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Cse In News

Will the honey purity scandal throw suspicion on other packaged foods?

Honey is facing a bitter reckoning in India. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based public interest research and advocacy organisation, said on December 2 that major honey brands like Dabur, Patanjali and Emami (Zandu Pure Honey) had failed a key purity test conducted by a German laboratory. Of samples of 13 honey brands that the CSE had sent for testing, Saffola Honey was the only big brand among the three which cleared the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) test. It is administered across the world to test the purity of honey. While the test is not a norm in India, it is mandatory for honey meant for export. Shortly after the news broke, we saw an ad for milk delivery app Country Delight, featuring actress Sonali Bendre, which attempted to convince users that the milk it sources is pure and unadulterated.

Why the traceability of honey is essential

he ongoing Covid pandemic experience has taught us much about building immunity. Hence, consuming natural foods for good health. Hence, honey. But a shocker came with ‘honeygate’ when some of the leading brands in the Indian market were found selling honey adulterated with sugar syrup. We must now develop systems where a product can be labelled as “pure honey” only if full traceability to a registered beekeeper is ensured. Customers are ready to pay more for quality. Honey without a known source must not be treated as honey. Natural and raw honey is naturally prone to crystallisation. Due to low awareness, consumers tend to assume that crystallised honey has gone bad. This is one of the reasons that honey is mixed with sugar syrup. The other reason is pure economics. A beekeeper or a collector of natural honey must sell it at Rs 110 per kg, which is the approximate cost to keep the business profitable. Processed honey (without the addition of any sugar syrup) must provide for wastage, which will further increase the cost to Rs 180 a kg. With the margins that must be provided to all those in the supply chain, the price of natural and processed honey may go up to Rs 360 per kg. At this price, the purchase of honey becomes unviable for most buyers. Adulteration with sugar syrup keeps prices down, and also makes honey more affordable for the common man. Going by the standards specified by the Food and Safety Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), some mixture of sugar syrup is permissible. The syrup may be derived from sugarcane, corn, cane, rice, or beetroot. Such an admixture is approved for consumer sale by FSSAI. Higher use of sugar syrup may be regarded as adulteration. The study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the quality of honey indicated that the presence of fructose in honey was higher than the permissible limit. Hence it was classified as adulteration. In 2018, the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister set up a Beekeeping Development Committee under the Chairmanship of Professor Bibek Debroy. The Beekeeping Development Committee released its report in June 2019, in which it specified that honey (and bee products) sold in India or exported should be traceable to a registered beekeeper or a registered collector (in the case of rock bee honey). The committee further recommended that honey without a known source must not be treated as honey. While FSSAI permits some amount of sugar mixing, traceability is the only answer for consumers who insist on procuring real and natural honey. The honey supply chain must be completely transparent. This can easily be achieved now with the support of technology and digitisation. As per the Food and Agricultural Organization database, in 2017-18, India ranked eighth in the world in terms of honey production (64.9 thousand tonnes), while China stood first with a production level of 551 thousand tonnes. Beekeeping Development Committee recommended that beekeeping must not be restricted to honey and wax only. Products such as pollen, propolis, royal jelly and bee venom are highly marketable and can help Indian farmers in boosting their income. If India formalises apiculture and recognises its potential as an industry, the honey supply chain shall be fully known. The traceability of honey shall be a natural consequence of making the honey supply chain transparent.

