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Let’s go: Recycle construction, demolition waste

Twenty-three years ago, in 1999, Navi Mumbai was one of the first Indian cities to conceptualise and implement a decentralised debris management solution. This project provided an exemplary model for future debris management. However, despite their successful demonstration to recycle 1,500 tonnes of C&D debris, NGO Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA) and the City and Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (CIDCO) initiative at the CIDCO YUVA Building Centre closed down in 2012. Cities including Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Indore, and Ahmedabad all have at least one building waste processing plant, either administered by the local authority or in a public-private partnership, according to a survey of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). In 2022, Mumbai is among 40 other cities in India that have yet to get their first operational debris recycling plant. Despite their findings 5 years ago that recycling C&D waste is crucial. The just-released IPCC report 2022 says “If global CO2 emissions continue at current rates, the remaining carbon budget for keeping warming to 1.5°C will likely be exhausted before 2030. At current (2019) rates of emissions “it would only take 8 years for a 67th percentile 1.5°C.” The process of demolition is a highly polluting one; toxic dust particles from C&D waste are a prominent source of air pollution. In recognition of this, in 2016 the C& D Rules which mandate recycling of construction debris were notified by the ministry of environment, forests and climate change of the government of India. In 2017, the BMC recommended recycling 95 per cent of the city’s C&D waste and proposed a 2.7-hectare recycling centre in Mulund to handle 1,140 tonnes per day, resulting in sand, clay, and bricks. Construction of the Centre was supposed to start in 2018. Unfortunately, this project never took off. In August 2021, Maharashtra Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray presided over the launch of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan. MCAP is the first such plan in India and acknowledged the severity of air pollution. 20% of Mumbai buildings are being redeveloped and Mumbai is executing several major infrastructure construction projects. In March 2022, after extensive consultations with stakeholders, the government’s MCAP concluded that construction activities in Mumbai contribute to 8% of the total emission of particulate matter and recognised construction and demolition (C&D) waste as a major component. “The next few years are critical” says the IPCC report 2022, discussing the vital necessity to limit global warming to within 1.5 degrees C and avert the worst of climate change. Air pollution is recognised by the United Nations as a leading cause of climate change. The national Swachh Bharat Mission recognised the need for C&D waste management. Air pollution is also one of the most significant health risks we currently face. Under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) Indian cities have to reduce their particulate pollution by 20-30% by 2024. Despite recognition of the contribution C&D waste to air pollution and of air pollution to accelerate climate change, construction and demolition (C&D) without systemic waste disposal is rampant all over Mumbai and surrounding cities like Thane, Navi Mumbai and others. Unsurprisingly, in 2022 Mumbai even overtook the air pollution levels of Delhi, one of the most air polluted cities in the world. Heaps of concrete, bricks and metal waste from construction choke water bodies, green areas and public spaces in Mumbai’s surrounding cities. The IPCC 2022 says that in 2019 “emissions were higher than at any point in human history before… In order to stop the temperature increase, however, net emissions must be zero.” Mumbai is a city under reconstruction. Even while a new inter-governmental panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report predicts that the world is heading towards an existential climate crisis and specifically names a building project in Mumbai as a showcase example of projects which worsen this global disaster, Mumbai’s buildings are being systematically torn down and rebuilt, without any pollution control measures. The world continues towards irreversible warming.

