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First CBG plant in Punjab to go on steam in March

Bathinda: As part of its efforts to mitigate the crisis-like situation arising out of crop residue burning in Punjab and Haryana, the Union government is setting up the first compressed biogas (CBG) plant in north India in Lehragaga of Sangrur and it is expected to be commissioned in March next year. The CBG plant, being set up under the ‘Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (Satat), will convert straw into CNG. Although the plant was initially scheduled to be commissioned in 2020-end, it got delayed following late arrival of machinery due to Covid. According to sources, the plant authorities have started collecting paddy straw to store it at the plant, as 300 tonne stubble will be used per day in the plant to produce 31 tonne CBG per day. The plant is being set up by Verbio India Pvt Ltd. Five more such plants are coming up in Punjab but those may not be commissioned before early 2022. These six plants will have a combined capacity to produce 70 tonne CBG per day by consuming 2.5 LMT paddy straw per annum. Similarly, 64 such plants are coming up in Haryana. “RBI has included CBG in its list of priority sector lending and the SBI has started loan schemes and oil companies have agreed on a buy-back rate of Rs 46/kg for five years... The CBG projects once commissioned will create a market for straw and provide farmers an incentive not to burn the resource,” said former executive director at Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and currently bio fuels adviser to the company. The first CBG plant in India was set up in September 2019 and many such plants are already operational in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu. Environmentalist and executive director of Centre for Science and Environment Sunita Narain said, “Degradation of environment through various means including burning of stubble is worrisome. To overcome it, there is a need to provide income to farmers for the residue and improve environmental sustainability. We need to provide machinery to farmers for in-situ management, provide value to biomass as farmers may not burn if they are paid for the straw.”

Need to make pollution a political agenda: AAP MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party’s Greater Kailash MLA Saurabh Bharadwaj on Saturday said in order to tackle air pollution, greater awareness was needed to make it a political issue. “While upper middle class people do look at pollution as an agenda to cast their vote, the lower strata still focuses on the most basic aspects. Until pollution becomes a political agenda, fighting against larger lobbies, which are behind the vehicle sector or the coal industry, will be tough,” Bharadwaj asserted. Speaking at a virtual inter-disciplinary environment agenda roundtable on “Fixing Delhi’s pollution,” the AAP MLA said action was required across various sectors, and issues like “dust pollution” were easy targets, as there was no lobby behind these. Thermal power plants continue to breach the deadlines set for them to switch to cleaner technologies. The automobile industry was not getting enough attention, he added. “We need action in each sector for a change to come, which is gradually taking place, and awareness is also gradually increasing among people,” said Bharadwaj. Experts in the session said public participation was crucial to control local sources of pollution. Mohan George, scientist at Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), said while problem areas are well-known, considerable manpower and time are wasted catering to complaints at the ground level, which generally revolve around garbage that has been set alight, or illegally dumped C&D waste. “We cannot fight this problem alone and support of the people is extremely important. If dumping garbage in the open can be stopped, many problems will get solved locally,” added George. Experts also say practical solutions need to be looked at in managing Delhi’s local sources, with focus required on reducing waste generation. “It is easy to say waste needs to be lifted up, but where will it go? We need to reduce the garbage being generated, which also reduces the chances of it being burnt,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy at Centre for Science and Environment. Others suggested action plans at the ward-level. “Focusing at the micro-level and at the ward or constituency level can help us narrow down problems considerably,” said Atul Goyal, president of the apex RWA body, United Residents Joint Action. Sanjay Upadhyay, an environmental lawyer, says clarity on the role of institutions in India still remains a problem, particularly around agencies, such as CPCB, EPCA and state pollution control boards. “Is CPCB a regulatory body, or a body that collects data? We still need to know which institution is responsible for taking action and the simpler it is, the easier it will be to execute rules and laws,” added Upadhyay.

