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Delhi's Industrial Units Switch to Clean Fuels as Directed by the Commission for Air Quality Management

Complying with the Commission for Air Quality Management's (CAQM) direction, all 1,636 industrial units that were re-inspected twice in October and November were found to have converted to clean fuels. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) carried out the re-inspection of 1,636 industries to check the use of fuel or Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and found out that all operating units are complying or using the latter as fuel, the Delhi government said in a report. The CAQM on December 2 directed that industrial operations and processes in the National Capital Region (NCR), not running on PNG or cleaner fuels, shall be allowed to operate only up to eight hours a day from Monday to Friday and shall not be allowed to operate on Saturdays and Sundays. As per the report, 2,447 industrial sites have been inspected from November 17 to 25. Of these, five were found defaulting, which were shut down, and a fine of Rs 20 lakh was imposed on them. The inspection figure rose by 23% in December as the DPCC teams visited 3,002 sites from November 26 to December 6. Five industries found defaulting were shut down, and a fine of Rs 8.5 lakh was imposed. The CAQM, in its October report, had stated that all the identified industries in the national capital have switched to cleaner fuels. However, the neighbouring states are yet to follow suit. The use of non-cleaner fuels in the industries of either the capital or its adjoining regions affects the air quality adversely. As per the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report, industries contributed 9.9-13.7% to air pollution in the national capital between October 24 and November 8 this year. Delhi's AQI improved slightly and settled in the 'poor' category at 256 on Monday morning, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research's (SAFAR) estimates. According to the air quality and weather bulletin for Delhi-NCR, "The air quality over Delhi-NCT is likely to deteriorate marginally and remain in poor to the lower end of very poor category on December 13. The air quality is likely to remain in very poor category on December 14 and 15. The outlook for subsequent five days: The air quality is likely to remain in the 'very poor' category till December 16 and improve thereafter significantly."

Air quality in Delhi deteriorates further amid low temperature, moderate winds

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7.5°C and maximum temperature of 22.7°C on Tuesday, both a degree below the normal temperature for this time of the year. Delhi’s air quality deteriorated on Tuesday, touching the higher end of the “very poor” category, as temperatures remained low and wind speed remained moderate. The Capital recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 367, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) daily 4 pm bulletin on Tuesday, an increase from Monday’s reading of 331 (very poor), and 254 (poor) on Sunday. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 7.5°C and maximum temperature of 22.7°C on Tuesday, both a degree below the normal temperature for this time of the year. In comparison, the maximum and minimum temperature on Monday was 22.4°C and 6.6°C. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast the minimum temperature to remain around 7°C for the next two days. It, however, said that the minimum temperature could rise to around 8 degrees Celsius (°C) by Friday under the influence of a fresh western disturbance, which is expected to bring a spell of very light rain on Thursday night. The temperatures will again start dropping from Saturday and could touch 5-6 degrees Celsius, it added. “There is a possibility of very light rain and drizzle activity occurring on the evening and night of December 16. This is under the influence of another western disturbance, but its impact will be minimal as it will be fairly weak over Delhi NCR,” said R.K Jenamani, scientist at IMD. In terms of air quality, agencies forecast that Delhi’s AQI will remain in the “very poor” range till Wednesday, with a slight improvement expected from Thursday. “Delhi is recording low temperatures for the past three days and that has led to a slight deterioration in air quality, with wind speed also moderate. Air quality will remain ‘very poor’ for two days before a combination of some light rain and an increase in wind speed aids Delhi from Thursday onwards,” said Gufran Beig, founder and project director at the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar). CPCB classifies AQI as “poor” when it is between 201 and 300, as “very poor” when it is between 301 and 400, and “severe” when it is over 400. Delhi last recorded a “severe” day on December 2. According to experts, Delhi tends to see a second spike in air pollution towards the last week of December, when temperatures dip to their lowest. “Air quality should remain between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ during this period, but historical data shows a spike tends to occur in the last week of December and the first week of January,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment.

