India Environmental Issues

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Kolkata: India's plan to tap 1,50,000 mw of hydro potential to meet its target of generating 3,98,000mw by 2030 will bring about a major ecological disaster, according to Jean-Joseph Boillot, co-chairman of Euro-India Economic & Business Group (EIEBG) and former financial counseller of the French Embassy in New Delhi.

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India is trying to over-harness its hydro capacity to meet its energy demand which will be around 3,98,000mw by 2025-2030. But Boillot said there is the need to be cautious as over-harnessing of hydro potential has caused a major disaster in China.

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Source: The Finacial Express on 2 Dec, 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

PRISCA, A FISHERWOMAN FROM Thiruvananthapuram said, “We declare that the Coastal Management Zone Notification and the Swaminathan Committee Report will be thrown in the Arabian Sea. The sea is ours, the coast is ours. Anyone obstructing that will not be tolerated.” November 4 to 6 saw the streets of Jantar Mantar in New Delhi resound with the voices of over 400 fisher folk gathered from Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, reiterating a simple message: that their coast is not up for grabs.

India’s 8,000-kilometer coastline is under threat. The proposed Coastal Management Zone (CMZ) notification by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) seeks to replace the existing Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification, all set to ulcerate the coast by allowing for piecemeal planning and development on the coast — the entry of special economic zones (SEZs).

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This fragile coastline has been a contested space for decades. Port trusts, harbours and oil exploration have always been granted vast stretches of these lands. However, today, with SEZs in the picture, conflict has spiked like never before. A large number of SEZs are proposed to populate the coasts. The SEZs will contain gem cutting units, chemical hubs, thermal power projects, steel plants and other employment-generating facilities. They will also have palatial seaview apartment complexes, helipads, golf grounds, shopping malls, swimming pools and other luxury entertainment zones. The government would like our 10 million fish workers to believe that this is all being done for their development.

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Source: Tehelka on 29 Nov, 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

The people of Nainital have switched to scientifically designed waste management to restore the lost grandeur of the Naini Lake. Nainital, a hill resort at 2,000 meters above the sea level in Kumaon hills, is named after Naini Lake, which enhances beauty of the township.

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"The main reason of this project is conservation of the Naini Lake. This lake of Nainital is connected to 62 drains out of which 23 drains directly fall into the lake and whole lake is polluted because of this. Through this ('Mission Butterfly') we contacted the residents, hotels and schools and we have managed to control the waste that was falling in the lake," said S.M. Shah, project engineer, Nainital Lake Conservation Project.

Apart from the residents, schools have extended full cooperation to the authorities, to save its precocious eco-system. Apart from helping the authorities in converting the waste to manure, the schools are educating their students about waste management.

"Our cooperation in this is basically because being residents of Nainital, we feel ourselves responsible for the conservation of the lake. We extend our full support to this mission. In our school we teach our students that they should not litter garbage and should dispose it in the dustbin so that it can be managed easily and converted into compost," said Kiran Jairamaya, Principal, Al. Saints College, Nainital.

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Source: oneindia on 9 Dec, 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

BANGALORE: Here is stark ground reality: there is an alarming dip in the water table. According to a recent survey conducted by the Karnataka Urban Water Supply and Drainage Board (KUWSDB), there has been a rapid decrease of the groundwater table in Bangalore in the last 20 years. The water table that was 80-100 feet deep then is now 800 feet deep.

Despite this grim situation, the BWSSB plans to drill 1,500 new borewells, particularly in the newly added areas of BBMP with a Rs 100 crore budget allocation. It has embarked on this project to mitigate the water crisis.

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Source: Times of India on 11 Dec, 2008

Wake up Bangaloreans, go for rain harvesting, develop lakes, ...

[Krishnamoorthy K]

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Bangalore's new landscape are adding new holes in the Earth's ozone blanket. Glass buildings with central air-conditioning, metal shutters and `global designs' consume very high amounts of energy, leading to severe increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

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Does Bangalore need A/C buildings at all?

Green buildings may well be the norm of the day, a fancy `in' thing to go for. But not many are aware or even too particular about these, say architects. A building with glass walls and central air-conditioning is a "good selling feature'' for rental spaces to international clients. "There is above 60% relative humidity in the city only for around 2-3 months. A good design can do away with the need for central air-conditioning but that feature is highlighted as another selling point,'' says Hariharan.

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Sick building syndrome spreads

Buildings which have central cooling systems are estimated to be recirculating up to 92% of the air leading to the sick building syndrome where people, even sitting at great distances from each other, are at high risk of getting respiratory allergies and disorders from co-workers. Doctors in the city say that the number of people with respiratory problems are on the rise, owing to not just the pollution, but also cross infection inside buildings.

