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Three industrial towns of Chhattisgarh have toxic air: analysis

The analysis was conducted in the industrial areas of Korba, Champa and Raipur by the State Health Resource Centre of Chhattisgarh, an autonomous body that provides technical support to the state health department. It collected air samples from these towns between January and February. A new air quality analysis of three industrial areas of Chhattisgarh has revealed that there is severe PM 2.5 pollution and the air is laden with heavy metals such as nickel, manganese, silica and lead. The analysis was conducted in the industrial areas of Korba, Champa and Raipur by the State Health Resource Centre of Chhattisgarh, an autonomous body that provides technical support to the state health department. It collected air samples from these towns between January and February. At nine sites close to coal mines and thermal power plants in the three town, samples were collected for 24 hours from roofs of houses and public health centres. Sampling revealed that concentrations of PM 2.5 (or fine, respirable pollution particles) ranged from 186 micrograms per cubic metre to 549.9 micrograms per cubic metre, which is 3.1 and 9.1 times higher than the national standard of 60 micrograms per cubic metre. Manganese concentrations in eight of the nine samples exceeded the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) reference of 0.05 micrograms per cubic metre, and also the World Health Organization’s (WHO) safety guideline of 0.15 micrograms per cubic metre. Nickel concentrations exceeded the WHO guideline (based on cancer risk) in all samples. Silicon concentrations too were unsafe in all the samples. In most environments, the predominant form of silicon in ambient air is crystalline silica. Coal ash and iron and steel operations, both common to the region, have high levels of crystalline silica and could be prominent contributors, the analysis said. Lead concentrations exceeded the US EPA standard in two out of the nine samples. “Multiple studies have shown that there are linkages between PM 2.5 and respiratory diseases and cardiovascular problems. In addition, manganese, lead and nickel are well known toxins and their effects on human health have been well documented,” Prabir Chatterjee, former executive director of the State Health Resource Center, was quoted as saying in the analysis. “Manganese and lead are predominantly neurotoxins while nickel is a carcinogen. The measurement of such toxic substances from the rooftops of human settlements and health care facilities is indeed a cause for concern,” he added. The analysis recommended the government should set up specialised healthcare facilities at the polluters’ cost, under the “polluter pays” principle, to cater to health issues of residents of Korba, Champa and Raipur. This should include facilities such as spirometry at the district hospitals. A pollution cess is levied on units and activities not conforming to national air quality standards, the analysis suggested. Due to the Covid-19-linked economic slowdown, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently said India would further open up commercial coal mining. This would mean more emissions from thermal power plants and coal dust emissions from mines. A report by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) released last week found that 70% of thermal power plants in India won’t meet new emission standards for sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter by 2022, a deadline given to them by the environment ministry. “Chhattisgarh needs to immediately find out where they stand. The new standards have to be met by 2022 but if the tendering process for emission control equipment has just started, then they will not be able to meet the deadline. There has to be a deterrence strategy for these plants to ensure they comply. On mining, there is very little information on the scale of pollution,” said CSE executive director Anumita Roy Chowdhury. Hindustan Times | May 28, 2020

Public transit use likely to fall sharply after lockdown: Study

The ongoing study shows that before the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25 to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease , as much as 37% of Delhi’s commuters used the Metro, 28%, personal vehicles and 7%, public buses. Fewer residents of the National Capital Region will use public transport over the next six months for fear of contracting Covid-19, and many will use personal vehicles according to a study by research and advocacy organisation Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). The ongoing study shows that before the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25 to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease , as much as 37% of Delhi’s commuters used the Metro, 28%, personal vehicles and 7%, public buses. CSE researchers say these choices are likely to shift after the lockdown comes to a close and public transport services resume completely. In the next six months, the proportion of commuters using the metro is expected to fall to 16%, and buses, just 1%. The dependence on private vehicles, on the other hand, will increase significantly, from 28% to as much as 38%. Delhi government data shows that the Capital has a little over 11 million registered vehicles, of which 3.3 million are cars. The study is based only on the commuting patterns and preferences of middle and upper middle-class commuters. Researchers said that over 400 residents from Delhi-NCR have already been surveyed and more will be surveyed in the coming days to assess commuting patterns after the lockdown ends. CSE officials said upper middle-class and middle-class households are being targeted in the current because people from this strata have the option to switch from public transport to private vehicles and may have the disposable income to afford a second vehicle. The CSE is also conducting another study with a focus on commuters from lower income groups in the city. The findings also show that low contact modes of travel, such as walking and cycling are likely to emerge as preferred modes among residents to cover shorter distances. Before the lockdown 4% commuters walked or cycled , a figure which is expected to grow to 12% in the coming months, the CSE report said. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), CSE, said this shift in commuting preferences can be attributed to peoples’ health concerns. She said that with the present state of the public transport system in the national capital, people are not confident that social distancing can be maintained while travelling on buses or the Metro. “The future and the ‘new normal’ that we will be faced with post-lockdown will demand steps to rebuild confidence in mass transit systems while also improving them. Apart from this, steps will also be taken by the governments to improve infrastructure for contact-free modes such as walking and cycling, and come up with measures to cut unnecessary travel to reduce pressure on already-stressed transport systems,” Roychowdhury said. As Delhi government relaxed movement restrictions in the fourth phase of the lockdown starting May 18, nearly 2,000 DTC and cluster buses were allowed to operate in the city to ferry commuters with an occupancy limit of 20 passengers in each bus. However, despite the government allowing private companies to resume work with complete staff strength, several establishments are still encouraging employees to work from home, which has hit bus ridership. Data compiled by the transport department shows that since operations resumed, the daily ridership in buses has remained nearly 100,000 passengers a day, as against the daily ridership of four million before the lockdown. The Delhi Metro is yet to begin operations. “If looked at from the service capacity perspective, to regain the original service capacity level pre-lockdown, the city needs an additional fleet of 13,243 buses,” CSE said. Or their efficiency needs to be increased. “Only if protected bus lanes are introduced immediately, the same fleet can provide more kilometres of service and reduce the additional requirement,” CSE’s report added. Delhi currently has 6,847 buses. Experts said that a similar shift towards private vehicles is also being witnessed in cities across the world. Sewa Ram, professor at School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), said that it has been observed that in cities that have opened up after lockdowns and movement restrictions, the preferred mode of transportation has been private vehicles. But he cautioned that the switch to private vehicles would not only increase traffic but also contribute to increased pollution levels. “Public transportation is likely to be used only by those who cannot afford personal vehicles. The policy work that was being done to control the use of private vehicles for all these years will surely be impacted. The fear around this disease is likely to change commuter preferences. Governments will have to bounce back from its impact,” Ram said. Hindustan Times | May 29, 2020

