Saving the planet. poll over 20,000 kids   Hyderabad, December 23, 2009: The Nick Green help poll proved to be an instant success with over 20,000 kids participating across India. Around 23 per cent feel that we should keep the pollution levels under control, 19 per cent feel that recycling paper and plastic is the need of the hour while 26 per cent believe that we should save energy and switch off lights when not in use. Around 32 per cent feel that we need to grow more trees. During Lets just Play, Nick went blank on November 7 and instigated many kids to go outside and play. Nick Big Green has been launched successfully across 27 countries like Brazil, France and Italy.   The movement will provide information and tools to kids to understand environmental issues like conserving enrgy, preserving nature and fighting pollution hazards. Nick will make every serious topic kid-friendly with the adorable kid cartoon Perman bringing him or her the key message of saving the planet. Kids have become increasingly conscious about nature. A Nickster said that he gifts only plants saplings to his friends on their birthdays. Kids are taking necessary steps to make change and go green. - Express News

Cut CO2 level at least 50% by 2050: UN draft    Bloomberg / Copenhagen December 12, 2009 (PTI): Nations around the world must reduce greenhouse-gas emissions at least 50 per cent by mid-century under a draft proposal being debated by 192 countries in Copenhagen. The plan says nations should collectively reduce the heat-trapping pollution that many scientists say could lead to catastrophic climate change between 50 per cent and 95 per cent from 1990 levels. The draft leaves long-term financing, or how much rich nations should pay poor ones to deal with global warming, to be dealt with later.  India is unhappy with the first official draft prepared at the climate change summit saying it was not a negotiated text and mention of “time-frame” for peaking of emissions was objectionable. “It has been hastily written. There are technical issues which needs to be clarified,” an Indian delegation member said, adding the most concerning part of the draft is the “provision on peaking”.   The smokeless chulha in India   December 4, 2009: The smokeless chulha concept is at least 20 years old in India. Conceived by the ministry of non-conventional energy now known as the ministry of new and renewable energy and designed by scientists, the stove was being promoted as the answer to India's indoor pollution woes that was causing great concern on account of its implications on health.  According to the World Health Organisation, 5,00,000 lives are lost every year to indoor pollution caused by burning of wood, coal and dung for cooking purposes that cause or aggravate respiratory diseases. The victims are mostly women and children.    The WHO estimates that pollution levels in Indian kitchens are 30 times higher than recommended safe levels. Even where smokeless chulhas have been introduced, the non-availability of good after-sales service agents discourages households from turning to this option. As a fairly uncomplicated device, the smokeless chulha  can be manufactured locally and the task of monitoring its use and providing maintenance services could also be done at the local level. - Times of India     US to help India set up eco authority    NEW DELHI, 27 Nov 2009 : AS part of the India-US Green partnership, the United States will help India set up a National Environment Protection Authority (NEPA).This was agreed to by US president Barack Obama and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his just concluded US visit. The move is part of efforts to strengthen co-operation and partnership between the two countries on environment and climate-related issues. India has been considering setting up an environment protection authority on lines of USEPA. The proposed authority is intended to enhance the command of Indian environmental agencies, improve public information and transparency, improve environmental compliance and enforcement.    American assistance is likely to be in terms of the kind of scientific and organisational backup that would be required by the proposed authority. USEPA and the environment ministry have been exploring options for restructuring and expanding India’s environmental authorities in order to improve compliance, enforcement and increase co-operation with states and local administration.

India deserves Nobel for dirt, filth: Jairam   New Delhi, November 20, 2009 (HT): "Our cities are the dirtiest of the world. If there is a Nobel Prize for dirt and filth, India will win it,” Environment and Forest Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Friday. Ramesh was speaking during the release of a report, which said that 800,000  people died in India every year because of environmental factors. Things could improve, the minister said, once Parliament approved the National Green Tribunal Bill in the winter session.    The report, prepared by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), dwells on what India will look like in 2047, 100 years after Independence.Finance Commission Chairman Vijay Kelkar suggested a way of building environment assets for the nation — selling half of the country’s public sector undertakings to raise Rs 90,000 crore.    “The private sector has (made unnecessary) many PSUs now,” he said.The report estimates the 8 lakh people die because of pollution of air, water and land, and the cost of such deaths is Rs 2,00,000 crore (Rs 2,000 billion). The cost of environment degradation is 4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), which in 2009-10 is Rs 46,00,000 crore ($1 trillion). GDP is the value of goods and services produced in a country in a year.  R.K. Pachauri, head of TERI, warned that if India failed to act soon to protect its environment, its economic growth would be impeded. “State governments will have to allocate more resources for environment protection,” Kelkar said.

