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Cse In News

Ensure safety audits and prevent chemical leakages before resuming ops: CPCB advisory to states

The Central Pollution Control Board CPCB issued an advisory to all state pollution control boards by saying that states must direct all units that manufacture, store or import of hazardous chemicals to resume their operations after Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions are lifted. The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has directed all the state pollution control boards (SPCBs) to ensure all their units undertake safety and hazard audits before resuming operations after lockdown restrictions, which have been imposed to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, are lifted across the country. In an advisory issued to all SPCBs and committees on Friday, a day after three industrial disasters occurred, the CPCB said they must direct all the units that manufacture, store or import of hazardous chemicals to resume their operations after Covid-19-induced lockdown restrictions are lifted and take adequate steps to prevent chemical leakage or accidents. “Some serious cases of chemical leakages and industrial mishaps have been reported recently. In view of this all, the SPCBs should ensure immediate compliance of the advisory,” the note said. The SPCBs will have to ensure that pollution control equipment, connectivity of online emissions monitoring systems with the CPCB and state board servers, effluent treatment plants, including safety equipment, are kept in operational conditions before resuming operations after the lockdown restrictions are lifted. “The boards shall ensure that all units take utmost care in handling hazardous chemicals by using trained manpower,” the advisory said. “The SPCBs will closely monitor any violation of environmental norms, ensure the safety of workers and residents in the vicinity and that units comply with all conditions stipulated in the Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical (Amendment) Rules, 1989, and the Chemical Accidents (Emergency Planning, Preparedness, and Response) Rules, 1996 without fail,” it added. “Three industrial accidents occurred on Thursday, coincidentally, when factories are reopening after relaxations from Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. One commonality among these incidents has been poor operational and maintenance practices during the lockdown and the other is a shortage of skilled staff for maintenance work. Maintaining power stations or any industries with less staff is always a risk. Such incidents in this scenario are not surprising,” industry experts said. “The toll of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions has not only pulled the economy down, but has also put lives at risk for industrial workers and townships,” said Nivit Kumar Yadav of Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment’s (CSE) industrial pollution unit. “Styrene gas must be kept at a temperature below 17 degrees Celsius. However, since the Vishakhapatnam plant was under a partial shutdown mode, its maintenance activities were irregular. Another industrial disaster was reported at a paper mill in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, when gas leaks affected the unit’s housekeeping staff. The third incident occurred at Neyveli thermal power station, when two boilers of a 210-megawatt (MW) capacity plant blasted, and 10 people sustained injuries. While these boiler units were in a running condition, poor maintenance practices due to less manpower in the plant are being suspected as the reason for the blast. Industries are in haste to restart their operations after the lockdown restrictions are lifted, which could be detrimental to workers’ safety and that of the neighbourhood. We recommend better operational guidelines for industrial plants as they get set to resume their operations,” he added.

