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Dabur, Patanjali, Hamdard others come together to form India Honey Alliance

The alliance comprises honey companies, exporters, bee-keepers, farmers, processors, and science experts from across the country New Delhi: Large packaged consumer goods companies including Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Hamdard Laboratories, Brij Honey, Kashmir Honey, Hitkary Honey on Friday announced the formation of India Honey Alliance (IHA) to create consumer awareness and engage industry stakeholders after reports of adulterated honey struck some of the biggest players in the industry last year. The alliance comprises honey companies, exporters, bee-keepers, farmers, processors, and science experts from across the country. “IHA has already initiated dialogue with the Central Government and is working closely with the consumers as well as scientific bodies to take modern, easy-to-use, affordable, and scalable technology to farmers and apiarists. IHA has been promoting science-based quality standards for Indian honey to improve the current practices of sourcing, testing, packaging, etc," it said in a statement. The move comes after honey sold by 10 major brands, including Dabur, Patanjali, Zandu and Apis Himalaya, were found adulterated with sugar syrup in tests carried out by non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) late last year. Only three brands Saffola, Markfed Sohna and Societe Naturelle cleared all the tests, including the internationally accepted Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy or NMR test for sugar syrup. The report dealt a body blow to the packaged honey industry that went on a significant damage control mode after the report surfaced. The alliance will dispel myths and consumer concerns, said Shahrukh Khan, Chairperson, IHA. IHA has formed a panel to create consumer awareness and clear myths surrounding honey by bringing renowned doctors (Ayurveda and Unani), nutritionists to discuss the palliative, preventive and curative properties of honey. “There are many myths and misconceptions about honey and its purity. Also, there were many concerns expressed about the increasing instances of honey adulteration. So, we felt the need to create a neutral and objective platform for people from the sector to come together to clear all the ambiguity and to give honey the place of pride in our homes that it deserves," said Khan.

These 10 State Capitals Are Ranked As The Top Liveable Cities In India in 2021

If you thought that the National Capital and other metropolitan state capitals are the most habitable cities in India, the latest report released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) will make you think otherwise. According to the Ease of Living Index, a part of their State of India’s Environment 2021 report, Delhi doesn’t even feature in the top five liveable cities in the country. It ranked 6th in the index followed by Bhopal, Raipur, Gandhinagar and Jaipur. Where You Should Live Now Assessed on the basis of quality of life, economic opportunity, sustainability and feedback from residents, Bengaluru has ranked as the top liveable city in India followed by Chennai, Shimla, Bhubaneswar and Mumbai, in that order. The CSE reports states, “Only one state capital (Bengaluru) demonstrates a decent economic ability, scoring 78.8 out of 100, four other state capitals (Chennai, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad) provide middling economic opportunities. The rest have all scored less than 30 out of 100.” What Makes A City The Best? According to a Times Of India report, Delhi ranked high on finance, governance and services, but ranked low in urban planning and technology categories. Talking about the trend in numbers and whether things are getting better or worse, Sunita Narain, director-general, CSE, said, “It is even more powerful when you can use the trend to understand the crisis, the challenge and the opportunity. The numbers in the case of Indian cities clearly suggest that the direction of development there is unsustainable.” How Does India Rank In The Global Liveability List? According to previous reports and surveys, India had ranked poorly in the list of the world’s most liveable cities. The national and financial capitals, Delhi and Mumbai, made it to 112th and 117th positions respectively. Richard Mahapatra, managing editor of environment magazine Down To Earth said, “The Ease of Living Index 2020 included citizen’s feedback for the first time. It is interesting that despite faring poorly on almost all development parameters, the capitals obtained high scores in the citizens’ feedback section. We need to understand why urban citizens think so highly of their clearly poorly performing cities.”

