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देश के 244 जिलों में घटा वनीकरण क्षेत्र : सीएसई

देश की 70 फीसद से ज्यादा नदियों के मॉनिटरिंग स्टेशन्स में चिंताजनक आंकड़े दर्ज हुए हैं। जिसमें नदियों के पानी में आयरन व निकल की भारी मात्रा पायी गई है। इसके अलावा 6907 किमी तक फैले भारत के एक तिहाई समुद्री तट मृदा अपर्दन का शिकार हुआ है। इसका कारण 1990 से 2018 के बीच समुद्री जल में बढ़ोत्तरी है। यह जानकारी सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवायरमेंट द्वारा जारी रिपोर्ट में सामने आयी है। मिट्टी की गुणवत्ता में दर्ज की जा रही गिरावट रिपोर्ट के अनुसार देश में मिट्टी की गुणवत्ता में लगातार गिरावट दर्ज की जा रही है। कृषि क्षेत्र में फसलों की उपज लागत में 2012-13 के मुकाबले 2018-19 तक 35 फीसद की बढ़ोत्तरी देखी गई। फसलों पर निर्भर नागरिकों की कृषि से आय में 2012-13 के मुकाबले 2018-19 में 37 फीसद गिरावट दर्ज की गई है। वहीं देश में 2019 से 2021 के बीच 638 जिलों में से 244 जिलों में वनीकरण क्षेत्र घटा है। 2050 तक जलवायु परिवर्तन के लिए घटता वनीकरण एक हॉट स्पॉट बन जाएगा। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया कि मार्च 2022 में देश ने रिकॉर्ड गर्मी देखी गई। देश में प्रति वर्ष 3.5 मिलियन टन से ज्यादा प्लास्टिक कचरा हो रहा उत्पन्न जोकि बीते 10 वर्षों में उच्चतम स्तर पर रही। इसके अलावा देश में 1.7 मिलियन लोगों की मौत अस्वास्थ्यवर्धक भोजन खाने से उपजी बीमारियों से हुई है। वहीं देश में 2019 -20 के दौरान 3.5 मिलियन टन प्लास्टिक कचरा उत्पन्न हुआ जिसमें 2020-21 में 5 फीसद की बढ़ोत्तरी हो गई। वहीं हमारा इलेक्ट्रिक कचरा भी 32 फीसद से अधिक बढ़ चुका है। लेकिन इसका निस्तारण प्रतिशत बहुत कम है। देश के 17 सतत विकास लक्ष्यों को हासिल करने के लिए देश ने 295 प्राथमिक इंडीकेटर्स चिन्हित किए हैं। जिसके में केवल 115 की मॉनिटरिंग हो पा रही है।

More Than 1.7 million Indians die Annually due to Diseases Attributable to Unhealthy Diets: Report

The diet of an Indian, on average, lacks fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains, as revealed by the State of India's Environment 2022 report. Patna/Delhi: Despite the Central government's increasing food grain output and stock records, more than 1.7 million Indians die due to diseases attributable to unhealthy diets. The diet of an Indian, on average, lacks fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains, as revealed by the State of India's Environment 2022 report. "More than 1.7 million Indians die every year due to diseases that can be attributed to dietary risk factors and weight levels," said the latest report released by the Centre for Science and Environment and Down To Earth magazine online on Thursday to mark the approaching World Environment Day. Sunita Narain, editor, Down To Earth, in reference to the importance of figures, said, "Data is about measurement. The better we measure, the better we will get at management -- this is what we know, which is why we put together this dataset each year. It helps us make sense of the changes we see in our world; it helps us understand what needs to be done". The report lists diseases like respiratory ailments, diabetes, cancer, strokes and coronary heart disease. Dietary composition refers to diets low in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and diets high in processed meat, red meat, and sugary drinks; the weight levels refer to whether an individual is underweight, overweight or obese. "About 42% of the world's population cannot afford a healthy diet – the figure is a huge 71% for India. It suggests that the diet of an average Indian does not contain enough fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains," the report said. According to the report, food systems and practices impact the environment. While milk production is responsible for the lion's share of greenhouse gas emissions and land use, grains account for the biggest share of freshwater use, nitrogen and phosphorous applications. "Despite some progress, diets are not getting healthier. Additionally, they are making increasing demands on the environment, even as unacceptable levels of malnutrition persist in the country. The high human, environmental and economic costs of continuing our current trajectory are so significant that we will pay a far higher price if we fail to act. The global food system falls far short of achieving global goals for both health and the environment." The report also presents an analysis of food prices. The consumer food price index (CFPI) inflation has seen a 327% increase in the past year, while the consumer price index (CPI) – which includes CFPI -- has seen an 84% jump. "Food seems to be the biggest mover of CPI inflation. The current high levels of food inflation have been driven by the rising cost of production, surging international crop prices and extreme weather-related disruptions. In fact, our analysis of CRISIL data shows that food prices have increased at a higher rate in rural areas than in urban areas in March-April 2022," said Richard Mahapatra, managing editor, Down To Earth. Mahapatra said data re-generates debates and discussions. "This year marks a milestone both for India and the planet. India is celebrating its 75th year of Independence, and we have a promise of a 'New India' with quantified development goals to meet. This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm conference, the UN's first meeting on the human environment. This report tries to do justice to both: by making an assessment of whether the promised 'New India' will come to pass (in the case of the former). And by documenting and analysing (in the case of the latter) how the planet's environment has been in the last 50 years." "Most of the data that the report carries is based on official government statistics that are available in the public domain. We simply analyse it and present it with a researcher's rigour and a journalist's insight," he said. The report highlighted that while the cost of cultivation has increased in India by almost 35% between 2012-13 and 2018-19, the share of the income from cultivation in an agricultural household has gone down from 48% in 2012-13 to 37% in 2018-19. At the same time, 50% of agricultural households in the country are reeling under debt. On average, every household has a debt burden of over Rs 74,000, and about 29 farmers and farm labourers die by suicide daily.

Health: Above 70 per cent Indians unable to afford healthy diet, says CSE report [ Read Full Story at: https://www.dynamitenews.com/story/health-above-70-per-cent-indians-unable-to-afford-healthy-diet-says-cse-report ]

As per a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) and Down to Earth magazine, seventy-one per cent Indians cannot afford a healthy diet. The global average is 42 percent.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px;">The report further says that about 17 lakh people die every year due to poor diet resulting in respiratory ailments, diabetes, cancer, strokes and coronary heart disease.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px;">The diet of an average Indian lacks in fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains. The consumption of fish, dairy and red meat is within target, the report stated.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px;">In India, adults aged 20 and above have only 35.8g of fruit per day as against the recommended 200g per day and just 168.7g of vegetables per day as against the minimum 300g per day.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px;">They consume just 24.9g per day (25 percent of target) of legumes and 3.2g (13 percent of target) of nuts per day.</span></p> </div>

