Centre for Science and Environment masthead Twitter LinkedIn Facebook Instagram Donate

Cse In News

Cse In News

Noida sees cleanest Earth Day since active pollution monitoring began in 2018

According to the data assessed, the average PM2.5 for Noida for Earth Day 2020 was 54.9 microgrammes per cubic metres (Ug/m3), against 78.97 Ug/m3 on Earth Day 2019, and 98.46 Ug/m3 in 2018. With Wednesday marking the 50th anniversary of ‘Earth Day’ – a day that aims at enhancing environmental education and awareness -- Noida saw the cleanest Earth Day in the past three years with particle and gaseous pollutants well within prescribed limits. According to data assessed through the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) of Noida, on a scale of 0 to 500, was 88 or ‘satisfactory’ on Wednesday, against 168 or ‘moderate’ the same day last year, and 262 or ‘poor’ in 2018. Interestingly, while the theme for 2020 is climate action, it’s not the mitigation measures taken by the authorities but rather the nationwide lockdown that has given the city the cleanest Earth Day since active monitoring of the pollution levels began in 2018. According to the data assessed, the average PM2.5 for Noida for Earth Day 2020 was 54.9 microgrammes per cubic metres (Ug/m3), against 78.97 Ug/m3 on Earth Day 2019, and 98.46 Ug/m3 in 2018. The PM2.5, or particles with diameter less than 2.5 microns, are coarse particle pollutants produced from industrial and vehicular emissions. The safe limit for PM2.5 is 60 Ug/m3, going by national standards. The average PM10 also dropped, though not under the prescribed limit just yet, with Wednesday seeing an average of 111.84 Ug/m3, while last year the same was 203.24 Ug/m3, and in 2018 it was 280.21 Ug/m3. The PM10 safe limit is 100 Ug/m3, going by national standards. The gaseous pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), which comes from industrial and vehicular fuel combustion, however, fluctuated. Wednesday saw an average of 21.61 Ug/m3 of NO2, while the day in 2019 saw 18.19 Ug/m3 and 2018 saw 29.45Ug/m3 in NO2 values. The safe limit for NO2 is 40 Ug/m3 for industrial areas and 30 Ug/m3 for eco-sensitive zones, going by national standards. Though the lockdown has reduced pollution levels due to lesser vehicular movement and industrial activities, experts believe they will spike sharply when the lockdown is over. “One of the major reasons the air is cleaner is the reduction in the vehicular movement. However, there are chances that the pollution levels will spike sharply after the lockdown is over, people might prefer personal vehicles and avoid public transport in fear of the pandemic. The government has to ensure trust among people to ensure that public transport areas are safe. Also, local authorities must work on parking policies to discourage private vehicle movement,” said Shambhavi Shukla, senior project associate, air quality, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said. According to Noida-based environmentalist Vikrant Tongad, strict measures would be required to minimise the likely risk of sharp spike in pollution. “The air quality will obviously deteriorate after the lockdown is over. In such a case, the best that could be done is to minimise the impact of pollution on the local environment. The authorities will have to implement proper waste management rules, for both industrial and local waste, and ensure that industrial effluents are not discharged into rivers. Also there has to be accountability, so in case pollution levels spike, there could be liable agencies that could be held accountable,” said Tongad. According to officials, while taking cars off the road has had a major impact on pollution levels, the post lockdown scenario will depend on the meteorological conditions. “It’s obvious that the pollution levels will as the lockdown is in place, as the major reason (for emissions) is vehicles. You take the vehicles off the road and pollution drops. However, it also depends on the meteorological conditions. There would be a spike in pollution levels once the lockdown is over, but meteorological conditions will play a major role in controlling them,” said Utsav Sharma, environment engineer, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board. “Though Covid-19 is the major crisis that we are handling currently, the authority is already doing a lot of sprinkling for sanitisation, which also acts as a pollution cutting measures. There are a number of measures to be taken post lockdown, which are currently on hold due to the ongoing pandemic, such as water sprinkling, grassing and massive plantation. Controlling pollution will be our priority,” said Rajeev Tyagi, general manager, Noida Authority.

