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Meant to eradicate locusts, pesticides affect soil, crops

The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) sprayed Malathion 96 and Chlorpyrifos, both organophosphate pesticides, to control the locust swarms across states. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations said on Friday that it may declare the locust invasion a plague if it takes a turn for the worse after breeding by the voracious, crop-crunching insects in India, Pakistan and West Africa. FAO now categorises the locust invasion that has reached India as an “upsurge”. Swarms of desert locusts have chomped through vegetation and crops across farm lands in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) sprayed Malathion 96 and Chlorpyrifos, both organophosphate pesticides, to control the locust swarms across states. Both are extremely toxic and high level of exposure to the pesticides may cause nausea, dizziness and even death. They can also impact soil fertility by altering the ecological balance. “We have conducted control operations in 47,000 ha in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh by spraying pesticides,” said KL Gurjar, deputy director of the LWO. A swarm near Jhansi in UP has scattered. Gurjar said there is no clear indications the locusts will head towards Delhi. FAO, saying it may declare a plague of locusts, cautioned that farmers shouldn’t try to control the swarms. “Unfortunately, spraying of chemical insecticides is the only effective method when desert locusts are in such large numbers. There are bio-pesticides which are safe ways of controlling them, but may not be as effective. FAO doesn’t encourage control of desert locusts by farmers. State or federal teams that are trained in locust invasion management should do it with safety equipment,” said Keith Cressman, senior locust forecasting officer at FAO, at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment on Friday. One of the options with farmers is to dig trenches around their farms to prevent hoppers from entering. Noise can scatter locusts, but they prevent focused control operations by the authorities as the swarms move in different directions. Cressman said the current severe locust invasion was linked to climate changeinduced aberrations in rainfall. “There was good breeding in India last year, the monsoon was protracted which allowed further increase in locust populations. The drying vegetation in south-west Pakistan also led to them reaching India a month in advance,” he said. India was alerted by FAO last year about the possibility of waves of invasions. The desert locusts were expected to remain limited to its habitat in Rajasthan, but the swarms scattered to Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra because of the strong north-westerly winds following cyclone Amphan, which struck West Bengal and Odisha on May 20. “Except for Malathion 96, the rest that they are spraying are highly poisonous pesticides. They are red-labelled. They are meant for locust control in desert areas which are largely uninhabited. But the same pesticides are being sprayed on in areas with habitation and with water bodies. These pesticides will drift and residue will remain. They will definitely disturb the ecological balance of the area and kill natural enemies—pests which can counter other crop pests. So, we can expect outbreak of other pests,” said GV Ramanjaneyulu, executive director at the Centre for Sustainable Agriculture. “Desert locusts don’t multiply in nondesert areas so there is no point in spraying toxic pesticides in such large quantities in other states. They have a short life cycle and will die in due course. Government must consider biocontrol agents,” he added. With the onset of monsoon rains, the locusts will come back to their summer breeding sites in the desert along the India-Pakistan border. “They will be flying back and forth with the winds till monsoon arrives,” Cressman said. The other forecast that FAO has made is that with the south-west monsoon winds, desert locusts that bred in the Horn of Africa will travel to Rajasthan across the Indian Ocean in June. “Spraying of insecticides is compounding environmental problems in the Horn of Africa. We do not have wherewithal to undertake these measures at the scale required, we need aircraft to spray, expertise to spray. Biotechnological interventions should be considered…locust invasions are an existential challenge if they are allowed...in the coming years,” Richard Mark Mbaram, technical adviser to the Nigerian ministry of agriculture, said