In New Delhi hebben sommige kinderen hun juf nog nooit fysiek ontmoet

Luchtvervuiling India Na 21 maanden coronalockdown mochten kinderen in New Delhi eindelijk weer naar school. Maar de vreugde was van korte duur: vanwege de zeer slechte luchtkwaliteit gingen de klaslokalen een paar dagen later alweer dicht. Maandag 29 november was een dag waarnaar het hele gezin van Richa Ojha lang had uitgekeken. Vrolijk en vol goede moed zette ze haar twee zoons af bij school, na maar liefst 21 maanden thuisonderwijs. Maar drie dagen later zaten Rudsranch (7) en Reyansh (4) alweer thuis achter hun beeldscherm. Tot nu toe konden de kinderen in december niet één volle week naar school. Het knipperlichtbeleid is het gevolg van de worsteling van het stadsbestuur van New Delhi, dat zich niet alleen geconfronteerd ziet met corona, maar ook met een gevaarlijk slechte luchtkwaliteit. „Hoorndol” wordt Ohja ervan – zij besloot na een verhuizing in corona-tijd thuis te blijven voor de online lessen. In de wintermaanden zorgen weersomstandigheden en luchtvervuiling voor een giftige deken boven Delhi. Naast de gebruikelijke uitlaatgassen door het verkeer, is er extra vervuiling door de rijstboeren in de omliggende districten die in dit seizoen hun oogstresten verbranden, en dan is er ook nog de extra vervuiling door het vuurwerk tijdens lichtjesfeest Diwali. Beiden vielen dit jaar in november. De maand ging de boeken in als de slechtste ooit gemeten door de centrale monitor (CPCB) van het ministerie van Milieu. Op elf dagen sloegen de luchtkwaliteitsmeters uit tot ‘zeer ernstig’, waarbij ook gezonde mensen direct last kunnen krijgen van de concentratie fijnstofdeeltjes in de lucht. Bekijk ook deze fotoserie: Uitlaatgassen, fabrieksuitstoot en rook hullen New Delhi in een dik pak smog Na die piek in de luchtvervuiling konden scholen en hogescholen eind november heropenen, vond het stadsbestuur. Maar op 2 december liet het Hooggerechtshof, dat een langlopende petitie behandelt over het beleid tegen luchtvervuiling, zich daarover zeer kritisch uit. Het stadsbestuur kreeg 24 uur om nieuwe maatregelen te treffen en besloot prompt tot een nieuwe schoolsluiting. Ook de dochter van tandarts Pooja Bahl heeft dus weer thuis les, vertelt zij aan de telefoon. Het is vrijdagavond, Isha van 12 mag haar huiswerk even laten voor wat het is. „Mijn praktijk is aan huis, dus gedurende de dag kan ik een paar keer binnenvallen. Maar ik doe dat niet van harte, controleren of ze wel online oplet. Ik had gehoopt dat niet meer te hoeven doen.” Al bijna twee jaar Veel ouders in Delhi maken zich grote zorgen over de gevolgen van het langdurige online leren. Het onderwijs in India ging in maart vorig jaar op slot wegens corona. Sommige kinderen die toen begonnen in de kleuterklas hebben hun allereerste juf nog nooit fysiek ontmoet. Richa Ojha’s jongste zoon heeft net de schoolgaande leeftijd, maar „Reyansh begrijpt nu niet wat ‘naar school gaan’ is, alles gaat via een schermpje. Terwijl het op zijn leeftijd juist belangrijk is om buitenshuis sociale dingen te doen. En mijn oudste zoon mist zijn vriendjes uit de klas.” Ojha en Bahl behoren tot de welvarende Indiërs die hun kinderen naar privéscholen sturen, en proberen te helpen met huiswerk. Maar het VN-kinderfonds Unicef becijferde dat slechts 60 procent van alle scholieren in India de middelen heeft voor digitaal onderwijs. Het land telde voor de pandemie ongeveer 268 miljoen schoolgaande kinderen; tientallen miljoenen leerlingen moesten zich dus behelpen met enkel tekstboeken. In september, toen het coronavirus nog de reden voor de sluiting was, deed Unicef onderzoek naar ontstane leerachterstanden. 76 procent van de ouders merkte dat hun jonge kinderen (5-13 jaar) minder goed leken te leren; onder de tieners die zelf antwoordden was dat 80 procent. Op openbare scholen in Delhi zou sluiting door de pandemie de uitval van zo’n 30 procent van de scholieren veroorzaken, stelde een landelijke ouderraad onlangs. Leerlingen die niet meekonden in de digitale lessen, zouden bij heropening niet meer zijn teruggekeerd. De organisatie waarschuwt voor isolatie van kinderen. Sociale ongelijkheid, kinderarbeid en exploitatie kunnen toenemen: „We mogen niet uit het oog verliezen dat school voor veel leerlingen een veilige plek is.” Maar is school ook een gezonde plek? Richa denkt dat „de lucht thuis of in de klas even goed of slecht is”. In haar huis beschikt ze in ieder niet over extra voorzorgsmaatregelen. Op Twitter klinken, onder de hashtag #Backtoschool, ook andere geluiden. Daar wijzen ouders erop dat in sommige privéscholen veel luchtfilters staan, maar dat openbare zulke maatregelen vaak niet kunnen treffen. „Ronduit triest”, aldus een ouder. Structurele aanpak Het is lastig om over de luchtkwaliteit op specifieke plekken te spreken, zeker als het gaat om verschillende thuissituaties, reageert Anumita Roychowdhury van het Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), dat veel studies doet naar de luchtverontreiniging in de hoofdstad. Ze voelt mee met „het dilemma” voor ouders: „Kinderen zijn kwetsbaar, hun longen zijn nog niet zo sterk. Zij moeten zo min mogelijk aan de vervuiling worden blootgesteld. Maar daarmee is niet gezegd dat ze per se thuis moeten blijven.” Ook in voorgaande jaren golden tijdelijk ‘vervuiling-lockdowns’, of werden vakanties verlengd zodat kinderen binnen konden blijven tijdens de ergste vervuiling. Maar door de recente ad-hoc besluiten is het geduld bij ouders op, denkt Roychowdhury. Na de ‘pandemie-lockdown’ willen ouders dat het leven van hun kinderen weer makkelijker wordt. „We zouden nu ouders de keuze kunnen geven. De scholieren die komen, blijven in de klas en er zijn geen buitenactiviteiten. Vanwege coronarichtlijnen moeten ze sowieso een mondkapje dragen.” Lees ook Vluchten uit sepia gekleurde, permanente rookhok Delhi De belangrijkste kritiek van het CSE: incidentele schoolsluitingen veranderen niets aan het eigenlijke probleem. Roychowdhury pleit voor een structurele aanpak. „Het weer kunnen we niet veranderen. Maar lokale overheden kunnen wel strenge restricties instellen op vervuilende voertuigen, het gebruik van steenkool, of afvalverbranding. Men moet het hele jaar proberen vervuiling te verminderen, en niet alleen in actie komen als ’s winters de meters uitslaan.” Voor de schoolsluiting was geen einddatum gegeven. Na twee weken getouwtrek kwam dinsdag hoopgevend nieuws voor de ouders: het departement voor onderwijs in New Delhi stelt de directe heropening van het onderwijs voor voor tieners en studenten, en voor de jongsten vanaf maandag. Ojha houdt er rekening mee dat die behoedzaamheid zal voortduren. „Nu zitten we ook nog met de nieuwe coronavariant”, verzucht ze aan de telefoon. „Ik zie al aankomen dat het de volgende reden wordt voor weer een sluiting .”

Is India’s Pollution Data Hiding Behind The Poor?

The bottom 50 per cent of India's population who holds just 2.8 per cent of national wealth, are prone to health issues and other factors due to increased pollution levels. Janak Prasad, 52, lives in Jasola, Delhi, from where he commutes to his office every day on a bicycle. He says it is convenient and economical, and it also saves a lot of time. However, his major concern is that there’s no separate lane for cyclists. “We have to ride on the main road which makes us prone to road accidents. And then there is air pollution. Cyclists directly inh­a­le the pollutants. We do not pollute the env­ironment but are the worst sufferers.” This very concern of Janak Prasad questions the government’s claim to have less per capita CO2 emissions in India than other countries. In last month’s COP26 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that in India, CO2 emissions per capita are much lower than other major world economies. India has claimed this at several world conferences. He also talked about consumerism, and gave a mantra of LIFE—lifestyle for the environment. But a recent study conducted by Pew Research Center using World Bank data has estimated that the number of poor in India—with income of $2 per day or less in terms of purchasing power parity—has more than doubled to 134 million from 60 million in just a year due to the pandemic-induced recession. This shows that a large section of our society lacks the privilege of leading a decent lifestyle and they the contribute least to air pollution and CO2 emissions. If we try to understand this by taking the example of Delhi, then according to the recent report by the Centre for Science and Environment, the transport sector contribution is around half of the pollution from only local sources. This is followed by household pollution that has ranged bet­ween 12.5 to 13.5 per cent, industry 9.9-13.7 per cent, construction 6.7-7.9 per cent, with waste burning and road dust each varying between 4.6-4.9 per cent and 3.6-4.1 per cent, respectively. The data clearly indicates that vehicles contribute to 50 per cent of air pollution in Delhi. According to an economic survey report, 643 out of 1,000 people in Delhi own personal vehicles. This also means that 347 out of 1,000 people do not contribute to vehicle emissions. But if the per capita average of CO2 emission is calculated, then every person will contribute to CO2 emissions to some extent, directly or indirectly. If we look at the vehicle data for India, according to website Statista, there were around 225 registered vehicles for every thousand people across India in the fiscal year 2019-20. This means that over three quarters of India’s population do not own personal vehicles. Similarly, a sizeable population of India does not contribute to industrial pollution, or pollution due to construction, or pollution due to waste burning. Now, without taking these data into consideration, where already a large share of India’s population do not contribute to air pollution, India boasts its numbers on the global stage by calculating average per capita, as it gets us less CO2 emissions per capita. Greenpeace India’s senior climate campaigner Avinash Kumar Chanchal says, “We should stop calling the climate crisis a ‘human-induced’ crisis when we know the fact that just 100 polluting producers are responsible for around 70 per cent of global emissions. It is the rich countries and classes that have been historically responsible for emissions growth and they need to change their business and lifestyles if we are to ever tackle climate heating. We need to acknowledge that in soc­iety the most vulnerable communities are paying a higher price for impacts of climate change than the rich when they are not guilty of it in the first place.” He adds, at this point, that we are facing two sharply contradictory realities. On the one hand, we have a rapidly growing rich consumer class that has been contributing to the climate crisis by choosing certain lifestyle choices, and on the other hand, we have millions of low-inc­ome group people who are extremely vulnerable to climate or air pollution crisis. We need to talk about the elephant in the room. Who is contributing to the emissions? Is the rich class hiding behind the poor? On the international platform, India talks a lot about common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) which is the right thing to do, but is it right to implement this principle among the various social-economic groups in the country? India’s poor must not bear the climate impact bec­ause of the other India’s lifestyle choices. According to Oxfam India’s report 2020, India’s top one per cent population holds 42.5 per cent of the national wealth, while the bottom 50 per cent holds just 2.8 per cent. Now this 50 per cent are the people who are daily wage earners and migrants who work in unorganised sectors. These people commute by metro, bic­ycles, or even on foot. They work in high-risk areas where pollution levels are high, like at construction sites, along roadside dumping areas etc. Thus, this section is prone to health iss­ues and other factors due to increased pollution levels. The hazards of air pollution are not just res­tricted to our health and well-being, but also imp­act the economy of the country. According to the Greenpeace report, air pollution from fossil fuels costs India Rs 10.7 lakh crore annually. It is clear that the government must come up with a holistic mechanism to combat pollution which is suffocating not only our breath but has also started strangulating our economy. For the human race to survive, more than our health, the economy is the key factor for initiating any big change for our overall well-being and it has to happen now.