NGOs plan one million toilets in India    CHENNAI, November 03, 2009: Aiming at building one million toilets in India, some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have jointly launched a programme, FINISH (Financial Inclusion Improves Sanitation and Health). To start a dialogue on this process, the NGOs led by FIN (Friends-in-Need)  organised a capacity building workshop on Sunday for all stakeholders like architects, NGOs, researches and corporates.   According to the available data, 2.6 billion people in the world do not have access to toilets and about 42,000 people die every week after drinking water polluted by faecal matter and in India, two out of three people do not have access to a toilet. At the same time 40 to 60 per cent of existing toilets are not being used. V Ganapathy, adivsor, FIN, said, “60 per cent of the Indian homes do not have toilets. UNICEF study points out more children die due to diarrhoea than from malaria, measles and AIDS. Seepage from septic tanks, open defecation etc cause  drinking water pollution, which causes diarrhoea. This brings us to focus, why it is important to have a toilet.”    Kids rally for green planet   BANGALORE, October 25, 2009: Over 160 young environment soldiers raised their voice against increasing carbon emissions on Saturday. Kids For Tigers (KFT), comprising children from 15 schools, gathered near Mahatma Gandhi statue on M G Road with banners and placards for a greener planet. Students in the age group of 8-15 staged a protest for over three hours to bring create awareness about the permissible level of  carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The schools that participated included Innisfree House School, K K English School, A V Education Society, Vidya Niketan Public School, Kendriya Vidyalaya and Apollo Convent. "Carbon concentration has already reached 378 parts per million (ppm). If it reaches 600 ppm, we will not be able to grow rice," coordinator Usha Ramiah said. - The Times of India   Row over 'radioactive' ship anchoring at Alang    New Delhi/Ahmedabad, October 16, 2009 : The shipbreaking yards of Alang have again been hit with a wave of controversy with the anchoring of an allegedly contaminated ship from the US at Bhavnagar. The civil society has raised an outcry over the contentious and alleged radioactive laden vessel named ‘Platinum II’ and earlier named ‘SS Oceanic’ as well as ‘SS Independence’ , which it contends had already been banned by the US Environment Protection Agency (EPA). The Indian Platform on Ship-Breaking, a coalition of environmental, health, labour and human rights body, has demanded that US government recall the ship along the lines that was done by the  French for the controversial ‘Le Clemenceau’.    Soon a Central Bill to bring all PCBs under one body, says minister   September 27, 2009: Union Forest and Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh on Friday announced the formation of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA). He said a Bill to this effect will be tabled in the next session in Parliament. “All the state Pollution Control Boards will merge into EPA. I am in the process  of having a meeting with Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) and Forest Department officials for a viable action plan. Once a report comes to me by November, a plan will be  formed,” he said.  Earlier in the day, he visted the critically polluted talukas of Vapi in Valsad  and Ankleshwar in Bharuch, and assured the affected persons that no clearance will be given to new chemical units in the region. He said Vapi is badly hit by water pollution and Ankleshwar is affected by air pollution.    Paradip port spill: Marine disaster in making    September, 24, 2009: The oil spill generated from Monday by the sunken freighter owned by a Singapore-based firm has begun to wreak havoc in the Bay of Bengal. Thousands of dead fish have been washed ashore at Orissa’s Paradip port town, signaling the beginning of more damage and destruction in store as the slick had spread over 6 sq km on Monday. The ship sank on September 12 en route to an undisclosed destination in China with a cargo of 24,000 tonnes of iron ore.   “The oil slick is just 40 km from the Garimatha marine sanctuary where tens of thousands of Olive Ridley turtles congregate in winter, said Sushil Dutta, professor of zoology in North Orissa University. It will have a long-term impact on sharks, dolphins and other species. Fish are already dying. Other marine animals consuming these fish will also die. “This is nesting time for the Olive Ridley turtles which travel to Garimatha from as far as Sri Lanka,” said a scientist with the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India. The oil has not reached the nesting site yet according to an initial assessment. Concerned over the spill, the Union Ministry of Environment has sought a report  from the Orissa government on the damage done to marine life.   India's land and air getting more polluted: Govt    New Delhi, September 1, 2009 : About 45 per cent of India's land is degraded, air pollution is increasing in all its cities, it is losing its rare plants and animals more rapidly than before and about one-third of its urban population now lives in slums, says the State of Environment Report India 2009 brought out by the government.The third official report on the state of India's environment, published after a gap of eight years and released by Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh in New Delhi on Tuesday, has only one word of cheer - it says  India is using 75 per cent of the water it can use, and it has "just enough for the future if it is careful".   The report, prepared by NGO Development Alternatives under the aegis of the ministry, says 45 per cent of India's land area is degraded due to erosion, soil acidity, alkalinity and salinity, waterlogging and wind erosion. It says the prime causes of land degradation are deforestation, unsustainable farming, mining and excessive groundwater extraction.On the bright side, the report shows how over two-thirds of the degraded 147 million hectares can be regenerated quite easily, and points out that India's forest cover is gradually increasing. Ramesh said it would be unrealistic to expect that India's area under forests  would go above the current 21 per cent, given the competing demands for land. "Our plan is to have all this 21 per cent as high and medium density forests within the next 10 years," he said. Currently, only two per cent of India is under high density forest cover, while medium density forests cover about 10 per cent of the land.   According to the report the small pieces of soot and dust that get inside the lungs -- had gone up in all the 50 cities across India studied by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Central Pollution Control Board. "In these 50 cities, with their population of 110 million, the public health damage costs due to this was estimated at Rs 15,000 crore in 2004," Varughese said. The main causes of urban air pollution were vehicles and factories, he pointed out, appealing for a major boost to public transport.   While India still had some cushion when it came to water use, this scarce resource would have to be managed very carefully, the report says. It identifies lack of proper pricing of water for domestic usage, poor sanitation, unregulated extraction of groundwater by industry, discharge of toxic and organic wastewater by factories, inefficient irrigation and overuse of chemical fertilisers and pesticides as the main causes of water problems in the country.While India remains one of the world's 17 "megadiverse" countries in terms of  the number of species it houses, 10 per cent of its wild flora and fauna are on the threatened list, Varughese pointed out. The main causes, according to the report, were habitat destruction, poaching, invasive species, overexploitation, pollution and climate change. The report points out that while India contributes only about five per cent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions that are leading to climate change, about 700 million Indians directly face the threat of global warming today, as it affects farming, makes droughts, floods and storms more frequent and more severe and is raising the sea level. In the section on urbanisation, the report points out that 20 to 40 per cent of people living in cities are in slums. Varughese said there were good projects to upgrade their lives and improve the environment at the same time, but the problem was that most of the money from schemes like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission was taken away by the big cities, "while the major problem is in about 4,000 small and medium towns".   Kalam asks youth to plant trees to check pollution    Bangalore, August 29, 2009 (PTI): Former President A P J Abdul Kalam today asked the youth of the country to contribute in checking pollution by planting trees. "The nation has 300 million youth. If each one could plant five saplings, the country can easily have 1.5 billion trees. Assuming that about half-a-billion saplings goes, still we can have one million trees. A great achievement," he said while interacting with students of Mount Carmel College here. He also underlined the need for providing quality education to women, saying "it is the only solution for their empowerment".    Water pollution due to mining industries in Orissa   Orissa, August 8, 2009: If mineral reserves are considered to be reasons of prosperity for countries world over, Indian states with huge mineral reserves consider it their ill fate as mining industries are causing lots of damages than helping people live a quality life. Orissa is facing the wrath of large scale mining and related industries in the state, says Orissa mining and industrialisation update.    One of the measure problems arising from the present industrial evolution  in Orissa is water pollution. Firstly, the ground water of Orissa is getting polluted and drying, and the major six rivers’ water is drastically polluted and it is dangerous for human use. As per the recent report of the Pollution Control Board, Mahanadi, Bramhani, Rusikulyaa, Nagabali, Subarnarekhaa and Baitarani rivers are highly polluted and all these rivers have lost their natural cleansing systems and these rivers water grade are not even ‘C’ grade, owing to which it is not possible to  drink water.   Discharge of effluents from smelter plants to water bodies cause fluoride pollution in Angul. Fly ash effluents from captive power plants contain chromium, lead, cadmium and iron. These effluents discharged to the nearby water bodies pollute the water. The river Brahmani has major industrial pockets and a number of coal and chromite mines in its basin. The river Nandira at Talcher is said to be dead due to discharge of fly ash effluents into the river.    Green letter day   KOLKATA, August 2, 2009: A new Kolkata was born on August 1. Or should we say the city of joy went back to the golden days of the early 1980s? It certainly felt that way. Minus the toxic fumes, minus the smoke-belching buses and autos, Kolkata was sheer delight on Saturday. A survey done by Saviour and Friend of Environment (SAFE) and commissioned by The Times of India confirmed that the air the city breathed on Saturday was never this clean in the last two decades, thanks to the enforcement of the high court order to ban pre-'93 commercial vehicles.    It was as if Kolkata had travelled back in time, to the days when cars didn't jostle for every inch of road space, buses were fewer and autos were yet to arrive. Commuters, even though inconvenienced by the withdrawal of autos and older buses and taxis, loved the transformation. At Shyambazar crossing, where the hydrocarbon count  plummeted to just 1 ppm from 19 ppm, people stood on the road in disbelief. Many got down from cars for a breath of fresh air. After a decade's struggle against pollution, it was a green letter day. As many as 32,000 non- LPG autos, 3,000 buses/ minibuses and 6,000 taxis of pre-1993 make as well as 22,000 trucks stayed off the road.  Source: The Times of India   G-8 climate talks divide rich and poor countries   Italy, July 10, 2009 (AP) : The chasm between rich and poor on how to address climate change burst into the open at the G-8 summit Thursday, showing how difficult it will be to persuade the world to make lifestyle and economic sacrifices needed to save the planet from global warming. The G-8 did set a long-term commitment to reduce their carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. But they made no shorter-term target, despite warnings from a U.N. panel that they must cut emissions between 25 percent and 40 percent by 2020 to keep average global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees above preindustrial levels 150 years ago. Most scientists agree that even a slight increase in average temperatures would wreak havoc on farmers around the globe, as seasons shift, crops fail and storms and droughts ravage fields.   Countries like China and India — the next generation of big polluters — want the industrial countries to commit to reducing carbon emissions by 40 percent over the next decade before they commit to any reductions of their own. Without that commitment from the G-8, they refused to make any targets of their own. "The ground for a breakthrough can only be prepared if the G-8 leaders reach consensus on the midterm binding goals of cutting greenhouse emission and stop asking the developing nations to act first as an excuse for their not committing  to the binding goals," China's official Xinhua News Agency said in a commentary earlier this week.   Centre to set up environment protection authority   HYDERABAD, June 24, 2009: Union minister for state for environment Jairam Ramesh said on Saturday that the Centre would set up an independent environment protection authority. The minister held meetings with chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and other officials with regard to environmental clearances to  several irrigation projects in the state. Ramesh said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) would be converted into a central  environment protection authority and state pollution control boards would be made as state environment protection authorities. The minister said that the Centre wanted to develop two biosphere reserves in in Chittoor, Kadapa and Visakhapatnam districts. The Centre government also proposes to set up a national environmental training and research institute in the state.    Climate change could displace 25 million by 2010    Bonn, June 13, 2009 (IANS): By next year - that's how soon around 25-50 million people will be displaced by climate change as it unleashes more natural disasters and affects farm output, says a senior UN researcher. Northern India will be among the worst affected in the long term. "Climate change will displace 25-50 million people by next year. The situation will be the worst in the poorer countries," says Koko  Warner of the UN University's Institute for Environment and Human Security.    "Most people will seek shelter in their own countries while others (will) cross borders in search of better odds.  "Societies affected by climate change may find themselves locked into a downward spiral of ecological degradation, towards the bottom of which social safety nets collapse while tensions and violence rise."  Ms. Warner has just completed a study on climate-induced migration in collaboration with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Columbia University, the World Bank and the NGO CARE. Ms. Warner and her colleagues have been pushing delegates from 182 countries gathered here for a meeting June 1-12 to include migration among the issues they consider as they prepare for a climate summit in Copenhagen this December.    Ms. Warner said in the densely populated Ganga, Mekong and Nile river deltas, a sea level rise of one metre could affect 23.5 million people and reduce the land currently under intensive agriculture by at least 1.5 million hectares. A sea level rise of two metres would impact an additional 10.8 million people and render at least 969,000 more hectares of agricultural land unproductive.   Indian spiritual leaders to promote green causes   NEW DELH, May 30, 2009: Indian spiritual sects are using their wide reach to promote green causes, using the fact that preservation of natural elements is at the country's spiritual core. Less than a week ago, nearly 1,000 Buddhist monks, nuns and followers set off on a 400-km spiritual trek from Kardang in Lahaul  Valley in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Ladakh across five high Himalayan passes to promote protection of environment and sustainable lifestyles in the region.  The 40-day trek is to say no to plastic bags, a major pollutant in  the fragile ecological zone.    The trekkers, led by the head of the 800-year-old Tibetan Drukpa Buddhist sect, Gyalwang Drukpa, will distribute canvas bags to more than 100,000 villagers along the way as a symbolic gesture to shun  plastic bags and switch to carry-bags made of cloth and other eco-friendly material. The marchers will also raise funds - $30 per km - to spread  education and sustainable eco-friendly lifestyle awareness in the Himalayan villages.    EU launches 'HighNoon' - A research project on the Impact of Himalayan Glaciers    May 19, 2009 :The European Union recently launched the 'HighNoon' research project in India, which aims at assessing the impact of Himalayan glaciers retreat and possible changes of the Indian summer monsoon on the distribution of water resources in Northern India. The project further aims to provide recommendations for appropriate and efficient adaptation strategies to hydrological extreme events through a participatory process. The EU has earmarked 3 million Euros (approximately INR 19.5 crores) for this 3 years project, bringing together leading research institutions in Europe- Netherlands, UK and Switzerland - and India - TERI, IIT-Delhi and  Kharagpur. The participation of Japan in this project is adding an international dimension.   Commenting on the occasion, H E Daniele Smadja, European Commission's  Ambassador to India said, "EU and India enjoy strategic cooperation in the field of science & technology, with co-investment of resources from both  the players. This current project in the field of climate change, research  & glaciology takes this well established partnership to new heights."  'HighNoon' will work towards integrating available climate and  hydrological data and state - of - art regional models. The basic approach  of the project is to link the results of improved climate modelling to  estimation of practical and applicable adaptation measures.     Supreme Court has ruled to suspend all mining activity in the Aravali hills    New Delhi, May 13, 2009: Once again the apex court has had to step in to avert a disaster. The wanton exploitation of western India’s Aravali hills by the mining industry has been degrading the range, with lakes drying up, forests getting denuded and the entire ecosystem affected. Terming the environment and ecology as national assets, the Supreme Court has ruled that all mining activity in the Aravali hills must be suspended — at least in the 448 sq km area spread across Faridabad, Gurgaon and Mewat regions — matching approximately a third of the capital’s land area in size.    Most of the minor mining is carried out to meet the rising demand for construction material like sand and gravel. Trees have been cut down without initiating new tree planting projects as part of reparation and compensation. These are clearly mentioned as statutory requirements but are mostly ignored by the participants. The court has stated in its judgment that environment and ecology are subject to inter-generational equity, and hence the principle of sustainable development ought to be respected. The mining ban in the Aravalis will continue until a reclamation plan is submitted in accordance with the existing legal provisions. Many of the mining leases were granted by state governments without the requisite clearances — that would have taken into account environmental impact assessments and reparation plans — and with complete disregard of the rule book.