COVID-19: Personal car use to increase while public transport to witness decline

COVID-19: An analysis by the CSE suggests an increase in car usage and a decline in use of public transport in the immediate future. However, it points to a positive sign for public transport, walking and cycling in the long term. As cities in India get ready to reopen economy in the post-COVID-lockdown era, people transport is one pressing matter that requires keen observation and strategy. Public transport is what keeps a city moving, however, social distancing is the ‘new normal’ that will remain so for many months to come. The need for personal means of mobility is expected to see a substantial rise as people scramble to invest in cars to keep themselves and their families safe. A recent analysis conducted by the Centre of Science and Environment (CSE) suggests that there will be an increase in car ownership and usage, while also pointing to the decline in use of public transport in the immediate future. However, in the long run, the need for sturdier and safer public transport will take centre stage. “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 improving it, contact-free walking and cycling, and measures to cut unnecessary travel to reduce pressure on already stressed public transport systems,” says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive directorresearch and advocacy, CSE. CSE has laid out the key findings from its ongoing analysis of the impact of the pandemic on mobility and transport in India and around the to highlight the steps needed not only in the immediate emergency period but a longer-term strategy for the new normal. The first flush of results, based on the survey of middle and high-income groups in Delhi and surrounding cities in the National Capital Region (NCR), show public mood is changing. While the use of public transport is expected to reduce in the short run, there is a positive shift in attitude towards high-quality public transport, contact-free walking and cycling and lifestyle adjustment to reduce unnecessary travel trips in the longer term. Use of public transport came to a complete halt in India due to the nationwide lockdown but in countries that did not lock down completely and had their public transport running, there was a drastic decline of some 70-90 percent (that also brought along financial losses). There are serious concerns around an increase in transit costs (bus and train), higher taxes on buses, and plummeting revenue. Intermediate transport and shared mobility have started to repurpose for emergency health services, deliveries of groceries and essentials, courier service, and fixed-route services. However, there is no financial package for rebuilding public transport systems so far. The ongoing CSE analysis includes the perception of the middle to high-income groups and the perception of the lowerincome groups will be made available later. The analysis highlights that preference for car ownership and usage will increase in the short run but it will decline in the longer term. Of the respondents, 64 percent already own vehicles (car, twowheelers including multiple ownership). Of the 36 percent who do not own a vehicle, about 43 percent have said they do not wish to own any vehicle in the near future. Also read: How car rental could be your new safety move against COVID-19 after lockdown The findings go on to support a positive sign for public transport, walking and cycling in the long term. This survey has assessed preferences for modes during the initial six months post locked down, and over 1-2 years and longer-term. Within six months of post lockdown, metro ridership will decline from 37 percent at pre lockdown level to 16 percent. But cars and two-wheelers share will increase from 28 percent to 38 percent. Encouragingly, walk and cycling share will increase from 4 percent to 12 percent. In the long term, (1-2 years and beyond) total bus and metro share will regain and increase from 45 percent to 47 percent. But the intent to use personal vehicles shows an arrested trend – reducing from 35 percent to 31 percent. Walk and cycling share will also increase from 4 percent in pre-lockdown to 9 percent in long terms. Policy needs to respond to this intent and stimulate the dormant demand for good quality public transport, walking and cycling and reduce dependence on personal vehicles.

Use of public transport likely to dip for 6 mnths post lockdown: CSE survey

Use of public transport likely to dip for 6 mnths post lockdown: CSE survey Within six months after the lockdown, metro ridership will decline from 37% in pre-lockdown period to 16%, the CSE said. transport A recent analysis by the Centre for Science and Environment said the use of public transport is expected to reduce for six months after the lockdown to contain the coronavirus ends. The enivronment group said there is a positive shift towards high quality public transport among the citizens. The urge to have a 'contact-free walking and cycling' could reduce unnecessary travel trips in the future, said CSE. "While use of public transport is expected to reduce in the short run, there is positive shift in attitude towards high quality public transport, ...

Locust may reach Bihar and Odisha, swarms may overfly Delhi and other cities

NEW DELHI: Extent of locust invasion may get wider and swarms may reach as far as Bihar and Odisha in June-July before it would eventually return to Rajasthan with progress of the monsoon. Its impact in cities, including Delhi, will, however, not be felt as the locust simply overfly urban areas without troubling humans. India was informed by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) this week that “several successive waves of invasions can be expected until July in Rajasthan with eastward surges across northern India as far as Bihar and Odisha followed by westward movements and a return to Rajasthan on the changing winds associated with the monsoon”. Referring to the FAO’s latest locust status bulletin, the agriculture ministry on Friday said the swarms were, however, less likely to reach south India, Nepal, and Bangladesh. “Locusts don’t like urban areas. They simply overfly these areas where they don’t have much to eat. They don’t attack humans,” said Keith Cressman, senior locust forecasting officer with the FAO on Friday. He also indicated that the swarms, currently noticed in different states in north and central India, would eventually move to western part of Rajasthan with the progress of monsoon as they find desert as their most appropriate breeding ground. Cressman was responding to a question of environmentalist Sunita Narain who during a webinar on the issue, organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), asked him specific question on threat to Delhi while referring to advisories issued by the city government on possibility of locust attack in the Capital. Unlike its usual period of invasion during monsoon, the locust swarms entered border districts of Rajasthan and Punjab in April and then gradually moved with wind direction to interior districts of different states. Category-wise, it has already passed the ‘outbreak’ stage and now reached the higher stage of ‘upsurge’ in terms of intensity and extent. Cressman said there was no need to panic as it would reach the stage of ‘plague’ (considered devastating for standing crops and vegetation) only at the end of this year if it is not controlled effectively before that. Expressing his confidence in India’s ability to deal with it, Cressman, who had visited Rajasthan in January to see the preparedness, said the country has one of the best locust control mechanisms and it had successfully controlled the invasion in the past. He said, “India is well equipped and has the oldest national locust programme in the world.” As India has already stepped up its locust control efforts in affected states, Union agriculture secretary, Sanjay Agarwal, held a meeting with officials of civil aviation ministry, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Pawan Hans regarding use of aerial spraying of pesticides for locust control by using helicopter / aircraft / drones. Besides, the home ministry has written to chief secretaries of all the states and gave necessary instructions to streamline the inter-state movement facility for the personnel engaged in locust control works. Usually, the locust swarms enter India through Pakistan for summer breeding in the month of June/July with the arrival and progress of monsoon. Its incursion this year, however, happened early because of presence of residual population of locust in Pakistan which the neighbouring country couldn’t control during last season.

