Karnataka State Pollution Control Board's Annual Report (2003-04 to 2009-2010)
Annual Report 2003-04 Annual Report 2005-06 Annual Report 2007-08 Annual Report 2008-09 Annual Report 2009-10
Annual Report 2003-04 Annual Report 2005-06 Annual Report 2007-08 Annual Report 2008-09 Annual Report 2009-10
The agriculture department is finally taking note of the non pesticide management technique of farming. The Andhra Pradesh government issued an order on May 16 that the rural development and the agriculture department would work together to reduce the cost of cultivation and move towards a pesticide free cultivation across the state.
Old Wine in New Bottle The Supreme Court on February 8 this year had ordered the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to reconstitute its scientific panel. The apex food regulatory body had inducted members from the food industry, defeating it's very purpose of regulating the food industry. Of the eight scientific panels, seven had 18 members from big food businesses.
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) carried out an analysis of the EIA of expansion of Gujarat Pipavav Port located in the Gulf of Cambay. The analysis was requested by a Gujarat based NGO called Paryavaran Mitra.
After Pune, which is reaping the benefits of an eco-housing scheme launched last year, Mumbai now can do the same. The decks stand cleared for the launch of an eco-housing scheme in Mumbai, which offers financial incentives to both builders and consumers. Prepared by Pune-based Science and Technology Park and recently adopted by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (mcgm), the scheme will certify green residential complexes, both new constructions and retrofitted buildings.
The fortnightly newsmagazine Down To Earth (DTE) carries a shocking expose on the Central government's "unseemly haste" to give a clean chit to the pesticide endosulfan, used in the district of Kasaragod in Kerala and seen as the cause of horrendous abnormalities in people living there
Change begins in our own home – with little steps. What can each one of us do to green our homes? How can we reduce the energy and water use of our buildings, our living? How do we know what works and how? There are a range of products, fixtures etc. that are today extensively available for us to select and use. What is required is the right intent and knowledge.
As India attends the COP5, it is worth looking at how it has fared in the past. In COP 4, held in 2008, India had played spoilsport by preventing chrysotile asbestos and endosulfan from being included in Annex III of UN's Rotterdam Convention that brands them hazardous. Including the two in the Annex III would have made mandatory for countries to take a Prior Informed Consent, or PIC, before exporting them to other countries.
India has started on the same note that it did at the Stockhlom Convention. It sought consensus based addition of chemicals in the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) list. The COP5 of the Rotterdam Convention has met to decide upon the inclusion of the following chemicals in the Annex III to the convention- chrysotile asbestos, endosulfan, alachlor and aldicarb. On day one of the convention, COP5 parties adopted the agenda without amendments.
Day 2: India opposed the listing of chrysotile asbestos in the PIC list on day two of the Rotterdam Convention. India cited pieces of national evidence suggesting that the substance can be used safely. Sudan too cited the same reasons for opposing the listing of chrysotile asbestos also known as white asbestos. But India and Sudan were not the only countries opposing the listing of asbestos in Annex III of the convention.
Day 3: In a surprising turn of events, the Indian delegation agreed to the listing of chrysotile asbestos in the Annex III of the Rotterdam Convention which is the Prior Informed Consent (PIC) list. The turnaround came at a contact group meeting which was set up for discussion on chrysotile asbestos also known as white asbestos as they member groups of the convention could not agree upon a consensus. However, when India announced its stand it was applauded and it received a standing ovation at the plenary.
Day 4: Despite India changing its stand, the COP hasn't been able to reach a consensus on the listing of chrysotile asbestos in the PIC list. Confusion over the meaning of 'listing' as opposed to 'banning' was cited as the reason for not being able to reach a consensus.
Mumbai on the West coast of India is the financial capital of India. The City has grown phenomenally over the years with several suburbs and extended suburbs being added to it. The city is bustling with over 18 million people. Add to this the growing number of immigrants and the pressure on transportation systems. The city has one of the best public transport systems, with a network of suburban railways, public bus, auto rickshaws, taxis, radio cabs. But these do not meet the growing demand for travel.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation has an area of 185 km2 and the Kolkata Metropolitan Area is spread over 1,750 km2 with 15 million people. Pollution levels in Kolkata are high and on the rise. The city will have to take steps to reduce motorisation, so that it can deal with congestion and air toxins. The city is constrained by the road space – it has less than 10 per cent of its land area under roads, against Delhi’s 21 per cent. Therefore, even though the city has fewer cars than Delhi the result is the same – growing congestion and pollution.
Kanpur is the largest city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is spread over an area of 260 sq km with a population of 25.51 lakh. The population is expected to increase to 48 lakhs by 2030 which amounts to adding a whole new Kanpur in 30 years. Even though it had originally grown as an industrial town, manufacturing is shrinking in this city. The city has strength in terms of heavy usage of cycling and walking but due to neglect the city is losing this advantage. Air pollution levels are one of the highest in the country.