Delhi pollution adds to Indian capital's Covid-19 concerns

NEW DELHI - As Delhi's air quality starts to deteriorate in what has become an annual occurrence in the run-up to winter, concerns are growing over how the coming pollution could potentially complicate the Covid-19 situation. India's capital has been among the cities in the country worst affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 300,000 people infected and a death toll of 5,653. On Wednesday (Oct 7), the city recorded 2,726 fresh cases as it battled a second wave. Health experts fear air pollution could increase the risk for patients who have ailments like chronic bronchitis and other respiratory diseases. "We might see a spike. Right now the trend is slightly going down but we don't know how air pollution will contribute to an increase," said Dr Chandrakant Lahariya, an expert on public health, policies and strategies, adding that air pollution exacerbates the condition of people who have respiratory or pulmonary disease. He warned: "There are studies in which air pollution is linked to increased mortality but such evidence is limited." Studies have also pointed to increased Covid-19 infection rates in areas that suffer from high pollution. A study by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the US in May found that someone who lived in an area of high-particulate pollution for decades was 8 per cent more likely to die from Covid than someone in a place with less pollution. A study by environmental scientists at Denmark's Aarhus University and health researchers at Italy's University of Siena found that the mortality rate from Covid-19 came up to 12 per cent in the northern part of Italy, while it was around 4.5 per cent in the rest of the country. The researchers concluded that there was a probable correlation between pollution and mortality. Delhi could hit 15,000 new coronavirus cases per day because of respiratory problems related to winter and festive gatherings as the festive season kicks off this month, a report by the National Centre for Disease Control has warned. During the winter months, cold air traps pollutants in the atmosphere, and it is also the time when farmers burn the stubble in their fields to prepare them for the next set of crops. All this adds to existing pollution from vehicles, construction activity, burning of waste and use of unclean fuels. A report by the US' Health Effects Institute said around 1.2 million people died in India in 2017 because of air pollution. According to weather forecasters, pollution levels have already started climbing and will get worse from the middle of October. Air quality had improved following a stringent lockdown, now eased, that shut down economic activity, and Delhi's air quality turned "poor" this week for the first time since June. According to Safar (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research) under the Ministry of Earth Science, air quality is set to deteriorate further over the next three days as winds will push pollutants into the capital city, where conditions are right for them to accumulate. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday announced a campaign against pollution, with plans to control dust by filling up potholes and closely monitoring construction sites, among other measures. "Polluted air can be life-threatening in view of the Covid-19 pandemic," said Mr Kejriwal, while announcing the measures. "Both affect the lungs." Environmentalists say the problem with solutions, as in previous years, has been with implementation. "Delhi has done some things successfully like shutting down (polluting) power plants. But there are still gaps in sectors like waste burning. Our infrastructure for waste management is weak," said Ms Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment. Waste burning is illegal but still happens. "The time has come to ensure a system audit to see whether you have been able to roll solutions out on the scale needed across all sectors. It's an enforcement challenge."

प्रदूषण पर लागू करना होगा नीतिगत फैसलों को

नई दिल्ली (New Delhi) . दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण की समस्या खत्म करने के लिए विशेषज्ञों ने नीतिगत फैसलों को लागू करने एवं स्रोत पर ही प्रदूषण को खत्म करने के उपायों पर जोर दिया. क्लाइमेट ट्रेंड्स और इंडिकस फाउंडेशन ने शनिवार (Saturday) को राउंडटेबल ‘फिक्सिंग डेल्हीज पाल्यूशन’ का आयोजन किया गया. साइंस एंड एनवायरमेंट सीएसई की कार्यकारी निदेशक अनुमिता रॉय चौधरी ने कहा कि हम हवा को साफ करने के लिए आर्थिक गतिविधियों से समझौता नहीं कर सकते, लेकिन प्रदूषण को रोकने के लिए जो नीतिगत फैसले लिए गए हैं, उनका क्रियान्वयन किया जाना चाहिए. जैसे अभी भी कोयले का इस्तेमाल हो रहा है. कई नियम-कायदे बनाए गए हैं, लेकिन उनका पालन नहीं हो रहा है. आईआईटी दिल्ली की सिविल इंजीनियरिंग विभाग में प्रोफेसर गजाला हबीब ने कहा कि एयरोसोल प्रदूषण सबसे गंभीर समस्या है. सड़क की धूल और वाहनों का धुआं बड़ा योगदानकर्ता है, लेकिन अगर आप घर के अंदर हैं तो आप द्वितीयक प्रदूषण के ज्यादा खतरे से घिरे हुए हैं. हमें प्राथमिक प्रदूषण को स्रोत पर ही नियंत्रित करना होगा. हमारे पास इसकी तकनीक है, लेकिन उसे लागू करने के मामले में समस्या है. हमारे पास डीजल पार्टिकुलेट फिल्टर है और सार्वजनिक परिवहन वाहनों के उत्सर्जन को नियंत्रित करने की तकनीक उपलब्ध है, लेकिन सारा दारोमदार क्रियान्वयन पर होता है.

AAP blames CPCB, BJP-ruled States

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has accused CPCB of being in cahoots with BJP-ruled States and ignoring pollution being caused by these states. AAP's chief spokesperson and MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj said the CPCB is not a Central Pollution Control Board but a "Central Political Controlled Board" as it is silent over the rampant violation of pollution norms by the thermal power plants of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Bhardwaj said that despite the Supreme Court order and Central government's direction, the 13 coal-based thermal power plants have not yet adopted anti-pollution technology and over 2.15 thousand brick kilns are running and they have not followed the SC order with the help of corrupt nexus between the state pollution control boards and reagarding officials. The AAP leader said that the Delhi government is the only government which has closed down all the thermal power plants in the state. "This is the month of October and news reports are showing that massive stubble burning has started in the states of Punjab and Haryana. It is expected that in some days the toxic air will enter the national capital and Delhi‘s air quality will deteriorate drastically. The NASA satellite images are showing that the stubble burning has already started," he said. Bhardwaj further said, "CPCB is the Central Pollution Control Board but it acts like a central politics control board. In the NCR there are nearly 13 coal-based thermal power plants." "The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has noted that every day these plants emit 57 tonnes of particulate matter, 686 tonnes of sulphur dioxide, 304 tonnes of Nitrogen Oxide," he said, adding that for many years, it is being demanded that these thermal power plants should be shut down or converted into the FGD system (fuel gas desulfurization). Bhardwaj said, "The AAP want to know why the CPCB is so silent over the inaction of these states. "Moreover the National Green Tribunal had ordered that the coal which is being used in these thermal power plants should be taken in covered transport but these states do not even follow this order. The Central Government agency NTPC has challenged this order in the Supreme Court," he said. The AAP leader said that one of the biggest source of pollution is the brick kilns and only in the NCR, there are around 2300 brick kilns. "These were supposed to get converted into newer technology but none of these brick kilns has adopted any such new technology. And due to the corruption of the state pollution control boards and officials, these brick kilns are running as usual and causing massive pollution," he said.

