Chala reels under mounting garbage
The Hindu
1st September, 2012
The consistent rain over the past couple of days and the Onam festivities have only added to the garbage crisis in the city. The situation at the busy Chala market has become so severe that shop-owners here have started terming it the “next Villapilsala.” .S. Padmakumar, chairman of the works standing committee of the city Corporation, said on Friday that the local body was awaiting the green signal from the State government to transport waste to Parassala for platform construction. “Before we begin transportation, there is some civic work that is pending, and we have been told that the road repairs in the area will be completed within three to four days,” he said. Shrugging their shoulders at promises of transferring the mounting waste, traders at Chala appear resigned to an ugly fate. The rain has turned the once-tarred road into a slushy mud track and the stench from the hillocks of garbage dotting the market has become unbearable.
Mandur landfill opened
The Hindu
2nd September, 2012
Mayor admitted that there was close to 8,000 tonnes of waste that was yet to be removed from various parts of Bangalore. Mayor D. Venkatesh Murthy and Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Rajneesh Goel went on yet another inspection of the city on Saturday, taking stock of the garbage clearance process. Reiterating his promise, made on Friday during an inspection, that all accumulated garbage will be cleared within three days (from Friday), the Mayor said the Mandur landfill had been opened for dumping from Friday night. “I have instructed the officials to hire lorries and equipment required to clear garbage on priority,” he said. Mr. Murthy admitted that apart from the daily collection of 4,000 tonnes of garbage in the city, there was close to 8,000 tonnes of waste that was yet to be removed from various parts of Bangalore. Noticing the large quantity of solid waste produced by footwear manufacturing units at Anjinappa Layout in Chalavadipalya ward, the Mayor directed officials to dispose of this waste scientifically, a press release from the BBMP said on Saturday.
Loss of Tropical Forests Reduces Rain
Science Daily
5th September, 2012
Deforestation can have a significant effect on tropical rainfall, new research confirms. The findings have potentially devastating impacts for people living in and near the Amazon and Congo forests. A team from the University of Leeds and the NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology found that for the majority of Earth's tropical land surface, air passing over extensive forests produces at least twice as much rain as air passing over little vegetation. In some cases these forests increased rainfall thousands of kilometres away. By combining observational data with predictions of future deforestation, the researchers estimate that destruction of tropical forests would reduce rain across the Amazon basin by up to a fifth (21 per cent) in the dry season by 2050. The study is published today in Nature. Lead author Dr Dominick Spracklen from the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds said: "We were surprised to find that this effect occurs strongly across more than half of the tropics. We found that the Amazon and Congo forests maintain rainfall over the periphery of the forest basins -- regions where large numbers of people live and rely on rainfall for their livelihoods. "Our study implies that deforestation of the Amazon and Congo forests could have catastrophic consequences for the people living thousands of kilometres away in surrounding countries." Scientists have debated whether vegetation increases rainfall for hundreds of years. It is well established that plants put moisture back in the air through their leaves by a process known as evapotranspiration, but the quantity and geographical reach of rainfall generated by large forests has -- until now -- been unclear. While there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that forests significantly increase rainfall, until now there has been a lack of observational evidence. The team used newly available NASA satellite observations of rainfall and vegetation, along with a model which predicts atmospheric wind flow patterns, to explore the impact of Earth's tropical forests. "The Amazon forest maintains rainfall over important agricultural regions of Southern Brazil, while preserving the forests of the Congo Basin increases rainfall in regions of Southern Africa where rainfed agriculture is important. Increased drought in these regions would have severe implications for their mostly subsistence farmers."
Increase in Metal Concentrations in Rocky Mountain Watershed Tied to Warming Temperatures
Science Daily
9th September, 2012
Warmer air temperatures since the 1980s may explain significant increases in zinc and other metal concentrations of ecological concern in a Rocky Mountain watershed, reports a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Colorado Boulder. Rising concentrations of zinc and other metals in the upper Snake River just west of the Continental Divide near Keystone, Colo., may be the result of falling water tables, melting permafrost and accelerating mineral weathering rates, all driven by warmer air temperatures in the watershed. Researchers observed a fourfold increase in dissolved zinc over the last 30 years during the month of September. Increases in metals were seen in other months as well, with lesser increases seen during the high-flow snowmelt period. During the study period, local mean annual and mean summer air temperatures increased at a rate of 0.5 to 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit per decade. Generally, high concentrations of dissolved metals in the Snake River watershed are primarily the result of acid rock drainage, or ARD, formed by natural weathering of pyrite and other metal-rich sulfide minerals in the bedrock. Weathering of pyrite forms sulfuric acid through a series of chemical reactions, and pulls metals like zinc from minerals in the rock and carries these metals into streams. Increased sulfate and calcium concentrations observed over the study period lend weight to the hypothesis that the increased zinc concentrations are due to acceleration of pyrite weathering. The potential for comparable increases in metals in similar Western watersheds is a concern because of impacts on water resources, fisheries and stream ecosystems. Trout populations in the lower Snake River, for example, appear to be limited by the metal concentrations in the water, said USGS research biologist Andrew Todd, lead researcher on the project. "Acid rock drainage is a significant water quality problem facing much of the Western United States," Todd said. "It is now clear that we need to better understand the relationship between climate and ARD as we consider the management of these watersheds moving forward." Warmer temperatures and earlier snowmelt runoff have been observed throughout mountainous areas of the western United States where ARD is common, but it is not known if these changes have triggered rising acidity and metal concentrations in other "mineralized" watersheds because of lack of comparable monitoring data, according to the research team.