World Earth Day stresses the link between health and environment

As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in lockdown mode, youth, activists and leaders across the world recognised that the coronavirus crisis, health and environmental threats need to be tackled hand in hand. For World Earth Day 2020, 10-year-old Sarah Rose drew a poster which her school will later put together as a collage regrouping the work of her classmates. Sarah Rose is in Grade 5 at Pathways School Noida in Delhi. She is currently home schooling because of lockdown measures India enforced to contain the Covid-19 epidemic. “I made a poster with the Earth and trees because because I was inspired by the United Nations' goal to plant 7.8 billion trees,” she told RFI. “But I also wrote 'If you want a better ENVIRONMENT' as environment also stands for everything in Nature, like plants, trees, animals and so on.” Sarah said that she does not really need one special day to celebrate Earth Day “because on different days, my dad brings all sorts of plants home”. The 10-year-old has been learning about renewable and non-renewable energy at school and is acutely aware of the need for a better environment. “We should save our resources and use them wisely,” Sarah declared. Covid-19 and pollution India has been under lockdown since March 24th and the absence of massive car traffic, shuttered industries and halting of construction work has brought positive change towards the usual alarming level pollution. According to India's Central Pollution Control Board, levels of PM2.5 particulate -- the most dangerous for human health – are 20 to 30 times the accepted limits. But on April 22nd, World Earth Day, the levels of were reported to be "satisfactory". For Sarah, the lockdown measures brought a huge change in Delhi, one of the world's most polluted city. “People are not coming out on the roads and polluting. The air has become much cleaner,” she said. Anumita Roy Chowdhury of the Delhibased Centre for Science and Environment agreed, “we've never really experienced clean air like this.” But the World Meteorological Organisation warns that the global reach of the coronavirus pandemic is not enough to stop climate change. "Covid-19 may result in a temporary reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but it is not a substitute for sustained climate action," the World Meteorological Organisation said in a statement released on World Earth Day. Greta, Francis and Antonio The Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, said that climate and environmental emergencies must be tackled at the same time as the coronavirus crisis “The climate crisis is not slowing down, even in times like these,” said the 17 year old who spearheaded the Fridays for Future movements. At the Vatican, Pope Francis made an impassioned plea for protection of the environment, saying the coronavirus pandemic had shown that challenges can be met with a global response. For Pope Francis it is necessary for young people to "take to the streets to teach us what is obvious, that is that there will be no future for us if we destroy the environment that sustains us". Last year, after a synod of bishops from the Amazon region, Pope Francis said he was considering adding a definition of "ecological sins" in the Roman Catholic Church's Catechism, a compendium of teachings and rules. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres urged government “to turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future”. “The current crisis is an unprecedented wake-up call”, Guterres said in a public address where he outlined six climaterelated actions. The first one being: “as we spend huge amounts of money to recover from the coronavirus, we must deliver new jobs and businesses through a clean, green transition”. | April 25, 2020

Covid-19: Noise pollution falls as lockdown rings in sound of silence

NEW DELHI: For nearly a month, there’s been no honking, no whirr of vehicular engines, no echo of loudspeakers and no clanking of machinery in factories. For nearly a month since the lockdown was clamped, Delhiites have been waking up to the chirping of birds. Like the now clear water of the Yamuna and the clean air of the city, Delhi’s noise pollution has drastically fallen, thanks to closed factories, mostly empty roads and an absence of commercial events. Prashant Gargava, member secretary of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the apex body for measuring noise pollution across the country, says it is carrying an analysis on pollution levels during the lockdown, results for which are likely to be shared soon. While the diurnal decibel level limit in residential areas in normal times is set at 55 dB(A) and 45 at night, chances are the current figures range between just 30 and 40. “The chirping of birds measures around 40-50 decibels,” Pravesh Biyani of IIIT-D, which is conducting a study, says, “When the surround sound is lower than that of the chirping, people get to hear the birds.” A senior Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) official says the drop in noise pollution has been significant. DPCC, too, will study the current data. CPCB and DPCC have five noise monitoring stations each. These cover industrial, residential and commercial locations like Anand Vihar, Civil Lines, Punjabi Bagh, Mandir Marg, RK Puram, ITO, East Arjun Nagar, Dilshad Garden, Bawana and Dwarka. In a recent submission to the National Green Tribunal, DPCC analysed noise pollution levels between April and October 2019 from its five stations, with Anand Vihar recording the highest average daytime and night-time noise levels. The highest was recorded at 65.7 dB(A) in October. The lowest average day-time reading was recorded at Punjabi Bagh in June 2019 at 55 dB(A), while the lowest night-time average was recorded at Mandir Marg in June 2019 at 49.1 dB(A). For industrial areas, the standard is 75 dB(A) during the day and 70dB (A) at night time. Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director, Research and Policy at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) says the impact is being seen most across industrial areas and traffic hotspots. “Busy roads which would constantly get noise pollution from horns and vehicles driving by are completely quiet now. Industries too which have shut down during the lockdown, meaning noise pollution there is extremely low as well,” said Chowdhury. A study by Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Delhi carried out recently had found that honking of vehicles is a bigger noise polluter than firecrackers with decibel levels going up to 100 db(A) and higher. The study was conducted by Biyani, assistant professor with Electronic and Communication (ECE), department of IIIT-D. Noise pollution was measured on eight prominent roads and 12 intersections of the city, including Anand Vihar, IP Extension, Govindpuri metro and Connaught Place. Biyani said the Govindpuri Metro station area, which had sound decibels of around 100 daily, “has now reduced to around 50-60 decibels due to the less number of vehicles on the road.” Dr Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist in-charge at Yamuna Biodiversity Park (YBP) says noise levels above 20 dB(A) are known to disturb birds. However, with reduced human activity and noise, their chirping is being heard clearly now. Times of India | Delhi | April 23, 2020

Skies over New Delhi turn a rare shade of blue

As lockdown measures remain in place across India, air pollution decreases. India is home to 1.3 billion people. As schools, workplaces, industry and transport remain closed, pollutants found in the air have been able to settle. According to air pollution data analysed by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, on day one of the coronavirus lockdown, the average particle matter (PM 2.5) in the air decreased by 22 percent. The average nitrogen dioxide - which comes from burning fossil fuels - dropped by 15 percent. The reduced air pollution is rare for India, which at the end of 2019, was reported as home to six of the world's 10 mostpolluted cities. According to a report by the Global Alliance of Health and Pollution, India has more than two million pollution-related deaths a year - the highest number in the world. "These are the extraordinary times," said Anumita Roy Chowdhury, executive director of the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi. He went on to say, "Because of the public health emergency, everything is shut down. Factories are shut. No construction happening. And because we are not travelling, there are no vehicles on the road. And naturally because of that, pollution levels have reduced dramatically." The positive impact of the lockdown is not just limited to better air quality and higher visibility. India's Central Pollution Control Board said the water in the Ganges, India's longest river, had become fit for bathing. This was deduced with the help of realtime monitors placed along the river. The report cited a decrease in runoff from 28 industrial clusters, and a reduction in dumping of rubbish, as some of the biggest reasons for the improved water quality. Recent analysis by the Delhi Pollution Control Board confirms the quality of the Yamuna River, which skirts the city of New Delhi, has also improved during the lockdown. Environment activist and social worker Vimlendu Jha warned the improvements are "short-lived" and will probably fade as rampant economic activity resumes after the lockdown. He went on to say the government and policymakers need to study the data collected during the lockdown, to identify sources of pollution and devise better standards to help improve the environment. Lockdown measures remain in place across India until at least May 3. | April 23, 2020