Limit public transport capacity, maximise social distance: CRRI

Experts recommend a social distance of at least six feet between people, as well as reducing physical contact, to minimise the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid- 19). The Central Road Research Institute’s (CSIR-CRRI) recommendations for the safe use of public transport, once the nationwide lockdown is lifted, include limiting the number of passengers in buses and separate gates for boarding and alighting Metro coaches. The guidelines, to be shared with all state governments and ministries in the central government, also propose creating a partition between the driver’s seat and the back seat in taxis using a plastic sheet, a dynamic display showing the number of available seats in Metro trains and buses, and earmarking the waiting area in stations, among others. The guidelines also propose painting additional zebra crossings at each intersection to ensure pedestrians crossing on to opposite sides do not come in contact with each other. Transport experts at CSIR-CRRI say these moves will help manage crowds, ensure the presence adequate transport infrastructure to discourage people from using private vehicles, encourage pedestrians and cyclists to ensure social distancing. Experts recommend a social distance of at least six feet between people, as well as reducing physical contact, to minimise the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid- 19). Hindustantimes Satish Chandra, director CSIR-CRRI, said, “The biggest challenge is crowd management in public transport so that social distancing is effectively implemented. As only 50% occupancy is allowed in public transport currently, there is a need to immediately enhance the capacity and also manage the demand by ensuring staggered office timings.” If this is not done, Chandra said, a lot of public transport users might switch to private vehicles to protect themselves from contracting Covid-19. Public transport services have been shut in the national capital since March 23, two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19. Officials said the Delhi government is working a plan to ensure social distancing in public transport once the lockdown is lifted and public transport resumes. “We are working on a plan to decide how we will reopen public transport. We will also have to work out a plan to sanitise public transport,” a senior Delhi transport official said. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said public transport may resume soon, and that the Central government was formulating guidelines for the same. Officials of the Delhi Metro, the Capital’s transport lifeline, said the organisation would follow guidelines framed by the Union and state governments. Anuj Dayal, executive director, corporate communication, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, “We will follow all guidelines set by the government while framing advisories for passengers. Additionally, models adopted by metro systems across the world are also being studied to ensure that the resumption of services is smooth, convenient and safe for Delhi Metro’s commuters.” With schools shut and inter-state movement banned, experts said a lot of private buses, including chartered buses, are currently unused. “These buses can be made part of the public transport system to help meet the increase in demand, ensure quality by observing social distancing measures, and discourage people from shifting to private vehicles. Staggered office timings and better workfrom- home norms will also be helpful,” said E Madhu, head, transport planning division, CSIR-CRRI. Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director transport at the Centre for Science and Environment, said Delhi could easily induct the unused buses into its public transport fleet. “The Delhi government has used private buses during the odd-even scheme. They just have to build on it. Though these are testing times, it is an opportunity to address the issue of overcrowding in public transport,” Roychowdhury said. “Pre-booking travel time slots in buses and Metros will help manage crowds,” Madhu said. The guidelines recommend that the existing seating arrangements be changed in e-rickshaws, which are an essential part of the city’s last-mile connectivity mechanism. The CRRI recommends that e-rickshaw passengers not face each other and that the number of people who travel together in one vehicle be limited. To reduce the load on public transport systems, the guidelines suggest short trips be encouraged and infrastructure provided for cycle-rickshaws, e-rickshaws, bicycles and pedestrians. Rowchowdhury asked that plans be prepared to improve local infrastructure for travel over short distances. “With bollards and paint, we can create more space for pedestrians on the road and ensure their safety. People can make these trips either by walking or cycling. This will bring down the load on public transport.” Experts also pointed to innovative public transport systems other countries had adopted. Amit Bhatt, director transport, WRI India, said, “Bogota, the capital of Colombia, has converted 100km of streets into cycle lanes to reduce the load on its bus systems. Mexico City is planning to quadruple its cycle network to reduce the pressure on its metro. Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is creating cycle lanes as a safe alternative for the commute as the city has seen a 90% drop in public transport use,” Bhatt said.

Challenges remain, but signs of hope emerge in India

More than 1.3 billion people in India remain confined at home since the imposition of a national lockdown on March 25 to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. While this is tough for anyone, it is especially so for those living in Asia's largest slum－Dharavi－in Mumbai, the country's financial capital. The city's slums are home to an estimated 65 percent of the population of about 12 million in Mumbai's inner-city area. Spread over 2.1 square kilometers, Dharavi is home to more than 700,000 people. Shahid Jameel, a virologist and CEO of the DBT/Wellcome Trust India Alliance, an independent charity organization based in New Delhi that funds health and biomedical sciences research, said: "We have advised people to keep 6 feet, or 1.8 meters, apart, but how is that possible in urban slums? These are places to watch. I am really worried." As in many other parts of the world, schools and colleges are closed, exams have been suspended, courts and most offices and factories are shut, and nearly all forms of transportation have been halted. Only doctors, nurses, healthcare support employees and those working to keep essential services running are allowed out of their homes－but under strict safety protocols. Sunita Narain, director-general of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi, said there is no rulebook to tell governments what to do, how to shut down economies, and when to reopen them. "COVID-19 is the most tumultuous, most catastrophic and the most defining epoch of our lifetime. One cannot think of anything else that has happened with such speed－from the end of December, when the first cases were reported in China, to now," she said.