How to trash that
The Hindu
9th September, 2012
Sooner or later, as we drive out of our leafy neighbourhoods and happening cities, we see them. Piles of garbage, stinking, oozing, and spilling on to the freshly tarred road. Somebody in the car says, ‘Why can’t they incinerate? Why can’t they recycle? Why can’t they do something?’ But this particular issue has to be addressed with ‘Why can’t we do something?’ Those stinking, oozing piles come from households very much like ours. We generate endless streams of plastic wrapping and thermocol from white goods, paper and cardboard from branded purchases, and heaps of food waste. Living sustainably is a movement, not an event. Yes, it’s important to evaluate the products we buy for their impact on the environment, but first let’s take a hard look at what we produce — our household garbage. Most of us have no clue what is in our dustbins. It’s all tied up in a plastic bag, and a heroic rag picker salvages what can be salvaged, or our maids toss it all into someone else’s backyard while we pretend not to see. If we did look into the dustbin, what would we find? Banana peels, leftover rice, tea grounds, a dried-out pen, three milk packets, cardboard and oily plastic from the gobi manchurian brought home last night, and a ketchup bottle too small to be useful. They are a disgusting combination, but take them apart and what could they become? Banana peels and leftover rice can be composted along with the tea grounds and nourish your potted plants or suburban garden. The raddiwala would have bought the cardboard if you had kept it dry, and he would have taken the pen, milk packets and ketchup bottle. The oily plastic? That is trash. Now that you see it, you probably wish you hadn't made it happen.
Cement major accused of fly ash pollution
Indian express
10th September, 2012
Villagers of Khaliapali are up in arms against the ACC Cement Ltd for its alleged faulty fly ash management. Sources said crops in large tracts of land have been damaged after spilling of fly ash slurry generated from the Captive Power Plant (CPP) of ACC Cements Limited in Khaliapali. Incessant rains had led to melting of the fly ash mound dumped in the village. This spilled into agricultural fields damaging standing crops in villages of Khaliapali, Banjibahali and Baragad. The people of Khaliapali accused ACC Cement of taking over Gochar (Grazing) land of the village besides the cemetery yard and cremation ground of over 12 acres and forcibly dumping fly ash despite protests. They said fly ash has become a nuisance in the village as it covers the houses and village tank rendering water unfit for human use. “Over the years, fly ash has even resulted in health problems among villagers,” alleged Amant Mahanand, a farmer. Additional District Magistrate Srinibas Kabi said the Regional Office of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) has been moved over the issue. However, OSPCB Regional Officer S S Mishra said they had not received any complaint from the Bargarh administration.
Lights Out? The Dangers of Exposure to Light at Night
Science Daily
10th September, 2012
A panel of world experts discussed "Light Pollution and its Ecophysiological Consequences" and shed light on the extent of the dangers and harm that night-time artificial lighting causes, emphasizing that it is the short wavelength illumination that we have come to know as "eco-friendly illumination" that is causing the most harm (primarily LED lighting). "The most important thing for us is to raise awareness of the dangers of artificial light at night and we have already come a long way now that the American Medical Association (AMA) recently announced its new policy recognizing adverse health effects of exposure to light at night and encouraging further research into the matter," said Prof. Abraham Haim, a leading authority on light pollution, who coordinated the 21st International Congress of Zoology (ICZ) that was held last week at the University of Haifa, Israel. The participants were in full agreement that exposure to light at night affects circadian rhythms in nature -- humans, animals and plants -- which when thrown off can result in various illnesses and adverse symptoms. Prof. Haim presented one of his studies showing the adverse effects of exposure to light at night -- particularly short wavelength blue LED -- in the blind mole rat and in seeing rats, both of which showed varying levels of damage to their metabolic rates, hormone production, body mass, and oxygen consumption following exposure to LAN, as well as suppressed levels of melatonin production, which is responsible for tumor growth. "We expect to find similar results of damage from human exposure to LED lighting," Prof. Abraham concluded, and pointed out that "Western youngsters are typically surrounded by this sort of lighting in the confines of their own bedroom: from the smartphone, computer screen, and television." "Street lights in populated areas are responsible for 60 percent of LAN pollution, which is intensified under cloudy conditions when the light is reflected back down to the ground," said Dr. Franz Hölker of the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Germany, who chaired the panel with Noam Leader of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Others pointed out the excessive levels of light pollution found in industrial areas, greatly endangering surrounding wildlife.