World Earth Day stresses the link between health and environment

As the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of Earth Day in lockdown mode, youth, activists and leaders across the world recognised that the coronavirus crisis, health and environmental threats need to be tackled hand in hand. For World Earth Day 2020, 10-year-old Sarah Rose drew a poster which her school will later put together as a collage regrouping the work of her classmates. Sarah Rose is in Grade 5 at Pathways School Noida in Delhi. She is currently home schooling because of lockdown measures India enforced to contain the Covid-19 epidemic. “I made a poster with the Earth and trees because because I was inspired by the United Nations’ goal to plant 7.8 billion trees,” she told RFI. “But I also wrote ‘If you want a better ENVIRONMENT’ as environment also stands for everything in Nature, like plants, trees, animals and so on.” “I made a poster with the Earth and trees but I also wrote ‘If you want a better ENVIRONMENT’ as environment also stands for everything in Nature” – Sarah Rose, 10 yr, India. “I made a poster with the Earth and trees but I also wrote ‘If you want a better ENVIRONMENT’ as environment also stands for everything in Nature” – Sarah Rose, 10 yr, India. © Jaya Bhattacharji Rose Sarah said that she does not really need one special day to celebrate Earth Day “because on different days, my dad brings all sorts of plants home”. The 10-year-old has been learning about renewable and non-renewable energy at school and is acutely aware of the need for a better environment. “We should save our resources and use them wisely,” Sarah declared. Covid-19 and pollution India has been under lockdown since March 24th and the absence of massive car traffic, shuttered industries and halting of construction work has brought positive change towards the usual alarming level pollution. According to India's Central Pollution Control Board, levels of PM2.5 particulate -- the most dangerous for human health – are usually 20 to 30 times the accepted limits. But on April 22nd, World Earth Day, the levels of pollution were reported to be "satisfactory". For Sarah, the lockdown measures brought a huge change in New Delhi, one of the world’s most polluted city. “People are not coming out on the roads and polluting. The air has become much cleaner,” she said. Anumita Roy Chowdhury of the Delhibased Centre for Science and Environment agreed, “we've never really experienced clean air like this.” But the World Meteorological Organisation warns that the global reach of the coronavirus pandemic is not enough to stop climate change. "Covid-19 may result in a temporary reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, but it is not a substitute for sustained climate action," the World Meteorological Organisation said in a statement released on World Earth Day. Greta, Francis and Antonio The Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, said that climate and environmental emergencies must be tackled at the same time as the coronavirus crisis “The climate crisis is not slowing down, even in times like these,” said the 17 year old who spearheaded the Fridays for Future movements. At the Vatican, Pope Francis made an impassioned plea for protection of the environment, saying the coronavirus pandemic had shown that challenges can be met with a global response. For Pope Francis it is necessary for young people to "take to the streets to teach us what is obvious, that is that there will be no future for us if we destroy the environment that sustains us". Last year, after a synod of bishops from the Amazon region, Pope Francis said he was considering adding a definition of "ecological sins" in the Roman Catholic Church's Catechism, a compendium of teachings and rules. The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres urged government “to turn the recovery into a real opportunity to do things right for the future”. “The current crisis is an unprecedented wake-up call”, Guterres said in a public address where he outlined six climaterelated actions. The first one being: “as we spend huge amounts of money to recover from the coronavirus, we must deliver new jobs and businesses through a clean, green transition”.

EarthDay: It Took Shutting Down Everything to Get Blue Skies Again - Indian Environmentalist

New Delhi (Sputnik): The 50th Earth Day comes at a time when the world is hit by the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdowns imposed by various countries to stop the spread of the highly contagious disease have yielded unintended benefits for the environment – pure air, cleaner rivers, and blue skies. It feels like the Earth is healing: the thick black smog has cleared and the skies have turned blue again, the air is purer, and people have gotten a momentary sense of breathing not toxic gases, but fresh air. Sunita Narain, director at the Centre for Science and Environment, tells Sputnik that what is clear to us on this Earth Day is that this joy of nature has come at an enormous and unacceptable human cost to millions in the world. “We must remember that at the current levels of pollution, it took as much as shutting down everything. Yes, this is what it will take”, she explains. According to a report by NASA, due to the reduced human activities during lockdown, the aerosol level in northern India – which made headlines for the unprecedented level of air pollution – is at a 20-year low for this season. The national capital Delhi now also has a 2.5-level of particulate matter in the air – equal to that of the Scandinavian countries, which are known for performing better on welfare indexes. Sunita elaborates that when smog hits Delhi again in the winter, controlling it would require taking every car off the road and not playing with an odd-even vehicle rationing scheme; it would require shutting down all industries. “I say this not because this is what we must do in winter. 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 as well as our right to breathe”, she opines. On the other hand, the Yamuna River in Delhi, which was declared a dead due to zero oxygen is now showing signs of revival as the lockdown has halted the industry processes that resulted in dumping effluents in the river. Lockdown Breaks the Chain; Sustain it But has this lockdown broken the cycle and somewhere given us a chance for a fresh start to sustain what we have got, once it ends? Professor Gauhar Mahmood of Jamia Millia University's Department of Civil Engineering, who is currently working on water management plan for Yamuna, says: "Lockdown has given a clear message that we can improve the water quality if we control the industries. Within a month of lockdown we have got a very good result especially in terms of hydro environment". The professor points out that the hydrogeo environment is ultimately affecting the health of the people. Heavy metals in the water due to the waste dumped by industries are also causing a lot of miscarriages, as the river is an indirect source of water for many households. “If the water quality of Yamuna improves, naturally the human health will too”, Mahmood said. When asked if the Delhi government is considering maintaining the trend by asking industries to mend their waste management systems, Deputy Chief that the focus at present is to save lives amid the COVID-19 pandemic and prevent starvation among the poor during the lockdown. “All we are thinking right now is about how to stop the spread of corona… First, we need to save lives. Even if we keep some river of the country clean but thousands of people die, then who are we keeping the river clean for?” Sisodia wonders. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to mark Earth Day and expressed gratitude to the planet for its "abundance of care and compassion".