Obama Marks Earth Day With Energy   VOA News, 22 April 2009: U.S. President Barack Obama is heading to the state of Iowa Wednesday to give an Earth Day message that pitches his plan for alternative energy development. White House aides say the president will highlight his plans to create new jobs and protect the environment in a quick visit to the economically struggling town of Newton, Iowa. He plans to tour a wind energy plant as a model for job creation and clean energy production that could lessen U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The government is holding a number of events in Washington to mark Earth Day.    Environmental groups and governments around the world are marking Earth Day with events aimed at protecting nature and raising awareness about global warming. The first Earth Day took place in the United States on April 22, 1970. Twenty million people participated in protests around the country that day to demand that the government combat widespread  pollution.

Nano will add to global pollution  Melbourne, March 24, 2009: An Australian motoring expert has slammed the world's least expensive car Nano, which was launched in Mumbai Monday, claiming it would increase global pollution and push up fuel prices. "When India gets to the level of car ownership that we enjoy in the West, which is about 700 cars for every 1,000 people, it could double the number of cars on earth, presently 900 million, to 1.8 billion," Wheels magazine's features editor  John Cadogan told ABC Radio. "That will have profound impact on carbon dioxide production, greenhouse (gases), the environment and health generally," Cadogan added.

The world's least expensive car Nano

Tata Motors gets environmental guidelines for Nano plant   Gandhinagar, March 19, 2009 (IANS): Tata Motors, which is building its Rs.20- billion Nano small car plant in Gujarat's Sanand, has been slapped with a list of environmental conditionalities by the state government, a few days before the launch of Nano. Tata is all set to roll out the world's cheapest car Nano, priced at  Rs.100,000 ($2,000), Monday. The State-Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA)  in a recent letter asked the company not to use ground water for the project and promote water harvesting practices and eco- development measures in the area.    There should not be any wastewater generation from the project, the guidelines said. Besides, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has asked Tata Motors to develop a 'green belt' in phases. Complying with that, the company with the help of local bodies and schools will plant and maintain nearly 5,000 trees in the vicinity of the plant.