Bangalore is emerging as a global city. But ask experts and they will tell you, the global city might not be doing much good to the globe.

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Source: The Times of India on 10 Dec 2008

This article is applicable to any other city in India....

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Originally Posted by Krishnamoorthy K

Source: Business Standard on 6 Dec, 2008

Climate change summit may make no headway

POZNAN (POLAND): The classical have and have not divide is destined to turn the climate change summit here into a failure.

Forget identifying the elements that would be negotiated in Copenhagen next winter, there is a strong possibility that rich industrialized countries or Annex 1 countries could even tinker with the set principles of UN’s climate change convention.

The leader of the Indian delegation, environment secretary Vijai Sharma, clearly said, ‘‘Any attempt to revisit principles would handicap negotiations. There should be absolutely no tinkering with convention principles, under which India is under no obligation to take any emission cuts.’’

Without getting into the details, UNFCCC executive secretary Yvo De Boer also said that there is a very little chance of elaborate agreement even in Copenhagen.

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Source: Times of India on 11 Dec 2008

Deal struck on forests

POZNAN, Poland (AP) — Negotiators broke an impasse Wednesday on including forest conservation in a new climate change agreement, guaranteeing a voice for native peoples who live in forests and rewarding India and China for replanting depleted lands.

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Though activists said they were disappointed that four countries, including the United States, deleted any specific reference to the "rights" of indigenous people, the agreement recognizes, "the full and effective participation" of local communities.

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Source: Associated Press on 11 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

The chemical plants of Ankleshwar are smelt before they are seen. The noxious, sulphurous mix of gases that rises from one of Asia's largest industrial estates catches in the throat, stings the eyes and prickles the skin.

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"But it's the gases you can't smell that are the most dangerous." Across town, the chemical cluster's disaster prevention team are catching their breath after responding to a nine-tonne ammonia discharge the day before. "It was a big leak," says one of the team.

Ankleshwar, in India's western Gujarat state, is listed by the New York-based Blacksmith Institute as one of the most polluted towns on earth. Its 1,700 factories produce dyes, pigments and pharmaceuticals to supply a global market. Many of them also produce greenhouse gases and a mix of industrial effluent that only recently found its way into treatment ponds rather than into groundwater.

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Source: Finacial Times Deutschland, Germany on 11 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) Phase I, the first attempt as a centrally funded scheme for river conservation was launched in the year 1985. The Plan was taken up to treat partial pollution load of the river. Under this Plan, 260 pollution abatement schemes spread over 25 towns in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal were completed at an expenditure of Rs.452 crore leading to the creation of additional sewage treatment capacity of 869 million litres per day (mld). GAP Phase-I was declared closed in March, 2000. Since GAP Phase-I did not cover the pollution load of Ganga fully, GAP Phase II which included Plans for Yamuna, Gomti, Damodar and Mahananda besides Ganga was approved in various stages from 1993 onwards. The present sanctioned cost of works for Ganga river (main stem) under GAP Phase-II is Rs.564 crore against which an amount of Rs.373.58 crore has been released to the State Implementing Agencies. Out of a total of 311 schemes sanctioned, 185 schemes have been completed so far and the balance schemes are in different stages of implementation.

With the completion of the pollution abatement works under GAP Phase – I & II, notwithstanding the phenomenal increase in the urban population leading to substantial increase in the pollution load of the river Ganga over the past years, water quality of Ganga has shown improvement at major locations over its pre-GAP quality in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).

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Source: PIB GOI on 11 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) which presently covers identified polluted stretches of 35 rivers and 164 towns spread over 20 States. which presently covers identified polluted stretches of 35 rivers and 164 towns spread over 20 States. The pollution abatement works undertaken in these towns under NRCP include interception and diversion works to capture the raw sewage flowing into the river through open drains and divert them for treatment in Sewage Treatment Plants; Low Cost Sanitation works on river banks; Electric and/or improved wood crematoria for proper cremation of bodies; River Front Development works, Public Participation and Awareness programmes etc.

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Source: PIB GOI on 11 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

In 2009, 62 countries including India will switch their lights off for one hour in support of Earth Hour, ....

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The campaign, which hopes to reach out to more than one billion people in 1,000 cities around the world, asks individuals, businesses and governments to switch off lights for just one hour on Saturday 28 March 2009 at 8:30 pm to create a platform to support action on climate change.

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Source: domain-b.com

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Daytime ban on vehicles in city center expected to put pressure on other Indian cities to reduce pollution.