How companies were caught selling honey adulterated with sugar syrup

The honey we take because of its intrinsic goodness is adulterated with sugar. This adulteration cannot be caught because Chinese companies have “designed” the sugar syrup so that it can pass the Indian laboratory tests. Our health is already compromised because of Covid-19; honey consumption has increased because it builds immunity; and, it is known to be an antioxidant and has anti-microbial properties. But instead of honey, we are ingesting sugar, which will work against us because it is known to increase weight. Evidence is clear that overweight people, and not just obese people, are at a higher risk from Covid-19. Just think. This also means that beekeepers are losing income. If they go out of business, we will lose bees and, with this, their pollination services. Without bees to carry the pollen from plant to plant, food productivity will decline. This adulteration is criminal. I can predict how industry will respond to this exposé. They will say they are meeting the stipulated standards — at least many of the big brands were found compliant during laboratory tests — so how can we say they are adulterated. But we can. And I say this because it has been a tough and confounding investigation. It tells you that the food business is now not simple. At every juncture, my colleagues hit a dead-end. When we heard beekeepers were losing business, the answer was in the wind. Nobody was willing to say what was going on other than shadowy talk about Chinese companies and sugar syrup. But there was no proof of the companies or this mysterious syrup. In May, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued directives to importers of sugar syrups, saying there was evidence of their use as an adulterant in honey. It also asked food commissioners to step up inspection. The sugar syrups that the FSSAI had mentioned in this directive did not even exist in the import-export database of the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry. Another dead-end. But whistles continued to be blown; in February, the government made it mandatory that exported honey would require additional laboratory test — the Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMRS). This test, we knew, was being used when governments suspected honey fraud with sugar syrups, which could not be easily detected. This is a matter of our health. We could not let go. Our persistence paid when we found websites of Chinese companies openly selling syrups that could beat the stipulated tests. We understood then that the business had indeed evolved. The first adulteration was to use sugar syrups from plants that use the C4 photosynthesis route — from corn and sugarcane. But as science caught up, business found new sugars. It started using sugar from what are called C3 plants — rice and beetroot. But then analytical methods were found to differentiate and detect this sugar in honey. Now on online Chinese portals, companies claimed they had found ways of designing syrups that would beat the C3 and C4 sugar tests. These same companies were exporters of fructose syrup to India. This we could connect. But we could not connect the end-buyer in India. These syrups are imported for many industrial uses. So on the face, it was a legitimate business. It really came together when we procured a sample of this test-bypassing syrup — the Chinese companies were more than eager to sell it to us. They knew how the Indian system, particularly our customs department, worked. One company sent the sample as paint pigment. We noted that last year there was a decline in the import of fructose syrup. Sources said that Indians had procured the technology from China. Again, we fished around, and found the source of what is called in the market the “all pass” syrup. With this done, we had bottles of this colourless liquid that would mask the presence of sugar in honey. To check if it worked, we “spiked” raw honey and sent it to the laboratory. It passed. The deadly business was confirmed. The final nail in this food fraud is that most of the 13 brands that were tested using the advanced NMRS technique have failed. The same honey brands that passed the laboratory tests stipulated in the 2020 FSSAI standards failed on NMRS. The German laboratory, where we got the samples tested, says in its report that these samples are adulterated with sugar syrup. Since the release of our investigation into the adulteration of honey, we have received textbook responses from industry — possibly what is taught in business schools across the world. Deny, discredit, use scientific jugglery to confuse consumers, and spend big time on building an alternative narrative that their products are clean and safe. But the consumers have spoken. Honey is not like any other food. It is taken as a health supplement; it is medicinal and, therefore, addition of sugar means that it is indeed injurious to our health. No question about this. So, we know industry is powerful. But we believe that what is at stake is our health and the survival of nature’s army of bees that bring us life.

‘Need to reduce gender gap in STEM jobs in India’

Gender equality is important from a business perspective and it should be made a business priority by companies, says Swedish Science Counsellor Fanny von Heland About 43 per cent of science, technology engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates in India may be women, which is the highest in the world, but women’s share in STEM jobs in India is a mere 14 per cent. In Sweden, on the other hand, women’s share in STEM degrees and jobs are 35 and 34 per cent, respectively, according to Fanny von Heland, Innovation and Science Counsellor, Head of Office of Science & Innovation, Embassy of Sweden. “Most of the women STEM graduates in India either pursue another career or do not work at all. That is really a waste of talent. In Sweden, we produce fewer STEM graduates (than in India), but employ almost all of them,” Heland told BusinessLine. SHE STEM She was talking about a virtual summit, SHE STEM, organised by the Swedish Embassy here last week around the need for gender equality in STEM to mark the Nobel Memorial Week. Research has clearly established that gender diversity leads to creativity, productivity and innovation, she said, adding that Sweden has been working closely with the Indian government and others to improve gender equality in the field of STEM. “The STEM field is so perpetuated with gender stereotypes. It has a very strong male-dominated culture. There is a lack of role models for girls and women. What we wanted to do with the event was to give inspiring samples of success stories and role models to help encourage these young girls and women pursue careers in STEM,” Heland said. Significantly, around 5,000 budding women entrepreneurs, researchers and students participated as audience in the webinar, which saw eminent Indian women scientists and experts such as Department of Biotechnology Secretary Renu Swarup and Centre for Science and Environment Director General Sunita Narain and a few successful young Swedish women entrepreneurs speak.

