लॉकडाउन में हवा खराब
लॉकडाउन में हवा खराब
New York, United States, Thu, 14 May 2020 04:46:06 / Comserve Inc. / — The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) of the Energy Policy Institute at the University Of Chicago (EPIC), stated in one of their statistics that, weighted pollution in Delhi alone reached 113.9 units in the year 2016 from 72.88 units in the year 2012. Research Nester has released a report titled “India Air Purifier Market – Regional Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2027” which also includes some of the prominent market analyzing parameters such as industry growth drivers, restraints, supply and demand risk, market attractiveness, year-on-year (Y-OY) growth comparisons, market share comparisons, BPS analysis, SWOT analysis and Porter’s five force model. The World Air Quality Index project (AQI) displayed the air quality level to 999 AQI on the 3rd of November’19, at around 2 pm. Moreover, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) stated in one of their reports that every third child in Delhi (India) alone have impaired lungs due to the high level of pollutants that are present in the air of the city. The report also added that life expectancy grew down by 2.6 years in India owing to outdoor and household air pollution together. Additionally, The Air Quality Life Index (AQLI) of the Energy Policy Institute at the University Of Chicago (EPIC), stated in one of their statistics that, weighted pollution in Delhi alone reached 113.9 units in the year 2016 from 72.88 units in the year 2012. The statistics portray the severely growing concerns for the rising air pollution levels and the associated health threats that it possesses. Owing to various sources of pollution, for instance, agricultural practices, such as jhum cultivation, industrial pollutants, and road transport dusts amongst others, all of these factors are contributing towards greater air pollution in India. Owing to such a factor, there is a rising demand amongst individuals for devices that can provide filtered and fresh air, emitting all the hazardous particles present in the air. Additionally, with the rising gross national income of the nation, and anticipations for greater purchasing power of the individuals, coupled with rising awareness for health amongst people, all of these factors are anticipated to contribute significantly towards the growth of the India air purifier market. “The Final Report will cover the impact analysis of COVID-19 on this industry (Global and Regional Market).” The India air purifier market is anticipated to record robust CAGR over the forecast period, i.e. 2019-2027. The market is segmented by end user into residential, commercial and others. Among all these segments, residential segment is anticipated to hold largest market share on the back of rising concerns for air borne diseases that can affect the children, who may generally have a weak immune system and are likely to remain susceptible to such diseases. However, the concern for restrictions in the purchase of the product by lowincome populations owing to high endproduct cost and greater maintenance cost is estimated to act as a barrier to the growth of the India air purifier market during the forecast period. This report also studies existing competitive scenario of some of the key players of the India air purifier market, which includes profiling of Eureka Forbes, Koninklijke Philips N.V. (AMS: PHIA), Honeywell (NYSE: HON), Kent RO Systems Ltd., Blueair, Panasonic India, Crusaders, Sharp Business System India Pvt. Ltd., Daikin Airconditioning India Pvt. Ltd., and Dyson Technology India Pvt. Ltd. “The Final Report will cover the impact analysis of COVID-19 on this industry (Global and Regional Market).” The profiling enfolds key information of the companies which comprises of business overview, products and services, key financials and recent news and developments. Conclusively, the report titled “India Air Purifier Market – Regional Demand Analysis & Opportunity Outlook 2027”, analyses the overall India air purifier industry to help new entrants to understand the details of the market. In addition to that, this report also guides existing players looking for expansion and major investors looking for investment in the India air purifier market in the near future. Research Nester is a one-stop service provider, leading in strategic market research and consulting with an unbiased and unparalleled approach towards helping global industrial players, conglomerates and executives to make wise decisions for their future investment and expansion by providing them qualitative market insights and strategies while avoiding future uncertainties. We believe in honesty and sheer hard work that we trust is reflected in our work ethics. Our vision is not just limited to gain the trust of our clients but also to be equally respected by our employees and being appreciated by the competitors. | May 15, 2020
A webinar organized by Solar Energy Society of India
The LG Vizag plant was operating in knowing violation of environmental regulations, with regulatory agencies either turning a blind eye or passing the buck between themselves. The horrific leak of Styrene vapour from the LG Polymers plant in Vizag in the early hours of May 7, 2020, causing at least 13 deaths and serious injuries to several hundreds of people near the plant, has revived memories of the Bhopal Gas Disaster in December 2004. Like in Bhopal, the LG plant was once in the city suburbs, but dense habitations had been allowed to come up in its vicinity. The Bhopal tragedy was, of course, far larger in scope and scale, as regards deaths and disabilities, including long-term effects on victims and on their children to come. Yet the parallels are striking in important ways. The Bhopal Disaster triggered a slew of environmental regulations, especially as regards hazardous materials and industries using them. It is shocking, though, that almost four decades later, India is witnessing the same gross flouting of rules and regulations and, worst of all, a systemic collusion between regulatory agencies and corporate entities, making a mockery of these very protections for the environment and for people. The LG