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Cse In News

रिपोर्ट में खुलासा: देश में पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण से होने वाली मौतें ढाई गुना बढ़ीं, 2019 में हर चार में से एक मौत भारत में

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट की एक नई रिपोर्ट के अनुसार, पिछले दो दशकों में भारत में पीएम 2.5 प्रदूषण के कारण होने वाली मौतों में 2.5 गुना वृद्धि हुई है। केंद्रीय पर्यावरण मंत्री भूपेंद्र यादव द्वारा मंगलवार को जारी रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 2019 में वायु प्रदूषण के कारण हर चार में से एक मौत भारत में हुई। ग्रीन थिंक-टैंक सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (सीएसई) द्वारा डेटा एकत्र किया गया और इसके "भारत की पर्यावरण रिपोर्ट" से पता चला है कि दुनिया में वायु प्रदूषण के कारण 60 लाख से अधिक लोग मारे गए। भारत में कुल 10.67 लाख मौतें इनमें से 10.67 लाख मौतें भारत में हुईं। चीन में वायु प्रदूषण के कारण 10.85 लाख लोगों की मौत हुई। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि 2019 में वायु प्रदूषण के जोखिम से जुड़े स्वास्थ्य प्रभावों से जीवन के पहले महीने में वैश्विक स्तर पर 4,76,000 शिशुओं की मृत्यु हुई। इनमें से 1,16,000 मौतें भारत में हुईं। खराब वायु गुणवत्ता 2019 में दुनिया भर में जल्दी मौत का चौथा प्रमुख जोखिम कारक था, जो केवल उच्च रक्तचाप, तंबाकू के उपयोग और खराब आहार से आगे निकल गया। रिपोर्ट में कहा गया है कि पिछले दो दशकों में भारत में परिवेशी पीएम 2.5 के कारण होने वाली मौतों में 2.5 गुना वृद्धि हुई है। 1990 में 2,79,500 से बढ़कर 2019 में 9,79,900 हो गई। पीएम 2.5 का मतलब सूक्ष्म कणों से है जो शरीर में गहराई से प्रवेश करते हैं और फेफड़ों और श्वसन नली में सूजन बढ़ाते हैं, जिससे कमजोर प्रतिरक्षा प्रणाली सहित हृदय और श्वसन संबंधी समस्याओं का खतरा होता है। ओजोन के कारण होने वाली मौतों में 2.9 गुना वृद्धि भारत में ओजोन के कारण होने वाली मौतों में 2.9 गुना वृद्धि हुई है। 1990 में 43,200 से बढ़कर 2019 में 1,68,000 तक पहुंच गई। हालांकि, देश में घरेलू वायु प्रदूषण के कारण होने वाली मौतों में 40 प्रतिशत से अधिक की कमी आई है। 1990 में 10,41,000 से घटकर 2019 में 6,06,900 हो गई।

Go green, Calcutta

Hybrid trolley buses and trams are a way out Calcutta’s mayor, Firhad Hakim, announced that reducing the city’s pollution would be a priority. A significant volume of Calcutta’s pollution emanates from the transportation sector. With India setting its net-zero emission target for 2070, Calcutta’s transportation needs to be geared towards that goal. Calcutta ranks sixth among 14 cities when it comes to overall emissions, according to the Centre for Science and Environment, but emerges as the least energy-guzzling and GHG-emitting megacity. Calcutta, which has the most diverse public transport system for urban commuting, does better than even Pune and Ahmedabad. Of late, the West Bengal Transport Corporation has been electrifying its public transport network. It procured 80 battery-operated electric buses and selected bus depots and bus terminals to support fleet operations. There are plans to increase the share of battery-operated electric buses. As a result of these efforts, Calcutta received the C40 Cities Bloomberg Philanthropies Award in the ‘Green Mobility’ category in Copenhagen for the ‘Low Carbon Commute Transition’ project. It was the only South Asian city to receive this global award. Advertisement The award notwithstanding, Calcutta is making a mistake by adopting battery-operated electric buses for public transportation. These, undoubtedly, are to be preferred over vehicles running on diesel/biofuel/CNG. But they pose some challenges. For example, battery-operated electric vehicles cost more than standard buses. Since modern batteries do not power a bus for the same number of trips as those that run on fossil fuels, the WBTC has to maintain nearly twice the number of electric buses. Battery life is limited: therefore, the cost of maintaining a battery-operated EV fleet will be significantly higher than one that runs on CNG/diesel. Furthermore, the disposal of used batteries — a hazardous material — is an issue and not much attention has been paid to this aspect while pushing for battery-operated EVs. What would be a feasible solution then? The light railway system — the tram — is making a comeback globally. Trams have existed in Calcutta for over a century. The curtailment of tram routes seems to suggest that the city has decided that trams are not a viable option. One hears, quite often, that they add to traffic congestion. Truth be told, most of the congestion takes place due to other vehicles encroaching upon tram routes. Trams vary from single to triple carriage cars, depending on the availability of traffic space. If congestion is a problem, Calcutta can operate single-carriage trams. Hybrid trolley buses are now being adopted in many cities as they are cheaper than battery-operated EVs. In this system, the electrical energy is supplied by two trolley poles. The trolleys are swivel-attached to the roof of the trolley bus and have a length of about 6m, which gives the trolley bus freedom of lateral movement of up to 4.5m. Unlike the tram, it does not add to traffic congestion and operates like an ordinary bus. This is a proven technology, is cheaper, and has a longer life than battery-based EVs. Current trolley buses have small batteries designed to allow them to go off-wire for a fraction of a mile. In-motion charging expands this concept by equipping the bus with enough battery power for about five miles of off-wire travel. This technology is becoming increasingly popular in small Central European cities. Ideally, Calcutta should adopt this mode and depend more on trams to achieve the net-zero transition.