Environmental degradation contributed to COVID-19 origins, UNEP India says

The COVID-19 pandemic’s origins can be traced to degradation of environmental space, species’ loss and exploitation, according to a leading United Nations Environment Programme official for India. As investigations into the origins of COVID-19 continue, United Nations Environment Programme India Country Office Head, Atul Bagai, highlighted the interconnected balance between environmental degradation and public health, noting the role climate change, pollution, and loss of biodiversity have on India, and on a global scale. This comes following the United Nations declaration that the 2021-30 decade should be known as the decade of ecosystem restoration, one where India’s post-pandemic recovery should be underpinned by efforts to prevent and reverse environmental degradation. “The COVID-19 pandemic is a result of the degradation of natural areas, species’ loss and exploitation. This needs to change. India is already making a concerted effort to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and be part of the global effort to reach net-zero emissions by 2050,” Bagai said. “India must intensify these efforts to prevent, halt, and reverse the degradation of ecosystems.” Environmental degradation rates in India This problem has been clear for the previous decade and is now arguably more apparent than ever. For example, an examination of 88 industrial clusters in India found that air pollution had worsened in 33 of the clusters between 2009 and 2018; water quality deteriorated in 45 clusters; and 35 of the clusters indicated a rise in environmental degradation. Speaking to Down to Earth, Nivit Kumar Yadav, programme director of the Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE’s) industrial pollution unit, said, “it is a telling verdict. The CEPI [Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations] data clearly indicates that there has been no action over the years to control and reduce pollution even in areas which were already identified as ‘critically’ or ‘severely’ polluted.” Improving awareness of environmental degradation For India to intensify efforts to prevent and reverse environmental degradation, the country must overcome challenges in improving awareness of the interconnected role and importance environmental spaces play. “My best advice to young people who are concerned about environmental issues is two-fold — get informed and get involved,” Bagai said. Limited awareness of society’s fractured relationship with nature is underlined by the fact that it has been identified by the UN Decade as one of six primary barriers to scaling restoration. This is alongside the lack of financing for restoration, shortage of legislation and policies that incentivise environmental restoration, limited technical knowledge and capacity for environmental restoration, and limited investment into long-term research. Environmental restoration and the post-COVID recovery Even if reduction of further public health challenges were not a large enough incentive, environmental restoration is thought to offer a way of scaling the post-pandemic recovery. The UN notes that for every dollar that is invested into restoration, at least US$9 of economic benefits can be expected in return, and with the number of individuals with an income of US$2 per day or less in India doubled to 134 million over the last year due to COVID-19. As Health Issues India reported previously, this kind of economic stimuli could prove vital. Mongaby comment that “while conventional strategies in crisis-recovery often deprioritise nature conservation, generally looked upon as a complementary goal, nature conservation and restoration are not opposing goals but rather serve as a long-term vision for society and for economies.” So, now more than ever, the link between environmental degradation and the effects of public health challenges feels closely linked. Action on this over the coming years will shape whether this understanding will have a telling impact on change.

Delhi yet to meet its 2022 solar power target, 7 per cent achieved so far

Saying that Delhi has fared well in comparison with other cities, the expert added, “Delhi’s regulations and policies are pro-solar energy NEW DELHI: Delhi is well behind its 2022 solar power target of 2,762MW of installed solar panels, having met an abysmal 7 per cent of the target so far. The analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment as part of its State of India’s Environment 2021 report says this is also significantly behind the national average of 39 per cent. While a number of societies in Dwarka in south Delhi have seen large-scale installation of solar rooftops panels, other parties of the city are yet to accept the trend despite the incentives offered under the capital’s solar policy. Experts attribute the low expansion to limitations in actual rooftop space and add that lack of awareness is not a major problem in Delhi. As one of them said, “The Delhi power distribution companies have several programmes and channels where consumers can connect with them and learn more about the benefits of generating solar power. The only drawback is that the geographical area is limited and so is the space for putting up solar panels on roofs.” Delhi yet to meet its 2022 solar power target, 7 per cent achieved so far Saying that Delhi has fared well in comparison with other cities, the expert added, “Delhi’s regulations and policies are pro-solar energy. In fact, Delhi’s rate for adjustment of surplus solar output at the end of the financial year was around Rs 5 per unit when in most other states, it around Rs 2 per unit.” The discoms pointed out that solar rooftops have been successfully installed in many places, including Saket, Vasant Kunj, Dwarka, Chhatarpur, Sainik Farms, Karkardooma, Mayur Vihar, Patparganj and Rohini. A BSES official said both BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) have been aggressively promoting roof-top solar generation in south, west, east and central Delhi. “We have energised a record 3,200-plus roof-top solar installations with a connected solar load of over 110MW. In the current financial year, we aim to energise over 1,000 roof-top solar connections,” said the BSES official, adding that the response to rooftop solar net metering had been encouraging. Data shared by the discom showed over 1,800 connections had been installed in residential areas, over 600 in educational institutions, 578 were commercial connections and 35 industrial connections. The official added, “Consumers across categories, including residential, educational (and schools) and commercial establishments have warmed up to the roof-top solar net metering in a big way.” According to the Union ministry of new and renewable energy, Delhi had installed solar roof-top capacity of a mere184.1MW until February 28. This deficit in meeting the planned solar generation target, however, is even more significant because Delhi has no wind power projects, hydro projects or biomass projects to generate power from other renewable energy sources.

