Bindu Shajan Perappadan
NEW DELHI: “We are looking at setting up eight more reserves as part of the tiger conservation efforts,” Union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said here on Friday. “The new reserves would include one in the Satyamangalam forests in Tamil Nadu, besides Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.”
The national tiger census report should also be available in within the next 15 days, he said speaking at a function held at WWF-India here, ahead of the International Tiger Forum, which is being hosted by Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at St. Petersburg from November 21 to 24.
The Minister introduced India's Youth Tiger Ambassadors who will represent the country at the International Youth Summit being held alongside the high-level government meeting on tiger conservation. The Forum will commit conservation and rehabilitation of tigers to global action.The Youth Summit will take place from November 19 to 24 at Vladivostok, home to the Amur Tiger. The involvement of youth at this important meeting is aimed at drawing attention to the importance of tiger conservation. WWF-India has selected students Anusha Shankar and Devanshu Sood to represent India at the summit.
They will be part of a delegation comprising representatives from all tiger ranges countries. The youth ambassadors will visit Siberian tiger trails and get a first-hand account of the state of wild tiger populations in Russia and measures being taken for their conservation. They will also develop a youth declaration on conservation, which will be presented to the Tiger Forum via videoconference between Vladivostok and St. Petersburg. Before embarking on their journey to Russia, both tiger ambassadors signed a pledge, in the presence of Mr. Ramesh, of support to the cause of conservation. Anusha Shankar, a student of M.Sc Ecology and Environmental Science at Pondicherry University, said: “The natural world has always fascinated me. I decided long ago to pursue this passion professionally. The Youth Tiger Summit is a great opportunity for me to contribute to tiger conservation.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
गुरुवार, 18 नवंबर 2010
Haryana bans manufacture, sale of plastic bags (The Hindu-14 Nov 2010)
Special Correspondent
CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Government has prohibited manufacture, sale, distribution and use of virgin and recycled plastic carry bags and recycled plastic containers.
Stating this on Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that littering of plastic articles such as plates, cups, tumblers, spoons, forks and straw at public places such as parks, playgrounds, recreational places, tourist centres and religious places would not be permitted.
He said in areas having a special historical, religious and ecological significance, use of all types of plastic articles has been banned. Such places include Thanesar, Kurukshetra and Pehowa towns, precincts of Mansa Devi Temple, Panchkula and Sheetla Mata Temple, Gurgaon; public parks; wild life sanctuaries and national parks and Gram Panchayat, Morni.
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board would be the prescribed authority for enforcement of the provisions of these directions relating to manufacture and recycling of plastics.
The Municipal Commissioner or Chief Executive Officer of the concerned Municipal Corporation or Municipality would be the prescribed authority for enforcement of the provisions.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
CHANDIGARH: The Haryana Government has prohibited manufacture, sale, distribution and use of virgin and recycled plastic carry bags and recycled plastic containers.
Stating this on Saturday, Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that littering of plastic articles such as plates, cups, tumblers, spoons, forks and straw at public places such as parks, playgrounds, recreational places, tourist centres and religious places would not be permitted.
He said in areas having a special historical, religious and ecological significance, use of all types of plastic articles has been banned. Such places include Thanesar, Kurukshetra and Pehowa towns, precincts of Mansa Devi Temple, Panchkula and Sheetla Mata Temple, Gurgaon; public parks; wild life sanctuaries and national parks and Gram Panchayat, Morni.
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board would be the prescribed authority for enforcement of the provisions of these directions relating to manufacture and recycling of plastics.
The Municipal Commissioner or Chief Executive Officer of the concerned Municipal Corporation or Municipality would be the prescribed authority for enforcement of the provisions.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
बुधवार, 17 नवंबर 2010
China begins damming Brahmaputra river for hydropower project ( The Hindu- November 16, 2010)
Ananth Krishnan
Special Arrangement The hanging bridge on the Siang, as the Brahmaputra is called in Arunachal, is between Jidu and Tuting, about 35 km from the border with China.
Indian government has raised concerns about possible downstream impact of project
China has started damming the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra river, or the Yarlung Tsangpo as it is known in Tibet, to begin construction on a 510 MW hydropower project that has raised concerns in India.
The government for the first time revealed that it has, since November 8, begun damming the Tsangpo's flow to allow work to begin on the hydropower project at Zangmu. This is the first major dam on the Brahmaputra and has been billed by the Chinese government as a landmark hydropower generation project for Tibet's development.
A news report on Monday said the “closure of the Yarlung Zangbo river on November 12 marked the beginning of construction.” Work is expected to continue beyond 2014, when the first set of generators will be put into operation. The total investment in the project is 7.9 billion yuan ($1.2 billion).
The Indian government has raised concerns about the possible downstream impact of this project during talks with China earlier this year. Chinese officials have assured their Indian counterparts that the project would be “run of the river,” having little impact downstream.
China has said that its projects were only for hydropower generation, and were neither storage projects nor designed to divert the water.
Officials at India's Ministry of External Affairs have, however, voiced frustration over China's general lack of willingness to share information regarding the Zangmu project, meaning they had little means to verify claims on the specific construction plans and impact on flows.
According to Ramaswamy R. Iyer, former Water Resources Secretary of the Government of India, for India “the point to examine would be the quantum of possible diversion and the impact it would have on the flows to India.”
Usually, to ensure that the flow downstream remains unaffected during the period of construction of a dam, the water is diverted through streams around the construction site and returned to the river.
“Since the flow of the water cannot be stopped, the water will be diverted so there will be no reduction of flow in this stage,” Mr. Iyer, who is an authority on dams and transboundary water issues, told The Hindu on Monday, speaking from New Delhi.
He stressed that he was speaking in general terms regarding any dam construction, and did not have specific details regarding how China was carrying out this particular project.
There is still some uncertainty on what China intends for the project, and whether or not a storage reservoir, which could affect downstream flows, will be built beyond the minimal “pondage” required to operate the turbines.
Chinese media reports indicated that the Zangmu project is unlikely to be the last on the Brahmaputra. A news report on the widely read portal Tencent said the Zangmu dam was “a landmark project” for Tibet's development, being the first major dam in Tibet, and “a project of priority in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.”
The report said that such projects would “greatly relieve the energy stress in the middle regions of Tibet” and upgrade power capacity from 100 MW to over 500 MW.
‘No treaty'
Mr. Iyer said a larger concern for India was the absence of a water-sharing treaty with China, which does not allow India to either qualify or address Chinese claims regarding specific projects.
“Between India and Pakistan, we have a treaty which specifies what we should do,” he said. “We're not supposed to retain a drop, and [even] during a stated period of construction, inflow is equal to outflow.”
“But with China,” he added, “we have no treaty. So what they will do, we have no idea.”