Vizag plant was operating in knowing violation of environmental regulations, with regulatory agencies either turning a blind eye or passing the buck between themselves. Ironically this incident draws attention to the proposed Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2020 written about in these columns just last week, which seeks to condone and give post-facto legitimacy to precisely the kinds of violations the LG plant committed. The LG Vizag Styrene leak is a text-book case study of this systemic fraud in environmental governance in India. Styrene & Health Effects Styrene is among the top 20 hydrocarbons used industrially worldwide, to produce a variety of materials, such as polysterene, expanded polystyrene (EP) and enhanced plastic compounds (EPC) used for products in refrigeration, fibre glass and other composites, food containers, electrical insulation, synthetic rubber and so on. Under the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, 1989, Styrene is classified as a toxic and hazardous chemical. Styrene is normally a liquid, mistakenly referred to in much recent media coverage as a gas. It is flammable and gets easily vaporised even at low temperatures. Styrene is a monomer i.e., a single molecule that combines with other molecules to form polymers or chains of molecules. Styrene occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables, meats, cinnamon, coffee and peanuts, and is also produced by plants, bacteria and fungi. It is present in combustion products, such as automobile exhaust and cigarette smoke, and is also released from photocopiers and styreneusing industries. So, our everyday air contains styrene, albeit at a low background level of 0.06- 4.6 ppb (parts per billion) outdoors, with automobiles contributing about the same proportion as industries. Indoor air usually contains higher levels of 0.07-11.5 ppb, mostly due to cigarette smoke. Health effects of exposure to Styrene have been studied mostly in occupational contexts, resulting mostly from inhalation of Styrene vapours and, to a far lesser extent, contact with skin. Effects are mainly on the nervous system, and the symptoms include fatigue, loss of concentration and balance, slow reaction times and a feeling of being drunk. However these effects occur only at 1000 times or more Styrene than background levels. The US Occupational Safety and Health Authority (OSHA) has set a legal limit of 100 ppm Styrene in air over an eight-hour work day in workplaces. Average exposure of workers rarely exceeds 20ppm. A few studies have described inhalation of 360ppm Styrene for 30 minutes as “acute exposure.” The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and other agencies say Styrene is a possible carcinogen, but not conclusively. There are also no definitive findings on possible birth defects, still births or low birth weight. Once in the body, Styrene is converted into other compounds that are usually excreted in urine over a few days. Styrene absorbed in water bodies and soil is degraded quickly by different microorganisms. However, the massive leak of Styrene vapours over several hours on May 7, would have led to far higher levels of exposure, especially near the LG plant. Local media reported levels of around 700ppm. One study by experts at IIT Kanpur, as reported by the Centre for Science & Environment, has estimated that Styrene vapours would have had significant impact over 2-3 km downwind of the plant, with levels of about 1,100ppm in the immediate vicinity, 130ppm in a 1-km radius, and 20ppm at 2-3 km from the plant with exposure of two hours or more. Such high exposures have not been known or studied earlier. Therefore, the short-term and long-term effects on people, as well as on milch animals, poultry, vegetables and plants, now need to be systematically investigated and mitigated. Leak at Vizag LG Plant This section on how and why the leak took place relies mainly on published material from different media outlets, some independent studies, and the industrial and scientific literature. All details of the sequence of events are not known yet, but some aspects are reasonably clear. The LG plant used liquid Styrene stored in large tanks. The stored Styrene was supposed to be maintained at 20 degrees Celsius, but the temperature controls failed for reasons yet to be determined, and temperatures in the tank started rising. Auto-polymerisation inhibitors were apparently also not used as they were supposed to be. Inhibitors like Tetra Butyl-Catechol (TBC) used here, are normally used during storage and transportation of Styrene to prevent a self-driven process of polymerisation, that is, transformation of styrene monomer into polymers. Auto-polymerisation is an exothermic process, meaning it releases heat, which further accelerates polymerisation, vaporisation of styrene, and vapour pressure. The danger is of a runaway reaction, which begins around 65 C and turns extreme if temperatures exceed the boiling point of styrene 145 C. On May 7, auto-polymerisation appears to have taken place in the tank due to lack of temperature control, Styrene vapours were generated at increasing rates as both temperatures and vapour pressure inside the tank rose rapidly. If the safety valve, like the “weight” in a pressure cooker, had not worked, an explosion would have resulted. As it happened, the safety valve blew, releasing Styrene vapours high into the air over a prolonged period till measures to lower the temperature were taken. Temperatures are said to have exceeded 180 C, and were only slowly brought below a relatively safe level of 100C, and then to 78C. After the incident, tons of inhibitors and other stabilising chemicals were flown in to Vizag on IAF transporters. All the Styrene in the tank had been converted to solid and stable polymers. The remaining styrene stocks, including thousands of tonnes stored at Vizag port, were scheduled to be re-exported either to Singapore or to the LG headquarters in Seoul. There are reports that skilled workers were not available on site, but this may also be a management tactic to blame the incident on “human error.” The condition of bulk-stored Styrene is supposed to be monitored regularly, especially with respect to temperature