India Has 9 Of World's 10 Most-Polluted Cities, But Few Air Quality Monitors

Research shows that the number of air quality monitors in India per million people is lower than other highly populated countries. This prevents it from gauging the true extent of various pollutants Mumbai: With its size, population and aggravating air pollution, India needs 1,600 to 4,000 air quality monitors but has only 804 as of September 16, 2021, most of which are concentrated in urban areas, shows research. This, experts say, prevents India from knowing the true extent, scale and geographical spread of various pollutants, and limits the government's ability for preventive public health measures. India has nine of the 10 most polluted cities in the world, but with 200 particulate matter (PM) 2.5 monitoring sites in operation during the 2010-2016 period, India's air quality monitor density--about 0.14 monitors per million people--is below China (1.2), the United States of America (3.4), Japan (0.5) and Brazil (1.8), according to research from 2019. As a consequence, India does not accurately know the spread of pollutants, including sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrous dioxide (NO2), respirable PM 10, the finer particulate matter or PM 2.5, lead, carbon monoxide (CO) and ammonia. Chronic exposure to these pollutants contributes to the risk of developing ailments such as cardiovascular, respiratory diseases, as well as of lung cancer, according to the World Health Organization. Further, since existing air quality monitors are concentrated in urban areas, health and environmental authorities cannot assess the extent of air pollution in rural areas due to biomass, fuelwood, stubble burning and spraying of pesticides. Real-time air quality monitoring needed Ambient air quality is monitored by observing pollutants, including SO2, NO2, PM 10, PM 2.5, lead, CO and ammonia, present in the air. Currently, the country's clean air programme has set a tentative national target of 20%-30% reduction of air pollution in 132 non-attainment cities by 2024, taking 2017 as the base year. The 'non-attainment cities', called so because they did not meet the national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) at the time, are required to formulate city-specific action plans in order to reduce air pollution. So, while the thrust is on the most-polluted cities, rural and semi-urban areas are not being fully monitored for want of monitors and protocols. In India, air quality has been traditionally monitored using manual readings. Data from 804 monitoring stations are used for monitoring ambient air quality. Even after the introduction of real-time monitors, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) continues the practice of using data only from manual monitors to report compliance with air quality standards, according to a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report from 2020. There are 261 real-time monitors whose data are updated on the central database. This network is technically part of the National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) but its data are stored and treated separately because CPCB has not established a method of equivalence between the two monitoring techniques, the 2020 CSE report pointed out. In the manual method, the monitoring of pollutants is carried out for 24 hours (four-hourly sampling for gaseous pollutants and eight-hourly sampling for particulate matter) with a frequency of only twice a week, whereas real-time monitors measure pollutants constantly. In simple terms, the readings from manual monitors are the ones the CPCB uses for ascertaining long-term air quality trends, including annual data on air quality. Data from real-time monitors are only included in calculating daily AQI (air quality index) of a location. "These numbers from our 2020 report need updating but, in any case, coverage of overall urban population is inadequate and rural population is completely outside the ambit of monitoring today," said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at CSE and the report's author. "Manual monitoring protocol requires readings from 104 days in a year but for some stations, we have found data was recorded only for 50-75 days," she said. Manual monitors do not make sense for air quality monitoring anymore, said S.N. Tripathi, head of the civil engineering department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur and a member of the NCAP steering committee. "It is a very tedious procedure and readings once or twice a week are not very helpful for a day-to-day understanding of air quality. We need more frequent measurements--at least hourly readings are needed." Experts have suggested that data from real-time monitors also be used for ascertaining long-term trends and not just for daily AQI. In 2015, identifying this lack of monitors--there were even fewer at the time--IndiaSpend had launched its own network of low-cost sensors to measure the air quality in many Indian cities. You can read more about the project that ended in 2018, here. India needs 1,500 air quality monitoring stations The minimum number of stations to monitor suspended particulate matter where the area's population is less than 100,000 is four. The minimum number is three for SO2, four for NO2, one for CO, according to CPCB guidelines for ambient air quality monitoring released in 2003. The number of monitors required increases with the population. The number of sampling sites depends on the size of the area to be covered, variability of pollutant concentration, data requirements related to monitoring, pollutant to be monitored and population figures which can be used as indicators of criticality both from view of likely air quality deterioration as also health implications, the guidelines state. When scientists compared the density of India's monitoring network with that of other high-population countries, they found large differences. "It is like when a person is ailing, the doctor will need to measure fever before deciding the course of treatment, otherwise treatment can go wrong. The number of monitors we have recommended [in the paper] is the basic, bare minimum requirement," explained Tripathi, who is also one of the authors of this paper. India's six megacities (Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi) need at least 23 to 44 air quality monitoring stations each, while the existing number of stations range between nine and 12 [excluding Delhi], according to the CSE report from 2020. The monitors that India has are also not evenly distributed. "More than 33 per cent of the real-time monitors are concentrated in Delhi-NCR. Delhi alone has invested over Rs 100 crore to set up 38 stations over time," said the CSE report. In several states, including Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, station density is very poor and only two to five years of data are currently available, said another paper, titled 'Monitoring particulate matter in India' published in Springer journal in 2019. For comparison, there are 87 monitoring stations for PM 10 and 32 for PM 2.5 in the Greater London region, a city of nine million, it said. In 2021, Manipur, with a population of 2.7 million, has only one monitoring station and Arunachal Pradesh, with a population of 1.25 million has two. Using CPCB criteria, an average city of one million-plus residents requires around 25 monitoring stations, and if this number is extrapolated across 60 [million-plus] cities, a total of around 1,500 stations would be required, the Springer journal paper said. An environment ministry report on NCAP agreed. "With reference to the existing 4,000 cities in the country, 703 manual monitoring stations in 307 cities reflect limited numbers and need augmentation. It is proposed to augment it to 1500 stations from existing 703 stations," it stated in its 2019 report. At its very launch, NCAP had promised to increase the number of monitoring stations in the country, including rural monitoring stations. The cost of measuring pollutants To address the data gaps in monitoring pollutants, India will require 1,600-4,000 monitors (1.2-3 monitors per million people), the Elsevier paper said, and warned that even at these densities, only relatively basic information on common air pollutants would be available more frequently, and would cover a relatively limited area. The average cost of a monitoring station is around Rs 1 crore with around 10% for annual maintenance costs, the 2019 Springer paper had estimated. This would require an initial investment [of setting up 1,500 stations] of Rs 3,000 crore due to capital and operational costs for 10 years. India has set aside a budget of Rs 470 crore for control of pollution in the financial year 2021-22, which includes funding for its ambitious National Clean Air Programme. "On top of this, costs associated with infrastructure, personnel and training need to be accounted for; and this can be estimated as an additional Rs 3,000 crore; to cover other miscellaneous costs, an additional 50% is added to this, resulting in a total of Rs 7,500 crore. These estimates indicate that the average cost of running the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring [CAAQM] station network in each city over a 10-year period would amount to around Rs 12.5 crore per year," the paper read. Rural areas should also be monitored The NCAP report had itself pointed out the grave problem of air pollution in rural areas and proposed to set up 75 stations in rural areas. Rural areas suffer from outdoor air pollution as well as indoor air pollution. Major sources of outdoor air pollution are indiscriminate use of insecticides/pesticides sprays and burning of wheat and paddy straw. Atmospheric concentration of ozone has been observed higher in rural areas as compared to urban areas, the report stated. "Under NCAP, city-level action plans were to find out pollution sources within the city," said Sunil Dahiya, analyst, Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. "But instead of looking at just cities, look at airsheds [airshed is a region which shares similar air quality]. States were supposed to formulate their own state-level clean air plans based on cities' plans. Stubble burning, power plants, these are regional sources of pollution and not limited to a city or town. A hybrid of local and regional approach is needed. While we have formulated local city action plans, we are far away from state or regional plans." Alternatives to expensive monitors Procuring new air quality monitors is expensive and time-consuming. "Apart from government monitors, there are monitors set up by industries. If that data is coupled with government data, it could give much more granular information for the situation of pollution across the country. It will also save the cost of setting up new stations," Dahiya said. Another alternative to expensive monitors could be low-cost sensors. These sensors offer an opportunity to generate high-resolution data at a lower cost, and with fewer deployment and access limitations. But they have not been proven to provide long-term, accurate data yet and efforts are underway to improve precision in such sensors. Latest analyses are supporting the case for deployment of well-designed low-cost sensors for measurement of air pollution at the city level, according to the Springer paper. "While it is true that we have to expand our monitoring network, procurement of monitors is very expensive. India needs to leverage its real-time monitoring network for long-term trends and have a hybrid model with satellite monitoring and low-cost sensors that help in mapping the pollution profile and exposure of a region," Roychowdhury said.