Special Arrangement The hanging bridge on the Siang, as the Brahmaputra is called in Arunachal, is between Jidu and Tuting, about 35 km from the border with China.
Indian government has raised concerns about possible downstream impact of project
China has started damming the middle reaches of the Brahmaputra river, or the Yarlung Tsangpo as it is known in Tibet, to begin construction on a 510 MW hydropower project that has raised concerns in India.
The government for the first time revealed that it has, since November 8, begun damming the Tsangpo's flow to allow work to begin on the hydropower project at Zangmu. This is the first major dam on the Brahmaputra and has been billed by the Chinese government as a landmark hydropower generation project for Tibet's development.
A news report on Monday said the “closure of the Yarlung Zangbo river on November 12 marked the beginning of construction.” Work is expected to continue beyond 2014, when the first set of generators will be put into operation. The total investment in the project is 7.9 billion yuan ($1.2 billion).
The Indian government has raised concerns about the possible downstream impact of this project during talks with China earlier this year. Chinese officials have assured their Indian counterparts that the project would be “run of the river,” having little impact downstream.
China has said that its projects were only for hydropower generation, and were neither storage projects nor designed to divert the water.
Officials at India's Ministry of External Affairs have, however, voiced frustration over China's general lack of willingness to share information regarding the Zangmu project, meaning they had little means to verify claims on the specific construction plans and impact on flows.
According to Ramaswamy R. Iyer, former Water Resources Secretary of the Government of India, for India “the point to examine would be the quantum of possible diversion and the impact it would have on the flows to India.”
Usually, to ensure that the flow downstream remains unaffected during the period of construction of a dam, the water is diverted through streams around the construction site and returned to the river.
“Since the flow of the water cannot be stopped, the water will be diverted so there will be no reduction of flow in this stage,” Mr. Iyer, who is an authority on dams and transboundary water issues, told The Hindu on Monday, speaking from New Delhi.
He stressed that he was speaking in general terms regarding any dam construction, and did not have specific details regarding how China was carrying out this particular project.
There is still some uncertainty on what China intends for the project, and whether or not a storage reservoir, which could affect downstream flows, will be built beyond the minimal “pondage” required to operate the turbines.
Chinese media reports indicated that the Zangmu project is unlikely to be the last on the Brahmaputra. A news report on the widely read portal Tencent said the Zangmu dam was “a landmark project” for Tibet's development, being the first major dam in Tibet, and “a project of priority in the Eleventh Five Year Plan.”
The report said that such projects would “greatly relieve the energy stress in the middle regions of Tibet” and upgrade power capacity from 100 MW to over 500 MW.
‘No treaty'
Mr. Iyer said a larger concern for India was the absence of a water-sharing treaty with China, which does not allow India to either qualify or address Chinese claims regarding specific projects.
“Between India and Pakistan, we have a treaty which specifies what we should do,” he said. “We're not supposed to retain a drop, and [even] during a stated period of construction, inflow is equal to outflow.”
“But with China,” he added, “we have no treaty. So what they will do, we have no idea.”
शनिवार, 23 अक्टूबर 2010
Red bus shelter a green threat (Times of India- 23 Oct. 2010)
Neha Lalchandani,
NEW DELHI: Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) might find itself packing up and having to find a new plot of land to park its 600 airconditioned buses. The agency, which had been given land on the Yamuna river bed next to the Indraprastha power station for the Millennium bus depot during theCommonwealth Games, had been told that it would be a temporary set-up and they would have to vacate the land within a week or so of the Games ending. DTC meanwhile seems to have other plans, announcing that it will continue to park its buses there.
The issue has got environment activists up in arms against the corporation even as government sources assured that DTC would be asked to leave if it persisted in sticking on. "The land was given to DTC on lease for the duration of the Games. The plot is located in zone O of DDA's masterplan and according to a 2009 L-G moratorium, no construction is permitted here. Secondly, it was made clear right in the beginning that this would only be a temporary structure. By proposing to keep its buses parked here, DTC is indulging in rampant encroachment,'' said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
In a letter dated May 5, 2010, Ranjan Mukherjee, OSD to the L-G told Misra that "the bus parking facility...will be a temporary arrangement for DTC for the duration of the CWG-2010 and there is no plan for any permanent structures. The structures are to be completely removed after Games.''
According to DTC sources, they are planning to use the land as a shelter for 600 AC buses. They said that the structure is temporary, including the flooring that was flexible pavement. However, there were no plans of vacating the premises anytime soon.
The permission for the bus shelter was given amid much controversy and opposition by environment groups that saw the move as another attempt to take over river bed land. Permission was given on the condition that there would be no permanent construction, soft parking of compressed earth or perforated paved blocks. It was to be given to DTC on lease and no servicing of buses was to have taken place. DTC was to dismantle all structures and move out within 10 days of the Games getting over.
"The plot was earlier being used as a fly ash dumping ground by the nearby power station. However, it is clearly river bed land and when permission was given for the bus depot due to security concerns, it was said that it could not be a permanent set-up. During construction, PWD used fly ash and cement to first level the ground. A lot of other structures have also come up there. In April, DDA had said that it was not aware of any plans for a bus depot on that land. DTC cannot decide arbitrarily to stay there and must move out,'' said Vinod Jain of NGO Tapas.
NEW DELHI: Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) might find itself packing up and having to find a new plot of land to park its 600 airconditioned buses. The agency, which had been given land on the Yamuna river bed next to the Indraprastha power station for the Millennium bus depot during theCommonwealth Games, had been told that it would be a temporary set-up and they would have to vacate the land within a week or so of the Games ending. DTC meanwhile seems to have other plans, announcing that it will continue to park its buses there.
The issue has got environment activists up in arms against the corporation even as government sources assured that DTC would be asked to leave if it persisted in sticking on. "The land was given to DTC on lease for the duration of the Games. The plot is located in zone O of DDA's masterplan and according to a 2009 L-G moratorium, no construction is permitted here. Secondly, it was made clear right in the beginning that this would only be a temporary structure. By proposing to keep its buses parked here, DTC is indulging in rampant encroachment,'' said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
In a letter dated May 5, 2010, Ranjan Mukherjee, OSD to the L-G told Misra that "the bus parking facility...will be a temporary arrangement for DTC for the duration of the CWG-2010 and there is no plan for any permanent structures. The structures are to be completely removed after Games.''
According to DTC sources, they are planning to use the land as a shelter for 600 AC buses. They said that the structure is temporary, including the flooring that was flexible pavement. However, there were no plans of vacating the premises anytime soon.
The permission for the bus shelter was given amid much controversy and opposition by environment groups that saw the move as another attempt to take over river bed land. Permission was given on the condition that there would be no permanent construction, soft parking of compressed earth or perforated paved blocks. It was to be given to DTC on lease and no servicing of buses was to have taken place. DTC was to dismantle all structures and move out within 10 days of the Games getting over.