IPCC: Report on rising temp likely to be out today

Over the past two weeks, government representatives and scientists went over the report line by line, discussing each finding and giving it the final approval. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Working Group II report on “Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability” is expected to be released on Monday evening, with people aware of the matter indicating that it could be the most worrying account yet on rising temperatures across the world. Over the past two weeks, government representatives and scientists went over the report line by line, discussing each finding and giving it the final approval. The report is expected to cover economic, social, food security, biosphere, health and mental health impacts of the climate crisis. The working group II report will also provide evidence and information on the limits of ecosystems, biodiversity hotspots and humans adapting to the climate crisis. It will highlight which ecosystems are under stress and can possibly no longer tolerate the impacts of the climate crisis, leading to reaching tipping points, co-chairs of IPCC WG II said during a media briefing earlier this month. According to reports, the study is likely to talk about key “tipping points” amid global warming, with the threat of irreversible damage. The report is expected to highlight that climate crisis has already led to irreversible impacts in terms of loss of hundreds of species and extinctions; cascading and concurrent impacts of climate crisis like heat induced deaths and crop losses occurring together; humans reaching soft limits to adaptation while ecosystems like warm water coral reefs, coastal wetlands, some rainforests, polar regions reaching hard limits with very little scope for recovery. IPCC’s critical report comes at a time when Russia has invaded Ukraine, leading to a geopolitical crisis. Experts said the war is likely to distract world leaders from the urgency of the climate crisis; it is also likely to have wide-ranging effects on trade in energy, particularly oil and gas. Climate Home reported on February 25 that climate scientists from Ukraine withdrew from the final approval process after Russia invaded Ukraine. “The world really doesn’t need any distraction in the form of wars. We are at war with nature which is at its peak. The world needs to get its act together on reducing emissions. Not only is it a distraction as global players become more worried with war, the geopolitics of energy will change as gas prices go up. One of the fallouts of this could be countries moving to cleaner energy and another could be them going back to dirtier fuels such as coal and lignite,” said Sunita Narain, director general, Centre for Science and Environment. “Europe sources 40% of its natural gas from Russia but with prices going up, the source may change to shale gas or Qatar gas. It’s too early to say which way it will move. The IPCC report will once again warn us about the dangers facing the world and the need to adapt as well as deal with loss and damage,” she added. In 2019, almost two-thirds of the extra-EU’s crude oil imports came from Russia (27%), Iraq (9%), Nigeria and Saudi Arabia (both 8%) and Kazakhstan and Norway (both 7%). A similar analysis shows that almost three quarters of EU’s imports of natural gas came from Russia (41%), Norway (16%), Algeria (8%) and Qatar (5%), says Eurostat on its website. “The #IPCC #WGII authors have finished their work. The text has been approved by member governments. The final approval of the WGII report on ‘Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability’ for #AR6 is expected early Sunday morning UTC, with final release on Monday 28 Feb at 11 UTC,” tweeted Lisa Schipper, an IPCC author. “Compared to its predecessor reports, the Working Group II report will have a greater focus on solutions and more regional and local information. It will more strongly integrate the natural, social and economic sciences. And it will provide policymakers with sound data and knowledge to help them shape policies and make decisions,” Hoesung Lee, IPCC Chair said on February 14, when the approval process began. Over 270 scientists from 67 countries have contributed to the report. “The approval plenary is a culmination of a rigorous process of drafting and review that happens with all IPCC reports. Experts from all over the world provided over 16,000 comments on the first-order draft of the report. Experts and governments provided more than 40,000 comments on the second draft of the full report and the first draft of the Summary for Policymakers. The final government review of the Summary for Policymakers received about 5,700 comments. This report references over 34,000 scientific papers,” according to IPCC. According to Stockholm Environment Institute, the IPCC report preparation starts with governments formally approving the outline and ends with the approval of the Summary for Policy Makers and the acceptance of the rest of the report. Governments own the reports. That intergovernmental ownership is very important within the context of the global climate negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The IPCC reports provide a collective foundation for these negotiations, which cannot then be undermined by negotiators challenging the scientific basis on which all countries have agreed.

Poor road design slows down Delhi

According to these reports, traffic in the city moves at half the speed of what the roads are designed for. While commuting in Delhi one has felt increasingly miserable in the past few years. Thankfully research reports have also appeared that indicate that poor road conditions in the national capital have led to sluggish traffic conditions. According to these reports, traffic in the city moves at half the speed of what the roads are designed for. The major arterial roads in Delhi are designed to achieve a driving speed of 50-70 km per hour and the regulated speed, as decided by the traffic police, is 40-55 km per hour. However, surveys by agencies such as the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) among others, have observed that the average speed on these roads now is 26-27 kilometres per hour. A commuter in Delhi takes almost double the time to travel to the destination wasting precious fuel and man-hours. Worse, traffic on the weekends is sometimes slower than on the weekdays on the account of the large number of personal vehicles coming onto the roads. The congestions on the roads are on two counts, one absence of a robust public transport system and two sluggish paces of the work undertaken by the government agencies. Mukarba Chowk and Ashram Chowk, the main entry points from northern and the southern side respectively into the heart of the city have been lying choked for past three-to-four years. On the eastern flank, the roads to trans-Yamuna areas have been clogged at Sarai Kale Khan on the account of never-ending work on Bhairon Marg and near Maharani Bagh. The completion of underpass work at Ashram has missed six deadlines. The Bhairon Marg tunnel project is behind schedule by 23 months. The work on the underpass between Mukarba Chowk and Burari is two years late. Barapullah Phase 3 was to be completed in October 2017 and it’s nowhere near completion even after five years. To add to misery is the fast decaying work culture of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. About a quarter of a century ago, when E Sreedharan, the legendary Metro Man started the construction work of Delhi Metro, their worksites were showcased as being managed in the most modern manner. Closed enclosures, safety measures and most importantly, least harassment to the moving traffic, were hallmarks of their work culture. One recalls having done a report in those days about the Delhi Metro security men managing traffic better than the Delhi Police cops. This left the then chief traffic cop Qamar Ahmed, though a very fine professional himself, fuming at the comparison. However, the same cannot be said of the metro sites today. Those travelling from Mukarba to Madhuban Chowk in North-West Delhi would vouch how the work at snail’s pace on the pink line has left them in a wretched state, both physically and mentally. Several bottlenecks have been created on this road starting from Haiderpur Metro Station to Pitampura Metro Station. Sadly, the speed of work shows that the painful situation is going to persist for some more time. When Public Works Department and Delhi Metro have done their bit in creating congestion on the roads, can Delhi Police be left behind? High Court has in fact last week issued a notice to Delhi Police asking what purpose did unmanned barricades on the roads served. The court has observed, “These unmanned blockades of roads prima facie serve no purpose and do indeed cause inconvenience and harassment to the public at large.” We may be looking at another judicial intervention, this time to decongest the roads of Delhi. This is unfortunate but it seems to be the only panacea for the city’s problems.

Debate in Centre over 500GW Renewable Energy target in new NDCs

A debate has emerged in the government over explicitly committing to the 500GW renewable energy target and plans for reduction of one billion tonnes of cumulative emissions by 2030 in the soon to be updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) or climate targets. The Ministries of Power and New and Renewable Energy among others are learnt to have cautioned against mentioning both commitments in the updated NDCs, ET has learnt. The reason: India could lose flexibility on its climate goals if it binds itself in absolute global commitments to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC) even as electricity demand remains dynamic and carbon capture technologies are yet to be realised fully on a large scale basis. ET has learnt that the issue has formally come up in recent inter-ministerial discussions on updating of India's NDCs. The government will soon be taking a proposal to the Union Cabinet on updating of India's NDCs, an exercise expected to be completed well in time for the December COP-27 meet in Egypt. Every country is expected to submit its post 2020 climate targets or NDCs towards achievement of the Paris Agreement. While India is set to overachieve on its 2015 NDCs, it is yet to submit its new and updated NDCs for 2030. However, a template was set at the COP-26 Glasgow talks in October 2021 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Apart from announcing India's commitment to a 2070 net zero target, the PM said that by 2030 India would ensure that 50% of its electric power installed will be through non fossil fuel sources besides achieving 500GW of non fossil fuel electric power. The Ministry of Power and MNRE have now argued that while the PM's announcement must be respected and adhered to as a domestic target for the country, there was no need or compulsion to include it as NDC targets. They are learnt to reason that an NDC assuring 500GW commitment, while it will automatically cover the 50% target, will also bind India to the absolute target even if overall demand for electricity in the country does not grow commensurately by 2030. That apart, a 500GW NDC target will also prevent any new renewable energy project to be counted towards international carbon markets as Article 6 of the Paris Agreement only counts projects outside of NDCs. However, to achieve the 500GW RE target, practically every RE project will need to be included. India's carbon dioxide emissions stand at about 2.8 giga tonnes (GT) currently and are projected to touch 4.48 GT by 2030 as per projections made by the environmental think tank Centre for Science & Environment. To shave off one billion tonnes will require massive decarbonisation drives and mandates for clean fuel switch even as technologies for such large scale switch are untested so far. Stakeholder ministries have red flagged that such an absolute commitment in NDCs will invite intense global scrutiny of these targets even as the country is at a crucial stage of development which will involve some increase in Green House Gas emissions. India's announcement to reduce emission intensity of the country's GDP by 45% by 2030 as compared to 2005 level, however, will be able to accommodate any such ambition if achieved and hence the nation's commitment to the cause will be cl ..