Pune Municipal Corporation hospital found flouting environment norms
Times of India
13th September, 2012
Pune: Private hospitals found disposing biomedical waste in the open are fined by the Pune Municipal Corporation. It also threatens the doctors with legal action. But when it comes to monitoring its own hospitals, the civic body does not practice what it preaches. Biomedical waste ( BMW) like surgical hand-gloves, gauze, cotton swabs and blood stained bandages generated at the PMC-run Kamla Nehru Hospital in Mangalwar Peth were found in a garbage container along with regular garbage. By doing this, the hospital has not only flouted environmental norms, but has indulged in unscientific disposal which poses serious health hazards to those handling the waste. The unscientific disposal came to light after a few vigilant citizens contacted the TOI complaining about the unhealthy practice which they claimed has been on for many days now. When this reporter visited the hospital on Wednesday, the garbage container placed inside the hospital's premises had blood-stained surgical hand-gloves, cotton swabs, bandages, needles, medicines mixed with dry and wet garbage. "The PMC imposes fine on private hospitals if they are found disposing biomedical waste in the surrounding in an unscientific manner. It remains to be seen what action the PMC administration will initiate against its own people," said an alert citizen. A few months ago, the PMC had imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on a nursing home in Market Yard for gross mismanagement of biomedical waste. Besides, the civic body decided to stop lifting waste from 35 hospitals that refused to comply with the norms for treatment and incineration of hospital waste. "We fined this nursing home in Market Yard because the waste at this hospital was not segregated and some of it was also found lying in the surroundings, which can pose danger to human health," R R Pardeshi, the then health chief of PMC, had said when TOI had contacted him for a comment. S T Pardeshi, the present medical officer of health, PMC, said, "Throwing biomedical waste in regular garbage bin is absolutely unacceptable. We will investigate the lapse and whosoever is responsible will be punished." Considering serious lapses in the disposal and management of biomedical waste generated by clinical establishments in the region, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), on Supreme Court's directive, prepared a region-wise inventory of all biomedical waste generating units. The move helped consolidate the surveillance system of the board in respect of biomedical waste. It has brought every hospital, clinic and diagnostic centre on the list of the board, following which it has become possible to keep a tab on the biomedical waste generated at these units.
Attend PCB meet: HC to Ganesh Utsav Samitis
Indian Express
13th September, 2012
A division bench of the High Court comprising acting chief justice PC Ghose and justice Vilas V Afzulpurkar on Wednesday directed Ganesh Utsav Samitis, amicus curiae D. Prakash Reddy and G. Vidyasagar and other stakeholders to attend a meeting to be held by the AP Pollution Control Board on September 18 and then submit a report to the court giving their opinions or suggestions on immersion of Ganesh idols in water bodies. The bench gave the direction while dealing with a batch of petitions seeking a ban on immersion of idols in water bodies, including the Hussainsagar and other lakes in the state, and initiation of steps to protect the environment and lakes from pollution. It posted the matter to September 21 for further hearing. Mamidi Venu Madhav, an advocate and one of the petitioners, urged the court to grant an interim direction on immersion of Ganesh idols in the lake in view of the forthcoming festival. The APPCB, in its action taken report submitted to the court, said it provided Rs 1 lakh each to district collectors as subsidy to encourage the use of eco-friendly clay Ganesh idols on the condition that each idol be sold at Rs 10 by NGOs. The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) has taken up distribution of clay idols in its limits and tied up with idol makers for distributing 25,000 clay idols at subsidised rates. The Pollution Control Board has asked all regional and zonal offices to monitor rivers, lakes and other water bodies during immersion of Ganesh idols.