दुनिया की लगभग पूरी आबादी प्रदूषित हवा में सांस ले रही है: डब्ल्यूएचओ

विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन का कहना है कि दुनिया के 99 फीसदी लोग प्रदूषित हवा में सांस लेते हैं. इस ख़राब गुणवत्ता की हवा की वजह से हर साल लाखों लोगों की मौत हो जाती है. डब्ल्यूएचओ के आंकड़ों के मुताबिक़, पृथ्वी का लगभग हर कोना वायु प्रदूषण से जूझ रहा है, कुछ देशों में यह समस्या बदतर है. जिनेवाः संयुक्त राष्ट्र की स्वास्थ्य एजेंसी विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन (डब्ल्यूएचओ) का कहना है कि दुनिया के 99 फीसदी लोग प्रदूषित हवा में सांस लेते हैं. इस खराब गुणवत्ता की हवा की वजह से हर साल लाखों लोगों की मौत हो जाती है. इस हवा में अक्सर ऐसे कण होते हैं, जो फेफड़ों में भीतर तक जा सकते हैं, नसों और धमनियों में प्रवेश कर सकते हैं और बीमारी का कारण बन सकते हैं. एएफपी की रिपोर्ट के मुताबिक, डब्ल्यूएचओ के आंकड़ों के अनुसार पृथ्वी का लगभग हर कोना वायु प्रदूषण से जूझ रहा है, कुछ देशों में यह समस्या बहुत बदतर है. एजेंसी की पर्यावरण, जलवायु परिवर्तन एवं स्वास्थ्य निदेशक मारिया नीरा ने संवाददाताओं को बताया, ‘वैश्विक आबादी के लगभग 100 फीसदी लोग अभी भी उस हवा में सांस ले रहे हैं, जो विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन के मानकों के अनुरूप नहीं है. यह सार्वजनिक स्वास्थ्य का एक बड़ा मुद्दा है.’ डब्ल्यूएचओ ने चार साल पहले अपनी पिछली रिपोर्ट में पाया था कि वायु प्रदूषण से वैश्विक आबादी के 90 फीसदी से अधिक लोग प्रभावित थे. डब्ल्यूएचओ ने कहा, ‘वायु प्रदूषण से होने वाले नुकसान के लिए साक्ष्य आधार तेजी से बढ़ रहा है और यह कई वायु प्रदूषकों के निम्न स्तर के कारण होने वाले गंभीर नुकसान की ओर इशारा करता है. पिछले साल संयुक्त राष्ट्र के आंकड़ों में ऐसा संकेत मिला था कि लॉकडाउन और यात्रा प्रतिबंधों ने वायु गुणवत्ता में अल्पकालिक सुधार किया है लेकिन डब्ल्यूएचओ ने कहा कि वायु प्रदूषण एक बड़ी समस्या है.’ नीरा ने कहा, ‘महामारी से बचने के बाद वायु प्रदूषण की वजह से 70 लाख मौतें होना अस्वीकार्य है क्योंकि इन मौतों को रोका जा सकता था.’ डब्ल्यूएचओ का अध्ययन दुनियाभर के 6000 से अधिक शहरों और 117 देशों में स्थित अन्य केंद्रों के वायु गुणवत्ता की जानकारी उपलब्ध कराता है. इसके दायरे में दुनिया का लगभग 80 फीसदी शहरी इलाका आता है. नीरा ने कहा कि डब्ल्यूएचओ ने सैटेलाइट डाटा और गणितीय मॉडल का इस्तेमाल कर यह पता लगाया कि वायु की गुणवत्ता मदुनियाभर में लगभग हर जगह घट रही है. रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, ‘पूर्वी भूमध्यसागर व दक्षिण एशियाई क्षेत्रों समेत अफ्रीका में सबसे खराब वायु गुणवत्ता दर्ज की गई है.’ डब्ल्यूएचओ ने कहा कि यह नतीजे चिंताजनक है और जीवाश्म ईंधन पर निर्भरता को जल्द से जल्द कम करने के महत्व पर जोर दिया. डब्ल्यूएचओ के प्रमुख टेड्रोस अदनोम घेब्रेयस ने कहा कि यूक्रेन पर रूस के हमले की वजह से ऊर्जा की बढ़ती कीमतों की वजह से इस बदलाव को आगे बढ़ाने में मदद मिलनी चाहिए. डब्ल्यूएचओ ने श्वास एवं रक्त प्रवाह संबंधी समस्याएं पैदा करने वाले और हर साल लाखों लोगों की मौत के लिए जिम्मेदार प्रदूषक उत्पन्न करने वाले जीवाश्म-ईंधन के उपयोग को कम करने के लिए और कदम उठाने की अपील की. वायु गुणवत्ता पर अपने दिशानिर्देश कड़े करने के करीब छह महीने बाद डब्ल्यूएचओ ने सोमवार को वायु गुणवत्ता संबंधी अपने डेटाबेस पर यह जानकारी जारी की, जो दुनियाभर में बढ़ते शहरों, कस्बों एवं गांवों की बढ़ती संख्या से मिली सूचना पर आधारित है. इस डेटाबेस के तहत परंपरागत रूप से पार्टिकुलेट मैटर (पीएम) 2.5 और पीएम 10 को देखा जाता था, लेकिन अब पहली बार नाइट्रोजन डाइऑक्साइड के जमीनी माप को इसमें शामिल किया है. डेटाबेस का अंतिम संस्करण 2018 में जारी किया गया था. दिल्ली स्थित ‘सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट’ में वायु प्रदूषण विशेषज्ञ अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा कि ये निष्कर्ष वायु प्रदूषण से निपटने के लिए आवश्यक बदलावों पर व्यापक पैमाने पर प्रकाश डालते हैं. थिंक टैंक ‘काउंसिल ऑन एनर्जी, एनवायरनमेंट एंड वॉटर’ ने एक अध्ययन में पाया कि भारत में 60 प्रतिशत से अधिक पीएम2.5 घरों और उद्योगों से पैदा होते हैं. इस थिंक टैंक के वायु गुणवत्ता कार्यक्रम की प्रमुख तनुश्री गांगुली ने उद्योगों, ऑटोमोबाइल, जैव ईंधन जलाने और घरेलू ऊर्जा से होने वाले उत्सर्जन को कम करने की दिशा में कदम उठाने का आह्वान किया.

