Blog

Greetings from IDSAsr

Guru Arjan Dev Institute of Development Studies, Amritsar(India) has planned to organize
its 3rd annual seminar on the theme Water Security and Climate Change:
Challenges and Strategies with effect from November 4 to November 6,2011 in the
Conference hall of Guru Nanak Bhawan of Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.
Registration is you open for the seminar. You are requested to contribure a well
researched paper on any of the sub theme in global context. Also gave wide publicity to the event.

Look forward to see IEN members here at Amritsar- The City of Golden Temple.

With warm personal regards

Flyer.pdf

Rajasthan has resulted in a rapid depletion in ground water level and deterioration in water quality due to over exploitation. In Rajasthan, owing to meager surface water resource, ground water is only sources of dependence and survival, over 70% irrigation and 95% drinking water supply schemes are based on ground water resources. Availability of surface water is mainly restricted to canal command areas of Indira Gandhi Nahar Project, Chambal and Mahi rivers. To meet the demand, the withdrawal of ground water is more than the recharge to ground water resources. In fact this has created a problem of depletion and deterioration of groundwater level & its quality. Other geo-chemical factors have resulted in increase of hydrochemical parameters viz. salinity, nitrate, and fluoride in ground waters and have adversely affected the lives of inhabitants in general and socio-economic status in particular. The ground water of western, north-east of Rajasthan is facing problem of salinity, sodicity, alkalinity, nitrate and fluoride, whereas central and southern part is generally facing the acute problem of fluoride. High fluoride hazard is found almost all the districts of the state causing diseases fluorosis. Increased use of nitrogenous fertilizers and poor sewerage system in the urban agglomerate has caused high nitrates in aquifer water. Industrial and urban population has further caused deterioration in quality of ground water. Rajasthan has become a serious environmental issue in the field of water quality management and human health. The state second ranks amongst the most endemic fluoride problem areas of the country and shares approximately 10% of the world fluorosis problem.

In Rajasthan, drought and famine stays as unwanted guest almost every alternate tear. Thus water crisis is of acute nature and needs immediate attention of water managers.
Rajasthan is known for its arid climatic conditions and is characterized by low, erratic and unevenly distributed rains causing frequent meteorological, hydrological and agricultural droughts. Quality wise more than 25% of ground water sources have multiple problems,16% have excessive fluorides, 15% have excess nitrates and over 9% have excess salinity, thus leaving nearly 35% sources of potable.

The state is occupied by diversified geo-formations and hydro geological conditions. Ground water occurs in unconsolidated formations, semi consolidated formations and consolidated rock types. Quaternary alluvium, Lathi stand stove, Palana sandstone, Borunda limestone and Jodhpur standstone at places are some of the prominent aquifer system available in the state and are heavily over-exploited. Severe water level declining districts are –Jaipur, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Nagaur, Jodhpur ,Jalore, Pali, Dausa and Barmer.

Factors Responsible for Water Scarcity

• Low Rainfall-Arid climate 
• Frequent drought and famine conditions
• Less availability of fresh water 
• Deep & declining water levels
• Hard rock area
• Dispersed population
• Undependable energy supply
• Formidable water quality problems
• Lack of water education.

BITING CONCERN: Deaths due to rabies has seen a drastic rise in this year at GH, chennai.

At least 20 people have died of rabies at GH in Chennai city in last 6 months.

The association for prevention and control of Rabies in India will discuss strategies to eliminate rabies by 2020.

will this happen...??? i dont think sooo...the corporation sterilize the animals,give them anti-rabies vaccines and let them out... , i feel they should not let them out either to avoid accidents n bites.

RABIES- A SCARY INFECTION

• rabies virus transmitted from animals to humans through contact with infected saliva via bites or scratches.
• over 55000 people die of rabies every year worldwide.

Preventive Measures

• animal vaccination
• reduction of stray dogs
• preventive immunization.

The association for prevention and control of rabies in India said they would insist on strengthening strsy dog population control and making pet dog licensing mandatory. Also, they will urge the state government to make vaccines accessible and affordable.

will people cooperate for license to keep pets???

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/articlelist/2950623.cms



Hello, my name is Wood Paper. My family trees are throughout the world although, I belong to the area of Western Ghats along the Latitude: 13.217156 and Longitude: 75.000833. My ancestors were rooted to this place and it’s from here my journey started. I was handpicked as the luckiest one when I matured and was processed with water forming a mat like structure. After penance of few days and standing with my fellow fibres in the harsh stream of water, I interwove myself and came out as the thin sheet, which is ready to use.