Virus, heat wave and locusts form perfect storm in India

India is facing a triple disaster that drew biblical comparisons with scorching temperatures, locust swarms and a coronavirus toll growing by thousands of new infections each day. NEW DELHI (AP) - As if the coronavirus wasn't enough, India grappled with scorching temperatures and the worst locust invasion in decades as authorities prepared for the end of a monthslong lockdown despite recording thousands of new infections every day. This triple disaster drew biblical comparisons and forced officials to try to balance the competing demands of simultaneous public health crises: protection from eviscerating heat but also social distancing in newly reopened parks and markets. The heat wave threatens to compound challenges of containing the virus, which has started spreading more quickly and broadly since the government began easing restrictions of one of the world’s most stringent lockdowns earlier this month. “The world will not get a chance to breathe anymore. The ferocity of crises are increasing, and they’re not going to be spaced out,” said Sunita Narain of New Delhi’s Center for Science and Environment. When her 6-year-old son woke up with a parched throat and a fever, housekeeper Kalista Ekka wanted to bring him to the hospital. But facing a deluge of COVID-19 patients, the doctor advised Ekka to keep him at home despite boiling temperatures in the family's two-room apartment in a low-income neighborhood in South Delhi. “The fan only makes it hotter but we can't open the window because it has no screen,” and thus no defense against malaria and dengue-carrying mosquitoes, Ekka said. In a nearby upmarket enclave crowded with walkers and joggers every morning and at dusk - some with face coverings, some without - neighbors debated the merits of masks in an online forum. In the heat, “it is very dangerous to work out with a mask. So a Catch-22 situation,” said Asmita Singh. Temperatures soared to 118 degrees Fahrenheit (47.6 degrees Celsius) in the capital New Delhi this week, marking the warmest May day in 18 years, and 122 F (50 C) in the desert state of Rajasthan, after the world’s hottest April on record. India suffers from severe water shortages and tens of millions lack running water and air conditioning, leaving many to seek relief under shady trees in public parks and stepwells, the ancient structures used to harvest rainwater. Though many people continued wearing masks properly, others pushed them onto chins, or had foregone them altogether. Cyclone Amphan, a massive super storm that crossed the unusually warm Bay of Bengal last week, sucked up huge amounts of moisture, leaving dry, hot winds to form a heat wave over parts of central and northern India. At the same time, swarms of desert locusts have devastated crops in India’s heartland, threatening an already vulnerable region that is struggling with the economic cost of the lockdown. Exasperated farmers have been banging plates, whistling or throwing stones to try to drive the locusts away, and sometimes even lighting fires to smoke them out. The swarms appeared poised to head from Rajasthan north to Delhi, but on Wednesday a change in wind direction sent them southward toward the state of Madhya Pradesh instead. K.L. Gurjar, a top official of India’s Locust Warning Organization, said his 50-person team was scrambling to stop the swarms before breeding can take place during India’s monsoons, which begin in July. Otherwise, he said, the locusts could destroy India’s summer crops. Meanwhile, India reported another record single-day jump of more than 6,500 coronavirus cases on Thursday, pushing up the total to 158,333 confirmed cases and 4,531 deaths. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is preparing a new set of guidelines to be issued this weekend, possibly extending the lockdown in worsthit areas while promoting economic activity elsewhere, with unemployment surging to 25%. The sudden halt to the Indian economy when the lockdown began March 25 has been devastating for daily laborers and migrant workers, who fled cities on foot for their family homes in the countryside. The government started running special trains for the migrants, but deaths on the rails because of starvation or dehydration have been reported. Others immediately put into quarantine centers upon their arrival in home districts have tested positive for COVID-19, adding to the burden of severely strained rural health systems. To jump start the economy, Modi’s environment ministry has moved to lower liabilities for industrial polluters and given private players the right to explore for coal and mine it. Cheap oil will fuel recovery efforts worldwide. Indian environmental journalist Joydeep Gupta said that the perfect storm of must go green. He said the government should implement policies to safeguard biodiversity and offer incentives for green energy to reduce greenhouse gases that cause climate change. Instead, “the government is promoting the same sectors of the industry that have caused the multiple crises in the first place,” he said. But Narain said other government initiatives that expand federal agriculture employment, cash transfer and food ration programs help India deal more effectively with its threats. “It’s building coping abilities of the very poor to be able to deal with stress after stress after stress,” she said. | May 28, 2020