Tata's Nano small car

Indian scientists find three new bacteria in upper stratosphere    Bangalore, March 16, 2009 (IANS): Indian scientists have discovered three new species of bacteria in the upper atmosphere. The bacteria, highly resistant to ultra-violet radiation, are not found elsewhere on Earth, leading to speculation on whether they are extra-terrestrial in origin. The Indian Space Research Organisation announced Monday that the bacteria had been found in the upper stratosphere.   'All the three newly identified species had significantly higher UV resistance compared to their nearest phylogenetic neighbours. One of the three, identified as a member of the genus Janibacter, has been named Janibacter hoylei, the second Bacillus isronensis, and the third Bacillus aryabhata,' ISRO said in a release. 'While the present study does not conclusively establish the extra-terrestrial origin of microorganisms, it does provide positive encouragement to continue the work in our quest to explore the origin of life,' it said, adding: 'The precautionary measures and controls operating in this experiment inspire confidence that these species were picked up in the stratosphere.'Janibacter hoylei is named after the distinguished Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle, Bacillus isronensis in recognition of ISRO's contribution in the balloon  experiments which led to its discovery and Bacillus aryabhata after India's celebrated ancient astronomer Aryabhata. India's first satellite was also named after Aryabhata.   The release said the experiment was conducted using a 26.7 million cubic feet balloon carrying a 459 kg scientific payload soaked in 38 kg of liquid neon. The balloon was flown from the National Balloon Facility in Hyderabad, operated by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR). The release did not give the date when the balloon was flown.   Kashmir house boats under threat    Srinagar, 14 March 2009: The high court in Kashmir recently ordered that the famous house boats on Dal and Nagin lakes should be closed because they are causing too much pollution. The boats are a unique feature and a major attraction for tourists. But now their owners - whose families have been providing hospitality in them since colonial times - say that the court ruling threatens to force them out of business. They have warned that the boats could become unused relics that are permanently confined to their moorings. Both Dal and Nagin lakes are well suited to providing hospitality. Both are freshwater and situated in the heart of the Kashmiri summer capital, Srinagar. Mountains tower above them, providing a stunning backdrop in snow, cloud or sunlight. The boats themselves are noted for their beauty and craftsmanship.    The state's Pollution Control Board (PCB) has warned in a report submitted to the high court that they are polluting the lakes. The PCB says that raw sewage from the boats is being directly discharged into the water.  The court has responded by directing the Lakes and Waterways Development Authority (Lawda) to stop the vessels - and hotels inside the area of the lakes - from operating until they can show that they have established properly-working sewage treatment units.    There is a widespread concern in the Kashmir valley that Dal lake is fast dying due to pollution. It's now decades since the state government stopped registering new houseboats on Dal or Nagin lakes. Today there are about 1,200 boats on the two lakes. The vessels are far outnumbered by residential houses built by people living on the lake itself - known as Dal dwellers. Source: BBC News   India to observe 'Earth Hour' on March 28   MUMBAI, March 7, 2009: India will join rest of the world by observing 'Earth Hour'  to save energy as well as environment on March 28. The people will be observing the Day by switching off all the lights and electrical appliances for an hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm. Began with one hour switching off lights at Sydney in Australia two years back, the 'Earth Hour' was observed in 35 countries last year in an attempt to reduce the carbon footprint, the World Wide Fund for Nature (India) Education officer Dr Goldin Quadros said.    This year India, especially Delhi and Mumbai will participate, he said adding that WWF was getting support from the government as well as the corporate houses. Lights would be switched off or dimmed at 11 PVR cinemas in Delhi and Mumbai and corporate offices. As per WWF this year, 50 lakh citizens of 377 cities from 74 nations are participating in this initiative.    Kick-starting the 'Earth Hour'campaign at the at green technology festival of the Chemical Engineering department at IIT `Azeotropy' , Mumbai Mayor Dr Shubha Raul said it was important to cut down carbon level and the municipality will be keen to help in the endeavour. She has called for a meeting of all the corporators to brief them about the `Earth hour'on Monday and WWF will have a video show for them.    HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT STUDIES IN ASBESTOS BASED INDUSTRIES IN INDIA    New Delhi, March 05, 2009: In a recent published document titled " HUMAN HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT STUDIES IN ASBESTOS BASED INDUSTRIES IN INDIA " by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Union  Ministry of Environment Forests has failed to recommend ban on asbestos. The study was undertaken by the Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow for the CPCB. The political patronage enjoyed by the industry is an open secret. It is clear from the document that the ban on indigenous chrysotile asbestos mining has been lifted.   Ban Asbestos Network of India (BANI) has written letters to the President, Vice President, National Human Rights Commission and the Defense Minister drawing their urgent attention towards of a serious unprecedented environmental and occupational health crisis with regard to unnoticed asbestos epidemic in the country. Even if one asbestos fibre reaches the right place, it causes irreversible damage - leading to asbestosis, lung cancer or mesothelioma. Thirty deaths are caused per day from asbestos-related diseases as per estimates based on US and European studies.    10,000 kg of used syringe seized    Ahmedabad, February 27, 2009: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation has sealed 15 clinics of private doctors  and recovered over 10,000 kgs of used syringe from raids on Friday morning. Fifteen doctors have been booked under various provisions of Indian Penal Code by Ahmedabad city police. The district health officials also raided godowns of scrap dealers across the city and sealed five godowns from where large quantity of used syringes, needles and bio-medical waste were found.   According to health officials, these scrap dealers used to purchase used syringes and biomedical waste from those dealers in hepatitis-hit Modasa town, who were booked on Wednesday night by the police. Usually such waste has to be segregated and destroyed in an incinerator. But the huge quantity of waste found in the godowns were being probably repackaged and sold. -PTI   Drug traces in Patancheru wells   Patancheru, February 17, 2009: Patancheru has become a hub for largely unregulated chemical and drug factories in the 1980s, creating what is described locally as an "ecological sacrifice zone" with its waste. Since then, India has become one of the world's leading exporters of pharmaceuticals, and the US which spent $1.4 billion on Indian-made drugs in 2007, is its largest customer.    Last year, it was reported that trace pharmaceuticals concentration had been found in drinking water provided to at least 46 million Americans. But the wastewater downstream from the Patancheru plants contained 150 times more than those detected in the US.    Bacterial Contamination in Rivers    December 24, 2008: The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) along with the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) is monitoring the water quality of rivers and other water bodies at 1365 locations covering 27 States and 6 Union Territories. The monitoring network covers 282 rivers besides a number of lakes, tanks, ponds, etc. As per CPCB’s data, the fecal coliform count is reported to be more than 2500 MPN/100 ml in 15.7% of water samples, between 500 & 2500 MPN/100 ml in 18.3% samples and less than 500 MPN/100 ml in 66% samples during the year 2007. The same, thus, is observed to comply with the standards in more than 66%  of water samples. As per this data, Mahi, Subernarekha, Pennar, Beas, Baitarni & Narmada, are some of the rivers  found to be relatively clean with fecal coliform levels meeting the maximum permissible limits. In selected  stretches of Yamuna, Kali, Hindon, Damodar,Tons, Ganga, Satluj, Gomti, Sabarmati, Krishna, Godavari, Cauvery etc, the bacterial levels are found to exceed the permissible limits.   Source:  PIB ( Ministry of Environment and Forests)   Public awareness needed to protect environment   Ahmedabad, December 4, 2008: In India, where the right to a healthy environment is not enshrined as a fundamental right in the Constitution, Supreme Court(SC) has interpreted Article 21 of the Constitution, the right to life, as encompassing the right to healthy environment. The former chief justice of India, PN Bhagwati, speaking at the inaugural session of the two-day workshop on multilateral aspects of environment laws at Indus Institute of Technology and Engineering (IITE) on December 4, 2008. He said, "Public awareness is essential to protect environment in time of rapid industrialisation compromising on the environmental aspects. Concerned environmentalists and even common persons can take advantage of public interest litigation (PIL) in bringing issues to the notice of judiciary."    The key issues to be addressed during the workshop are environmental compliance, safety and health compliance, hazardous effects of pollution, and discharge of waste.    Asia not responsible for brown haze: India   NEW DELHI, November 23, 2008: India dismissed as "propaganda" a UN report suggesting the formation of a brown cloud over Asia was due to the burning of fossil fuels by countries in the region. The UN report earlier this week said enormous brown clouds of pollution hanging over Asia, including India, were killing hundreds of thousands of people, melting glaciers, changing weather patterns and damaging crops.    Traffic, factory emissions and indoor cooking were among the culprits for the "Atmospheric Brown Clouds", which are up to three kilometres (1.8 miles) thick, according the landmark report on the phenomenon. However, Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said, "our scientific community has gone into the issue... there cannot be a brown haze in India because of the pollution levels here."  Noting that greenhouse gas emissions were 1.2 tonnes per capita in India compared with 23 tonnes in the US and 10 tonnes in European countries, Sibal said: "For anybody to say India and China are responsible for this, I can only say we certainly are not."       - AFP   Search Report sees new pollution threat    BEIJING, November 13, 2008: A noxious cocktail of soot, smog and toxic chemicals is blotting out the sun, fouling the lungs of millions of people and altering weather patterns in large parts of Asia, according to a report released Thursday by the United Nations.    The byproduct of automobiles, slash-and-burn agriculture, cooking on dung or wood fires and coal-fired power plants, these plumes rise over southern Africa, the Amazon basin and North America. But they are most pronounced in Asia, where so-called atmospheric brown clouds are dramatically reducing sunlight in many Chinese cities and leading to decreased crop yields in swaths of rural India, say a team of more than a dozen scientists who have been studying the problem since 2002.    "The imperative to act has never been clearer," said Achim Steiner, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program, in Beijing, which the report identified as one of the world's most polluted cities, and where the report was released. The brownish haze, sometimes in a layer more than a mile thick and clearly visible from airplanes, stretches from the Arabian Peninsula to the Yellow Sea. During the spring, it sweeps past North and South Korea and Japan. Sometimes the cloud drifts as far east as California. The report identified 13 cities as brown-cloud hotspots, among them Bangkok, Cairo, New Delhi, Seoul and Tehran. Source: International Herald Tribune    India to participate in Abu Dhabi environment show    Abu Dhabi, August 11, 2008:  India will be among over 25 countries taking  part in an environment exhibition to be held in this capital city of the United Arab Emirates  (UAE) in January next year.The exhibition, Environment 2009, will be held Jan 19-21, 2009. Apart from India and hosts UAE, among the other  participants are Australia, Bahrain, China, France, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Britain  and the US. It will be the fifth edition of the exhibition.    According to the WAM report, Environment 2009  will cover the following sectors - water, waste, air pollution treatment, recycling, protection and preservation of nature and cultural resources, sustainable development and services such as risk prevention and management, audit,  consultancy, training and education.  Source: Asian News

Taj Mahal vicinity to be kept free from vehicles   Agra, July 10, 2008 (ANI): Authorities of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have barred vehicles from getting close to the portals of the Taj. The latest step has been taken following the Supreme Court's directives to protect white-marbled historical monument from pollution. Barricades have been put in place 500 metres from the main entrance to prevent traffic.     Even Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)-run vehicles and cycle rickshaws have been disallowed to get close to the main gate. Pollution has been a matter of concern and also its security aspect, a fact that has compelled the authorities to restrict vehicles from nearing the Taj Mahal.