"The plot was earlier being used as a fly ash dumping ground by the nearby power station. However, it is clearly river bed land and when permission was given for the bus depot due to security concerns, it was said that it could not be a permanent set-up. During construction, PWD used fly ash and cement to first level the ground. A lot of other structures have also come up there. In April, DDA had said that it was not aware of any plans for a bus depot on that land. DTC cannot decide arbitrarily to stay there and must move out,'' said Vinod Jain of NGO Tapas.
गुरुवार, 21 अक्टूबर 2010
‘Metro's Yamuna Bank complex coming up without clearances' (The Hindu- 21/10/10)
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
NEW DELHI: Construction at the Delhi Metro railway's Yamuna Bank complex is on in full swing and like most of its projects will be completed in time, but what sets it apart is that the mandatory clearances and go-ahead from agencies for some portions are missing.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was granted permission to construct a yard, a depot and a line on the riverbed, but also coming up on the ecologically critical zone is a residential complex for its employees. Alarmed by the destruction of the riverbed, a non-government organisation, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA), has shot off a letter to DMRC to reconsider their plans.
“I wrote to DMRC Managing Director E. Sreedharan but have not heard from him or the organisation. The construction of a residential complex is in violation of rules and most importantly it does not have any environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, nor was it sent for approval to the Delhi Urban Arts Commission,” says Manoj Misra of the YJA.
According to Mr. Misra, the land where the yard, the line and the depot are belongs to the Delhi Development Authority and DMRC has the rights to construct here, but the land where the residential complex is coming up has been sold to DMRC by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department on the precondition that DMRC cannot construct anything there before getting the land use changed by the DDA.
“DMRC has not got the change done in the land use. It was initially meant only for greening purposes. When the construction first began in the riverbed, we had advised caution. Even the Yamuna Standing Committee had advised much caution. The matter went first to the Delhi High Court in 2007 and then to the Supreme Court,” said Mr. Misra.
He said the Delhi High Court was informed by DMRC that it had decided to shelve its plans to build residential quarters on the riverbed, but they never submitted the requisite affidavit to the Court.
Mr. Misra also pointed out that the complex was flooded recently during the rains. “When the river rose during the rains the complex was completely flooded and it was established that the construction on the riverbed was wrong. Flood waters also reported from the Shastri Park depot.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Construction at the Delhi Metro railway's Yamuna Bank complex is on in full swing and like most of its projects will be completed in time, but what sets it apart is that the mandatory clearances and go-ahead from agencies for some portions are missing.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was granted permission to construct a yard, a depot and a line on the riverbed, but also coming up on the ecologically critical zone is a residential complex for its employees. Alarmed by the destruction of the riverbed, a non-government organisation, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA), has shot off a letter to DMRC to reconsider their plans.
“I wrote to DMRC Managing Director E. Sreedharan but have not heard from him or the organisation. The construction of a residential complex is in violation of rules and most importantly it does not have any environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, nor was it sent for approval to the Delhi Urban Arts Commission,” says Manoj Misra of the YJA.
According to Mr. Misra, the land where the yard, the line and the depot are belongs to the Delhi Development Authority and DMRC has the rights to construct here, but the land where the residential complex is coming up has been sold to DMRC by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department on the precondition that DMRC cannot construct anything there before getting the land use changed by the DDA.
“DMRC has not got the change done in the land use. It was initially meant only for greening purposes. When the construction first began in the riverbed, we had advised caution. Even the Yamuna Standing Committee had advised much caution. The matter went first to the Delhi High Court in 2007 and then to the Supreme Court,” said Mr. Misra.
He said the Delhi High Court was informed by DMRC that it had decided to shelve its plans to build residential quarters on the riverbed, but they never submitted the requisite affidavit to the Court.
Mr. Misra also pointed out that the complex was flooded recently during the rains. “When the river rose during the rains the complex was completely flooded and it was established that the construction on the riverbed was wrong. Flood waters also reported from the Shastri Park depot.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
‘Metro's Yamuna Bank complex coming up without clearances' (The Hindu- 21/10/10)
Smriti Kak Ramachandran
NEW DELHI: Construction at the Delhi Metro railway's Yamuna Bank complex is on in full swing and like most of its projects will be completed in time, but what sets it apart is that the mandatory clearances and go-ahead from agencies for some portions are missing.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was granted permission to construct a yard, a depot and a line on the riverbed, but also coming up on the ecologically critical zone is a residential complex for its employees. Alarmed by the destruction of the riverbed, a non-government organisation, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA), has shot off a letter to DMRC to reconsider their plans.
“I wrote to DMRC Managing Director E. Sreedharan but have not heard from him or the organisation. The construction of a residential complex is in violation of rules and most importantly it does not have any environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, nor was it sent for approval to the Delhi Urban Arts Commission,” says Manoj Misra of the YJA.
According to Mr. Misra, the land where the yard, the line and the depot are belongs to the Delhi Development Authority and DMRC has the rights to construct here, but the land where the residential complex is coming up has been sold to DMRC by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department on the precondition that DMRC cannot construct anything there before getting the land use changed by the DDA.
“DMRC has not got the change done in the land use. It was initially meant only for greening purposes. When the construction first began in the riverbed, we had advised caution. Even the Yamuna Standing Committee had advised much caution. The matter went first to the Delhi High Court in 2007 and then to the Supreme Court,” said Mr. Misra.
He said the Delhi High Court was informed by DMRC that it had decided to shelve its plans to build residential quarters on the riverbed, but they never submitted the requisite affidavit to the Court.
Mr. Misra also pointed out that the complex was flooded recently during the rains. “When the river rose during the rains the complex was completely flooded and it was established that the construction on the riverbed was wrong. Flood waters also reported from the Shastri Park depot.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Construction at the Delhi Metro railway's Yamuna Bank complex is on in full swing and like most of its projects will be completed in time, but what sets it apart is that the mandatory clearances and go-ahead from agencies for some portions are missing.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was granted permission to construct a yard, a depot and a line on the riverbed, but also coming up on the ecologically critical zone is a residential complex for its employees. Alarmed by the destruction of the riverbed, a non-government organisation, Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan (YJA), has shot off a letter to DMRC to reconsider their plans.
“I wrote to DMRC Managing Director E. Sreedharan but have not heard from him or the organisation. The construction of a residential complex is in violation of rules and most importantly it does not have any environmental clearance from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, nor was it sent for approval to the Delhi Urban Arts Commission,” says Manoj Misra of the YJA.
According to Mr. Misra, the land where the yard, the line and the depot are belongs to the Delhi Development Authority and DMRC has the rights to construct here, but the land where the residential complex is coming up has been sold to DMRC by the Uttar Pradesh Irrigation Department on the precondition that DMRC cannot construct anything there before getting the land use changed by the DDA.
