GURUGRAM: Farm fires feeding the toxic smog, that dreaded annual event which returns to Delhi-NCR every October November, have seen the highest numbers this year since 2016, and a sharp increase from the three-year period from 2017-19 when efforts to check them at source appear to have yielded positive results. Read the entire story on TOI+ How Delhi lost 3 years of farm fire gains in three months
Joe Biden has promised that the US will rejoin the Paris climate agreement on January 20, when he takes oath to become the next president. But that will be just the first step on an uphill climb, during which he will be opposed by the Senate, the upper chamber of US legislature, all the way. In the absence of 60 Democratic senators, action on all three areas where the US needs to return to combating climate change will have to be made through executive decisions. The first area is domestic action to push renewables, and this may be the easiest. Various states including Republican Texas are already pushing renewables hard, and a Biden administration is unlikely to face serious opposition on this score. During his campaign, Biden repeatedly promised a USD 2 trillion federal spend to boost green jobs and get renewables to power the entire electricity grid by 2035. The plan includes a boost for electric vehicles and energy-efficient housing. While this may too much for Congress to swallow, part of the stimulus can be provided through the promised Covid-19 recovery package. It will be more difficult to reduce incentives to fossil fuels, as many Biden supporters want. More difficult still is Biden keeping his promise to ban the Keystone pipeline from the oil sands of Canada – something he may put on the back burner. And Biden has not supported a wide ban on fracking. Another contentious move would be to add greenhouse gases (GHGs) to the list of pollutants under the Clean Air Act. There is every possibility that such an addition would be challenged in court, and a federal Supreme Court with a conservative majority is unlikely to support such a change in law.It looks like Biden will disappoint many of his supporters by not making a move in this direction in the near future. However, if the Biden administration wants to get aggressive on climate action, it can find strength in recent opinion polls, where 70% of all Americans repeatedly said they want their government to do more about the climate crisis. Funding climate research The second big area is funding climate research and rebuilding the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). One only has to look at the difference in the number of academic papers and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change authors before and during the Trump era to realise the truth of what one Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory researcher had said in 2018: “I’m sitting broke in an empty laboratory while my doctoral students move to Europe.” Over three decades, the US produced so many top climate researchers that the near-cessation of their output in the past four years has affected climate science globally. Executive decisions by a Biden White House can do a lot to restore funding to universities and laboratories. It can do a lot more with the support of Capitol Hill, but that is unlikely. Climate research will continue to be underfunded in the US for at least two more years. But at least the White House can repopulate the EPA with competent people. A strong EPA can get a lot done, even with existing laws – even after Trump rolled back at least 80 environmental regulations. Undoing the Trump legacy through executive decisions entails the risk that a future Republican administration will overturn these decisions once more. But it does not look like Biden has much choice. Consequences for global ambition The real struggle will be in the third area: the global war against climate change. Devastation caused by hurricanes, floods and wildfires in their own country do not seem to move most Republicans. Clearly, devastation in other countries moves them even less. It is worth noting that the climate change section is the one with the greatest detail on international relations of the four priority areas identified by the Biden-Harris campaign. Regardless, the frequency of storms, floods, droughts and wildfires around the world will only accelerate unless all countries rein in their GHG emissions, with the US playing a leading role, since it remains the world’s second-highest GHG polluter. When the US re-enters the Paris agreement in 2021, the biggest question facing the Biden administration is what cut in GHG emissions will it pledge to make? Related to that, what will be the value of a pledge made through an executive decision in the face of opposition from the Senate? When the US joined the Paris agreement during the Obama administration, it pledged to reduce its GHG emissions by 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. There is little possibility of meeting this now. Net US GHG emissions in 2019 were higher than at the end of 2016, when Trump took over. The original deadline for renewed pledges was the end of 2020, but most countries have not met this, and the deadline will almost certainly be extended. The US’s fresh GHG emission cuts pledge will have a major impact on other countries. China has promised to go carbon neutral by 2060. The EU, Japan and South Korea have given themselves a 2050 deadline. But many developed and emerging economies are waiting to see what the US will do. That includes India, the world’s fourth-largest GHG emitter. See: India must go green or perish During his campaign, Biden did say his presidency would work to make the US carbon neutral by 2050. That target is both ambitious and credible. It will enthuse other governments. It would enthuse them more if they knew it had Senate backing. However, under the Paris agreement, the US will have to provide a nearer-term target – what it will do by 2030. It will be tougher for Biden to push that through. But without it, longer-term promises will ring hollow. Other countries have moved during the four Trump years. India’s big push on renewables has led to the point where solar is the cheapest source of power when the sun is shining, and even round-the-clock electricity from renewables will be price-competitive with coal-generated electricity in about two years. As Ajay Mathur, head of the Energy and Resources Institute in New Delhi, put it, “The US needs to quickly catch up and demonstrate its climate leadership through action, and not just through words.” American negotiators The history of global climate negotiations shows there is one thing the Republicans need not fear: American negotiators will not move an inch if they can even imagine an adverse impact on the US economy. This is bipartisan. Since the Clinton administration days – when global climate negotiations started under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – American negotiators have opposed any move they think can place US businesses at a disadvantage. Current president Donald Trump made a spectacle of pulling out of the Paris accord, but it is not the first global climate accord the US has quit. That was the Kyoto Protocol, which the Bill Clinton administration signed. But the government under George Bush junior did not ratify it, effectively killing the agreement. As Sunita Narain, head of think tank the Centre for Science and Environment, writing in their magazine, Down to Earth, recalled, “The Congress passed the Byrd-Hagel amendment instead, requiring any future American involvement in climate change agreements to be matched by equivalent commitments by developing country parties.” The 2015 Paris agreement was designed keeping this amendment in mind. It killed the long-standing principle that rich countries, which had put most of the GHGs into the atmosphere, had a bigger responsibility to clean up the mess. Despite that, Trump’s main objection was that it would impose too high a cost on the US economy. Regardless of who is president, US negotiators have ensured that will not happen. Every year, the American delegation to the UNFCCC summit includes a battery of lawyers who go through every word and punctuation mark of every draft decision to ensure that it does not affect the US adversely. They held up the Paris agreement by more than a day because they insisted on changing a “shall” to a “should” on the matter of helping developing countries deal with climate change impacts. US negotiators will continue to play hardball under a Biden administration. But as greener economic alternatives become more attractive, that may not be in the best interests of their country.