and quantities of inhibitor, oxygen and polymers that may have formed. Some reports have also spoken of problems with other sensors for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). Prolonged storage in the absence of effective monitoring may also have led to formation of polymers that may have clogged valves, pipelines, gauges and controls. Whether necessary precautions were taken, supervised and ensured is not known. All these possible failures and weaknesses, and the causes and sequences of events, will hopefully be established soon by the inquiry team set up by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) or by other inquiries in future. Two key issues have been insufficiently addressed so far. First, the LG plant should have conducted safety audits and drills, and trial runs before restarting operations. Second, and ideally, the plant should have been allowed to run till the stored Styrene had been exhausted, obviating prolonged storage and attendant dangers. But the lockdown had been announced with just for hours’ notice, negating this option, yet another bitter lesson of the consequences of a sudden lockdown with inadequate notice and preparations. In belated acknowledgement of the dangers posed, the Central government has, but only after the Vizag leak, announced guidelines for chemical industries to conduct safety drills, test runs and gradual build-up to full-scale operations. Regulatory Violations The most shocking aspect of the Vizag LG plant case is the scandalous violations of environment regulations by LG and the casual attitude or even collusion by the authorities. The plant in Vizag was first established in 1965 by Hindustan Polymers. It was taken over by McDowell & Company in 1982, later a part of the liquor giant UB Group. LG acquired the plant in 1997, but using imported Styrene. LG obtained consents for establishment and operation from the Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control Board (APPCB) in November 2001 and May 2002 respectively, before the Environment Impact Assessment (EAIA) Notification 2006, requiring prior environmental clearance (EC) had come into effect. However, when LG wanted to expand plant capacity from 415 TPD (tonnes per day) to 655 TPD, it had to seek prior EC for which it applied to the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) in 2018. In September 2018, SEIAA objected on the grounds that the plant had been operating without EC. In a notarised affidavit filed with the SEIAA later in May 2019, now reproduced in many newspapers, LG admitted that it had earlier undertaken six rounds of “minor expansions” of plant capacity, for expandable polystyrene from 45 to 102 TPD and for polystyrene from 235 to 313 TPD, between 2004 and 2017 without prior EC, in violation of the EIA 2006 Notification, but surprisingly with permissions from APPCB. These permissions by the APPCB, clearly bypassing the SEIAA, for which the APPCB acts as the Secretariat but without the powers of the Authority itself, are probably illegal, as affirmed by many experts in environmental law. LG argued that the EIA Notification 2006 did not apply to its type of plant, and that the State authority was authorised to decide on Category B projects applicable to the LG Vizag plant. However, SEIAA referred the matter to the Union Ministry of Environment, saying the plant fell under Category A which required EC from the Centre. Officials of the Environment Ministry in Delhi are reported in sections of the press to have claimed that there was confusion about whether the Centre or state was to grant the EC, but did not comment on how the plant had been operating so long without EC, except to casually say this “would be investigated.” Peculiarly, LG seems to have withdrawn its application to the Ministry for expansion, and the Ministry’s website has a “Deleted” entry dated November 2019 with a noting that LG “appears to be no longer interested.” Yet, the case seems to have continued bouncing between Centre and state (Andhra Pradesh), and the application is apparently again pending with the Centre since March 2020. And all this time, LG Polymers has continued operating in Vizag without EC, but with a highly questionable permission from the APPCB! LG’s case is not unique. There are thousands of projects operating without EC or after committing flagrant violations over the years. A special projects category of “Violations” was constituted by the Environment Ministry in 2017 towards one-time amnesty to regularise many, if not most, of these projects, and thus bring them back into the mainstream. However, this is now sought to be converted into a permanent provision under the Draft EIA Notification 2020 to enable continuous violations by projects, including starting operations, without prior EC, in the full-knowledge that the rules themselves allow condoning these with a mere fine and granting of post-facto EC! The NGT and the Supreme Court have often ruled against post-facto EC. As recently as April 2020, a Supreme Court bench ruled that “the concept of an ex post facto EC is in derogation of the fundamental principles of environmental jurisprudence and is anathema to the EIA Notification dated 27 January 1994.” The NGT, therefore, has slapped punitive damages of Rs.50 crore on LG Polymers pending a full assessment of the harm to life and environment caused by the leak, on the grounds that there is a prima facie "failure to comply with the Rules and other statutory provisions... [and that] the statutory authorities responsible for authorising and regulating such activities may also be accountable for their lapses.” It is hoped that the NGT inquiry team will unravel the circumstances and reasons for the LG Vizag plant leak, and, more importantly, unambiguously pin the responsibility for the flagrant violations of environment regulations. However, this team also includes a representative of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), Nagpur, whose ability to resist pressure from the government in Delhi is uncertain. And the government’s intentions, made clear by its determination to press forward with the Draft EIA Notification 2020, also do not lend confidence of a clear, transparent and fair outcome.