One Of The Hottest Summers Led To Increased Ozone Levels: CSE Analysis

The summer of 2022 – one of the Hottest in history – has witnessed widespread excessive Ozone Levels, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, while other metros are not far behind, said a latest Analysis released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday. Among the six big metros, Mumbai is second, followed by Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru – with the last two having longer durations of exceedance despite lower frequency compared to the other metros, as per the latest air quality Analysis by CSE released in the run up to the World Environment Day on June 5. Geographical spread of ground-level Ozone pollution in Delhi-NCR during March-April was highest in past four years.Ground-level Ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer in some location in Delhi-NCR every year. “But this year, the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher.On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from previous year March and April. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level Ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily,” the CSE Analysis showed. There have been only six days this year so far that have registered no exceedance among any air quality monitoring stations of Delhi-NCR. There were 15 days of no exceedance last year during the same period (Jan-May). Similarly, 2020 and 2019 had 24 days each of no exceedance respectively. Foggy and cold conditions of January conventionally inhibit formation of ground-level Ozone but Ozone was found to be exceeding at multiple stations on 28 days this January.”It is up from 11 days and 19 days recorded in January of 2020 and 2021 respectively.Even, the months of monsoon records exceedance in some locations,” it said. After Delhi-NCR that recorded Ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each.Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. The denser network of monitoring stations in Mumbai is able to catch instances of Ozone exceedance better.Greater Mumbai has 26 monitoring stations while Greater Kolkata has only 10 stations. “Despite the warning signs, the problem of the toxic threat of ground-level Ozone has not attracted adequate policy or public attention for mitigation and prevention,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, research and advocacy, CSE. To drive home the point about the danger posed by it to human health, the CSE Analysis mentioned the 2020 ‘State of Global Air’ report that stated that age-standardised rates of death attributable to Ozone is among the highest in India. The criterion says it may exceed the limits on two per cent of the days in a year, but not on two consecutive days of monitoring.In other words, there should not be more than eight days in a year when the Ozone standard is breached, and none of those allowed exceedances can be on two consecutive days. “The standard practice of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to average out the data of all stations in the city to determine daily AQI does not work for ground-level Ozone as it is a short-lived and hyper-localised pollutant.A citywide average concentration level over an extended time frame does not indicate the severity of the problem and health implication from local build up and exposure for people living in hotspots,” says Avikal Somvanshi, senior programme manager, urban lab, CSE. Ground-level Ozone has become a year-long problem: Even though the Ozone exceedance is seen to worsen during summer months, it remains a year-long problem as at least few locations continue to record exceedance throughout the year. This Analysis tracks exceedances at each station in a city. Breach of the standard by even one station in the city is considered exceedance by the city.Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. Given that the data is capped at 200 microgram per cubic metre by the CPCB, it is not possible to determine how high the concentration really goes. It was noted that the Ozone data available on CPCB portal never exceeds 200 micrograms per cubic metre, while data for the corresponding time on Delhi Pollution Control Committee may show higher levels.Therefore, due to this capping of data it is not possible to understand the nature of peaking in the city. “This needs to be addressed as there are two sets of standards for Ozone – eight-hourly standard of 100 Ig/m3 and one-hourly standard of 180 Ig/m3.Capping can make assessment of one-hourly standard challenging.This study has assessed trends only based on the eight-hourly standard,” the CSE said. Ozone mitigation demands stringent control of gases from all combustion sources including vehicles, industry, power plants and open burning in the entire region.It is therefore necessary that while designing mitigation of particulate matter the key focus of action strategy today, is also calibrated for reduction of Ozone precursor gases.

Ground-level Ozone Pollution In Delhi-NCR In March-April Highest In 4 Years: CSE

The summer of 2022 -- one of the hottest in history -- has witnessed widespread ozone exceedance, making the air of Delhi-NCR more toxic, according to an analysis conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The green think tank's assessment is based on the publicly available granular real time data (15-minute averages) from the CPCB's official online portal Central Control Room for Air Quality Management. In Delhi-NCR, the researchers captured data from 58 official stations. The analysis tracked exceedances at each station. Breach of the standard by even one station is considered exceedance by the city. Days with multiple stations exceeding the standard indicates the severity of the spatial spread and number of people exposed. This year, due to the early onslaught of heatwaves, the spatial spread of ground-level ozone started in March itself with April being the worst so far, the green thinktank said. The dangerous build-up of ground-level ozone can happen anytime during the year, but it is usually in small pockets. For it to have wider spatial spread, hot and sunny weather conditions are needed which are generally present in summer, especially during May. But this year, the frequency and spread of ozone exceedance started early -- in the month of March. “Ground-level ozone usually exceeds the safety standard on all days of summer at some locations in Delhi-NCR every year. But the spatial spread (number of stations exceeding the standard across the city) has been much higher this year. “On an average, 16 stations have exceeded the standard daily this March and April, which is 33 per cent increase from March and April 2021. During 2020, when lockdowns had reduced the precursor gases needed for formation of ground-level ozone, the number was down to 10 stations daily,” the report said. Dr K S Shooting Range in south Delhi is the most chronically affected in Delhi-NCR. The ground-level ozone concentration exceeded the standard at this location for 85 days this March-May. JLN Stadium, RK Puram and Nehru Nagar followed close behind. Greater Noida is the major hotspot outside Delhi. Faridabad has least instances of ground-level ozone exceedances in the region, it said. Patparganj in East Delhi registered the highest increase in the number of days exceeding the standard as compared to the average of the last three years. It registered a dramatic jump of 68 additional days with exceedance. It was followed by Noida's Sector 116 and Mandir Marg, next to the President's Estate. Siri Fort and Bawana in Delhi registered the most reduction in the frequency of exceedances compared to average of previous three years. Their exceedances were down by over 40 days this year. Gurugram Sector 51, Dwarka Sector 8, and Najafgarh were other locations with the maximum improvement. After Delhi-NCR that recorded ozone exceedance on almost all days of this summer, Mumbai with 75 days of exceedance was the second-most impacted metro. Kolkata-Howrah and Hyderabad registered 43 days of exceedance each. Even though the number of exceedance days in Kolkata-Howrah has been lower than that of Mumbai, its citywide concentration is 30 per cent higher than in Mumbai for this summer season. The CSE said the complex chemistry of ozone makes it a difficult pollutant to track and mitigate. Ground-level ambient ozone is not directly emitted from any source. It is produced from complex interactions between NOx and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted from vehicles, power plants, factories, and other combustion sources. These undergo cyclic reactions in the presence of sunlight to generate ground-level ozone. VOCs can also be emitted from natural sources, such as plants. This highly reactive gas has serious health consequences. Those with respiratory conditions, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and particularly children with premature lungs and older adults are at serious risk. This can inflame and damage airways, make lungs susceptible to infection, aggravate asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis and increase the frequency of asthma attacks leading to increased hospitalisation. PTI GVS RCJ

AQI dips to very poor after over a month

New Delhi: The air quality of the capital deteriorated suddenly to the “very poor” category on Wednesday due to dust lifting. The air quality index (AQI) was at 322 compared with 215 — “poor” — on Tuesday. The air quality of the capital has mostly hovered in the “poor” category in the past three months. The last time when Delhi recorded a higher AQI this year was on February 1 at 346; on April 19, it was 317, according to Central Pollution Control Board. However, the air quality improved by Wednesday night as AQI touched 298 at 9pm. Gufran Beig, founder project director of System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), said, “As part of a westerly disturbance, there was a convective storm in northwest India, including Delhi, which can be confirmed from satellite image. Due to this, highly gusty winds led to high dust emissions having origin in Delhi and surrounding Haryana areas and resulted in ‘very poor’ category of AQI.” This episode is likely to subside by Wednesday, but another convective dust system, relatively of a large scale, is developing in the desert area of Rajasthan and adjoining Delhi, Beig added. “AQI may go back to ‘very poor’ from June 2 evening for two days unless sufficient per-monsoon shower occurs, but rain is unlikely,” he said. SAFAR said PM10 was the primary pollutant due to intrusion of dust by westerly winds. Dust (size above 2.5 micrometer) contributes to 71% of PM10. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment, said, “Local and background emissions also continue to remain high.”