I also have my cousin’s called Rag paper and Grass paper. Their origins are from different part of the world (nothing interesting for you) and I really adore them. My existence brought a great revolution to the world. I, along with my brother and sisters from all over the world, were used everywhere as time passed. I became the heartbeat, the mode by which human race learnt to develop and grow. 

Sometimes I feel proud of the fact that human intelligence could grow because they used me as a learning medium. I can be used to write every single thought and idea that comes to anyone’s mind. This idea at first is like a raw seed which is then sown and spread on my little inter-tangled fibered sheet and later takes a shape of technology and invention.

I am worshipped in some parts of the world like in the region, where I belong to, the land called India. It’s a very vast land with vast population of my lush green forests and even more vast number of human races. There is a notion of sacredness related to me because I am the one who provides them with what they call ‘skiksha’.  I am the son of goddess saraswati and i am bestowed with her immense blessings, to educate every single human on earth. And I thoroughly enjoy this role of mine to be honest.

I am also the best friend of all the lovers in the animal world. I have successfully followed my duty in transporting messages written on me so that two hearts can meet. I love it when the divine nib of the pen meets my skin and leaves the mark, which can be read by animal later on. The softness of a pen when rolled over my body and is filled with emotions makes me cheerful and content. Different ink colours on my white skin make humans happy.

I am usually white in colour but there is also a possibility that I can be transformed into many other different colours by adding some chemicals and dyes. They make me look attractive and I am able to flaunt my new colour clothes on the ramp. But sometimes too many of hazardous chemical dyes used tend to harm my soft fibres and effects are seen in my afterlife, this makes me week and sad.

With the new technologies and after the decades of research by the man, the new hi-tech machines were invented, which I could never understand. Printing on me is fast and so many things are possible within few seconds. But I do not anymore feel connected to the real emotions and it is becoming hard for me to understand them. Everything around me in the new century is so mechanical- the hard pointer, the sound of machine and the cartilage ink. This makes me feel not wanted anymore and moreover mostly not cared anymore.

I loathe the change in the attitude of everyone and wish to bring the same old feeling back. I can feel the real end in front of me. I am scared that soon I will be dead and no one will remember how useful I was for every small action such as making toys, packaging material, books, wrapping secrets within me etc. As the electronic world is growing I am forgotten. 

The ultimate goal in the design of a deep filter bed used in water treatment is to produce good quality of filtered water. The design parameters are not seen generally linked to the economic aspects of the filter beds. With the advent of dual media filters which produces about twice the quality of water than produced from conventional monomedia beds with equivalent water quality. the initial cost of the dual media filters are on the higher side when compared to the monomedia filters.A lower backwash rate and slower head loss development in the dual media filters make them deliver consistent performance even under extreme conditions of loading.Hence in case of a conventional mano media filter plants with insufficiency in meeting the demand, increased output could be obtained by up rating the plants to duel media filter beds.BY doing so , significant reduction in Capex investment is obtained due to the avoidance of construction of extra conventional filters.

Climatic changes wont be smooth transition to a warmer world.Climate change elements fall into 3 categories:

• melting ice and permafrost.
• climate phenomena like EI Nino and the Gulf stream that influences other elements.
• changing rainfall patterns in the tropical and sub tropics.

Four sets of risks associated with these elements and the impacts:

• Sea level rise
• Unstable monsoon in India
• Drought in Amazonia
• Drought in Southwest North America

http://www.hindu.com/2011/06/23/stories/2011062363550300.htm

Plastic bags are neither a small nor a big issue. Save the trees, Use plastic?

How much more ignorant could people get? Plastic is what is choking up Mother Earth's throat!!!

What is the general intellectual understanding - that jute and cloth bags are for rich people??? What was it like in 1970s and 80s, when to carry plastic was fashionable "English", and jute bags were the sickly indicators of a not so rich/educated person. Is this happening in India, the country where Gandhi imagined the wheel spinning local cotton as the symbol of progress? Where is the supposed feeling of pride in India now? What the hell is happening with our understanding of any issue? :D 

You decide!

blog by Shankar Gopalakrishnan

On June 12th, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh made national headlines when he "earnestly appealed" to the Odisha government to avoid force when taking people's land for the POSCO project. He called upon them to respect "dialogue and discussion" and "democratic processes." The Minister's "concern" followed the statements of national Congress leaders condemning the police operation in the area, as the media was filled with images of protesters lying in burning sand, children and women facing off with armed police, and appeals from thousands of people to halt the takeover of 3,000 acres of forest land for POSCO.