WHO says 99% of world's population breathes poor-quality air

GENEVA The U.N. health agency says nearly everybody in the world breathes air that doesn’t meet its standards for air quality, calling for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use, which generates pollutants that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems and lead to millions of preventable deaths each year. The World Health Organization, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality, on Monday issued an update to its database on air quality that draws on information from a growing number of cities, towns and villages across the globe — now over 6,000 municipalities. WHO said 99% of the global population breathes air that exceeds its air-quality limits and is often rife with particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the veins and arteries and cause disease. Air quality is poorest in WHO's eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa, it said. “After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution,” said Dr. Maria Neira, head of WHO’s department of environment, climate change and health. “Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air.” The database, which has traditionally considered two types of particulate matter known as PM2.5 and PM10, for the first time has included ground measurements of nitrogen dioxide. The last version of the database was issued in 2018. Nitrogen dioxide originates mainly from human-generated burning of fuel, such as through automobile traffic, and is most common in urban areas. Exposure can bring respiratory disease like asthma and symptoms like coughing, wheezing and difficulty in breathing, and more hospital and emergency-room admissions, WHO said. The highest concentrations were found in the eastern Mediterranean region. On Monday, the east Mediterranean island of Cyprus suffered through high concentrations of atmospheric dust for the third straight day, with some cities experiencing three and nearly four times the 50 micrograms per square meter that authorities consider normal. Officials said the microscopic particles could be especially harmful to young children, the elderly and the ill. Particulate matter has many sources, such as transportation, power plants, agriculture, the burning of waste and industry – as well as from natural sources like desert dust. The developing world is particularly hard hit: India had high levels of PM10, while China showed high levels of PM2.5, the database showed. “Particulate matter, especially PM2.5, is capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular (stroke) and respiratory impacts,” WHO said. “There is emerging evidence that particulate matter impacts other organs and causes other diseases as well.” The findings highlight the sheer scale of the changes needed to combat air pollution, said Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert at Center for Science and Environment, a research organization in New Delhi. India and the world need to brace for major changes to try to curb air pollution, including using electric vehicles, shifting away from fossil fuels, embracing a massive scaling-up of green energy and separating out types of waste, she said. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank, found that more than 60% of India’s PM2.5 loads are from households and industries. Tanushree Ganguly, who heads the council’s program on air quality, called for action toward reducing emissions from industries, automobiles, biomass burning and domestic energy. “We need to prioritize clean energy access for households that need it the most, and take active measures to clean up our industrial sector,” she said.