At Stockholm +50, India likely to push for equity in climate change negotiations

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav reached Sweden on Wednesday to participate in the Stockholm +50 conference to be held on June 2-3. NEW DELHI: A push for equity in global climate change negotiations will be among India’s key agendas at the Stockholm +50 conference, scheduled to be held in Sweden on June 2-3, according to officials in the environment ministry who asked not to be named. The conference is being held to commemorate 50 years of the Stockholm Conference — the first United Nations conference on environment. Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav tweeted on Tuesday: “In 1972, the world made a declaration at the same place to protect (the planet). Today, 50 years later, we stand at an inflection point. Urgent, collective global action with the spirit of equity is required more than ever before… Over the next three days in Stockholm, will be participating in deliberations on climate action and related aspects with representatives from world over and present India’s side on all issues.” Yadav reached Sweden on Wednesday and participated in a high-level dialogue under the Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT). “Stated that ‘transition’ needs to be understood in the right context. The developing world needs not just an industrial ‘transition’, but an industrial renaissance — a flowering of industries that will create jobs and prosperity along with a clean environment,” he tweeted after the meeting. The developed nations, with their historical experiences, must take lead in the global transition towards net-zero & low carbon industry. Green premium associated with zero or low carbon tech must be compensated to trigger demand at required scale in appropriate ways,” he added. LeadIT gathers countries and companies committed to action to achieve the Paris Agreement climate goal. It was launched by the governments of Sweden and India at the UN Climate Action Summit in September 2019 and is supported by the World Economic Forum (WEF). During the Stockholm +50 conference, Yadav is scheduled to make three high-level interventions where he will be presenting India’s stand on global environmental issues, said a senior official of the environment ministry. “India will be taking a leadership role for developing nations and reiterating the need for equity and justice in global negotiations. That is our main point,” said the official, asking not to be named. On Wednesday, the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) also presented a report after taking stock of actions taken during the last 50 years and making recommendations for the future. The report has synthesised recent scientific evidence and ideas to prepare recommendations for action, guided by an advisory panel consisting of 27 experts in the field of sustainable development science and policy. “The planetary crisis and the extreme inequality require transformative action and addressing our economic systems as the core driver of many of these problems. The growing inequalities extend to future generations and the quality of their lives, with accelerating environmental change and risk of tipping points being breached,” the report said, adding that since 1972, only around one-tenth of the hundreds of global environment and sustainable development targets agreed to by countries have been achieved or seen significant progress. According to the report, the use of natural resources has more than tripled from 1970, with the benefits emanating from the usage unevenly distributed across countries and regions. The poorest half of the global population owns barely 2% of the total global wealth, while the richest 10% owns 76% of all wealth, the report said. “Currently, no country is delivering what its citizens need without transgressing the biophysical planetary boundaries. The inequity among people and places in both, causing deterioration and suffering from its impacts, is high. The poorest half of the global population contributed 10% of emissions; the richest 10% of the global population emitted more than half of the total carbon emissions during 1990–2015,” it added. The report has also called for ensuring economic prosperity for all. “High-income countries have consumed most of these resources, with carbon dioxide consumption footprints that are more than 13 times the level of low-income countries. Ensuring lasting prosperity for all and bringing emission and resource footprints within ecological limits requires a complete rethink of our ways of living.” Authors have also underlined that there are massive funding gaps in low-income countries. The 1972 Stockholm conference was the first globally to put the spotlight on environmental issues and present 26 principles on conserving the environment that included a differentiated approach for developing countries. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the only foreign head of government out of 113 nations to attend the conference. “Her speech at the conference was ground-breaking in that it linked environmental conservation with poverty reduction – one of the key principles of the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs,” wrote Inger Andersen, executive director of United Nations Environment Programme in an opinion piece published by Down to Earth last month. She said Gandhi’s call in 1972 remains as pertinent as it was back then. “We have to prove to the disinherited majority of the world that ecology and conservation will not work against their interest but will bring an improvement in their lives,” Gandhi had said. “India – as home to over one billion people, huge natural resources and so much innovation and experience – will be integral to the success of Stockholm+50, as it was in 1972. Humanity needs India’s leadership in scientific research, in restoring ecosystems and in delivering a healthy planet for the prosperity for all,” Andersen added. “50 years after Stockholm is an important milestone; the world has progressed in terms of its awareness of the need to act; but it is clear that without actions that build an inclusive and just world, we will not have a sustainable world. This remains the challenge; and even more important in the age of climate change,” said environmentalist Sunita Narain who is also in Stockholm for the conference.

Burning need to safeguard the planet

South Asia's heat waves show action on climate can't be put off, experts say The suffering caused by South Asia's record-breaking heat waves brings home the urgency for climate justice to be addressed without delay, environmental experts say. Every time a climate change-induced event strikes the Indian subcontinent, it "gives us an edge to understand that climate justice has not been given to us", said Anjal Prakash, research director at the Bharti Institute of Public Policy of the Indian School of Business and a lead author with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. While climate change is often blamed on developing countries, it is not their doing, the scientist said. "It is the West, the industrial Global North, (who) have created today's climate change with pollution, and (in the) Global South we are at the receiving end of the problem," he told China Daily. The expert believes that the pledges made by industrialized countries for adaptation finance must be honored by those nations that have been reluctant to pay up. The scorching heat waves that have gripped northwestern India and southeastern Pakistan, among other regions, are viewed by scientists across the world as clear-cut, climate change-induced events. In India, heat waves are not uncommon in May and June. This year's summer started early, however, with high temperatures and heat waves since March. In April, many weather stations in India recorded temperatures exceeding 45 C. March saw an average maximum temperature of 33.1 C, the highest recorded in India in 122 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization. And Pakistan experienced its warmest March in 61 years. "In India and Pakistan, the high temperature is unmatched in recent human history … it's been really, really unprecedented," said Prakash. "Heat stress is the climate-induced disaster, which is the slow onset of climate change, impacting people's lives, health, and the infrastructure that we have here." London-based expert Bob Ward said: "The exceptional period of heat-wave conditions in India and Pakistan is an indication of the way in which climate change is increasing severe risks to human health." Ward is the policy and communications director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and the ESRC Centre for Climate Change Economics and Policy of the London School of Economics and Political Science. This year's heat waves "also triggered an extreme glacial lake outburst flood in northern Pakistan and forest fires in India, as well as damage to yields of vital wheat crops", Ward noted. More common Studies show that these high temperatures are set to become more common. Ward cited a recent report from the United Kingdom's Meteorological Office that concluded that the record-breaking heat waves in India and Pakistan had been made more than 100 times more likely because of climate change. World Weather Attribution, a network that analyzes climate change effects, published a report on May 23 saying that climate change makes a heat wave as much as 30 times more likely. According to the WWA, India's heat wave slashed the country's wheat crop yields, leading the government to limit grain exports. Climate change is the result of an ever-increasing demand for energy, said Sunita Narain, director-general of the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. "Emissions from the burning of fossil fuels－coal, oil and natural gas－are the reason why the world is today on the edge of a precipice. The 2022 report of the IPCC reiterates that the impacts of a warming planet will be catastrophic," she said. Prakash, who was in a working group that contributed to the IPCC's report, said these events come as "no surprise". But in South Asia, daily wage earners, "are feeling the brunt of it", he said. Suvo Roy, who teaches anthropology at India's Calcutta University, said: "Unless emissions are curbed or cut significantly, we are in for worse days."