Delhi: In year of ups and downs, farm fire season came early, but left a more lasting impact

NEW DELHI: Crop stubble fires not only began to impact Delhi’s air much earlier this year, but their contribution to pollution was also much higher compared with last year, data analysed by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found. Track the pollution level in your city CSE analysed the data compiled by System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) till November 30 and found that on seven days this season the contribution of stubble burning to Delhi’s PM2.5 concentration was over 30% compared with only three such days last year. The daily contributions were divided into four categories — over 30%, between 20% and 30%, between 10% and 20%, and less than 10%. On six days this year, the contribution of smoke from farm fires was between 20% and 30% compared with just four days in 2019. The contribution ranged between 10% and 20% this season on 16 days compared with 15 such days last year. However, there were 23 days with less than 10% contribution, down from 30 days in 2019. The data also showed that smoke from crop stubble fires started impacting Delhi’s air quality from October 10 this year compared with October 16 in 2019, almost a week earlier than usual. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at CSE, said winter this year was drier in Delhi with less rain and western disturbances, which meant northwesterly winds were able to bring in more pollutants. “Meteorological conditions have played a key role and winter has been drier. If long-range transport occurs through strong northwesterly winds and localised conditions do not allow pollutants to disperse easily, then the impact will obviously be greater,” she added. This year, Diwali pollution was also compounded by the heightened contribution of smoke from farm fires, which increased to 32% during that period. Companies and agencies looking to provide solutions to farmers said financially viable solutions, such as options to manage paddy straw, which could be used to generate power, were yet to percolate completely to the ground level. “While the government has taken several initiatives, there is scope for more seriousness towards implementation of on-ground solutions. The smart way to go about this is to look at farm stubble not as waste, but as an energy resource. This could be turned into a commodity, so that businesses are built around the same,” said Suvrat Khanna, CEO and co-founder of Verve Renewables, a company procuring and processing baled paddy straw. Khanna added that straw collected by them was used to generate electricity at the Naraingarh Sugar Mills (25MW) plant at Ambala, Haryana. CSE’s analysis further found that cyclical ups and down of pollution this winter were more volatile, showing quicker rise and fall than last year. “There were days in November when the air quality improved substantially without rain, but with overall improvement in wind patterns. There were three days during the second half of November when air quality improved to the moderately polluted category. This was the same as 2019, but the clean-up last year was induced by rain,” it added.

This week in FMCG: Honey adulteration controversy continues; CSE vs FSSAI, firms launch sugar-free products

The honey adulteration controversy got dragged to this week as well after Dabur filed a complaint to the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) against Marico on Dec 6 for its Saffola honey sample being passed through the NMR test. During the week gone by, Moneycontrol interacted with Amit Khurana, Programme Director of the CSE’s Food Safety and Toxins on the honey adulteration findings. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE)'s findings of adulteration in honey by major brands have sparked a silent tussle between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and the NGO. FMCG industry also witnessed a trend of companies launching low calorie, sugar-free products. Two leading homegrown rival FMCG brands Dabur and Marico are in an open spat with each other over claims regarding their honey brands and have taken the matter to advertising regulator ASCI. Dabur on Dec 6 said it is filing a complaint against rival Marico before the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) for claiming its Saffola Honey sample being passed through the NMR test. The Noida-based company claimed Marico's Saffola honey has failed the NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) test and is misleading the consumers. Dabur is filing a complaint in ASCI against Marico as their Saffola honey sample from the market has failed the NMR test. "Test reports clearly indicate the presence of sugar syrup in Saffola honey. Their claim on NMR test is misleading the consumers," Dabur claimed in a statement. However, Dabur's claim was refuted by Marico contending that "Saffola Honey is also compliant with each of the quality parameters mandated by FSSAI". Earlier, Marico had filed a complaint before the ASCI on October 1, over Dabur's claims of NMR of its honey and was upheld by the regulator. NMR is the advance technology to detect adulteration in honey with sugar syrups by molecular separation and identification. It is the only test that can detect the new modified ‘Chinese sugar’ being used to adulterate honey. CSE vs FSSAI Amit Khurana of CSE told Moneycontrol that Indian standards are not enough to detect adulteration. He said strengthening these standards is required. “Despite set standards, we do not know whether the FSSAI has been testing. The results are not in the public domain," Khurana said. Khurana recommended that the government or the FSSAI must test products at the backend as a part of their regular surveillance system and stay informed. The CSE also stressed that the ring of adulteration needed to be firmly dealt with and that the FSSAI must take urgent steps to stop or break the nexus. New Launches In the past few months, FMCG companies have been launching low calorie, sugar-free products as most people are getting health conscious due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For some snacking quick bites, Mondelez has launched Cadbury Dairy chocolates with 30 percent less sugar and Bournvita Biscuits. In the ready-to-drink beverages segment, ITC has come up with B Natural plus that has vitamin additives and Marico has added ImmuniVeda, turmeric and kadha Concoction, to its product portfolio. Dabur has added low-calorie juice packets to its Real Brand line. Danone launched sugar-free adult supplement variation under its Protinex brand which is being promoted as an immunity booster in its campaign. The trend of healthy living and wellness lifestyle for the conscious consumer is catered to by Ayurveda brands. The sugar-free immunity-boosting Chyawanprash from Dabur, Baidyanath, Zandu, and Patanjali available in the market sell at a premium to the regular product and seeing a demand surge.