Emission Monitoring System Market To Witness Astonishing Growth 2026 | GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, Compumedics, Electrical Geodesics, Medtronic

Witness Astonishing Growth Global Emission Monitoring System Market is set to rise from its initial estimated value of USD 2.35 billion in 2018 to an estimated value of USD 4.85 billion by 2026, registering a CAGR of 9.50% in the forecast period of 2019-2026. This anticipated rise in market value can be linked with growing concerns regarding the environmental conditions and effects the conditions have on human health.Emission monitoring systems are devices that are used for monitoring the emission and pollutions in the environment so that the correct guidelines for emission control. It monitors the various pollutant materials from the flue gas. They are currently employed as a standard for pollution control. According to Centre for Science and Environment's study conducted in 2015, Badarpur Power Plant situated in Delhi is the biggest polluting power plant all over India; the plant only contributed to around 8% of the demand for electric power but has been the cause of around 30-40% of polluted particles produced from the energy sector in Delhi. What Market Data breakdown will be provided by key geographies, Type, Application, End-users: Global Emission Monitoring System Market, By System Type (CEMS, PEMS) By Industry (Power Plants & Combustion, Oil & Gas, Chemicals, Petrochemicals & Refineries, Building Materials, Pulp & Paper, Pharmaceuticals, Metalworking, Mining, Marine & Shipping, Waste Incineration) By Geography (North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) - Industry Trends and Forecast to 2026. According to Centre for Science and Environment's study conducted in 2015, Badarpur Power Plant situated in Delhi is the biggest polluting power plant all over India; the plant only contributed to around 8% of the demand for electric power but has been the cause of around 30-40% of polluted particles produced from the energy sector in Delhi. Market Drivers: o Legal and environmental regulations set forth by the authorities in relation to the concerns of effects of environmental conditions on human health is expected to drive the market growth o Awareness for the environment and increased usage of oil & gas industries driving the need for monitoring the emissions is expected to drive the market growth Market Restraints: o High cost of continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) and its maintenance which is expected to act as a restraint to the market growth o Market is fragmented with specialist suppliers dealing with special products and consumers; lack of innovation and high customization as per the needs of the consumer is expected to restrain the market growth Segmentation: Global Emission Monitoring System Market By System Type Key Developments in the Market: o In June 2018, The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) issued new guidelines for the selection of continuous emission monitoring system (CEMS) helping in the correct implementation of the system and guiding through the regulations o In September 2017, Centre for Science and Environment in collaboration with various other organizations organized a conference in Delhi, India from September 26-28, 2017 discussing and effectively monitoring the pollution levels and industrial emissions in New Delhi. Competitive Analysis: Global Emission Monitoring System Market Global emission monitoring system market is highly fragmented and the major players have used various strategies such as new product launches, expansions, agreements, joint ventures, partnerships, acquisitions, and others to increase their footprints in this market. The report includes market shares of emission monitoring system market for global, Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and South America.

As Coronavirus Spreads So Does Single-Use Plastic. Here’s What That Means for Our Environment