Nano arsenic mop : Alumina nanoparticles can better adsorb the heavy metal
Down to Earth
15th September
Millions in India and Bangladesh are at risk due to arsenic contaminated groundwater. Drinking such water can result in diseases like high blood pressure, abnormal thickening of skin and liver and prostate cancers. The methods to filter arsenic from drinking water are limited and costly. Commonly, alumina (aluminium oxide)-based materials like activated alumina are used to filter the contaminated water. As water passes through it, alumina adsorbs arsenic. But these materials have a drawback. They form metal hydroxides in water and reduce the efficacy of the adsorbent. An innovation by researchers from University of Calcutta could prove useful in tackling this problem. They have designed a new kind of arsenic-adsorbing material by using alumina nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are mixed with a polymer—polyacrylamide—to which chitosan (an element derived from the skin of crustaceans) is added. During experiments, it was found that the adsorbing power of the material increases with increase in arsenic concentration. To test the efficacy of the material, the researchers put the adsorbent into three different aqueous solutions containing varying concentrations (25, 50 and 80 ppm) of arsenic. The reason behind better adsorption, researchers say, is that since arsenic is negatively charged and alumina is positively charged, they attract each other in water. Further, the polymer makes bonds with the arsenic ions, providing for more adsorption. The researchers also tested the potential of the material in the field. They took 25 ml of arsenic-contaminated drinking water from Baruipur, a city in the South 24 Pargana district of West Bengal. The water sample had arsenic levels 50 times the WHO permissible limit of 10 microgramme/litre. To it they added one gramme of the adsorbent. They found that after the addition there was no traceable levels of arsenic in the water sample. The researchers also found that the removal of arsenic was dependent on the pH (alkalinity and acidity) of the water. The pH of water is around 7.2 even with impurities. “Adsorption capacity of the material increased from 45 per cent to 99.5 per cent as the pH of water changed from 4.0 to 7.2 and then decreased with further increase,” says lead researcher Priyabrata Sarkar. The new adsorbent is cheap. It will cost just Rs 1.10 to remove arsenic from a litre of drinking water having arsenic concentration 30 times WHO’s limit, researchers say. The adsorbent can be reused by removing arsenic from it after treating it with alkali or acid. The study was published in the August 15 issue of Journal of Hazardous Materials.
Pitfalls of a uniform food regime
Down to Earth
15th September, 2012
Tender leaves of karanji, a wild plant, is the favourite of tribals of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra (Photo: Aparna Pallavi)AS SEVERE drought sweeps parts of India, Russia and the US, fanning fears of a repeat of the 2007-2008 food crisis, attention has shifted to local foodgrains, vegetables and shrinking food diversity. Though loss of food diversity has been in discussion since the World Food Summit of 1996, the current dry spell has given it an emergency revival. August saw a series of efforts at the national and global levels for revival of local food biodiversity to fight not only scarcity but also malnutrition, a major concern for India and other developing countries. Early in August, the ministries of rural development and panchayati raj issued public advertisements, urging panchayats to hold at least one gram sabha meeting on nutrition and bring back long-forgotten local crops into diet to fight malnutrition. At the global level, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has brought out a report on food diversity and sustainable diets. The report indicts the current model of agriculture for not being effective in ending food scarcity and malnutrition. It cites the food crisis of 2008 and the shortage of food during the 2011 nuclear crisis of Japan as examples of how a uniform food regime could make millions vulnerable to food shortages. Various estimates, including that of FAO, show the 2008 food crisis pushed some 100 million people into hunger. The report was released just before FAO issued its monthly global Food Price Index in the second week of August. The index reported six per cent increase in food price after three months of consecutive decline. But despite food inflation, it is possible to stave off malnutrition. “People who survive on local plants and vegetables never die of starvation,” says S M Mohnot, director of the School of Desert Sciences in Jodhpur. But more and more people now rely on food that are not harvested locally but obtained through government foodgrain distribution systems. “It ensures food security. But vanishing local food makes people vulnerable to malnutrition,” Mohnot says. In a drought year, as nature’s response to crisis, local plants and vegetables grow faster. People dependent on them tide over the drought, he adds. The local produce has another advantage: it is inflation neutral as people collect it from the wild or procure it from local markets at a cheap rate.
Discharge of effluents polluting Meghalaya
15th September, 2012
The Times of India
Shillong: The Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board has revealed that about 80 per cent of the pollution in Meghalaya is caused by "indiscriminate discharge" or disposal of domestic sewage, trade effluents, urban solid wastes, bio-medical wastes and burning of domestic fuel and vehicular exhaust emissions. Since industrial development in the state has been slow, pollution from industrial sources has not been "that significant", the latest report of the board said, adding in recent years, the growth of industries has increased to a certain extent from small-scale stone crushing units to large-scale cement plants, leading to ecological imbalance. The report cited rapid population growth and fast urbanization as other reasons for increase in pollution. "Exhaust emissions from vehicles are the major contributors to air pollution since road transport is the only mode of transport in the state," the report tabled in the state assembly read. The board has identified 1,181 polluting industrial units and establishments in the state, most of which are small units. However, the report said 11 of these are cement plants under large-scale industrial sector, which also fall under the 17 categories of "highly polluting" industries.
Sick trees trigger warming?