“DMRC has not got the change done in the land use. It was initially meant only for greening purposes. When the construction first began in the riverbed, we had advised caution. Even the Yamuna Standing Committee had advised much caution. The matter went first to the Delhi High Court in 2007 and then to the Supreme Court,” said Mr. Misra.
He said the Delhi High Court was informed by DMRC that it had decided to shelve its plans to build residential quarters on the riverbed, but they never submitted the requisite affidavit to the Court.
Mr. Misra also pointed out that the complex was flooded recently during the rains. “When the river rose during the rains the complex was completely flooded and it was established that the construction on the riverbed was wrong. Flood waters also reported from the Shastri Park depot.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Now in the pipeline: New national water policy (The Hindu- 21/10/10)
Gargi Parsai
NEW DELHI: Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.
The Government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act and the River Boards Act for time-bound clarificatory/supplementary orders of tribunals on inter-State water disputes and for setting up an Inter-State River Basin Authority for overall coordination of watershed agencies under inter-State basins.
The revised policy will take on board crucial issues such as water demand management, equitable distribution, water pricing, stringent regulatory mechanism and allocating priority to water for life-support and ecology over industry. Needless to say, the industry is opposing the last priority it might be allocated.
The Centre wants water budgeting and water auditing to be made mandatory. There is a suggestion to introduce tradable water entitlements for farmers but there is no agreement on it.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources is holding a series of consultations with the States and other stakeholders on various aspects of the proposed new policy and will reconcile all points of view. The final decision would be vested in the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers as members.
In the new scheme of things, it is proposed to plan for multi-purpose reservoir systems with stakeholder participation after a thorough examination of all alternatives. The benefits and costs of every project along with environmental and social costs should be assessed and it should be ensured that local people are the first beneficiaries. However, the Ministry has come up with the rider that while assessing costs-benefits, environmental and social costs, stakeholders must consider the cost of not providing water to people for different uses. It is proposed to incentivise water conservation. State governments may be advised to set up Independent Water Regulatory Authority for addressing water allocation, water use efficiency and physical and financial sustainability of water resources.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.
The Government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act and the River Boards Act for time-bound clarificatory/supplementary orders of tribunals on inter-State water disputes and for setting up an Inter-State River Basin Authority for overall coordination of watershed agencies under inter-State basins.
The revised policy will take on board crucial issues such as water demand management, equitable distribution, water pricing, stringent regulatory mechanism and allocating priority to water for life-support and ecology over industry. Needless to say, the industry is opposing the last priority it might be allocated.
The Centre wants water budgeting and water auditing to be made mandatory. There is a suggestion to introduce tradable water entitlements for farmers but there is no agreement on it.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources is holding a series of consultations with the States and other stakeholders on various aspects of the proposed new policy and will reconcile all points of view. The final decision would be vested in the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers as members.
In the new scheme of things, it is proposed to plan for multi-purpose reservoir systems with stakeholder participation after a thorough examination of all alternatives. The benefits and costs of every project along with environmental and social costs should be assessed and it should be ensured that local people are the first beneficiaries. However, the Ministry has come up with the rider that while assessing costs-benefits, environmental and social costs, stakeholders must consider the cost of not providing water to people for different uses. It is proposed to incentivise water conservation. State governments may be advised to set up Independent Water Regulatory Authority for addressing water allocation, water use efficiency and physical and financial sustainability of water resources.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Now in the pipeline: New national water policy (The Hindu- 21/10/10)
Gargi Parsai
NEW DELHI: Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.
The Government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act and the River Boards Act for time-bound clarificatory/supplementary orders of tribunals on inter-State water disputes and for setting up an Inter-State River Basin Authority for overall coordination of watershed agencies under inter-State basins.
The revised policy will take on board crucial issues such as water demand management, equitable distribution, water pricing, stringent regulatory mechanism and allocating priority to water for life-support and ecology over industry. Needless to say, the industry is opposing the last priority it might be allocated.
The Centre wants water budgeting and water auditing to be made mandatory. There is a suggestion to introduce tradable water entitlements for farmers but there is no agreement on it.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources is holding a series of consultations with the States and other stakeholders on various aspects of the proposed new policy and will reconcile all points of view. The final decision would be vested in the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers as members.
In the new scheme of things, it is proposed to plan for multi-purpose reservoir systems with stakeholder participation after a thorough examination of all alternatives. The benefits and costs of every project along with environmental and social costs should be assessed and it should be ensured that local people are the first beneficiaries. However, the Ministry has come up with the rider that while assessing costs-benefits, environmental and social costs, stakeholders must consider the cost of not providing water to people for different uses. It is proposed to incentivise water conservation. State governments may be advised to set up Independent Water Regulatory Authority for addressing water allocation, water use efficiency and physical and financial sustainability of water resources.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.
The Government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act and the River Boards Act for time-bound clarificatory/supplementary orders of tribunals on inter-State water disputes and for setting up an Inter-State River Basin Authority for overall coordination of watershed agencies under inter-State basins.
The revised policy will take on board crucial issues such as water demand management, equitable distribution, water pricing, stringent regulatory mechanism and allocating priority to water for life-support and ecology over industry. Needless to say, the industry is opposing the last priority it might be allocated.
The Centre wants water budgeting and water auditing to be made mandatory. There is a suggestion to introduce tradable water entitlements for farmers but there is no agreement on it.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources is holding a series of consultations with the States and other stakeholders on various aspects of the proposed new policy and will reconcile all points of view. The final decision would be vested in the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers as members.
In the new scheme of things, it is proposed to plan for multi-purpose reservoir systems with stakeholder participation after a thorough examination of all alternatives. The benefits and costs of every project along with environmental and social costs should be assessed and it should be ensured that local people are the first beneficiaries. However, the Ministry has come up with the rider that while assessing costs-benefits, environmental and social costs, stakeholders must consider the cost of not providing water to people for different uses. It is proposed to incentivise water conservation. State governments may be advised to set up Independent Water Regulatory Authority for addressing water allocation, water use efficiency and physical and financial sustainability of water resources.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Now in the pipeline: New national water policy (The Hindu- 21/10/10)
Gargi Parsai
NEW DELHI: Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.
The Government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act and the River Boards Act for time-bound clarificatory/supplementary orders of tribunals on inter-State water disputes and for setting up an Inter-State River Basin Authority for overall coordination of watershed agencies under inter-State basins.
The revised policy will take on board crucial issues such as water demand management, equitable distribution, water pricing, stringent regulatory mechanism and allocating priority to water for life-support and ecology over industry. Needless to say, the industry is opposing the last priority it might be allocated.