World NGO Day – ये पांच महिलाएं, जिन्होंने मानव सेवा में, लगा दिया ,अपना जीवन

आज विश्व एनजीओ दिवस मनाया जाता है। हर साल 27 फरवरी को दुनिया भर में एनजीओ दिवस मनाया जाता है। पहली बार विश्व एनजीओ दिवस मनाने की शुरुआत 2014 से हुई थी।इस दिन को दुनिया के 89 से अधिक देश और 6 महाद्वीप मनाते हैं। एनजीओ का अर्थ है गैर सरकारी संगठन। एनजीओ एक ऐसी संस्था होती है, जो सरकार या किसी व्यवसायी व लाभ के लिए काम नहीं करती, बल्कि जनसेवा ही उसका उद्देश्य होता है। जरूरतमंदों की मदद करना, गरीब-बेसहाराओं के दुख-दर्द को समझकर उनको सहारा बनना या मदद तलाश करना एनजीओ का काम होता है। एनजीओ को गैर लाभ संगठन भी कहा जा सकता है। इस दिन को मनाने का मुख्य उद्देश्य एनजीओ के प्रति जागरूकता बढ़ाना और एनजीओ के कार्यों को प्रोत्साहित करना है। भारत में कई ऐसे नेक व्यक्तित्व के लोग हैं, जो अपने आप में ही एनजीओ हैं। खास कर भारत में गरीबों, बेसहारा लोगों की मदद करने में कई महिलाओं का विशेष योगदान है। विश्व एनजीओ दिवस के मौके पर जानते हैं भारत में मानव सेवा को ही अपना जीवन बना लेने वाली टॉप 5 महिला समाज सेविका के बारे में। मदर टेरेसा- मदर टेरेसा का नाम कौन नहीं जानता। कम उम्र में ही मानव सेवा को अपना लक्ष्य बना कर वह अल्बानिया से आयरलैंड आ गई थीं। बाद में 1929 में मटर टेरेसा भारत आ गईं और बेसहारा लोगों की मदद में अपना जीवन गुजार दिया। 1948 में उन्हें भारत की नागरिकता मिल गई। उन्हें 1979 में उन्हें नोबेल शांति पुरस्कार मिला था। वहीं 1980 में मदर टेरेसा को भारत रत्न भी दिया गया। सिंधुताई सपकाळ- महाराष्ट्र में हजारों अनाथ बच्चों को मां का प्यार देने वाली सिंधुताई सपकाल भी अपने आप में एक गैर सरकारी संगठन बन गईं। उन्होंने बिना मां बाप के बच्चों को आसरा दिया। वह खुद गरीब और बेसहारा थीं लेकिन रेलवे स्टेशन, फुटपाथ पर बैठे गरीब बच्चों का पेट भरने के लिए सड़कों पर भीख मांगा करती थीं। एक दो नहीं बल्कि 1400 बच्चों की मां बनी सिंधुताई सपकाल को महाराष्ट्र की मदर टेरेसा कहा जाता है। उन्होंने अपनी पूरी जिंदगी अनाथ बच्चों की सेवा में गुजार दी। सिंधु ताई को 700 से ज्यादा सम्मान मिल चुके हैं। सम्मान से प्राप्त रकम को सिंधु ताई ने अपने बच्चों के पालन पोषण में खर्च कर देती थीं। अरुणा राय-भारत की राजनीतिक और सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता अरुणा राय ने भारतीय प्रशासनिक सेवा में कार्य किया। उन्होंने राजस्थान के गरीब लोगों के जीवन को बेहतर बनाने के लिए विशेष तौर पर कई प्रयास किए। सूचना का अधिकार लागू करने के लिए अरुणा राय ने 6 अप्रैल 1995 को अजमेर के ब्यावर में आंदोलन की शुरुआत की थी। रोजगार गारंटी और सूचना का अधिकार कानून बनाने में अरुणा राय की अहम भूमिका है। वह मजदूर किसान शक्ति संगठन की संस्थापिका हैं, उन्होंने मजदूरों के जीवन में सुधार लाने का भरपूर प्रयास किया। उनके योगदान के लिए अरुणा राय को मैग्सेसे पुरस्कार और मेवाड़ सेवा श्री समेत कई पुरस्कारों से सम्मानित किया गया। बसंती देवी-पर्यावरण संरक्षण, देश की संस्कृति और लोगों के जीवन में सुधार के लिए अपना जीवन लगा देने वाली बसंती देवी को हाल ही में पद्म पुरस्कार 2022 से सम्मानित किया गया। पर्यावरण को बचाने के लिए उनका प्रयास अतुलनीय है। बसंती देवी ने पर्यावरण और कोसी नदी को बचाने से लेकर समाज की कई कुरीतियों को दूर करने के लिए महिला समूहों का आह्वान किया था। उत्तराखंड में महिला समूहों के माध्यम से उन्होंने जंगल को बचाने की मुहिम शुरु की। वहीं घरेलू हिंसा और महिलाओं पर होने वाले प्रताड़नाओं को रोकने के लिए भी जनजागरण किए। बसंती देवी के प्रयास से पंचायतों के सशक्तिकरण में महिलाओं की भूमिका बढ़ी। सुनीता नारायण-पिछले दो दशकों से पर्यावरण संरक्षण को लेकर पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण जागरूकता बढ़ा रही हैं। अंतरराष्ट्रीय ख्याति प्राप्त सुनीता का इस दिशा में अभूतपूर्व योगदान है। सुनीता नारायण ने हरित ईंधन, पर्यावरण प्रदूषण, महानगरों में वायु प्रदूषण, जल प्रदूषण, ध्वनि प्रदूषण जैसे प्रदूषण से जुड़े तमाम आयामों पर समाज को जागरूक करने में अहम भूमिका निभाई है। उनके इस योगदान और प्रयासों को ब्रिटेन की सिटी ऑफ इडनबर्ग काउंसिल ने मान्यता देते हुए सुनीता नारायण को ‘इडनबर्ग मेडल 2020′ से सम्मानित किया गया है।