Kumbakonam lone TN city among 28 in country cited for best practices in waste management

In the study titled 'Waste-wise cities', Kumbakonam has been featured as one of the three cities under the category of best practices in plastic waste management. THANJAVUR: Kumbakonam has emerged the only city in Tamil Nadu among the 28 featured by NITI Aayog and Centre for Science and Environment (CSC) in a study, for their best practices in municipal solid waste management. In the study titled 'Waste-wise cities', Kumbakonam has been featured as one of the three cities under the category of best practices in plastic waste management. The Kumbakonam municipality in Thanjavur district has a population of around 1.5 lakh with a daily floating population of 25,000 as it acts as a business centre and market for nearby villages not only in Thanjavur but also Ariyalur. The municipality has 45 wards with around 36,105 households. The city generates 70 tonnes of waste as a whole on average every day. Of the total waste generated, 58 per cent is biodegradable and the remaining non-bio degradable, officials said. The study said Kumbakonam is one of the few towns utilising non-recyclable plastics in an eco-friendly manner as refuse-derived fuel (RDF) in cement factories. Kumbakonam has also been utilising other non-biodegradable waste materials such as coconut shells and liquor bottles in a productive way, the study adds. The municipality also came third in Swachhata Excellence Award, 2019 for including self-help groups in its waste management mission. The study took into account that Kumbakonam is the first municipality in Tamil Nadu to have successfully used biomining technology for reclaiming a dump. At its peak, source segregation in the city stood at 80 per cent, which is a notch higher than most other municipalities in Tamil Nadu, the study said. When contacted, Dr K Prema, Municipal Health Officer of Kumbakonam said, of the 70 tonnes of waste, around 20 tonnes are of non-saleable plastic waste. "These are sent to cement factories in Ariyalur for use as refuse-derived fuel," Dr Prema said. Another six tonnes of plastic are saleable and sold to the waste merchants. The report appreciated the municipality for focusing on holistic waste management model with decentralised waste management and source segregation. The stakeholders, including resident welfare associations and SHGs, have been made integral part of the transformation, the report said. The information education and communication programme on waste management, which included drawing traditional kolam, rewarding good practitioners with gold coins, integrating authorised waste pickers in the management system, mixing of plastic aggregates with bitumen to lay roads -- all came into praise in the report. V Sathyanarayanan, secretary of the Federation of Kumbakonam All Traders Association who appreciated the efforts of the municipal administration, said the administration sensitised the public and traders to the evils of plastic waste and even took them to the waste segregation facility to highlight the need to do away with the carry bags.

Winter woes: Share of external sources in PM2.5 at 22% in first 10 days of Dec

New Delhi: An analysis by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the forecasting body under the Union ministry of earth sciences, has determined that the average proportion of PM2.5 from external sources within 200km of Delhi was 22% in December 1-10. With non-local pollutants an important factor in overall winter pollution, experts felt strong action was needed to curb emissions in the airshed for better air in the city. Gufran Beig, SAFAR’s founder-project director, said, “The contribution of external sources to Delhi’s pollution varies from season to season and day to day. The average share of external sources to the city’s PM2.5 in the winter season is 15-30% and may reach 35% on a particular day.” He added, “In contrast to the winter season, the wind speed and mixing layer height remain high in summer, leading to dispersion of pollutants and in monsoons, rain settles down pollutants. In winter, however, local conditions cause stagnation of particles.” SAFAR apportioned the local pollution sources between December 1-10 as 36% to vehicles and transport, 17% to dust, 14% industries, 2% fuel burning and 8%, other pollutant sources. The share of stubble burning in this period was just 1%. Experts said it was not enough just to focus on Delhi’s own generation of pollutants. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, said, “With substantial external pollution, a regional action plan is a must for controlling emissions in Delhi and the 24 NCR districts. The plan should be multi-sectoral, targeting the industry hotspots, vehicles, dust, power plants and waste management.” The Decision Support System of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune, said the emission from 19 neighbouring districts constituted from nil to 10% of the PM2.5 in Delhi’s air on any day. That is why, said Anju Goel, fellow, earth science and climate change, The Energy and Resources Institute, action had to be taken at the airshed level. “The focus should be on shifting coal-based power plants to cleaner fuels, eliminating biomass and fuel burning and ensuring compliance of construction guidelines,” Goel said. Tanushree Ganguly, programme lead, Council on Energy, Environment and Water, noted that SAFAR forecast Delhi's air quality to continue to be in the 'very poor' and 'poor' category for the next two days. She added that on Monday, local dust, transport, and biomass burning for warming needs, and emissions from Gautam Buddha Nagar and Faridabad districts were the primary drivers of pollution in the city.