As oil prices rapidly drop, recycling centres remain shut and plastic personal protective equipment becomes biohazard waste, the pandemic could worsen the already serious plastic pollution problem. The highly contagious COVID-19 has left our society and its socioeconomic systems in the lurch. Even as citizens celebrate the idea of animals reclaiming the streets that were once theirs and a reduced carbon footprint thanks to travel bans and lockdowns, the coronavirus crisis could harm our environment in another, easily overlooked way: by normalising the use of single-use plastics. A pre-coronavirus world was waging a war against single-use plastics. Big companies were called out for being major plastic polluters as many countries across the world began banning or at least considering a ban on single-use plastics. As microplastics settled in ocean waters, obstructing marine life and even our diets, the threat that plastic posed finally sunk in. The narrative wasn’t entirely against the lightweight and long-lasting material itself, but instead focused on the fact that it wasn’t being properly recycled and disposed of. The threat of coronavirus and the risk its infectious nature poses have brought back plastic like never before. Whether it's for essential equipment like sanitisers, face masks, latex gloves, syringes, or even the disposable packaging that restaurants are relying on to reduce the risk of spreading the virus through home deliveries, the pandemic has catapulted the consumption of plastic. To be practical, the unpredictability of the virus demands it. You can’t blame someone for preferring a plastic bag they can use once and throw away over a reusable cloth bag, or using gloves to wipe off the food they’re buying and then disposing these gloves after a single use, when sustainability comes with a side of serious health concerns. Which is why, various nations including the US and UK have had no choice but to reverse guidelines that limit or prevent the production of plastic and instead give consumers an all-access pass to singleuse plastics. Asia is seeing a similar penetration of single-use plastics in its society, and as the efforts to fight coronavirus are ramped up, so is the demand for personal protective equipment made from plastic. From propagating it as a more sterile material to pointing out its ability to wrap fruits and vegetables necessary for survival in a protective bubble, plastic manufacturers in India are already calling for all barriers and bans on plastics to be removed immediately. Even while coronavirus can last on plastic surfaces for up to three days, its disposable nature is being played up in the pandemic situation. But while that could be conducive for current times, it poses a serious threat for a plastic-free future. “In a crisis or disaster-like situation like this, there is no safe way to protect medical workers or provide food for millions of poor people on the street without plastic,” says Divya Ravichandran, the founder of Skrap—an environment sustainability firm that helps organisations, events and brands adopt sustainable practices and zero waste solutions. Pointing out that this is one of those uncontrollable blips on the antiplastic agenda, she stresses that when we can’t control the production of single-use plastic, we should strongly focus on managing our waste instead. But while she advises that milk packets and plastic food packaging be washed, dried and stored until they can be collected and sent to recycling centres, she also confirms a scary speculation: that while garbage collection counts as an essential service, recycling it does not. “In India, recycling is done by both, formal and informal sectors,” says Rahul Nainani, the founder of Raddi Connect, a recycling-based fundraising platform for NGOs, which works with a nationwide network of recyclers, garbage segregators and disposal units. “The issue is that informal recycling hubs like Dharavi and Malegaon have emerged as COVID-19 hotspots, while inter-state transfer of waste to formal recycling centres in Gujarat and Daman have been halted.” Nainani also talks about the need for a separate system that can ensure contactless collection of bio-hazardous waste including masks, gloves, pads and even condoms so as to reduce the risk of a waste collector catching the virus. “There is no way we can fight the amount of plastic being produced right now, but we must be mindful that all protective plastic equipment being used by almost every household is now bio-medical waste that must be collected and incinerated at the right temperature,” Sunita Narain, the director of India’s Centre for Science and Environment, says when asked about whether plastic will become a problem in this pandemic. To address this issue on an individual level, Skrap’s Ravichandran recommends that every household divide their disposables as dry waste that can be recycled, biodegradable waste that can be composted to make things like bio enzyme cleaners, and toxic waste that includes surgical masks, sanitisers and gloves, so that it can be dumped separately. She also stresses that people should switch over to making and using cloth masks so that the disposable surgical masks can be saved for healthcare workers who have a greater need for them and a system to ensure their incineration. However, becoming a biomedical hazard that threatens the spread of coronavirus to waste management workers isn’t the only effect plastic could have in this health crisis. As oil prices plummet to the lowest they’ve ever been, producing virgin plastic will become cheaper and therefore preferable over recycled plastic. “Recycled plastic and the price of oil is directly proportional,” explains Nainani. He points out that unlike many other countries, in India, recycling plastic is cheaper than producing it from raw materials. However, since the country is also one of the biggest importers of plastic from nations like Bangladesh and Pakistan, the waste produced within the country may eventually go straight to dumping grounds. “Since we don’t get high quality segregated waste that our factories can reuse, we still need to import waste when it comes to recycling, which is so ironic since we generate massive amounts of our own waste.” But while this could lead to large stacks of plastic waste lying around in garbage dumps, it’s not all gloom and doom. “One good thing we’re seeing is that less of this plastic is going into oceans,” Nainani says. He states that while coronavirus will contribute to a plastic problem for our environment, the quarantine and lockdown that have accompanied the pandemic means that people are less likely to litter beaches, ponds or public spaces. Ravichandran agrees with this line of thought and says, “Being able to care about recycling is a privilege at a time when people are worried about their homes and job securities and will therefore be unresponsive to ideas of sustainability and zero-waste lifestyles in the short term. However, the unfortunate circumstances have had an interesting, almost unintended effect: people are now only buying what they need, so the amount of waste they generate automatically reduces.” As we grapple with a global crisis, we are still trying to make sense of, now is not just the time to be mindful about washing our hands, but also the moment we take a step back from economic aspirations and materialistic desires to minimise what we consume, and how we get rid of it.