46 % increase in COVID-19 biomedical waste generation in India in April – May 2021, says CSE’s new statistical analysis

In 2017, 7.2 per cent of the country’s biomedical waste remained untreated. In 2019, the figure rose to 12 per cent — “Unacceptably high numbers”, says the report. Bihar and Karnataka the “worst offenders” Even as biomedical waste (BMW) generation in India grew from 559 tonnes per day to 619 tonnes per day between 2017 and 2019, the percentage of BMW treated dropped from 92.8 per cent to 88 per cent. Bihar (where 69 per cent BMW remained untreated) and Karnataka (where 47 per cent BMW was not treated) have been the worst offenders. During the same period, the number of authorised healthcare facilities in the country almost doubled to 153,885, from 84,805. But the number of unauthorised healthcare facilities also rose from 57,010 to 66,713. On the other hand, while the number of hazardous waste generating units in the country increased by 3.5 per cent, hazardous waste generation has gone down by almost 7 per cent. These statistics, brought to light in an e-publication released here on World Environment Day by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), highlight the challenges posed by improper disposal of dangerous wastes—in particular biomedical waste—in the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. State of India’s Environment in Figures 2021, as the e-publication is titled, is an annual compendium of data and statistics on key issues of environment and development. The report also shows a significant increase in COVID-19-related biomedical waste generation during the second wave. It says: “India produced 139 tonnes per day of Covid-19-related biomedical waste in April 2021, as the country braced against the second wave. In May 2021, the figure escalated to 203 tonnes per day, an increase of 46 per cent.” Releasing the e-book, CSE director general Sunita Narain said: “There is drama in numbers, especially when these numbers give you a trend—are things getting better or worse. It is even more powerful when you can use the trend to understand the crisis, the challenge and the opportunity.” She added: “In an age when the quality of data available to us is usually poor—it is either missing, unavailable publicly or of questionable quality—a collection like this can be immensely helpful, especially for journalists. Improving the quality of data can only happen when we use it for policy. Take the case of the ongoing pandemic. Just consider how we have suffered in this past year because we do not have sufficient or accurate data on tests, or the number of deaths, or serological surveys, or genomic sequencing of the variants. In each case, data would have been (and is) critical for policy

Honey makers collaborate to form 'honey alliance'