Cops list 64 snarl points in Delhi, to draw plans to ease traffic, pollution

A traffic official said these 64 places are most prone to congestion, and the traffic police, in coordination with the city’s environment department, will now identify reasons behind these hold-ups and make individual plans to ease the jams The Delhi traffic police have identified 64 congestion points from where long tailbacks and regular snarls are being reported, resulting in increased vehicular emissions that worsen the overall pollution levels in the national capital. A senior officer said the department has drawn up a list of 64 places that are most prone to congestion, and the traffic police, in coordination with the city’s environment department, will now identify reasons behind these traffic hold-ups and make individual plans to ease the jams. The need for urgent solutions couldn’t have been more evident than it was on Monday, when Delhi’s air quality was back in the ”very poor“category, with an air quality index (AQI) reading of 331, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s 4pm bulletin. In comparison, the air was much better on Sunday, when the AQI was 254, in the “poor” category. “In September, we first identified a list of 30 congestion points when the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) held the first meeting with all agencies in the Capital, before the onset of the pollution season. But now we have identified more stretches and junctions where jams are reported on a regular basis,” the Delhi traffic police officer cited above said. Some of the areas that have been included in the new list are Qutub Road, Delhi Gate, Nirman Vihar (Vikas Marg), Anand Vihar interstate bus terminal, Khajuri Chowk, Palam flyover, Delhi Cantonment flyover to Dhaula Kuan, Outer Circle Connaught Place, Bhairon Marg (Ring Road), Gulab Singh Road, Azadpur Mandi, Madhuban Chowk, Ashram Chowk to Maharani Bagh, Khanpur T-point, Okhla Mandi, Lodhi flyover, Uttam Nagar Chowk to Dwarka Mor, Kapashera Chowk, Shadipur Chowk and Peeragarhi Chowk. Officials said each of the six traffic ranges identified the most congested stretches in their respective jurisdictions. The criteria for inclusion on the list were consistent traffic jams and increased vehicular volume. The long waiting time at traffic signals was also treated as an indicator of increased vehicular emissions, the officer said. Senior officials of DPCC also said the identification of these congestion points was important to control vehicular pollution, which is the biggest source of local pollution in the national capital. Action on these stretches will provide a dual benefit — reducing commuter distress while also bringing down the local pollution, the officials said. “After the Covid-19 pandemic, vehicular emissions have become a bigger problem. A lot of commuters, who were earlier travelling via public transport modes, have now switched to private vehicles. Many from economically weaker backgrounds have purchased two-wheelers or second hand cars for their commute, fearing contraction of infection on mass transit systems. The negative impact of this can be seen in the form of increased jams and its effect on pollution,” a DPCC official said. The official added that each of these stretches will be inspected and the reason behind the snarls will be assessed and solutions worked out accordingly. “For instance, if broken roads are causing a traffic hold-up, then we will forward the complaint to the public works department (PWD) or the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) so that the necessary action is taken. The solutions could be either short or long term, but we will try to resolve the maximum number of issues and reduce the list,” the DPCC official said. A study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), released in November, showed that vehicular emissions contributed the highest share to Delhi’s PM 2.5 levels (particulate matter with diameter less than 2.5 micrometres), in terms of local sources of pollution.

Pollution in Delhi creeps back to ‘very poor’, temperature stays low

Delhi recorded this season’s lowest minimum temperature — 6.4°C — a day earlier, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city can expect a similar chill for the rest of the week. RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD, said the minimum temperature in Delhi will hover between 6°C and 8°C till the end of the week. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Photo) Temperatures continued to remain low in Delhi, with the mercury at 6.6 degrees Celsius on Monday morning at Safdarjung, Delhi’s base observatory. While this was two degrees below normal, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 22.4°C, a notch below normal. The cooler days and nights did, however, adversely affect pollution levels, pushing the air quality index (AQI) into the ‘very poor’ zone. Delhi recorded this season’s lowest minimum temperature — 6.4°C — a day earlier, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the city can expect a similar chill for the rest of the week. RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD, said the minimum temperature will hover between 6°C and 8°C till the end of the week, with two western disturbances in the northern plains likely to marginally influence Delhi. “These are feeble western disturbances, so the impact will not be too significant. The minimum temperature may rise to 8°C, but a drop in mercury is expected from December 17,” said Jenamani. At 6.6°C, Safdarjung in south Delhi was the coldest spot in the national capital on Monday morning, while Mayur Vihar in east Delhi recorded the city’s lowest maximum at 20.8°C. The IMD’s forecast for Tuesday showed that the maximum temperature is likely to hover around 23°C, while the minimum is likely to remain around the 6°C mark. The drop in temperatures, particularly at night and in the early hours of the day has also pushed Delhi’s air quality back into the ‘very poor’ category, with a 24-hour average AQI of 331 at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. In comparison, it was 254 (poor) on Sunday. Experts said wind speeds are again expected to pick up from December 15. “The AQI will hover between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ during this period. Low temperatures are unfavourable for the dispersal of pollutants, but an increase in wind speeds from December 15 may once again bring down the AQI to ‘poor’,” said Gufran Beig, founder and project director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar) — a forecasting body under the Union ministry of earth sciences. The Early Warning System (EWS) for Delhi, which also falls under the ministry of earth sciences, also forecasts Delhi’s air quality to hover between ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’ during the next seven days, with severe air unlikely at the moment. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said Delhi’s air quality generally tends to return to the ‘severe’ category by the last week of December, as low temperatures combine with dense fog to trap pollutants. “Low temperatures slow down the air and the moisture content from the fog also traps pollutants. We may once again see a spell of severe air towards end December and early January,” said Roychowdhury.

All industrial units in Delhi have switched to clean fuels: Report

New Delhi: Complying with the Commission for Air Quality Management’s (CAQM) direction, all 1,636 industrial units that were re-inspected twice in the month of October and November were found to have converted to clean fuels. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) carried out the re-inspection of 1,636 industries to check the use of fuel or Piped Natural Gas (PNG) and found out that all operating units are complying or using the latter as fuel, the Delhi government said in a report. The CAQM on December 2 directed that industrial operations and processes in the National Capital Region (NCR), not running on PNG or cleaner fuels, shall be allowed to operate only up to eight hours a day from Monday to Friday and shall not be allowed to operate on Saturdays and Sundays. MS Education Academy As per the report, a total of 2,447 industrial sites have been inspected from November 17 to 25. Of these, five were found defaulting which were shutdown and a fine of Rs 20 lakh was imposed on them. The inspection figure rose by 23 per cent in December as the DPCC teams visited 3,002 sites from November 26 to December 6. Five industries found defaulting were shut down and a fine of Rs 8.5 lakh was imposed. The CAQM in its October report had stated that all the identified industries in the national capital have switched to cleaner fuels. However, the neighbouring states are yet to follow suit. Use of non-cleaner fuels in the industries of either the capital or its adjoining regions affects the air quality adversely. As per the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) report, industries contributed 9.9-13.7 per cent to air pollution in the national capital between October 24 and November 8 this year. Delhi’s AQI improved slightly and settled in the ‘poor’ category at 256 on Monday morning, as per the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research’s (SAFAR) estimates. According to the air quality and weather bulletin for Delhi-NCR, “The air quality over Delhi-NCT is likely to deteriorate marginally and remain in poor to lower end of very poor category on December 13. The air quality is likely to remain in very poor category on December 14 and 15. The outlook for subsequent five days: The air quality is likely to remain in the ‘very poor’ category till December 16 and improve thereafter significantly.”