Ganga water fit to drink at many stretches: CPCB

This will change on Monday when several sectors start reopening gradually. Water quality experts said the lesson from the lockdown is to strictly ensure industries meet effluent discharge standards. For the first time in many years, several stretches of the Ganga are conforming to Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) standards for the quality of river waters, a phenomenon that follows the nationwide lockdown imposed on March 25 and extended until May 3. In fact, some stretches of the river are recording CPCB’s “fit for drinking water” norm with basic conventional treatment. Experts say this is mainly owing to industries not discharging toxic effluents into the river and less withdrawal of water for industrial and agricultural purposes as part of the lockdown that has shut industrial activity and restricted agricultural work. This will change on Monday when several sectors start reopening gradually. Water quality experts said the lesson from the lockdown is to strictly ensure industries meet effluent discharge standards. More than 80% of the pollution in the Ganga is contributed by domestic sewage from surrounding towns and villages and the rest by industrial effluents, according to the National Mission for Clean Ganga. CPCB’s assessment of Ganga water from January 2020 had shown that most stretches of the Ganga from Garhmukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal were not only violating drinking water standard but also recorded hardly any dissolved oxygen (how much oxygen is dissolved in the water) and extremely high levels of total coliform (bacteria from human and animal waste). Many of the same stretches, according to CPCB’s real time water quality monitoring of the Ganga on Sunday, met the drinking water standards; the biological oxygen demand was < 3 mg/l, dissolved oxygen i >4 mg/l and ph 6 to 9. The biological oxygen demand is the oxygen needed by the river to sustain life. “There are many reasons for improvement in water quality in Ganga. Industries is one of them.... Some distilleries have also stopped discharging. Waste dumping by people around the river also contributes to higher BOD {biological oxygen demand} which may have stopped as people are in lockdown. Its difficult to identify any one factor,” said a senior CPCB official who declined to be identified. CPCB will soon release its analysis of Ganga and Yamuna water quality during the lockdown period from March 25. “Yes its true that we found dramatic improvement in water quality in many parts of the river but in some stretches we found that water quality has deteriorated after the lockdown was imposed. The reasons for this will have to be verified,” the senior official cited above added. Experts urge policy makers to learn from the lockdown experience as access to clean water is also a public health issue and can play a critical role in tackling outbreaks like that of Covid-19. “Industrial pollution is zero today. It is a major polluting factor for Ganga as it compromises the river’s capacity for assimilation. When sewage is mixed with industrial effluents, it is difficult for the river to assimilate the pollution. There is another reason for improvement and better dilution of pollutants. There were a very high number of western disturbances which brought rain and improved the flow in the river leading to better dilution. There are two key takeaways from this— industries have to become zero liquid discharge and environmental flow is a must in the river,” said Manoj Mishra, convenor of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, descriptor. E-flow refers to quality, quantity and timing of water flows required to maintain life in the river. “Improvement in Ganga water pollution is a function of both quality and quantity. Water is not being lifted by industries so there is more flow in the river and the pollution is getting diluted. At the same time effluents are also not being discharged. It’s a same thing as you dilute something in a glass of water versus a bucket of water. Because of the harvesting season the agriculture sector also isn’t withdrawing much water now. If you leave nature on its own, it survives and comes back to life. This is a clear example but levels will go back up as soon as we reopen,” said Suresh Rohilla, senior director, water and waste water management, Centre for Science and Environment. Stretches that met “drinking water quality” standard on Sunday Stretches with biological oxygen demand (oxygen needed by the river to sustain life) is <3 mg/l, dissolved oxygen is>4 mg/l and PH is 6 to 9 • Kannauj, bathing ghat and barrage in Kanpur, Fatehpur bridge, Narora, Varanasi bathing ghat 1, Sukartal Ghat, Bhitpur, and Ganga nullah, Murshidabad and Howrah Bridge in West Bengal Stretches with high pollution level on Sunday: • Allahabad nullah with BOD of 15.35 mg/l and DO of 1.04 mg/l • Haridwar nullah with BOD of 43.20 mg/l and DO of only 0.01 mg/l • Nullah at Patna with BOD of 30.13 mg/l and DO of 0.25 mg/l

What will be the new normal?

What we should be really thinking about is the collective vulnerability of our world Sunita Narain I would dare to say: Covid-19 is the most tumultuous, most catastrophic, and the most defining epoch of our lifetime. I cannot think of anything else which has happened with such speed — from the end of December last year, when the first cases were reported in China, to the middle of April, when an estimated onethird of the world’s population is locked in their homes. This crisis has no precedent — there is no rulebook that tells governments what to do; how to shut down economies; and, when to re-open them. The virus is a mutant — it jumped from its animal host to humans; it is pernicious because it seems to find new ways to hide itself; and, we can be asymptomatic and yet be a carrier of infection. Deadly and devastating. But what we should be really thinking about is the collective vulnerability of our world. The most macho leaders, the most high-tech scientific establishments, and the mightiest economic prowess have all met their match in this lowly virus. It should make us humble — think about what we need to do differently; how we need to act and behave differently. But this is where I suspect we will err. The fact is that every time there is a catastrophic event, the focus is on the immediate — the relief and the rescue — and not on what we must learn for the future. And there is no doubt that the exigencies of Covid-19 management are most urgent and dire. We are losing lives in the rich world, which has hospitals and health infrastructure. Just imagine the scale of the human tragedy in the emerging, developing world, where none of this exists. But then also imagine the sheer scale of human deprivation as jobs are taken away — the economies of the poor are not based on the security of tenure, but on their daily earnings. But there is going to be life after Covid- 19. So, what will be the new normal? Let’s discuss the most critical issue of our globalised world: What leaders and institutions must learn from this for the next planetary emergency. The hard fact is that we know we should have acted together and we did not. China did not share information quickly enough; the virus moved out of the country and spread infection; the World Health Organization (WHO) did not act swiftly enough; or, maybe its voice was not respected enough to be heeded. Till the end of January, the WHO was hedging its bets on the containment of the virus in China — it came out against global travel bans and hemmed and hawed about the need to elevate the crisis to a pandemic. Then when it acted, it floundered against the sheer scale of the health emergency. It has lost credibility in this period, and this at a time when the world needs strong voices to steer it ahead. The UN Security Council did not meet for weeks, and when it did, it just whimpered and died. It is not just about China and the WHO — each country has shown that it is for itself in this crisis — dog-eat-dog world. It has reached the point where countries are pirating protective equipment — masks and gowns that are needed for health care workers, competing for medicine supplies, and sparring about who will make the first vaccine. It is frightening to think of this when we know that the pandemic is an outcome of an inter-dependent globalised world. The fact is that the virus definitely came from a province in China, where I have no reason not to say its citizens have a dystopian relationship with food. But the contagion grew because we live in such an inter-connected world. It is also clear that we are as strong as our weakest link. If the virus continues to spread in some region of the world — most probably the one with the feeblest health care services or one that is ravaged by war and strife — it will stay with us. We will not win this unless we win it together. That’s why the pathetic state of today’s global leadership should concern us. There are many respected voices who are arguing that Covid-19 shows the end of multilateralism — it’s the death of the United Nations and all that it stood for. Now, it will be unilateralism at its worst that will set the new world order. But this will not do — not for Covid-19 and certainly not for the next and looming planetary emergency of climate change. Very much like Covid-19, climate change needs global leadership — if one country continues to emit, then all actions of the rest will be negated. But if we want all countries to act, then we must build a cooperative agreement, one in which the last person, the last country, has its right to development. We need global leadership in a globalised inter-dependent world. So, in the new normal of the post- Covid-19 world, we must remember this. How we fix this is the question for tomorrow. But fix it we must. Business Standard | Delhi | April 20, 2020