The Centre wants water budgeting and water auditing to be made mandatory. There is a suggestion to introduce tradable water entitlements for farmers but there is no agreement on it.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources is holding a series of consultations with the States and other stakeholders on various aspects of the proposed new policy and will reconcile all points of view. The final decision would be vested in the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers as members.
In the new scheme of things, it is proposed to plan for multi-purpose reservoir systems with stakeholder participation after a thorough examination of all alternatives. The benefits and costs of every project along with environmental and social costs should be assessed and it should be ensured that local people are the first beneficiaries. However, the Ministry has come up with the rider that while assessing costs-benefits, environmental and social costs, stakeholders must consider the cost of not providing water to people for different uses. It is proposed to incentivise water conservation. State governments may be advised to set up Independent Water Regulatory Authority for addressing water allocation, water use efficiency and physical and financial sustainability of water resources.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Spurred by the need to look at climate change impact on water resources, the Centre is formulating a revised National Water Policy in consultation with the States and other stakeholders to ensure basin-level management strategies. This would deal with variability in rainfall and river flows due to climate change.
The Government is also looking at amendment to the Inter-State Water Disputes Act and the River Boards Act for time-bound clarificatory/supplementary orders of tribunals on inter-State water disputes and for setting up an Inter-State River Basin Authority for overall coordination of watershed agencies under inter-State basins.
The revised policy will take on board crucial issues such as water demand management, equitable distribution, water pricing, stringent regulatory mechanism and allocating priority to water for life-support and ecology over industry. Needless to say, the industry is opposing the last priority it might be allocated.
The Centre wants water budgeting and water auditing to be made mandatory. There is a suggestion to introduce tradable water entitlements for farmers but there is no agreement on it.
The Union Ministry of Water Resources is holding a series of consultations with the States and other stakeholders on various aspects of the proposed new policy and will reconcile all points of view. The final decision would be vested in the National Water Resources Council headed by the Prime Minister with Chief Ministers as members.
In the new scheme of things, it is proposed to plan for multi-purpose reservoir systems with stakeholder participation after a thorough examination of all alternatives. The benefits and costs of every project along with environmental and social costs should be assessed and it should be ensured that local people are the first beneficiaries. However, the Ministry has come up with the rider that while assessing costs-benefits, environmental and social costs, stakeholders must consider the cost of not providing water to people for different uses. It is proposed to incentivise water conservation. State governments may be advised to set up Independent Water Regulatory Authority for addressing water allocation, water use efficiency and physical and financial sustainability of water resources.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Its 100% possible to arrest carry bags use (21/10/10)
Its quite natural human tendency is always look for options when it comes to sacrifice. This is the sheer disappointing that the civilized generation even not capable to give up unwanted worldly, hollow, comforts. There are countries, regions and lakhs of people living without carry bags. Why we feel, life is too indispensable to live without polythins.
Sorry, this is also true that, person objects we love we go beyond ways if it is hurt/damaged. But the same is not true with earth the planet,we have housed. We even do not think, our petty life style consumerism taking huge toll on earth. Its getting rotten and stinking with each passing moment all because of us.
Its 100% possible to arrest carry bags use, once you started realizing the value of planet and feeling obliged for life giving things nature has gifted us. All is need is sincere endeavor. I hope people would try to be the change they want to see around them.
Sorry, this is also true that, person objects we love we go beyond ways if it is hurt/damaged. But the same is not true with earth the planet,we have housed. We even do not think, our petty life style consumerism taking huge toll on earth. Its getting rotten and stinking with each passing moment all because of us.
Its 100% possible to arrest carry bags use, once you started realizing the value of planet and feeling obliged for life giving things nature has gifted us. All is need is sincere endeavor. I hope people would try to be the change they want to see around them.
Anyway, one of the solution I believe to deduct dependence on energy.
we know the coal is black and also aware of the darkness behind the light it produces. on the other hand with each passing day our demand and dependence on energy sources is on increase. coal is substantially meeting the power demand of India though its exhaustible.accessibility to electricity is one of the prime parameters of material development. As I experience, human life (pretends/seems) to be indispensable without electricity. Green energy is looked as an alternative. Nuclear energy would have far more environmental consequences. Solar energy still can not be fully relied on. Potential of wind energy is unknown and seems to be costly affair, at least in the beginning. Energy addict/obsessed world even thinking of generating energy from tides. Big hydro projects promoted as green businesses have irreversibly been devastating river ecology. NO TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY SOURCE CAN BE 100% GREEN. Human civilization has survived for last 800 yrs without electricity. THEN WHY WE FEEL TOO DEPENDENT ON ENERGY. the other gloomy fact what I have seen their is no equal distribution of resources. Cities are supplied huge fraction of total electricity generated. areas beyond NCRs/Metropolitan sink in darkness for most of the time. No mention of remote rural areas. Influential and rich (Govt. and corporate offices) schools, colleges, offices, institutions I BELIEVE WASTE ALMOST 60 % OF ENERGY. the demand of cities is insatiable, the resources are finite. Misuse is so far going as usual/unchecked. Cities(residential complexes, offices) are so insensible built as they require light/bulbs to be on even during day time.
Anyway, one of the solution I believe to deduct dependence on energy.
we know the coal is black and also aware of the darkness behind the light it produces. on the other hand with each passing day our demand and dependence on energy sources is on increase. coal is substantially meeting the power demand of India though its exhaustible.accessibility to electricity is one of the prime parameters of material development. As I experience, human life (pretends/seems) to be indispensable without electricity. Green energy is looked as an alternative. Nuclear energy would have far more environmental consequences. Solar energy still can not be fully relied on. Potential of wind energy is unknown and seems to be costly affair, at least in the beginning. Energy addict/obsessed world even thinking of generating energy from tides. Big hydro projects promoted as green businesses have irreversibly been devastating river ecology. NO TECHNOLOGY AND ENERGY SOURCE CAN BE 100% GREEN. Human civilization has survived for last 800 yrs without electricity. THEN WHY WE FEEL TOO DEPENDENT ON ENERGY. the other gloomy fact what I have seen their is no equal distribution of resources. Cities are supplied huge fraction of total electricity generated. areas beyond NCRs/Metropolitan sink in darkness for most of the time. No mention of remote rural areas. Influential and rich (Govt. and corporate offices) schools, colleges, offices, institutions I BELIEVE WASTE ALMOST 60 % OF ENERGY. the demand of cities is insatiable, the resources are finite. Misuse is so far going as usual/unchecked. Cities(residential complexes, offices) are so insensible built as they require light/bulbs to be on even during day time.
बुधवार, 20 अक्टूबर 2010
Panel proposes Yamuna authority to save river (Times of Inida-Oct 20, 2010)
Abantika Ghosh,
NEW DELHI: A high-powered committee has recommended that a Yamuna River Development Authority should be constituted along the lines of the Ganga authority that will be responsible for the entire stretch of the river from Yamunotri — where it starts from the glacier — to Allahabad where it finally meets the Ganga.