India annually generates over 3 lakh tonnes of waste from sanitary napkins and baby diapers: Report

India, where not even 50 per cent women use disposable sanitary napkins, annually generates around 3.37 lakh tonnes of waste from sanitary napkins and baby diapers. The report "Sanitary Waste Management in India: Challenges and Agenda" released by India's environmental think tank Centre for Science and Environment estimates that India’s consolidated daily generation of sanitary napkins and baby diaper waste, is approximately 925 tonnes, which accounts for 0.65 per cent of total solid waste. If adult diapers, tampons, condoms, incontinence sheets, and similar waste, are added to the 0.65 per cent mentioned above, it may go up to 4 percent of the total solid waste generated in India, which is 141,000 tonnes per day. According to the Menstrual Hygiene Alliance of India (MHAI), 336 million girls and women of reproductive age in India use about 1 billion sanitary napkins per month, or 12.3 billion sanitary napkins annually. However, there is no adequate mechanism to dispose of this waste, the report said. Due to unorganised sanitary waste management in cities and villages, poor source segregation, and inadequate collection, transportation, and disposal networks, most sanitary waste ends up in landfills mixed with solid waste or dumped openly, posing significant health and environmental hazards. According to the Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM), sanitary napkins and diapers are included in the definition of dry waste in the SWM Rules, 2016. As per SWM rules, every waste generator must collect and segregate all waste into three categories: biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and domestic hazardous waste. In the case of sanitary waste, the waste generator must wrap the used product in the manufacturer’s pouches or any other suitable wrapping material as directed by the local authorities and collect it with other non-biodegradable waste. The guidelines of India's top pollution watchdog, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), urge users to dispose of sanitary waste in the wrapper provided by the manufacturer or use newspaper to wrap it. Watch | Spain to allow menstrual leaves: Which other countries are doing so? Under the Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, sanitary napkins and diapers must be separated, specially marked, and sent to a biomedical waste facility for incineration. Speaking to WION, Shailshree Tewari, Programming Officer, CSE and the author of the report, said sanitary napkins are not being considered as bio-medical waste in India, which is leading to a lot of problems in their disposal. She said that there are also inadequate incinerators in India to dispose of sanitary napkins. A sanitary napkin incinerator disposes of napkins in an environmentally friendly method by burning the pads and converting them into ash. Tewari said that besides the inadequate number of incinerators in India, the ones available are inconsistent and many do not even meet the emission standards prescribed by the CPCB. What is even more concerning is that there is no provision for a penalty for not complying with the guidelines, she added. "While CPCB’s guidelines are legally enforceable, a lack of standards for small-scale incinerators attracts no penalty." Tenders for the purpose of procurement of decentralised incinerators that are publicly available also reflect the same concern, "Tewari said." Also read | May 28: Time to shift focus to women’s health, menstrual hygiene She said there is a dearth of awareness and organized sanitary waste disposal infrastructure and disposal practices in rural and urban locations vary greatly. In parts of India, women dispose of their sanitary napkins or cloth in drains and potholes; some who are uncomfortable disposing of sanitary napkins in public flush them in toilets. Many women do not use dustbins because they think it might bring them disgrace as waste collectors might think poorly of them if they notice soiled napkins, the report said. As per the report, 41.8 per cent of women in the age group of 15–24 use disposable sanitary napkins while 16.4 per cent use locally produced napkins. Assuming a one-month-old infant uses 10 diapers a day—or 300 diapers per month—a single one-month-old baby could generate around 3,600 used diapers every year, it said. Also read | Menstrual Hygiene Day: How women have managed periods throughout history According to the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 25 million children are born in India each year, and the average weight of a soiled diaper is 800 grams. Hence, India generates approximately 548 tonnes of baby diaper waste per day, or 2 lakh tonnes annually. However, in the last four years, more women have started using sanitary napkins in the states of Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, the report found. Dr Subhash Chandra files nomination for Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan as BJP supported candidate However, there is no adequate mechanism to dispose of this waste, the report said. Due to unorganised sanitary waste management in cities and villages, poor source segregation, and inadequate collection, transportation, and disposal networks, most sanitary waste ends up in landfills mixed with solid waste or dumped openly, posing significant health and environmental hazards. According to the Solid Waste Management Rules (SWM), sanitary napkins and diapers are included in the definition of dry waste in the SWM Rules, 2016. As per SWM rules, every waste generator must collect and segregate all waste into three categories: biodegradable, non-biodegradable, and domestic hazardous waste. In the case of sanitary waste, the waste generator must wrap the used product in the manufacturer’s pouches or any other suitable wrapping material as directed by the local authorities and collect it with other non-biodegradable waste. The guidelines of India's top pollution watchdog, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), urge users to dispose of sanitary waste in the wrapper provided by the manufacturer or use newspaper to wrap it. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission guidelines, sanitary napkins and diapers must be separated, specially marked, and sent to a biomedical waste facility for incineration. Speaking to WION, Shailshree Tewari, Programming Officer, CSE and the author of the report, said sanitary napkins are not being considered as bio-medical waste in India, which is leading to a lot of problems in their disposal. She said that there are also inadequate incinerators in India to dispose of sanitary napkins. A sanitary napkin incinerator disposes of napkins in an environmentally friendly method by burning the pads and converting them into ash. Tewari said that besides the inadequate number of incinerators in India, the ones available are inconsistent and many do not even meet the emission standards prescribed by the CPCB. What is even more concerning is that there is no provision for a penalty for not complying with the guidelines, she added. "While CPCB’s guidelines are legally enforceable, a lack of standards for small-scale incinerators attracts no penalty." Tenders for the purpose of procurement of decentralised incinerators that are publicly available also reflect the same concern, "Tewari said." Also read | May 28: Time to shift focus to women’s health, menstrual hygiene She said there is a dearth of awareness and organized sanitary waste disposal infrastructure and disposal practices in rural and urban locations vary greatly. In parts of India, women dispose of their sanitary napkins or cloth in drains and potholes; some who are uncomfortable disposing of sanitary napkins in public flush them in toilets. Many women do not use dustbins because they think it might bring them disgrace as waste collectors might think poorly of them if they notice soiled napkins, the report said. As per the report, 41.8 per cent of women in the age group of 15–24 use disposable sanitary napkins while 16.4 per cent use locally produced napkins. Assuming a one-month-old infant uses 10 diapers a day—or 300 diapers per month—a single one-month-old baby could generate around 3,600 used diapers every year, it said. Also read | Menstrual Hygiene Day: How women have managed periods throughout history According to the United Nation Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 25 million children are born in India each year, and the average weight of a soiled diaper is 800 grams. Hence, India generates approximately 548 tonnes of baby diaper waste per day, or 2 lakh tonnes annually. However, in the last four years, more women have started using sanitary napkins in the states of Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh, the report found.