The development comes six months after the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said samples of 10 leading Indian honey products were found to be adulterated with sugar syrup, which the manufacturers denied. Indian honey makers including Dabur, Patanjali, Baidyanath, Hamdard Laboratories and Hitkary, in addition to advisory firm Consocia, have collaborated to form an India Honey Alliance (IHA), which they said was aimed at dealing with adulteration and to provide direction to implement best industry practices. The development comes six months after the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said samples of 10 leading Indian honey products were found to be adulterated with sugar syrup, which the manufacturers denied. The report led to food regulator FSSAI stating that it will consider revising standards and regulations for packaged honey sold in the country. The IHA comprises of honey companies, exporters, bee-keepers, farmers, processors, and science experts from across the country, a statement issued by IHA said. “IHA has initiated dialogue with the Centre and is working closely with consumers and scientific bodies to take scalable technology to farmers and apiarists,” the statement said. IHA chairperson Shahrukh Khan said the alliance would address myths and misconceptions about honey and its purity, and concerns about adulteration. Category sales of honey have been growing in double digits, since it is known for its immunity boosting properties. At the time of releasing the report on honey adulteration, CSE director general Sunita Narain had said 10 of 13 honey brands failed an NMR test, which is the only one that detects ‘Chinese sugar’ used to adulterate honey. NMR tests were made mandatory in August to screen honey meant for exports but is not part of FSSAI’s standards, the CSE report had stated.

Delhi Yet To Warm Up To Solar Energy

New Delhi: Delhi is well behind its 2022 solar power target of 2,762MW of installed solar panels, having met an abysmal 7% of the target so far. The analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment as part of its State of India’s Environment 2021 report says this is also significantly behind the national average of 39%. While a number of societies in Dwarka in south Delhi have seen large-scale installation of solar rooftops panels, other parties of the city are yet to accept the trend despite the incentives offered under the capital’s solar policy. Experts attribute the low expansion to limitations in actual rooftop space and add that lack of awareness is not a major problem in Delhi. As one of them said, “The Delhi power distribution companies have several programmes and channels where consumers can connect with them and learn more about the benefits of generating solar power. The only drawback is that the geographical area is limited and so is the space for putting up solar panels on roofs.” Saying that Delhi has fared well in comparison with other cities, the expert added, “Delhi’s regulations and policies are pro-solar energy. In fact, Delhi’s rate for adjustment of surplus solar output at the end of the financial year was around Rs 5 per unit when in most other states, it around Rs 2 per unit.” The discoms pointed out that solar rooftops have been successfully installed in many places, including Saket, Vasant Kunj, Dwarka, Chhatarpur, Sainik Farms, Karkardooma, Mayur Vihar, Patparganj and Rohini. A BSES official said both BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) and BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL) have been aggressively promoting roof-top solar generation in south, west, east and central Delhi. “We have energised a record 3,200-plus roof-top solar installations with a connected solar load of over 110MW. In the current financial year, we aim to energise over 1,000 roof-top solar connections,” said the BSES official, adding that the response to rooftop solar net metering had been encouraging. Data shared by the discom showed over 1,800 connections had been installed in residential areas, over 600 in educational institutions, 578 were commercial connections and 35 industrial connections. The official added, “Consumers across categories, including residential, educational (and schools) and commercial establishments have warmed up to the roof-top solar net metering in a big way.” According to the Union ministry of new and renewable energy, Delhi had installed solar roof-top capacity of a mere184.1MW until February 28. This deficit in meeting the planned solar generation target, however, is even more significant because Delhi has no wind power projects, hydro projects or biomass projects to generate power from other renewable energy sources.