Locust surge may turn into global plague: expert

Swarms won’t overrun central India’ The current upsurge in desert locust attacks could turn into a full-fledged global plague by the end of the year if it spreads to West Africa and the insects begin breeding there, says the Food and Agriculture Organisation’s senior locust forecasting officer Keith Cressman. However, despite the dramatic images of locusts in Jaipur and at the Panna tiger reserve, and the fears of attacks as far as Delhi, Mr. Cressman says the swarms are unlikely to linger in the central Indian States or over large urban centres, and will return to the deserts of Rajasthan with the arrival of monsoon. A changing climate and the recent cyclonic activity have brought the swarms into India earlier than expected and driven them further east than usual, he added. Watch | Locust attack in India “Locusts don’t like urban areas, they will simply overfly the urban areas. They will make enough of a bother to scare people, [but] they don’t attack humans, of course. There’s not much to eat in urban areas. They’re not good at eating cement and concrete, they really like to eat the natural vegetation,” he said on Friday, speaking at a webinar organised by the Centre for Science and Environment.

How urban design impacts mental health

Poorly designed cities and buildings impact us in more ways than one. We could use the post-Covid era as a chance to make changes in our living environment Most of us are used to navigating serpentine traffic jams on potholes-ridden roads on the way to work every morning. We stare at pictures of soothing mountains and blue skies, wishing we could get away when our dull, bare office walls remind us to get back to work. Overall, urban workers are stressed, irritable and anxious. We can brush it off as just another city life syndrome, but it turns out our surroundings impact us in more ways than you can imagine. According to the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health (UD/MH), cities are associated with higher rates of most mental health problems compared to rural areas: an almost 40% higher risk of depression, over 20% more of anxiety, and double the risk of schizophrenia, in addition to loneliness, isolation and stress. In India, while we are beginning to see how urban design impacts physical health, only a handful of experts understand the links between mental health and our poorly designed cities. The Covid pandemic has highlighted the need to put people first and create liveable cities. Perhaps we won’t get another chance to relook at the designs of our neighbourhoods and make our post- Covid world more liveable. Layla McCay, Director of London-based UD/MH, says the crisis has underlined the importance of the public realm for our health, both in terms of keeping us in good health (such as with infrastructure like parks and friendly urban designs) and in reducing the risk of infection (such as having wider pedestrian paths to allow for social distancing, etc.) McCay explains that the design of buildings and cities can support mental health by increasing people’s access to high quality, well-maintained green spaces with diverse plant and animal life. “Even views of natural settings from buildings may have some benefit.” In addition, designing to reduce loneliness and promote positive social interaction is key. “Many millions may live in cities, but despite this, people often feel a sense of social isolation that can be addressed by urban design. This includes designing homes and neighbourhoods with local amenities, including parks, within walking distance,” she says. She talks of integrating physical activity into people’s regular routines by investing in safe walkways, street connectivity, and good quality public transport. City designers or architects must consider mental health as an objective from the very start of any project, says McCay. New York’s International WELL Building Institute (IWBI) — known for its global rating system, WELL Building Standard — leverages buildings and communities as tools for public health and well-being. Emily Winer, IWBI’s WELL Mind Concept Lead, says, “Beyond buildings, the WELL Community Standard highlights the need for nature in the urban environment. Urban green spaces, for example, are associated with a range of short- and long-term mental health benefits, positively affecting age groups across the lifespan, from children to older adults.” Ben Channon, a member of IWBI’s Mind Concept Advisory, explains that while corporate benefits like gym memberships, working from home, and mental health days have become more commonplace, there’s more to the conversation. “The impact that design can have on our wellbeing is often left by the wayside, especially in terms of our emotional responses. Messy homes can stimulate the release of cortisol, a hormone that makes us experience stress. Similarly, the lack of control and unpredictability associated with commuting to work can increase cortisol production, and the stress is likely to linger throughout the day, resulting in decreased happiness and diminished productivity.” In his first book, Happy by Design: A Guide to Architecture and Mental Wellbeing, Channon explored the latest scientific findings to identify