The Central Pollution Control Board has temporarily banned some construction activity in New Delhi and called for stringent measures to stop farm fires causing air quality to plummet and leaving a toxic haze. The Indian capital has been facing one of the worst spells of air pollution in years, which doctors and environmentalists say is worsening the health effects of a third wave of coronavirus infections. Delhi's air quality index was 'very poor at 334 on a scale of 500 yesterday. That was an improvement from severe conditions in the past three days after wind picked up and dispersed pollutants. But air quality is forecast to deteriorate closer to the festival of Diwali this weekend, the CPCB said in a notice. The CPCB ordered a shutdown of asphalt mixing plants and stone crushers until November 17 in the capital and satellite cities, and told city authorities to ensure stricter enforcement of dust control at all construction sites and penalise violators. Other measures included stepping up mechanised cleaning of roads and checks on rubbish burning. Beyond the capital itself, the pollution board ordered the state governments of Punjab and Haryana to take 'immediate stringent actions to curb stubble burning, which has been a major source of air pollution this season. 'These are temporary measures where the big challenge would be enforcement, said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, an executive director of research and advocacy at the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. 'But, the awareness level among people needs to go up dramatically this year because of Covid-19. On Monday, the National Green Tribunal forbid the sale and use of firecrackers, a traditional part of Diwali celebrations. Unlike the southern parts of the country, most arid regions of northern India, including New Delhi, struggle with dust, a common air pollutant. Environmental experts say New Delhi's topography hobbles efforts by authorities to stave off the spike in pollution. Also, large-scale mining for rocks and sand, used in construction, has hollowed out the Aravalli mountain range, a natural barrier that used to protect New Delhi from dust coming from the Thar Desert. Activists warn the fast disappearance of the Aravalli range will make New Delhi more vulnerable to its pollution woes.
The Minister of Environment, Muhammad Mahmood, has reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to ending open defecation in the country. Mr Abubakar stated this in Abuja on Thursday at a Ministerial Press Briefing held to commemorate the “2020 World Toilet Day” with the theme: “Sustainable Sanitation and Climate Change”. He said the theme was apt as it underscored the necessity for technologically sound systems for proper waste management and sanitary hygiene practices. He said the government’s commitment was demonstrated by President Muhammadu Buhari’s declaration of state of emergency on water sanitation and hygiene in the country. He also identified the signing of the executive order on open defecation free Nigeria by 2025, as another commitment. He added that the ministry in collaboration with critical stakeholders had reviewed and validated the 2005 National Environmental Sanitation Policy Guidelines on safe excreta and sewage disposal. He said “The intervention on control of open defecation and the Clean and Green Programme of the ministry are aimed at promoting the provision of safe and adequate toilets across the country.’’ He said the ministry recently signed a MoU with Centre for Science and Environment, India, on technology transfer, capacity building and research development in areas of water sanitation. He said the centre would be conducting a specialised online training in toilet design and faecal sludge management and reuse for at least 50 Nigerian officials. He said the officials would comprise of environmental health and sanitation desk officers across the 36 states, FCT and members of inter-ministerial committee on national sanitation by December. He added that the ministry had handed over modern public toilets to state governments as practical steps to end open defecation by 2025. “These toilets which are part of the ministry’s community based waste management programme are to be managed by the private sector operators for viability and sustainability,” he said. Mr Abubakar said other toilet projects were at various stages of completion, as he expressed the hope that it would be replicated in all local governments of the federation. He challenged all national, state and local government stakeholders on environment, particularly sanitation, to take practical steps and actions as agents of change. “I must remind us that with just 10 years to go, the 2030 deadline to attain the SDG goals for the sake of people and the planet, we must redouble our efforts,” he said. Yakubu Baba, acting registrar, Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria, called on other ministries to key into the programme. Edwin Isotu, national consultant, Public Health and Environment, World Health Organisation, said that investing in sustainable sanitation would help create more jobs for Nigerian youth.