Every 10-unit rise in PM levels leads to 7 hospital admissions in Delhi

The study that was commissioned by Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) was carried out over a span of 15 months, starting April 2019. According to the study, increase in cases of bronchitis, bronchial asthma is directly proportional to the increase in the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi.(HT Photo) delhi news Every 10-unit rise in PM levels leads to 7 hospital admissions in Delhi The study that was commissioned by Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) was carried out over a span of 15 months, starting April 2019. By HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi UPDATED ON JUN 24, 2021 04:03 AM IST New Delhi: Every 10-unit increase in ultra-fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) leads to at least seven respiratory distress-related hospital admissions in Delhi every week, a study conducted by Maulana Azad Medical College shows. The study that was commissioned by Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) was carried out over a span of 15 months, starting April 2019. The researchers studied admission records of six big government hospitals—Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital, Lok Nayak Hospital, Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital and Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, according to a press note released on Wednesday. The DPCC did not share the detailed report. According to the study, increase in cases of bronchitis, bronchial asthma is directly proportional to the increase in the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi. The study , led by Dr Nandini Sharma, former dean and the head of the department of community medicine (MAMC), also collected community-based data on activity levels of people (if people are more exposed to outdoor activity), perceived stress, awareness about the causes of pollution, and perceived interventions required for improving air quality from 1,879 people across 11 districts in the national capital. It was found that 96.5% of respondents of the survey believed that vehicular emissions was a major contributor to air pollution in Delhi, while 77% said it was industrial pollution. Around 65% of respondents attributed poor air quality to waste burning, 46% said it was due to construction activities, and 28% of Delhiites blamed stubble burning and firecrackers for air pollution. Another air quality analysis conducted by climate communications initiative, Climate Trends, showed that pollution levels in Delhi dropped significantly during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown (March, April and May), but the 2021 lockdown was not as effective in improving air quality. The analysis showed that Delhi’s average PM 2.5 concentration in the months March, April and May dipped from 95.6 ug/m3 in 2019 to 69 ug/m3 in 2020. However, in 2021 in the same period, the levels bounced back to 95ug/m3. The safe limits for PM 2.5 levels in India according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was 40ug/m3. Along with Delhi, the analysis also showed the fluctuation in pollution levels in Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai during the same period. Mumbai’s average concentration of PM 2.5 between March and May in 2019 was 21.6 ug/m3, which increased to 31.3 ug/m3 in 2020, and then to 40.3 ug/m3. The analysis showed that in Kolkata’s PM 2.5 concentration swayed from 41.8ug/m3 in 2019 to 27.9 ug/m3 in 2020 and 37.3 ug/m3 in 2021. In Lucknow, PM 2.5 concentration in the three months decrease consistently from 2019, but it still remained above permissible limits. Its average PM 2.5 concentration in 2019 for the months of March, April and May was 103 ug/m3 which dipped to 92 ug/m3 in 2020 during lockdown and further to 79.6 ug/m3 in 2021. Lockdown has provided an opportunity to examine the background pollution in the atmosphere when everything was shut down in 2020; atmosphere was fairly clean. However, we did not meet the condition of 40ug/m3 prescribed by the CPCB. We need to redefine the natural conditions in India, for which particulate matter concentrations are more than 50-60ug/m3 even in the clean atmosphere in north India,” said professor SK Dhaka, from Rajdhani College, Delhi University. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment said, “Air pollution is known to cause irreparable damage to residents’ health, and it is seen through several analysis that long term exposure leads to some serious repercussions. The government and the public will have to come together to implement long term, holistic measures to ensure that our future generations can lead healthy lives.”

Distrito participó en el 'Global Progressive Forum 2021' sobre sostenibilidad

Con la participación de la secretaria de Ambiente, Carolina Urrutia, se llevó a cabo el seminario web “Comunidades locales por un mundo sostenible”, en el marco del “Global Progressive Forum 2021”, un espacio en el que se habló sobre la importancia y los beneficios de la implementación de la economía circular en las ciudades para el bienestar de las personas, el planeta y la economía misma. El foro inició con un dato relevante: el 92 % de los recursos del mundo, como metales, plásticos, madera, productos químicos, entre otros, se utilizan una vez, en un solo producto, antes de ser desechados. “La alcaldesa Claudia López ha insistido en la necesidad de cambiar hábitos en todos los aspectos, como personas, organizaciones y, por supuesto, entidades mediante políticas públicas”, resaltó la secretaria de Ambiente. Así mismo, durante la transmisión, se destacaron algunos retos que tiene Bogotá de frente al cambio climático y la pandemia como la gestión de residuos sólidos, que es el tercer contribuidor de las emisiones de gases efecto invernadero de la ciudad; transporte limpio como primera opción para movilizarse; uso eficiente de los recursos como la tierra, la energía y el agua; y, por último, la creación de trabajos verdes. “En Bogotá estamos trabajando en la construcción de una estrategia más amplia de economía circular y crecimiento verde, que le dé a la ciudad más oportunidades para reactivarse económicamente, sin impactar al medioambiente”, afirmó la secretaria Urrutia. La secretaria Urrutia explicó además que en el caso particular de Bogotá, la autoridad ambiental viene trabajando con el sector privado y poniendo en marcha diferentes iniciativas que promueven un nuevo modelo de economía como el Programa de Gestión Empresarial, las estrategias de separación en la fuente y consumo sostenible, y la promoción de proyectos constructivos responsables con el ambiente. Estas estrategias tienen como fin avanzar en la gran meta de la Administración de la alcaldesa Claudia López de hacer una adecuada disposición adecuada de más de 43 millones de toneladas (t) de residuos peligrosos e incorporar 11 millones de t de desechos en las cadenas productivas. Por último, los panelistas concluyeron que la economía circular no solo reduciría los impactos negativos de la economía lineal, sino que también traería oportunidades comerciales y económicas con beneficios ambientales y sociales a las ciudades. Este evento contó con la participación de Gunter Pauli, economista y autor del libro “La economía azul”; Sunita Narain, directora general de la sede en India del Instituto de Investigación "Centro para la ciencia y el medioambiente" y directora de la Sociedad de Comunicaciones Ambientales; Paul Magnette, alcalde de Charleroi, Bélgica; y la secretaria de Ambiente de Bogotá, Carolina Urrutia.