DSÖ: Dünya Nüfusunun %99'u Kalitesiz Hava Soluyor

BM sağlık kuruluşu, dünyadaki neredeyse herkesin hava kalitesi standartlarını karşılamayan hava soluduğunu söyleyerek, solunum ve kan akışı sorunlarına neden olan kirleticiler üreten fosil yakıt kullanımını azaltmak için daha fazla eylem çağrısında bulundu. ve her yıl milyonlarca önlenebilir ölüme yol açmaktadır. Dünya Sağlık Örgütü, hava kalitesiyle ilgili yönergelerini sıkılaştırdıktan yaklaşık altı ay sonra, Pazartesi günü hava kalitesi veri tabanına, dünya genelinde artan sayıda şehir, kasaba ve köyden - şu anda 6.000'den fazla belediyeden - alınan bilgilerden yararlanan bir güncelleme yayınladı. DSÖ, küresel nüfusun %99'unun hava kalitesi sınırlarını aşan hava soluduğunu ve genellikle akciğerlerin derinliklerine nüfuz edebilen, damarlara ve atardamarlara girebilen ve hastalığa neden olabilen partiküllerle dolu olduğunu söyledi. DSÖ'nün doğu Akdeniz ve Güneydoğu Asya bölgelerinde hava kalitesinin en düşük olduğu ve bunu Afrika'nın izlediği belirtildi. DSÖ'nün çevre, iklim değişikliği ve sağlık departmanı başkanı Dr. Maria Neira, "Bir pandemiden sağ çıktıktan sonra, hava kirliliği nedeniyle hala 7 milyon önlenebilir ölüm ve sayısız önlenebilir sağlık kaybının olması kabul edilemez" dedi. “Yine de temiz ve sağlıklı hava yerine kirli bir çevreye çok fazla yatırım yapılıyor.” Geleneksel olarak PM2.5 ve PM10 olarak bilinen iki tür partikül maddeyi dikkate alan veri tabanı, ilk kez nitrojen dioksitin zemin ölçümlerini içeriyor. Veritabanının son sürümü 2018'de yayınlandı. Azot dioksit esas olarak otomobil trafiği gibi insan kaynaklı yakıt yanmasından kaynaklanır ve en çok kentsel alanlarda yaygındır. WHO, maruz kalmanın astım gibi solunum yolu hastalıkları ve öksürük, hırıltılı solunum ve nefes almada zorluk gibi semptomları ve daha fazla hastane ve acil servis başvurularını beraberinde getirebileceğini söyledi. En yüksek konsantrasyonlar Doğu Akdeniz bölgesinde bulundu. Pazartesi günü, Doğu Akdeniz adası Kıbrıs, üst üste üçüncü gün boyunca yüksek konsantrasyonlarda atmosferik tozdan zarar gördü ve bazı şehirlerde, yetkililerin normal kabul ettiği metrekare başına 50 mikrogramın üç ve yaklaşık dört katını yaşadı. Yetkililer, mikroskobik parçacıkların özellikle küçük çocuklar, yaşlılar ve hastalar için zararlı olabileceğini söyledi. Partikül maddenin ulaşım, enerji santralleri, tarım, atıkların yakılması ve sanayi gibi birçok kaynağı olduğu gibi çöl tozu gibi doğal kaynaklardan da vardır. Gelişmekte olan dünya özellikle sert darbe aldı: Veritabanı, Hindistan'ın yüksek PM10 seviyelerine sahip olduğunu, Çin'in ise yüksek PM2.5 seviyeleri gösterdiğini gösterdi. WHO, "Partikül madde, özellikle PM2.5, akciğerlerin derinliklerine nüfuz etme ve kan dolaşımına girme, kardiyovasküler, serebrovasküler (inme) ve solunumsal etkilere neden olma yeteneğine sahiptir." Dedi. Partikül maddenin diğer organları etkilediğine ve başka hastalıklara da yol açtığına dair ortaya çıkan kanıtlar var.” Yeni Delhi'deki bir araştırma kuruluşu olan Bilim ve Çevre Merkezi'nde hava kirliliği uzmanı olan Anumita Roychowdhury, bulguların hava kirliliğiyle mücadele için gereken değişikliklerin büyük ölçeğini vurguladığını söyledi. Hindistan ve dünyanın, elektrikli araçlar kullanmak, fosil yakıtlardan uzaklaşmak, yeşil enerjiyi büyük ölçüde büyütmek ve atık türlerini ayırmak da dahil olmak üzere hava kirliliğini engellemeye çalışmak için büyük değişikliklere hazır olması gerektiğini söyledi. Yeni Delhi merkezli bir düşünce kuruluşu olan Enerji, Çevre ve Su Konseyi, Hindistan'ın PM2.5 yüklerinin %60'ından fazlasının evlerden ve endüstrilerden geldiğini tespit etti. Konseyin hava kalitesi programına başkanlık eden Tanushree Ganguly, endüstrilerden, otomobillerden, biyokütle yakma ve evsel enerjiden kaynaklanan emisyonların azaltılmasına yönelik eylem çağrısında bulundu. En çok ihtiyacı olan haneler için temiz enerji erişimine öncelik vermemiz ve sanayi sektörümüzü temizlemek için aktif önlemler almamız gerekiyor” dedi.

Form joint plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR: Gopal Rai urges to Centre

Citing a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said 69% of the air pollution in the national capital comes from outside and the rest 31% is from local sources The Arvind Kejriwal government in Delhi on Tuesday urged the Centre to immediately call a meeting of environment ministers of NCR states and experts to form a joint plan to fight air pollution amid a WHO report blaming poor air quality for millions of deaths each year across the globe. Gopal Rai, Delhi environment minister, today wrote a letter to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav, requesting him to immediately call the meeting to fight against the air pollution in the national capital.

Rai concerned about rising pollution, writes to Environment minister

In his letter, Rai stated that due to the steps taken by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the number of good air quality days has increased and poor air quality days have gone down in the last four years, but as per Centre for Science and Environment’s report, 31 percent of air pollution comes from outside Delhi. In view of increasing pollution levels, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has shot off a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav to convene a joint meeting of environment ministers of NCR. In his letter, Rai stated that due to the steps taken by the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the number of good air quality days has increased and poor air quality days have gone down in the last four years, but as per Centre for Science and Environment’s report, 31 percent of air pollution comes from outside Delhi. Besides, the environment minister also mentioned that he had urged earlier on November 7, November 11 and December 3 to call a meeting of NCR states regarding the same. “I therefore, again request you to convene a meeting of environment ministers of NCR states and experts to form a joint plan to reduce air pollution,” stated the Delhi environment minister in his letter. He added that all the states of NCR states will have to work together to reduce air pollution in Delhi.

99% of World's Population Breathes Polluted Air: WHO

The World Health Organization issued an update to its air quality database on Monday, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality. The database now includes information from over 6,000 cities, towns, and villages around the world. Nearly everyone in the world breathes air that does not meet the United Nations' air quality standards, according to the UN health agency, which is calling for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use, which produces pollutants that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems, as well as millions of preventable deaths each year. The World Health Organization issued an update to its air quality database on Monday, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality. The database now includes information from over 6,000 cities, towns, and villages around the world. According to the WHO, 99 percent of the world's population breathes air that is polluted and contains particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the veins and arteries, and cause disease. According to the WHO, the worst air quality is in the eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa. "It is unacceptable to have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution after surviving a pandemic," said Dr. Maria Neira, head of the WHO's department of environment, climate change, and health. "However, far too many investments continue to be made in a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air."