Every winter, when we cannot breathe, we discuss air pollution. But we need action not just in the few winter months, when the pollutants settle close to the ground because of inversion, when wind is low and moisture traps the toxins. We need to understand that sources of pollution — other than the stubble-burning in Punjab and Haryana — are constant. We just don’t feel that the air is foul and deadly because there is sun and wind, which disperses pollutants. But it does not make it better for our lungs. The second thing we need to realise is that all soft and easy options for combating pollution are over. Delhi now needs transformational measures to drastically reduce toxins from combustion sources such as vehicles, power plants and industries which use coal for energy. We also need to step up implementation and enforcement on sources such as garbage-burning or construction-related dust. We also need to do much more to convince farmers not to burn stubble, but to use it to either fertilise their soil or to sell it for fuel to industry. The agenda for action is clear. The newly-formed Air Quality Commission (AQC) needs to hit the ground running. It is not as if nothing has been done. The data on air quality shows a decreasing trend and this is good news. This is because governments, both at the Centre and state, have acted. I say this because we must have confidence that action will lead to results. Otherwise, we will drown in cynicism and procrastination. First, there is the transition to Bharat Stage VI (BSVI) fuel and vehicle standards; this was a leapfrog action as the country jumped over one generation of vehicle emission technologies. The new generation BS VI heavy duty and diesel vehicles will be 80-90% cleaner than their predecessors. However, the result of this will only show up when there is fleet transition — that is when larger numbers of these cleaner vehicles come on to roads and replace the older vehicles. But let’s not discount the impact of much cleaner fuel that is now driving our vehicles. Then there have been efforts to control gross-polluting vehicles — in Delhi, the problem was from diesel trucks that moved through the city at night when inversion was the highest. Based on Supreme Court (SC) directions, the numbers of these vehicles have drastically reduced by building expressways that allow diversion and congestion tax that provide deterrence. The impact of this measure is showing up in the air quality charts. There is also the ban on coal — brought about by the Delhi government — and the incentives for industry to change to piped natural gas. The only remaining coalbased power plant in Delhi, Badarpur, has been shut and the effort is to ramp up gas-based power generation at Bawana. New emission standards for clean coal power plants have also been notified — but are still not implemented. In the neighbouring states, brick kilns have been moved to cleaner technology of zigzag and now shut down by judicial orders. So, there is action, there is improvement in air quality. But the bad news is that much more needs to be done. This is the agenda for the future. Just think, during the lockdown, when we all saw blue skies, there was a complete lockdown — all vehicles were off the road; factories were shut. Clearly, the lockdown, with its devastating effect on the economy and livelihoods, is not the solution. But what this reveals is the scale of the intervention that is required to bring us clean air, even during the peak winter periods. The scale was critical in the first generation reform that Delhi undertook when it moved to compressed natural gas (CNG); it was a leapfrog solution; it was transformational as all gross-polluting vehicles such as buses and autorickshaws made the move to clean fuel in a short time. The second-generation action focused on each source. Now, we need the third wave. What then is the way ahead? We need to move from polluting coal (pet coke and furnace oil have already been banned) across the region. This would mean moving to natural gas or ensuring that there is supply of reliable and affordable power. This is possible, but will require shifting fiscal strategies to incentivise clean fuel. But this is not enough. We need to do much more to reduce the number of vehicles — remember every time we clean up the tailpipe of the vehicle, but then add many more on the road, the end result of clean air is negated. We need massive augmentation of buses, not just in Delhi but other neighbouring towns and linking public transport with last-mile connectivity. The right to walk and cycle is linked to the right to clean air. However, this agenda remains incomplete if we don’t focus on what is really broken — the institutional capacity for governance of our cities. We cannot stop the burning of garbage that is littering our roads and grounds, unless there is municipal capacity. We cannot step up enforcement against polluters, unless the pollution control boards have the required strength to monitor, inspect and penalise. This is where AQC will have its work cut out. Building new institutions, without repairing and strengthening the old, is not the answer. This is the real agenda for clean air, blue skies and clear lungs in our cites. Our right to breathe is possible, but only if we don’t gloss over some hard truths and tough action. Sunita Narain is director general, Centre for Science and Environment, New Delhi The views expressed are personal
Noida: The air quality of Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida on Tuesday continued to reel under ‘severe’ category for the sixth day in a row, witnessing one of the worst pre-Diwali air pollution scenario in the three cities. On Tuesday, Noida’s air quality saw a marginal improvement, but the pollution levels remained well within ‘severe’ category, with average PM2.5 levels for the city was nine times higher than the standard limits. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the air quality index (AQI) of Noida, on a scale of 0 to 500, on Tuesday was 455 against 477 a day earlier. The AQI value of Greater Noida was 436 against 478 a day earlier, while AQI of Ghaziabad was 444 against 482 a day earlier. However, officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that the meteorological conditions are likely to get better as wind directions on Tuesday noon changed from north-westerly to easterly and are picking up speed bringing a ray of hope that the trapped pollutants would start ventilating out in the next two days.