River water quality in India did not improve during the COVID lockdowns, says CSE’s new statistical analysis

Indian has 39 glaciers and water bodies that are melting fast and have recorded more than 40 per cent increase in water levels since 2009. The states at high risk are Assam, Arunachal Pradesh and the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir. In October 2020, 136 glaciers had indicated an increase in area by 20 per cent over the 2009-levels, putting other states like Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Sikkim and West Bengal at risk. These statistics—brought to light in an e-publication released here on World Environment Day by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)—underline the ever-present and growing danger melting glaciers pose as climate change alters the natural balance violently and drastically. State of India’s Environment in Figures 2021, as the e-publication is titled, is an annual compendium of data and statistics on key issues of environment and development. The report also busts the popular belief that the pandemic has been universally good for rivers. It says, “The water quality of India’s 19 major rivers did not improve significantly during the COVID-19 lockdown. While Ganga and four other rivers became dirtier, the water quality in another seven rivers remained unchanged. Only four of the rivers showed a 100 per cent compliance with the primary water quality criteria for outdoor bathing during pre-lockdown and lockdown period.” Releasing the e-book, CSE director general Sunita Narain said: “There is drama in numbers, especially when these numbers give you a trend—are things getting better or worse. It is even more powerful when you can use the trend to understand the crisis, the challenge and the opportunity.” Says Richard Mahapatra, managing editor of Down To Earth, “Forewarned is forearmed. We must pay heed to these statistics and monitor at-risk glaciers closely to avoid a repeat of disasters like the ones in Kedarnath in 2013 and Chamoli in 2021.” Says Narain about the publication: “In an age when the quality of data available to us is usually poor—it is either missing, unavailable publicly or of questionable quality—a collection like this can be immensely helpful, especially for journalists. Improving the quality of data can only happen when we use it for policy. Take the case of the ongoing pandemic. Just consider how we have suffered in this past year because we do not have sufficient or accurate data on tests, or the number of deaths, or serological surveys, or genomic sequencing of the variants. In each case, data would have been (and is) critical for policy making.” She adds: “Data collection is important—it is part of the art of governance—but it is equally important that entire data sets are shared and worked upon so that they can be critiqued and through this process used and improved upon.”

Heavy rain triggers urban deluge in Bhubaneswar, exposes city's shoddy monsoon preparedness