A toilsome task

As Maharashtra government turns its focus towards phasing down non-compliant coal-fired power facilities, huge challenges lie ahead Aditya Thackeray, the cabinet minister for environment for the Government of Maharashtra, told the media February 14, 2022 that the state would "conduct a comprehensive study to determine how ageing and polluting coal-fired power facilities in the state can be phased down in a systematic manner". The state will take measures to mitigate air pollution, including commissioning flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) at thermal power plants. It will also ensure 100 per cent fly ash utilisation as directed by the Centre, Thackeray announced. The minister was on a site visit to Nandgaon village near which Maharashtra State Power Generation Company's Koradi and Khaperkheda thermal power plants are located. The two units are infamous for fly ash pollution. Disappointing compliance status Among the states, Maharashtra has the most capacity to generate power from coal that is unlikely to meet the emission norms by stipulated deadlines set by the Union ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), a new report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based non-profit, showed. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), according to the MOEFCC's April 2021 notification, disaggregated coal-based thermal power plants into three categories A, B and C based on deadlines by which they need to meet the emission norms. The body identified a cumulative thermal power capacity of 24,996 megawatts (MW) needed to emit within permissible limits. Around 40 per cent of this capacity has still not taken any solid measures towards this goal, the report 'Norms in Name Alone: Will the Coal-fired Utilities Meet the Deadlines for Emission Norms?' noted. Thermal power plants with a total capacity of 5,120 MW were supposed to meet the deadline by 2022 (Category A), 4,840 MW by 2023 (Category B) and 15,006 MW by 2024 (Category C). However, 85 per cent in Category A, 22 per cent in Category B and 31 per cent in Category C are likely to miss the deadline, the CSE analysis found. Most of these are run by the state government. As much as 2,450 MW capacity in Maharashtra have installed an air pollution control device (FGD) that is required to keep sulfur dioxide emissions within the Centre's limit. However, the status of compliance in these plants is not being monitored by the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), the agency entrusted with the task to track emission norms implementation progress. Fly ash management Mounds of fly ash — unburnt residue of coal burning in coal thermal power plants — are lying unutilised in Maharashtra, according to CSE's report 'An Ashen Legacy: India's Thermal Power Ash Management.' Maharashtra has had one of the highest fly ash generation rates in the last decade. It has a total of 52.43 million tonnes of ash in its ash ponds. A plant-wise comparison showed that for Maharashtra, the plants owned by Mahagenco — Chandrapur, Khaperkheda, Koradi and Paras — have the worst record of fly ash management. The state has also seen rising fly ash accidents from mismanagement of fly ash from coal thermal power plants. Stern authority intervention The National Green Tribunal recently took note of the pollution from the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power station in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra. The 2,920 MW plant (Mahagenco) needs to meet the emission norms by 2023. It is likely to miss the deadline. The green court on January 19, 2022 ruled that since the project was the largest in Maharashtra and had an annual income of Rs 20,000 crore, there was no financial difficulty that was stopping it from following emissions and fly ash disposal guidelines. The court levied a fine of Rs 5 crore on the plant as compensation for environmental damage. On February 15, 2022, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board issued directions to Khaperkheda coal power plant, taking cognizance of the state government's decision to control pollution from coal thermal power plants and the complaints received by the board regarding disposal of ash slurry into Nandgaon ash pond without permission. The plant has been directed to clean up the accumulated ash, remove existing infrastructure and restore the area. CSE recommends • As much as 2,520 MW capacity at Koradi, Khaperkheda, Nasik, Chandrapur and Bhusawal thermal power plants has completed its design life and is unlikely to meet the norms in due time. These plants can be considered for retirement or put to some alternate use by the Maharashtra government. • The state pollution control boards should place limits on the number of days the non-complying plants can run, and accordingly these should be compensated for the fixed costs as proposed in CSE's report 'First Run: An incentive mechanism to make coal-based power plants meet emission norms.' • The power plants not utilising 100 per cent of their ash should not be given approval to expand capacity • There is no action being taken on the plants that seem to be not progressing at the expected pace to meet the emission norms or to dispose of fly ash. The regulatory authorities need to devise a phase-wise compliance check and ensure availability of the compliance status in public domain. DTE

Modi govt sets up ‘green’ jobs portal, only for renewable energy sector

The portal created by the Skill Council for Green Jobs follows a draft policy framework released by Ministry of New and Renewable Energy to promote employment opportunities in the sector. Put simply, this means the MNRE is seeking to create job opportunities in the green energy sector — to employ people in the setting up or operating of solar street lights, standalone street pumps, biogas plants and solar power plants, to name a few. Acting on the MNRE policy, the Skill Council for Green Jobs (SCGJ), which functions as an arm for the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, unveiled an online desktop version of a job portal this week, to connect empanelled enterprises with professionals hunting for jobs in the renewable energy sector. The portal works like any site offering information on job openings, except that the jobs listed will be restricted to those from the new and renewable energy sector. Although the portal is at a nascent stage currently, there are plans to launch awareness about it on employment platforms like LinkedIn, to draw skilled individuals who could work for government projects in this sector. “We expect this portal to be up and running in another two months. We are working to get in touch with organisations that have the potential in providing jobs, while also soaking in skilled labour,” SCGJ Vice-President for Strategy and Operations Arpit Sharma told ThePrint. Sharma was also involved in co-authoring a report by the SCGJ, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), released in January, which states the sector created 48 per cent fewer jobs in 2021 than in 2019. According to the report, while the pandemic led to concerns regarding the “re-skilling” of professionals, “India has potential to create about 3.4 million jobs by installing 238 GW solar and 101 GW new wind capacity to achieve the 500 GW non-fossil electricity generation capacity by 2030 goal”. The report also stated that, in 2021, the wind and solar energy sectors employed a workforce of 111,400. While the solar sector contributed 77 per cent of this, employment in the wind energy sector accounted for 23 per cent of the employment here. Post-Covid recovery efforts by agencies working with the ministry, the report said, have indicated a narrowed focus on job creation, skill development and community welfare. This is what the MNRE’s new policy framework seeks to correct. Challenges in creating green jobs Experts working in the renewable energy space, however, pointed out some key issues related to data acquisition, to gain insights into the technological potential and employment needs of a region. According to Binit Das, Deputy Programme Manager for Renewable Energy, Centre for Science and Environment, “Most of the jobs created so far are temporary, which vanish at the end of asset construction. Estimates shared by the Rewa Ultra Mega Solar Limited earlier had claimed that it employed around 3,000 direct workers and 2,000 indirect ones every day (in 2019), whereas it is currently employing less than 500 skilled and unskilled workers. The automation of unskilled workers is another serious threat.” There is no follow-up data yet that could be relied on to determine the sector’s success in giving jobs, add experts. The SCGJ, too, foresees challenges once the portal becomes functional, such as monitoring records on the ground, populating the job portal website at a steadfast speed, and identifying the workforce for re-training. “There is no independent research from our side to identify region-specific needs and requirements for DRE (decentralised renewable energy), we follow the ministry’s footsteps,” said SCGJ CEO Praveen Saxena. “If the government launches a programme in a region, we have a clearer idea of how to support the employment needs there. The Rewa project was one such example. Since it is such a diverse field we have people ranging from designers, engineers to small-scale technicians and operators depending on the projects.”