Missing power goals again! Thermal plants all set to miss 2022 pollution target

With two years to the deadline, just 97 GW of the coal-fired capacity is in compliance with particulate matter (PM) standards, while upgradation is underway in 14 GW and a mere 16 GW of capacity is in compliance with SO2 norms. India’s renewables expansion is a strong indicator of its commitment to cleaner and greener power generation, as part of its climate action strategy. But, the failure of a significant portion of its coal-based capacity to comply with globally acceptable pollution norms rubs much of the sheen off. The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), in a report released last week, talks about how many coalbased thermal power plants are set to miss the 2022 deadline for complying with norms on particulate matter (PM), sulphur dioxide (SO2) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. This, after the original deadline for completion having been moved by the government to 2022 from 2017, and the standards themselves being much more lenient than those in the EU, the US, and even China. Given that coal accounts for 205 GW (56%) of the total installed power generation capacity in the country—and for 77% of the current electricity supply in the country—ensuring that this capacity is made cleaner is imperative. More so, with the CSE estimating that such power generation accounts for nearly 70% of freshwater withdrawal by industry in the country, 60% of industrial particulate matter, 45% of SO2, and 30% of NOx emissions in the country, apart from 80% of mercury as a pollutant. The country’s SO2 emissions doubled between 2005 and 2012, and India will soon be the top SO2 emitter in the world. To fix this, in 2015, the environment ministry introduced stricter standards for coal-based power plants and, based on the age of plants, compliance benchmarks were set with a two-year deadline for meeting these. But, soon enough, the deadline was extended to 2022, even though the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Agency had pushed for a 2020 deadline. The implementation also got caught up in legal tangles in between. With two years to the deadline, just 97 GW of the coal-fired capacity is in compliance with particulate matter (PM) standards, while upgradation is underway in 14 GW and a mere 16 GW of capacity is in compliance with SO2 norms. For this pollutant, 125 GW of capacity is still in the preliminary stages of feasibility study; given flue gas desulphurisation takes over two years to install, plants should have started work in 2019 itself to meet the 2022 deadline. Given NCR pollution, a tighter deadline of 2019 was fixed for the 11 coal-fired plants (with 37 units) in the area—that 10 of these don’t comply with the SO2 norms, four with PM norms, and eight with NOx norms shows how lax the power sector has been on emission control. The Central Electricity Authority, in 2017, had recommended that 15.5 GW of capacity of a total of 34.7 GW that was older than 25 years in 2015, be retired. Currently, about half of that recommended has been retired; most of the older plants are owned by state PSUs, and the governments are reluctant to shut these down. It is the same story with water usage. As per rough estimates, the 2015 norms can reduce PM emissions by 35%, SO2 emissions by 80%, and NOx emissions by 42%. Without strict action against plants that are projected to be in breach of the norms by the time the deadline expires, clean power generation in India remains a pipedream.

India’s Second Plague: Locusts Already hard-hit by the coronavirus, India’s farmers are also battling a massive invasion of locusts.