But the Minister failed to mention a rather important fact. The law already provides for such a democratic process, and his Ministry is the single biggest reason that those laws are not followed. The result is gross injustice to millions of people across the country, who find that their lands and forests are grabbed for corporate profit (incidentally, let's not call this "development"; in the case of POSCO, for instance, the project will destroy three times as many jobs as it will create and will result in no benefit other than profits to the company).

Let's take a closer look at the process involved. Under section 2 of the Forest (Conservation) Act, "diversion" of forest land, or the use of forest land for "non-forest purposes" (essentially any activity except afforestation) requires the permission of the Environment Ministry. This is the so-called "forest clearance" process. Approximately 23% of the country's land area is recorded as forest; under a 1996 Supreme Court order, all land recorded as forest is subject to the Forest (Conservation) Act. Thus, land use in almost a quarter of the country is technically under the jurisdiction of a single Ministry of the Central government.

These vast areas have millions of people dependent on them for individual cultivation, collection of forest produce and other livelihood activities. In many areas they are also under some form of village management, ranging from the informal forest protection committees in the POSCO area, to the elaborate state-sanctioned Van Panchayats of Uttarakhand, to the entirely community controlled areas of parts of the Northeast.

But unlike most other processes concerned with natural resources - whether it is private land acquisition, the Environmental Impact Assessment process, urban planning, etc. - neither the Forest (Conservation) Act nor its Rules provides for even informing the public, leave alone consulting them, before decisions on diversion of forest land are made. This extreme centralisation of power leads to both absurdity and tragedy. Examples abound: the Lower Subansiri Dam project, where the MoEF has diverted forest land that does not even belong to the government (it is community land); the Polavaram dam, bigger than the Sardar Sarovar project, where more than 250 adivasi villages are to lose their lands and community forests without a word about their rights; and of course POSCO.

Until January 1st, 2008, this was deemed to be legal, despite being grossly unjust. On that date, the Forest Rights Act came into force. The FRA had two critical sets of provisions that affected takeover of forest land. First, it recognised individual and community rights of forest dwellers on forests and forest lands, and explicitly barred (section 4(5)) removal of forest dwellers until the recognition and recording process is complete. Second, and more importantly, the FRA gave communities - and specifically their gram sabhas (assemblies of all village residents) and village institutions - the power to manage and protect forests, biodiversity, water sources and their cultural and natural heritage.

But this clashed headlong with the entire basis of the forest governance regime in the country, under which forests were treated as the private property of the state, to be policed, protected and destroyed as per decisions made by the forest authorities. As a result, despite the fact that it was now engaging in a direct violation of a law, MoEF simply carried on diverting forest land for projects as if the FRA and people's rights did not exist.

Read more>>

http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/blog/posco-one-more-case-forest-land-grab

Planting of trees on Environment Day has become a fad…camouflaging the real issue…by many companies...

Too often these are a template/ ticking the box completion exercise rather than delivering any real value or knowledge about the real impending threats to the sustainability….

interesting article.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/biodegradable-trash-garbage-waste-110616.html

THE GIST

• Buying biodegradable products can ease your conscience, but they don't necessarily do much for the Earth.
• Biodegradable products can do more harm than good for the environment if they end up in landfills.
• One of the best ways to reduce your impact on the Earth is to use less and throw less away.

The findings don't necessarily mean that all biodegradables are bad. In many cases, they are in fact greener, especially if they are disposed of correctly. Buying "biodegradable" products is an easy way to reduce guilt about your impact on the Earth.

But when biodegradable trash ends up in landfills, it breaks down more quickly than ordinary garbage does, suggests a new study. The result is a more rapid release of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

Some landfills collect methane gas and convert it to energy, but many don't. And in those cases, biodegradables may actually be worse for the environment than ordinary trash -- at least at the end of a product's life -- according to the study.

The findings don't necessarily mean that all biodegradables are bad. In many cases, they are in fact greener, especially if they are disposed of correctly. The point of the study was to simply point out that biodegradables aren't always everything they're cracked up to be.

can anybody tell me about the waste water characteristics of a Solid Waste Processing Unit ? And how it can be dealt with & how can it stop?? 

This set of Words of mine are for Authorities of India & Other Allied organization like NABET as well as people favouring MoEF & NABET for quality.

After a much awaited return of mine on blog of Paryavaran.com, I would like to put some sequence of words as a chain like "food chain" and "food web" of ecology. Mainly i would like to put some chain of legal aspects of Indian Environmental Authority/provision as well as actions taken by them which will be forming a web of Legal Framework & action for Environmental protection.