India's performance on climate action slipped between 2019 and 2020: Report

In the last 50 years since the Stockholm conference in 1972 started a global debate around environment, the world has seen a 38-fold increase in environmental laws but the condition of the planet continues to worsen, a latest report said on Thursday. The 'State of India's Environment -2022' report, released ahead of World Environment Day celebrated on June 5, revealed that India's performance on climate action slipped between 2019 and 2020. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development was adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, which provides a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future. Also read | Pak could split into 3 parts & also lose nuclear deterrent capabilities: Khan There are 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are an urgent call for action by all countries - developed and developing - in a global partnership. The report, prepared by India's environmental think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), made some startling revelations on the various environmental issues in India. It said that India has identified 295 primary indicators, but it is monitoring only 115 of these. Performance of all the states and union territories remains poor in the 13th SDG which is climate action. "In essence, India is not even monitoring progress on 61 per cent of its indicators. For instance, there are 41 indicators identified under SDG 8, which deals with sustained and inclusive economic growth and productive employment. India monitors just nine of them. It is silent on crucial indicators such as the growth of registered micro, small and medium-sized enterprises," the report said. India witnessed an unprecedented heatwave this year, as in impact of climate change, which caused massive crop damage and deaths. In 2022, India recorded its hottest March. This triggered an early onslaught of heatwaves. The country reported 280 heatwave days between March 11 and May 18, the highest in the past 10 years. This is almost double of what the country experienced in 2012, the second highest heatwave year in the past decade. According to the report, 74 percent of river monitoring stations in India have alarming levels of heavy toxic metals like iron and nickel. 40 percent of the stations have high levels of total coliform, and 15 percent have biochemical oxygen demand beyond permissible limits, which indicate poor wastewater treatment from industry, agriculture and domestic households. The report said that more than a third of India's coastline that is spread across 6,907 km witnessed erosion between 1990 and 2018 due to sea level rise and anthropogenic activities. Scientists said that forest cover in 244 out of 638 assessed districts across India's 27 states and five UTs has shrunk between 2019 and 2021. By 2050, the entire forest cover might become a climate hotspot, it said. "India has almost 30 percent of its geographical area under degradation, triggered by various factors which includes climate change. The soil health remains deficient in several key macro- and micro-nutrients that are key for sustainable agriculture," the report said. It warned that while the cost of cultivation has increased by almost 35 percent between 2012-13 and 2018-19, the share of income from cultivation in an agricultural household has diminished from 48 percent in 2012-13 to 37 percent in 2018-19. "At the same time, half of all agricultural households are under debt. As per government data, on an average, at least 29 farmers and farm labourers commit suicide in the country daily," the report said. Climate triggers more internal displacements than conflicts in the world now and India is the fourth worst hit after China, the Philippines and Bangladesh. The report said that only five large states in India which are Telangana, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, and two small states -Mizoram and Telangana- show good overall performance in Health Index that looks at key health indicators and existing infrastructure. It said that more than 1.7 million Indians die due to diseases attributable to unhealthy diet. "In India, 71 percent of population cannot afford a healthy diet," the report said. One-third of all carbon emissions come from burning coal, making it the single largest contributor to climate change in the world. India has the world's second largest operational coal plants capacity, after China. "By 2050, the world must reduce its GHG emissions from coal by 99 per cent to restrict the temperature rise to 1.5 degree C by 2100," it said. India recycled 12 percent and burnt 20 percent of the 3.5 million tonnes of plastic waste it generated in 2019-20, the report said, adding that there is no information on the remaining 68 percent of plastic waste, which most likely ends up in dumpsites and landfills. The report said that reducing air pollution to meet the World Health Organization's levels would add 2.2 years to global life expectancy and in India, the life expectancy will go up by 5.9 years if the country meets the WHO levels of PM2.5.

In summer of record heat, city sees a sharp spike in pollution levels too

Gurgaon: The air quality in April-May this year has been worse than that in the same period last year due to the combined effects of higher temperatures, lesser rainfall, and the resumption of economic activities and traffic movement after the pandemic lockdown. Compared to April-May 2021, Gurgaon saw 26 more ‘poor’ air days and two more ‘very poor’ air days in April-May this year. In April this year, Gurgaon saw three ‘moderate’, 24 ‘poor’ and three ‘very poor’ air days. April 2021 had seen 19 ‘moderate’ and 10 ‘poor’ air days, and only one ‘very poor’ air day. In May this year, the city saw one ‘satisfactory’, 16 ‘moderate’ and 14 ‘poor’ air days. May 2021 had seen one ‘good’, eight ‘satisfactory’, 20 ‘moderate’ and two ‘poor’ days. At 204, the average AQI in May this year has deteriorated to the ‘poor’ category. It was 121, i.e., in the ‘moderate’ category, in May 2021. In line with this trend, the average AQI in April this year was 243 but 178 in April 2021. According to the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), less rain and the severe heatwaves have impacted the air quality indices this year. An AQI between zero and 50 is categorised ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’. “We have witnessed higher pollution levels this year due to lesser rain, higher temperatures and more vehicular movement than last year,” said S Narayana, member secretary, HSPCB, Gurgaon. Gurgaon has witnessed five heatwave spells since April. On May 15, it recorded the city’s highest maximum temperature, 48.1 degrees Celsius. It was also the hottest May day in 56 years. Experts pointed out that local factors like large-scale construction activities, road dust, and waste burning are dominant contributors to air pollution in summer, increasing SOx, PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. In Gurgaon, the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations from April 1-May 31, 2022, were 138 ug/m3 and 215 ug/m3, respectively. From April 1-May 31 2021, the PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations were 78 ug/m3 and 127 ug/m3, respectively. As per the numbers, both PM 2.5 and PM 10 contributions have increased this year. The accumulation of particulate matter in the atmosphere from road dust has increased because there was hardly any rain this April and May, said experts. Road dust increases both PM2.5 and PM10 concentrations. The construction sector has also added to PM2.5 concentrations. Vehicular emissions spiked NOx and NO2 concentrations. “Pollution levels in summer are driven by dust, biomass burning and vehicular emissions. ‘Poor’ air quality in summer reiterates this is not a winter-only problem and needs collective action throughout the year. Authorities should ensure year-round vigilance and action against pollution sources like waste burning, dust from unpaved roads and construction activities. They should carry out periodic ward-wise reconnaissance surveys, map pollution sources, and generate real-time actionable data,” said LS Kurinji, a programme associate at Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Experts said that green spaces could help trap dust. “Fewer green spaces is one of the reasons for increased pollution. Dust sources also increase due to a lack of planning and execution. Road digging without covers or dust control measures, unpaved footpaths, and a lack of green belts increase dust,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, the executive director of research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment. When asked how heatwaves impact air quality, Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at Amity Centre for Air Pollution Control, said, “Heat waves and dry weather conditions kick up dust from roads and building sites. The air had cleared up on the two days we received rains. Along with heatwaves, the incidences of small fires have also increased, contributing to air pollution.”

The silent Antimicrobial Resistance pandemic urges a concerted global response – but what needs to be done?