Environmentalists  have demanded concrete measures to control heavy traffic movement in and around the Taj Mahal.

Describing Reva as "a little cute car", Sheila Dikshit said her government was committed to taking steps to improve the city's environment.

India's first electric car Reva launched in Delhi   New Delhi, June 25, 2008 (IANS): After 13 years of research and development, India's first electric car 'Reva' was launched in the national capital by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Wednesday morning. Describing Reva as "a little cute car", Sheila Dikshit said her government was committed to taking steps to improve the city's environment.    To popularize the battery-operated car, the government announced a 15 percent subsidy on its base price, 12.5 percent exemption of value-added tax (VAT), and a refund of road tax and registration charges.   The subsidy and exemptions would bring down price of Reva's base model to Rs.299,000, and it would cost users 40 paise per kilometre. Asked about their target in the first year, Reva Electric Car Co's president of India operations Girish M. Rakhe said: 'We will be very happy if we sell 3,000 cars in the national capital in our first  year.'

Leave ocean beds alone   June 23, 2008: What scientists like Wallace Broecker of Columbia University are advocating when they plead for experiments in deep seabed injections of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is a dangerous policy proposal.  Instead of destroying enemy resources, we'd be killing off organisms at the bottom of the sea that could be a vital link in the chain of life on the only home we know, Planet Earth.     We're poisoning the air we breathe, the water we drink and the soil we live off. We're cutting down forests and melting down the North and South poles. We're intruding deep into millennia-old ice by drilling holes into them for experiments. We're littering outer space with trash. With global warming, ocean waters are turning acidic, bleaching coral reefs and compromising marine life.    The world's highest mountain peak, Mt Everest, is also the world's highest garbage dump. The global appetite for energy is turning monstrous, and is growing faster than our efforts to find renewable replacements for fossil fuels. Isn't it time to stop and do things differently?  Deep-sea ocean beds are probably the last frontier on earth,  relatively free of toxic human footprints. So let's just leave ocean beds alone. Let's get serious about renewable energy options and cut back emissions as much as we can instead of looking for new places to hide it.  Source: The Times of India    Canada, India join hands in $17 mn research programmes   OTTAWA, june 16, 2008: Indian and Canadian companies and researchers will carry out 10 research initiatives, valued at more than $17 million, in areas such as pollution control, aviation, bio-fuels and telecom under a bilateral pact. The initiatives were announced jointly by Science, Technology and Earth Sciences Minister Kapil Sibal, and Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and Minister for the Pacific  Gateway David Emerson.    Eight of the initiatives will be joint research projects, while two will be aimed at generating new or expanding research and technology-based partnerships. Sibal said the Indian government had increased its planned  expenditure in science and technology by almost five times over that earmarked in the previous Five-Year Plan.  "My ministry has now joined hands with the Confederation of Indian Industry to manage and deliver India's bilateral industrial research programmes," he said.  Source: The Economic Times     Delhi's e-waste to be recycled in Haridwar    NEW DELHI, June 7, 2008: Delhi and the NCR will soon be able to ‘legally’ recycle their e-waste when a plant for the purpose is set up in Haridwar in the coming months. The plant will be the first of its kind in north India with a recycling capacity of 12,000 tonnes per annum.     With the plant based in another state, environmentalists are worried about the e-waste being carried across the state boundary, since it is both allegedly illegal and also dangerous. However, Central Pollution Control Board officials maintain that e-waste guidelines permit the waste to be carried across states for recycling purposes and only dumping is not permitted.     According to unofficial data, Delhi produces about 730 tonnes of e-waste per annum and more is brought in from other states. Delhi is especially at risk since it is the biggest centre for e-waste recycling. Waste is not only brought in from Mumbai, Kolkata and other major centres, but is also imported.    Source: The Times of India   24 most polluted places in India   NEW DELHI, May 30, 2008: Talcher, a coalmine hub in Orissa, is the most polluted place in the country, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said. The ministry of environment and forests said CPCB has identified 24 problem areas on the basis of air and water pollution by industries. The board will prepare Environment Management Plans (EMPs) for these regions soon.    Talcher in the Angul district of Orissa is known for its vast coal reserves and also houses a major National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) plant. The district is also home to the National Aluminium Company (NALCO), one of the profit making public sector units. Following Talcher, Ankleshwar in Gujarat, Bhadravati in Karnataka, Bollaram in Karnataka, Chembur in Maharashtra and Dhanbad in Bihar are among the worst polluted places in India.    Jodhpur in Rajasthan, Durgapur and Howrah in West Bengal, Vellore in Tamil Nadu, Greater Cochin in Kerala, Vapi in Gujarat and Singrauli in Madhya Pradesh also made it to the list of 24 most polluted places in the country.  In the national capital, Najafgarh Drain Basin Area in southwest  Delhi is the 17th most polluted place in the country, CPCB said. CPCB said it has been conducting inspections to ensure compliance by industrial units of various pollution control norms. It has identified 17 categories of polluting industries located  along the rivers and lakes and in problem areas. According to the board, aluminium and cement industries are the top two polluters in the country. Source: The Economic Times    Spinneys offers jute bags to reduce use of plastic   Dubai, May 25,2008: One of the UAE's most popular supermarkets has started selling reusable jute bags. Spinneys, which has around 30 branches across the country, has reached an agreement with Dubai-based supplier Enthusiasm as part of its commitment to reduce plastic bag usage.    Enthusiasm has been operating in Dubai for 11 years and supplies several of the city's major retailers including Carrefour, Hyperpanda and Geant. This comes as Gulf News's campaign Say No to Plastic Bags has gained momentum, prompting a broader Go Green campaign. Jute is a soft vegetable fibre that can be spun into coarse, strong threads and is 100 per cent biodegradable. Source: Gulfnews   Retailers to be fined for giving free plastic bags in China   May 16, 2008: RETAILERS may face up to a 10,000-yuan (US$1,430) fine if they offer customers plastic bags for free, according to the new rule that takes effect on June 1. Retailers are also banned from selling plastic bags at prices below cost, according to the policy jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce, National Development and Reform Commission and the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.   People in China use 3 billion plastic bags daily, among which 1 billion were from grocery shopping. Most of the bags will never be used again. The central government has made rules to ban retailers from giving free plastic bags as a strategy to protect the environment and conserve resources.  Beijing throws away 2.3 billion plastic bags a year. Its annual plastic packaging reached 140,000 tons a year, accounting for 3 percent of the city's urban garbage.   Most of the plastic bags offered by retailers in China need at least 200 years to decompose and 1,000 years to disappear.  The Diqing Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, also known as Shangri-la,  has banned the use of plastic bags since 2001. San Francisco banned retailers from giving away plastic bags on March 27, 2007, while in other US cities, such as Los Angeles, governments have launched a plastic bag recycling movement.     Some regions in Canada, Australia and Brazil also passed bills to ban or limit the use of plastic bags. Asia countries such as Singapore, Japan and South Korea have encouraged people to use their own shopping bags or use paper bags instead.  Source: shanghaidaily

Rajasthan High court blocks felling of 47000 trees    Jaipur, April 22, 2008: Rajasthan High Court today stalled a plan to cut 47,000 trees on Jaipur’s outskirts and build a new home for Appu Ghar, gladdening environmentalists on Earth Day. The court stayed any kind of activity on the 300 acres of forest land, near Nahargarh, allotted for transplanting the amusement park that was till a few months ago located in Delhi.   Already 10,000 trees have been felled for the new park, water resort and entertainment enclave, being developed by Delhi-based International Amusement and Infrastructure Ltd. The two-judge bench issued notices to the Union forest secretary, Rajasthan urban development secretary, state principal conservator of forests, Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) commissioner and the developers for alleged violation of Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The act says forest land cannot be used for non-forest purposes.