Data Privacy Issues during COVID-19 (key points from the article “ Invisible Enemy” by Akshit Sangomla for Down To Earth Magazine)

From releasing the names and addresses of COVID-19 patients in the public domain, to using mobile apps that force people to share personal information, the Centre and state governments are blatantly undermining privacy and human dignity during the health crisis. Governments are in fact exploiting an archaic legislation that was enacted even before the invention of the television to carry out mobile surveillance and use artificial intelligence for facial recognition in the current crisis. The Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, which has remained largely unchanged in the past 123 years, authorizes governments to curtail people’s autonomy, privacy and liberty without even clearly defining the situations under which it can be implemented, observes P S Rakesh, a health consultant, in a 2016 paper published in the Indian Journal of Medical Ethics . The Act, which is silent on ethical and human rights issues, also shields officials from “any suit or other legal proceedings”. The 1897 Act, along with the National Disaster Management Act, 2005, lays the legal foundations for the bold steps the country is taking to fight COVID-19. The Centre’s much publicised Aarogya Setu mobile application, for example, has a host of privacy concerns including ambiguity over how it will use/share the data. Similarly, state governments are releasing apps and websites without privacy safeguards and they are being used to collect huge amounts of sensitive medical and personal information. The Tamil Nadu Quarantine Monitoring App, through which the state police is monitoring the location of quarantined people, has been released without privacy policy or terms of use. Location data is highly revealing and tracking apps without safeguards can record information that is not necessarily relevant for the fight against Coronavirus and place a country’s entire population under monitoring and surveillance, warns a report by Access Now, a non profit that fights for human rights. “The wave of surveillance we’re seeing is truly unprecedented, even surpassing how governments across the world responded to 9/11. The laws, powers, and technologies being deployed around the world pose a grave and long-term threat to human freedom,” warns Edin Omanovic, Advocacy Director of Privacy International, which, along with 100 other civil societies, has started a global petition asking governments to ensure that invasive measures introduced during COVID-19 also respect human rights. He adds that while the extraordinary crisis requires extraordinary measures, “it also demands extraordinary protections”. Countries are going out of the way to carry out surveillance and amass data even though past experiences suggest they seldom help. “The assumption that open and interoperable data will lead to better health response is untested, as is the assumption that mobile network data records measurably improve health system response efforts,” writes Sean Martin McDonald in a research paper that explores the role of data during the Ebola outbreak in west Africa in 2014. “A pandemic is no excuse to collect extensive and unnecessary data. Access to health data shall be limited to those who need information to conduct treatment, research, and otherwise address the crisis. The information should be stored securely, in a separate database,” says the Access Now report. It adds that most data should be erased after the crisis is over. On the issue of surveillance, the report recommends “detailed in-person contact tracing” rather than use of mobile devices to safeguard privacy and improve accuracy. In case of geo-location tracking, data should be anonymised. The report also calls for strict safeguards against misuse of data by private companies. “When creating applications to respond to a public health crisis, private companies should not be able to monetise data derived from the use of their products. Additionally, there should be clear limitations on secondary uses or further processing of data.” Most state government apps in India are developed by private companies and many of them are without a privacy policy. The biggest threat, however, is the sheer scale of privacy invasion that COVID-19 can trigger. Several countries have arbitrarily altered laws to gain coercive powers that will continue even after the health crisis is over. The episode might not only normalise the deployment of mass surveillance tools in countries that have so far rejected them, but also lead to the transition from “over the skin” to “under the skin” surveillance, warns author Yuval Noah Harari in an article published in the Financial Times . “Hitherto, when your finger touched the screen of your smartphone and clicked on a link, the government wanted to know what exactly your finger was clicking on. But with coronavirus, the focus of interest shifts. Now the government wants to know the temperature of your finger and the blood-pressure under its skin.”