‘Right time to transition into Electric Mobility in Rajasthan’:Ravi Jain, Secretary and Transport Commissioner, Government of Rajasthan

While delivering the Keynote address at a webinar organised by CUTS International and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) India titled, ‘Boosting Green Economy: Is Emobility the way forward in Rajasthan?’,Shri Ravi Jain,Secretary and Transport Commissioner, Government of Rajasthan, pointed out that Rajasthan government will soon be rolling out its Electric Vehicle policy, as part of its initiative to curb the vehicular emission in the state. The webinar was organised to launch the report of a CUTS study titled ‘Exploring the impact of Jobs Ecosystem: A case study of Jaipur, Rajasthan’ implemented with support from FES India. Pradeep S Mehta, Secretary General, CUTS International, while delivering introductory remarks, emphasised that Electric Vehicles (EVs) are the potential answer to the problem of vehicular pollution and fossil fuel dependency. However, he also underlined the importance of ‘Just Transition’ in the automotive sector in order to enable an inclusive transformation to electric mobility in India. Mandvi Kulshreshtha, Program Adviser – Economy of Tomorrow, FES India, remarked that gender justice and climate justice should be at the core of the roadmap for a sustainable future. To gather insights on the report being launched on the occasion, a panel discussion was conducted that was moderated by Sarthak Shukla, Assistant Policy Analyst, CUTS International, and saw the participation of over 65 participants from across various industries and stakeholder categories including OEMs, research organisations, enterprises and Speaking on the thematic of environmental context of EVs, Anumita Roy Chowdhury, Executive Director, Policy and Advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment, advocated the need to align the efforts in a systemic way in order to reap the envisaged benefits of EVs. She also stressed on the need to reform the power sector and infuse grid storage capacity, while at the same time explore other non-polluting forms of transport like walking and cycling circuits in cities.

Mumbai’s winter pollution more toxic in 2020; PM2.5 levels 25-30% higher than 2019: CSE