Mengurai Biomassa Sisa Panen Menjadi Pupuk

Setiap musim gugur ketika panen telah selesai, Anil Kalyan dari Desa Kutail di Negara Bagian Haryana, India utara, akan bergabung dengan puluhan ribu petani padi lainnya. Mereka akan beramai-ramai membakar sisa batang padi yang masih hidup sebagai cara membersihkan ladang pertanian untuk ditanami gandum pada musim yang lebih sejuk. Namun tahun ini, Kalyan tidak melakukannya. Ia ingin merubah kebiasaannya yang mencemari udara sehingga menciptakan kabut asap di Delhi dan mengurangi hasil panen, dengan mendaftarkan tanahnya untuk percobaan yang diadakan pemerintah di Negara Bagian Haryana dan Punjab yang saling berdekatan. Lahan Kalyna seluas 16 hektare akan disemprot dengan alat yang dipasang pada traktor. Semprotannya berupa biodekomposer berbentuk enzim, yang berperan mengurai sisa batang padi atau tungkul menjadi pupuk dalam waktu kurang dari sebulan. "(Solusi baru) ini akan sangat bermanfaat bagi kami. Ini akan mengurangi biaya, meningkatkan hasil panen beberapa kali lipat, dan mengurangi polusi," ujar Kalyan seperti dikutip The Guardian. Membakar tungkul cukup merugikan bukan hanya dari sisi polusi udara saja. Panas yang ditimbulkan dari pembakaran mematikan mikroba yang mengakibatkan tanah kehilangan kesuburan. Program penguraian materi selulosa tanaman menggunakan enzim menjadi pupuk menjadi proyek terbesar yang pernah dilakukan di India. Langkah ini diharapkan mengakhiri pembakaran jerami pada lahan sawah seluas 2,3 juta hektare setiap tahunnya. Skema ini disusun dan dipimpin oleh Nurture.farm, sebuah platform digital untuk pertanian berkelanjutan yang diluncurkan 18 bulan lalu. Lebih dari 700 mesin penyemprot dikerahkan di 170.000 hektare di 23 distrik. Lebih dari 25.000 petani terlibat dalam dalam percobaan. Meski masih sekedar percobaan, langkah yang dilakukan dapat mencegah emisi karbon sebanyak 1 juta ton. Enzim yang dikembangkan oleh Institut Penelitian Pertanian India, meningkatkan jumlah karbon organik di dalam tanah dan menjaga kesehatan tanah secara keseluruhan. Pembakaran jerami terjadi di lahan pertanian banyak negara. Namun di India, negara pengekspor beras terbesar di dunia, nilai dan dampaknya bagi lingkungan menjadi sangat tinggi. Selain itu pembakaran itu mengurangi nutrisi dalam tanah serta menambah polusi udara. Label Berkelanjutan Menurut ahli meteorologi pemerintah, selama musim pembakaran tanaman, praktik tersebut dapat menyebabkan hingga 45 persen polusi Delhi. Chief operating officer di Nurture.farm, Dhruv Sawhney, mengatakan lebih dari 70.000 kebakaran pertanian terdeteksi oleh citra satelit di musim pembakaran jerami tahun ini di India. "Pembakaran tungkul sekarang telah menjadi masalah abadi karena ketidaksesuaian kebijakan dan praktik pertanian dan yang terpenting, kurangnya pilihan yang tersedia bagi petani," ungkap Sawhney. Ia ingin memberikan kredit karbon kepada petani untuk praktik pertanian yang baik, untuk mempertahankan dan meningkatkan proyek. Perusahaan kemudian meluncurkan label "beras yang ditanam secara berkelanjutan" sehingga orang dapat membeli beras dari ladang di mana tidak lagi terjadi pembakaran. "Kami juga mempertimbangkan untuk menghasilkan lebih banyak kredit karbon dengan memperkenalkan praktik berkelanjutan tambahan seperti pembasahan dan pengeringan alternatif [padi], yang akan menghemat air dan mengurangi emisi gas rumah kaca," kata Sawhney. Program penggunaan enzim untuk mengurai sisa tanaman padi itu akan diperluas tahun depan. Praktek ini akan mencakup sekitar 800.000 hektare lahan. Pada lahan tersebut pada umumnya sekitar 40 persen dari area biasanya terbakar karena proses tersebut. Pemerintah India telah melarang pembakaran jerami kering sebelumnya dengan ancaman denda. Namun ancaman hukuman yang tersebut tidak banyak membantu para petani, yang melihatnya sebagai satu-satunya pilihan untuk menyiapkan ladang dalam waktu singkat di antara dua tanaman. "Kalau hanya dengan menghukum petani, pembakaran tungkul bisa dihentikan, seharusnya kita sudah bisa mengakhirinya sekarang," kata Kepala Program Udara Bersih di Pusat Sains dan Lingkungan India, Anumita Roychowdhury. Roychowdhury memiliki bukti pada daerah yang menerapkan penguraian sisa batang padi dengan enzim insiden kebakaran mengalami penurunan. Baginya memberi hukuman tanpa pernah memberikan solusi tidak akan berhasil. "Penalti tanpa akses ke solusi tidak akan berhasil," pungkas Roychowdhury. hay/I-1

Season of despair

It's not rocket science to understand whether the pollution is generated locally, or it comes from neighbouring states, or is a combination of both It’s that choking winter in Delhi again. We are frustrated by this recurrence of pollution every year without fail. Nothing seems to change. Nobody cares. But we must not allow our anguish to be short-lived so that the real action, which is essential for ensuring our right to clean air, does not get lost. High-volume acrimony to shift the blame is attention-grabbing, but it will not make the next winter better. So, as we move forward, we must keep in mind three questions. One, why does November continue to be a suffocating month for Delhi and who is responsible for this? Do we not know the cause of the problem? Two, what has been done till now to combat air pollution and why is it not working? Three, what should be done so that we do not breathe in such toxic levels of pollutants? First, it’s not rocket science to understand whether the pollution is generated locally, or it comes from neighbouring states, or is a combination of both. Take this winter, for instance. A day before Diwali, my colleagues at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) put out data that the air quality was better than ever before; they attributed this to the late rainfall and good wind speed. Then Diwali was celebrated and crackers were burst. Their impact would have been bearable had the wind continued to blow. But this was also the time when two cyclonic systems were breaking into the country. They led to the formation of an anticyclonic wind pattern over northern India, including Delhi. The still wind did not allow the dispersion of the Diwali smog, which, combined with local pollutants, continued to fill the air. Then came the smoke from stubble burning in neighbouring states. Following a delayed paddy harvest because of the rains, farmers had set fire to their fields all at once, desperate to get their field ready for wheat. And it created the toxic cocktail of pollutants. Therefore, let’s be clear that there is no one factor for the foul air and there is no point in squabbling over the exact percentage of who is responsible for it. Now, what are the sources of air pollution in the city? There are two key studies on what is called emission inventory. While the percentages may differ, it is more or less certain that vehicles, industry and power plants, dust, and garbage burning are the key sources. It is also clear that pollutants from neighbouring districts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana blow into Delhi and vice versa as they share the same airshed. So, pollution management needs a cooperative approach — it needs to be understood that everyone is responsible. We need information on the sources to develop the agenda for action, not to transfer the need to act to someone or something else. Second, what has been done and why are the measures not working? Let’s be clear that much action has been taken to mitigate air pollution in Delhi. There is a comprehensive, and dynamic, air action plan. It includes action against a particular source of pollution as we get to know more about it. For instance, the recent actions on vehicles — beyond the first-generation transition to compressed natural gas (CNG) — have been to improve vehicle technology and fuel (BS-VI); to ensure that trucks, the gross polluters, are charged with a congestion tax so that there is deterrence to enter the city limits; and the expressways have been constructed to provide an alternative bypass for this heavy traffic. In addition, to improve public transport, albeit in the future, the Metro Rail’s fourth phase has been partially cleared and high-speed rail is being built to connect neighbouring cities to reduce the need for private transport. The last coal power plant in Delhi has been shut down; the use of coal in the industrial sector too has ended. There is no doubt that coal continues to be used in the so-called unauthorised areas of the city and burnt in thousands of small boilers in industrial areas that surround the city limits. But before we go into the litany of problems, which is essential for the next steps, let’s also understand the impact of what has been done so far. Over the past few years, the number of “satisfactory air” days is up (from 101 in 2018 to 174 in 2020) and, more importantly, the number of “severe air” days is down (from 28 in 2018 down to 20 days in 2020). It is not enough, not by a stretch. But the fact is we are bending the curve. Our air is not clean, but it is cleaner on many days of the year. However, much more needs to be done at scale to drive down the pollution levels so that even when air speeds go down, the cold air settles and episodes of high pollution strike — from Diwali to farm fires — we can recover quickly and breathe safely again. The air needs the ability to regenerate itself, even without the advantage of high-speed wind. This is where we need transformational solutions in our combustion strategy; from phasing out coal usage in the region to mass transit, which will move people, not vehicles. Otherwise, we will not act through the year and then have no option but to shut down the city in winter months. Let’s discuss this again.