Ill-designed ACs, poor ventilation may only help coronavirus thrive

New Delhi: Poor ventilation and illdesigned air-conditioning systems can trap stale air and increase the risk of catching diseases inside homes. This and many more living problems in the postpandemic period have been highlighted by Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in an analysis titled “Beyond the Four Walls of PMAY: Resource efficiency, thermal comfort and livability in the affordable housing sector”. The analysis points out that even if high outdoor temperature does manage to diminish novel coronavirus, mechanically cooled indoor temperatures and the air ducts of centrally air-conditioned buildings may enable the virus to thrive. “In fact, anticipating the risk, the Covid- 19 Task Force and Indian Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning released a booklet recommending maintaining of reasonably high levels of humidity, high rate of air change, and higher air temperature, among other things,” said CSE. At the same time, social distancing is virtually impossible in poorly designed small housing units of low-income groups, the policy brief points out. The analysis mentions: “The migrant crisis has shown how current approaches to housing provisions for the poorer sections need to change. Moreover, the overall hygiene of neighbourhoods in terms of access to water, sanitation and waste management requires most decentralised and efficient municipal services and decentralised resource and waste management systems to control the exposure to risk. Access to clean environment will have to be universal to protect all.” CSE said the Covid-19 challenge has raised concerns about thermally uncomfortable buildings, which increases air conditioning usage and, therefore, the risk of infections. “This has once again brought to the forefront the need to design buildings for thermal comfort and to minimise airconditioned hours. Out of the total approved projects under PMAY-U, 34% are under affordable housing that the private sector is delivering. But nearly the entire focus is on speed and ease of construction and material choices. It is now necessary to link these subsidies and incentives with performance of the housing stock to ensure quality and liveability,” said CSE. The technical group on urban housing shortage estimates that around 80% of the nation’s housing demand comes from congestion or overcrowding in houses. A house is defined as overcrowded in India when a married couple doesn’t have a separate room.

Housing sector will have to change post Covid-19: CSE

Bathinda: The current public health emergency has reinforced the fact that housing sector policy and interventions will have to change in the post-pandemic period for healthy living. Liveability and thermal comfort of houses for all income classes have drawn attention during the lockdown, points out a recent analysis of the housing sector carried out by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). A study titled ‘Beyond the four walls of PMAY: Resource efficiency, thermal comfort and liveability in the affordable housing sector’, was released on Thursday by CSE’s executive director (research and advocacy) Anumita Roychowdhury and programme director (sustainable buildings and habitat programme) Rajneesh Sareen. The study says that while trapped stale air in ill-designed thermally uncomfortable air-conditioned houses can foster infectious diseases, overcrowding in lower income households with no ventilation creates more risks for the urban poor. The current public health emergency has reinforced the fact that housing sector policy and interventions will have to change in post-pandemic period. The ongoing implementation of affordable housing programmes Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana for urban areas (PMAY-U) and reviews of the design and performance of affordable housing units at the state level have been captured in this study. While the latest estimates of Union urban housing ministry puts the national housing demand at 11.2 million, unofficial estimates report a higher housing demand. In current times of social distancing, crowded dwellings can be a bigger threat to health. The technical group on urban housing shortage has estimated that around 80% of the nation’s housing demand comes from congestion or overcrowding in houses. A house is defined overcrowded in India when a married couple does not have a separate room. To this is added homelessness, building rejection, and non-serviceability of buildings. CSE study recommended to introduce more comprehensive guidelines and mandates on material and architectural design to improve thermal comfort of buildings and reduce air-conditioned hours for energy savings and healthy living.

PBS Earth Day special examines the startling impact of climate change and poses potential solutions

Wednesday, April 22 at 8 p.m.— On Earth Day, PBS will premiere a compelling new documentary, “Climate Change—The Facts,” presenting scientific evidence of the impact of global warming. The program also examines possible solutions to the crisis, including the latest innovations, technology and actions individuals can take to prevent further damage. The one-hour special, hosted by natural historian Sir David Attenborough, premieres Wednesday, April 22 at 8 p.m. (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App. “Climate Change — The Facts” brings together leading climate scientists who explain what might happen if global warming increases 1.5 degrees. Experts examine the consequences of rising temperatures on ice sheets, fragile ecosystems, developing communities and extreme weather events. Personal accounts of California wildfires, extreme coastal flooding in Louisiana and increasing temperatures in Australia paint vivid pictures of these devastating effects. “In the 20 years since I first started talking about the impact of climate change on our world, conditions have changed far faster than I ever imagined,” said Sir David Attenborough. “It may sound frightening, but the scientific evidence is that if we have not taken dramatic action within the next decade, we could face irreversible damage to the natural world and the collapse of our societies. We’re running out of time, but there is still hope.” The program warns of potential tipping points that could trigger further catastrophic events, such as methane gas escaping from melting lakes in the Arctic. While these scenarios are discouraging, the program also inspires individuals to take action and make a difference. Experts offer hope that changes can be made in the next decade to reduce CO2 emissions and limit further damage. These include increased advocacy, advances in alternative energy technologies and innovative solutions to capture existing carbon dioxide. Researchers from around the world provide global context to the crisis in “Climate Change — The Facts.” Featured experts include Dr. James Hansen, former director of NASA Goddard Institute for Science Studies; Professor Naomi Oreskes, science historian at Harvard University; Professor Michael Mann, climate scientist at Penn State University; Richard Black, director of the UK Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit; Professor Andrew Shepherd, climate scientist at The University of Leeds, Sunita Narain, director general of India’s Centre for Science and Environment; and Greta Thunberg, Swedish teenage climate advocate and Nobel Peace Prize nominee. Earth Day 2020 Join PBS this Earth Day, April 22, 8 – 11 p.m. (check local listings), for a night of environmental programs featuring scientists as they chase clues to gain a greater understanding of our planet. Follow scientists in “Climate Change — The Facts”, as they explore what could happen to our planet if global warming exceeds 1.5 degrees. Discover how water underpins every aspect of our existence in “H2O: The Molecule that Made Us ‘Flow.’” Uncover how colossal floods violently reshaped the ancient world alongside geologists in NOVA “Killer Floods.”