This woman entrepreneur started up in the natural skin and haircare space and hopes to cross Rs 10 Cr in revenue this year

Pritika Singh says she was always inquisitive as a child. Having little access to Google and the internet she would read anything she came across, even ingredients on packaging to understand what the product was made of. In 2013, as a postgraduate student of biotechnology at the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology in Punjab, Pritika learnt that most skincare products contain toxic chemicals that are harmful in the long-term. In fact, a study conducted by public interest research and advocacy organisation Centre for Science and Environment, based in Delhi, revealed that fairness creams and lipsticks, contain metallic elements like mercury which is ‘universally recognised as toxic’. Pritika was then working on her Master’s thesis related to causes of breast cancer that was published on Taylor and Francis. “People were feeding something so toxic to their skins just to look beautiful. As a conscious user, I could not find any natural product that catered to my requirements,” she says. Pritika later joined cosmetic research and development teams at corporate organisations like Vestige and was not satisfied with their practices. Additionally, Pritika says one has to follow orders at work and cannot question why certain contents were being added. “I decided to put my foot down by starting my own skincare line where I could use my knowledge and research to provide natural products suited to different skin types. I believe one should not have to choose between health and beauty. Beauty should be without any compromises,” she says. Tvakh Also Read Why this woman entrepreneur decided to start up in the luxury bath and beauty business Founded in 2016, Tvakh is a natural hair and skin care products startup that is tapping into the natural cosmetics market that is valued at $833.4 million in India. The market is further expected to grow annually at 6.6 percent Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) till 2023. A natural solution Pritika is happiest when she is formulating products under her brand Tvakh, inspired by the Sanskrit word tvacha, meaning skin. She started with aloe vera gel from kitchen. She shared the product with a distributor of L'Oréal, who referred her to Cleopatra, one of the biggest beauty parlours in Chandigarh who made a bulk order of 50 kg of aloe vera gel. Pritika used her mother’s biggest vessel and made five batches of 10 kg each and used the money to expand her business. Soon, she got a manufacturing licence, bought a machine that cost Rs 1 lakh and shifted to a bigger space, and gradually started designing her label and product line. "I made five products, a very basic website, and posted them online, and my first order came from Mumbai. Sending my first shampoo was the happiest moment as an entrepreneur," she recalls. Operating on the dual model of B2B and B2C, the startup counts on Biopharmecia, Aurel Biolife, Mascon Healthcare, and Dr Sajja’s among its clients. The skin and hair care products, priced between Rs 350 and Rs 1200, are also available on ecommerce platforms like Amazon and on its own website. She hopes to expand the brand’s online B2C presence soon. Started with an initial investment of Rs 6 lakh, the startup clocked one crore in revenue in the financial year 2017 to 2018. Pritika expects revenues to reach Rs 10 crore this year. Apart from spending on basic necessities, the entrepreneur never took a salary from the startup for two years till 2018 when she got married. With increasing positive cases of COVID-19 in India, Pritika says sales for hand sanitisers has skyrocketed. Since March 2020, the startup has gone from supplying only to some parts of Punjab to other states like Assam, Kerala, and Delhi. Sign up for Newsletters Check out our popular newsletters and subscribe Dropdown Also Read This IIT-Kharagpur alum gave up investment banking to launch a night skincare brand Through word-of-mouth Being previously associated with cosmetic companies, Prtitika says she had the access to the right network of suppliers. Although Pritika hails from a family of entrepreneurs, she lacked experience but hugely benefitted from her father’s support and expertise. Her initial challenges included sourcing skilled labour and training them on the processes, right from packaging, research as well as production. However, at the core of the business, Pritika believes, lies delivery on promise of product quality. “Although I have the right technique and knowledge and I can explain what my products are, how are they going to trust my company? The only way to gain this trust to deliver on any amount of order promised and slowly build the loyalty,” she says. “The rest is taken care of through word-ofmouth. Also, there is no element of marketing better and organic than a client’s words of praise for a product,” she adds.