The average share of tiny pollutant particles that can easily enter the lungs and cause health ailments — PM2.5 — was higher across all cities in Maharashtra this... By Badri Chatterjee The average share of tiny pollutant particles that can easily enter the lungs and cause health ailments — PM2.5 — was higher across all cities in Maharashtra this winter with the maximum spike observed in Mumbai. This winter, air pollution set in almost two weeks earlier, indicating a change in pattern. The average PM2.5 levels were 25-30% higher in October and November for the Mumbai region compared to the same period last year. An analysis of winter pollution (till the first week of December 2020) in major cities of Maharashtra was carried out by the Delhibased Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), Delhi. Released on Friday, CSE’s analysis revealed that the clean air gains of the early months of lockdown and monsoon were offset by the reopening of the economy and winter weather. The share of PM2.5 in PM10 (larger coarser particles) this winter was 40% during October and 46% through November. It is generally lowest during summer and monsoon months (less than 30%) and highest on Diwali. “The share of tinier and finer particles (PM2.5) in the overall coarser PM10 concentration determines the toxicity of air. When the overall share of tinier PM2.5 in the overall coarser PM10 is higher, the air is more toxic as the tiny particles penetrate deep inside the lungs and cut through the blood barrier increasing the health risk,” said CSE in its analysis. As compared to the cleanest air quality week this year (in the week ending on July 5) for Mumbai, the weekly average increased 10 times during the week ending on November 15. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director-research and advocacy, CSE said, “Pollution levels increased during winter despite the geographical advantages and favourable meteorology for Mumbai. This indicates high local pollution and strong regional influences.” According to the analysis, overall average PM2.5 levels for just over 11 months (January to December first week) were considerably lower than those of 2019 due to the impact of the lockdown. However, PM2.5 concentration during winter rose beyond safe standards for Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra. October saw more polluted air across all cities, and Mumbai was the worst as its average PM2.5 levels were 25% higher than in 2019. It was 26% higher for Navi Mumbai and 28% higher in Kalyan. November was also more polluted with the monthly average being 7% higher in Mumbai, 21% in Navi Mumbai, and 31% in Kalyan. Cities outside the Mumbai Metropolitan Region also showed a similar or marginally lower trend. Chowdhury explained that thanks to better ventilation through the se brrese, suspension of pollutant particles was much was much lower in Mumbai than in the Indo-Gangetic plain in winter. However, pollution sources from vehicles, industry, construction, and biomass burning had helped bring winter pollution in almost two weeks earlier. “Reopening of the economy coinciding with the onset of winter allow PM2.5 levels to rise starting from October. It is clear that the Mumbai region cannot rely only on its locational advantage of proximity to the sea,” she said. So far, the most polluted areas in Mumbai include Worli, Vile Parle, Kurla and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSIA) where the 24-hour PM2.5 average was in the ‘very poor’ category on multiple days during November even as the city-wide average was in the ‘moderate’ category. Among solutions, CSE suggested strict enforcement of power plant standards across Maharashtra; minimise use of coal and other dirty fuels in the industry; improving emissions control; scale up public transport and vehicle restraint measures; and manage waste through zero waste and zero landfill strategy. “There is a need for deep cuts across all key sectors of pollution and across the entire region to reduce annual average levels and thereby avoid winter pollution peaks for Maharashtra cities,” said Chowdhury. WARNING FOR FURTHER POLLUTION SPIKE DURING CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR: CSE Air quality in the city is usually at its worst around Christmas and New Year. Going by this trend, a further spike in air pollution may be expected said CSE. Kurla and Worli have the highest November averages in Mumbai, while Bandra, CSIA and Colaba have the lowest. Nerul in Navi Mumbai is the most polluted in the Greater Mumbai region. CSIA, despite one of the lowest monthly concentrations, has the highest daily spikes. CSE STUDY SHOWS DIWALI AIR WAS MORE POLLUTED THAN 2019 The average PM2.5 level on Diwali day (November 14) in Mumbai was 76 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m3), up from 53 μg/m3 recorded in 2019. There was a 75% higher rise in hourly PM2.5 concentration between afternoon and night of Diwali 2020 mostly due to firecracker bursting. The change in hourly PM2.5 concentration between afternoon and night of 2020 Diwali was 145 μg/m3, up from 83 μg/m3 in 2019. Diwali also occurred later in November than the previous year (October 27). HOW THE ANALYSIS WAS DONE? CSE did its analysis based on air quality data from 10 monitoring stations in Mumbai; three in Navi Mumbai; two in Chandrapur; and one station each in Thane, Kalyan, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, Aurangabad, and Solapur under the continuous ambient air quality monitoring system (CAAQMS) of the Central Pollution Control Board. This data is publicly available real time information from CPCB’s official online portal, Central Control Room for Air Quality Management.

Development projects worth Rs 254 crore in progress: Minister

Chandigarh: Punjab cooperation minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said on Thursday that development and expansion projects worth Rs 254 crore are in progress in Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Mohali and Patiala milk dairies. Besides, Punjab government and Nabard assisted mega dairy project at Bassi Pathana, with a total outlay of Rs 138 crore, is likely to be completed by June next year. The minister also revealed that recruitments to 125 posts have been made at deputy manager, assistant manager and senior executive level and Milkfed will start recruitments to fill 540 technical posts soon. Randhawa gave the information while handing out appointment letters to 11 fresh recruits in the field of production, quality control and procurement against the post of assistant manager. Randhawa said recruitments have been made through campus interviews at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (Gadvasu), Ludhiana. These officers will be on two year’s in-service training and then appointed as assistant manager in their respective streams. The minister also launched four variants of Verka natural fruit ice creams on the occasion. On the occasion, registrar cooperative societies Vikas Garg said Markfed’s Sohna honey had figured among the three brands that passed the stringent quality control measures of the Centre for Science and Environment.