Already 10,000 trees have been felled for the new park, on the 300 acres of forest land, near Nahargarh, Jaipur.

Glaciers Are Melting Faster Than Expected, UN Reports  March 18, 2008:  The world's glaciers are continuing to melt away with the latest official figures showing record losses, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today. The findings come from the World Glacier Monitoring Service (WGMS), a centre based at the University of Zurich in Switzerland and that is supported by UNEP. It has been tracking the fate of glaciers for over a century. Continuous data series of annual mass balance, expressed as thickness change, are available for 30 reference glaciers since 1980.   The Service calculates thickening and thinning of glaciers in terms of 'water equivalent'. The estimates for the year 2006 indicate that further shrinking took place equal to around 1.4 metres of water equivalent compared to losses of half a metre in 2005. "This continues the trend in accelerated ice loss during the past two and a half decades and brings the total loss since 1980 to more than 10.5 metres of water equivalent," said Professor Haberli. During 1980-1999, average loss rates had been 0.3 metres per year. Since the turn of the millennium, this rate had increased to about half a metre per year.  Achim Steiner, UN Under- Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: "Millions if not billions of people depend directly or indirectly on these natural water storage facilities for drinking water, agriculture, industry and power generation during key parts of the year."

The world's glaciers are continuing to melt away with the latest official figures showing record losses, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today.

POLLUTION IN DAMODAR RIVER   LOK SABHA, March 12, 2008: As per the information provided by Central Pollution Control Board, the coal mines, coal washeries, thermal power plants, chemical factories, located in the vicinity of the river Damodar, discharge their wastewater into the river Damodar after necessary treatment. The effluent discharged by these industries is regularly monitored by the respective State Pollution Control Board of Jharkhand and West Bengal to check compliance with the prescribed standards. Action is taken against the defaulting units as per the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Environment (Protection)  Act, 1986.   Conservation of rivers is a dynamic activity with the ever increasing pollution load due to rapid urbanization and increase in population. Review of the strategies of conservation policy and identification of additional towns and rivers is a continuous process. Due to continuous increase in the population of the towns located along the banks of the rivers resulting in increased pollution load, and gap in the availability of financial resources to take up works commensurate with the requirements, there is likely to be persistent divergence between the tackled pollution load and the actual pollution load.     This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests Shri Namo Narain Meena, in a written reply to a question by Shri Tek Lal Mahto in the Lok Sabha today.    Forbes magazine listed Mumbai as the seventh dirtiest city in the world   New York, March 03, 2008: Mumbai and Delhi are among the 25 dirtiest cities in the world while the four Indian metros and Bangalore are among the 20 densest cities, according to the US Forbes magazine. The US business magazine also lists Sukinda in Orissa and Vapi in Gujarat among the 10 most polluted places globally. In an earlier Forbes list of the 20 densest urban areas in the world, Mumbai and Kolkata occupied the top two slots, packing in over 23,000 people per square kilometre.   While listing Mumbai as the seventh dirtiest, the magazine also cites a recent private sector proposal, Vision Mumbai, which seeks $1 billion government aid for infrastructure, pollution control and economic growth strategy.    Delhi at No.24 fares little better but gets drubbing for the pollution in Yamuna river, which is devoid of marine life and where "garbage and sewage flow freely, creating a rich environment for the growth of water-borne diseases contributing to extremely high rates of infant morbidity."

India to ensure less carbon emissions  NEW DELHI, February 25, 2008: India is willing to ensure that its green- house gas emissions will not exceed the per capita emissions of developed countries at any time, President Pratibha Patil said on Monday. The government is also planning a 'National Action Plan on Climate Change', she said in her maiden address to the joint sitting of the Budget session of the Parliament. "India is willing to ensure that its per capita emissions shall at no time exceed the average per capita emissions of developed countries," she said.    The government acted with "urgency" on the issue of climate change and established a 'Prime Minister's Council on Climate Change' to plan and implement appropriate strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change, she said.  She said India "constructively" engaged with the international community at the recent Bali Conference on climate change to launch a comprehensive process on long-term cooperative action to deal with this issuance in accordance with the UN Framework  Convention on Climate Change.    Taking a serious note of the pollution of water bodies, the President said that the 'River Conservation Programme' will be revamped to focus on cleaning of major rivers in the country.

President Pratibha Patil

Air pollution is blotting sunlight in India MONACO, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Air pollution is blotting out a tenth of China's sunlight and a similar amount in India, a leading U.S. climate scientist said on Wednesday. The soot, called black carbon and produced by burning coal, dung, wood and diesel, rises in the upper atmosphere, where it traps the sun's heat and blots out the light, raising the temperature at higher altitudes but cooling the earth below.   Veerabhadran Ramanathan, an atmospheric scientist at the University of California, said that as a result the soot is contributing to the melting of the glaciers and weakening Indian monsoons. Himalayan glaciers supply water to hundreds of millions of people in China and India, and melting attributed to climate change is expected to affect supplies within 20 to 30 years.   "We found it (soot) was responsible for about half the warming," Ramanathan told Reuters on the fringes of the Monaco meeting of 100 environment ministers, hosted by the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP). The soot is also landing on the glaciers as a dark dust which makes the ice less reflective, speeding up melting. Himalayan glaciers are warming twice as fast as Indian plains, he added. One way to tackle the problem is to replace wood or dung for cooking with biogas or shiny metallic solar cookers.

No proper guidelines  on e-waste disposal   CHENNAI, February 12, 2008: Chennai ranks third among the top 10 cities in the country that generate e-waste, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. It generates roughly 10,000 to 20,000 tonnes of e-waste a year with no proper facility to recycle them. e-waste includes discarded computers, phones, cell phones, fax machines, printers and copiers and their components. Experts say that only 10 per cent of e-waste is recycled properly. The remaining 90 per cent is broken down in a crude manner in the unorganised sector.    There are no guidelines yet for e-waste management and disposal and only the draft guidelines have been prepared. There are five e-waste recyclers around Chennai, who have been recognised by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board. Chennai’s e-waste includes what is imported from other countries. A lot of e-waste is imported under the guise of donations or second-hand computers.  Source: The Hindu

e-waste includes discarded computers, phones, cell phones, fax machines, printers and copiers and their components.

Cold wave in India attributed to global warming Mumbai, February, 2008: The recent cold wave sweeping across Mumbai and other parts of India could be attributed to global warming, experts said on Tuesday here at an environmental conference. Addressing the ‘Combat Global Warming’ conference at the Indian Merchants Chamber (IMC) here, former Union minister for power and environment Suresh Prabhu said global warming was primarily a problem created and induced by human beings. He said the increase in emission of green house gases like carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxide and methane had resulted in the situation, which could prove catastrophic if unchecked.    Prabhu said the cold wave that swept Maharashtra and other parts of India recently could be attributed to the  phenomenon of global warming. He said global warming had already affected agriculture and water availability in various parts of the country. "A recent study revealed that 70 percent of India's water bodies are polluted," Prabhu said. The former minister said India was one of the world's top five polluters, which also include the US, European nations and Japan.    IMC president Niraj Bajaj said the fluctuating climatic conditions due to global warming posed a threat to the  very survival of the planet. To drive home his point, he quoted Mahatma Gandhi: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Environmental scientist Emmanuel D'Silva said Mumbai and Kolkata were among the ten worst cities in the world with regard to environmental pollution and sanitation. "It is estimated by the year 2050, another seven million persons are expected to take refuge in Mumbai after global warming leads to either a drought or deluge in their village or city elsewhere in the country," D'Silva said.  IIM-C students focus  Kolkata, February 6, 2008: The students of Indian Institute of Management-Calcutta have undertaken a project on safety monitoring of the environment. It is aimed at design, development and implementation, on a pilot basis, of a sensor based wireless network with gas sensors, to continuously monitor harmful effluents. The project on “Pollution monitoring and evaluation system using sensor based wireless mesh networks” lead by Prof Somprakash Bandyopadhyay, MIS Group, IIM-C, is funded by department of IT, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.     IIM-C in collaboration with PervCom Consulting Private Limited and Confederation of Indian Industries, conducted a one-day workshop at its campus in the last week of January. The workshop served as a common platform for the exchange of opinions of experts from various industrial sectors on pollution monitoring and hazards caused by toxic gas emissions. Representatives from the companies like Haldia Petrochemicals Ltd., Hindalco Industries Ltd., Exide Industries Ltd. and Tata Chemicals Ltd. took part in the workshop.  Source: Statesman News Service