Residents were left to fend for themselves as drain-water gushed in through their houses in Nayapalli, Behera Sahi and other residential areas. BHUBANESWAR: Heavy rain since Tuesday night caused water-logging in several parts of Bhubaneswar and affected normal life across the city on Wednesday morning. The brief spell of rain at regular intervals also exposed shoddy monsoon preparedness in the Smart City that had been adjudged fourth-best State Capital in the Ease of Living Index released by the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) last week. Residents were left to fend for themselves as drain-water gushed in through their houses in Nayapalli, Behera Sahi and other residential areas. A flood-like situation occurred at Chintamaniswar area of the city where water started overflowing drains in the morning. With the drainage system of the city proving ineffective, most of the low-lying areas in the city remained inundated in the stormwater for hours. The perennial problem of waterlogging also gripped Acharya Vihar, Bomikhal, Rasulgarh, Old Town, Bhimatangi and many other parts. People who stepped out of home for marketing during the relaxation period of the lockdown were seen wading through knee-deep water on the approach roads to reach markets in many parts of the city. The usual sight of urban flooding on NH 16 and its service road in front of Iskcon temple at Nayapalli during monsoon also resurfaced after the early morning showers. Vehicles were seen negotiating with waist-deep water on the service road of the NH as the stretch remained water-logged for more than an hour. Apart from Iskcon road, most parts of Gajapati Nagar in Ward no -12 also remained water-logged till 8.30 am. "The residential area remained flooded as internal drains in the locality continue to remain chocked. Besides, there is unauthorised construction over drains everywhere. We have flagged the issue several times. However, the civic body is yet to act," said BK Dash, a resident from the locality. At least eight complaints related to water-logging were received by the multi-agency control room of the civic body. BMC drainage division engineer Goutam Chandra Das said that pump sets were used in at least 14 low-lying areas of the city to clear water logging. "We have already deployed pump sets in 27 vulnerable points of the city that are prone to water-logging," Das said. BMC officials claimed that the water-logging problem was addressed immediately as they had carried desiltation of the 10 major strom water drainage channels on a priority by mid-June. The Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre officials said around 78 mm precipitation was recorded at in the state Capital till 7 am. They said thundershower and rainfall activities are likely to continue in the city this week. Locals said as more rain is expected in the coming days, things may turn worse if the encroachments are not cleared.

Three parks coming up in Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to give a boost to the recreational facilities in the Capital city, the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) has decided to construct three new parks with an expenditure of Rs 87 lakh. As per sources, the BDA has invited tenders from bidders to set up the parks at three locations – Kalinga Nagar, Dumduma Housing Board Colony and Laxmisagar. While construction at Kalinga Nagar is estimated to be Rs 15.42 lakh, the Dumduma and Laxmisagar projects are set to cost the development authority Rs 29.27 lakh and Rs 42.71 lakh respectively. “Tenders have been invited from interested parties for construction of these three parks. The deadline for completion of the projects is 60 days from the date of commencement of the construction works. The parks will have state-of-art facilities such as open gymnasium, jogging tracks and rainwater harvesting facilities. The entire process including the

Bengaluru Ranks On Top As Most Livable City in India

The report determined the ease of living index score on a scale of 100 through four parameters– citizen's perceptions, economic ability, quality of life, and sustainability. Bengaluru scored 66.7, followed by Chennai at 62.61. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has named Bengaluru the most livable city in India. The result was published in their 'State of India's Environment in Figures 2021' report on June 16. The cities to occupy the next five positions were Chennai, Shimla, Bhubaneshwar, Mumbai, and Delhi. Only three state capitals were ranked among the top ten livable cities. The report determined the ease of living index score on a scale of 100 through four parameters — citizen's perceptions, economic ability, quality of life, and sustainability — reported The News Minute. Bengaluru obtained a hefty score of 66.7, followed by Chennai at 62.61. Best and Worst Performers: By Each Parameter However, each of these parameters, too, had individual best and worst performers. For example, in the quality-of-life parameter, Chennai scored the highest (60.84), but in the parameter of economic ability, the highest was scored by Bengaluru (78.82). Similarly, in the parameter of citizen's perception, the highest scorer was Bhubaneshwar (94.8), but Bengaluru's score (78) was not impressive in this parameter. The worst capital city in this category was Delhi, merely scoring 69.4. Highlighted Issues The report also addressed the lack of economic opportunities in these capitals as a matter of immediate concern. Bengaluru is the only state capital that showed a favourable economic ability, scoring 78.82 in the parameter. The other state capitals that demonstrated moderate economic ability were Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. All the other cities scored less than 30 in this parameter. Advertisement Another issue that the report highlighted was the deplorable percentage of sewage treatment in these cities. Only 28% of the generated sewage is treated. The report said, "The states and Union territories (UTs) of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Lakshadweep, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland do not treat sewage in their cities at all." Citizen's Perception The first edition of this index was published in 2018, followed by the second edition this year. However, this is the first time that it has included the citizen's perception parameter. Interestingly, despite scoring poorly in all the other parameters, the state capitals obtained high scores in the citizen's feedback parameter.