Worst air on BT Road

The air quality recorded on the BT Road campus of Rabindra Bharati University has been the worst while that of Rabindra Sarobar has been the best in the city, a study of the last fortnight’s results available on the West Bengal Pollution Control Board’s website revealed. The contrast was because of uncontrolled truck movement along BT Road and the absence of much human activity inside Rabindra Sarobar, an official of the board said. The air quality recorded at BT Road’s monitoring station has been poorer than other places for years, the official said. “The air quality remained particularly bad during the night and early morning hours in the station at Rabindra Bharati University. This could be because of the movement of a large number of goods vehicles along the road during this time, when trucks enter Calcutta to unload goods or leave after completing work,” said the WBPCB official. An assistant commissioner of Calcutta police said that over 10,000 trucks ply along BT Road every day between 12pm and 4pm and between 10pm and 8am the next day. A study by the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, conducted between 2017 and 2019, found that goods carriers were responsible for 49 per cent of PM10 and 49.5 per cent of PM2.5 in the ambient air contributed by vehicular emission. The state government has told the National Green Tribunal that it will phase out commercial vehicles that are 15 years or older. But old and polluting vehicles continue to ply in the city. Metro studied the daily air quality bulletin between November 26 and December 9. On November 27 and 28, the air quality measured at the RBU station was “poor” while all other stations recorded “moderate”. On December 4, it measured “severe” readings. On December 6, it showed “very poor” air quality while other stations said “poor”. “This shows that besides the overall pollution in the region (Calcutta and its surroundings), there are additional local sources of pollution in the vicinity of BT Road contributing to greater pollution in that area. This could be because of the heavy traffic along BT Road or other sources of emission,” said Sagnik Dey, an associate professor at IIT Delhi’s Centre for Atmospheric Sciences. There is a need to identify the local sources through a survey in the area, said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, the executive director of Centre for Science and Environment. “It is common for cities to have areas that consistently show more air pollution levels than the general air pollution in the city. There must be a local area action plan to control the additional air pollution contributed by the local sources. This should be in addition to the action plan meant for the entire city or the region,” said Roy Chowdhury. The board has identified some local units that trade in spare parts of old cars, the WBPCB official said. The trading mostly happens at night and the units burn spare parts which emits a lot of pollutants. “We have requested the police to see that the units do not burn anything,” the official said. Rabindra Sarobar, in a leafy south Calcutta neighbourhood, has measured better air quality than the other stations. On November 26 and 29, the air quality was “moderate” at the Sarobar station and “poor” at all others. On December 8, it was “poor” while other stations recorded “very poor” air quality.

Rajbagh multi-storey commercial building | HC appoints Delhi-based expert to examine impact on Jhelum

The High Court has appointed Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi as an expert to look into environment and ecology impact due to multi-storey commercial building which is coming up in proximity of River Jhelum in Rajbagh area here. Hearing a plea, a division bench of the court also directed continuation of the prohibition on any construction imposed by it on November 10 till further orders. “We hereby appoint Ms. Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science & Environment, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi as the Expert/Local Commissioner to assist the scrutiny by this Court,” the division bench said. Sunita Narain, the court said, shall examine and give expert opinion on the permissibility of the construction being raised at the site, its impact from every angle on environment and ecology, its impact on the protection of River Jhelum. The court asked Narain to examine the river management policy schemes, practices of Jammu and Kashmir and the status of the rivers to give expert opinion regarding protection and preservation of the rivers, the effect of construction along the rivers, impact of release of sewage into rivers, impact of dumping of garbages on river banks and rivers.” The court also directed that the Government to examine the recommendations and take urgent steps to implement the same. “Ms. Sunita Narain shall be assisted by Ms. Sushma Chouhan, DC, Jammu, in the above exercise to be undertaken.” The DC Jammu has been asked to examine the documents relied on by the builder, trace the title chain and submit a report. “Ms. Chouhan shall also examine the records relating to the land, its usage etc and submit a report to Ms. Sunita Narain.” The court directed that the entire record of the case, including the revenue records, sale deeds, applications for non objection certificates filed, records relating to their processing and sanction accorded be placed before Narain for examination. “Ms. Sunita Narian shall carefully scrutinize the same and submit a report to this court on the issues noted by us in the order dated 10th November 2020 and the present order,” the bench added.