The authority will have jurisdiction over inter-state water wars and will see to the implementation of all other recommendations of the committee, including conservation of monsoon water to be released throughout the year, dredging of the river and implementation of the moratorium on construction on the riverbed. The recommendations have already been sent to the PMO. The committee had been formed in 2007, with the lieutenant-governor of Delhi as its chairman and the chief minister as vice-chairman.
The structure of the authority — details like who will head it and how many members it will comprise — have not been laid down in the recommendations. ''That has been left to the PMO, but one way of doing it could be of having one overarching head and then making the respective state chief ministers responsible for it in their states,'' said a source.
The committee has recommended a slew of measures for rejuvenating Yamuna in Delhi and the authority, initially will be responsible for their implementation. The recommendations are primarily based on the fact that a river which has no water is dead. So all of them are geared towards getting a year round reasonable amount of water flowing in the Yamuna. That itself will cleanse it a lot, but there is also a need for physical removal of pollutants.
The committee has recommended that there should be arrangements for storing the four lakh million cusecs water that are piped out every year during monsoon, to be released daily so that Yamuna does not become a drain like it is now, when it enters Delhi.
Abantika Ghosh,
NEW DELHI: A high-powered committee has recommended that a Yamuna River Development Authority should be constituted along the lines of the Ganga authority that will be responsible for the entire stretch of the river from Yamunotri — where it starts from the glacier — to Allahabad where it finally meets the Ganga.
The authority will have jurisdiction over inter-state water wars and will see to the implementation of all other recommendations of the committee, including conservation of monsoon water to be released throughout the year, dredging of the river and implementation of the moratorium on construction on the riverbed. The recommendations have already been sent to the PMO. The committee had been formed in 2007, with the lieutenant-governor of Delhi as its chairman and the chief minister as vice-chairman.
The structure of the authority — details like who will head it and how many members it will comprise — have not been laid down in the recommendations. ''That has been left to the PMO, but one way of doing it could be of having one overarching head and then making the respective state chief ministers responsible for it in their states,'' said a source.
The committee has recommended a slew of measures for rejuvenating Yamuna in Delhi and the authority, initially will be responsible for their implementation. The recommendations are primarily based on the fact that a river which has no water is dead. So all of them are geared towards getting a year round reasonable amount of water flowing in the Yamuna. That itself will cleanse it a lot, but there is also a need for physical removal of pollutants.
The committee has recommended that there should be arrangements for storing the four lakh million cusecs water that are piped out every year during monsoon, to be released daily so that Yamuna does not become a drain like it is now, when it enters Delhi.
शुक्रवार, 15 अक्टूबर 2010
Deep waters, slowly drying up (The Indian Express 15 Oct., 2010)
Clement weather and plentiful water mean that Punjab produces an eighth of India’s total food grains. But the water table has dropped by ten metres since 1973 and the rate of decline is accelerating on both the Indian and the Pakistani sides of the region. It is a similar story for the north-western Sahara aquifer system (NWSAS), shared by Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. Withdrawals increased ninefold between 1950 and 2008. Springs are drying up and soil salinity has increased.
Such depletion of aquifers is a classic tragedy of the commons. Farmers pump, oblivious of others’ actions or the impact of their own. Scarcity stokes this rather than braking it. Worse, much abstracted water is used in inefficient irrigation; compounding that, underpricing means it is often used for watering low-value crops. Powerful farming lobbies have little interest in changing the status quo.
Aquifers, like fish stocks, are most at risk when they cross national borders, making property rights weaker. Groundwater provides about a fifth of the planet’s water needs and half its drinking water. In arid countries such as Libya or Saudi Arabia, that figure is close to 100 per cent. Almost 96 per cent of the planet’s freshwater resources are stored as groundwater, half of which straddles borders. UNESCO, a United Nations body, estimates that 273 aquifers are shared by two or more countries.
The signing this summer of a treaty between Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to protect the Guarani aquifer, after a six-year study of the region’s underwater resources, has thus come as a nice surprise. It may even be a trend. Mali, Niger and Nigeria are due to sign a provisional deal early next year to set up a body to run the Iullemeden aquifer, where withdrawals have exceeded recharge ever since 1995, endangering the Niger river in the dry season.
The two deals follow a UN resolution in 2008 on creating a legal regime for aquifers (it may become a full convention next year). Lifting sanctions on Libya has had an effect, too. The Libyans say they may stop growing wheat using water from the NWSAS and the Nubian sandstone aquifer system, the world’s largest fossil aquifer, which they share with Egypt, Chad and Sudan. An agreement in 1992 set up a body to run this but it has stayed largely dormant. Now sampling and monitoring have resumed, under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency (which has a sideline in environmental monitoring).
Such scientific work is crucial because aquifers are still poorly understood. Until a UNESCO inventory in 2008, nobody knew even how many transboundary aquifers existed. Experts are still refining the count: the American-Mexico border may include 8, 10, 18 or 20 aquifers, depending on how you measure them. Defining sustainability vexes hydrologists too, particularly with ancient fossil aquifers that will inevitably run dry eventually. Estimates for the life of the Nubian sandstone aquifer range from a century to a millennium.
© The Economist Newspaper Limited 2010
Such depletion of aquifers is a classic tragedy of the commons. Farmers pump, oblivious of others’ actions or the impact of their own. Scarcity stokes this rather than braking it. Worse, much abstracted water is used in inefficient irrigation; compounding that, underpricing means it is often used for watering low-value crops. Powerful farming lobbies have little interest in changing the status quo.
Aquifers, like fish stocks, are most at risk when they cross national borders, making property rights weaker. Groundwater provides about a fifth of the planet’s water needs and half its drinking water. In arid countries such as Libya or Saudi Arabia, that figure is close to 100 per cent. Almost 96 per cent of the planet’s freshwater resources are stored as groundwater, half of which straddles borders. UNESCO, a United Nations body, estimates that 273 aquifers are shared by two or more countries.
The signing this summer of a treaty between Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to protect the Guarani aquifer, after a six-year study of the region’s underwater resources, has thus come as a nice surprise. It may even be a trend. Mali, Niger and Nigeria are due to sign a provisional deal early next year to set up a body to run the Iullemeden aquifer, where withdrawals have exceeded recharge ever since 1995, endangering the Niger river in the dry season.
The two deals follow a UN resolution in 2008 on creating a legal regime for aquifers (it may become a full convention next year). Lifting sanctions on Libya has had an effect, too. The Libyans say they may stop growing wheat using water from the NWSAS and the Nubian sandstone aquifer system, the world’s largest fossil aquifer, which they share with Egypt, Chad and Sudan. An agreement in 1992 set up a body to run this but it has stayed largely dormant. Now sampling and monitoring have resumed, under the aegis of the International Atomic Energy Agency (which has a sideline in environmental monitoring).