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Fazilka, near the India-Pakistan border, announced the 12-hour-a-day ban around its clock tower for motorized four-wheel and heavy-duty vehicles.

Officials wanted to make the area bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly while reducing pollution, estimating that nearly 80 percent of its air pollution is attributable to the transportation sector. The officials based their opinions on findings in a weeklong case study last year by the Graduates Welfare Association Fazilka.

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Source: CSRchina.net on 4 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

NEW DELHI: Green cover in 10 major cities, including metropolitan cities like Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, is shrinking gradually, the Indian parliament was informed on Thursday.

According to the environment and forest ministry, the green cover in Ahmedabad has shrunk to 144 sq km from 177 sq km in 2003.

While in Kolkata the green cover has fallen from 2,667 sq km to 2,649 sq km, in Bangalore it is now 992 sq km, a reduction of 34 sq km from 2003. The green canopy has lost 15 sq km in Surat (Gujarat).

There has also been a marginal decline in what the ministry called "forest cover" in Hyderabad, Vijaywada (Andhra Pradesh), Vadodara and Rajkot (both in Gujarat).

Meanwhile, Mumbai has done a fantastic job by increasing its forest cover to 5,406 sq km as against 5,130 sq km in 2003 - a whopping increase of 276 sq km.

In Delhi and Chennai, too, the green area has increased to some extent. Delhi has reported an increase of five sq km, and Chennai has seen an addition of 11 sq km.

Source: Times of India on 12 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

NEW DELHI: Indians believe that environment is not in crisis but an overwhelming majority is still ready to pay more for eco-friendly products, a new survey revealed.

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It revealed that despite economic slowdown, a strong majority thinks it is important to purchase products and brands they perceive to be socially responsible. About 90 percent Indians and Chinese want to buy socially responsible brands while only 64 percent of Japanese want such products.

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Source: Times of India on 12 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

New Delhi, Dec 11: The government on Thursday signed a 'Joint Declaration of Intent' (JDI) with Germany for organising the fourth Environment Friendly Vehicles (EFV) Conference in India next year.

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This is for the first time that such conference is being organised in a developing country. The first three conferences were held in UK, Japan and Germany, it added.

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Source: ZEENEWS.COM on 11 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

KOLKATA: You may call it sweet retribution of nature against urban sprawl. Mangrove trees, which grow only in the high-salt, low-oxygen soil of the Sunderbans, are sprouting new life on the banks of the Hooghly in Kolkata. And the now-rare Sundari tree may find new life and a new home.

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"I chanced upon the mangrove trees on the bank adjacent to Millennium Park a few months ago. I was thrilled. It was found to be Sonaritia casualaris or chak keora. I asked people of Sea Explorers' Institute to make a survey. They located at least 132 such trees of four species. Most of them are young, except the one near Millennium Park, which is five to six years old," said Sanyal.

The growth of mangroves is a sign of increasing salinity in the Hooghly. This may pose a distant danger for the city. "But it can do immense good to the soil and environment. Mangrove trees can absorb more carbon dioxide than other trees and stop soil erosion. The mangroves on the bank of the Hooghly must be preserved," Sanyal added.

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Source: The Times of India on 12 Dec 2008

Mangroves increased in Gujarat

Gujarat has shown an increase in mangrove cover mainly because of plantation and protection measures. In the State this has been increased from 916 sq km to 936 sq km. Though the mangrove cover of the country which was 4448 km2 in 2003, has reduced to 4445 km2 in 2005. This has been reported in the State of Forest Report 2005, published by Forest Survey of India. This shows a marginal decrease of 3 sq km. There was reduction in the area in Andaman and Nicobar Islands from 658 sq km to 637 sq km and in West Bengal from 2120 sq km to 2118 sq km. This is mainly because of the tsunami that hit Andaman & Nicobar Islands on 26 December, 2004. Mangroves play an important role in coastal ecology, & protecting the coastal areas from the impact of tidal waves but the extent of protection is variable & is a function of several factors.

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PIB on 11 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

NEW DELHI: Industries which cause pollution can take it easy, at least for now, as the government has no plans to levy tax on them to curb carbon emission.

"There is no proposal by the government to levy tax on polluting industries to scale down carbon emissions," Environment Minister Namo Narain Meena told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.

He explained that there is no proposal to measure and analyse the carbon footprint of polluting industries.

"India has been following a path to sustainable development through a range of policies and programmes to mitigate climate change and reduce carbon emissions," Meena added.