Air quality remains ‘satisfactory’ as Delhi

Pollution levels in Delhi remained in the ‘satisfactory’ zone on Monday even as many government and private offices opened with a third of their staff on the first day of the two-week exit from the lockdown, because of which there was increased activity and traffic presence in the city. Experts said it will take some time to analyse the impact of resumption of activity on the pollution levels. High wind speed and frequent spells of rain will, however, help keep pollution in check for the rest of the week. According to Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) bulletin released at 9pm, the average air quality index (AQI) on Monday was 90 ( in the ‘satisfactory’ zone). At 93, the AQI on Sunday was also in the ‘satisfactory’ zone. The last time Delhi experienced ‘satisfactory’ air quality was on April 27 when the index was recorded at 89. “Pollution levels in the city during the lockdown period have mostly fluctuated between ‘moderate’ and ‘satisfactory levels, mainly because of no traffic movement or activity, apart from the good weather and frequent rainfall. Since it was just the first day of relaxations coming into effect, any impact on overall pollution levels will only be reflected late night or tomorrow (Tuesday) morning,” a senior CPCB official, who did not wish to be named, said. The official said an increase in the number of vehicles on roads may degrade air quality. But good wind speed expected over the next two days is likely to mitigate the detrimental effects. According to scientists at India Meteorological Department (IMD), on Sunday evening the wind speed went up to 58 kmph, the highest for Delhi this summer. The high wind speed and rainfall helped push the air quality from ‘moderate’ to ‘satisfactory’. “The air quality is likely to improve further on Tuesday, with the wind speed expected to go up to 40-50 kmph between Monday night and Tuesday morning. Delhi has had six western disturbances in April, as against the usual three to four, resulting in frequent thunderstorms and rainfall. We are expecting another western disturbance to hit northwestern India between May 10 and May 12 and it will result in rain and gusty winds,” Kuldeep Srivastava, head, IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said. According to experts, since Monday was just the first day of more private vehicles plying on roads and economic activity slowly starting to pick up, the impact of the emissions will take a while to reflect in the pollution levels. “So far we don’t know the quantum of the vehicles plying on the roads. Any significant increase in the traffic will impact NOx levels and there will be some impact on PM 2.5 levels as well. But we will need to analyse data for at least a week to establish a trend,” Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director, research and advocacy, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said. Roychowdhury said that so far, the prominent pollutant in the air was PM 10 (mainly generated from dust) because intrusion of dust is higher during summers. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the union government’s air quality monitoring and forecasting wing, air quality may improve to ‘good’ level by Tuesday. “Rainfall has resulted in washing out of pollutants and air quality is expected to improve over the next two days,” its bulletin said.

Prima Klima mit Corona?