Delhi govt revisits solar power plan as previous targets fall behind

Despite substantial subsidies and other incentives by the Delhi government, solar power installations at homes have failed to generate much interest among home owners, with the city only managing to add 220 mega watts (MW) of power through this medium, less than 1/10th the target of generating 2,762MW by the end of this year. The solar power generated through rooftop installations stood at 184MW last February. With the heat arriving early this year, discoms expect Delhi’s peak power demand to cross 8,000MW for the very first time this summer, putting a substantial load on the city’s existing power infrastructure. Discoms said there is enough awareness about solar rooftops but blamed Covid-19 for the slowdown in installations. “The pandemic has had an impact on rooftop installations in Delhi. Over the past two years, many group housing societies were reluctant to let solar vendors enter their societies or areas. With infections receding, interest is picking up again,” said a discom official who asked not to be named. Experts, however, attributed the lack of interest among the public to the lengthy installation and commissioning process for solar rooftops. “Obtaining an NOC (no-objection certificate) from the discom and then filing an online application and ensuing paperwork has been found to be labour-intensive and time consuming. Delhi, which is urbanised and high income, was only able to install around 20% of the subsidised solar rooftop panels allocated to it, so its clear that even subsidy benefits are not being utilised. People are still finding the upfront cost of installation to be a hurdle,” said Binit Das, deputy programme manager, renewable energy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE).

Gopal Rai urges Centre to form joint plan to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR

Delhi minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday wrote to Union Environment minister Bhupender Yadav, urging him to immediately call a meeting of the environment ministers of NCR states and experts to form a joint plan to fight air pollution. Rai, the environment minister of Delhi, said the number of good and moderate air quality days in the city has increased and poor air quality days reduced in the last four years on account of the anti-air pollution steps taken by the Arvind Kejriwal government. Citing a report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), he said that 31 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi comes from local sources and the rest is from outside. “It is clear that all NCR states will have to work together to reduce air pollution in Delhi,” Rai said. “I had on November 7, November 11 and December 3 urged you to call a meeting of NCR states. Once again, I request you to immediately convene a meeting of environment ministers of NCR states and experts to form a joint plan to reduce air pollution,” he said. PTI GVS NSD NSD

99% of world’s population breathes poor-quality air’

The UN health agency says nearly everybody in the world breathes air that doesn’t meet its standards for air quality, calling for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use, which generates pollutants that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems and lead to millions of preventable deaths each year. The World Health Organisation, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality, on Monday issued an update to its database on air quality that draws on information from a growing number of cities, towns, and villages across the globe — now totaling over 6,000 municipalities. WHO said 99 per cent of the global population breathes air that exceeds its air-quality limits and is often rife with particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the veins and arteries, and cause disease. Air quality is poorest in WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa, it said. “After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution,” said Dr Maria Neira, head of WHO’s department of environment, climate change and health. “Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air.” The database, which has traditionally considered two types of particulate matter known as PM2.5 and PM10, for the first time has included ground measurements of nitrogen dioxide. The last version of the database was issued in 2018. Nitrogen dioxide originates mainly from human-generated burning of fuel, such as through automobile traffic, and is most common in urban areas. Exposure can bring respiratory disease like asthma and symptoms like coughing, wheezing and difficulty in breathing, and more hospital and emergency-room admissions, WHO said. The highest concentrations were found in the eastern Mediterranean region. Particulate matter has many sources, such as transportation, power plants, agriculture, the burning of waste and industry – as well as from natural sources like desert dust. The developing world is particularly hard hit: India had high levels of PM10, while China showed high levels of PM2.5, the database showed. “Particulate matter, especially PM2.5, is capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular (stroke) and respiratory impacts,” WHO said. “There is emerging evidence that particulate matter impacts other organs and causes other diseases as well.” The findings highlight the sheer scale of the changes needed to combat air pollution, said Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert at Centre for Science and Environment, a research and advocacy organisation in New Delhi. India and the world need to brace for major changes to try to curb air pollution: electric vehicles; a shift away from fossil fuels; a massive scaling-up of green energy; and households separating their types of waste, she said. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank, found in a study that more than 60% of India’s PM2.5 loads are from households and industries. Tanushree Ganguly, who heads the council’s program on air quality, called for action toward reducing emissions from industries, automobiles, biomass burning and domestic energy. “We need to prioritize clean energy access for households that need it the most, and take active measures to clean up our industrial sector,” she said.

99% of world's population breathes poor-quality air: WHO

The WHO said nearly everybody in the world breathes air that doesn’t meet its standards for air quality. It said the air is often rife with particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the veins and arteries, and cause disease. The UN health agency says nearly everybody in the world breathes air that doesn't meet its standards for air quality, calling for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use, which generates pollutants that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems and lead to millions of preventable deaths each year. VDO.AI The World Health Organisation, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality, on Monday issued an update to its database on air quality that draws on information from a growing number of cities, towns, and villages across the globe — now totaling over 6,000 municipalities. WHO said 99 per cent of the global population breathes air that exceeds its air-quality limits and is often rife with particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the veins and arteries, and cause disease. Air quality is poorest in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa, it said. “After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution,” said Dr Maria Neira, head of WHO's department of environment, climate change and health. “Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air.” The database, which has traditionally considered two types of particulate matter known as PM2.5 and PM10, for the first time has included ground measurements of nitrogen dioxide. The last version of the database was issued in 2018. Nitrogen dioxide originates mainly from human-generated burning of fuel, such as through automobile traffic, and is most common in urban areas. Exposure can bring respiratory disease like asthma and symptoms like coughing, wheezing and difficulty in breathing, and more hospital and emergency-room admissions, WHO said. The highest concentrations were found in the eastern Mediterranean region. Particulate matter has many sources, such as transportation, power plants, agriculture, the burning of waste and industry as well as from natural sources like desert dust. The developing world is particularly hard hit: India had high levels of PM10, while China showed high levels of PM2.5, the database showed. CHECK THESE OUT More Bachchhan Paandey Movie Review: Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon deliver bhaukaal wali Holi Bachchhan Paandey Movie Review: Akshay Kumar, Kriti Sanon deliver bhaukaal wali Holi MOST READ IAS exam topper Tina Dabi ready to tie the knot again, shares pic with fiance IAS exam topper Tina Dabi ready to tie the knot again, shares pic with fiance TRENDING Sensex falls over 400 points, Nifty slips below 18,000 | Top performing stocks Sensex falls over 400 points, Nifty slips below 18,000 | Top performing stocks RECOMMENDED As G23 feels its way forward, the Rahul Gandhi question weighs heavy As G23 feels its way forward, the Rahul Gandhi question weighs heavy MOST READ Moody's cuts India's GDP growth forecast to 5.6% for 2019 Moody's cuts India's GDP growth forecast to 5.6% for 2019 RECOMMENDED Neither Oscars nor Grammys paid tribute to Lata Mangeshkar and Bappi Lahiri. Twitter is upset Neither Oscars nor Grammys paid tribute to Lata Mangeshkar and Bappi Lahiri. Twitter is upset RECOMMENDED “Particulate matter, especially PM2.5, is capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular (stroke) and respiratory impacts,” WHO said. “There is emerging evidence that particulate matter impacts other organs and causes other diseases as well.” The findings highlight the sheer scale of the changes needed to combat air pollution, said Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert at Centre for Science and Environment, a research and advocacy organisation in New Delhi. India and the world need to brace for major changes to try to curb air pollution: electric vehicles; a shift away from fossil fuels; a massive scaling-up of green energy; and households separating their types of waste, she said. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank, found in a study that more than 60% of India's PM2.5 loads are from households and industries. Tanushree Ganguly, who heads the council's program on air quality, called for action toward reducing emissions from industries, automobiles, biomass burning and domestic energy. “We need to prioritize clean energy access for households that need it the most, and take active measures to clean up our industrial sector,” she said.