Spreading awareness the only way to check pollution  February 01, 2008:  The spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shanakr  believes that the only way to check climate change is to spread awareness about pollution. According to the founder of the international Art of Living Foundation, measures to prevent environmental degradation range from planting more trees to saving water and using chemical free fertilisers on the fields. However, he insists that before putting any safeguard mechanism in place, people need to know about climate and the way it is changing.    Pollution, explains Sri Sri, is not just physical. "There is pollution of stress. People just sit in a place and think negative. It can bring anger, frustration and even frenzy and all those who are vulnerable can catch the anger in their minds. The mind just goes crazy. It sends out negative vibes that harm the ambience, including the environment. "One of the best ways to prevent polluting oneself and the surrounding environment is to remain joyful and stress free. Source: IANS

Born in 1956 in Papanasham in Tamil Nadu, Sri Sri is at the forefront of several social campaigns, including environmental protection, disaster and trauma relief and poverty alleviation.

Meet on air pollution at Bangalore Bangalore, January 22, 2008: A workshop is being organised by Cerana Foundation in association with Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the deteriorating situation of air pollution in Bangalore. Studies estimate that 10 per cent of Bangalore’s 60 lakh population and over 50 per cent of its children below 18 years suffer from air pollution-related ailments. This workshop is part of an environmental health workshop series initiated two years ago in affiliation with the United Nations  Environment Programme. The workshop will bring together various stakeholders - from asthma and other air pollution affected persons, government and non-government and professional organisations, and individuals.  In India, air pollution is estimated to cause, at the very minimum, 1 lakh excess deaths and 25 million excesses illnesses every year.    PM blames industrialised nations for climate change  VISAKHAPATNAM, January 3, 2008: Observing that industrialised countries have the "biggest" responsibility for the impact on climate, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday put the onus on them to correct the damage.    Addressing the 95th Indian Science Congress here, he said the world cannot walk down the path of environmentally harmful development that developed industrial economies have pursued thus far. "They bear the biggest responsibility for what has happened and must bear the greatest responsibility for correcting the damage," Singh said adding climate change posed a great and a new challenge to the development prospects and to the livelihood of the people.     Noting that India has adopted a "pro-active and pragmatic approach" to the problem of environmental degradation, he said "we cannot replicate the western model of wasteful consumption and environmentally harmful industrialisation. "We need an alternative approach more mindful of our resource endowments, and also of the need to avoid damage to the environment", the Prime Minister said adding "we need a global  response, a national response and a local response."     An expert committee headed by R Chidambaram had come forward with a research agenda to study the impact of climate change in the country, he said adding the government was in the process of identifying a centre of national excellence on climate change. - PTI  Fishermen say pollution is posing a serious threat by Pharma City  VISAKHAPATNAM, January 1, 2008: The 2,120-acre Jawaharlal Nehru Pharma City, though far from  completion, is proving to be the major venture for 2008, even as its contemporaries bauxite mining and alumina refinery putter along under opposition resistance. The project is touted as an AP Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) initiative, the government has come under fire for allowing Ramky group to conduct bidding for the land at exorbitant rates. “The land was given to Ramky at subsidised prices and the farmers who owned them were paid Rs 2 lakh and less per acre. But they were sold to companies for Rs 40 lakh and more,” CPM district secretary Narsinga Rao said.   However, fishermen say pollution is posing a serious threat to their livelihood as a large number of fish are dying. “The units will dump toxic effluents indiscriminately into the ocean. The blanket eco clearance is a thoughtless move,” Forum for Better Vizag founder EAS Sarma says.  Source: Times of India  Rich Lands Poor People, is sustainable mining possible? December 29, 2007:  New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on Friday said mining was causing displacement, pollution, forest degradation and social unrest. The CSE released its 356-page sixth State of India’s Environment report, ‘Rich Lands Poor People, is sustainable mining possible?’  According to the Centre for Science and Environment ( CSE) report the top 50 mineral producing districts, as many as 34 fall under the 150 most backward districts identified in the country. Besides, three states with substantial dependence on minerals - Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh - are today characterised by low per capita income, lower growth rates and higher levels of poverty and food insecurity. While 19 districts out of the total 22 are identified as backward in Jharkhand, in Orissa 27 districts out of the total 30 are backward and in Chhattisgarh as many as 15 out of the total 16 districts are backward.    The CSE report has made extensive analysis of environment degradation and pollution due to mining, wherein it has said, in 2005-06 alone 1.6 billion tonnes of waste and overburden from coal, iron ore, limestone and bauxite have added to environment pollution. With the annual growth of mining at 10.7 per cent and 500-odd mines awaiting approval of the Centre, the pollution would increase manifold in the coming years.  Salt turns black in Kutch due to industrial pollution  Kutch, December 26, 2007: The salt in the Kutch district is turning black and salt manufactures and the local industry body say it is due to rampant pollution from the new industries.  The salt manufactures say the polluted salt has forced serious financial losses and many small manufacturing units employing thousands of people may have to shut down.    Kutch in Gujarat is India's biggest producer of salt. It made 1.37 crore tonnes last year of the 1.8 crore tonnes produced in the 11 salt making states. There are more than 30 steel plants in Kutch district. Steel plants were supposed to have ESP units to control smoke emissions. But the industries may not using them, hence the carbon gets deposited inside the crystals during crystallization.  Officials say the are investing the matter.

The pollution impacts by cheap cars allowed to run on cheap diesel fuel.  December 21, 2007: The World Energy Outlook 2007 of the International Energy Agency (IEA) has alerted that India has just crossed the tipping point of per capita GDP of $ 3,000. Once this threshold is reached, vehicle ownership rates will escalate rapidly. And the IEA has not yet factored in the implications of the Indian car industry racing to the bottom to compete on costs to shorten the fuse further.  The new price strategy plans to create a new class of buyers across cities and suburbs. The rising GDP has boosted purchasing power across India. In fact, the demand estimated for rural households in the next one year is 1.5 lakh cars. That equals the total number of cars sold during 2006-07 in the country. Market watchers anticipate that additional 30 million households will be able to buy a car by 2010. Cheap cars will make it easier. The industry argument is that frugal engineering, low cost skills and material, and volumes can make production of very low cost cars possible in India. It is an opportunity at a time when car penetration is as low as seven cars per 1,000 persons. Build volumes at the lower end, at a lesser margin and still remain profitable ,that’s the strategy of the cheap car. But what can the abnormally low price mean in terms of emissions performance, durability and safety? The industry meets the law of the land, but the law of the land itself is weak. Scheduled to hit the market in 2008, these cars will hit the roads much before Euro IV emissions standards are in place.  But more than half of our cities have critical levels of deadly particulates. Thirty per cent of our cities have nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels that have moved up from low to moderately high. Small cities and towns, now scaling the pollution peaks, are most vulnerable to the explosive increase in cheap cars.     The pollution impacts can be much more severe if cheap cars are also allowed to run on cheap diesel fuel. Emissions data available from the Pune-based vehicle certification agency, Automotive Research Association of India, shows that the actual emissions levels of even Euro III diesel cars are enormously higher than petrol cars. Diesel cars emit 7.5 times more particulate matter, seven times more air toxins and treble the amount of NO2. Personal cars are taking unfair advantage of the official policy of keeping taxes on diesel fuel low for agricultural and freight use. Without clean diesel, vehicles that run on diesel should not be allowed to proliferate.   Buyers still do not know if the Rs 1 lakh tag dream can survive once the key safety requirements for cars become mandatory. These include the full body crash test that determines how the car crumples at the time of collision to minimise harm to the riders, impact-absorbing features like air bags, anti-lock braking systems etc. Currently, Indian buyers are not even informed of the safety status of the cars as is done in Europe.