Bhopal on the second position in quality of life index

BHOPAL: In terms of state capital-wise quality of life index Bhopal has attained the second position according to a survey of CSE (Centre for Science and Environment) India. In terms of ease of living index Bhopal has obtained seventh position among all other state capitals in the country. It has got the seventh position in that too though. Shimla got the third position in ease of living index. Urban Administration Minister Bhupendra Singh expressed happiness over Bhopalís getting seventh position in quality of life index and in ease of living index.

गुड गवर्नेंस में भोपाल को मिला पहला स्थान

भोपाल (Bhopal) . मध्य प्रदेश की राजधानी भोपाल (Bhopal) के नाम एक और उपलब्धि जुड़ गई है. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट (सीएसई) की ओर से जारी सुशासन के मानकों की सूची में भोपाल (Bhopal) पहले नंबर आ गया है. सभी राज्यों की राजधानियों में भोपाल (Bhopal) को पहला स्थान मिला है, जबकि छत्तीसगढ़ (Chhattisgarh) की राजधानी रायपुर (Raipur) (Raipur) को दूसरा स्थान मिला है. वहीं देश में रहने लायक शहरों की सूची में भोपाल (Bhopal) 7वें नंबर पर भोपाल (Bhopal) है. सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने सुशासन की सूची में भोपाल (Bhopal) को पहले स्थान पर रखा है. भोपाल (Bhopal) को 56.26 नंबर मिले. जबकि क्वालिटी आफ लाइफ के मामले में भोपाल (Bhopal) को सबसे अधिक नंबर (57.92) मिले हैं. यह सभी राज्यों की राजधानियो में नंबर-वन पर है. जबकि सिटीजन परसेप्शन सर्वे में भोपाल (Bhopal) को 78.5 नंबर मिले हैं. देश में रहने लायक (ईज ऑफ लिविंग इंडेक्स 2020) शहरों में 7वें नंबर पर भी भोपाल (Bhopal) है. कर्नाटक (Karnataka) की राजधानी बेंगलुरू (Bengaluru) देश के रहने लायक शहरों में नंबर वन पर है. जबकि उसके बाद चेन्नई (Chennai), शिमला, भुवनेश्वर (Bhubaneswar) , मुंबई (Mumbai) , दिल्ली का नंबर आता है. ईज ऑफ लिविंग इंडेक्स पर किसी भी राज्?य की राजधानी को नंबर देने के लिए चार मापदंडों का उपयोग किया गया था. जिनमें क्वालिटी ऑफ लाइफ, इकोनॉमिक एबिलिटी, सस्टेनेबिलिटी और सिटिजंस परसेप्शन शामिल है. गुणवत्ता के आधार पर होता है सर्वे सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट ने सुशासन की सूची में पहले स्थान पर मध्य प्रदेश की राजधानी भोपाल (Bhopal) को रखा गया है. शहरों की शासन रैंकिंग की गुणवत्ता के लिए, 5 मापदंडों का उपयोग किया गया, जिनमें सेवाएं, वित्त, प्रौद्योगिकी, शहरी नियोजन और समग्र शासन शामिल थे.

रायपुर: सुशासन में छत्तीसगढ़ की राजधानी रायपुर को दूसरा स्थान

सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एनवायरनमेंट द्वारा ईज ऑफ लिविंग इंडेक्स 2020 जारी किया गया है। इस रिपोर्ट में बताया गया है कि, राज्य की राजधानी भारत के सबसे अधिक रहने योग्य शहरों में