Seit Ende März leben in Indien 1,3 Milliarden Menschen im verordneten Lockdown. In Neu-Delhi, einer der schmutzigsten Städte der Welt, ist der Smog zurückgegangen, der Himmel ist blau, die Flüsse klar, die Vögel laut. Ein Aufatmen mit Ablaufdatum. Die Vögel in Neu-Delhi erwachen früh am Morgen: Papageien, Hornvögel und Wiedehopfe sitzen auf Ästen mit knallgrünen Blättern. Schwarzmilane kreisen in der warmen Brise. In de Hauptstadt von Indien klingt es seit Wochen wie in einem Vogelkäfig. Nur mit dem Unterschied, dass jetzt die Menschen gefangen sind. In Indien gilt eine absolute Ausgangssperre, die Vögel allerdings können einfach über die Barrikaden und Absperrungen hinwegfliegen. Ein blauer Himmel mit vereinzelten Schäfchenwolken über einem sehr grünen Park mit vielen Laubbäumen. (Silke Diettrich / ARD-Studio Neu-Delhi)Blauer Himmel und Schäfchenwolken über Neu- Delhi: Normalerweise liegt eine dicke Smogschicht über der Stadt. (Silke Diettrich / ARD-Studio Neu-Delhi) Der Verkehr ist hier sonst so laut, dass die Vögel kaum zu hören sind. Kinder und Jugendliche hier haben fast noch nie Schäfchenwolken gesehen, selten einen Sternenhimmel. Denn seit vielen Jahren liegt eine so dicke Glocke über ihren Köpfen, dass sie fast ohne mit den Augen zwinkern zu müssen, in die Sonne schauen können. Die Großstädte versinken in einem milchigen Gelb, die Blätter der Pflanzen leuchten meist nicht mehr. Umgeben von einer dicken Staubschicht werden sie fahl und grau. Von den weltweit 30 Städten mit der dreckigsten Luft, liegen 22 in Indien. Autos, Fabriken, Baustellen stehen still Und nun, seit fast sechs Wochen, steht fast alles still, was mit den Menschen hier zu tun hat: Autos, Fabriken, Baustellen. Die Ausgangssperre habe uns nun direkt vor Augen geführt, wie schnell die Werte der Luftverschmutzung nach unten sinken könnten, sagt die Forschungsdirektorin vom Zentrum für Wissenschaft und Umwelt, Anumita Roy Chowdhury. „Natürlich willst du nicht von so einem Katastrophenfall abhängig sein, um die Umweltverschmutzung zu verringern“, sagt sie. „Aber durch diesen Notstand sind wir gezwungen, wichtige Veränderung vorzunehmen. Und nun ist die Frage, ob wir auch nach der Pandemie diese systematischen Veränderungen auf unser Leben ableiten können. Ein Beispiel wäre, dass wir nicht mehr so viel mit dem Auto fahren, weil wir ein neues Verhältnis dazu bekommen, wie wir unseren Arbeitsplatz definieren.“ Denn auch in Neu-Delhi arbeiten nun unzählige Leute von zu Hause aus, vor allem die aus der Mittel- und Oberschicht. Fast jeden Tag schauen sie bei ihrem Smartphone auf die Luft-Qualitäts-App. In der Regel ist dort ein Emoji zu sehen, in dunkel-braun-rot, das je nach Luftwerten eine Atemschutzmaske oder sogar eine Gasmaske trägt. Die Adjektive zur Luft darunter lauten: ungesund, oder stark gesundheitsgefährdend. Nicht so in den letzten sechs Wochen, zum ersten Mal lacht das Emoji mehrere Tage am Stück, ist grün oder gelb. Die Luft: gut bis mittelmäßig. Das hat es noch nie gegeben in den letzten Jahren. Aber nicht nur die Qualität der Luft hat sich hier in Neu-Delhi verbessert. Eine helle männliche Steinfigur mit langen Haaren und Rauschebart sitzt im Schneidersitz in einem Gewässer. (Silke Diettrich / ARD-Studio Neu-Delhi)Die Wasserqualität im Fluss Yamuna ist schon nach zwei Wochen Ausgangssperre besser geworden. (Silke Diettrich / ARD-Studio Neu-Delhi) In den sozialen Netzwerken haben Userinnen und User aus Neu-Delhi Videos und Fotos gepostet von der Yamuna. Das ist der Fluss, der durch die Hauptstadt fließt. Blau und an einigen Stellen sogar so klar, dass der Sand auf dem Boden zu sehen ist. Normalerweise ist der Fluss schlammig braun, in der Trockenzeit gleicht eher einer Kloake, Metanblasen wippen dann auf einer tiefschwarzen Brühe. Also haben wir den Test gemacht und sind einfach mal ans Flussufer gefahren. Die ersten Stichproben sind ernüchternd: Es riecht wie immer leicht faulig, der Fluss ist schwarz, und dicke Schaumwolken wackeln auf der Wasseroberfläche. „Wir Menschen sind schuld daran, dass alles verseucht ist“ Durch Zufall treffen wir hier auf den Gesundheitsminister von Neu-Delhi, Satyender Jain. Auch er will sich ein reales Bild von der Situation verschaffen: „Die Wasserqualität hat sich im Vergleich zu vorher schon verbessert“, sagt Jain, „weil kaum jemand derzeit in der gewerblichen Wirtschaft arbeitet und die, ja leider, meistens ihr Dreckwasser einfach ohne es zu reinigen in den Fluss abgeleitet hatte. Die Ausgangssperre führt uns eines ganz deutlich vor Augen: Wir Menschen tragen die Schuld daran, dass alles verseucht ist. Die Natur fordert gerade ihr Leben zurück.“ Viele Menschen in Neu-Delhi, wie auf der ganzen Welt, fürchten gerade direkt um ihr Leben, durch den Ausbruch des Coronavirus. In Indien sind bislang weniger als 40.000 Menschen positiv darauf getestet worden. Aber es werden im Vergleich zu anderen Ländern auch deutlich weniger Tests durchgeführt. Die Ärzte in den Krankenhäusern allerdings sagen, dass derzeit sehr viel weniger Menschen mit Atemwegsproblemen als sonst in die Kliniken kommen. Das dürfte natürlich auch damit zu tun haben, dass es eine komplette Ausgangssperre gibt und viele Menschen die Krankenhäuser vermeiden wollen. Enorm verbesserte Luftqualität Aber die Luftwerte haben sich im ganzen Land enorm verbessert. Um 50, an einigen Stellen sogar um 70 Prozent, hat sich die Luftverschmutzung verringert, das zeigen auch Aufnahmen von der NASA. Die Menschen in Indien können also an vielen Orten derzeit besser atmen und dennoch halten viele die Luft an: Weil die Zahlen der Coronainfizierten noch steigen. Und auch die Todesfälle, die derzeit offiziell noch bei weit unter 2000 liegen. Durch die Folgen der Luftverschmutzung, so sagen es Umweltwissenschaftler, würden in Indien im Jahr mehr als eine Million Menschen sterben. | May 5, 2020