Farm fires may spike Covid cases, mortality, warn experts

It’s that time of the year again. Farm fires are back and increasing. Delhi could soon be a gas chamber. And the rise in air pollution may spike Covid-19 cases and the mortality rate, experts have warned. Despite promises by Delhi and neighbouring states like Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, nothing much has been done to address the annual crisis of stubble burning that can be disastrous this winter. On his show News Today at 9, India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai discussed this issue, which deserves national attention, with key stakeholders. Dr Vivek Nangia, Principal Director & Head Pulmonologist, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, said this winter could be catastrophic and asked people to stay indoors unless it’s essential to step out. “Research has shown that rising air pollution makes the lungs susceptible to Covid-19 infections. We may see a rise in both Covid-19 cases and the mortality rate because of the severity of infections,” he said. Sunita Narain, DG, Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi, said there has been talking of providing machines to farmers, free of cost, to clear their fields but nothing much has happened. “There has also been talking of composting technologies. But the thing is, we need to ensure crop stubble has a value.” Sanjeev Nagpal, farmer and entrepreneur, agreed with her and said biogas and manure could be the options. “We have to take farmers into confidence. We have to address their issues,” he said. Raghav Chadha, MLA and spokesperson, AAP, said Arvind Kejriwal is the only chief minister who has made efforts to address the issue. “The Centre has held several meetings but the environment ministers of Punjab, Haryana and UP never attended them.” So, what’s the solution? “The AAP government is using bio-decomposer in Delhi’s fields. Other states should follow suit. Delhi is a land-locked city. It cannot solve this problem on its own,” he said. “The Delhi government is aware that this year’s air pollution can make matters worse. It’s in talks with doctors and institutions like Niti Aayog to address the issue,” Raghav Chadha said. During the lockdown imposed to halt the spread of SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes coronavirus disease or Covid-19, Delhi reclaimed its clear blue skyline for obvious reasons. But with almost all activities having resumed, the haze is slowly coming back. Air pollution increase can damage lungs, reduce immune response and turn a mild Covid-19 infection into a serious one, global research has warned. Remember, high air pollution leads to increased episodes of coughing or sneezing that can spread Covid-19 faster. Researchers also say that air pollution increases susceptibility to tuberculosis and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) caused by, again, a coronavirus. Air pollution also triggers co-morbidities like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and may increase Covid-19 fatalities, experts have cautioned. The Indian government has put out a warning that smokers are more susceptible to Covid-19. It's no secret that inhaling the air in Delhi during winters is like smoking several cigarettes a day!