The Rs 1 lakh Tata billion cars for a billion people. But the pollution impacts can be much more severe if cheap cars are also allowed to run on cheap diesel fuel.   More than half of our cities have critical levels of deadly particulates. Thirty per cent of our cities have nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels that have moved up from low to moderately high. Small cities and towns, now scaling the pollution peaks, are most vulnerable to the explosive increase in cheap cars.

German Chancellor Merkel asks India to do more on climate change NEW DELHI , October 30, 2007 (Reuters):  German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged India, one of the world's biggest polluters, to do more to combat climate change on Tuesday, saying her country was willing to help New Delhi make progress.Merkel, a former environment minister who has pushed global warming to the top of her international agenda, said rich nations and emerging economies needed to strike a balance over the amount of responsibility they need to shoulder to prevent climate change and not fight over it.    "We have to prove that we are willing to strike a balance," Merkel, who began a four-day visit to India on Monday, told business leaders in New Delhi. Germany could help India become a more efficient user of energy by sharing technology to avoid "mistakes we made in the industrial countries", she said. "Climate change, beyond the substantive issue that it is, is a very good issue for us to learn to shoulder common responsibilities," she said, referring to growing trade and business ties between the two countries.    Emerging economies like China and India, also major polluters, are opposed to strict, new environmental regulations or energy constraints as they fear such steps could strangle their economic growth. They demand that industrialised nations, traditionally the chief polluters, bear the brunt of emission cuts. Nigeria dumping high-grade lead paint on India  Washington, September 28, 2007: A multinational team of environmental and occupational health researchers has reported that Nigeria is dumping consumer paints with very high levels of lead on developing countries like India and China. The researchers found that 96 percent of the consumer paints available in Nigeria contained higher than the recommended levels of lead.    According to Scott Clark, Professor of Environmental Health at the University of Cincinnati and Sandy Roda, a study co-author who oversaw sample analysis, one paint manufacturer in Nigeria sold high-lead paint in India, but offered a low-lead version in Singapore, a country that enforces a lead standard similar to the United States.  Pollution is the major cause of Global Deaths   Water, air and soil pollution, along with other environmental factors, contribute to 40 percent of deaths worldwide each year, a new study concludes. In a review of research into the effects of environmental pollutants and other sources of environmental degradation, Cornell University ecologist David Pimentel estimates that 62 million deaths per year (40 percent of all that occur) can be attributed to environmental factors, particularly organic and chemical pollutants that accumulate in the air we breathe and the water we drink. Dirty water with an estimated 1.1 billion people in the world lacking access to clean water (according to WHO estimates). Water contaminated with untreated sewage and fecal matter can facilitate the transmission of diarrheal diseases such as cholera, intestinal infections and other diseases—all of which kill millions every year, especially children.    Thick smoke Air pollution is another big killer. The WHO ranks it as the eighth most important risk in the burden of disease and deems it responsible for 3 million deaths each year through diseases such as pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer. In developing countries, indoor air pollution is a major problem because most people rely on open stoves fueled by dung, wood, crop waste or coal to cook and heat poorly-ventilated homes. Outdoor air pollution, on the other hand, accounts for some 800,000 deaths per year—about half as many as for indoor air—because the pollutants are much less concentrated. Chemical exposures including DDT can contribute to cancers, birth defects, immune system defects, behavioral problems, altered sex hormones and dysfunctions in specific organs.

World's 10 most polluted places   September 14, 2007: (Reuters)  The world's top 10 most polluted places, according to the Blacksmith Institute, a New York-based nonprofit group, who could face problems ranging from asthma to premature death. The annual list was compiled with help from specialists at Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Hunter College in New York, India's ITT, University of Idaho, Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York and others. Below are the worst polluted places listed alphabetically.  Sumgayit, Azerbaijan :  Potentially affected people: 275,000 - Pollutants: Heavy metals, organic chemicals - Sources: Petrochemical and industrial complexes  Linfen, China:  Potentially affected people: 3,000,000 - Pollutants: Fly-ash, volatile organic compounds, lead - Sources: Car and industrial emissions from coal industry  Tianying, China:  Potentially affected people: 140,000 - Pollutants: Lead and heavy metals  - Sources: Mining and processing  Sukinda, India:  Potentially affected people: 2,600,000 - Pollutants: Hexavalent chromium  - Sources: Chromite mines  Vapi, India:  Potentially affected people: 71,000 - Pollutants: Chemicals and heavy metals  - Sources: Industrial estates  La Oroya, Peru:  Potentially affected people: 35,000 - Pollutants: Lead, copper, zinc -  Sources: Heavy metal mining  Dzerzhinsk, Russia:  Potentially affected people: 300,000- Pollutants: Sarin, lead, phenols  - Sources: Cold War-era chemical weapons, manufacturing  Norilsk, Russia: Potentially Affected People: 134,000 - Pollutants: Heavy metals, phenols  - Sources: Nickel mining  Chernobyl, Ukraine:  Potentially affected people: 5.5 million - Pollutants: Radioactive dust including uranium, other metals - Sources: Nuclear meltdown of reactor core in 1986 Kabwe, Zambia - Potentially affected people: 255,000 - Pollutants: Lead, cadmium

ETP dicharge at Vapi    Vapi Indsurial estate  Pollutants: Chemicals and heavy metals

Taj Mahal getting dirty by pollution NEW DELHI, India (AP) Taj Mahal  India's most iconic structures and one of the world's most visited landmarks is getting dirty by pollution. Taj Mahal, is renowned for the paleness of its marble, but these days it looks more yellow than white.  A report Monday by a parliamentary panel blamed air pollution, saying the Taj Mahal is encrusted with "suspended particulate matter," or granules of dirt and soot found in high levels in the air around the site in the city of Agra.  "The deposition of SPM on the shimmering white marble of the Taj Mahal imparts yellow tinge to the marble surface," the report said. To restore the monument to its pristine glory, the panel recommended packing it in mud, a process used on the Taj Mahal in the past. The treatment takes about two months and involves caking the domed edifice in mud and letting it dry before washing the clay off. As the mud dries, it absorbs the dirty buildup. The restoration costs $230,000 and will need to be repeated every two or three years, said P. Dayalan, superintendent of the Archaeological Survey of India in Agra, which maintains the monument.  The Taj Mahal was built by the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It houses their graves and a mosque, as well as several other graves of lesser Mogul royalty. Some 3 million tourists visit the mausoleum every year.

Taj Mahal

Awareness about Pollution Prevention: Create public awareness about proper handling of household chemicals, engine/lawn mower oils, pesticide  containers etc. Encourage the recycling habits and eliminate unnecessary packaging/storing of rarely used materials Celebration via Recreation Organize environmental exhibits, picnics, beach clean ups Encourage planting of trees and ensure they survive through the years. Conservation of Natural Resources Save water by turning off the faucets when not in use. Clean and wash vegetables in a large bowl of water instead  washing under the running faucet. Take showers instead of baths and run the dishwashers with a full load. Collect rain water for watering the plants and shrubs. Use organic fertilizers instead of inorganic chemicals to provide nutrients to the soil. Protect the beneficial insects (such as ladybugs, bees, spiders etc.) around the gardens. Leave the grass clippings, leaves etc. on the ground because they make excellent mulches and provide nutrition to the soil. Promote the protection of endangered, threatened species and wildlife across the country and around the world. Besides these, there are so many other simple tips that we all can follow on a day to day basis. Always remember, ‘Nature’ is our most trusted friend around us. Ruthless destruction of the nature via unplanned construction activities, pollution and overexploitation of resources will continue to affect our future generations. The sooner we activate our protective thoughts, the better would be the chances of a "pollution free" planet earth for today and a  brighter tomorrow!

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