As i titled, often a question comes in my mind that "For What the legal bodies and provision in India are formed?" are they for environmental protection? And my experienced mind replies: "No they are not for environment protection & improvement" further it sings a line in a very special jingle "They are Eco Friendly".

What comes in your mind? If I am not wrong you are thinking- "this person speaks double things. On one hand he is saying the actions are not for environment protection and on other hand he is saying eco friendly. What rubbish this Naik is speaking?" Am I right?  Well let me clear this. The actions are eco= economic friendly not ecology. If you have noticed the action are resulting in economic benefits of any one either of Proponent or consultant or person enjoying any legal power or a person /organization having established connection with the legal framework. Further, you might also have noticed that the action have not at all proven effective in path of efforts and scheme for Environmental Protection. In my last blog I wrote lot about NABET and from the day many professional said me to put some other words on Blog of Paryavaran. Some of members have also shared that blog for communication via e-mail. I am heartily thankful to them to spread my thought to many professionals of India. In furtherance to that blog I have decided to put some words again. It may be in this Part of blog or might be in some Episodes, as i don't know what time i will have till i finish this blog. Hope this will have good content and you would like and would prefer to share it with other. With due respect to all readers the Word Chain & Word Web on "Legal Actions of Govt.: are they for environment protection? I think these are ECOFRIEDNLY" are here for all interested readers. I apologies if these words hurts any one's feeling/ethical practices/ego/moral etc..These are the things I noticed in last few Years and thought of in last few months.

"Legal Actions of Govt.: are they for environment protection?

In continuation of this question: are they for quality practice in field of Environment?
Here the very first aspects I would like to quote is the Provision of EIA & NABET for EIA consulting organisation. In the very beginning I would like to state that the SO 1533 is designed or framed with minimal required details or guidelines or provision. As noticed & practiced by many proponents & professional ther are lot of gaps in schedule of project category posing mandatory requirement of EIA. If a Proponent plans their project in systematic manner many Activities posing high impacts can be excluded or exempted from Applicability of EIA. One company having activity included in SO 1533, requires Prior EC for its expansion but if it plans it expansion with activities not covered in SO 1533 schd. I as new Project on adjoining site, Prior EC is not applicable in legal terms. Here I would like to quote a example of recent issue I replied.

One existing Thermal power Plant if plans for water intake infrastructure without treatment unit as new project do not require Prior EC except if asked by the River regulatory authority or Irrigation department etc. In Furtherance of this, if one thinks of the impacts on this project what can be concluded? Is it small project having no impacts? Shall exemption from EC be granted to such project? Everyone will say, No it shall be exempted but SO 1533 says as the project is independent one it do not require EC. Even in some cases due to improper provision expansion for such facilities are permitted without EC. So this is the real outcome of provision for environmental protection.
Another example is Manmade fibres, People are doing expansion or announcing Manmade fibre production unit based on CP. CP falls in Petroleum processing unit but authority is granting EC under Manmade fibre category..Further, many of the units are being operated prior to grant of EC as manmade fibre unit with NOC for same hiding CP.

All this gaps & dual way provision are being enjoyed by numbers of unit. I can show huge numbers of industries enjoying such confusing provision almost in all sectors. Many units have shown their expansion as new project below threshold quantity and running as single unit with existing unit without EC as provision permits such tricky project planning. So this is what a big gap and scope of manipulation in SO 1533 is being enjoyed by many industries. So authority must clear this in schedule of SO 1533. Else the SO 1533 is meaningless in many sectors.
To avoid such escape they shall include a provision that “Any activities of sectors covered in SO 1533 shall be subjected to Prior EC and the application of EC shall be done with consideration of Comprehensive/Cumulative Impacts of the project.”

In addition to these contradicting provisions, the way of assessment of Proposal & EIA by Authority and concerned organisation is again questionable?