सकाळ’ दिवाळी अंकावर ‘सर्वोत्कृष्ट’ मोहोर

मुंबई : बदलत्या पर्यावरणाचा माणसाच्या जगण्यावर होणाऱ्या परिणामाचा वेध घेणाऱ्या ‘सकाळ’च्या ‘अवतरण’ दिवाळी अंकाला मराठी वृत्तपत्र लेखक संघाचा ‘गणेश केळकर स्मृती सर्वोत्कृष्ट साहित्यिक दिवाळी अंक’ पुरस्कार जाहीर झाला आहे. या पुरस्काराचा वितरण समारंभ शनिवारी, २६ फेब्रुवारीला दादर सार्वजनिक वाचनालयाच्या धुरू सभागृहात सायंकाळी ५.३० वाजता होणार आहे. ‘सकाळ’च्या दिवाळी अंकात ज्येष्ठ पर्यावरणवादी लेखिका सुनीता नारायण, विष्णू लांबा, प्रसिद्ध अभिनेत्री आणि पर्यावरण चळवळीच्या कार्यकर्त्या जुही चावला, डॉ. सरिता सुब्रह्मण्यम, मारुती चितमपल्ली, किशोर रिठे, डॉ. संग्राम पाटील, डॉ. शरद काळे, राहुल गडपाले, डॉ. प्रमोद चौधरी, डॉ. प्राक्तन वडनेरकर, शिल्पा गडमडे, एन. वासुदेवन, डॉ. सुरेश चोपणे, सुमैरा अब्दुलअली, प्रा. संदीप पेटारे, किरण येले, अमोल खरात, ऋषिराज तायडे यांच्या महत्त्वपूर्ण लेखांसह पर्यावरणावर भाष्य करणाऱ्या कवितादेखील आहेत. ‘अवतरण’ अंकाला मुंबईच्या मराठी वृत्तपत्र लेखक संघाच्या ४६ व्या राज्यस्तरीय दिवाळी अंक स्पर्धेत प्रतिष्ठेचा पुरस्कार जाहीर झाल्याची माहिती संघाध्यक्ष रवींद्र मालुसरे यांनी दिली. मराठी वृत्तपत्र लेखक संघ आणि गोरेगावच्या मराठी विचारधारा प्रतिष्ठानच्या संयुक्त विद्यमाने कविश्रेष्ठ कुसुमाग्रज जन्मदिन व मराठी भाषा दिवसानिमित्त आयोजित केलेल्या कार्यक्रमात हा पुरस्कार प्रदान केला जाणार आहे. या वेळी ज्येष्ठ वृत्तपत्रलेखक दत्ताराम गवस आणि श्रीराम मांडवकर यांना जीवन गौरव पुरस्काराने गौरवित केले जाणार आहे; तर ‘वाचन चळवळीतील सेवाभावी कार्यकर्ता पुरस्कार’ अश्विनी पाठक यांना प्रदान करण्यात येणार आहे. ज्येष्ठ चित्रपट-नाट्य अभिनेत्री चिन्मयी सुमित, शिवसेना आरोग्य कक्षाचे प्रमुख मंगेश चिवटे, मराठी अभ्यास केंद्राचे प्रा. दीपक पवार, उद्योजक प्रमोद घोसाळकर हे समारंभाला प्रमुख पाहुणे म्हणून उपस्थित राहणार आहेत. इतर विजेते ‘सकाळ’च्या दिवाळी अंकासह तरुण भारत (नागपूर), प्रसाद (पुणे), ऋतुरंग (मुंबई), चिकू पीक (पुणे), आनंद तरंग (पुणे), पुढारी दीपस्तंभ (कोल्हापूर), ऋतुपर्ण (पुणे) या दिवाळी अंकांनाही पुरस्कार जाहीर झाले आहेत. काही अंकांचा उत्कृष्ट व उल्लेखनीय अंक म्हणून गौरव होणार असल्याचे संस्थेचे प्रमुख कार्यवाह प्रशांत घाडीगावकर यांनी सांगितले.

Two-day HT Environment Conclave commences today

The HT Environment Conclave, on Wednesday and Thursday, is being organised in the backdrop of investors increasingly giving significant importance to ESG as climate crisis looms large over businesses. The two-day Hindustan Times Environment Conclave will begin on Wednesday with environment minister Bhupender Yadav’s address spelling out government’s road map to sustainable development. The theme of this year’s Conclave is “environmental, social and governance”, also known as ESG. Yadav’s address will be followed by sessions on circular economy, energy transition, and net-zero emissions, among others, by environment and industry experts. The HT Environment Conclave, on Wednesday and Thursday, is being organised in the backdrop of investors increasingly giving significant importance to ESG as climate crisis looms large over businesses. The conclave also comes at a time when India is gradually recovering from the economic blow of the Covid-19 pandemic and preparing for a transition to a low-carbon economy this decade. At the Glasgow climate conference in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that India’s non-fossil energy capacity will reach 500 GW by 2030, meeting 50% of the country’s energy requirements. He also announced that India will reduce its total projected carbon emissions by a billion tonnes by 2030, cut down the carbon intensity of the economy by 45% over 2005 levels by 2030, and achieve net-zero emissions by 2070. Net-zero means completely neutralizing the greenhouse gases produced by human activity by reducing and absorbing emissions. The conclave will attempt to capture the opportunities and challenges of this transition to a low-carbon economy. On Wednesday, Yadav’s keynote address will be followed by a session on ‘Circular Economy: How to effectively and efficiently work towards reducing wastage’ by Swati Singh Sambyal, waste management specialist at UN Habitat. Sambyal will stress on lifestyle changes that one could make to reduce consumption and wastage. Her session will be followed by a personal account of Arun Krishnamurthy, founder, Environmentalist Foundation of India, who will narrate his story of quitting a corporate job to save natural spaces in different parts of the country. Day 1 of the conclave will also feature sessions by industry leaders like Priya Agarwal Hebbar, director, Vedanta Resources, who will speak on ESG in industry; and Rajeev Kumar Jain, chief operating officer (refrigerant business), Gujarat Fluorochemicals, who will discuss carbon emissions in the developing world. A fireside chat with Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will kick-start Day 2 of the HT Environment Conclave on Thursday. It will be followed by a session by Nivit Yadav, programme director, industrial pollution unit, Centre for Science and Environment, who will explain how industries can reduce their carbon and environmental footprints. AK Saxena, senior fellow and senior director, electricity and fuels division, The Energy and Resources Institute, will describe how India can achieve its net-zero emissions goal by 2070. It will be followed by a joint session on sustainable infrastructure for industry by George Menezes, chief operating officer, Godrej Electricals and Electronics, and KS Venkatgiri, executive director, CII-Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre. The last speaker, Pragya Kapoor, actor, producer, environmental activist and founder of Ek Saath — The Earth Foundation, will focus on the role of youth in environmental movements.