GND varsity inks pact with CSE

Amritsar: The Centre for Sustainable Habitat (CSH) of Guru Nanak Dev University signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE), New Delhi, to share knowledge and conduct need-based collaborative research and capacity building to address various issues and challenges occurring in environment of cities and villages. Prof Jaspal Singh Sandhu, V-C, GNDU, said, “The CSE will act as a knowledge partner of the CSH to help mainstream sustainability concerns in the built environment to attain sustainable development goals. A state-of-the-art research lab will be established in the university to carry on the inter-disciplinary research work.” TNS

Commercial building at Rajbagh: HC appoints expert on permissibility, impact on environment

Observing that environmental concerns cannot be ignored or compromised in any manner, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has appointed a Delhi-based expert on the permissibility of the multi-storey commercial building which is coming up between 10 to 15 feet from the banks of the River Jhelum in Rajbagh area here. “In eco-fragile territories as that of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, environmental concerns cannot be ignored or compromised in any manner. River Jhelum is an essential natural feature in the Valley and its protection and preservation has to remain of primary and utmost concern,” said a division of the court said while hearing a petition. "We hereby appoint Ms. Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science & Environment, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi as the Expert/Local Commissioner to assist the scrutiny by this Court,” the division bench said. Ms. Sunita Narain, the court said, shall examine and give expert opinion on the permissibility of the construction being raised at the site, its impact from every angle on environment and ecology, its impact on the protection of River Jhelum. “Ms. Sunita Narain shall also examine the river management policy schemes, practices of Jammu and Kashmir; the status of the rivers, give expert opinion regarding protection and preservation of the rivers, the effect of construction along the rivers, impact of release of sewage into rivers, impact of dumping of garbages on river banks and rivers.” The court directed that the Government shall examine the recommendations and take urgent steps to implement the same. “Ms. Sunita Narain shall be assisted by Ms. Sushma Chouhan, DC, Jammu, in the above exercise to be undertaken.” The DC Jammu has been asked to examine the documents relied on by the builder, trace the title chain and submit a report, the court said further. “Ms. Chouhan shall also examine the records relating to the land, its usage etc and submit a report to Ms. Sunita Narain.” The court directed that the entire record of the case, including the revenue records, sale deeds, applications for non objection certificates filed, records relating to their processing and sanction accorded be placed before Ms. Sunita Narain for examination. “Ms. Sunita Narian shall carefully scrutinize the same and submit a report to this court on the issues noted by us in the order dated 10th November 2020 and the present order,” the court said. The court also ordered the continuation of the prohibition on any construction imposed by it on November 10 till further orders. (GNS)

Calm weather worsens air quality, no respite soon

Kolkata: A thick smog cover suffocating the city for the second consecutive day rendered the air quality “very poor” with the AQI shooting past the 300-mark on Wednesday. The air quality may degrade further with no major change in the weather conditions soon. This is the first dense smog episode in the city this season. The city AQI, which used to plunge as the day passed, remained almost static with minor deviation in the noon and again started rising after the sunset. The AQI at Ballygunge air quality monitoring station, for instance, hovered around 330 and after sunset it rose to 335 at 7pm. For six other stations, the trend was almost the same. Despite a dip, the AQI at Rabindra Bharati University (BT Road, in north Kolkata) remained the highest. At Rabindra Sarobar station, which represents the best possible air of the city, AQI shot beyond 300. According to a WBPCB scientist, very calm atmospheric conditions have trapped the pollutants at a lower level in the atmosphere, leading to a rapid build-up. The wind speed for most of the day remained at or around 0kmph. The extremely calm condition prevented any dispersion of pollutants. Secondary aerosol, which has the highest contribution of PM2.5 to the city’s ambient air in winter, has a role to play in creating the smog, said scientists. According to the Source Apportionment study by NEERI, secondary aerosol has a 32% contribution in PM2.5 pollution during the winter. Air pollution expert Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment said: “To understand this smog episode so early in winter, we looked deeper and scanned the satellite imagery over the city and the eastern region in 2018. This revealed a very interesting trend in the region. The images showed a higher build-up of sulphur dioxide (SO2) over Kolkata. This SO2 mass is more widespread and encompasses Dhanbad, Durgapur and the surrounding region.” This indicates the influence of vehicular emission, coal burning in power plants and industry. In fact, yet another modelling exercise carried out by the Urban Emissions Info indicated that this particular smog episode in Kolkata had been influenced by power plant emissions and domestic use of solid fuels. But it is interesting that the local ambient SO2 concentration in the city is, however, low. There can be transboundary issues involved here,” she added. Because of the higher proportion of PM2.5 in the ambient air, the air becomes highly toxic. The finer particulate matter goes into the lungs unhindered and gets into the bloodstream. “This is extremely dangerous for Covid patients, who often develop extreme breathing distress. Elderly people must not venture out and can do light exercises at home,” said pulmonologist Arup Haldar.