Two project at same site, rather in same area (<1 Km), are applying for EC. The EIA study for both of the project is almost same. But when the matter of contents comes in to picture of quality, huge deviations in many details can be noticed. Even after that the Authority is granting EC to both projects without noticing such issue of poor quality of one. So question here is: What the authority assesses? What they require/need for EC- EIA or Proper citation of Impacts with necessary Mitigations in EIA report? I think they like only EIA to fulfil their requirement of duty assigned by legislation. They are least concern with the details given in EIA reports. They asks big set of questions but not the actual quality of details written therein. They never check what shall be the true data/details. Even if one will noticed, authority is issuing guideline for QA/QC for monitoring of Water, Emission estimation etc. but their reports even not meeting the criteria published by them. So what such authority can do while assessing content of EIA. If one will check content of EIA regarding Emission for diesel consuming utilities, big issue can be cited in emission. Almost 90% of EIA will fail to prove the correctness of emission from diesel consuming utility. I have noticed this and marked that the emission levels quoted for the diesel is almost 20% in 90% cases. Even after this big issue Authority having so called experts have granted EC to the project submitted EIA with such emission data. Further, in many cases of project in same area, authority is not asking for many thing like clearance from other authority. One project with 100% faulty details gets EC whereas other project with 90% true details will not get EC. I don’t know about such decision of authority. There might be some legal provisions framed by them for their own use.

Now the issue of recent great action of authority-NABET. Authority have posed mandatory requirement of accreditation of NABET for all EIA consultants. This is good if it is being implemented properly with utmost and strict consideration of quality being provided by consultant in EIA. But as it is being operated, the implementation is not at all proper as two experts assesses one’s firm for all sector and coordinators. In many cases a person having >20 Yrs experience and having great knowledge of operations and environmental aspects are rejected based on some fullish question which are not relevant for assessment of coordinator of particular sector. Authority, especially, the top board of NABET accreditation shall prepare a set of question for all sectors and functional area for assessment. Instead they are showing that two person coming for site assessment & appraisal of experts proposed are having knowledge in all sectors and functional area. Is it possible? If so, I would like to say that the NABET team is worlds best team in assessment of environmental quality/firms/expert. But I would like to reflect the truth that the team is the poorest one in world and not at all efficient for such appraisal. The experts coming for site & experts assessment never checks quality in its original form. They never check one’s key knowledge. They never see the actual practice. Here also I would like to quote one example. As mentioned earlier, a project with 1oo% wrong details in EIA have received EC where as almost 80% similar project had faced lot of problems. The shocking matter in this issue is – The consultant who prepared the EIA with 100% faulty details is approved by NABET with huge numbers of Sectors and even those as Category A. By reviewing the EIAs (two-three) as well as a formal but informative discussion with the experts of the firms, I have noticed that the firm has been approved- accredited because it has got very attractive interior of office & labs, it has got numbers of instruments & equipments just to show, it has got numbers of personnel having knowledge of school level or graduate level but possesses PG degree, it has got great connections in govt. offices which created big list of work order showing that the organisation is best etc etc….truely speaking the firm is not at all acceptable for many sectors under scheme of NABET. But the experts of NABET said that the organisation is excellent and that’s why it has got accreditation in Many sectors with Cat-A. On other hand one organisation whoe really did great work in EIA having quality up to 60% (in primary data, impacts assessment, citation of all critical information in EIA, Risk assessment etc.) is rejected even for cat-B.

Besides, recently a solution is shown by the authority that empanel experts from other firms who are approved by NABET to get assured accreditation. No matter where the expert is residing and how much time it will give to your project. For this I would like to say, is it good practice /criteria of accreditation under NABET? How a person in Delhi can contribute in EIA work of a firm based in Mumbai or Ahmadabad or so? Will he travel daily to here n there for EIA works? Will he work for quality? This is worst solution suggested by authority for NABET accreditation. In earlier blog I supported the scheme but after noticing these wrong practices and poor actions, I seriously opposes the scheme. Further, as I mentioned in earlier the scheme and now the process of EC practiced by authority is challengeable legally. Still I wish to wait for some months for such actions. I am preparing rather have prepared with lot of material and action plan against the scheme & authority. If I feel that the scheme and the authority is not going in to the direction for what it is formulated/established, I will surely go for such actions as it is the matter of my ethical practices and the duty of my techno-legal team.

Now at the stage of conclusion of this chain of words, what do feel about the title? Have you noticed the word web making the title appropriate? Don’t you feel the actions together are ECO-FRIENDLY? Do you like to favour these authorities? What shall we do? Shall we go with malfunction to play with legal provision like other & authorities? Shall we keep quiet and walk to see what next by walking along with these people & authorities?

As these questions to yourself, check the correctness of my opinion by studying the cases being granted by authority, check similarly the competence of firms being accredited by NABET and be prepared to save yourself and our environment as well as economy. Soon up on receipt of suggestion & opinion of the readers I will put the next episode in the regards of afore mentioned details.

If you like to reply or suggest please refer my e-mail ID: hnecoerecter@gmail.com.

Thanks for now and with hope to be back again shortly on the blog: Dr. Hemalkumar Naik.