 19 वस्तुओं पर पूर्ण पाबंदी है, वह अभी बाजार में मिल रही हैं। दुकानदार विकल्प न होने का रोना रो रहे हैं, तो जनता में जागरूकता का अभाव दिखाई देता है। आखिर एसयूपी पर लगे प्रतिबंध का पालन कैसे सुनिश्चित होगा और कैसे संरक्षित हो पाएगा पर्यावरण। ऐसे ही कुछ सवालों का जवाब तलाशने के लिए संजीव गुप्ता ने सेंटर फार साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट (सीएसई) में ठोस कचरा प्रबंधन प्रकोष्ठ के कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक सिद्धार्थ सिंह से विशेष बात की। प्रस्तुत हैं इस बातचीत के मुख्य अंश: कितना व्यावहारिक है एसयूपी पर लगाया गया यह प्रतिबंध और कैसे सुनिश्चित हो पाएगा इसका पालन? देखिए, प्रतिबंध अधिसूचित करना और इसे जमीन पर लागू करना दो अलग-अलग पहलू हैं। देश को प्लास्टिक प्रदूषण से मुक्त करना आसान नहीं है। यह केवल प्लास्टिक इंडस्ट्री और सरकार की जिम्मेदारी भी नहीं है। मौजूदा प्रतिबंध को कामयाब बनाने के लिए कच्चा माल तैयार करने में शामिल लोगों, प्लास्टिक मैन्युफैक्चर्स, एफएमसीजी कंपनियों, केंद्र एवं राज्य सरकारों समेत उपभोक्ताओं को भी अपनी भूमिका निभानी होगी। प्लास्टिक इंडस्ट्री, मैन्युफैक्चर्स और एफएमसीजी कंपनियों को उत्पादों की पैकिंग के डिजाइन इस तरह से तैयार करने पर विचार करना चाहिए कि उसमें प्लास्टिक स्ट्रा की अनिवार्यता समाप्त हो। यह तभी मुमकिन होगा, जब कंपनियां एक साथ आकर अपने संसाधनों का इस्तेमाल करें और ऐसा डिजाइन तैयार करें जो उन्हें मुनाफा देने के साथ-साथ लोगों और धरती के लिए भी लाभदायक हो। क्या आपको नहीं लगता कि प्रतिबंधित वस्तुओं का विकल्प न होना भी एसयूपी पर प्रभावी रोक में बाधक है? ऐसा नहीं है। पहले तो यह समङिाए कि जिन वस्तुओं पर रोक लगी है, वह प्लास्टिक स्टिक वाली या फिर कटलरी हैं। अगर 1990 से पहले की ओर देखा जाए तो पता चलेगा प्लास्टिक कटलरी थी ही नहीं। केले के पत्तों, पत्तल, दोने एवं लकड़ी का सामान प्रचलन था। इसी तरह कई कंपनियों ने प्लास्टिक स्टिक को भी लकड़ी में बदल लिया है। मसलन, हर बड़ी कंपनी आइसक्रीम स्टिक के लिए प्लास्टिक नहीं, बल्कि लकड़ी की स्टिक का इस्तेमाल कर रही है। दिक्कत केवल स्ट्रा को लेकर आ रही है। वह भी इसलिए क्योंकि कंपनियों ने इस प्रतिबंध को गंभीरता से लिया ही नहीं। उन्हें छह माह की मोहलत भी पहले दी जा चुकी है, लेकिन अब वह फिर से समय मांग रही हैं। देश और दिल्ली में हर साल कितना प्लास्टिक कचरा निकलता है? स्टेट आफ इंडियाज एन्वायरमेंट रिपोर्ट - 2022 के अनुसार भारत में हर रोज 25 हजार 950 टन प्लास्टिक कचरा निकलता है। वायु प्रदूषण के साथ-साथ दिल्ली इस मामले में पहले नंबर पर है, जहां रोजाना 689.8 टन प्लास्टिक कचरा निकल रहा है। कोलकाता दूसरे और चेन्नई तीसरे नंबर पर है। यहां रोज क्रमश: 429.5 टन और 429.4 टन प्लास्टिक कचरा निकलता है। देश में पिछले तीन दशकों के दौरान प्लास्टिक के उपयोग में 20 गुना बढ़ोतरी हुई है। सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक का 60 प्रतिशत हिस्सा यानी करीब 1.10 करोड़ मीटिक टन अलग-अलग पैकेजिंग में इस्तेमाल किया जाता है। करीब 30 लाख मीटिक टन प्लास्टिक अन्य उपयोग में ले लिया जाता है। 75 लाख मीटिक टन से अधिक प्लास्टिक अलग-अलग तरह की परेशानी पैदा करता है। क्या इस प्लास्टिक कचरे को रिसाइकिल नहीं किया जा सकता? रिसाइकिल तो तब हो पाएगा न, जबकि इसका संग्रहण हो। प्लास्टिक कचरे का संग्रहण ही आसान नहीं है। कबाड़ी भी प्लास्टिक का हर आइटम नहीं लेता। इसके अलावा रिसाइकिल भी केवल साफ वस्तुओं का ही हो सकता है। अगर उसमें खाने-पीने की कोई सामग्री लगी हुई है तो वह रिसाइकिल नहीं हो पाएगा। किस हद तक हानिकारक है प्लास्टिक कचरा? हानिकारक तो यह हर तरह से है। जानवरों के पेट में पालीथिन चिपक जाती है, जिससे उनकी मौत तक हो जाती है। प्लास्टिक कचरे के अंश जमीन में जाकर भूजल को प्रदूषित करते हैं और नदियों में गिरकर उसके पानी को। इसमें आग लगाई जाए तो हवा में प्रदूषित गैसें फैल जाती हैं। इसके अलावा भी यह विभिन्न प्रकार से स्वास्थ्य को नुकसान पहुंचा रहा है। ऐसे में सिंगल यूज प्लास्टिक पर प्रभावी रोक और पर्यावरण की रक्षा कैसे संभव है? देखिए, यह एक लगातार जारी रहने वाली प्रक्रिया है, जिसमें राज्य प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड एवं समितियों और स्थानीय निकायों को सख्ती एवं जागरूकता के साथ काम करना होगा। उपभोक्ताओं को भी अपनी भूमिका निभानी होगी, जिसमें प्लास्टिक कैरी बैग लेने से मना करने (उसकी मोटाई चाहे जितनी भी हो), सतर्कता से खाने-पीने और घरों में होने वाले ठोस कचरे को अलग करने जैसी चीजें शामिल हैं। इससे प्लास्टिक कचरे को, डलावघर से उठाकर उपलब्ध सुविधाओं के जरिये अलग ले जाया जा सकेगा, जहां इन्हें रिसाइकिल कर दोबारा काम में लाने लायक बनाया जा सकेगा। वैकल्पिक बाजार को व्यापक करने के लिए भी सरकारी कदमों की जरूरत है। लोगों में जागरुकता लाना भी एक अहम कदम है।