WHO says 99 pc of world's population breathes poor-quality air

Air quality is poorest in Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions The UN health agency says nearly everybody in the world breathes air that doesn't meet its standards for air quality, calling for more action to reduce fossil-fuel use, which generates pollutants that cause respiratory and blood-flow problems and lead to millions of preventable deaths each year. The World Health Organisation, about six months after tightening its guidelines on air quality, on Monday issued an update to its database on air quality that draws on information from a growing number of cities, towns, and villages across the globe now totaling over 6,000 municipalities. WHO said 99 per cent of the global population breathes air that exceeds its air-quality limits and is often rife with particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the veins and arteries, and cause disease. Air quality is poorest in WHO's Eastern Mediterranean and Southeast Asia regions, followed by Africa, it said. After surviving a pandemic, it is unacceptable to still have 7 million preventable deaths and countless preventable lost years of good health due to air pollution, said Dr Maria Neira, head of WHO's department of environment, climate change and health. Yet too many investments are still being sunk into a polluted environment rather than in clean, healthy air. The database, which has traditionally considered two types of particulate matter known as PM2.5 and PM10, for the first time has included ground measurements of nitrogen dioxide. The last version of the database was issued in 2018. Nitrogen dioxide originates mainly from human-generated burning of fuel, such as through automobile traffic, and is most common in urban areas. Exposure can bring respiratory disease like asthma and symptoms like coughing, wheezing and difficulty in breathing, and more hospital and emergency-room admissions, WHO said. The highest concentrations were found in the eastern Mediterranean region. Particulate matter has many sources, such as transportation, power plants, agriculture, the burning of waste and industry as well as from natural sources like desert dust. The developing world is particularly hard hit: India had high levels of PM10, while China showed high levels of PM2.5, the database showed. Particulate matter, especially PM2.5, is capable of penetrating deep into the lungs and entering the bloodstream, causing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular (stroke) and respiratory impacts, WHO said. There is emerging evidence that particulate matter impacts other organs and causes other diseases as well. The findings highlight the sheer scale of the changes needed to combat air pollution, said Anumita Roychowdhury, an air pollution expert at Centre for Science and Environment, a research and advocacy organisation in New Delhi. India and the world need to brace for major changes to try to curb air pollution: electric vehicles; a shift away from fossil fuels; a massive scaling-up of green energy; and households separating their types of waste, she said. The Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a New Delhi-based think tank, found in a study that more than 60% of India's PM2.5 loads are from households and industries. Tanushree Ganguly, who heads the council's program on air quality, called for action toward reducing emissions from industries, automobiles, biomass burning and domestic energy. We need to prioritize clean energy access for households that need it the most, and take active measures to clean up our industrial sector, she said.

Delhi govt revisits solar power plan as previous targets fall behind

Discoms said there is enough awareness about solar rooftops but blamed Covid-19 for the slowdown in installations Despite substantial subsidies and other incentives by the Delhi government, solar power installations at homes have failed to generate much interest among home owners, with the city only managing to add 220 mega watts (MW) of power through this medium, less than 1/10th the target of generating 2,762MW by the end of this year. The solar power generated through rooftop installations stood at 184MW last February. With the heat arriving early this year, discoms expect Delhi’s peak power demand to cross 8,000MW for the very first time this summer, putting a substantial load on the city’s existing power infrastructure. Discoms said there is enough awareness about solar rooftops but blamed Covid-19 for the slowdown in installations. “The pandemic has had an impact on rooftop installations in Delhi. Over the past two years, many group housing societies were reluctant to let solar vendors enter their societies or areas. With infections receding, interest is picking up again,” said a discom official who asked not to be named. Experts, however, attributed the lack of interest among the public to the lengthy installation and commissioning process for solar rooftops. “Obtaining an NOC (no-objection certificate) from the discom and then filing an online application and ensuing paperwork has been found to be labour-intensive and time consuming. Delhi, which is urbanised and high income, was only able to install around 20% of the subsidised solar rooftop panels allocated to it, so its clear that even subsidy benefits are not being utilised. People are still finding the upfront cost of installation to be a hurdle,” said Binit Das, deputy programme manager, renewable energy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). In addition to reduced bills and refunds for surplus electricity generated, the Delhi government also offers discounts up to 20% for installing solar panels on rooftops of residences and commercial spaces. According to discoms, Delhi is already offering a better rate for surplus solar power — most states across the country have capped it at ₹2 per unit, even as Delhi offers an average power procurement cost for surplus energy at ₹5 per unit. The 2,762MW solar power target by 2022 was set under the National Solar Mission in June 2015. With the policy failing to attract enough consumers, a number of fresh incentives and changes are now expected in a new solar policy being devised by the Delhi government, which was announced by Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia during his Budget speech last month. Under it, the Delhi government has set a goal of creating 2,500MW of solar capacity in the next five years. “This is expected to contribute to 10% of Delhi’s annual energy demand,” Sisodia said during his Budget speech last month, adding that 40,000 new jobs are also expected to be created through the solar policy for construction workers, electricians, technicians, and engineers. A government official said the new solar policy aims to add more solar panels over Delhi roofs while creating more jobs. “Lessons from the last few years will be incorporated in the new solar policy. Delhi has been giving a strong push towards electric vehicles and renewable energy over the last couple of years,” said a government official, asking not to be named. Officials from BSES, which covers areas like Saket, Vasant Kunj, Dwarka, Chattarpur, Sainik Farms, Karkardooma, Mayur Vihar, Patparganj and Rohini, among others, said the discom has so far seen over 4,000 solar rooftop installations under it, with a combined load of more than 125MW. “Our Solar City initiative has been well-received... The initiative is a win-win for consumers and the discom. The solar outreach programme is also educating consumers about the benefits of solar energy while ensuring strict quality compliance of the systems being installed. It also facilitates various finance options for consumers,” a BSES official said. Among the initial success stories of the solar outreach was in Dwarka where the discoms began installation from 2018 onwards as part of a “Solarise Dwarka” scheme. KR Anand, a resident of Shiv Bhole CGHS in Dwarka Sector 7, said the society has a solar capacity of over 100KW, which results in savings of over 100,000 units across 60 households every year. “In summers, the savings are substantial. Nearby societies began installing solar panels soon after seeing a significant reduction in our bills,” he said. In Sector 6 nearby, the Kalka CGHS society similarly saw reduced electricity bills over the last three years. With a combined installed capacity of over 50KW, residents say they are producing excess electricity each year, which results in discoms paying money to the society at the end of the year. “For each excess unit produced, we receive ₹5... So not only are the electricity bills less, but excess production provides additional benefits at the end of each financial year,” said SS Rawat, a resident of the society. Each kilowatt (KW) of solar rooftops can generate around 100–120 units of electricity each month, with experts saying that the cost of installation is generally recovered within 3.5 to 4 years. Solar panels required to generate a KW of power will cost around ₹60,000- ₹1 lakh. "Solar rooftop is gaining popularity in Delhi, especially in the domestic (residential) segment. This surge can be attributed to the subsidy scheme. However, subsidies alone are not enough since there is a major space constraint in residential areas with respect to the roof size due to which the adoption is a little slower than expected," said Dwijadas Basak, Chief-Commercial, Consumer Experience & Social Impact Group at Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited, stating areas such as Rohini, Pitampura and Moti Nagar were slowly seeing more demand for solar installation. Several hurdles Neeraj Kuldeep, programme lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), said meeting the ambitious solar power targets set by states will require a strong strategic push. “To strengthen the uptake of rooftop solar systems, the Delhi government must reconsider the electricity subsidy offered to the residential sector. Secondly, the authorities should promote innovative business models, such as the Solar Partners model, which utilises excess spaces on the roof for solar power systems, and offers clean electricity to consumers under virtual net-metering regulations,” said Kuldeep. He added that a green tariff – a utility-approved electricity rate that allows consumers to source 100% of their electricity from renewable sources -- could also provide a much-needed impetus to rooftop solar installations. “Finally, the government could also explore other emerging opportunities, such as floating solar panels along with the rejuvenation of lakes,” he said.