of farm labor, and dwindling cash reserves due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting lockdown weren’t calamitous enough, Indian farmers have another firefight on their hands: locusts. Invading armies of locusts have been posing a threat lately to farming communities. The potential for locusts’ exponential growth and crop devastation has jeopardized the food and economic security of arid and semi-arid regions as well as agricultural powerhouses. Locust sightings and attacks in India’s border states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh have been giving sleepless nights to farmers and authorities since last winter. Concerns are intensifying as the sowing period for kharif or monsoon crops like rice, maize, millet, pulses, soybean, and groundnut approaches in June. For farmers, locusts are the most destructive of insects. They feed voraciously on almost all types of crops; a large swarm can eat as much as about 35,000 people in one day. Locusts also breed rapidly, with a single female desert locust laying 60-80 eggs thrice during its roughly 90-day life cycle. With such aggressive growth, one square kilometer of land could hold up to 40-80 million of these insects. They also travel great distances, covering up to 150 km daily. Locust attacks have already wrecked pastures and crops across swathes in Africa, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Eritrea, and Djibouti. The migratory pests also penetrated into Tanzania, Uganda, and South Sudan, wiping out entire fields of maize, sorghum, and wheat crops. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. In February this year, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations had warned about the “threat” of hatching and band formation of locusts in southern Iran and southwest Pakistan. The UN predicted this could jeopardize farmlands across southwest Asia, including western India. Worse, the second wave of locusts, expected this summer, is projected to be 20 times more damaging than the first one. The UN estimates its size to be around 1.9 trillion locusts. While locusts are not a new phenomenon in India, they usually arrive only from July to October, and not in such blinding swarms. Their unexpected sightings along the Indo-Pak border before April this season have thus raised concerns. State governments have requested that Prime Minister Narendra Modi declare the insect attacks a “national calamity.” Pakistan, which has also been a great victim of locust swarms, also proclaimed a national emergency due to persistent locust invasions earlier this year. Last year’s locust incursions in India were the most significant since 1993, say agricultural experts. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar noted in the Rajya Sabha (the upper house of India’s legislature) that 88 percent of the 168,548 hectares of Indian farmlands affected by locusts in the past year lost over one-third of their crops. Locust attacks are thus jeopardizing the agricultural economy of several Indian states. Villages in India’s western states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, which border neighboring Pakistan’s desert areas, are especially vulnerable to locust invasions. Thick, mobile, ravenous swarms of yellow locusts flew into India from Pakistan last summer, devastating rabi (spring) crops across western Rajasthan and parts of northern Gujarat. Local authorities in Rajasthan and Gujarat had to treat over 430,000 hectares of infested areas with sprayers mounted on tractors and other vehicles. The situation has been especially grim in the desert state of Rajasthan, where millions of locusts have been attacking the state’s crops since April. Their swift movement is being facilitated by dust storms, whose frequency increases during the dry summer months, say meteorological experts. India’s most populous state of Uttar Pradesh has also borne the brunt of brutal locust attacks on its sugarcane farms. Farmers say that while the rabi crop has been harvested this year, locusts can still endanger the sprouting cotton crop, vegetables, and fodder sown last month. “We’re also worried about the damage they can cause to the tender millet and moong dal crops we’re preparing to sow now,” rues Ram Prasad, a farmer based in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. In a desperate bid to scare away the insects, small-hold and marginal farmers like Prasad have been banging plates and lighting fires. Across many stretches, scarecrows are a common sight. To draw media attention to the menace, a legislator arrived in the Rajasthan state assembly with a basket full of locusts perched on his head. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on May 14 appealed for central government assistance to address the hazard. Gehlot reminded Modi that locust invasions last year had wrecked crops worth billions over 12 districts. The damage in Gujarat, Modi’s home state, has been no less alarming. Swarms of locusts demolished crops across 25,000 hectares in the state this winter. The state government had to launch a combined operation with the center to bring the crisis under control. Truckloads of chemicals and other emergency equipment were ferried to affected spots like Banaskantha, Patan, and Mehsana, three of Gujarat’s 33 districts. The areas faced locusts attacks on mustard, castor, and wheat crops. Enjoying this article? Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month. Given the risk posed by continued locust invasions, the Indian government has also invested heavily in drones and specialist equipment as well as holding consultations with international experts. “We’re also monitoring the movement of the pests on the ground and doing aerial sprays to scupper a fresh outbreak,” says a senior official of the Ministry of Agriculture. The official adds that awareness campaigns have also been launched across affected states to sensitize farmers. Pamphlets and stickers are being distributed to highlight pest prevention measures and messages are being hand painted on the walls of offices and warehouses and granaries across affected states to drive home the point. However, some farmers have pointed out that the use of pesticide sprays to protect crops and kill locusts can often be counterproductive. “Through our experience, we can say that these chemicals not only harm crops but also fail often to keep locusts at bay. Besides, it is too expensive to buy all this equipment at a time when we’re already struggling with coronavirus. It’s the proverbial catch-22 situation,” says Jagdish Prakash, an Uttar Pradesh based farmer. Prakash’s sugarcane crops were wrecked by locusts last year. Why is the world seeing such an influx of locusts lately? According to climatologists, the phenomenon is an indirect fallout of climate change. At a media conclave held in Alwar district, Rajasthan by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment in February, experts attributed the proliferation of locusts to changing weather patterns and shrinking wildlife habitats, among others. Anil Sharma, a desert locust specialist, revealed that while locust invasions are not extraordinary occurrences, their recent attack in India is akin to an unprecedented “plague-like situation.” In his presentation, Sharma explained how rainwater had gathered in the arid desert spanning Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen after it was hit by Cyclone Mekunu in May 2018. This created a fecund breeding ground for desert locusts. In October that year, the Arabian Peninsula was also hit by Cyclone Luban, which further multiplied locust populations. The insects moved eastwards toward Pakistan and India in search of food, further increasing the pests’ stranglehold over a staggering geographical span. “They come very suddenly. This insect is dreaded most by farmers across the world. The swarms are so thick that they even block sunlight,” said Sharma. There is no quick-fix solution to the locust menace. Beyond chemicals, pesticides, and drones, it is imperative to tackle the root cause of global warming and invest in upgrading climate resilience and adaptation techniques. An expensive and complex process, this will require global cooperation and coordination. But it has to be done. Else, as these pernicious pests have demonstrated, the costs will be staggering and recurring. Neeta Lal is a New Delhi-based editor and journalist.