After endless construction, rain Delhi’s worst traffic nightmare

Traffic congestion in Delhi typically peaks during the monsoon months, with September being the worst with 56% more average commuting time than other months, said the report. Commuting in Delhi can be a harrowing experience -- especially if it rains. On August 21 last year, for instance, when the capital saw heavy rainfall of 139mm, commuters were forced to spend an additional 71% commuting time stuck in traffic snarls, according to a global traffic index report by TomTom released on February 10. Traffic congestion in Delhi typically peaks during the monsoon months, with September being the worst with 56% more average commuting time than other months, said the report. Roads in Delhi are not designed to handle more than 50mm of rain in a day, the Public Works Department said in a August 2021 report. The situation is unlikely to improve any time soon. Delhi continues with an outdated 1975 drainage master plan to manage its 426.55km of natural drainage lines and 3,311.54km of engineered stormwater drains. An enhanced drainage system remains stuck a decade after work started on it. The PWD is in the process of appointing a consultant who will survey the key basin areas to identify problem areas that will then be acted upon by authorities, an official said on condition of anonymity. The problem, however, is not limited to water logging and drainage. Unsustainably high vehicle density, poorly managed roads, and rampant encroachments add to the problem, experts said, and things will only worsen as congestion levels rise once again after pandemic restrictions are lifted. Delhi is the 11th most congested city in the world according to the TomTom Traffic Index that maps 404 cities in 58 countries. As life returns to normal and traffic increases, the city needs to immediately implement pending transportation policies, said Anuj Malhotra, a transportation expert and member of a home ministry expert panel on decongesting Delhi’s roads. “A parking policy was notified, but its provisions like parking management districts, need to be implemented on war footing. Similarly, the walking policy and walkability plans are yet to be enforced,” Malhotra said. “Additionally, more buses are required to increase the supply side requirements.” At present, Delhi has about 6,900 buses, the highest the city has ever had so far. Previously, bus fleet in Delhi was at its strongest with 6,342 vehicles in 2010 when the national Capital hosted the Commonwealth Games. A Delhi government spokesperson said at least 2,830 more buses will be added until mid-2023. Of the 2,830 buses, 2,130 will be pure electric buses and 700 will be CNG buses. This will also be the last set of CNG buses Delhi government will buy. After this, only e-buses will be procured, the spokesperson added. Delhi also needs to discourage the use of private vehicles to reduce congestion, experts said. Although roads remain limited, the appetite for new vehicles and parking space continues to grow. Till 31st January 2022, the government data shows, Delhi had some 13.4 million registered vehicles, which is more than the registered vehicles in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata taken together. The city transport department estimates that around 7.77 million of these are in use. Added to this is the huge number of vehicles from satellite cities of Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad using the capital’s roads everyday. Given the number of vehicles on the capital’s road, congestion is inevitable, said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, an advocacy group, and a member of the team that drafted city’s parking policy that was notified in 2019. “Clearly, the obsessive focus on excessive road building and widening, while allowing unlimited free parking is eroding spaces for public transport, walking and cycling. This has not worked and needs immediate course correction,” Roy Chowdhury said. “We need to scale up integrated public transport services, walking and cycling along with taxation and parking measures to recover congestion and pollution costs from personal vehicles to restrain their usage.” Roy Chowdhury also advocates modification in city planning to bring in more people to live close to the transit lines to reduce dependence on personal vehicles. Two years after the Delhi Development Authority notified rules for a pedestrian-friendly makeover of Delhi’s streets, the policy remains on paper. The municipal corporations have also failed to enforce parking area management plans and dynamic parking rates despite the rules being notified on September 23, 2019, after direct intervention of the Supreme Court. While high vehicle density remains a key hurdle, yearlong housekeeping tasks of resurfacing roads, pothole repair and removal of encroachments have significant impact on vehicular flow, Delhi residents rue. Basic housekeeping in the capital has deteriorated, said Atul Goel, president of United RWAs Joint Action, a collective of residents’ associations. “Maintenance of arterial as well as inner colony roads lies in shambles. Forget about resurfacing, even basic patchwork and pothole repair work is lacking,” Goel said. “On the one hand, we are talking about mobility planning, and walkways, but we are unable to prevent encroachment on even existing pathways, forcing people to walk on roads, which hampers traffic flow and increases risks of accidents.” Authorities remove encroachments regularly, municipal officials said, but road repairs have been impacted due to a financial crisis faced by the municipal corporations. High congestion levels have made commuting in city unreliable, said Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning in the School of Planning and Architecture. “Even when people are travelling using Google maps (which display congestion levels), they are ending up taking longer than the expected time,” Ram said. “Delhi Traffic Police needs to identify the new emerging congestion hot spots and plan their strategy accordingly.” Segregating traffic moving to residential neighbourhoods and industrial areas in the city and interstate traffic to and from the cities in the national capital region will be key in reducing the congestion, he said. Authorities also need to reduce the time taken to clear out roads when buses and cars breakdown, he added. “Even the national highways and expressway have poor management when vehicles and buses break down and it leads to pile up of vehicles on the entire corridor.” Congestion management in the capital needs a holistic approach, with frequent updating of mobility plans and capacity management of arterial and other roads, said S Velmurugan, chief scientist at the Central Road Research Institute. He advocated the introduction of tough fiscal measures like congestion pricing in areas such as Connaught Place, and the walled city . The present rate of ₹20 per hour of parking is unjustified and should be raised, he said. The draft masterplan 2041 for Delhi advocates the use of congestion pricing. Road owning agencies should notify specific areas in the city as congestion pricing zones through the use of technology in the form of RFID tagging, it has suggested. Enforcing the new parking policy should be the first step before introducing congestion pricing, Malhotra said. “Parking management is the first tool,” he said. “At this stage, Delhi does not need additional roads, but optimum utilisation of the existing network. Even opening up colony gates and allowing traffic to pass through internal roads should be done.”