How not to lose clean air gains

What is clear is that this joy of nature has come at enormous and unacceptable human cost to millions in the world Sunita Narain On April 22, when the world celebrated Earth Day, we were (and still are) in the midst of the grimmest reminder of nature’s revenge as Covid-19 shut down our economies. However, it is also a fact that today Delhi’s smog has cleared; the air is simply sublime — we can see the blue skies and the birds are just loving it. Their sounds have taken up the silence of the car horns. In all our cities — across the world — as we lock down to deal with this mutant virus, which is killing people and making our world tragic and horrendous, it seems almost that nature is reclaiming her space. There is news of how rivers in Indian cities — earlier called sewage canals and dead because of zero oxygen levels — are bouncing back, practically beaming with life and fresh water. There are images of lions — from the neighbouring forests — venturing out and sunning themselves in the port lands of Junagarh in Gujarat; or civet strolling in the street of a small town in Kerala; many more vibrant flamingos making their way to the salt pans of coastal India; dolphins dancing in the waters. I could go on. But what is clear is that this joy of nature has come at enormous and unacceptable human cost to millions in the world, who have lost their loved ones to the virus or are seeing their livelihoods collapse. I can say with absolute conviction that this is not the way we want to clean our air or our water, however desperately we need this to happen. But what we should remember are two things — for post- Covid-19 times. One, that we did momentarily get this smell of what clean air, clean rivers, and exuberant nature means; we must value it. We must remember this time as the way we want it to be when our lungs can inhale and exhale without stress of toxins. But two, most importantly, we must remember that at the current levels of pollution, it took as much as shutting down everything to get blue skies. Yes, this is what it will take. So, when in winter in Delhi we have smog days again, we must remember that cleaning up will mean taking all vehicles off the road — not play odd and even with a few cars absent. It will mean shutting down all day-to-day businesses so that no trucks need to come into our cities. In this last month, truck movement is down from 4,000 to fewer than 400 per day. It will mean shutting down all industries — not just a few here and there — so that there is just no combustion at all. It means stop to all construction. Everything that makes up life and livelihood. This is how we got from black, smoggy skies to blue skies and clear lungs. I say this not because this is what we must do in winter. This lockdown, I hope, we never have to repeat as these are the darkest days in human history. But I say this, because, if we want to have clear skies then we will have to move heaven and earth to get much more done so that we can have livelihoods and also our right to breathe. No more doing bits and little pieces of stuff, which always keeps us behind the curve. We need to be aggressive about what we do and how fast we get there. This is something again that these terrible Covid-19 times should teach us — we do not want to be in this situation again. So, what will it take to clean our air — to keep it as pristine as the lockdown days when the lockdown is over and behind us. First, it will mean realising that we need to get vehicles, not people, off the road. It means fast-tracking everything we can do so that we move people, not cars, at speed, convenience, and safety — public transport will have to take into account concerns about personal hygiene and goals so that in the next few years (yes, so quickly) we can upgrade our systems so that 70-80 per cent of the daily commute is through high-speed or lowemission transportation — from trains to bicycles. Second, it means not shutting down but shifting all industry — lock, stock and barrel — to clean fuel. Start with natural gas and then ramp up with all combustion moving to electricity from much cleaner power generation. Today, it is the price of natural gas and not its availability that is the obstacle to this transition, as gas competes with the dirtiest and cheapest of fuels, coal. But if the government was to include natural gas in goods and services tax (GST) — I am not talking about all petroleum fuels, only natural gas — it would turn the tables on coal. Currently coal or other such dirty fuels are included in GST and have much lower taxation than cleaner fuels. So, we can do this. But it again needs to be thought about as the big solution — something that can be done fast and at scale. I could go on. But the bottom line is scale and speed. In these Covid-19 times we have seen disorder and disruption at scale that we never thought would happen in our lifetime. So, now we need the same to fix what is broken in our relationship with nature. This then is the biggest challenge of the coming days. Will we do things differently, recognising what Covid-19 has brought to light? Or will we want to rebuild our economies with more smoke and more pollution because we need speed and scale to get back on our feet? The future, like never before, is in our hands. Nature has spoken. Now we should speak gently back to her. Tread lightly on earth.