Pandemic sets back Delhi govt’s bus procurement project by a year

The demand for more buses assumes more importance now as the 2,000 buses presently plying are allowed to carry only 20 passengers each due to social distancing norms against the usual capacity of 40. The Delhi government’s project to strengthen the Capital’s public transport system by adding a new bus fleet has been adversely affected by the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19 as the procurement and arrival of more than 2,800 buses is set to be delayed by almost a year due to revenue shortfall and limitations in manufacturing, according to senior government officials. The demand for more buses assumes more importance now as the 2,000 buses presently plying are allowed to carry only 20 passengers each due to social distancing norms against the usual capacity of 40. The average daily ridership of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) before the lockdown was around 4 million. The Delhi government on July 11 last year announced its final procurement plan for 4,000 buses -- all of which should have arrived maximum by this month, according to the schedule shared by the authorities at that time. Ten months later, 1,150 buses including 1,000 non-AC standard-floor and 150 AC low-floor buses, are plying on Delhi’s roads. Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said the government’s procurement schedule of the 1,000 DTC buses, 1,000 electric buses and 1,000 low-floor CNG buses could now take one full year to be completed. He said in the best-case scenario, a first batch (100 or so) of the remaining 2,850 buses could arrive only by the end of this year. “The delay will not just be because of the financial constraints we are facing at the moment, but also because of problems faced by bus manufacturers owning to the lockdown. Thankfully, we at least received all of the 1,000 CNG standard-floor buses before the lockdown began on March 25,” Gahlot said. The government was to receive about 100 AC low-floor buses from JBM Auto Ltd. in April. But they could not arrive because the lockdown got extended. “Even though the restrictions have been relaxed , these buses, even if they arrive in Delhi, cannot be used because they are BS-IV vehicles and could not be registered by April 30, the deadline set by Supreme Court for the registration of BS-IV vehicles,” said one of the officials cited above. Bus manufacturer JBM Auto Limited said it is awaiting directions from the government with regard to the registration of BS-4 buses that was delayed due to the lockdown, so that their buses can be put to use. “The company re-opened its plant in Kosi only a week ago and that it is facing shortage of manpower. We are working only on one shift as there is very limited manpower. Many of our workers are in their home towns. Only maintenance work is being carried out as of now. A few people have been issued passes in our plant by the UP government to comply with the Covid-19 guidelines,” said Nishant Arya, Executive Director, JBM Group. Delhi has a fleet of 6,487 buses of which more than 2,000 are being used for public transport and around 1,400 are on Covid- 19 duty. A reason for not being able to run the remaining buses is that the drivers and conductors who live in NCR cities such as Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad or Faridabad are facing issues in reaching the depots due to border restrictions by UP and Haryana According to a second senior official cited above, the lockdown forced DTC to ask finance department to utilise funds (amounting to Rs 325.5 crore and meant to meant for procuring 1,000 AC low-floor buses) to pay salaries to its employees in the coming months if its financial situation does not improve. The main components of DTC’s operating cost are wages and salaries, accounting for around 60%, fuel (CNG), which accounts for nearly 20%, and annual maintenance (nearly 10%). With public transport shut for more than 50 days and schools closed, DTC is losing more than Rs 2 crore every day in revenue from bus journeys -- who us saying this. To foot the bills for salaries, pensions, statutory and other liabilities, DTC utilised Rs 512.50 crore, which the Delhi government disbursed to the corporation as grant-in-aid for the first quarter of 2020-21. According to the Delhi economic survey 2018-19, the working losses of DTC were Rs 1,750.37 crore. A fresh tender for 1,000 electric buses also could be floated not before July, a third official said. The officials said restrictions in the number of passengers in public transport will continue till things normalise. Delhi Metro, which carries around 2.7 million passengers daily, is also shut, putting extra load on DTC. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, said there could be some learnings from the challenge. “Social distancing rules have given an opportunity to explore ways of decongesting public transport for the future. Even when the Metro opens, it would not suffice because of the new rules. So, the government must use whatever resources are available. Hiring private buses immediately is need of the hour,” she said.

Pandemic sets back Delhi govt’s bus procurement project by a year

The demand for more buses assumes more importance now as the 2,000 buses presently plying are allowed to carry only 20 passengers each due to social distancing norms against the usual capacity of 40. The Delhi government’s project to strengthen the Capital’s public transport system by adding a new bus fleet has been adversely affected by the nationwide lockdown imposed to contain the spread of Covid-19 as the procurement and arrival of more than 2,800 buses is set to be delayed by almost a year due to revenue shortfall and limitations in manufacturing, according to senior government officials. The demand for more buses assumes more importance now as the 2,000 buses presently plying are allowed to carry only 20 passengers each due to social distancing norms against the usual capacity of 40. The average daily ridership of Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) before the lockdown was around 4 million. The Delhi government on July 11 last year announced its final procurement plan for 4,000 buses -- all of which should have arrived maximum by this month, according to the schedule shared by the authorities at that time. Ten months later, 1,150 buses including 1,000 non-AC standard-floor and 150 AC low-floor buses, are plying on Delhi’s roads. Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said the government’s procurement schedule of the 1,000 DTC buses, 1,000 electric buses and 1,000 low-floor CNG buses could now take one full year to be completed. He said in the best-case scenario, a first batch (100 or so) of the remaining 2,850 buses could arrive only by the end of this year. “The delay will not just be because of the financial constraints we are facing at the moment, but also because of problems faced by bus manufacturers owning to the lockdown. Thankfully, we at least received all of the 1,000 CNG standard-floor buses before the lockdown began on March 25,” Gahlot said. The government was to receive about 100 AC low-floor buses from JBM Auto Ltd. in April. But they could not arrive because the lockdown got extended. “Even though the restrictions have been relaxed , these buses, even if they arrive in Delhi, cannot be used because they are BS-IV vehicles and could not be registered by April 30, the deadline set by Supreme Court for the registration of BS-IV vehicles,” said one of the officials cited above. Bus manufacturer JBM Auto Limited said it is awaiting directions from the government with regard to the registration of BS-4 buses that was delayed due to the lockdown, so that their buses can be put to use. “The company re-opened its plant in Kosi only a week ago and that it is facing shortage of manpower. We are working only on one shift as there is very limited manpower. Many of our workers are in their home towns. Only maintenance work is being carried out as of now. A few people have been issued passes in our plant by the UP government to comply with the Covid-19 guidelines,” said Nishant Arya, Executive Director, JBM Group. Delhi has a fleet of 6,487 buses of which more than 2,000 are being used for public transport and around 1,400 are on Covid- 19 duty. A reason for not being able to run the remaining buses is that the drivers and conductors who live in NCR cities such as Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad or Faridabad are facing issues in reaching the depots due to border restrictions by UP and Haryana According to a second senior official cited above, the lockdown forced DTC to ask finance department to utilise funds (amounting to Rs 325.5 crore and meant to meant for procuring 1,000 AC low-floor buses) to pay salaries to its employees in the coming months if its financial situation does not improve. The main components of DTC’s operating cost are wages and salaries, accounting for around 60%, fuel (CNG), which accounts for nearly 20%, and annual maintenance (nearly 10%). With public transport shut for more than 50 days and schools closed, DTC is losing more than Rs 2 crore every day in revenue from bus journeys -- who us saying this. To foot the bills for salaries, pensions, statutory and other liabilities, DTC utilised Rs 512.50 crore, which the Delhi government disbursed to the corporation as grant-in-aid for the first quarter of 2020-21. According to the Delhi economic survey 2018-19, the working losses of DTC were Rs 1,750.37 crore. A fresh tender for 1,000 electric buses also could be floated not before July, a third official said. The officials said restrictions in the number of passengers in public transport will continue till things normalise. Delhi Metro, which carries around 2.7 million passengers daily, is also shut, putting extra load on DTC. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, said there could be some learnings from the challenge. “Social distancing rules have given an opportunity to explore ways of decongesting public transport for the future. Even when the Metro opens, it would not suffice because of the new rules. So, the government must use whatever resources are available. Hiring private buses immediately is need of the hour,” she said.