The Swedish International Agriculture Network Initiative and other partners will host a lively discussion on the scaling up of action for a global concerted One Health response to the antibiotic antimicrobial resistance. The repeated misuse of antibiotics has triggered a silent Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) pandemic, currently threatening global health. The wide range of drug-resistant infections is leading to increased mortality and a recent Lancet study estimates that 1.27 million deaths are every year attributable to antibiotic resistance, with low- and middle-income countries worst affected. Tackling AMR will be crucial in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is vital to take a One Health approach for a concerted response to the AMR pandemic, and to understand the role that food, agriculture, and the environmental sectors play. As for Covid-19, new pathogens arise between the human-animal interface, hence the need to strengthen global health systems, including monitoring and surveillance of the environment. Improving infection, prevention and control capacity, ensuring equal access to medical countermeasures, and reinforcing global preparedness are just a few of the learnings the world has gained from the ongoing pandemic. This Stockholm+50 associated event seeks to identify limitations and opportunities within the current global AMR response and asks: How can we implement the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to effectively contain AMR development and spreading? How do we scale up action for a global concerted One Health response to the AMR pandemic? Organizers: The Nordic Council of Ministers, Swedish International Agriculture Network Initiative (SIANI) at Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) and ReAct – Action on antibiotic resistance. Confirmed speakers: Sabiha Essack, Professor, International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (participating from South Africa) Frank Møller Aarestrup, Professor, DTU Orbit Edgar Brun, Unit Director, Norwegian Veterinary Institute Andrea Caputo, PhD, Global Health Advisor, ReAct – Action on antibiotic resistance Anders Nordström, Ambassador for Global Health at Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Sweden Junxia Song, Senior Animal Health Officer, FAO AMR focal point, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Sunita Narain, Director General of Center for Science and Environment (CSE); Editor of the fortnightly magazine, Down To Earth Moderator: Prof. Maria Teresa Bejarano, Professor at Karolinska Institute and Senior Research Advisor at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). All speakers will be physically present in Stockholm except for Sabiha Essack.

As heat cuts power in India's 'coal capital,' locals seek fair energy share

In one of India's largest coal-producing states, locals say the lack of power is unfair on their state, whose coal reserves light up big cities and power the nation's industries. As part of his wedding preparations, Vijay Rajak had a bathroom added to his house so that his wife wouldn’t have to walk miles to a lake like other women from his village in the east Indian coal state of Jharkhand. He connected the bathroom tap to a storage tank powered by an electric water pump, but his effort was scuppered by frequent power outages in his village, which have also hit other parts of India amid a heatwave-driven power crisis over the past month. Extreme heat in India pushed up electricity use to unprecedented highs with people cranking up their air-conditioning, causing widespread power cuts since April as utilities scrambled to meet demand amid dwindling coal supplies. Jharkhand locals say the lack of power is unfair on their state, whose coal reserves light up big cities and power the nation’s industries. “There is an open-cast coal mine on what was once my land - and yet we don’t have power for 10 hours or more,” Rajak, 30, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from Surunga village in Dhanbad district, India’s coal capital. “We have been burning in this pollution for years because of the coal mine, but haven’t gained anything. All I wanted was for my wife to feel comfortable and to be able to take a bath at home,” he said. On a heating planet, as power consumption is soaring with heatwaves gripping more cities, Jharkhand must plan for its future now. Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director for industrial pollution, Centre for Science and Environment Jharkhand is one of India’s poorest states and also among its top coal producers, with 150 mines. Coal fuels over 70 per cent of the country’s electricity generation - and yet inhabitants of this coal-rich region complain that frequent power blackouts are derailing their lives and work. Jharkhand electricity board officials said the region has sufficient power to meet peak summer demand of about 2,600 megawatts from federal, private and state-owned power utilities. Similar outages were experienced in other parts of India last month when demand peaked, they added. K.K. Verma, managing director of the Jharkhand state power distribution company, JBVNL, attributed the power cuts to local conditions such as thunderstorms and old overhead power lines and conductors that need costly upgrades. As long as Jharkhand gets its full allocation from central power companies, there is no electricity shortage in the state, he noted. Analysts said this dependence is at the heart of the state’s power crunch, as national-level generation has been unable to keep up with demand, partly due to severe coal shortages. “Jharkhand has not added a single megawatt of power in two decades and has been buying power from thermal plants in other states that have their own priorities,” said Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director for industrial pollution at the Centre for Science and Environment. The state hopes its two planned thermal coal power plants - one set to start operating in the next six months - will solve its problems. But analysts said that could be a misplaced step when the wider world is moving to renewable energy. “On a heating planet, as power consumption is soaring with heatwaves gripping more cities, Jharkhand must plan for its future now,” said researcher Yadav, pointing out that the state’s current plans will feed rising demand for coal. “Jharkhand has to change its mindset that it is ‘coal-rich’. The state’s just transition must start now,” he added. Diesel dilemma A socially fair shift to a greener energy model appears to be some way off in most parts of India whose local economies rely on the coal industry. People living in coal-mining hubs battle multiple challenges, from air and water pollution to water scarcity and poor infrastructure. In Jharkhand, where more than 40 per cent of its 33 million people are poor, power outages are the biggest barrier to development, locals said. According to a 2020 analysis by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, about 80 per cent of households in the state experienced at least one power cut a day, lasting for up to eight hours - twice as long as those recorded in other coal-rich states like Chhattisgarh and Odisha. Uninterrupted power supply has been a poll promise for years, featuring heavily in current campaigns for village council elections, but there has been little progress on the ground, locals said. “We are the coal capital and we don’t have power. This is like owning a dairy farm and you are not getting even half a litre of milk,” said Dhanbad resident Sanoj Singh, who blamed power cuts for losses in his construction business. Generators are in huge demand in Dhanbad, fuelling worries about diesel consumption. “A 5kg generator that can power an entire house consumes 1.5 litres of diesel per hour. We know generators cause harmful emissions but how (otherwise) do people survive the heat?” asked Paras Yadav, who rents out generators in Dhanbad. Pandemic push Household power connections in Jharkhand have shot up to 5 million in the past three years from 3 million, thanks to state schemes to electrify rural areas and the return of several hundred thousand migrants from cities during Covid-19 lockdowns, some of whom stayed, officials said. That has boosted power demand, even as a large share of new consumers cannot afford to pay bills. About 2.5 million power connections belong to very poor people in semi-urban and remote villages, where there is high demand from cottage industries but revenue generation is low largely because of billing and payment issues, said officials. Jharkhand - which, like other states including even rich ones, owes billions of rupees in back payments to power generation companies - covered enough of its dues this year to maintain its supply, officials said. Power connections have helped many like Ruby Mahto, 32, a farmer in East Singhbhum district, about 200 km north of Dhanbad. She connected a water pump to a well to irrigate her one-acre farm two years ago, but now has to drag buckets of water with ropes as power cuts have left her pump lying idle. “We wait for power all day and the minute we connect the pipe to the pump, the power snaps,” she said. Rajak’s wife Basanti Kumari, 25, meanwhile, is thankful that her husband’s village still has a better power supply than her parents’ in the steel manufacturing hub of Bokaro. Yet her days are busier than ever, as she grinds spices on stone and fills water containers for cooking and cleaning before walking over a mile to bathe, unable to use her electrical equipment when the power drops out. “It is so hot so we can’t even skip taking a bath. I have to be careful with people around. What choice do I have?” she said.