NEW DELHI: Twelve of Delhi's 36 air quality monitoring stations recorded the maximum value of 500 on the Central Pollution Control Board's air quality index (AQI) at 11am on Tuesday, while five others were on the brink of maxing out with readings of 499. The hourly PM2.5 concentration crossed the 900 micrograms per cubic metre mark on Tuesday morning, indicating the AQI would have been much higher if readings beyond 500 were recorded. Track the pollution level in your city While CPCB retains an upper limit on its AQI, the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), a body under the Union ministry of earth sciences, does not. It, therefore, classified Delhi's AQI on Tuesday at 724 (severe). The pollution level was so dire in parts of the city that against the acceptable PM2.5 standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre, Jahangirpuri in north Delhi recorded a humongous 1,422 micrograms per cubic metre, 24 times the safe level. Anand Vihar logged 1,325 micrograms per cubic metre and Narela 1,387. Among the stations that maxed out at an AQI of 500 (severe category) included Mandir Marg, Punjabi Bagh, Pusa, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dwarka, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, Rohini, Najafgarh, Okhla Phase 2, Sri Aurobindo Marg and Mundka. The five stations that just stopped short of touching 500 were Shadipur, Siri Fort, RK Puram, Ayanagar and Nehru Nagar. A CPCB official reiterated that the AQI indicated the quality of air, with 'severe' pollution levels impacting even healthy people and seriously affecting those with pulmonary conditions. "If AQI is in the higher end of severe, or as in this case, at maximum, the severity level is of concern and requires special measures to be taken," the official said. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, at Centre for Science and Environment, said the AQI was a good indicator of how health would be impacted by polluted air, with an index of 500 indicating 'emergency' levels. "Globally too, the AQI has a range and if it reaches the maximum point, the situation requires extreme measures because it is an emergency situation," she said. "AQI is calculated using sub-indexes from PM2.5, PM10 and other pollutants and is, therefore, an accurate indicator of the air around you." Chowdhury added that people can assess the PM2.5 readings to learn how bad the air is on an hourly basis.
Leonardo DiCaprio visited India back in 2015 and met Sunita Narain, the Director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio celebrates his birthday on November 11 and has turned 46 this year. Known as one of the best actors in cinema, the Oscar-winning actor has been a part of blockbuster films which are loved globally. Apart from being an incredible actor, Leo is also an environmentalist and has been talking about climate change concerns. While addressing the environmental issues, the actor has also shared his thoughts on India's issues from pollution, saving the river and more. Leonardo DiCaprio has a huge fan base in India and is often recognised as the 'Titanic' actor in which he plays the iconic role of Jack Dawson. Talking about India, the actor had visited the country back in 2015 without much hullaballoo. During his stay, Leo paid a visit to Taj Mahal too and clicked a selfie which instantly broke the Internet.
Pollution was a major health concern even before Covid-19, though Covid-19 has spelt it out more starkly There are already some signs of the double whammy—some are calling it the ‘twindemic’—of pollution complicating Covid-19. The spurt in cases in Delhi seems to have as much to do with worsening air quality as with festive season activity. A study by German and Cypriot researchers published last month showed that long-term exposure to pollution could be linked to 15% of the Covid-19 deaths worldwide. The study analysed disease data from the US and China, apart from satellite and ground data on exposure to particulate matter, and estimated that a little over a fourth of the Covid-19 deaths in East Asia, where pollution is amongst the worst in the world, had links to pollution; the corresponding estimates for Europe and North America were 19% and 17%. Even when there is not enough research to establish a clear causal link, experts believe pollutants exacerbate existing comorbidities that are linked to increased chances of Covid-19 fatality. Add to this the scenario of a mandated MSP. Mandatory Minimum Support Price (MSP): Watering a dangerous idea The backdrop to this move is the turf war between the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the IIMs, over some of the IIMs deciding to convert their one-year executive management diploma into a one-year MBA. Where’s the autonomy? Govt seeking to retain control of IIMs short changes NEP The researchers also underscore the fact that particulate matter pollutants increase the activity of ACE-2, a receptor that is involved in facilitating infection by many pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. Another study by Harvard researchers bears out the European researchers’ findings—it finds that a mere 1 microgram increase in PM2.5 levels in a cubic metre of air raised the risk of death from Covid-19 infection by 11%. Against such a backdrop—with Delhi, where the air quality has been in the ‘severe’ band over the past few days, frighteningly near running out of hospital capacity—the National Green Tribunal’s decision to ban crackers till November 30 in cities where pollution levels are high is a welcome measure. However, this hardly suffices; Delhi’s poor air quality has a lot to do with other factors such as crop stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab & Haryana, and vehicular and other sources of pollution such as construction and road dust. The problem with an episodic response, such as crackers bans or cheap access to farm equipment to deal with crop stubble or odd-even vehicle rationing, is that it sweeps the actual reasons under the carpet. For instance, the crop burning problem doesn’t go away with Happy Seeders as long as burning (with the fines factored in) remain the cheaper option; in which case, the ideal solution would be to eliminate the problem at the root itself, which, in turn, needs the government to relook its open-ended procurement at MSP of paddy from Punjab and Haryana farmers. A cracker ban is good, but there are hundreds of micro and small enterprises as well as bigger units in the national capital region that don’t comply with pollution norms. And, a third of the power consumed by the national capital is from generation companies that don’t follow emission norms, as per a study by the Centre for Science and Environment. Pollution was a major health concern even before Covid-19, though Covid-19 has spelt it out more starkly