Smoke, stench and filth: Life around a landfill

Experts say a zero landfill policy based on 100 percent waste segregation, minimum dumping of fresh waste, and urgent remediation of legacy waste can tame the mountain of waste in Ghazipur, near Delhi. From a distance, anyone new to Delhi would take the Ghazipur landfill in east Delhi for a small hillock. Only a local resident would know it is a mountain of stinking garbage that was recently in the news for a raging fire that choked its surrounding neighbourhoods. For people living in its vicinity, the landfill, located near Delhi’s border with Ghaziabad, UP, is like a fish bone stuck in your throat that you can neither swallow nor spit out. That’s how Imran Ahmed, a resident of Mulla Colony, an unauthorised settlement abutting the toxic dump, describes it. Others refer it to as a long nightmare that never seems to end. “Apart from the unbearable stench, we do not know what the foul air is causing inside our body. We have compromised as we can’t afford to shift,” Ahmed said. Mulla Colony is one of the many small colonies sharing their boundaries with the 70-acre landfill site. The others are Ghazipur Dairy Farm, Sapera Basti, Rajveer Colony, Kondli-Gharoli, as well as numerous slums, which are directly exposed to the landfill’s toxicity. Many of the residents work as labourers, rickshaw-pullers, scrap dealers, roadside vendors, factory workers and small traders, among other things. The swanky 14-lane Delhi-Meerut expressway runs right next to the landfill’s entrance. The Ghazipur fish and poultry markets and a metro depot are located on both sides of the dumpsite. Parts of middle and upper-middle-class residential neighbourhoods such as IP Extension, Mayur Vihar Phase 2 and 3 in Delhi, and Kaushambi, Vaishali and Indirapuram in Ghaziabad are within a 4-5 km airshed of the landfill. On a bad day, even these areas, which house multi-speciality hospitals, star-rated hotels, malls and plush high-rises, cannot escape the landfill’s stench. Residents of the settlements facing the landfill described how the area was a barren, low-lying land before it became a dumping ground. Ahmed, a septuagenarian, has been living in the locality for more than four decades, even before the landfill came up. “I have seen the dumpyard grow with time,” he says. Other old-timers recall that when they settled in the area, the nearby high-rise localities in IP Extension and Ghaziabad had not come up. There were wide fields filled with grass on both sides of the border. “The authorities started dumping waste here, maybe because these are Delhi’s outskirts, but we were very few in number to oppose,” says Ahmed. Yadav Singh, a resident of Ghazipur Dairy Farm, one of the oldest settlements in the area, has grown up with the landfill, which was commissioned in 1984, long before waste management rules were formed. Houses in the last row of the neighborhood are directly open to the garbage dump. His house is one of them. “I was born in 1980. The landfill came up later. The smell gets unbearable when it rains. Our eyes burn. We keep our windows shut and cover our faces,” he says. Those who could afford to have left the area for better localities,says Singh. Others like him are left with no choice but to make peace with the foul air. At Rajveer Colony, a group of elderly people were huddled together on charpoys (woven cots), smoking hookahs. They were initially reluctant to talk when this writer approached them. One of them even got a little aggressive. “Why should we talk? What will we get? People come, take photos and disappear till another incident happens. The authorities turn a blind eye to our plight,” the person, who refused to be named, said. Complaints galore Residents point to the heaps of construction debris dumped on a road facing the dump yard and the sewage flowing onto a broken street in the colony. Another local recalled how the entire government machinery had gathered when a section of the garbage mountain collapsed and killed two people on this very road. But everything was forgotten soon after. In September 2017, after days of non-stop rain, mounds of loose garbage came hurtling down from the then 50-metre dump, sweeping cars and motorbikes into a canal that runs parallel to the road. Two people died and nearly half a dozen were injured in the incident, which grabbed headlines, prompting the authorities to temporarily ban the dumping of garbage and prohibit the entry of ragpickers at the landfill. But in the absence of alternatives, dumping continued at the site, which went on to reach a height of 65 metres in 2019, just eight metres short of the Qutab Minar. The maximum permissible height is only 20 metres. Though steps such as bio-mining were taken after court orders to flatten the landfill, which reached its saturation limit in 2002, hundreds of tonnes of waste are being dumped daily, putting paid to efforts to reduce the height. Bio-mining is a mechanical process to sieve and separate heavy components such as soil and stones from lighter ones such as plastic and paper. Harshad Kumar, who runs a cycle repair shop at the edge of the dump, says it is all about livelihood for people with meagre sources of income. “I have been living here for 15 years. Who would like to live amid the stench and smoke? But I have a family to fend for,” sas Kumar, pointing out how hundreds live and work around the landfill just to make ends meet. Prashad, a ragpicker who picks up metallic and recyclable stuff from the landfill, which he sells to scrap dealers, echoes Kumar. The low rents in the colonies are a big draw for people like him who cannot afford to pay much. “I bribe the guards at the landfill to gain entry. My skin itches but I have to go. Whatever I earn is barely enough,” Prashad said. At the fish and poultry wholesale markets, the traders laugh off the problems with sarcasm, saying the stench from the markets is so strong that the smell from the dump makes them feel lighter. “People have started wearing masks after Covid. We always had our faces covered,” quipped Abdul Zabbar, a fish trader. For municipal employees, contractual workers and drivers at the dumpyard, the odour and pollution are workplace hazards that have to be borne. “Someone has to do it. If the department has posted me here, I can’t say no. It is hard to breathe out here, but you get used to it over time,” says a municipal employee at the landfill site office, brushing away the dust on his hair and shirt. As the temperature rises, fires are common at the landfill, which produces inflammable and self-combustible gases such as methane. The presence of plastic and paper is like a tinderbox. Minor fires go unreported and unnoticed, but the recent blaze was big enough for everyone to sit up and take note. When the landfill caught fire on March 28, the reason for which was not known, the smoke spread as far as 4-5 km, depending on the wind direction. “I could feel the smoke sitting in my balcony. When it rains, we cannot open the windows. The stench comes inside when the wind blows this way,” says Suneel Jha, a resident of Kaushambi’s Seemant Vihar, 2 km away. Jha says people have park-facing and hill-facing houses, but here “we have garbage-facing apartments”. Health and environmental hazard In the absence of proper segregation at the collection level, all kinds of garbage is dumped, including domestic waste, plastic, glass, construction and demolition debris, refuse from the poultry and fish markets, dairy farm waste, etc. The deadly cocktail of gases, smoke, dust and leachate not only affects the health of people living in its vicinity but has a severe bearing on the air and groundwater. Anand Vihar, one of Delhi’s most polluted hotspots, is about a km from the landfill. Studies conducted across the world, including by the UNEP and WHO, point to the health hazards such open landfills pose to people working at these places and to nearby residents. A WHO report titled ‘Waste and human health: Evidence and needs’ says improper waste management and illegal waste shipments can result in soil, water and air pollution. Living in the vicinity of a dumpyard can be a health risk for residents because they may be exposed to pollutants through different pathways: the inhalation of substances emitted by the site, contact with water or polluted soil, directly or through the consumption of products, or through contaminated water, the study says. In fact, most locals this writer spoke to complained of watery eyes, skin irritation and breathing issues. According to Anumita Roychowdhury, Executive Director, Research and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, monitoring stations near the landfill showed worsening air pollution with both particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels increasing. “This, combined with emissions of other toxic gases from fires, increases the toxic exposure of local communities significantly,” she says. Waste mismanagement The basic formula of a landfill is to dump, process and dispose, and not to dump and forget, which has been happening for years, explains Jagdish Mamgain, who was chairman of the unified municipal corporation of Delhi. Delhi generates about 12,000 tonnes of waste every day, of which more than half is sent to the landfills at Ghazipur, Okhla in south Delhi, and Bhalswa and Narela-Bawana in outer Delhi. \Ghazipur alone has accumulated about 140 million tonnes of waste, according to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation’s own admission. Efforts to set up an alternative site at Rani Khera in northwest Delhi and a waste management facility at Ghonda Gujran in the northeast have met with opposition and legal troubles. Mamgain said plans for localised dump yards and waste processing plants had to be abandoned due to resistance from locals, when he was in the MCD. Segregation and recycling of waste is only on paper and not in practice, he says, adding that this is the root of the problem. The idea is to send minimum waste to landfills, Mamgain says, noting that if proper segregation happens at the collection level, construction and demolition debris can be used to make roads, wet waste can be turned into compost and other stuff can be sold with the help of waste-pickers. “There are many alternatives. But if you mix them, everything ends up at the landfills,” Mamgain says. RoyChowdhury says only a zero landfill policy based on 100 percent waste segregation, minimum dumping of fresh waste, and urgent remediation of legacy waste can address this problem. Every municipality, she says, has to invest to create infrastructure and systems for this scale of action. “I don’t know if I shall live long enough to see this gone, but our kids should breathe better air,” says Ahmed with a sigh.

नदियों, झीलों और भरपूर बारिश के बावजूद आखिर क्यों है देश में पानी की समस्या, जानें उपाय