Fight against pollution in city takes a hit

The quality of water of Yamuna, along the Delhi stretch, has improved during the nationwide lockdown and so has the air quality. However, multiple projects by the Delhi government to control and detect air, water, and noise pollution in the city have been delayed and many have missed deadlines, according to officials. The projects that have been either delayed or missed the deadlines are construction of a smog tower in the city to reduce air pollution, installation of 26 noise monitoring stations, and multiple works by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to treat sewer flowing into the Yamuna. Smog tower To control air pollution, the Supreme Court on January 13 had ordered the Delhi government to build a ‘smog tower’ by April 13. But construction work is yet to start, according to officials. “A piece of land for the construction of the smog tower has been identified and now an MoU will be signed with IIT Bombay for the construction. It will take about nine months after signing the document to complete the project,” a Delhi government official said. Lockdown due to COVID-19 has affected the progress of the work, officials said. Multiple projects being done by the DJB to reduce pollution in the Yamuna have been affected too. The Interceptor Sewer Project (ISP), which has been in the pipeline since 2006 and delayed multiple times, has missed yet another deadline of March 31, 2020. Sewage treatment Currently, 35% of the sewage generated in the city is not being treated and a large part of it ends up in the Yamuna. About 748 MGD (million gallons per day) of sewage is generated in the city every day and only 490 MGD is treated, according to official data. The ISP is termed as a “flagship project” for containment of sewage in 108 drains flowing into the Najafgarh drain. Twenty-two drains, including Najafgarh drain, which flow into the Yamuna is a major cause of pollution of the river. According to a monitoring committee appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the DJB has to commission the Coronation Pillar Sewage Treatment Plan (STP) by July 31, 2020, and complete all STPs by December 31, 2020. “We will now start works, but getting labourers will be a problem. Also, funds might become a problem. It won’t be possible to stick to the deadlines,” a government official said. The DJB is likely to send revised deadlines to the monitoring committee, according to officials. But there is no clarity on these deadlines at the moment. When contacted, DJB CEO Nikhil Kumar did not offer a comment. To monitor noise pollution, the NGT had ordered the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to set up “sufficient” noise monitoring stations by January 31, 2020. Following this, the Delhi government invited tender for setting up a Real Time Ambient Noise Monitoring Station Network (NMS), that will have 26 noise monitoring stations. But the installation work is yet to start, officials said. Twenty-six noise monitors from France are stuck at the Mumbai airport for more than a month due to the lockdown, according to officials. Currently, noise levels exceed accepted levels in many areas in the city, officials said. Govt. road map “These are extraordinary times and there are chances of works getting delayed. But as we limp back to a new reality, the government should review their plans and come up with a clear road map. If you want to prevent the smog in the winters, this is the time to work and accelerate,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, head of the ‘Clean Air’ programme at the Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi.