With 12 people dead in a major accident after the leakage of Styrene, a hazardous and toxic chemical[i], the question of civil liability of the chemic https://www.livelaw.in/columns/vizag-gas-leak-incident-a-case-for-absolute-liability-156745 https://www.livelaw.in/columns/vizag-gas-leak-incident-a-case-for-absolute-liability-156745
With 12 people dead in a major accident after the leakage of Styrene, a hazardous and toxic chemical[i], the question of civil liability of the chemic https://www.livelaw.in/columns/vizag-gas-leak-incident-a-case-for-absolute-liability-156745 https://www.livelaw.in/columns/vizag-gas-leak-incident-a-case-for-absolute-liability-156745
India’s under-five mortality rate (U5MR) has reduced by almost 50% in the past two decades, according to a report published on Tuesday in The Lancet. But the country still continues to lose at least a million children before they turn five, and one of the major factors leading to their deaths is air pollution. About 9% of the children under five who died in 2017, died due to air pollution, the year in which data for the papers was gathered. The papers have the first comprehensive estimates of district-level trends of child mortality in India from 2000 to 2017. Besides air pollution, the top four causes of under-five mortality include preterm birth, diarrhoeal diseases, followed by birth asphyxia, and trauma. Air pollution can cause childhood cancers, asthma, poor lung function, pneumonia, and other types of acute lower respiratory infection, the report said. According to a report by the World Health Organization, household air pollution from cooking and outdoor air pollution contribute to the development of lower respiratory infections that affect the airways, in young children, especially in low-and middle-income countries. Children are more vulnerable to the impact of air pollution because they breathe more rapidly than adults, and therefore end up absorbing more pollutants at a period of their life when their brains and bodies are still developing. This can ultimately impact their growth and cognitive ability, while also triggering the possibility to developing asthma and childhood cancer. Children are also closer to the ground, where pollution concentrations are higher and therefore, they may end up inhaling more pollutants than adults. And, certain pollutants (small enough to penetrate the alveolar wall) could also be inhaled by a pregnant mother which enter her bloodstream, crossing the placental barrier and reach the fetus. This could also affect the baby’s growth and development. “Air pollution is stunting our children’s brains, affecting their health in more ways than we suspected,” said Maria Neira, the head of the WHO’s department of public health and environment in the report. Experts have proposed measures to reduce road traffic by raising fuel taxes and parking fees, but these efforts are yet to take shape in smaller cities. However, some of the most effective ways in which tier-II and tier-III cities could keep their pollution levels in check could include preventing children’s exposure to diesel exhaust by restricting its use in school buses for cleaner fuels, and focusing on ways to increase public transport, says Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Delhi-based Center of Science and Environment (CSE), an environmental think tank. | May 14, 2020
Deadly humid heatwaves that exceed the upper tolerance of the human body are happening decades earlier than expected under climate change models, researchers say. According to a research paper in Science Advances published last week (8 May), thousands of episodes of extreme heat and humidity have happened across Asia, Africa and South America, as well as Australia and North America. “Previous studies projected that this would happen several decades from now, but this shows it’s happening right now,” says lead author Colin Raymond, who carried out the research as a PhD student at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. “Humid heat is more dangerous than dry heat since sweat does not evaporate in humid conditions and so the human body cannot cool itself.” Richard Betts, chair in climate impacts at the University of Exeter and head of climate impacts at the United Kingdom’s Met Office Hadley Centre. The study looked at instances where the so-called wet-bulb temperature reached 35°C – the temperature at which sweat stops evaporating from human skin. A wet-bulb reading is taken by passing air over a thermometer with a wet cloth wrapped around it. Tens of thousands of people have died and suffered serious health impacts in heatwaves this century, while extreme heat-humidity combinations doubled between 1979 and 2017, according to the study. It says repeated heat-humidity incidents appeared in much of India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, along the coasts of the Red Sea and Mexico’s Gulf of California. The highest readings occurred 14 times in the Saudi Arabian city of Dhahran, in Qatar and Ras Al Khaimah in the United Arab Emirates. Parts of southeast Asia, southern China, subtropical Africa and the Caribbean were also hit. This crucial study illustrates “a key impact of global heating”, says Richard Betts, chair in climate impacts at the University of Exeter, who was not involved in the study. “It is quite logical that as global temperatures rise, sooner or later conditions will start to approach the upper end of the range we can tolerate,” Betts says. “Humid heat is more dangerous than dry heat since sweat does not evaporate in humid conditions and so the human body cannot cool itself. This research shows that dangerously hot, humid conditions are already occurring more often.” At the 2018 UN climate change conference in Katowice, Poland, Betts argued in favour of using ‘global heating’ to describe how anthropogenic climate change is altering the earth’s energy balance. ‘Heat’ is energy, while ‘warm’ is a description of the temperature, he says. The study’s findings link climate modelling to realities on the ground, says Tarun Gopalakrishnan, deputy programme manager at India’s Centre for Science and Environment climate unit, who was not involved in the study.