नई दिल्ली [सुनीता नारायण]। आज की हमारी बातचीत के बाद आपको महसूस होगा कि आपकी उम्र हो चली है क्यूंकि हम पहले भी आज के मुद्दे पर बात कर चुके हैं। जब मैं अपने शहरों और गांवों में पानी की कमी की समस्या के समाधान के रूप में वर्षा जल संचयन की उपयोगिता के बारे में चल रही बहस को सुनती हूं तो मुझे वैसा ही लगता है। छतों और पहाड़ी कैचमेंट से बारिश के संचयन और इसे भूमिगत जलाशयों, एक्वीफर, झीलों और तालाबों में रखने के महत्व से हम सालों से वाकिफ हैं। फिर हमने इस तकनीक को क्यों नहीं अपनाया? हम इस ज्ञान का उपयोग करने में क्यों असफल रहे हैं? यह सवाल हमें स्वयं से पूछना चाहिए। जमीन पर दिखी अलग सी चीज मैं आपको बताती हूं कि मैंने वर्षा जल संचयन के बारे में कैसे सीखा। यह 1990 के दशक की बात है, जब सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड इनवायरनमेंट के तत्कालीन निदेशक अनिल अग्रवाल अपनी नई नवेली, लाल रंग की मारुति-800 चलाया करते थे। हम बीकानेर में चारागाह भूमि का उत्थान देखने जा रहे थे। अचानक हमें जमीन पर कुछ अलग सा दिखा। अनिल ने कार रोक दी। वह जानना चाहते थे कि आखिर उनके सामने वह चीज क्या थी। पानी की व्यवस्था कुंडी देख कर जताई हैरानी यह एक उड़न तश्तरी या पक्की जमीन पर रखे एक उलटे प्याले के आकार में था। हम गाड़ी से उतरे, बस्ती के पास गए और पूछा, “यह क्या है?” जैसा कि भारत में अक्सर होता है, शहर के लोगों के ऐसे बेवकूफी भरे सवालों का बहुत धैर्य से जवाब मिलता है। “यह हमारी पानी की व्यवस्था है, हमारी कुंडी है।” हमारी समझ में कुछ नहीं आया। उन्होंने समझाया। “देखिए, हम जमीन को चूने से ढक देते हैं और उसे ऐसी ढाल देते हैं कि पानी बहकर बीच में जमा हो। फिर जब भी बारिश होती है, चाहे कितनी ही कम क्यों न हो, सारा पानी संचित होकर कुएं में चला जाता है। कुएं को प्रदूषण से बचाने के लिए उसे ढककर रखा जाता है।” इस छोटी सी जानकारी ने बदली जिंदगी इस छोटी सी जानकारी ने सही मायनों में हमारी जिंदगी बदल दी। अनिल की गणना के मुताबिक उस संरचना में बहुत संभावना थी। महज 100 मिलीमीटर (मिमी) बारिश में - जितनी औसतन एक रेगिस्तान में होती है, एक हेक्टेयर भूमि से दस लाख लीटर पानी संचित किया जा सकता है। यह कोई छोटी मात्रा नहीं है। 5 सदस्यों के एक परिवार को पीने और खाना पकाने के लिए एक दिन में 10-15 लीटर से अधिक पानी की आवश्यकता नहीं होगी। यह एक वर्ष में 4,000-5,000 लीटर तक आता है। इसका मतलब है कि एक हेक्टेयर में 200-300 परिवारों की जरूरतों को पूरा करने के लिए पर्याप्त पानी इकठ्ठा किया जा सकता है। बाद में, कुछ और अनुभवों ने वर्षा जल संचयन की क्षमता को लेकर मेरी समझ को आकार दिया और हमारे जीवन के अन्य पहलुओं से इसके संबंध को दर्शाया। ज्यादा बारिश के बावजूद लिखा था संदेश पानी है कीमती हम चेरापूंजी में थे, जहां पूरे विश्व में सबसे अधिक बारिश होती है। कम से कम स्कूल में तो मैंने यही पढ़ा था। वहां एक छोटे से सरकारी गेस्टहाउस में मैंने एक बड़ा संदेश लिखा देखा-पानी कीमती है, कृपया इसे सावधानी से इस्तेमाल करें। आश्चर्यजनक! एक ऐसी जगह जहां 14,000 मिमी (एक ऊंची छतवाले स्टेडियम को भरने के लिए पर्याप्त) बारिश होती है, वहां भी पानी की कमी है! अनिल और मैं कुछ समय पहले ही जैसलमेर से लौटे थे। एक ऐसा शहर जिसने केवल 50-100 मिमी बारिश के बावजूद एक समृद्ध सभ्यता और पीले बलुआ पत्थरों का एक शानदार किला बनाया था। हमें जो जवाब मिला वह शहर के निर्माण के तरीके में छुपा था। चाहे छत हो या तालाब, हर जगह वर्षा जल संचयन की मुकम्मल व्यवस्था थी, जिससे एक जल-सुरक्षित भविष्य का निर्माण संभव हुआ। बूंद-बूंद का मोल सिखाने में जुटे अनिल इस सीख से इतने प्रभावित हुए कि उन्होंने अपने जीवन के अगले कुछ वर्ष भारतीयों को वर्षा की बूंद-बूंद का मोल सिखाने में लगा दिए। देश के हर क्षेत्र में वर्षा के संचयन, भंडारण और फिर उसका उपयोग करने का अपना अनूठा तरीका था। प्रत्येक प्रणाली प्रदेश विशेष की पारिस्थितिक ज़रूरतों के हिसाब से विकसित की गई थी। इसके बावजूद हर प्रणाली एक इंजीनियरिंग चमत्कार थी जो उस प्रदेश की वर्षा जल संचयन के हिसाब से बनी थी। फिर आखिर यह तकनीक लुप्त क्यों हो गई? सर्वप्रथम सरकार पानी की प्रदाता एवं आपूर्तिकर्ता बन गई। यह नियंत्रण पहले समुदायों या घरों के पास होता था। इसका मतलब यह था कि वर्षा जल संचयन अब प्राथमिकता नहीं रही। दूसरा, स्थानीय भूजल, जो वर्षा जल के माध्यम से रिचार्ज होता था, का इस्तेमाल बंद करके सतह के जल को प्राथमिकता दी गई। यह जल भी अक्सर दूर से नहरों के माध्यम से लाया जाता। यही कारण है कि वर्षा जल संचयन एक ऐसा विचार बनकर रह गया है जिसका समय अभी नहीं आया है। वर्षा का जल संचन सरकार के द्वारा संभव नहीं वर्षा जल का संचय सरकार द्वारा संभव नहीं है, इसमें आम जनता की भागीदारी भी आवश्यक है। इसे हर घर, काॅलोनी, गांव एवं कैचमेंट में किए जाने की आवश्यकता है। ऐसा करने का प्रोत्साहन तभी मिलता है, जब हम अपनी जरूरतों के लिए भूजल पर निर्भर होते हैं। यदि शहरों और यहां तक कि गांवों में भी पाइप से पानी मिलता है तो आखिर कौन बारिश के जल का संचयन करेगा और क्यों? कैचमेंट अतिक्रमण का शिकार दूसरी समस्या यह है कि हम भूजल संचयन की कला और उसके पीछे के विज्ञान को पूरी तरह से समझ पाने में असफल साबित हुए हैं। इसलिए कैचमेंट (वह जमीन जहां बारिश का पानी गिरता) या तो अतिक्रमण का शिकार हैं या फिर भूमि-सुधार के नाम पर वितरित कर दिए जाते हैं। भूमिगत भंडारण के लिए बारिश को चैनलाइज करने वाले नाले या तो नष्ट हो चुके हैं या उन पर नया निर्माण किया जा चुका है। ऐसी हालत में वर्षा जल संचयन कैसे संभव होगा यह? हम नहीं कर सकते और हम नहीं करेंगे। यही कारण है कि सूखे और बाढ़ का चक्र जारी रहेगा और समस्या और भी भयावह हो जाएगी। तो आइए हम उस ज्ञान से सीखें, जिसकी हम अब तक अनदेखी करते आए हैं।