GLOBAL PLAYERS GIVE THUMBS DOWN TO INDIA’S COAL AUCTIONS, PREFER RENEWABLES

India has thrown open its vast coal deposits for commercial mining. Private players can now freely sell or use coal, which will eventually dismantle the monopoly of state-owned Coal India Ltd. (CIL). Global players, however, have given thumbs down to this move. The decision to end government monopoly in coal comes at a time when much of the world is moving toward renewable energy, raising questions about India’s power sector policies. “The decision to have more players is absolutely right, but it is happening with a big delay,” said Partha Bhattacharya, former chairman and managing director, of CIL, which controls more than 80 percent of coal assets in India. “This is happening at a time when in the power sector, renewable energy is coming in a big way. This is going to taper coal demand going forward.,” he said. “We are witnessing a situation where renewable power tariffs will make fresh capacity addition in thermal power unviable. All incremental capacity should be on renewable.” The government’s announcement in June about the auction of 41 new coal blocks for commercial mining was met with opposition from environmentalists since many of the mines are in forested areas. The government said it would spend INR 50000 crore ($6.8 billion) on creating infrastructure for coal extraction and transportation, according to the Press Information Bureau. Recently the government revealed the bidders for 38 coal mines put on auction. While no foreign firms participated, 15 out of the 38 mines received no bids. A total of 76 bids were received for 23 coal mines. In contrast, In July, the Solar Energy Corp of India Ltd. auctioned 2 gigawatts (GW) of the interstate transmission system. It received an overwhelming response with over-subscription by about 2.35 GW, according to a report from JMK Research & Analytics. Spanish, Italian, French, German and British companies bought sizable shares while quoting aggressively low tariffs. India’s government has set a target of installing 175 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2022. Private players see this as an opportunity for growth. India’s share of total global primary energy demand is set to roughly double to around 11 percent by 2040, according to a report by the World Economic Forum, The country will need to double its electricity output by 2030 to meet the demand. As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, India will need to reduce its carbon footprint by 35 percent from 2005 levels. This would require that about half the additional output come from renewable energy, which translates to adding 25 GW of renewable capacity annually until 2030, according to estimates by the World Economic Forum. It would also need funding of around $76 billion to 2022, growing to $250 billion during 2023-30, as per India’s Economic Survey 2018-19. “Therefore, on an annualized basis, investment opportunities of over $30 billion are expected to emerge in the next a decade and beyond, about three times current levels — clearly indicating a huge and untapped investment potential,” the World Economic Forum report states. However, analysts believe that despite very low solar power tariffs, India is far from moving to a renewable-based energy economy. “The Indian situation is different as we need to generate affordable power,” said Bhattacharya. “We have 250 thousand MW of thermal coal power, and if we want to replace that with renewables, we have to create the capacity of 750,000 MW. The Plant Load Factor (PLF) in renewable is one-third of thermal. One cannot do that with coal-based power plants in one go, but this has to be done in a calibrated way. The incremental capacity should be created in renewables, but existing power plants must perform better. “It is not before 2050 or 2055 that India will bid adieu to coal dependency,” said Bhattacharya. PLF is the ratio of average power generated by the plant to the maximum power that could have been generated. India has the world’s fourth-largest coal reserve and is the second-largest producer of coal. More than 60 percent of the country’s installed power capacity is from thermal power plants. The share of renewable energy is close to 23 percent, according to government data. Between the first half of 2018-19 and the same period in 2019-20 alone, India’s installed thermal power capacity increased from 159,623 MW to 195,926 MW, according to a report from the Central Electricity Authority. India imported about 249 million tonnes of coal in 2019-20, according to provisional data available from CIL. “Commercial coal mine opening is very positive for the sector as there was a lot of black marketing in the sector. Also, there is no point in India being abundant in coal and still importing coal,” said Bhavesh Chauhan, an analyst at IDBI Capital Markets & Securities. Coal-based power plants continue to be a major source of an environmental hazard. The increasing dependence on coal also comes with the challenge of disposing of fly ash, a toxic by-product of coal in thermal power plants. In 2018-19, India generated 217 million tons of fly ash. Of this, 78 percent was used, but nearly 48 million MT had to be dumped last year, the Central Electricity Authority report states. In December 2015, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change set up stringent emission norms for coal-based power plants, to be met by 2022. A new report by the Centre for Science and Environment predicts that nearly 70 percent of the plants will not meet the emission standards. “Missed deadline for the implementation of the emission standards of coal power plants every year causes irreparable damage to the health of the children,” said Shweta Narayan, coordinator of the Healthy Energy Initiative, a global collaboration of health professionals, organizations and researchers for clean energy. At the same time, India’s self-reliance on solar energy is challenged by factors such as dependence upon China and the financial condition of state distribution utilities. Chinese firms supply about 80 percent of solar cells and modules to India, with the country importing $1,179.89 million worth between April and December 2019, R.K. Singh, the minister for renewable energy, said in parliament recently. In July 2018, the government imposed a 25 percent safeguard duty on the import of solar cells from China, Malaysia and developed countries, but India’s dependence on solar power equipment did not decline. As of April 30, 2020, India’s installed renewable energy capacity stood at 87.26 GW, of which solar and wind comprised 34.81 GW and 37.74 GW, respectively, according to data from IBEF, India Brand Equity Foundation.

Delhi Decoded: River Yamuna became cleaner during lockdown

Experts say that during the lockdown, factors like reduced industrial and agricultural demand, increase in natural cleansing due to enhanced flow, and more water in the river contributed to making Yamuna cleaner. New Delhi: Rejuvenation of the Yamuna river has been a long-standing demand. The issue has been on the agenda of various governments. Earlier this year, when the country went into lockdown, photos of a cleaner river Yamuna in the national capital began to surface. The period of lockdown saw industries being closed which led to less waste flowing into the river. Experts say that during the lockdown, factors like reduced industrial and agricultural demand, increase in natural velocity cleansing due to enhanced flow, and more water in the river contributed to making Yamuna cleaner. They also point out that on regular days, when the flow diminishes, the natural cleansing capacity is reduced to zero. However, the period of lockdown saw an increased flow “The pollution in the river is not only because there are huge quantities of waste being generated but it is also because the river does not have adequate flow. There is a huge demand for water and a lot of water is extracted from the river so it is only the sewerage or the industrial waste which flows into the river. During the lockdown, across sectors there was a reduced demand of extraction of water from the river which resulted in more flow into the river. This resulted in dilution of waste which was flowing into the river," Suresh Kumar Rohilla, who is the programme director for the water management programme at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said in this podcast. He said the river looked good visually and it didn’t smell bad. While industries not taking water increased the flow of water, there was also an enhancement of sewage generation. However, this period saw no improvement in the sewage treatment that happened. “On the testing part, there was enough water and industries were not functioning. However, cities were generating sewage and households, which were not connected to the piped system, also continued to dump waste into the river. People continued to live. Due to covid, more pharmaceutical waste would have been added and more water would have been added because houses were using more water to wash hands and clothes. There has been a considerable increase in the generation of waste water," he added.