Such scientific work is crucial because aquifers are still poorly understood. Until a UNESCO inventory in 2008, nobody knew even how many transboundary aquifers existed. Experts are still refining the count: the American-Mexico border may include 8, 10, 18 or 20 aquifers, depending on how you measure them. Defining sustainability vexes hydrologists too, particularly with ancient fossil aquifers that will inevitably run dry eventually. Estimates for the life of the Nubian sandstone aquifer range from a century to a millennium.
© The Economist Newspaper Limited 2010
Environment Ministry blocks Renuka Dam project (The Hindu- 14 Oct. 2010)
Priscilla Jebraj and Smriti Kak Ramachandran
No clearance for the 3,600-crore project in view of threat to 17 lakh trees
A huge setback for Delhi as it was banking on the project to mitigate its water woes
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will take up the issue with the Centre once Games are over
NEW DELHI: The Union Environment and Forests Ministry has decided not to give its approval for the Renuka Dam project in Himachal Pradesh on the ground that it would involves cutting down of a large number of trees.
The Ministry's decision not to give the mandatory clearance to the project has come as a “setback” to the Delhi Government and the Delhi Jal Board as they have been banking on the Renuka Dam project to alleviate the Capital's water worries.
Wednesday's announcement was far from what the water utility and the Delhi Government were expecting. A senior Delhi Government official said the project had been hanging fire for a long time and the Union Ministry's decision has further heightened concerns about the Capital's water woes.
“This (dam) was the only identified and assured supply of water for Delhi. Each year with the increase in population the demand for water is progressively growing. While the Delhi Jal Board can only manage water, cut down on distribution losses and reinforce water conservation, it needs more water from sources apart from its own ground water reserves to meet the growing demand.”
The Ministry on the other hand has declined to give the go-ahead to the Rs. 3,600-crore project even though land acquisition work is almost over and the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) is in the final stage of inviting global tenders to implement the project.
‘Can't be a parasite'
While the forest clearance was actually recommended by the Forest Advisory Committee, Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh overrode their advice and decided to reject the clearance. “As much as 775 hectares of good quality forest land is a very steep price to pay,” he said. “Delhi must learn to use the tougher options that are available.” Mr. Ramesh pointed out that Delhi's water system has distribution losses of over 45 per cent and added that under-pricing of water also contributed to wasteful habits. “Delhi simply cannot be a parasite on the rest of the country,” he said.
The proposed Renuka Dam planned on the Giri river with a storage capacity of 542 million cubic metres of water and an installed capacity of 40 MW of power was expected to supply Delhi with an additional 275 MGD (million gallons a day) of water.
Hoping for a reprieve, the Jal Board is now waiting for Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to take up the issue with the Centre and also with the Himachal Government. A senior Jal Board official said the Jal Board is yet to receive “formal communication from the Ministry on the issue”.
“The Delhi Jal Board has been working to erase all concerns that have been put before it in the past. It has also released over Rs.215 crore for land acquisition for the project. Once the Commonwealth Games are over, the issue will be taken up for review and we are hopeful that whatever the concerns of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, there will be a resolution,” the official said.
In December 2008 the Environment Appraisals Committee of MoEF had agreed in principle to construction of the Renuka Dam in Himachal Pradesh. It was then expected that with the clearance, the work on the dam would begin soon and get over in the next six years.
As per the agreement signed earlier, Delhi was committed to pay Rs.3,000 crore for the entire project, wherein water from the Dam would be brought into the Yamuna through the Giri river; it would then be released at the Hathni Kund barrage and from there passed into the Munak Channel and supplied to the city.
Construction of the dam was initially stalled after Haryana and Rajasthan refused to sign the agreement. According to the agreement signed in November 1994, Delhi would get the full supply of water from the Renuka dam till the Kishau Dam and Lakhawar-Vyasi Dam projects become functional, while Himachal Pradesh would retain the full power generated.
The project was also disapproved of by locals, apprehending displacement. A large number of local groups and villagers have been protesting against the project in Himachal Pradesh. “About 17 lakh trees would have been destroyed by the dam project,” said Puran Chand of Renuka Bandh Sangharsh Samiti, sounding relieved by the refusal of clearance. “History is witness to the fact that rehabilitations never take place.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
No clearance for the 3,600-crore project in view of threat to 17 lakh trees
A huge setback for Delhi as it was banking on the project to mitigate its water woes
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will take up the issue with the Centre once Games are over
NEW DELHI: The Union Environment and Forests Ministry has decided not to give its approval for the Renuka Dam project in Himachal Pradesh on the ground that it would involves cutting down of a large number of trees.
The Ministry's decision not to give the mandatory clearance to the project has come as a “setback” to the Delhi Government and the Delhi Jal Board as they have been banking on the Renuka Dam project to alleviate the Capital's water worries.
Wednesday's announcement was far from what the water utility and the Delhi Government were expecting. A senior Delhi Government official said the project had been hanging fire for a long time and the Union Ministry's decision has further heightened concerns about the Capital's water woes.
“This (dam) was the only identified and assured supply of water for Delhi. Each year with the increase in population the demand for water is progressively growing. While the Delhi Jal Board can only manage water, cut down on distribution losses and reinforce water conservation, it needs more water from sources apart from its own ground water reserves to meet the growing demand.”
The Ministry on the other hand has declined to give the go-ahead to the Rs. 3,600-crore project even though land acquisition work is almost over and the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (HPPCL) is in the final stage of inviting global tenders to implement the project.
‘Can't be a parasite'
While the forest clearance was actually recommended by the Forest Advisory Committee, Union Minister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh overrode their advice and decided to reject the clearance. “As much as 775 hectares of good quality forest land is a very steep price to pay,” he said. “Delhi must learn to use the tougher options that are available.” Mr. Ramesh pointed out that Delhi's water system has distribution losses of over 45 per cent and added that under-pricing of water also contributed to wasteful habits. “Delhi simply cannot be a parasite on the rest of the country,” he said.
The proposed Renuka Dam planned on the Giri river with a storage capacity of 542 million cubic metres of water and an installed capacity of 40 MW of power was expected to supply Delhi with an additional 275 MGD (million gallons a day) of water.
Hoping for a reprieve, the Jal Board is now waiting for Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit to take up the issue with the Centre and also with the Himachal Government. A senior Jal Board official said the Jal Board is yet to receive “formal communication from the Ministry on the issue”.
“The Delhi Jal Board has been working to erase all concerns that have been put before it in the past. It has also released over Rs.215 crore for land acquisition for the project. Once the Commonwealth Games are over, the issue will be taken up for review and we are hopeful that whatever the concerns of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, there will be a resolution,” the official said.