"El temps està boig". Hem tornat boig el clima (I no ens donarà treva)

Una "cúpula de calor" al Canadà que fa cremar quatre milions d'hectàrees, inundacions amb 180 morts a Alemanya, pols tòxica a Corea del Sud, tifons que salinitzen el sòl i desplacen centenars de milers de persones a l'Índia, plagues de ratolins "en eixam" a Austràlia. Se'n diu crisi climàtica, i ha fet que el temps es torni boig A finals de juny del 2021 una zona molt extensa del Canadà va quedar atrapada sota un fenomen meteorològic molt poc habitual. Una "cúpula de calor" sobre la Colúmbia Britànica va provocar -en un lloc habitualment fred- temperatures que fregaven els 50 graus. Dos mesos després, hi havia hagut al Canadà més de sis mil incendis que van cremar més de quatre milions d'hectàrees. Pobles sencers -com Lytton- van quedar arrasats en minuts, per un foc tan intens i tan ràpid que era impossible de combatre. "Els arbres explotaven, els pals de telèfon també… La temperatura era altíssima. A més, semblava que darrere de qualsevol revolt podia aparèixer una muralla de foc", Gordon Murray, habitant de Lytton, Canadà Hem arribat a un punt que el canvi climàtic pot arrasar poblacions senceres. Els mateixos incendis forestals acceleren el canvi climàtic. El que va tenir lloc a Sibèria, també a l'estiu, va emetre més de 800.000 tones de diòxid de carboni, un gas d'efecte hivernacle: més que les emissions anuals d'Alemanya. Aquest últim juliol ha estat el mes més calorós de la història. L'onada de calor de l'estiu passat, batejada com a Llucifer, va fer pujar els termòmetres a Itàlia fins als 48,8 graus, la temperatura més alta mai registrada al continent. "Amb el canvi climàtic, aquestes temperatures tan altes poden arribar cada tres anys", Peter Stott, del Servei Meteorològic Britània, un dels millors experts mundials en canvi climàtic. El perill de les fortes inundacions és una altra conseqüència del canvi climàtic (Reportatge "El temps està boig") El sistema d'alerta dissenyat per Hannah Cloke a la Universitat de Reading (Regne Unit) pot preveure inundacions en qualsevol lloc d'Europa, amb una precisió sorprenent. El 9 de juliol passat va aixecar l'alarma sobre una zona molt extensa del nord del Rin, a Alemanya, amb previsions exactes sobre les hores de les inundacions i els rius que serien afectats. En dos dies hi va caure tanta pluja com la que solia caure en dos mesos: milers de cases i negocis van quedar inundats, i hi van morir almenys 180 persones. Ni l'Estat ni els serveis d'emergències havien fet cas dels onze avisos rebuts. "L'aigua va començar a pujar. Va ser terrible. No sabíem què fer. No ens podíem quedar a casa, però no teníem enlloc on anar. Com pot ser que l'aigua pugés tan de pressa? No ho enteníem", Sebia, afectada per les inundacions a Schuld, Alemanya) Aquelles inundacions no eren un episodi anòmal: es van produir perquè l'escalfament global desestabilitza els nostres patrons climàtics. A tot el món. Aquest perill, que ja no es revertirà encara que s'aconsegueixi aturar les emissions de gasos d'efecte hivernacle, fa que sigui essencial protegir les poblacions amb sistemes d'alarma i d'evacuació eficaços. Aquesta crisi a nivell mundial també provoca un altre fenomen terrible: les migracions climàtiques. Les Nacions Unides preveuen que l'any 2050 hi podria haver 200 milions de migrants climàtics arreu del món. Els incendis forestals incontrolables, les inundacions destructives, els ciclons devastadors o les greus sequeres, derivats del canvi climàtic, provoquen les migracions climàtiques (Reportatge "El temps està boig") A les illes Sundarbans, al golf de Bengala, a l'Índia, ja és una realitat. L'elevació del nivell del mar i les tempestes tropicals han destruït gairebé totalment l'agricultura, en una zona on molts petits agricultors vivien del que els donava la collita. El maig de l'any passat un cicló va provocar-hi tal devastació que totes les plantacions van quedar destrossades. La inundació dels camps amb aigua salada farà que no es puguin conrear durant almenys cinc anys. Més de 100.000 persones han marxat de les Illes per trobar feina en un altre lloc. "Les persones estan perdent la capacitat de resistir. No poden sobreviure a un cicló darrere l'altre. Això és pot fer una vegada. Quan hi havia un cicló cada 20 anys es podia resistir, però què has de fer quan el cicló es repeteix cada any?", Sunita Narain, directora general del Centre de Ciència i Medi Ambient, Nova Delhi Les tempestes de sorra que arrosseguen partícules contaminants poden provocar greus problemes de salut (Reportatge "El temps està boig") A les escoles de Seül, la capital de Corea del Sud, cal engegar cada matí els purificadors d'aire que s'han instal·lat a totes les escoles, a cada aula. Ho fan per la pols tòxica, una altra de les conseqüències del canvi climàtic: la combinació de tempestes de sorra i contaminació. Quan el vent arrossega el núvol de pols des de Mongòlia a través de Xina i de Corea del Sud, aquest recull bilions de partícules contaminants microscòpiques emeses pels vehicles, les fàbriques i les centrals tèrmiques de carbó. Les partícules tòxiques que arrosseguen les tempestes de sorra nascudes a Mongòlia poden provocar greus problemes de salut, sobretot a les criatures. Quan el nivell de partícules és molt alt, sovint els nens es queixen que tenen mal i diuen que no poden obrir els ulls o que els hi piquen. I si diuen que els entra la pols al coll, diuen que tenen picor i que no poden parlar bé", Jiyeon Lee, mestra, Seül, Corea del Sud Però si calgués triar el pitjor continent per viure-hi els humans tenint en compte el canvi climàtic, seria Austràlia. Una part important del país ja és tan àrida i tan càlida que amb prou feines hi poden viure els humans. En els últims anys Austràlia ha patit la seva pitjor secada des de fa 50 anys i uns quants incendis forestals que van cremar una extensió com la de Gran Bretanya. Quan va acabar la sequera i per fi va ploure, els agricultors van obtenir la millor collita de la història. Les sitges es van omplir de gra. Però aquesta combinació poc habitual de sequera i pluges havia desestabilitzat l'ecosistema: una plaga de ratolins de dimensions fins aleshores desconegudes va envair i devastar les granges, les cases, els cotxes. La població de rosegadors es va disparar, però el seu comportament també va canviar: van entrar en mode eixam. "Es tornen més agressius entre ells I també més agressius contra altres animals, incloent-hi els humans. Fixeu-vos que quan ens hi acostem no s'escapen. Fins i tot se t'enfilen pels pantalons. Això no significa que vulguin atacar, però sí que han perdut la por", Steven Belmain, Institut de Recursos Naturals, Universitat de Greenwich L'única manera d'acabar amb la plaga de ratolins va ser cremar tots els sacs de gra acumulats d'aquella gran collita. Unes pèrdues enormes que les assegurances no van cobrir, com tampoc no cobreixen gairebé enlloc els riscos associats a fenòmens meteorològics extrems. L'augment de les temperatures incideix en l'abast i la quantitat d'incendis forestals, els quals emeten a l'atmosfera tones de diòxid de carboni, un gas d'efecte hivernacle (Reportatge "El temps està boig") "El temps està boig" analitza també altres fenòmens derivats de la crisi climàtica en tot el món. Per exemple, a Madagascar. Un país on no hi ha guerra ni conflictes, un paradís tropical famós per la seva biodiversitat. Avui estan a punt de patir, al sud, la primera fam provocada per la crisi climàtica: una sequera de quatre anys ha deixat la terra seca com un os. Gairebé un milió de persones pateixen escassedat greu d'aliments. Criatures i dones embarassades en són les primeres víctimes. Si la temperatura de la Terra pugés dos graus, 189 milions de persones, sobretot a l'Àfrica, no tindrien prou menjar per sobreviure. Els països més pobres, que són els que menys han contribuït a la crisi climàtica, són els que més la pateixen. "Hem arribat a un punt d'inflexió en la necessitat d'actuar davant del canvi climàtic. L'alteració del nostre clima i del nostre planeta ja és pitjor del que ens pensàvem i avança més de pressa del que havíem previst", António Guterres, secretari general de les Nacions Unides Aquests fenòmens climàtics extrems que hem vist en els darrers anys, en els darrers mesos, són l'avís més extrem que no podem seguir ignorant els avisos del planeta. Perquè la crisi climàtica ja no és una especulació, una possibilitat o una sospita: és una realitat que amenaça carregar-se la vida a la Terra tal com la coneixem, i el compte enrere ja està en marxa.