New Delhi Delhi is experiencing an unusually cool summer this year. Compared to the average temperature recorded in the national capital since 1980 between March and May, the city’s average temperature has been three to six degrees lower this year in the same period, researchers observed. Limited industrial and commercial activities and vehicular movement because of the nationwide lockdown, along with an increased number of western disturbances this year, could be the reasons behind this change, environment experts said. Two researchers, Mudit Kapoor, an associate professor of economics at the Indian Statistical Institute (Delhi Unit), and Shamika Ravi, a senior fellow at Brookings Institute, compared Delhi’s average daily temperature from 1980 to 2017 and marked the deviation against 2018, 2019 and 2020. The researchers observed that this year, between March and May 5, the temperature was three to six degrees lower than the average. “We compared the temperatures of Delhi, Ahmadabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai and Lucknow via a visual presentation. We marked the average temperature of a particular day based on data from 1980 to 2017. We marked any recording above this average in red and any recording below this average in blue for the years 2018, 2019 and 2020,” Kapoor said. He said, “In Delhi, April 2019, was very hot compared to the average April, but April 2020 is much cooler.” While the researchers have only made these observations, and are yet to come up with an analysis of the reasons behind the variation in temperature, they are not ruling out the effect of the 49-day nationwide lockdown to control the Covid- 19 pandemic, which has restricted industrial and commercial activities in the city and limited vehicular movement on roads. “It has been an unusual year. Compared to the average temperature (from 1980 to 2017) in Delhi, this year’s lower temperatures so far are an anomaly. This might be because of the lockdown,” Ravi said. Experts are divided over the reasons behind the dip in temperatures in the city. Some credit the increased number of western disturbances that brought intermittent wet spells through March, April and even the first week of May for the comparatively low temperature. Others are not ruling out the possibility of lower pollution levels in the Capital. Scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Delhi received six WDs in March and six in April, which is unlikely for these months. This trend, however, began from January, when nine WDs passed Delhi, and seven crossed in February. On May 10, thunderstorm and light rain in certain parts of Delhi-NCR also brought down the temperature. The IMD forecast has predicted cloudy weather for the week, with maximum temperature hovering between 34 degrees Celsius and 39 degrees Celsius. “There has been an increased effect of WDs in the whole of north-west India, which has kept the temperature in Delhi lower than usual this year. By this time of the year, the normal temperature touches 40 degrees Celsius, but the mercury is yet to rise,” Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said. He added, “We have also noticed that even when it doesn’t rain, clouds hover over the city after the WDs pass, which does not allow the temperature to rise.” In the summer forecast issued in February, the IMD had indicated that the average temperature in Delhi from March to May is likely to be warmer than normal by 0.5-1 degree Celsius. Other experts said that though a proper analysis is yet to prove the connection between the lockdown and the lower temperature levels this time, there is scientific proof that vehicular and industrial emissions add to the heat levels of the city. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy) at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said the pollution levels in Delhi and NCR have remained in the green zone for this duration and its positive impact will surely be visible. “These are such unique circumstances; it is like Earth is in repair mode. We know that emissions from vehicles and industries add to the heat island effect, which increases temperatures in urban centres. It is highly possible that we are benefitting from the restriction in emissions,” Roychowdhury said.
An Indian media practitioner is encouraging African journalists to continue to be fearless in their reportage and choice on what to publish for public consumption. Managing Editor of Down to Earth magazine, Richard Mahapatra, says journalists should not allow politicians to dictate to them the kind of stories they should publish. “Let the politicians speak but you must decide what they speak and what you would write,” he said. Though Mr. Mahapatra says journalists are not supposed to be spokespersons for governments, he believes the only way to get to the bottom of issues is to engage them. “Environment and development are such a high political issues and political reporting gives much space to write all about that.” But he says African journalists must redefine their political reporting. Rather than targeting one politician or political party and what they are say, it should always be issue-based discussions. Mr Mahapatra is also challenging his African colleagues to focus more on development and growth of people on the continent. He says that can be achieved only when journalists rigorously research and understand subjects they address. He added that editors in particular must enhance their knowledge to be able to guide reporters to mount analytical pieces to open up the continent for development. 58 COMMUNICATION AND OUTREACH “Editors must give intellectual leadership. They need to be more informed, and more perspective to be able to guide.” Mr. Mahapatra believes painstaking work will prevent journalists from giving information without perspectives. The Indian media mogul says journalists must equip themselves with the latest tools for more effective story telling. Mr. Mahapatra reminds Africa journalists to be more rigorous with research to compel politicians to speak about things that matter.