Terra Madre Salone del Gusto, oggi si parte. Ecco gli eventi da non perdere

TORINO. «Our Food, Our Planet, Our Future»: cibo, pianeta, futuro. È il tema del Salone del Gusto 2020, un’edizione deformata dall’emergenza Covid, con alcuni eventi in presenza dall’8 al 12 ottobre a Torino e in Piemonte, ma soprattutto con tanti interventi online. Una formula che ha consentito alla squadra di Slow Food di coinvolgere tutto il mondo - 160 i Paesi collegati per i food talk - e di spalmare l’appuntamento dedicato al cibo buono pulito e giusto sui prossimi sei mesi. «Non possiamo portare le persone a Terra Madre Salone del Gusto? Porteremo Terra Madre Salone del Gusto vicino alle persone» è il proposito da cui è partito Carlin Petrini per costruire questa edizione extra large. Ecco allora qualche consiglio su come muoversi. E sugli appuntamenti da non perdere: Per riflettere I primi tre momenti di confronto in presenza: 1) Con «Le sfide per ripartire: il modello Piemonte. Biodiversità, enogastronomia, accoglienza turistica: alla ricerca della sostenibilità buona pulita e giusta» giovedì 8 ottobre dalle 9,30 alle Ogr, le Officine Grandi Riparazioni di Torino, si apre ufficialmente il Salone del Gusto Terra Madre. Il mondo dell’industria e della politica dialogherà con Mariangela Susigan, cuoca del Ristorante Gardenia di Caluso, nel Canavese, e con Raffaella Firpo, produttrice del Presidio del peperone di Capriglio. Dà il benvenuto Carlin Petrini, presidente di Slow Food. Ingresso gratuito, prenotazione obbligatoria. 2) Il 9 ottobre alle 18 Carlin Petrini presenta, sempre alle Ogr, il suo ultimo libro Terrafutura - dialoghi con Papa Francesco sull’ecologia integrale 3) L’11 ottobre alle 11 alla Nuvola Lavazza, il focus è sui «Sistemi territoriali per contrastare la povertà alimentare in tempo di Covid-19: uno sguardo al futuro». I sindaci di Torino Chiara Appendino, di Genova Marco Bucci e di Milano Giuseppe Sala rifletteranno su come affrontare la povertà alimentare, innescando sistemi virtuosi di ridistribuzione di eccedenze e donazioni, di solidarietà e di prossimità e di emersione anche di altre forme della povertà. La staffetta Il 10 ottobre parte il viaggio virtuale in cinque puntate attraverso i continenti: ad ogni tappa, un tema diverso. Si comincia alle 5 del mattino con Asia e Oceania e la crisi climatica. Ci saranno: Sunita Narain, attivista indiana e direttrice del Centre for Science and Environment di Nuova Delhi, Bruce Pascoe, scrittore aborigeno australiano e professore di Indigenous Knowledge alla University of Technology di Sydney; Daekwon Hwang, attivista, scrittore e produttore coreano. Alle 9.30 subentrano l’Africa e il Medio Oriente per parlare di migrazioni. Partecipano l’ugandese Agness Kirabo, di Food Rights Alliance, Mary Abukutsa Onyango, professoressa di orticoltura alla Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology di Nairobi e Saad Dagher, grande studioso dell’agroecologia in Palestina. Alle 11.30 arriva l’Europa, per capire le politiche del Green Deal. Ci sono Johan Rockström, direttore del Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Virginijus Sinkevicius, commissario Europeo per l’Ambiente e gli Oceani e Valérie Masson-Delmotte, paleoclimatologa francese e co-presidente dell’Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Ipcc.

Delhi Pollution 2020: प्रदूषण से जंग नहीं आसान, सबको मिलकर निकालना होगा समाधानः सुनीता