Bursting or selling firecrackers in the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) as well as much of north India will be prohibited till December 1, the National Green Tribunal said on Monday, announcing a near-sweeping ban that stems from concerns that already critical levels of air pollution will add to the growing toll of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a 58-page order, NGT said the ban will apply to all cities or towns where the average air quality during November (as per last year’s data) was in “poor” category, or worse. The order refers to submissions by an amicus on the links between severe air pollution and Covid-19 infections as well as mortality. In Delhi, where the air quality index remained in the “severe” category for the fifth consecutive day, state environment minister Gopal Rai announced that people not complying with the ban on firecrackers will face action under the Air Act which means a jail term of up to six years and a fine of up to ₹1 lakh. The announcement was made after a meeting between the state government, and district and police officials to discuss standard operating procedures to implement the ban. Firecrackers emit plumes of heavy metals into the air, which is already a toxic mix of ultra-fine PM2.5 and fine PM10 particles spewed by farm fires and local sources such as vehicles and construction dust. The air is already past the point of what is fit for breathing, experts said, welcoming Monday’s ban. “Air pollution in Delhi is at hazardous levels. This time, the period of hazardous air seems to have arrived even before Diwali. The relationship of air pollution with severity of pneumonia is well established. Therefore, it is expected that there will be an increase in positivity and severity of Covid 19. All efforts should be made to curb pollution,” said Dr GC Khilnani, chairman of PSRI Institute of Pulmonary and Critical care and former head of pulmonology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Across the country, in cities or towns where air quality is “moderate” , only green crackers can be sold — and burst for two hours during festivals. If nothing is specified by a state, the timing for firecrackers will be 8 to 10pm on Diwali and Gurupurab, and 6am to 8am on Chhath. On Christmas and New Year’s Eve, this can be between 11.55pm and 12.30am. In other places, ban/restrictions are optional but if there are more stringent measures by the state authorities, they will prevail, NGT said. By HT’s estimates, seven states and Union territories around the country have completely banned crackers. The NGT order directed chief secretaries and police chiefs of all states and Union territories to issue and circulate appropriate orders and enforcement guidelines. It added that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and state pollution control boards are to regularly monitor the air quality during the ban and upload all data on their websites. An independent analysis by HT of CPCB’s publicly released AQI data for November 2019 showed that of the 110 cities for which AQI was released that month (which will serve as the basis for the ban), 42 had an average AQI that was “poor” or worse through the month. CPCB collects AQI data from 387 cities across the country, of which only 110 were published in the agency’s daily AQI bulletins in November 2019. CPCB officials said that data of remaining cities is collected manually, and thus not included in the daily bulletin. This will be included in the final list of cities, they added “The assessment of where the ban on firecrackers will be imposed will have to be made by respective state pollution control boards based on NGT’s order. But generally, we understand that ban may be imposed in all of north India while peninsular; parts of northeast India may not have to impose the ban,” a senior CPCB official said, asking not to be named. To be sure, some states have already banned the use of firecrackers this year. These include Odisha, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Sikkim, Delhi, Bengal and Tripura. Two key NCR states, Haryana and Punjab have a partial ban in place, but will now need to follow the NGT direction. The ban is not likely to be easy to enforce given religious sensitivities and economic compulsions. “Diwali is a special challenge this year given the twin crisis of Covid pandemic and winter pollution. Past experience has shown that enforcement of ban and restrictions on crackers need strong public support and awareness. It is therefore important to make people aware that we cannot afford to increase disease burden from short term toxic exposure when winter smog is also worsening the health risk,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, Centre for Science and Environment. Similar bans in the past, particularly the one enforced by the Supreme Court in 2018, were widely flouted. The Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturer’s Association, Sivakasi (TNFAM) claimed during the NGT hearing that there is no correlation between use of firecrackers and increase in the number of Covid cases. They cited data from Ayodhya, where people celebrated the beginning of the Ram Temple construction with fireworks but there was no increase in Covid 19 cases.