An Indian media practitioner is encouraging African journalists to continue to be fearless in their reportage and choice on what to publish for public consumption. Managing Editor of Down to Earth magazine, Richard Mahapatra, says journalists should not allow politicians to dictate to them the kind of stories they should publish. “Let the politicians speak but you must decide what they speak and what you would write,” he said. Though Mr. Mahapatra says journalists are not supposed to be spokespersons for governments, he believes the only way to get to the bottom of issues is to engage them. “Environment and development are such a high political issues and political reporting gives much space to write all about that.” But he says African journalists must redefine their political reporting. Rather than targeting one politician or political party and what they are say, it should always be issue-based discussions. Mr Mahapatra is also challenging his African colleagues to focus more on development and growth of people on the continent. He says that can be achieved only when journalists rigorously research and understand subjects they address. He added that editors in particular must enhance their knowledge to be able to guide reporters to mount analytical pieces to open up the continent for development. “Editors must give intellectual leadership. They need to be more informed, and more perspective to be able to guide.” Mr. Mahapatra believes painstaking work will prevent journalists from giving information without perspectives. The Indian media mogul says journalists must equip themselves with the latest tools for more effective story telling. Mr. Mahapatra reminds Africa journalists to be more rigorous with research to compel politicians to speak about things that matter. | May 14, 2020
Health authorities in Kerala who have done a remarkable job in flattening the Covid-19 curve have questioned the Indian Railways’ move to run fully airconditioned trains from Tuesday. “What is the logic of running airconditioned trains? It can only increase the danger of more infections,” Dr Mohammed Asheel, executive director of the Kerala Social Security Mission, told The Telegraph on a day one of the first such trains rolled out from Howrah. “When there is a cheaper and safer version in a non-AC, second-class sleeper coach, it’s beyond anyone’s imagination why they would run a more expensive and more dangerous air-conditioned train,” said the medical doctor who has been one of the pivots of Kerala’s mission against Covid-19. Asheel pointed out that the central public works department’s protocol regarding use of air-conditioners called for avoiding ACs. “The Centre’s own guidelines say that air-conditioning should be avoided as much as possible and, when needed at homes, one must ensure the rooms are well-ventilated and windows must be open,” he said. “So how did they decide to schedule an air-conditioned train?” Passengers sit inside a coach of the New Delhi-Dibrugarh special train at New Delhi Railway Station on Tuesday. Passengers sit inside a coach of the New Delhi-Dibrugarh special train at New Delhi Railway Station on Tuesday. (PTI) Thirty such up-and-down Rajdhani trains have been scheduled to connect Delhi with 15 destinations. Arun Sharma, director professor, department of community medicine, University College of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, agreed with Asheel. “The same air will be recirculating within a compartment for at least some time and, hence, if there is even one affected person, the virus will have a higher probability of infecting others in the compartment compared to (those with) open windows,” Sharma said. Kunal Sarkar, a Calcutta-based physician and public health expert, said: “Considering India’s Covid-positivity rate of 5 per cent and about 1,000 persons in a train, one may assume about 50 positive cases (in a) train. Now, almost 24 hours in air condition, with no negative pressure and limited air exchange; the number of affected per train can be as high as 100 persons. Just imagine the impact that will bring on the destination cities.” Railway Board chairman VK Yadav waves as the first special train, New Delhi- Bilaspur, leaves the New Delhi railway station on Tuesday. Railway Board chairman VK Yadav waves as the first special train, New Delhi- Bilaspur, leaves the New Delhi railway station on Tuesday. (PTI) A senior official with Southern Railway told this newspaper the fully air-conditioned trains were being used because of the paucity of regular coaches. “We are unable to run the non-AC, three-tier coaches since most of them are being used for Shramik Express trains for migrant workers and rail coach quarantine centres,” said the official. Some states have turned train compartments into temporary quarantine centres to make up for the shortfall of institutional quarantine facilities. “The coaches are fitted with a new airconditioning system to minimise the chance of spread of infection,” the railway official said but pleaded ignorance about the technical details. The railway notification, dated May 11, says “all passengers shall be compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic passengers… allowed to enter/board the train”. But Dr Joseph Chacko, president of the Kerala Government Medical Officers’ Association, said: “Since 80 per cent of all cases were asymptomatic, an airconditioned environment for a train journey of 36-40 hours would be ideal for a spread.” Santanu Sen, Trinamul MP and secretary of the Bengal unit of the Indian Medical Association, said: “It is one thing to make a guideline and a completely different (thing) to ensure such guidelines will be adhered to throughout the travel. Who will take the responsibility if such trains prove to be a super spreader of the virus?” Anumita Roy Choudhury, an air pollution expert from the Center for Science and Environment, said: “It is strange how the government could decide on AC trains at this juncture when they themselves are advocating less use of AC as well as the need to stay in a well-ventilated space.” What about the special flights ferrying hundreds of expatriates back to India? Asheel, the Kerala doctor, said air travel did not provide for any other option. “We are ready to handle any situation as we have enough beds and sufficient expertise,” he said, speaking about his state. “But why invite trouble with a risky mode of transport?” Kerala has already paid a price after the Centre ignored its advice and allowed NRIs to travel without pre-flight tests for Covid-19. Six people who flew down from the Gulf recently have tested positive over the past few days. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan too spoke about the danger of air-conditioned travel during the pandemic. “In Punjab, 4,198 people travelled in AC buses (after the Covid-19 outbreak). The virus spread in a big way during the journey and 1,217 of them tested positive,” he told a media briefing on Tuesday. “I don’t know why they decided to run airconditioned trains, especially when the health minister (Harsh Vardhan) is a medical doctor,” Chacko said, pointing to the restrictions even at offices and shops. “Kerala has made it clear that no airconditioning would be allowed in shops or offices,” the doctor added. “We need to follow this until further orders.”