नई दिल्ली। वायु प्रदूषण एक ऐसी समस्या है जिसकी कमर तोड़ने के लिए जन सहयोग अति आवश्यक है। हालांकि दिल्ली-एनसीआर में अब इसे लेकर थोड़े बहुत प्रयास हो रहे हैं, जिसका असर भी नजर आने लगा है। दिल्ली के 13 और एनसीआर के 12 हाट स्पाट पर काफी काम करने के बावजूद इनके खत्म नहीं होने के पीछे कई कारण हैं। आनंद विहार में उड़ती धूल बड़ी वजह है तो पंजाबी बाग में यातायात जाम और शवदाह गृह का धुआं भी प्रदूषण का कारण है। डीटीयू में औद्योगिक कचरा अभी भी समस्या का सबब बना हुआ है। सबसे बड़ी दिक्कत इस बात की है कि जब सुधार के प्रयास होते हैं तब कुछ समय के लिए तो स्थिति सुधरती है, लेकिन बाद में फिर वही हाल हो जाता है। सच तो यह है कि प्रदूषण से जंग में ईमानदारी और गंभीरता दोनों अनिवार्य है। अगर प्रदूषण को हमेशा के लिए खत्म करना है तो दीर्घकालिक उपायों को गति देनी होगी। निगरानी बढ़ानी होगी। जन जागरूकता के साथ-साथ सख्त रवैया अपनाना होगा। ऐसा नहीं होने के कारण ही पहले केवल सर्दियों के मौसम में ही समस्या का सबब बनने वाला वायु प्रदूषण अब दिल्ली-एनसीआर के लिए नासूर बन गया है, जो पूरे वर्ष यहां रहने वालों को दर्द देता है। अब पीएम 10 और पीएम 2.5 का स्तर सामान्य से 76 फीसद तक अधिक रहने लगा है। हैरानी की बात यह है कि राजनीतिक आरोपों से इतर प्रदूषण के कारक भी बाहरी नहीं, बल्कि भीतरी ही हैं। दिल्ली एनसीआर के प्रदूषण में 52 फीसद हिस्सा अकेले वाहनों और औद्योगिक इकाइयों के धुएं का है ग्रेप के पालन में हिलाहवाली ग्रेडेड रिस्पांस एक्शन प्लान (ग्रेप) अधिसूचित होने के बावजूद दिल्ली-एनसीआर में प्रदूषण बढ़ने की वजह इसके पालन में हीलाहवाली है। प्रदूषण से निजात दिलाने के लिए नियम-कायदे तो बन गए, लेकिन उन पर क्रियान्वयन करने वाली एजेंसियां अभी भी सक्रिय नहीं हैं। उदाहरण के तौर पर डीजल जेनरेटर पर प्रतिबंध सुनिश्चित करने के लिए हरियाणा सरकार से लेकर उत्तर प्रदेश और राजस्थान सरकार तक इस साल भी हाथ खड़े कर रही है। ग्रेप का प्रावधान लागू करने के लिए राज्य सरकार से लेकर स्थानीय निकाय तक सभी जिम्मेदार हैं, लेकिन हकीकत में इनमें आपस में ही कोई तालमेल नहीं है। ग्रेप के नियमों का पालन न होने की स्थिति में कार्रवाई आवश्यक है। लेकिन वह भी नहीं हो रही है। सीपीसीबी और दिल्ली प्रदूषण नियंत्रण समिति (डीपीसीसी) के अलावा किसी राज्य प्रदूषण बोर्ड ने ठीक से पेट्रोलिंग टीमों का गठन तक नहीं किया है। विडंबना यह कि सीपीसीबी की टीमें भी विभिन्न इलाकों का दौरा कर जो रिपोर्ट तैयार करती हैं और कार्रवाई के लिए प्रदूषण बोर्ड को भेज दी जाती है। दिल्ली प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड इस रिपोर्ट को नगर निगमों के पास अग्रसारित भी कर देता है, लेकिन नगर निगम की ओर से उस पर न तो कार्रवाई होती है और न ही वापस जवाब भेजा जाता है। ग्रेप के पालन में राज्य सरकारें जहां राजनीतिक राग द्वेष साथ लेकर चल रही हैं, वहीं प्रदूषण नियंत्रण बोर्ड स्वयं को अधिकार विहीन बताते हुए लाचार महसूस कर रहे हैं। यही वजह है कि किसी को कोई भय नहीं है। हर साल पराली न जलाने की बात कहने के बावजूद पंजाब और हरियाणा में पराली जलाने की घटनाएं सामने आ रही हैं। राज्य सरकारें किसानों को जागरूक करने और पराली जलाने पर प्रतिबंध लगाने पर नाकामी होती दिख रही हैं। मिलजुल कर करें प्रयास अगर दिल्ली-एनसीआर को प्रदूषण की गिरफ्त से आजाद करना है तो सभी विभागों को समन्वय के साथ मिलजुल कर काम करना होगा। यह हमारा अधिकार क्षेत्र नहीं है, कह कर पल्ला झाड़ लेने से बात नहीं बनेगी। अधिकारियों को सोचना होगा कि वे भी दिल्ली-एनसीआर में ही रह रहे हैं और इस प्रदूषण का प्रभाव उनके जीवन पर भी पड़ रहा है, इसलिए विभागीय मतभेद भूलकर नियमों का पालन कराने के लिए मिलजुल कर काम करना होगा। राज्य और केंद्र सरकार को निगरानी व जवाबदेही दोनों तय करनी होगी। सड़कों से वाहनों का दबाव कम हो इसके लिए बहुत जरूरी है कि सार्वजनिक परिवहन व्यवस्था को दुरुस्त किया जाए। लोगों को निजी वाहनों के बजाय सार्वजनिक वाहनों का उपयोग करने के लिए प्रेरित करना होगा।

Struggle and suffering in India as climate change bites, but what next after ‘brutal’ floods?