Down to Earth
15th September
Just like polluting industries, sick trees too could be behind the rise in methane levels. Scientists have found that old, fungus-ridden trees in forests are a significant source of the greenhouse gas. They say that most 80 to 100 years old trees in the Yale Myers forest in the US are hollowed by a fungus that creates favourable conditions for the growth of methane-producing microorganisms. Normal concentrations of methane in air across the globe are 2 ppm, but these trees have methane levels of 15,000 ppm. If this figure is applied to all such diseased trees around the world, the methane thus produced would be 10 per cent of the global methane emissions.
Industry shadow on forest panel
Down to Earth
16th September, 2012
Three days after protests by environmentalists, a non-official member of the newly-constituted Forest Advisory Committee (FAC), accused of having conflict of interest, has resigned. The committee, under the Union environment ministry, grants clearances for diversion of forestland for non-forest purposes. K P Nyati, who has been associated with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), quit the panel on August 23—after environmentalists wrote a letter to Union environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan. They termed his appointment “inappropriate”. The ministry is yet to accept his resignation. The environmentalists had also demanded the removal of N P Todaria, professor of forestry in HNB Garhwal University, another non-official member of FAC. Todaria has been a consultant to hydropower projects in Uttarakhand in the past. He, along with Nyati and Mohammad Firoz Ahmed, a conservationist from Guwahati, was inducted into FAC on August 3. The ministry nominates four government officials and three independent members every two years to FAC to ensure jurisprudential use of forestland. Moments after the ministry issued the names of the members, environmentalists were up in arms. They feared the duo’s appointment would lead to conflict of interest in FAC. In the letter, the environmentalists, including 79 organisations and individuals across the country, allege that Nyati has been part of CII since 1992 and represents the interest of industries. He has worked as the principal advisor at the CII-ITC Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Development and worked as CEO of Sustainable Mining Initiative (SMI) of Federation of Indian Mineral Industries (FIMI). FIMI members include companies like Tata, NALCO and Essel. “The mining companies associated with FIMI are interested in projects that require huge forestland,” states the letter. On Todaria, the letter says FAC had rejected forest clearance for many projects in Uttarakhand the environmental impact assessment reports of which were authored by the professor. This includes the Kotli Bhel and Rupsiabagar Khasiabara hydropower projects. “Such questionable reports underline the fact that his independence and his credentials on the issues that FAC is supposed to look into are suspect,” says Himanshu Thakkar of South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People. In April this year, the Wildlife Institute of India recommended to FAC that at least 24 large hydro projects on the Ganga should be dropped to protect the terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity of the river. Todaria, however, criticised the report and lobbied for the projects. “This bias for big hydropower projects in Uttarakhand would clearly disqualify anyone from becoming an independent member of FAC,” says the letter. The letter also questioned the legitimacy of the duo’s appointments, saying these were “in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court”. According to the court’s order, non-official members of FAC have to be those who are independent and experts in the field of forestry. “Mining or other development projects cannot be said to be allied disciplines of forestry,” the letter notes. On his resignation, Nyati says, “There was so much controversy that I decided to get out of it. It is true that I have been associated with industries’ associations but I had resigned from CII in 2009 and from SMI in April this year.” He adds: “What I did was part of my job and that does not prove that I have vested interests.” Nyati claims that in the current composition of FAC there is no one who understands proposed projects as minutely as he does. “I could have at least contributed efficiently on the impacts of such projects on forests.” Todaria shares similar sentiments. “According to government norms, consultancy along with teaching, research and extension is part of my duty. I have been a consultant to a few projects in the past, but since 2010, I have had no such involvement,” he adds. P J Dilip Kumar, director general of forests in the environment ministry and the chairperson of FAC, was not available for comments.
SPCB to e-monitor pollution in industries
Times of India
17th September, 2012
Bhubaneswar: The State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) has installed an online monitoring system for measuring air pollutants in 29 major industries on the occasion of its 29th foundation day on Friday. The system will measure emission from chimneys and in the ambient air in those industries, an SPCB officer said. Forest and environment minister Bijayshri Routray launched the ambitious programme of the board. The real time GPRS-based environmental data transmission system is first of its kind in India. It is supposed to ensure round-the-clock electronic surveillance of pollution by industries and make the whole process transparent, said SPCB member secretary Siddhant Das. The industries under the scanner include units of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) and Nalco. The industries have been asked to install digital display boards at the gate and other prominent places to display the data on air pollution, Das said.