Delhi LG seeks plan to flatten landfills in city

After visiting the 65m-high trash mountain in Ghazipur on Sunday, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena directed officials to chalk out a detailed plan of action within three days to completely flatten the three trash mountains of the Capital – the landfill sites at Ghazipur, Bhalswa (62m high) and Okhla (60m high) After visiting the 65m-high trash mountain in Ghazipur on Sunday, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena directed officials to chalk out a detailed plan of action within three days to completely flatten the three trash mountains of the Capital – the landfill sites at Ghazipur, Bhalswa (62m high) and Okhla (60m high). The L-G will himself monitor the execution of the action plan, said officials in the know of the matter. “The L-G issued categorical instructions to officers to submit a plan of action within the next three days for complete razing of all three garbage mountains situated at Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Okhla. He also instructed that a dedicated team of officers be constituted to draw out the plan of action mentioning a fixed date of completion,” the L-G’s office issued a statement. In a move that may help speed up the flattening of the trash mountains, the L-G asked the MCD officials to regularly put out in public domain the reduction in height of the trash mountains achieved at the three sites. He emphasized that lapses will be taken seriously and responsibility will be fixed. Saxena also suggested adopting reverse engineering model so as to ensure that the deadlines fixed by the MCD are met and the goals achieved, said an official from the L-G’s office. RELATED STORIES When he got out he always used to leave cursing me. I enjoyed it: PAK legend recalls his verbal battles with Gavaskar 'When he got out he always used to leave cursing me. I enjoyed it': PAK legend recalls his verbal battles with Gavaskar Will Amber Heard or Johnny Depp go to prison if other party wins defamation case? 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Watch “The action plan to be submitted by MCD will be monitored on a regular basis by the L-G himself and if required, he would visit the site at regular intervals to see actual progress,” said the statement issued by the L-G office. To monitor the progress on a weekly basis, a special cell will also be put in place at the L-G Secretariat. Saxena stood atop the Ghazipur landfill site on Sunday and spent over two hours inspecting the trash mountain, the nearby areas, the recycling work and gathering feedback from officers. “The L-G inspected various activities and the surroundings so as to get a first-hand feel of the intensity and magnitude of the problem at hand,” said the official. Cities Saxena was accompanied by chief secretary Naresh Kumar, MCD’s special officer Ashwini Kumar, MCD commissioner Gyanesh Bharti among other officials. Spread over 70 acres, the Ghazipur landfill site has legacy waste amounting to 14 million metric tonnes. The East Delhi areas, that the landfill caters to, generates 2,600 metric tonnes of waste on a daily basis. Similarly, Bhalswa in north Delhi and Okhla in south Delhi shelters mounds of legacy waste amounting to eight million and five million metric tonnes respectively. The solid waste at these sites are of three categories – refuse derived fuel (RDF), construction & demolition (C&D) and inert waste. While the RDF waste is being used to generate power from ‘waste-to-energy’ plants, a small quantity of inert waste is being used by NHAI for road construction activities, the processed C&D waste can be used for construction and filling activities, the L-G office said. The L-G reviewed the ongoing work of bio-remediation at the site, which also involves segregation of waste and off take of recycled garbage. He directed the Ghazipur ‘waste-to-energy’ plant be operationalized at the earliest so that the amount of fresh waste being added to the site is reduced. “After the L-G was informed that off take of recycled construction and demolition waste was an issue of concern, he suggested the possibility of making it available to the general people, builders and construction firms in NCR region...He suggested that apart from addressing the issue of off take, it will also result in revenue generation,” the LG office stated. Saxena also directed the officials to explore if the state governments are interested in using the inert waste from the landfills for road construction activities. The NHAI is currently using a small quantity of inert waste from Ghazipur landfill for constructing roads. The L-G observed that the recycling activities being undertaken at the landfill is generating a lot of dust, adding to the haze and pollution in the adjoining areas. He asked officers to address the issue by using recycled water from the nearby sewage treatment plant for sprinkling and settling the dust, said the L-G office. Saxena also emphasized on the need to involve more people, NGOs, ragpickers and other civil society groups in the efforts to improve the landscape of the national capital and make the city free of garbage mountains. He also advised that experts should be consulted so that innovative technologies can be put to use for the completion of the process. Various estimates show that the rapidly expanding capital city generates around 4,000-5,000 metric tonnes of debris and construction waste every day and the local bodies of Delhi have already operationalized four C&D waste processing plants with cumulative capacity of 4,150 tons per day (TPD). Three more processing plants are in the pipeline at Rani Khera, Libaspur and Tehkhand in the outskirts of the city, which will further raise the daily processing capacity to 6,650 tonnes per day. However, several concerns regarding slow uptake of recycled products, collection mechanism and the quality of the recycled products have surfaced from time to time. The five local bodies of the city- three corporations, Delhi Cantonment and the NDMC- have designated a total of 212 sites, where construction waste can be legally deposited by the residential and small-scale generators. While the city continues to progressively upgrade its processing capacity, the slow uptake of recycled products still remains a key concern. In 2016, the Delhi government had issued an advisory asking all public agencies to mandate 5% use of such products for non-structural applications while examining and approving building plans. Atin Biswas, programme director of municipal solid waste, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), who is part of an ongoing study of landfill sites across the country, said using the inert materials for gainful application is a good idea but the process must encompass a test procedure to check whether the extracted fraction from the legacy dump has presence of chemicals and heavy metals beyond the prescribed standards. “Using the inert waste for road construction is one of the best ways to use it. If tests are not being conducted, then it should always be used in a containment system, such as using it with a liner at the bottom, to protect the soil from any possible contamination. It is very likely that the inert materials may have presence of harmful chemicals and heavy metals; therefore its disposal requires proper planning and a protocol of environmental safeguard standard and it should never be allowed to be dumped in open mines otherwise,” said Biswas.

Hyderabad gets 6 more air quality monitoring stations

HYDERABAD: In a major fillip for air pollution monitoring, six more Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) were flagged off in the city, bringing its tally to 12. Previously, the six stations existed at Bollarum, UoH, ICRISAT, Pashamylaram, Sanathnagar, and Nehru Zoological Park. Now, the new stations are kept at ECIL Kapra, IIT-Hyderabad, Kompally, Nacharam TSIIC, New Malakpet and Somajiguda. Sources said that there are plans to add two more at strategic locations. The Pollution Control Board (PCB) officials have been running trials with the new stations and the data revealed that Somajiguda and Nacharam are most polluted areas. According to the Centre for Science and Environment report from 2020, Hyderabad along with six megacities would need 23 to 44 stations each. "Now, PCB scientists do not have to decipher the readings as monitoring would now be automatic," a senior scientist told TOI. The stations would provide real-time data for every 15 minutes, enabling scientists to identify the source, time and level of pollution. "Even this doesn't give the entire truth. The existing parameters are limited to a few to monitor pollution," retired professor and environmentalist K Purushotham Reddy said.