Use of recycled plastics in food packaging needs to be re-deliberated

LawWiser, India’s first video-only knowledge-sharing platform for the legal community, has released a Consultation Paper on “The Dilemma of Recycling Plastics in India”. The objective of this Consultation paper is to address and highlight the seriousness of the dual issue of the safe and sustainable disposal methods of waste plastics and the adverse impacts, if any on the health and safety of humans from the use of recycled plastics. The recommendations from the Consultation Paper are shared with the concerned Ministries and FSSAI for re-consideration of the Plastic Waste Management (Second Amendment) Rules, 2021, (Second Amendment) introduced on 17 September 2021. Experts from various fields participated in the Virtual Open Forum. These included Atin Biswas, programme director, Municipal Solid Waste, Centre for Science and Environment, Siddharth Ghanshyam Singh, deputy programme director, Centre for Science and Environment; Sudipto Sircar, advocate, supreme court, Delhi High Court; Ashish Agarwal, secretary, Recycle India Foundation; Vijay G Habbu, polymer scientist and adjunct professor, Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Mumbai, among others. There have been a series of legislations to address waste management in India. The Plastic Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2011, was introduced to set up a regulatory framework for manufacture, usage, and recycling of plastic bags to ensure efficient management of plastic waste. In March 2016, The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate change (MoEFCC) to tackle the menace of plastics waste further notified, the Plastics Waste Management (PWM) Rules, 2016. The rules make source segregation of various types of waste mandatory and introduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) as an environment policy instrument, and assign physical, financial, and environmental responsibilities to producers, brand owners, and importers of plastics. The Virtual Open Forum conducted by LawWiser focused on the impact and concerns raised by the introduction of the second amendment to the Plastics Waste Management Rules, 2016. The PWM (Second Amendment) Rules, 2021 states that carry bags or products made of recycled plastic" can be used for storing, carrying, dispensing or packaging ready to eat or drink food stuff". This is subject to appropriate standards and regulation under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (34 of 2006), by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. The experts in the Open Forum deliberated that there is a need to first address the set of challenges and issues before it is implemented. In this paper, we understand and explore different aspects, of the new notification which includes • Understanding the issue of recycling plastics in India • Need for regulation of informal sector • The Second Amendment (2021) is not in harmony with the earlier provisions • The critical role of the bodies like FSSAI in the implementation of such amendment The experts have unanimously voiced the concern that “with lack of proper facilities and standards for recycling there is only growing concern how these rules will be effectively implemented. And, ideally this amendment should have incorporated specific recommendations from FSSAI.” The concern of the experts is that: • It is alleged that in India the majority of the recycling industry deploys very inferior quality recycling machines which can potentially make plastic more toxic in nature. Moreover, standards for the recycling of plastic have not been specified in India, making it all the more difficult to understand the chemical conformity of recycled plastic. • Such permission for use in food and medicine packaging could pose a serious threat to human life and the environment. It is a huge concern that continuous recycling of plastic not only degrades the quality but also brings in life-threatening toxic impurities in them apart from issues of collection and sorting of such plastic. Elsewhere, in countries like the United States of America, manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that the recycled product is of suitable purity. The Food and Drug Administration in the US is very well aware of the contaminants from post-consumer plastic that may appear in the final product. Therefore, each proposal of using recycled plastic is evaluated before issuing a no-objection letter. Also, The European Commission back in 2018 was preparing to fast-track approval of 140 recycling processes for use in food and drink packaging. The proposal to approve the said recycling processes has also involved the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). However, the final approval of each process rests with the European Commission.

Dùng enzyme xử lý rơm rạ sau thu hoạch

Với việc thử nghiệm enzyme, Ấn Độ chế ra dung dịch phân hủy sinh học mới, có thể biến gốc rạ thành phân bón hữu ích chỉ trong vòng chưa đầy một tháng. Vào mùa thu, Anil Kalyan, từ làng Kutail ở bang Haryana, ở miền bắc của Ấn Độ, sẽ cùng hàng chục nghìn nông dân trồng lúa khác đốt những thân cây còn sót lại sau vụ thu hoạch lúa để dọn ruộng trồng lúa mì. Nhưng năm nay, Kalyan có lựa chọn thay đổi khác. Ông đăng ký đất đai của mình tham gia một thử nghiệm được tổ chức tại bang Haryana và bang bên cạnh đó là Punjab. Thử nghiệm này có mục đích tìm ra giải pháp thay thế cho việc đốt rơm rạ gây độc hại cho môi trường nhưng lại là việc làm phổ biến bình thường ở các bang trên khắp Ấn Độ và một nguyên nhân chính gây khói mù mịt đối với thủ đô New Delhi. Khi tham gia vào thử nghiệm, khu ruộng rộng 16 héc-ta (40 mẫu Anh) của ông đã được một chiếc máy kéo phun một loại enzyme. Loại dung dịch này sẽ giúp phân hủy gốc rạ thành phân bón hữu ích chỉ trong vòng chưa đầy một tháng. “Chúng tôi đã từng đốt rơm rạ, chúng tôi không có giải pháp nào khác cho việc đốt rơm rạ. Việc đốt gốc ra gây ra khá nhiều vấn đề - một là ô nhiễm, hai là làm chết các vi sinh vật thân thiện với đất, và sản lượng cũng giảm đi rất nhiều mỗi khi chúng tôi canh tác trên đồng ruộng”, ông Kalyan nói. “[Giải pháp mới] này sẽ mang lại lợi ích cho chúng tôi rất nhiều. Nó sẽ giảm chi phí của chúng tôi, tăng năng suất của chúng tôi lên gấp nhiều lần và giảm ô nhiễm ở mức độ lớn”, ông bổ sung thêm. Chương trình quản lý tàn dư cây trồng, dự án lớn nhất từ ​​trước đến nay nhằm loại bỏ tình trạng đốt rơm rạ ở Ấn Độ, hy vọng sẽ chấm dứt tình trạng thiêu rụi hơn 2,3 triệu héc-ta ruộng lúa hàng năm. Đề án được hình thành và dẫn dắt bởi Nutrition.farm, một nền tảng kỹ thuật số cho nông nghiệp bền vững được ra mắt cách đây 18 tháng. Hơn 700 máy phun dung dịch đã được triển khai trên các cánh đồng rộng 170.000 héc-ta tại 23 huyện, với hơn 25.000 nông dân tham gia thử nghiệm. Kết quả từ cuộc thử nghiệm, được công bố hôm 8/12 vừa qua, cho thấy hơn 1 triệu tấn khí thải carbon dioxide đã được ngăn chặn. Enzyme được phát triển bởi Viện Nghiên cứu Nông nghiệp Ấn Độ (Indian Agricultural Research Institute), làm tăng lượng carbon hữu cơ trong đất và duy trì sức khỏe tổng thể của đất. Các bức ảnh vệ tinh của Cơ quan Vũ trụ Châu Âu (European Space Agency) đã được dùng bởi nền tảng secure.farm để xác định vị trí các cánh đồng đang cháy. Đốt rơm rạ xảy ra trên toàn cầu, nhưng đặc biệt ở Ấn Độ, nước xuất khẩu gạo lớn nhất thế giới. Việc đốt rơm rạ làm giảm chất dinh dưỡng trong đất cũng như tăng thêm ô nhiễm không khí, theo các nhà khí tượng học của chính phủ . Dhruv Sawhney, Giám đốc điều hành của nền tảng supports.farm, cho biết hơn 70.000 đám cháy trang trại đã được phát hiện bằng hình ảnh vệ tinh trong mùa đốt rơm rạ năm nay ở Ấn Độ. “Đốt rơm rạ giờ đây đã trở thành một vấn đề lâu năm do chính sách và thực hành nông nghiệp không phù hợp và quan trọng là thiếu các lựa chọn có sẵn cho nông dân, ông nói. Ông muốn cung cấp cho người nông dân tín chỉ carbon cho các thực hành nông nghiệp tốt, để duy trì và mở rộng quy mô dự án. “Chúng tôi cũng đang xem xét tạo ra nhiều tín chỉ carbon hơn thông qua việc giới thiệu các thực hành bền vững bổ sung như làm ướt và làm khô thay thế [ruộng lúa], điều này sẽ giúp tiết kiệm nước và giảm phát thải khí nhà kính”, Sawhney cho biết. Chương trình sẽ mở rộng vào năm tới để bao phủ khoảng 800.000 héc-ta đất, khoảng 40% diện tích thường bị đốt cháy. Các lệnh cấm trước đây về đốt rơm rạ và các mối đe dọa phạt tiền đã ít có tác dụng ngăn cản nông dân thực hành thói quen này, nguyên nhân chủ yếu là do nông dân nhận thấy đốt rơm rạ là lựa chọn duy nhất hữu hiệu đối với dọn sạch đồng ruộng một cách nhanh chóng, ít tốn kém trong thời gian ngắn giữa hai vụ trồng. Đối mặt với cuộc biểu tình của nông dân, chính phủ hợp pháp hóa đốt rơm rạ trong tháng 11. Bà Anumita Roychowdhury, người đứng đầu chương trình làm sạch không khí thuộc Trung tâm Khoa học và Môi trường của Ấn Độ (India’s Centre for Science and Environment) nói: “Không thể đơn giản chỉ bằng cách phạt nông dân mà khiến việc đốt rơm rạ có thể chấm dứt. Chúng tôi có bằng chứng rằng ở những khu vực mà các giải pháp thay thế được thực hiện, các sự cố hỏa hoạn đã giảm xuống”. “Hình phạt mà không đi kèm các giải pháp sẽ không có hiệu quả", bà kết luận.