Idol colours could wash into drinking water too
18th September, 2012
The Times of India
Bangalore: On an average, a whopping 2.65 lakh Ganesha idols are immersed in the city's four lakes - Sankey, Ulsoor, Hebbal and Yediyur. The damage done is anybody's guess. The separate enclosures (pushkarnis) within the lakes to immerse the idols are hardly making a difference. And here's one more reason why you shouldn't dump idols in your neighbourhood lake: water polluted with chemicals might just flow from your tap. Prof C Anantha, department of chemistry at MES College in Malleswaram, explains how immersion tanks are only eyewash. "Immersion tanks situated next to lakes might not pollute the lakes directly. But the damage caused to the environment is huge. BBMP lets the dirty water flow straight into the sewage lines, which goes into storm water drains. Even at the filtration units at Vrishabhavati, only the suspended impurities are removed and not the chemicals dissolved in water. Chemicals like chloride, nitrate, sulphate and calcium dissolve in water. If you boil water with nitrate content , it becomes concentrated as it makes the water acidic. Such pollution can cause gastrointestinal diseases and respiratory disorders," he told TOI. The professor conducts tests on water samples of Sankey immersion tank before and after idols are immersed every year. His advice is to test water samples at frequent internals from the Cauvery water basin and Vrishabhavathi valley. "Pollution levels near the water body immediately after the Ganesha festival must be observed. BBMP should take precautions to build public awareness on ecofriendly idols," he said. Left untreated, water in the sewage lines pollutes the ground water table, and civic agencies have ignored this fact, he adds. For him, the biggest problem is solid waste management . Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols that float on water bodies don't dissolve. "One kg of PoP takes two years to dissolve. Tonnes of PoP waste that accumulates is dumped unscientifically in landfills by the Palike ," said Anantha. "The idols are also transported to Mandur landfill, as we don't have any alternative now. The public buys such idols for their sheer attraction," said a senior BBMP official.
Lingambudi lake under siege from pollution
The Times of India
18th September, 2012
Mysore: Not many cities can boast of lakes in its periphery, but Mysore, with numerous water bodies adorning the landscape, stands apart. However, increased urbanization and subsequent dumping of sewage water directly into many lakes have turned them cesspools. With unhindered inflow of sewage water, abetted by the district authorities, Lingambudi lake, one of the largest water bodies located in the southern Mysore, is under siege. The water body is part of the reserve forest, but its boundary is yet to be fenced. The tank attracts migratory birds in hordes during the season. Though measures were taken to prevent sewage inflow from neighboring localities, still UGD water is trickling into the beautiful lake and its inflow increases by several folds when the UGD systems nearby clog up. It is alleged that some people block the UGD system to divert sewage into the lake area to grow grass there. Lingambudi lake, spread across 216 acres, was declared as reserve forest in 2010 and a lake protection committee was formed to protect and develop it. Rain water is the only water source to the tank. Lingambudi lake protection committee president U N Ravikumar told TOI that even Karanji and Kukkarhalli lakes are polluted to due to inflow of sewage water. A decade ago, lake water was used for irrigation, but now the irrigated lands have been converted into layouts. Water has dried up as the sluice gates were kept open and due to lack of rains. "We have now plugged the gates to prevent the outflow from the lake, which is 25 feet deep. The lake requires heavy rains for at least three to four years to fill up to the brim," Ravikumar says. Sewage is still flowing into the lake area from Lingambudi Palya and Bogadi layouts, but in small quantity when compared to other lakes, he claimed."Even this needs to be checked, but the authorities are dilly dallying on the issue for several years. The officials concerned have filed affidavits before Lok Adalat promising to protect the water bodies. Efforts are being made in this regard as next Lok Adalath meeting is scheduled for December," he said.
Vaman Acharya is Pollution Control Board Chief
Indian Express
21st September, 2012
Bangalore: The High Court on Thursday was informed by the state government that industrialist, ideologue and senior BJP leader Dr Vaman Acharya has been appointed as the chairman of the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB). The government submitted this when a division bench comprising Chief Justice Vikramajit Sen and Justice B V Nagarathna was hearing a PIL filed questioning its act of appointing R Sridharan, secretary of the department of forest, ecology and environment, as the chairman of the KSPCB on ad-hoc basis. Petitioner Sriramegowda stated that the appointment of the board’s chairman on ad-hoc basis is contrary to the section 4 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and according to the Act, till a new chairman is appointed after following due procedures, the outgoing chairman shall remain in office. Hearing the petition, the court on September 4, had ordered A S Sadashivaiah to continue as the chairman of KSPCB till further orders. On Thursday, Advocate General S Vijay Shankar filed an affidavit stating that the state government has appointed Dr Vaman Acharya as the new chairman of the KSPCB. He said that Acharya is concerned about the environment. Apart from being an industrialist, he is also a farmer and has started a socially useful private enterprise in which four-eight tonnes of organic manure is being produced from the garbage, he added.
Environmental groups warn Australia on rising coal pollution
The Times of India
21st September, 2012
While the coal fiasco is still at the helm in India, environmental groups are now warning Australia of the massive pollution that some of its future projects will create. A Greenpeace report has estimated the total amount of carbon emissions from the Australian coal mines proposed for a new mining region will be around 700 million metric tones per annum (mtpa).