Coal washing not mandatory for supply to thermal plants: Environment min

Five years after the government, in laying down its climate-change targets, committed to have mandatory coal washing, the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has done away with it. In a gazette notification on Thursday, the ministry amended the Environment Protection Act to drop mandatorily washing coal for supply to thermal power plants. “Use of coal by Thermal Power Plants, without stipulations as regards ash content or distance shall be permitted,” said the gazette notification. Business Standard has reviewed the gazette notification. In 2015, as part of its climate-change commitments, the government had made coal washing mandatory for supply to all thermal units more than 500 km from the coal mine. This was in keeping with India’s stand to not reduce coal consumption but rather focus on emission control. The ministry, in its guidelines issued the same year, said “power stations located 500-750 km, 750-1,000 km would be supplied coal with ash content not exceeding 34 per cent on a quarterly average basis w.e.f January 01, 2016”. It asked the coal companies to supply washed/blended or beneficiated coal. The move to abolish coal washing has come barely 15 days after the ministry issued a draft note for stakeholders to submit their views on this. The gazette notification cited the ministry, which said speedy legislative action was needed in wake of the pandemic. “(The) ministry has represented that in view of the existing unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic …, it is desirable to issue the notification at the earliest,” said the notification. The ministry is of the view that the requirement of maintaining an average ash content of 34 per cent prompts industries to import, resulting in an outflow of foreign exchange. The ministry in a separate policy proposal has asked the thermal power sector to source coal domestically. This paper had reported the ministry had proposed doing away with coal washing because it did not bring down the ash content in coal. According to industry calculations, washing improves the quality of coal by reducing ash content to 33-34 per cent from the earlier 40-45 in average Indian coal. The ministry has instead directed thermal power plants to install the technology for handling ash content. Earlier the ministry had advocated pollution-control technologies such as Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) at the end of power generation units. Several industry executives had contested it, saying it was not an alternative to coal washing. FGD at thermal stations is mandatory under the new emission control norms, 2015. A report by the Centre for Science & Environment (CSE) recently said 70 per cent of India’s coal-powered capacity would miss the FGD deadline of 2022. The coal-washing industry is up in arms against the notification. Several representatives said the ministry did not acknowledge their response to the earlier draft note contesting the decision. “As stakeholders in the coal washing industry, we had submitted our contentions to the MoEFFC. Neither physical nor emailed copies of our views were acknowledged by the ministry,” said an executive not wanting to be named. The thermal power would also be mandated to comply with ash utilisation notifications issued by the ministry and also install appropriate technology solutions to optimise water consumption for ash management,” said the gazette. During 2019-20 (first half), of 105 coal based units monitored by the government, only 39 had 100 per cent ash utilisation at their end, according to data by Central Electricity Authority. Medical councils globally consider fly ash as a health hazard leading to severe lung and breathing diseases. | May 25, 2020

These webinars hosted by wastemanagement company Ceiba Green Solutions will keep your green thumbs busy

The latest is that together with Upcycler's Lab, Mumbai, Ceiba Green Solutions are going to coming up with a board game very soon and it will be about waste management and segregation. How's that? Okay, okay we know you have had enough of webinars and live sessions, but you got to check this one out. Ceiba Green Solutions, the waste management company initiated by Arctic explorer Neelima Mishra, is the host and the guests have been the queen of composting Vani Murthy, giving lessons on Muzaffarnagar municipality composting was Dinesh Bandella from Centre for Science and Environment and so many others. To know what's in store for you, keep following their updates and who knows, your li'l green heart which beats for the environment might find the right direction. "The focus was to offer simple lessons which people can follow at home," says Neelima who won the Edex 40 Under 40 award last year for her contributions to the environment. And the focus of her company Ceiba Green Solutions, which she started in December 2019, is all about spreading awareness about waste management. Though Neelima has been known to conduct workshops in educational institutions and companies even before being selected for Climate Force: Arctic 2019 Expedition, led by the man who has explored both the poles of the Earth, Robert Swan, she streamlined the workshops and her other activities to form this company. So if you are a company or an organisation struggling to be more green, just get them on board. After conducting a waste audit to understand how much and what kind of waste is generated at your place, they teach you (or the staff) to segregate it and dispose it of accordingly. "We follow the 2Bin1Bag policy, wherein, the two bins are for recyclable and non-recyclable waste while the bag is for hazardous or rejects," explains the 34-year-old. While Jamshedpur-born Neelima has covered about 10 schools and seven corporates through her workshops, the other way she is helping people develop environmental consciousness by retailing a few products like bamboo toothbrush, steel straws, natural loofah and more. "We had exhibited them at the Waste Management Expo and Conference and MSME Fair and they were quite a hit," she shares. So, the plan going forward is to help people compost right at home. "We have procured simple composting bins, raw materials and mesh and want to launch this project soon," informs Neelima. Delving deeper into the subject of waste management, the environmental activist shares that, "Plastic is not evil, we just need to learn how to manage it. The question is about reusable vs disposables. Go for something which will last long-term and avoid anything that you have to throw away after single-use," she advices and concludes. Our single-use plastic sins: - Four trillion plastic bags are used worldwide annually and only one per cent are returned for recycling - 500 billion disposable cups are consumed every year - Half a million straws are used in the world every day - Humans buy about 10,00,000 plastic bottles per minute in total | May 25, 2020