GNDU colleges to join green campus initiative

Mobilising colleges under its affiliation to join the green campus initiative, the GNDU had recently conducted workshop for 150 colleges. Training the management and faculties in sensitisation programmes and build sustainable campuses, experts from the GNDU, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, and the Punjab Pollution Control Board conducted lectures and workshops on range of measures for energy conservation, water conservation, waste management, reducing air pollution and improving overall health and well-being of the campus habitants. Meanwhile, the GNDU is continuing with its series of projects to move towards its zero-carbon campus goals. Dr Ritu Raj Kaur, assistant professor, Guru Ramdas School of Architecture, who has been keeping emission inventory for the GNDU said the university has implemented several green initiatives during the lockdown period to ensure the emission cut down. “We have established a 1.48 MW solar rooftop power plant and achieved 100 per cent waste water treatment on campus which is then reused. An e-bus facility has also been started on campus for students at nominal charges.” — TNS

तिजारा - सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की तरफ से जलवायु परिवर्तन के उपलक्ष में दो दिवसीय प्रेस कॉन्फ्रेंस का आयोजन किया गया

तिजारा - सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट (CSE) की तरफ से जलवायु परिवर्तन के उपलक्ष में दो दिवसीय प्रेस कॉन्फ्रेंस का आयोजन किया गया - यह दो दिवसीय कार्यशाला CSE टीम की तरफ से पहली बार राजस्थान के अलवर जिले के तिजारा शहर के समीप सीएसई की अत्याधुनिक आवासीय प्रशिक्षण संस्थान (AAETI) में आयोजित किया गया। यह कार्यक्रम दिनाँक 9-12-2021 से शुरू होकर 10-12-2021 को समापन हुआ। इसमे राजस्थान सहित दूसरे राज्यों के सभी हिन्दी में लिखने वाले पत्रकारों को आमंत्रित किया गया। इस कार्यक्रम के माध्यम से सीएसई की महानिदेशक और पर्यावरणविद सुनीता नारायण ने बताया कि जलवायु परिवर्तन की मार से बचने के लिए स्थानीय रणनीति वाली योजनाओं की जरूरत हैं। जलवायु परिवर्तन का असर घातक रूप में सिद्ध होने लगा है। चिंताजनक बात यह है कि स्थानीय स्तर पर घट रही इन मारक घटनाओं को रोकने के लिए कोई ठोस कदम और कारगर उपाय अभी तक नहीं है। उन्होंने कहा कि भारत और अन्य विकासशील देशों ने दुनिया के सामने जलवायु परिवर्तन के खतरे को कम करने के लिए फ़ंड और तकनीकी सुविधा की माँग की, लेकिन विकसित देशों ने इसे अनसुना कर दिया। इसका सबसे घातक असर गरीब देशों पर पड़ा क्योंकि जलवायु परिवर्तन के सबसे आसान शिकार वहीं हैं। साथ में उन्होंने यह भी कहा कि जलवायु परिवर्तन की समस्या पूरी दुनिया के साथ-साथ देश के विभिन्न क्षेत्रों में अलग-अलग तरीके से अपने पैर जमा रहीं हैं। जलवायु परिवर्तन ही घातक संकट बन चुका है। इसके साथ ही प्रेस कॉन्फ्रेंस में पर्यावरण विशेषज्ञों और टीम के लीडर्स नें बताया कि जलवायु परिवर्तन से मानव जीवन कितना प्रभावित हो रहा है, पूरे देश के साथ-साथ ही पूरी दुनिया अनेकों बीमारियों तथा भारी आपदाओं का सामना कर रहीं हैं। अगर जल्दी ही इसका कोई समाधान नहीं हुआ तो आगे भी चलकर हमें बहुत घातक परेशानियों का सामना करना पड़ेगा। इस दो दिवसीय कार्यक्रम में सुपर्णो बनर्जी वरिष्ट निदेशक सीएसई, रिचर्ड महापात्रा प्रबंध निदेशक डाउन टू अर्थ, सुधीर मिश्रा संपादक नवभारत टाइम्स लखनऊ, अवंतिका गोस्वामी उप कार्यक्रम प्रबंधक सीएसई, विवेक मिश्रा सीनियर रिपोर्टर डाउन टू अर्थ, किरण पांडे कार्यक्रम निदेशक, रजित सेन गुप्ता वरिष्ट सहायक संपादक डाउन टू अर्थ, गीता कवाराना निदेशक एएईटीआई एवं अलग अलग क्षेत्रों से आए सभी पत्रकार बंधु आदि मौजूद रहें। इसके साथ ही कार्यशाला आयोजन का सफलतापूर्वक संपन्न समारोह हुआ और आयोजन में भाग लेने वाले पत्रकारों को सहभागिता प्रमाणपत्र देकर सम्मानित किया गया।