According to the report, Adani and GVK are two Indian companies who plan to set-up mega coal mines in Australia. The report 'Cooking the Climate and Wrecking the Reef' also estimates the coal mines' impact on the Great Barrier Reef. "Australia has begun the process of approving up to nine new mega mines in the new mining region, the Galilee Basin, five of which would be bigger than any existing coal mine in Australia. If these mines proceed, when they reach maximum production, the emissions from burning the coal would be over 700mtpa of carbon dioxide (CO2). In other words, if the Galilee Basin was a country, it would be the seventh biggest emitter of carbon dioxide pollution from fossil fuel burning in the world," said Greenpeace campaigner, Vinuta Gopal. The report finds that the total carbon emissions of all coal mine projects in Galilee basin will be 700mtpa, which is about 140mtpa more than the current total annual carbon emissions of Australia. The impact on the Great Barrier Reef will be mainly due to the increase in shipping traffic. "UNESCO's world heritage committee has warned the Australian government that failure to take protective measures will result in the Great Barrier Reef being put in World Heritage 'in danger' list. Investing in this project will not only destroy the reef but also cause an immense negative impact on global climate" added Gopal.
Environmental groups like the Sierra club along with Greenpeace have written a letter to the Chairman of US Ex-Im Bank, Fred Hochberg regarding their demands, after GVK had publicly mentioned it to be one of the financers.
‘Melting Arctic – doom for poor boom for emitters’
The Hindustsan Times
22nd September, 2012
Arctic ice being lowest since 1979 spells doom for climate conservationists but give new economic avenues for the developed world. Scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in United States released preliminary figures on Thursday suggesting that Arctic sea ice has reached its lowest level since the records began in 1979. The data indicated that on September 16th Arctic ice extent covered 3.41 m km2 – a drop of at least 45% since records began and was even less than the last lowest in 2007, considered one of the warmest years in the last century. Greenpeace International executive director Kumi Naidoo termed it as a Polar crisis and said “The announcement represents a defining moment in human history. In just over 30 years we have altered the way our planet looks from space, and soon the North Pole may be completely ice free in summer.” India, as usual, is missing from action. Unlike China, Korea or Japan, the Indian government does not have a proactive policy on North Pole and has even not sought observer status in Arctic Council, like China. Melting of Arctic ice shows the pace at which the world is warming and in indicative of tough times ahead. The North Pole is considered world’s cooling towers through circulation of sea water from warmer tropical region. Its melting will mean warmer seas in countries such as India, a death knell for your unique marine life with implications for our economic growth. Climatologists from across the world have urged the rich countries to fight global warming by reducing emissions not only to save the Arctic but also our future generations. But, the same nations, read US and Europe, is set to gain from the global change, a probable reason for their inaction.
Polluting units shut in Kaziranga
Down to Earth
25th September, 2012
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered about 70 industrial units operating inside the “no-development zone” near Kaziranga National Park in Assam to shut down. It has also imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh each on the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the state for allowing the units to operate in the restricted zone. Kaziranga, a world heritage site, is home to the largest population of one-horned rhino and is known for high density of tigers. MoEF had declared an area along the eastern boundary of Kaziranga a “no-development zone” in 1996. But the state had allowed more than 100 industrial units, including stone crushers, tea factories and brick kilns, to operate in and around this zone. The units have been found to be burning large amounts of coal with high sulphur content and discharging untreated effluent in the open. This came to light in August following a petition filed in NGT last year. In its judgement on September 7, NGT noted that the units were causing air and water pollution, thereby damaging the ecology of Kaziranga. “Non-implementation of the notification, both by the Centre, and the state shows their callousness and apathy in protecting ecology of Kaziranga,” said NGT. The penalty will be used to conserve ecology and wildlife in Kaziranga and restore the zone. NGT allowed units within 500 metres of the zone to operate on the condition that they will take strict pollution control measures. “Around 33,500 tonnes of high-sulphur coal was being burnt near the reserve. I am glad that NGT has come to the rescue of Kaziranga,” says petitioner Rohit Choudhury, a conservation activist in Assam. The report also highlights the pollution caused by the units. In tea factories, coal is burnt to dry tea leaves. These factories produce 1,200 to 2,500 tonnes of tea per annum. In the process, they consume 1,000 to 2,500 tonnes of coal each per annum. “The tea units in and around Kaziranga use coal from Assam and Nagaland. This coal has very high sulphur content,” says CPCB. The report points out that most of the tea factories release effluent without treatment. A tea factory generates 2,000 to 10,000 litres of effluent every day. Each brick kiln burns 250-450 tonnes of coal in a year. Three kilns were operating without a fixed chimney, violating EPA.