Dampak Lockdown Sebulan, Sungai Gangga di India Jadi Lebih Jernih

Merdeka.com - India memperpanjang lockdown untuk menghentikan penyebaran virus corona dengan menutup sekolah, kantor, industri, alat transportasi, dan memaksa orang-orang tetap di rumah. Bonus dampak dari kebijakan ini adalah udara yang lebih bersih, padahal India adalah negara keenam dari 10 negara paling tercemar di dunia. "Ini adalah perubahan yang sangat besar, ”kata Kunal Chopra, yang menderita bronkitis kronis, dilansir dari Alarabiya, Rabu (29/4). Biasanya Chopra mengawali harinya dengan suntikan dan inhaler. "Udara jauh lebih segar dan masalah pernapasanku membaik," ujarnya. Berdasarkan laporan Aliansi Global Kesehatan dan Polusi pada Desember 2019, India bertanggung jawab atas kematian lebih dari 2 juta orang akibat polusi udara. Pada 25 Maret, hari pertama lockdown, tingkat rata-rata PM 2,5 menurun 22 persen dan nitrogen dioksida - yang berasal dari pembakaran bahan bakar fosil - turun 15 persen, menurut data polusi udara yang dianalisis oleh Pusat Penelitian Energi dan Udara bersih. "Ini adalah masa yang luar biasa," kata Direktur Eksekutif Pusat Sains dan Lingkungan, Anumita Roychowdhury, Pusat Sains dan Lingkungan adalah sebuah organisasi penelitian dan advokasi di New Delhi. Dia mengaitkan penurunan polusi udara dengan berkurangnya volume kendaraan di jalan, aktivitas konstruksi, dan penutupan pabrik. "Orang lebih rentan selama pandemi di daerah dengan polusi tinggi," katanya. "Paru-paru dan hati kita sudah terganggu, dan kita tidak bisa melawan virus." India telah melaporkan hampir 20.000 kasus Covid-19 dan lebih dari 600 kematian. Lockdown yang rencananya akan dicabut pada 3 Mei juga berdampak pada sungai yang menjadi lebih bersih. Gambar-gambar perairan jernih Gangga yang murni, sungai terpanjang di India yang dianggap suci oleh umat Hindu, dengan antusias dibagikan di media sosial beberapa pekan setelah lockdown. Badan pemantau polusi India mengatakan jernihnya air sungai membuatnya layak digunakan untuk mandi di beberapa daerah, menurut alat pemantau real time yang ditempatkan di sepanjang sungai yang memiliki panjang 2.575 kilometer (1.600 mil) itu. Sebuah analisis baru-baru ini oleh Badan Pengendalian Pencemaran Delhi menemukan, kualitas Sungai Yamuna yang mengalir di sepanjang New Delhi juga meningkat selama lockdown. Laporan itu mengutip itu penurunan limpasan dari 28 klaster industri dan lebih sedikit sampah. “Lockdown telah memperjelas apa sebenarnya sumber utama pencemaran,” kata pegiat lingkungan hidup dan pendiri Swecha, Vimlendu Jha. Swechha, sebuah organisasi nonpemerintah yang membantu kaum muda memerangi perubahan iklim. "Limbah dipaksa masuk ke badan sungai kami, dan itulah alasan utama mengapa sungai kami hitam." Jha dan para ahli lainnya memperingatkan kondisi membaiknya kualitas lingkungan bisa berlaku singkat karena pemerintah pada akhirnya mencabut lockdown dan aktivitas ekonomi yang merajalela berlanjut. April 30, 2020