Power sector reforms, use of cleaner and lesser carbon-emmiting fuel for transport, encouraging mass rapid transport systems and environmental quality management are some of the measures taken by the ministry to mitigate global warming, the minister added.

Source: The Economic Times on 11 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

.... according to WHO estimation, toxic emission from cooking stoves were responsible for causing 1.6 million premature deaths a year globally, half of them among children below 5 years.

In India, 400,000 deaths were reported yearly due to toxic emission from cooking stoves. Annually 150,000 homes were affected by IAP.

For the foreseeing future, billions of people would continue to use wood, cow dung and crop leftovers as their main fuel and this reliance on solid fuels was one of the ten most important threats of public health he cautioned.

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Source: SahilOnline on 12 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

Kalam advocates Jathropa

T B Jayachandra: You advocate jathropa as an option for solving energy crisis. But there is no jathropa cultivation in India.

Kalam: You can't change me sir. Jathropa needs less water, has multi-purpose uses and takes only two years to grow. It's a big business proposition and we can grow it in the 70 million dry land we have.

Source: The Times of India on 14 Dec 2008

US firm to set up bio-diesel plant in R'sthan

US-based technology company Thar Technologies Inc is planning to set up a bio-diesel plant in Rajasthan.

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"The main source of bio-diesel -- jatropha and karanj -- are extensively grown in Rajasthan. We want to draw benefits from the recent bio-diesel policy of the Rajasthan government that entails allotment of 30 per cent cultivable wasteland to the private sector for jatropha and karanj," Chordia said.

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"To date, bio-diesel production has been a two-stage process -- first, hexane is used to extract vegetable oil from oilseed, then the vegetable oil is converted to bio-diesel. In the proposed single-stage process, carbon dioxide replaces hexane, a toxic solvent," he said.

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Source: Business Standard on 01 Dec 2008

About Jathropa

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Almost overnight, the unloved Jatropha curcushas become an agricultural and economic celebrity, with the discovery that it may be the ideal biofuel crop, an alternative to fossil fuels for a world dangerously dependent on oil supplies and deeply alarmed by the effects of global warming.

The hardy jatropha, resilient to pests and resistant to drought, produces seeds with up to 40 per cent oil content. When the seeds are crushed, the resulting jatropha oil can be burnt in a standard diesel car, while the residue can also be processed into biomass to power electricity plants.

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.... a British company developing the use of jatropha as an alternative to fossil fuels. Lex Worrall, its chief executive, says: “Every hectare can produce 2.7 tonnes of oil and about 4 tonnes of biomass. Every 8,000 hectares of the plant can run a 1.5 megawatt station, enough to power 2,500 homes.”

.... Biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 80 per cent compared with petroleum diesel, according to the US Energy Department.

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Jatropha: costs and benefits

• Jatropha needs at least 600mm (23in) of rain a year to thrive. However, it can survive three consecutive years of drought by dropping its leaves
• It is excellent at preventing soil erosion, and the leaves that it drops act as soil-enriching mulch
• The plant prefers alkaline soils
• The cost of 1,000 jatropha saplings (enough for one acre) in Pakistan is about £50, or 5p each
• The cost of 1kg of jatropha seeds in India is the equivalent of about 7p. Each jatropha seedling should be given an area two metres square.
• 20 per cent of seedlings planted will not survive
• Jatropha seedlings yield seeds in the first year after plantation

Source: TIMESONLINE

Check also Firms out to make biofuel from jatropha, The Five Most Important Energy Forecasts of 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

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"Eighty-eight percent of Indian consumers are prepared to pay more for goods that are environmental friendly against 82 percent in China. In Japan, only 68 percent of consumers feel the environment is the most important issue,"

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Source: Times of India on 12 Dec 2008

[Krishnamoorthy K]

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Lamenting the indifference of the authorities towards vehicle pollution in Bangalore, she said: “There should be new inventions in vehicle technology and they should conform to Euro 3 norms.” “Around 1000 vehicles are introduced on the roads of Bangalore every day, adding more pollution and chaos.” There should be a restrictive policy towards vehicles especially cars. The city administration needs to invest in massive public transport with integration and GPS system.

When asked her opinion on the vehicles run on LPG, she said: “They are not a complete solution, since LPG has a residual problem and it also has the problem of adulterated fuel.” Speaking on the issue of climate change, she said: “India and China are under tremendous pressure from the rich countries to cut their carbon emissions, whereas in rich countries the emissions have increased. No kindergarten approach will work to avert this disaster. Ecological space is as much needed as economic space.” Indian science should focus more on affordable and sustainable technology, she added.

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Source: expressbuzz 17 Dec 2008