Brazil has lost 80% of coral reefs in 50 years
The Times of India
Indian Express
25th September, 2012
Sau Paulo: The coral reefs of northeastern Brazil have been reduced in size by some 80 percent over the past 50 years due to abusive extraction and pollution from urban and industrial sources, a new report says. Researchers working on the study, which was prepared by the Federal University of Pernambuco and the environment ministry, started gathering data in 2002 and finished their work last year under Beatrice Padovani, a professor. The report, which will be presented at an environmental conference Monday, found the presence of coral along about 2,000 km of coast in northeastern Brazil, the Globo Web site reported, citing excerpts from the study. Extractive activities, pollution, excessive fishing and rising water temperatures led to an 80 percent decline in coral reefs, the report said. "Until the 1980s, there was much extraction to make lime in the country," Padovani said, adding that pollution and sediment also harmed the coral reefs. The researchers also noted that rising ocean temperatures due to climate change and more frequent weather phenomena, such as the " El Nino" effect, had affected reefs. "In 2012, it is likely that there will be a new 'El Nino'. The reefs that will suffer most are the ones in the worst environmental condition," Padovani said.
UP to develop two mega leather clusters in Hardoi and Kanpur
The Hindustan Times
26th September, 2012
In an obvious bid to give major boost to the leather industry, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday approved two greenfield mega leather cluster (MLC) projects to come up at Sandila in Hardoi and Ramaipur in Kanpur districts. Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) will make land available for the two projects that are likely to bring an investment of Rs 2000 crore. One of these leather parks will be developed in around 300 acres of land in Sandila Industrial Area of the UPSIDC in Hardoi. The second leather park will be developed in around 625 acres of land in Ramaipur area of Kanpur. UPSIDC has identified land in Kuraina Bahadur Nagar and Senpurabpara villages of Kanpur. The parks would have the infrastructure to have 50% units from the small and medium scale sector, he said.IIDC said in order to mitigate the pollution and conserve environment the parks would have facilities to treat effluents generated there. Each park would have investment of about Rs 1000 crore and create employment opportunities for nearly 10000 persons, he said.
Do we have right to pollute lakes?
The Times of India
27th September, 2012
Nagpur: Do we have right to pollute our fresh water lakes? A simple but most important question in India as getting 'fresh water' is the basic requirement of every citizen of India and the apathy towards this is causing huge health hazards. Against the provisions of Constitution to protect lakes, water bodies - a fundamental duty of state as well as every citizen, the act of polluting the lakes by immersing Ganesh idols in fresh water lakes is going on since long. The activity of using lakes for Ganesh idol immersion which is actually proved detrimental to the environment, has received acceptance by the community as well as the government. If it is so, shall we remove this provision from the Constitution? Kings and rulers had constructed many important fresh water lakes to provide fresh water to common citizens and had given rights over it to the community. During British rule, all such water bodies in India were brought under the control of the government which has actually lost the ownership and sense of responsibility by communities towards its protection. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar had freed Chavadar lake in Mahad in Raigad to the Dalits. Shahu Maharaj made lakes accessible to common people. Shivaji created many lakes and so as Rani Durgawati and Bhonsalas. "However, the status of these water bodies is pathetic as lakes have lost the support and sense of responsibility from the local community. Today most of them are treated like dumping grounds. It may be solid waste, liquid waste or even the nirmalya or Ganesh idols. We are putting everything in our fresh water lakes," says Kishor Rithe, president of Satpuda Foundation, an environment protection organization.
Mathura refinery under fire for polluting lake
Indian Express
28th September, 2012
Agra: The Mathura oil refinery has been cautioned against polluting the Keitham Lake (Soor Sarovar), which supports a bird sanctuary, on the Delhi-Agra national highway, according to an official. Deputy wild life conservator Sujoy Bannerjee told IANS Friday: "We have asked them not to release chemical wastes in the lake. "The bird sanctuary can not be allowed to be contaminated." "The Mathura refinery under an arrangement with the state irrigation department lifts fresh water from the Soor Sarovar for refining operations, and in the process discharges waste and effluents into the lake," environment- activist Sharad Gupta told IANS. The lake, named after Soordas, the blind bard of Braj Bhasha, was originally designed by the British in 1922 to serve as a reservoir for water supply during lean months to Agra city. It was turned into a bird sanctuary in March 1991. Due to water shortage at the Keladeo bird Sanctuary in Bharatpur, a large number of migratory birds moved over to Keitham Lake which had enough water. Member of Supreme Court monitoring committee and petitioner in the Allahabad HC, DK Joshi told IANS: "The refinery should be asked to make their own arrangements for water from the Gokul Barrage in Mathura and should vacate 23 acres of land of the sanctuary."