After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday prohibited citizens from bursting firecrackers at public and private places, the Mumbai and Thane districts’ Fireworks Dealers’ Welfare Association has said that the decision would lead to excess inventory and close to 60% interest loss. The ban has been exempted for the main day of Diwali which falls on November 14 (Saturday), when Mumbaiites can burst two variants (sparklers and flower pots) of firecrackers. “Every day we are getting fresh guidelines. This is not how a business can function. It is wrong to take such decisions so close to the festival date,” said Minesh Mehta, secretary of the association, adding, “Considering the Maharashtra government has already urged citizens to celebrate a safe Diwali and reduce the use of firecrackers, there was no need for BMC to implement a separate decision to ban them.” Raju Ghone, a dealer from Kurla, said that the customers who had already purchased firecrackers’ from his shops at south and central Mumbai prior to the BMC’s decision are now coming back to return the fireworks. “There is absolute chaos and confusion in Mumbai after the decision. We are already running on 80% losses this year, and on top of that, buyers who purchased the crackers are returning them and demanding their money back. We are not sure how we’ll manage,” said Ghone. Mehta added that many dealers pay manufacturers for the fireworks at the end of the festive season. “They won’t be able to that now. We’re anticipating that our warehouses won’t be able to hold excess inventory till next year, even as a 60% interest loss cannot be made up for following this ban. We’re also facing added pressure from the manufacturers at Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, as many states have banned crackers this year,” he said. A spokesperson from Essabhai Fireworks Pvt Ltd, the largest firecracker dealer in south Mumbai, said, “60% of our stock only has majorly light emitting (low sound and smoke) crackers. Flower pots and sparklers account for less than 10% of our inventory. So far, we had only three days of good sales and this week we were expecting to see the most sales. But now, we are worried after BMC’s decision.” Meanwhile, citizens are divided over the decision. Girgaum resident Abhinav Bandekar said, “For once, we hope this Diwali would be a quiet one, especially after all the issues Mumbai has already faced this year.” However, Lokhandwala resident K Bharadwaj believes that the BMC must have made the decision earlier. “I had already purchased firecrackers worth ₹10,000 for my children. There should have been prior intimation by BMC on such a decision. This is harassment,” he said. Independent experts said restrictive measures – either a complete ban on crackers or limiting timing for bursting them on Diwali night – were needed to reduce episodic pollution and the chemical loading of the environment. “Mumbai has been in the grip of a serious Covid-19 crisis. Therefore, there is a need to take action to deepen public understanding of the risk. But regulatory action on cultural practices is difficult to enforce as we have seen in the past. Regulations can be effective only through strong public awareness and support. Outreach programmes and medical evidences and advisories are critically important to build support for such measures,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi.
धान की कटाई के वक्त पराली और दीवाली के समय पटाखों को पॉल्यूशन का कारण बताकर सारा का सारा ठीकरा फोड़ा जाता है। जबकि, प्रदूषण के कारण कुछ और ही हैं, जिनकी सच्चाई हुकूमतों को पता होती है। लेकिन जानबूझकर इग्नोर किया जाता है। इस वक्त भी पॉल्यूशन से लोग परेशान हैं, कोरोना और पॉल्यूशन के कॉकटेल ने लोगों की मुश्किलें बढ़ाई हुई हैं। दिल्ली सरकार ने पटाखों की ब्रिकी पर बैन किया है। सवाल उठता है कि क्या ये पाल्यूशन का सॉल्यूशन हो सकता है? इस विषय पर सेंटर फॉर साइंस एंड एन्वायरमेंट की अध्यक्षा सुनीता नारायण से रमेश ठाकुर ने विस्तृत बातचीत की। पेश हैं बातचीत के मुख्य अंश! इसे भी पढ़ें: साक्षात्कार- प्रकृति की ज़रूरतों को हमने पीछे छोड़ दिया हैः जल पुरुष राजेन्द्र सिंह प्रश्न- दशक भर पहले भी पराली जलाई जाती थी और दीपाली पर पटाखे भी फोड़े जाते थे। अचानक ऐसा क्या हुआ कि पॉल्यूशन का कारण इन्हें ही मान लिया? उत्तर- ये हुकूमतों की बनाई मनगढ़ंत कहानियां मात्र हैं। राजधानी सहित कुछ अन्य राज्यों ने पटाखे जलाने पर रोक लगाई है। हालांकि कुछ हद तक सहूलियतें मिल सकती हैं, पर निवारण नहीं? अब सवाल यह है कि प्रदूषण को लेकर सरकारें साल भर क्यों सोती रहती हैं? पॉल्यूशन का सॉल्यूशन चंद दिनों के बैन से निकलेगा? क्या पटाखा ही पॉल्यूशन का असली विलेन है? प्रदूषण फैलाने वाले अन्य यंत्रों पर बैन क्यों नहीं लगाती सरकारें? क्या पॉल्यूशन के बहाने त्योहारों को टार्गेट किया जाता है। पॉल्यूशन पर सख्ती से पॉलिसी बनानी होगी। प्रश्न- पॉल्यूशन पर रोकथाम के लिए ईमानदारी से पहल करनी होगी। जैसे दो वर्ष पूर्व सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने बीएस-3 वाहनों की ब्रिकी पर रोक लगाई