in harmful air pollutants during the lockdown among major Indian cities, said the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) on Tuesday. Researchers compared a three-week average pollutant concentration between March 1-21 and March 23 to April 14 for six cities (Delhi, Pune, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Chennai and Mumbai), using data from multiple monitoring stations including those of the Central Pollution Control Board, the American Consulate, and SAFAR’s own monitoring stations. The results were presented by Gufran Beig, director, SAFAR, from a yet-to-be published research paper, during a the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ webinar on Tuesday. Between March and April, Mumbai has witnessed maximum percentage reduction for two pollutants — nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM) 2.5 (breathable particulate matter which is 2.5 microns in size or smaller) — among the six cities. However, even without major industrial and automobile emissions, Mumbai’s lowest PM2.5 concentration, defined as the baseline or background PM2.5 levels by SAFAR, was highest among six cities. Mumbai recorded a 76% decline in NO2 (gases mainly emitted from automobile fuel burning) followed by Kolkata (67%), Pune (56%), Delhi (39%), Ahmedabad and Chennai (25%). A 54% reduction was recorded for PM2.5 for Mumbai; 40% for both Kolkata and Ahmedabad; 30% for Delhi; 25% in Pune and 11% in Chennai. “Geographical and weather factors are both responsible for maximum pollutant decline in Mumbai against other cities,” said Beig. “Being a coastal city, Mumbai got the advantage of sea breeze resulting in faster dispersion of pollutants. Though the same can be said for Chennai, baseline line levels for the city are already low, but the rate of dispersion is not as high as Mumbai as the financial capital is surrounded by the sea from three sides.” At landlocked cities like Delhi and Ahmedabad, and low dispersion rate for Kolkata, human-induced bio-fuel and industrial emissions combined with sporadic incidents of mild dust storms during lockdown did not allow very high pollutant reduction, said Beig. Meanwhile, background PM2.5 concentration for the study period in Mumbai was 33 micrograms per cubic metre (μg/m³) followed by Ahmedabad at 31 μg/m³, Pune 29 μg/m³, Delhi 22 μg/m³, Kolkata 18 μg/m³, and Chennai 6 μg/m³. “Pollution levels can never be zero. Background levels are the permanent concentration in any city when anthropogenic emissions are at its lowest. This shows that even though Mumbai may have high pollutant dispersion, its background air already has higher PM2.5 than other cities. While the lockdown has presented us with an unique opportunity to gather such data, more investigation is needed to understand what causes this,” said Beig. The national safe standard for PM2.5 is 40 μg/m³ for 24 hours while it is 25 μg/m³ for the same duration as per the World Health Organisation (WHO). Independent experts said research was needed to understand sources from the larger airshed in the Mumbai region during lockdown to assess high background PM2.5. “The magnitude of sources like solid fuel usage, power plants or even minimal vehicle movement in the region’s airshed, and how it could be influencing background PM2.5 needs to be assessed,” said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director (research and advocacy), Centre for Science and Environment. PM2.5 LEVELS IN MUMBAI’S AIR IN 2019 SAFAR on Tuesday presented the emission inventory for PM2.5 pollutant and different sectors contributing to the pollutant in Mumbai’s air during 2019. While the transport sector was the most dominant source at 30.49%, sources titled ‘others’ including open fires, brick kilns, textile plants, dust storms, sea salt etc. all inside and outside the airshed accounted for 20.88%. The residential sector including biofuel or solid fuel emissions for domestic cooking and other activities accounted for 15.52%. Remaining sources 14.8% was from windblown dust and 13.08% from industrial emissions.