Dealing with biomedical waste in the time of Covid-19 presents huge challenge

NEW DELHI: India has specific rules to deal with biomedical waste, but the Covid- 19 presented a unique challenge before the country where it has currently to deal with unestimated amount of biomedical waste (BMW) exclusively from dedicated Covid hospitals, quarantine centres and home quarantine facilities in cities/towns and district/block headquarters. The task has become all the more difficult as many states lack strict monitoring mechanism. Underlining this new challenge of treating such waste as novel coronavirus can potentially survive in the environment for several hours/days, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had in April issued a detailed guidelines on handing Covidlinked biomedical waste (BMW) and launched a dedicated mobile App last week to track its collection and disposal. It specified scientific ways to collect, transport and dispose of such waste and asked state pollution control boards/committee to adhere to it while monitoring the entire process. The guidelines carry specific dos and don’ts for handing Covid-19 related BMW — categorised yellow for highly infectious waste — at healthcare facilities, quarantine camps/homes, home care facilities, sample collection centre, laboratories, isolation wards and Common Biomedical Waste Treatment Facility (CBWTF). TOI has checked how the states have been handling the Covid-linked BMW and found that many states have assigned this job to empaneled private agencies and deployed dedicated vehicles for waste transportation till CBWTF. The civic bodies in many cities have also engaged trained manpower for its collection from quarantine homes/centres and home-care facilities. But, who is responsible for monitoring all these activities to ensure that the guidelines are strictly followed to handle the high risk waste? “It’s the responsibility of the respective state pollution control boards/committees to maintain records of Covid-19 treatment wards / quarantine centers / quarantines homes and ensure proper collection and disposal of biomedical waste as per our guidelines,” said Prashant Gargava, member secretary, CPCB. He told TOI that the Board has launched a mobile App - COVID19BMW - and asked all BMW generators to register on this for submit the data related to the Covidlinked biomedical waste. “Those data are cross-checked with states and CBWTFs on daily basis,” said Gargava. But, what about the place where the CBWTF doesn’t exist. The CPCB guidelines, in that case, say that the existing captive facilities of any hospital may be identified for disposal of Covid-19 waste as per provisions under existing BMW Management Rules, 2016. In case of generation of large volume of yellow color coded (incinerable) Covid-19 waste in non-CBWTF remote areas, the guidelines also permit “use of deep burial pits for disposal of yellow category waste as per standards prescribed” in the existing Rules. The guidelines recommends providing personal protective equipment (PPE) to all workers who are engaged in disposing of such waste and asked civic bodies to make provisions of segregation of waste using colour-coded bins, bags and containers. It advised agencies to even treat the faeces from COVID-19 confirmed patient, who is unable to use toilets and if excreta is collected in diapers, as biomedical waste. These detailed revised guidelines, sent to all states on April 19, are based on current knowledge on the novel coronavirus and existing practices in management of infectious waste generated while treating viral and contagious diseases like HIV and H1N1. The CPCB had brought its first guidelines on the subject in March. Officials hinted at possibility of other guidelines, if at all it is needed, on the basis of ground experience and best practices followed in different countries for disposing of Covid-linked BMW. The New Delhi-based think-tank, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), had recently analysed implementation of the BMW Management Rules, 2016 and found many lapses on the ground, noting that the in some states, the required facility does not exist at all while in others even the contractors have yet not been appointed. “We found that the incinerators at the facility have not been upgraded as per the CPCB directions. The upgradation is required so that the ‘yellow’ category waste (highly infectious waste) is burnt at the right temperature and it does not lead to toxic emissions. This is critical also in Covid-19 related BMW,” said Sunita Narain, environmentalist and director general of the CSE. In the context of Covid-linked BMW, she said, “Most of the waste will be yellow category and therefore the upgrading of the incinerator must be done without losing time. The CPCB needs to get a nationwide report on what is the status and get this done.” Pointing at inadequate monitoring system, Narain said, “We found the key weakness is that the bar-codes provisions -- as stipulated in the rules -- have not been implemented by many states. This means that waste collected and treated cannot be tracked. Rules also provide for GPS which is to be installed in all transport vehicles, but this is not done in most cases. For Covid-19 related BMW, all this becomes critical. These weaknesses must be fixed urgently.” Different state pollution control boards have, however, been sensitised by the CPCB. The state agencies have, on their parts, been sharing their experiences on a daily basis with the central pollution watchdog. A couple of states have set up a dedicated mechanism to monitor collection and disposal of the Covid-19 related BMW while others gave this responsibility to teams that have been taking infection control measures. The Uttar Pradesh government has set up district level committees, headed by an additional chief medical officer, to undertake infection control measures and monitor disposal of biomedical waste. The teams, including representatives from the UP pollution control board, are also expected to check BMW disposal in non- Covid private hospitals. Many states have deployed private agencies for the jobs and asked respective pollution control boards or committees to monitor it on daily basis. Deputy municipal commissioner (Sanitation) of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation, Pradip Dasarwar, told TOI that the civic body has engaged a private agency which collects biomedical waste from over 1800 institutions including 632 private hospitals/clinics, OPDs, pathology laboratories, radiology centres etc. “So far, the NMC has not received any complaints pertaining to throwing of biomedical waste openly,” he claimed. The West Bengal government too has engaged empanelled private agencies for collection and disposal of BMW, but the state doesn’t have clear-cut policy on the waste disposal from households where people are kept in home isolation. “I have already sent a letter to our chief minister underlining the danger lies in the disposal system where the biomedical wastes getting mixed with municipal waste and going straight to Dhapa landfill site,” said the Kolkata-based environment crusader Subhas Datta, who on last Thursday moved a petition to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the erratic disposal of biomedical waste in the city. “What I want is the compliance of the CPCB guidelines in disposing of the biomedical wastes related to Covid-19,” he said. The CPCB guidelines have specific provisions on how to collect and dispose off used PPE and N95 masks. It also asks health departments of all states to provide adequate PPE including three layer masks, splash proof gowns, nitrile gloves, gum boots and safety goggles to workers at the CBWTF. “These PPE are required to be worn all the time while collecting of waste from quarantine centre/homes or waste deposition centre”, it said. The CPCB also asked the urban local bodies to provide yellow colored bags (designated for BMW) to the persons responsible for operating Quarantine Camp or home-care. “If required, such bags may be provided through CBWTF,” it said. (Inputs from Bengaluru, Chennai, Nagpur, Chandigarh, Kolkata, Patna, Bhubaneshwar, Jaipur, Lucknow and Kochi)