India's pandemic recovery plan could cost air quality goals

India is facing two public health emergencies simultaneously: critically polluted air and the pandemic. And Surinder Singh, a bus driver in the capital New Delhi, is trapped between them both. In previous years, the government encouraged more people to use buses that run on cleaner fuels, like the one he drives, as an emergency air quality measure. But this year there are limits on passengers to maintain social distance. The air stings Singh's eyes and he worries about contracting the virus every time a person gets on board. Still reeling from India's harsh lockdown that dried up his $9 daily income for two months, the 47-year-old father of two says he has no choice but to work. Masked and armed with a bottle of hand sanitizer, he starts his journey near a private hospital that is overwhelmed by virus patients. He travels through roads packed with traffic to the city's largest and most frenetic railway station. Content Continues Below “I drive the bus in constant fear," he said. Millions of others are equally desperate in India's historic recession. The economy contracted by 23.9% in the April-June quarter — its worst performance in at least 24 years — and by 7.5% in the next quarter. The virus, meanwhile continues to spread with over 9.7 million cases, and more than 140,000 deaths. And India's underfunded hospitals, already strained by the virus, are also filling up with patients in respiratory distress from air pollution. The pandemic has made emergency measures, such as boosting public transit, harder to implement. And long-term targets, including weaning power plants from dirty fossil fuels, are taking a back seat. India plans to increase coal production to reduce imports, and its recovery plan remains heavily reliant on energy sources that produce carbon emissions. “This pandemic will define the pathway of how we move in the future (to control air pollution),” said Sunil Dahiya, an analyst at the advocacy group Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. India’s environment ministry did not respond to requests for comment. The dual threat is particularly pronounced in the Indian capital New Delhi, where the annual spike in winter pollution levels has come amid a surge in new COVID-19 cases. The city is among the most polluted in India, where an estimated 1.67 million people die annually from bad air. Dr. Akshay Budhraja, a pulmonologist at a private hospital here, said it was flooded with patients with respiratory distress who thought they had COVID-19. "Patients are very, very anxious," he said. The Delhi pollution gets worse in the fall and winter when the burning of crop debris in neighboring states coincides with cooler temperatures that trap smoke close to the city. Over 76,000 farm fires were spotted by satellites in Punjab state -- the most since 2016 — and Delhi's air quality levels in October were worse than previous years, government data shows. Although the city of 29 million people and 10 million cars is enveloped in smog, authorities have fewer options than before the pandemic. Last year, authorities had restricted some of the capital's private vehicles and increased public transportation. But this year, standing passengers aren't allowed in Delhi's buses, and metro coaches are only allowing about 50 people, compared to a maximum of 300 in the past. Anumita Roychowdhury, a director at the advocacy group Centre for Science and Environment, estimated that public transit is operating at a third of capacity overall. The pandemic also has hindered efforts to clean emissions at coal-fired power plants, which account for 65% of India’s electricity. The government had asked plants to install technology that would remove sulfur dioxide from their emissions by 2022. But after initial delays from problems in getting loans, the pandemic snapped supply chains and made it impossible to import the required equipment, said Ashok Kumar Khurana, who heads the Association of Power Producers. India’s power ministry has sought a deadline extension from the environment ministry while the government has undertaken measures aimed at boosting coal production. In June, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the auction of 40 new coal leases to private miners. Modi described this shift from India's state-controlled coal industry as “freeing the coal sector from decades of lockdown." Last year, the government asked the state-run Coal India to increase the annual production from the current 661 million tons (600 million metric tons) to over a billion tons by 2024. To make the transition to domestic coal easier, it has also waived regulations that mandated a federal environment ministry review if a power plant wanted to change the type of coal being used. Much of India's coal reserves have a high ash content that burns inefficiently and results in increased emissions and air pollution, said Roychowdhury. India is the third-highest emitter of carbon dioxide, behind China and the United States. These are efforts to save “an industry that is already circling the drain,” said Kanika Chawla, an energy policy expert at the New Delhi-based think tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Before the pandemic, India's power plants were running below capacity because the growth in power production capacity had outpaced demand. With demand dipping further, Chawla said that the government had an opportunity to pivot away from fossil fuels and accelerate a "just" transition to cleaner fuels. “We were clearly at a crossroad," she said.