By Kapil Kajal An average Bengalurean breathes in air that is 3 to 12 times more polluted than the prescribed limits, a study says. With growing numbers of vehicles, resultant congestion and diesel usage, air pollution is a growing concern in the cit... Read more at: https://www.deccanherald.com/city/must-act-immediately-to-save-bengaluru-from-air-pollution-experts-836810.html
The Aam Aadmi Party government said on Friday it will install giant outdoor air purifiers at five highly polluted locations in Delhi, unveiling more measures to battle the capital’s smog. A mist fountain will also be set up in a yet-to-be identified location, transport minister Satyendar Jain said amid a steady spike in pollution levels, which experts say can cause several ailments ranging from respiratory problems to even cancer in humans. Jain said the systems, to be installed by mid-December, will be placed at road intersections in Anand Vihar, ITO, Sarai Kale Khan, Kashmere Gate and IIT (Delhi) or AIIMS. The units works on the lines of a home air purifier by trapping particulate matter, besides improving dispersion of pollutants that remain suspended just above ground in winter. Experts, however, are skeptical about the system, which has a functional radius of 20 meters and could fail when pollution levels are too high. Anumita Roychowdhury of the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) – a Delhibased research group — said it was not a good idea. “Purification works in a confined space, not in the open. The government should focus on other short-term measures,” she said. Last winter – a period when air toxicity jumps manifold -– the AAP government had twice introduced a rationing measure that allowed vehicles to ply on alternate days based on registration numbers ending with odd or even digits. The effort, however, failed to yield the desired results. An official said the Wind Augmentation and Air Purifying Unit (WAYU) — developed by IIT Bombay and National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) – can potentially reduce particulate emission by 40%-60% during peak traffic hours. The government believes the move will indicate its intent to improve Delhi’s air quality which is expected to deteriorate with farmers in neighbouring states such as Punjab and Haryana starting their annual crop residue burning. On Friday, particulate matter (PM) level in Delhi’s most polluted zone — Anand Vihar — touched 960 micrograms/cubic meter against a safe level of 60. The System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) also said in its Diwali forecast that PM 2.5 — minute particulates that penetrate the lungs and cause breathing ailments — would increase by up to 20%. Sources said that open air purification is not a tried and tested measure as one system was installed in Hong Kong in April 2015 without much success. | May 13, 2020
The rise in medical waste and its collection without adhering to safety protocols could also trigger a surge in virus cases The sharp rise in biomedical waste, including discarded masks and gloves collected from covid-19 containment zones, is risking the lives of thousands of sanitation workers who work for little pay and often without any protection or training to handle such hazardous material. Large amounts of disposable masks, gloves and other medical waste have been making their way to regular garbage piles across cities, posing a major challenge for civic authorities in charge of its collection and disposal. The pile-up of hazardous waste has also exposed the inadequate investments into waste management by city authorities. Aside from the hazards to civic workers, the rise in residential biomedical waste and its collection without adhering to safety protocols could also trigger a surge in caseload. “Patients under home care are generating infected waste daily, and it might be discarded as domestic waste. This is posing risks to sanitation workers," said Rashmi Shrivastav, research associate, municipal solid waste at Centre for Science and Environment, Delhi. The guidelines also mandate that sanitation workers need to be adequately equipped with personal protection into water bodies. Civic workers in Bengaluru said most households do not even segregate wet and dry waste. equipment, which include three layer masks, nitrile gloves, gumboots and safety goggles. Even vehicles used for waste collection need to be sanitized by sodium hypocholorite after every trip. The Central Pollution Control Board recommends that all waste that has been in contact with self-isolated individual should be properly labelled and doublebagged to be identified by common biomedical waste treatment and disposal facility and disposed of upon collection. Most garbage generated in cities finds its way to dump yards and could pose a risk since the long viability of viruses over surfaces suggests there is potential for the virus to be present in the waste, experts said. While Mumbai is running out of room to dispose its biomedical waste, poor waste management protocols in Bengaluru and other cities are adding to the challenges faced by state governments at a time when they are keen to ease curbs to help revive economic activity. Mumbai, for instance, is nearly exhausting its full capacity to handle biomedical waste, with only enough headroom to handle 4-5 tonnes more than its total capacity of 75 tonnes. “... Maharashtra can handle up to 75 tonnes of biomedical waste a day, but the state’s 29 facilities are scattered and the waste can’t be transported more than 75km from its place of origin according to rules, so hotspots like Mumbai will soon reach full capacity, said Dr Amar Supate, principal scientific officer, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board. The 120 containment zones in Karnataka have generated 80 tonnes of biomedical waste and have been disposed of by burning them in incinerators, said Basavaraj Patil, ex-member secretary, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board. A recent report by a Bengaluru-based environment group warned the virus could be transmitted through sewage flowing