थी? उत्तर- कड़ाई से फैसला लेना सरकारों के लिए किसी चुनौती से कम नहीं होगा। गरीब की चिमनियां तोड़ना तो आसान होता है, पर कारख़ानों को बंद करना मुश्किल होता है। पर्यावरण संरक्षण व स्वच्छ आबोहवा के लिए सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने बीएस-3 यानी पुराने वाहनों की ब्रिकी पर तुरंत प्रभाव से रोक लगाकर स्वस्थ समाज को बढ़ावा देने के मकसद से एक मानवीय फैसला लिया था। सरकारें भी ऐसा फैसला ले सकती थीं, पर उन्हें राजस्व व कमीशनखोरी पर पानी फिरने का डर था। पर्यावरण प्रदूषण नियंत्रण प्राधिकरण (ईपीसीए) ने पूरे देश में ज़हरीली हवा से निजात दिलाने के लिए एक समान नियम-फ़ायदों वाला विस्तृत एक्शन प्लान का ड्राफ्ट उच्च न्यायालय को हमने ही सौंपा था। जिस पर अदालत ने ऐतिहासिक फैसला दिया था। प्रश्न- पॉल्यूशन की रोकथाम पर आखिर चूक होती कहां है? उत्तर- देखिए, पॉल्यूशन पर सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने साफ कहा है कि इस समस्या पर नियंत्रण पाना सरकारों की ज़िम्मेदारी है। सरकारों को सुनिश्चित करना होगा कि उनके राज्यों में स्मॉग कैसे कम हो। पॉल्यूशन के मामले में अपराधों की ग्रेडिंग की जरूरत है। इस मामले में 16 नवंबर को अगली सुनवाई होगी। पॉल्यूशन रोकने के लिए केंद्र सरकार अध्यादेश लाई है। अध्यादेश के तहत आयोग बनाने को मंजूरी दी गई है। इस आयोग में केंद्र और अन्य राज्यों के प्रतिनिधि शामिल होंगे। आयोग में एक अध्यक्ष और 17 सदस्य होंगे। आयोग के निर्देश नहीं मानने पर कार्रवाई होगी। 1 करोड़ तक जुर्माना लगाया जा सकता है। 5 साल तक जेल की सजा भी संभव है। प्रश्न- पर्यावरण मुद्दे पर आपकी लड़ाई लंबे समय से चल रही है? उत्तर- प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए औरों को भी आगे आना चाहिए। सामूहिक चेतना की जरूरत है। सरकारों को पता है कि आसमान में विषैली गैसों का ज़ख़ीरा तैर रहा है। पेट्रोल-डीजल पदार्थों व ऑटो कंपनियों के चलते सड़कों पर बेतहाशा उत्सर्जन हो रहा है, पर नियंत्रण करने के लिए अपनी ओर से कोई प्रयास नहीं किए जाते। सरकारें नियमों का दुरुपयोग नहीं कर सकेंगी। क्योंकि समान नियम-फ़ायदों वाला विस्तृत एक्शन प्लान का ड्राफ्ट हमने पिछले माह छह मार्च 2017 को ही सुप्रीम कोर्ट में जमा करा दिया था। ड्राफ्ट में दिल्ली सरकार, केंद्रीय प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड (सीपीसीबी) और ईपीसीए के एक्शन प्लान के प्रमुख प्वाइंट को शामिल किया गया है। इस प्लान की एक-एक प्रति दिल्ली, हरियाणा, राजस्थान और उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार को भी भेज दी गई है। प्रश्न- ऑटो ईंधन नीति लागू होने से भी प्रदूषण में सुधार नहीं हुआ? उत्तर- जब पहली बार 2003 में ऑटो ईंधन नीति संबंधी पहली सिफ़ारिशें आईं तो उसमें 2010 तक का रोड मैप शामिल था। पर किसी भी सरकार ने इच्छाशक्ति नहीं दिखाई। ऑटो कंपनियों पर सरकारें त्वरित फैसला करने की बजाय उन पर मेहरबान बनीं रहीं। उस वक्त भी हमने सरकारों से आग्रह किया लेकिन किसी ने भी हमारी बातें नहीं मानीं। इसके बाद हमने दूषित पर्यावरण का हवाला देकर ऑटोमोबाइल कंपनियों से उत्सर्जन युक्त पदार्थों पर रोक की मांग की। उन्होंने भी अनसुना कर दिया। एक कंपनी ने तो हम पर मानहानि का मुकदमा तक कर दिया था। साल 2015 में आई ऑटो ईंधन नीति लागू होने से पहले ही दम तोड़ दिया। दरअसल सरकारें चाहती ही नहीं हैं कि पुराने कंडम वाहन सड़कों से हटें। लेकिन हमारा प्रयास होगा कि 2020 तक भारत बीएस-6 तक पहुंच जाए।
NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded seven ‘severe’ air days in November last year, while just five such days were recorded in November 2018. In November 2017, seven such days were recorded. However, Delhi has already recorded five ‘severe’ days this month and is on course to record a more polluted November than the last three years. Track the pollution level in your city While this spike in air pollution has largely been down to meteorological conditions and a rise in stubble burning cases, Delhi is yet to see the impact of Diwali this year, which will take place on November 14. Experts say while crackers have been banned in the region, violations are still expected. IMD officials say ‘severe’ air may continue for the next two days as well with no significant change in wind speed or temperature expected in the next 48 hours. “Only from November 12 onwards, some improvement is expected but then Diwali is around the corner and conditions may once again worsen,” said a Met official. So far, Delhi is averaging an AQI of 386 this month, with a peak of 477 (severe) recorded on Monday. Last November, Delhi had recorded a peak of 494, however, the capital had also recorded a spell of rain towards the end of the month. This year, Delhi is yet to see a spell of rain since September 8 — causing pollution levels to gradually increase. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), says traditionally, a spike in pollution is seen after Diwali and with severe ‘smog’ conditions already prevailing, the impact of Diwali will be crucial over the next two weeks. “While a ban on firecrackers exists, even some violations will lead to another spike and once again cause air pollution to reach ‘severe’ even if it improves over the next few days,” said Chowdhury. Historical data shows that air quality can remain ‘severe’ for up to two days after Diwali if firecrackers are burst.