दो दिवसीय एचटी पर्यावरण कॉन्क्लेव आज से शुरू

दो दिवसीय हिंदुस्तान कॅरिअरमोशन्स पर्यावरण सम्मेलन बुधवार को पर्यावरण मंत्री भूपेंद्र यादव के संबोधन के साथ शुरू होगा जिसमें सतत विकास के लिए सरकार का रोड मैप होगा। इस वर्ष के कॉन्क्लेव का विषय “पर्यावरण, सामाजिक और शासन” है, जिसे ईएसजी के नाम से भी जाना जाता है। यादव के संबोधन के बाद पर्यावरण और उद्योग के विशेषज्ञों द्वारा सर्कुलर इकोनॉमी, एनर्जी ट्रांजिशन और नेट-जीरो एमिशन पर सत्र होंगे। बुधवार और गुरुवार को एचटी एनवायरनमेंट कॉन्क्लेव का आयोजन निवेशकों द्वारा ईएसजी को महत्वपूर्ण महत्व देने की पृष्ठभूमि में किया जा रहा है क्योंकि जलवायु संकट व्यवसायों पर भारी पड़ रहा है। कॉन्क्लेव ऐसे समय में भी आया है जब भारत धीरे-धीरे कोविड -19 महामारी के आर्थिक आघात से उबर रहा है और इस दशक में कम कार्बन वाली अर्थव्यवस्था में संक्रमण की तैयारी कर रहा है। पिछले साल नवंबर में ग्लासगो जलवायु सम्मेलन में, प्रधान मंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी ने घोषणा की कि भारत की गैर-जीवाश्म ऊर्जा क्षमता 2030 तक 500 गीगावॉट तक पहुंच जाएगी, जो देश की ऊर्जा आवश्यकताओं का 50% पूरा करेगी। उन्होंने यह भी घोषणा की कि भारत 2030 तक अपने कुल अनुमानित कार्बन उत्सर्जन में एक अरब टन की कमी करेगा, 2030 तक 2005 के स्तर से अर्थव्यवस्था की कार्बन तीव्रता में 45% की कटौती करेगा, और 2070 तक शुद्ध-शून्य उत्सर्जन प्राप्त करेगा। नेट-शून्य का मतलब पूरी तरह से है उत्सर्जन को कम और अवशोषित करके मानव गतिविधि द्वारा उत्पादित ग्रीनहाउस गैसों को निष्क्रिय करना। कॉन्क्लेव निम्न कार्बन अर्थव्यवस्था में इस संक्रमण के अवसरों और चुनौतियों को पकड़ने का प्रयास करेगा। बुधवार को, यादव के मुख्य भाषण के बाद संयुक्त राष्ट्र पर्यावास में अपशिष्ट प्रबंधन विशेषज्ञ स्वाति सिंह सम्ब्याल द्वारा ‘सर्कुलर इकोनॉमी: हाउ टू इफेक्टिव एंड एफिशिएंट वर्क टु रिड्यूसिंग वेस्टेज’ पर एक सत्र का आयोजन किया जाएगा। सम्ब्याल जीवनशैली में बदलाव पर जोर देंगे जो खपत और अपव्यय को कम करने के लिए किया जा सकता है। उनके सत्र के बाद पर्यावरणविद् फाउंडेशन ऑफ इंडिया के संस्थापक अरुण कृष्णमूर्ति का व्यक्तिगत लेखा-जोखा होगा, जो देश के विभिन्न हिस्सों में प्राकृतिक स्थानों को बचाने के लिए कॉर्पोरेट नौकरी छोड़ने की अपनी कहानी सुनाएगा। कॉन्क्लेव के पहले दिन में वेदांत रिसोर्सेज की निदेशक प्रिया अग्रवाल हेब्बार जैसे उद्योग जगत के नेताओं के सत्र भी होंगे, जो उद्योग में ईएसजी पर बोलेंगे; और राजीव कुमार जैन, चीफ ऑपरेटिंग ऑफिसर (रेफ्रिजरेंट बिजनेस), गुजरात फ्लोरोकेमिकल्स, जो विकासशील देशों में कार्बन उत्सर्जन पर चर्चा करेंगे। मध्य प्रदेश के मुख्यमंत्री शिवराज सिंह चौहान के साथ एक जोरदार बातचीत गुरुवार को एचटी पर्यावरण सम्मेलन के दूसरे दिन की शुरुआत करेगी। इसके बाद सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट के औद्योगिक प्रदूषण इकाई के कार्यक्रम निदेशक निवित यादव द्वारा एक सत्र का आयोजन किया जाएगा, जो यह बताएगा कि उद्योग अपने कार्बन और पर्यावरण के पदचिह्नों को कैसे कम कर सकते हैं। एके सक्सेना, वरिष्ठ साथी और वरिष्ठ निदेशक, बिजली और ईंधन विभाग, द एनर्जी एंड रिसोर्सेज इंस्टीट्यूट, बताएंगे कि भारत 2070 तक अपने शुद्ध-शून्य उत्सर्जन लक्ष्य को कैसे प्राप्त कर सकता है। इसके बाद गोदरेज इलेक्ट्रिकल्स एंड इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स के मुख्य परिचालन अधिकारी जॉर्ज मेनेजेस और सीआईआई-सोहराबजी गोदरेज ग्रीन बिजनेस सेंटर के कार्यकारी निदेशक केएस वेंकटगिरी द्वारा उद्योग के लिए टिकाऊ बुनियादी ढांचे पर एक संयुक्त सत्र का आयोजन किया जाएगा। अंतिम वक्ता, प्रज्ञा कपूर, अभिनेता, निर्माता, पर्यावरण कार्यकर्ता और एक साथ – द अर्थ फाउंडेशन की संस्थापक, पर्यावरण आंदोलनों में युवाओं की भूमिका पर ध्यान केंद्रित करेंगी।

Sustainable lifestyles to be focus of India’s stand in climate talks

An environment ministry official said they met over 40 experts last week to discuss how the concept can be a major pillar of the climate debate The Union environment ministry has begun consultations with climate and energy experts on developing the concept of sustainable lifestyles based on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s comments at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow in November. Modi said the world is recognising that lifestyles have a big role in climate change and proposed a “One-Word Movement”. “This One-Word in the context of climate can become the basic foundation of One World. This is a word LIFE…L, I, F, E, ie, Lifestyle For Environment… This can become a mass movement of an environmentally conscious lifestyle. What is needed today is mindful and deliberate utilisation instead of mindless and destructive consumption.” An environment ministry official, who did not want to be named, said they met over 40 experts last week. “...some of [them] joined us virtually from other parts of the country on how the concept of sustainable lifestyles can be a major pillar of the climate debate. There were two internal meetings of the environment ministry on this. All of their inputs have been taken and a concept note will soon be prepared. More meetings may be necessary to ideate how this can be the cornerstone of our stands at climate negotiations.” He added they had experts from Vijanana Bharati (previously Swadeshi Science Movement), National Institute of Advanced Studies, Centre for Science and Environment, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, etc. “Once the concept is developed, we will share it with Niti Aayog also for further implementation. It is premature to say how the concept will be used in climate negotiations. We have had preliminary discussions for now.” Manjeev Singh Puri, distinguished fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute, said lifestyle adaptation has to now be at the heart of sustainable development so that sustainable patterns of both production and consumption, particularity among the most profligate, evolve. “India, with its strong links to nature and a lifestyle that values conserving and not profligacy, can lead in this global movement and give expression to Prime Minister Modi’s call...,” said Puri, who attended the environment ministry consultation chaired by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav. Modi reiterated the idea in his address to the World Economic Forum in January. He again referred to it at the World Sustainable Development Summit on February 16. India has urged developed countries to moderate their consumption patterns. The target of reducing emissions to net-zero by mid-century, proposed by some countries, will not be adequate in view of the fast-depleting global carbon space, India said in its statement at the G20 energy and climate joint ministerial meeting in July. India urged the group of 20 developed nations with per capita greenhouse gas emissions above the world average to reduce the levels by 2030. According to the World Resources Institute, India emits 7.1% of global emissions and has per capita emissions of about 2.47 Tco2e (tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent), compared to the global average of 6.45 tco2/per capita. In comparison to top emitters, India’s per capita emissions are seven times lower than that of the US, 3.4 times lower than China’s, and three times lower compared to the EU.