DELHI: It was around 8pm when Abdul Wahab saw that the flood water had reached his doorstep and was rising steadily. By 1am, water started entering his house. That was when his children panicked and started crying. “I tried to calm them and told them not to worry as I was there,” said the 32-year-old. Somehow he managed to move them to the roof of a neighbour’s house. But “the situation became dire” that night, with the rising waters also bringing the threat of snakes, scorpions and leeches. “We couldn’t sleep … The whole night we were shivering in the cold wind and rain. Since we were on top of the roof, there was no way to stop water falling on the children,” he said. “We were in despair.” They lost all the grain they had stored, their clothes and other belongings. Every house in their village in India’s Bihar state was flooded that night, he added. Torrential monsoon rains this year in the world’s second most-populous nation have caused rivers to overflow their banks, submerging thousands of villages, killing more than 1,500 people across 13 states and displacing millions. Normally, India’s monsoon season stretches from June to September. But climate change has disrupted the cycle. There are now long dry spells followed by scant rainfall and then intense rain within a few days. “Even though (flooding) is a recurrent phenomenon in India, this year it’s been much worse,” said Centre for Disaster Risk and Safety director general Angeli Qwatra. At least 275,000 houses have been fully or partially damaged. There have been floods even in Jaisalmer, a desert district in Rajasthan state that does not normally have much rainfall. “The flood situation in India is absolutely brutal,” said Bharati Chaturvedi, the founder and director of the Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group. “It’s extraordinary how the deluge has come and swept over all of India.” In a recent episode, the programme Insight asked: Can India chart a new course for a poor nation struggling to deal with this challenge? WIDE IMPACT From the state of Bihar in the plains to Assam in the Himalayas to the city of Mumbai on the west coast, the impact of climate change is evident. “The nature of flooding that’s changing is happening because you’re seeing more extreme rainfall events. So you’re getting massive rain falling in short durations,” said Centre for Science and Environment director general Sunita Narain. “That’s why you’re beginning to see newer areas coming under floods each year. And you’re beginning to see the extent of, therefore, the flooding also increasing.” The amount of rain over the year has not changed in recent times, noted Ajay Mathur, the director general of The Energy and Resources Institute. “But the number of days that it’s raining has dramatically declined. So when it rains, it pours, and we have floods. And then you have many days without rain, so we have droughts,” he said. “Climate change is here, and we’re feeling its impacts on a daily basis.” It is an added pressure on the water-carrying capacities of rivers and drainage systems. And many states are vulnerable, since major rivers flow through them. More than 40 million hectares, or 12 per cent of the country’s geographical area, are prone to floods, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. “India specifically faces huge losses due to floods,” noted Qwatra. “Ten per cent of losses due to floods globally happen in India … It’s the most economic loss-causing disaster, to the tune of more than 50 per cent.” Apart from the economic costs of the vagaries of nature, a 2018 study conducted by the Population Council, a research-based organisation in Delhi, suggested that around 5,600 people die from extreme weather events in India every year. But this could be an underestimation, since deaths from droughts are not included. MISERY, FROM POTTER TO FARMER What is certain and has not changed is that the poor and the marginalised suffer the most. Rina Mudoi, for example, is faced with extreme hardship following the floods in Assam’s Barpeta district this year. She makes clay pots and plates to support her ailing husband and two daughters. Even in the best of times, eking a living from earthen pottery is difficult. But doing so amid heavy rain and floods is an impossible task. When the floods came, reaching knee level on her veranda, the potter had to put bricks on a bed and place her utensils — those that had already been baked — on top. “Those utensils survived,” said the 49-year-old. “Most of my utensils got damaged.” Ruing that most of her casts also dissolved in the water, she added: “It takes a lot of effort to knead earth. Kneading one basket of earth can take one whole hour.” Around 140 people have died in the floods in Assam, with more than 56,000 homes damaged. More than 265,000 hectares of cropland have also been submerged, destroying the means of livelihood of thousands of farmers. Farmers like Khalilur Rahman, 55, usually know what to do when the rains begin, for example building higher platforms to save their crops. But this year, there was no warning as the waters of the Brahmaputra River engulfed his village. “We couldn’t predict anything about the water. It increased and then it decreased. It rained so much this year. The sky clears and then it rains again,” he said. “The situation is very bad this time.” He could not harvest rice in time, and his jute crop died. The floods, which came thrice, dealt a double blow amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns. “We can’t sell what we have. I have livestock, but if I take them to the market … there are no customers. Who’ll buy my livestock?” he lamented. “That’s how my condition is. There’s no end to our suffering.” He had hoped the government would alleviate their suffering by, for example, paying for their crop damage, but was left disappointed. “They gave us relief three times — some rice, some lentils, salt, et cetera,” he cited. “That’s all.” The disruption to farmers is massive and complex. With floods on the increase, rivers are depositing more and more sand over their farms rather than fertile silt. “So they've lost not only crops, but also fertility,” said Chaturvedi. “We’re looking at … an overall massive, massive entry of these people who are flood-affected back into poverty.” A COASTAL CITY UNDER THREAT It is not only villages, however, that are bearing the brunt of climate change and flooding. India’s financial capital, Mumbai, now faces severe flooding every year and recently recorded its heaviest spell of rain since 2005. According to a study last year by United States-based organisation Climate Central, rising sea levels put large parts of Mumbai, home to 20 million people, at risk of being submerged by 2050. “There’s absolutely no doubt that Mumbai is a victim of climate change. I wish it were only climate change,” said Bittu Sahgal, the founder of the Sanctuary Nature Foundation. Unplanned and unchecked growth has led to the destruction of wetlands and mangroves, which once acted as barriers against nature’s extreme events. “We’ve destroyed almost all our natural drainages,” noted Sahgal. “And the storm drains that used to allow water to exit … are choked with plastic garbage.” The drainage system has not been modernised as the city has grown, said Chaturvedi, who also cited the felling of over 2,000 trees last year in Mumbai’s Aarey forest — for a metro project — as another example of the deforestation problem. “So we’re talking of a combination of climate change and extraordinarily poor planning … that kind of makes these freak events much severer,” she added. A more recent study, by McKinsey and Company, highlighted that almost three million people living within a kilometre of the city’s coastline are under “severe” threat of flooding, storm surges and rising sea levels. “Mumbai is facing a situation where without rain, just at high tide, we’re beginning to see coastal flooding,” said Sahgal. “I shudder to think what’ll happen if we have a sea surge and a cyclone at the same time … We’re making a swimming pool for ourselves, and we’re going to get to see much worse flooding in the coming years."