Pollution severe for third straight day in Gurugram, Monday Delhi’s worst this year GURUGRAM: City’s air remained in the ‘severe’ category for the third consecutive day on Monday, with the air quality index (AQI) being recorded at 482 owing to the increase in stubble burning incidents and low wind speed. Thick smog was witnessed in the city throughout the day. The AQI was recorded at 439 and 434 on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Three of the four monitoring stations in city — Vikas Sadan, Gwalpahari and Sector 51 — showed the AQI in the ‘severe’ category on Monday, While the data could not be calculated in Teri Gram station. In Sector 51, the AQI was recorded at 500, it was 461 in Gwalpahari and at Vikas Sadan it was 492. The major air pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 also remained high throughout the city. Track the pollution level in your city The official in the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said that the rise in the air pollution was due to various climatic conditions. “The decrease in temperature with low wind speed and atmospheric pressure has caused the deterioration of air quality in the city,” said Kuldeep Singh, regional officer, HSPCB. “We have intensified our monitoring to check waste burning incidents and other activities which are adding pollutants in the air. All necessary measures, including sprinkling of water, mechanised vacuming are being implemented by the agencies concerned,” Singh added. Meanwhile, Delhi recorded seven ‘severe’ air days in November last year, while just five such days were recorded in November 2018. In November 2017, seven such days were recorded. However, Delhi has already recorded five ‘severe’ days this month and is on course to record a more polluted November than the last three years. While this spike in air pollution has largely been down to meteorological conditions and a rise in stubble burning cases, Delhi is yet to see the impact of Diwali this year, which will take place on November 14. Experts say while firecrackers have now been banned in the region, violations are still expected. IMD officials say ‘severe’ air may continue for the next two days as well with no significant change in wind speed or temperature expected in the next 48 hours. “Only from November 12 onwards, some improvement is expected but then Diwali is around the corner and conditions may once again worsen,” said a Met official. So far, Delhi is averaging an AQI of 386 this month, with a peak of 477 (severe) recorded on Monday. Last November, Delhi had recorded a peak of 494, however, the capital had also recorded a spell of rain towards the end of the month. This year, Delhi is yet to see a spell of rain since September 8 – causing pollution levels to gradually increase. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), says traditionally, a spike in pollution is seen after Diwali and with severe ‘smog’ conditions already prevailing, the impact of Diwali will be crucial over the next two weeks. “While a ban on firecrackers exists, even some violations will lead to another spike and once again cause air pollution to reach ‘severe’ even if it improves over the next few days,” said Chowdhury. Historical data shows air quality can remain ‘severe’ for up to two days after Diwali if firecrackers are burst.
Avikal Somvanshi,Pragramme Manager clean air Campagian, Panel Disscussion over Delhi air Pollution and Corona cases.
Noida: Suspend your daily outdoor activities, especially during the mornings, suggest experts, as the high pollution levels in Noida and adjoining areas make even healthy persons vulnerable to heart and lung ailments. As the air quality levels of Noida, Ghaziabad and Greater Noida oscillated between the bookends of the “severe” category for the past three days, and in the higher end of the “very poor” category before that, experts say the air is unfit for any kind of outdoor activity, especially those that lead to physical exertion such as jogging, brisk walking or cycling. “All outdoor activities which increase breathing rate, be it jogging, running, walking or cycling, must be immediately stopped. On an average a person takes 16 to 17 breaths per minute but while exercising, this increases to 50 to 60 breaths per minute. This, in the current air quality, increases the intake of toxins by at least two to three times, which can weaken organs. In the current scenario, inhaling two to three times more toxins is equal to smoking 20 cigarettes a day,” said Dr Arvind Kumar, founder Lung Care Foundation and head of the chest surgery at Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi. He added that symptoms like heavy breathing, choking sensations, dry cough, itchy nose, itchy eyes are the early symptoms showing that pollution is taking a toll on health and weakening the lungs and heart. “If exposed to polluted air for a few days, these symptoms are temporary. On prolonged exposure, though, such symptoms become long term and in many cases, permanent. We who live in the National Capital Region are anyways exposed to at least four months of bad air quality,” he said, adding that precautions such as staying indoors and wearing N95 masks should be taken. According to data obtained from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), pollutants particulate matter (PM)2.5 and PM10 in Noida and Greater Noida have been six to ten times higher than the permissible limits, hovering around 400 and 620 microgrammes per cubic metres (µg/m3), since Thursday. The permissible limit for PM2.5 is µg/m3 and for PM10 it is 60µg/m3. However, experts suggest that pollutants in the region, especially the annual average PM2.5 – the aerosols that mix with the bloodstream through lungs – are 143 µg/m3 over three times the national standard. “The pollutants are at severe levels at present, which means that they can affect even healthy people. Even “moderate” air quality affects people with asthma and lung-related issues and by the time air quality becomes “very poor”, the risks of respiratory illnesses increases. That’s why it is important to avoid prolonged exposure to polluted air,” said Shambahvi Shukla, program officer, air pollution at Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). Meanwhile, a cyclists’ and jogger’s group in the city said that they feel the pollution taking a toll on their efficiency and health, prompting them to suspend their morning runs and long cycling trails.