After endless construction, rain Delhi’s worst traffic nightmare

Commuting in Delhi can be a harrowing experience — especially if it rains. On August 21 last year, for instance, when the capital saw heavy rainfall of 139mm, commuters were forced to spend an additional 71% commuting time stuck in traffic snarls, according to a global traffic index report by TomTom released on February 10. Traffic congestion in Delhi typically peaks during the monsoon months, with September being the worst with 56% more average commuting time than other months, said the report. Roads in Delhi are not designed to handle more than 50mm of rain in a day, the Public Works Department said in a August 2021 report. The situation is unlikely to improve any time soon. Delhi continues with an outdated 1975 drainage master plan to manage its 426.55km of natural drainage lines and 3,311.54km of engineered stormwater drains. An enhanced drainage system remains stuck a decade after work started on it. The PWD is in the process of appointing a consultant who will survey the key basin areas to identify problem areas that will then be acted upon by authorities, an official said on condition of anonymity. The problem, however, is not limited to water logging and drainage. Unsustainably high vehicle density, poorly managed roads, and rampant encroachments add to the problem, experts said, and things will only worsen as congestion levels rise once again after pandemic restrictions are lifted. Delhi is the 11th most congested city in the world according to the TomTom Traffic Index that maps 404 cities in 58 countries. As life returns to normal and traffic increases, the city needs to immediately implement pending transportation policies, said Anuj Malhotra, a transportation expert and member of a home ministry expert panel on decongesting Delhi’s roads. “A parking policy was notified, but its provisions like parking management districts, need to be implemented on war footing. Similarly, the walking policy and walkability plans are yet to be enforced,” Malhotra said. “Additionally, more buses are required to increase the supply side requirements.” At present, Delhi has about 6,900 buses, the highest the city has ever had so far. Previously, bus fleet in Delhi was at its strongest with 6,342 vehicles in 2010 when the national Capital hosted the Commonwealth Games. A Delhi government spokesperson said at least 2,830 more buses will be added until mid-2023. Of the 2,830 buses, 2,130 will be pure electric buses and 700 will be CNG buses. This will also be the last set of CNG buses Delhi government will buy. After this, only e-buses will be procured, the spokesperson added. Delhi also needs to discourage the use of private vehicles to reduce congestion, experts said. Although roads remain limited, the appetite for new vehicles and parking space continues to grow. Till 31st January 2022, the government data shows, Delhi had some 13.4 million registered vehicles, which is more than the registered vehicles in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata taken together. The city transport department estimates that around 7.77 million of these are in use. Added to this is the huge number of vehicles from satellite cities of Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Ghaziabad using the capital’s roads everyday. Given the number of vehicles on the capital’s road, congestion is inevitable, said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, an advocacy group, and a member of the team that drafted city’s parking policy that was notified in 2019. “Clearly, the obsessive focus on excessive road building and widening, while allowing unlimited free parking is eroding spaces for public transport, walking and cycling. This has not worked and needs immediate course correction,” Roy Chowdhury said. “We need to scale up integrated public transport services, walking and cycling along with taxation and parking measures to recover congestion and pollution costs from personal vehicles to restrain their usage.” Roy Chowdhury also advocates modification in city planning to bring in more people to live close to the transit lines to reduce dependence on personal vehicles. Two years after the Delhi Development Authority notified rules for a pedestrian-friendly makeover of Delhi’s streets, the policy remains on paper. The municipal corporations have also failed to enforce parking area management plans and dynamic parking rates despite the rules being notified on September 23, 2019, after direct intervention of the Supreme Court. While high vehicle density remains a key hurdle, yearlong housekeeping tasks of resurfacing roads, pothole repair and removal of encroachments have significant impact on vehicular flow, Delhi residents rue. Basic housekeeping in the capital has deteriorated, said Atul Goel, president of United RWAs Joint Action, a collective of residents’ associations. “Maintenance of arterial as well as inner colony roads lies in shambles. Forget about resurfacing, even basic patchwork and pothole repair work is lacking,” Goel said. “On the one hand, we are talking about mobility planning, and walkways, but we are unable to prevent encroachment on even existing pathways, forcing people to walk on roads, which hampers traffic flow and increases risks of accidents.” Authorities remove encroachments regularly, municipal officials said, but road repairs have been impacted due to a financial crisis faced by the municipal corporations. High congestion levels have made commuting in city unreliable, said Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning in the School of Planning and Architecture. “Even when people are travelling using Google maps (which display congestion levels), they are ending up taking longer than the expected time,” Ram said. “Delhi Traffic Police needs to identify the new emerging congestion hot spots and plan their strategy accordingly.” Segregating traffic moving to residential neighbourhoods and industrial areas in the city and interstate traffic to and from the cities in the national capital region will be key in reducing the congestion, he said. Authorities also need to reduce the time taken to clear out roads when buses and cars breakdown, he added. “Even the national highways and expressway have poor management when vehicles and buses break down and it leads to pile up of vehicles on the entire corridor.” Congestion management in the capital needs a holistic approach, with frequent updating of mobility plans and capacity management of arterial and other roads, said S Velmurugan, chief scientist at the Central Road Research Institute. He advocated the introduction of tough fiscal measures like congestion pricing in areas such as Connaught Place, and the walled city . The present rate of ₹20 per hour of parking is unjustified and should be raised, he said. The draft masterplan 2041 for Delhi advocates the use of congestion pricing. Road owning agencies should notify specific areas in the city as congestion pricing zones through the use of technology in the form of RFID tagging, it has suggested. Enforcing the new parking policy should be the first step before introducing congestion pricing, Malhotra said. “Parking management is the first tool,” he said. “At this stage, Delhi does not need additional roads, but optimum utilisation of the existing network. Even opening up colony gates and allowing traffic to pass through internal roads should be done.”

Centre issues new emission norms for power generators to reduce air pollution

the Ministry for Environment has issued a draft notification for common emission norms for power generators which means that there will be one standard pollution norm for all types of power generators. Until now there were three different emission standards for Gasoline, Diesel and Dedicated CNG, LPG & Bi-fuels gensets. Also Read | Long-term exposure to air pollution likely to increase COVID-19 risk: Study Notably, hydrogen and green ammonia-powered generators have also been included in the notification issued by the Centre. This move will prove to be a boost to the Hydrogen fuel sector in India. Just recently, the Centre had released green hydrogen and green ammonia policy to boost the large-scale indigenous production of green hydrogen to reduce the import of fossil and crude oil. This move will also help India achieve its target of becoming a Carbon Neutral economy by 2070 as announced by PM Modi in Glasgow. According to the government, the emission coming from the DG genset is one of the major contributors to air pollution in major urban centres in India. Fresh regulation on emission is imperative, considering the availability of cleaner fuels ( BS-VI) and improved engine technology. On Dec 18, 2021, the NGT had directed the Uttar Pradesh pollution control board to take action to ensure the compliance of norms set to check air & noise pollution caused by diesel generators (DG). The case pertains to a petition filed against the Management of Windsor Park residents Welfare association (WPRWA) in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Another study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that DG sets significantly contributed to air pollution in urban areas. The study reveals that DG consumes 60 to 70 per cent of the Liquid fuel consumption of the studied region. DG sets have been banned by the Central government under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) also thrust upon retrofitting existing generators and replacing the DG sets to gas-operated generators.