Ashram Chowk: Snarls, noise, now dust

Residents near Ashram Chowk, already forced to live with vehicular emissions, snarls and noise pollution round the clock, are now being choked by dust pollution, which they say has gotten worse over the past five months. Naseema (55), who has lived near the busy intersection on the Delhi-Mathura Road -- one of the busiest arterial roads in the national capital -- for over 18 years, said she is finding it difficult to breathe these days. Since the past five months, a thin patina of dust has settled on every corner of her house and remains impervious to her attempts to clean it. “It is difficult to breathe and it will only get worse. There is so much dust that I have to clean my house three times a day,” said Naseema, while adding that winter is coming -- a season when Delhi’s air quality touches alarming lows owing to local emissions, weather conditions and stubble burning in neighbouring states, among other factors. Much of the dust, residents say, is due to the ongoing underpass construction at the intersection that started in January this year. The public works department (PWD) is building the underpass to ease traffic at this junction, which is an important link between central and south Delhi and the satellite towns of Noida and Faridabad. The Delhi Police estimates that at least 11,600 vehicles cross the intersection every hour. Work on the underpass was moving at a snail’s pace since it started -- first due to the Delhi assembly elections, then the north-east Delhi riots and then the Covid19 pandemic and lockdown. But once the restrictions were eased in May, work is on in full swing, a senior PWD official said. Lokesh Kumar, a security guard deployed at the gate of NAFED’s building, said hardly any measure is being taken to control the dust at the underpass site. “I shudder each time a bus crosses the intersection as it throws up a plume of dust. There are only a few mounds of debris and sand kept covered there. Everything else is open and strewn about. Even water sprinkling does not happen regularly,” Kumar said. A senior PWD official, on condition of anonymity, said the contractor of the project has been asked to ensure all dustcontrol measures are undertaken. “Last week, we received complaints of high dust pollution in the area. So, we directed the contractor to comply with all norms or face action. A slew of measures was taken after that and debris along the intersection were covered up,” the official claimed. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said with measures already being taken to contain pollution hot spots, there are several stretches whose condition is similar to that of Ashram Chowk -- heavy dust pollution has been reported from these places, either owing to unpaved roads or from ongoing construction work. “Dust-control norms are the most basic of measures that agencies need to take while undertaking any work. The government needs to make construction agencies accountable by making it mandatory in the contract itself to take dust control and soil stabilisation measures as well as having a post-construction restoration strategy. Also, there has to be strong surveillance and monitoring to ensure that norms are not flouted. A system has to be put in place for this,” she said. Roychowdhury said instead of building more roads and flyovers, what the government needs to focus on is the reduction of traffic volume. “It is a global experience that any capacity enhancement for traffic ( new roads, bridges) will quickly be saturated. This means that it is a losing battle. The government has to work on reducing traffic volume by scaling up public transport, putting in place a parking policy and creating pedestrian and cycling spaces on an urgent basis,” she said

Ensure 100% waste segregation by Oct 31: NGT panel to Chandigarh MC

A panel set up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the municipal corporation to fully implement the segregation of waste collected from door to door in Chandigarh by October 31. The panel has also directed the Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) to submit a compliance report on the issue. Confirming the development, Debendra Dalai, member secretary, CPCC, said, “Directing the MC to implement door-to-door waste segregation in all wards by October 31, the panel has asked us to submit a report in the first week of November on whether the civic body has done so or not.” The NGT, earlier this year, had entrusted the Justice Pritam Pal panel with reviewing solid waste management in Chandigarh and overseeing compliance of Solid Waste Management Rules 2016. Also, the MC had been directed to ensure 100% waste segregation in the city by June 2020, which could not be implemented amid the pandemic. Poor track record Notably, Chandigarh failed to break into the top 10 in the Swachh Survekshan 2020 rankings mainly because of poor waste management. The MC has a poor track record in waste collection, segregation and processing. More than 5 lakh tonne legacy waste is dumped at the Dadumajra dumping ground, and an additional 25,000 tonne is lying at the processing plant there. The lack of waste segregation at source was one of the major disputes between the MC and the private firm that was earlier running the plant. The civic body had drawn a lot of flak after a report of the Centre for Science and Environment on Solid Waste Management released by the Swachh Bharat Mission revealed that the MC had claimed 100% waste segregation at source in 24 of the 26 wards in the city. The report stated that against 479 tonne waste produced in the city in a day, 455 tonne was processed daily. However, in reality, only 120 tonne is being processed. ‘Segregation to start soon’ MC commissioner KK Yadav said: “Our plan is to start segregation by the end of this month. As soon as we get 390 additional waste segregation vehicles, we will begin 100% segregation at source. A meeting of the Chandigarh Smart City Limited board has been scheduled for October 15 to finalise it.” Currently, the civic body has 100 waste segregation vehicles, but many of these couldn’t be used because the segregation drive failed to kick off in many sectors. “The NGT panel has its own deadlines, but if we face practical problems, we explain the situation to them,” said Yadav.