the nexus of neuroscience, psychology, architecture and mental well-being. Many of the ideas discussed in the book can be integrated into a building’s design without huge cost implications. One common solution that developers and designers are pursuing is the allocation of space to promote activity and boost endorphins. For example, the designation of a single location for a coffee machine encourages staff to move around and socialise with fellow employees,” he says. Channon also recommends the incorporation of natural and tactile materials (wood, natural fibres, etc.) that engage directly with the sense of touch. Such design principles are important for affordable housing too, a key concept being promoted in India over the last few years. “An approach to affordable housing design that’s consciously centred on wellbeing could provide vital support to those who often have the fewest resources to address mental health issues, but who tend to need it the most,” he says. India-centric While such design interventions have been studied and implemented abroad, we need new methods for the post-Covid world. Avikal Somvanshi, Programme Manager, Sustainable Cities Programme at New Delhi’s Centre for Science and Environment, points out that the many ratings of most liveable cities worldwide have all been dominated by cities from the U.S. and Europe. “Given the fact that these very cities became a hotbed for the pandemic and had the most fatalities, we ought to revisit what we mean by liveable and healthy cities,” he says. Doctor’s advice: Dr. R. Padmavati, Director, Schizophrenia Research Foundation (India) The National Mental Health Survey in India (2015-2016) reiterated the growing burden of mental health issues in our metros. Some common conditions shown to be more prevalent in urban areas include depression, anxiety across age groups, high suicide rates, substance use disorders, and dementia. I make it a point to ask my patients where they are coming from, since their immediate living environment is key. Recently, a 45-year-old woman in Chennai approached me with symptoms of anxiety after moving to a crowded locality from her ancestral home in a quiet zone. It is important to note that more women suffer from depression, especially those from lower-income groups. Increased stressors such as overcrowded and polluted environments, violence, and reduced social support are to blame. Even until a decade ago, senior citizens could commute easily, but today they are anxious to step outdoors. The fear of accidents, difficulties in crossing roads, chain-snatching incidents, absence of walkways, etc. have a negative impact on the elderly. Explaining how COVID-19 has completely altered the meaning of a healthy space globally, Somvanshi looks at how closed air-conditioned spaces that were the bedrock of quality infrastructure are no longer considered safe. “We need ventilation and social distancing now, and traditional Indian architecture and city design has prioritised ventilation. Open-air markets and recreational spaces have been a staple in our cities, things we are now learning are critical in reducing the exposure to and spread of air-borne viruses and infections like COVID-19.” The danger, he says, lies in overcrowding and the way forward lies in finding better management and designs for that while making sure “we don’t unnecessarily shift public utilities and spaces into airconditioned buildings like malls,” says the architect. Shalini Ramesh, Director of Market Solutions at IWBI, explains that there has been strong interest in WELL from Indian architects, designers, developers, and policymakers. “We did a WELL roadshow in February 2020 across Chennai, Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. As of May 2020, there are 80 projects that have been WELL certified or are registered for certification. All eyes on Delhi UD/ MH has published case studies on Delhi’s gated communities and the impact of high-rise living on mental health. This autumn, a Delhi case study will be published. New Delhi-based architect and urban designer Kriti Agarwal, who has worked on the case study, examines if and how the capital has used the principles of urban design to ensure mental well-being of its inhabitants. Agarwal, an assistant professor at Jindal School of Art & Architecture, explains that 49% of the city’s total population resides in slum areas, “unauthorised colonies”, and 860 jhuggi-jhopri clusters without civic amenities. She points out that Delhi Metro has aided commuting, but there is a huge shortfall of buses. “First and last mile connectivity remains a major issue; 35% of the city walks, 27% uses buses and 7% uses autos/ cycle-rickshaws,” she says. The latest (2008) report on the State of Mental Health in Delhi shows high levels of distress and poor subjective well-being. “The significant stressors indicated were crowded roads, larger distances, traffic problems, disturbed and erratic routines, migrations of people resulting in a diluted culture and weak community links, lawlessness and fear for safety, especially of women, children and the elderly,” says Agarwal. She adds that people reported material well-being but poor life satisfaction.

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.