In December 2008 the Environment Appraisals Committee of MoEF had agreed in principle to construction of the Renuka Dam in Himachal Pradesh. It was then expected that with the clearance, the work on the dam would begin soon and get over in the next six years.
As per the agreement signed earlier, Delhi was committed to pay Rs.3,000 crore for the entire project, wherein water from the Dam would be brought into the Yamuna through the Giri river; it would then be released at the Hathni Kund barrage and from there passed into the Munak Channel and supplied to the city.
Construction of the dam was initially stalled after Haryana and Rajasthan refused to sign the agreement. According to the agreement signed in November 1994, Delhi would get the full supply of water from the Renuka dam till the Kishau Dam and Lakhawar-Vyasi Dam projects become functional, while Himachal Pradesh would retain the full power generated.
The project was also disapproved of by locals, apprehending displacement. A large number of local groups and villagers have been protesting against the project in Himachal Pradesh. “About 17 lakh trees would have been destroyed by the dam project,” said Puran Chand of Renuka Bandh Sangharsh Samiti, sounding relieved by the refusal of clearance. “History is witness to the fact that rehabilitations never take place.”
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
बुधवार, 8 सितंबर 2010
THE BALANCING ACT (Times of India- 01Sep.2010)
Global warming meet from Sept 9
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Thiruvananthapuram:
Delegates from 20 countries would participate in the three-day international conference on global warming, climate change, sustainable development and secular spirituality organized by the Santhigiri Research Foundation (SRF) at Santhigiri Ashram from September 9-11 in collaboration with Unesco, the American Center and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi.
The meet, to be attended by more than 400 delegates, will be inaugurated by the President of East Timor and 1996 Nobel Peace laureate, Jose Ramos Manuel-Horta, on September 9.
Being held as part of the parnasala dedication celebrations at Santhigiri Ashram, the conference will underscore the vital role of spirituality in promoting a life vision and lifestyle compatible with both nature and development. It will facilitate administrators, policy makers, scientists, social scientists and activists to gather and devise programmes to promote a sustainable way of life and development.
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Thiruvananthapuram:
Delegates from 20 countries would participate in the three-day international conference on global warming, climate change, sustainable development and secular spirituality organized by the Santhigiri Research Foundation (SRF) at Santhigiri Ashram from September 9-11 in collaboration with Unesco, the American Center and The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi.
The meet, to be attended by more than 400 delegates, will be inaugurated by the President of East Timor and 1996 Nobel Peace laureate, Jose Ramos Manuel-Horta, on September 9.
Being held as part of the parnasala dedication celebrations at Santhigiri Ashram, the conference will underscore the vital role of spirituality in promoting a life vision and lifestyle compatible with both nature and development. It will facilitate administrators, policy makers, scientists, social scientists and activists to gather and devise programmes to promote a sustainable way of life and development.
Jumbo to be national heritage animal (Times of India-01/09/2010)
Conservation Body To Be Set Up For Elephants On Line Of Big Cats: Ramesh
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: The government on Tuesday accepted the Elephant Task Force report and decided to set up a National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) along the lines of the one for endangered tigers.
The task force, led by Mahesh Rangarajan, submitted its report to the environment and forests ministry and recommended that land corridors used by elephants in the wild while moving through forest patches should be secured as community and conservation reserves under the Wildlife Protection Act. The 12-member panel also recommended declaring existing elephant reserves as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) under Environment Protection Act. Declaring an area as ESA ensures that the land-use pattern of the patch gets locked in and cannot be altered without prior permission of authorities. The committee warned that government should not try to buy out these important corridors or turn them into national parks and sanctuaries. Elephant reserves are usually much larger in size than tiger reserves and do not get the same level of protection. The elephant populations (herds and individuals) roam over large distances, unlike the tiger, and often move through populated areas.
Unlike in the case of the tiger, the elephant population has not declined. However, increased human-elephant conflicts leading to crop depredation and increasing injuries and deaths along with skewed sex ratios of the pachyderms due to poaching of males for the tusks are a case for worry.
Accepting the report, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said, “We will soon declare elephant as a national heritage animal as it has been part of our heritage since ages. We need to give the same degree of importance to the elephant as is given to the tiger in order to protect the big animal.”
An amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act would be made to set up the recommended NECA. “We will introduce it (amendment) in the winter session of Parliament,” Ramesh said.
TRUNK CALL
Key recommendations
of the government’s
Elephant Task Force
National Elephant Bring corridors under Conservation community reserves or Authority to be set up conservation reserves
Consortium of Rs 600cr budget in Elephant Research and the 12th Plan, Rs 200cr Estimation to do for securing corridors studies on the Rs 100 crore to be pachyderm spent on reducing
Declare elephant man-elephant conflicts reserves ‘ecologically Full-time conflict sensitive areas’ and management task lock land use forces in regions
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi: The government on Tuesday accepted the Elephant Task Force report and decided to set up a National Elephant Conservation Authority (NECA) along the lines of the one for endangered tigers.
The task force, led by Mahesh Rangarajan, submitted its report to the environment and forests ministry and recommended that land corridors used by elephants in the wild while moving through forest patches should be secured as community and conservation reserves under the Wildlife Protection Act. The 12-member panel also recommended declaring existing elephant reserves as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) under Environment Protection Act. Declaring an area as ESA ensures that the land-use pattern of the patch gets locked in and cannot be altered without prior permission of authorities. The committee warned that government should not try to buy out these important corridors or turn them into national parks and sanctuaries. Elephant reserves are usually much larger in size than tiger reserves and do not get the same level of protection. The elephant populations (herds and individuals) roam over large distances, unlike the tiger, and often move through populated areas.
Unlike in the case of the tiger, the elephant population has not declined. However, increased human-elephant conflicts leading to crop depredation and increasing injuries and deaths along with skewed sex ratios of the pachyderms due to poaching of males for the tusks are a case for worry.
Accepting the report, environment minister Jairam Ramesh said, “We will soon declare elephant as a national heritage animal as it has been part of our heritage since ages. We need to give the same degree of importance to the elephant as is given to the tiger in order to protect the big animal.”
An amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act would be made to set up the recommended NECA. “We will introduce it (amendment) in the winter session of Parliament,” Ramesh said.
TRUNK CALL
Key recommendations
of the government’s
Elephant Task Force
National Elephant Bring corridors under Conservation community reserves or Authority to be set up conservation reserves
Consortium of Rs 600cr budget in Elephant Research and the 12th Plan, Rs 200cr Estimation to do for securing corridors studies on the Rs 100 crore to be pachyderm spent on reducing
Declare elephant man-elephant conflicts reserves ‘ecologically Full-time conflict sensitive areas’ and management task lock land use forces in regions
सोमवार, 19 जुलाई 2010
150 people fined in Mumbai for throwing plastic bags in drains
Source: DNA, Date: June , 2010
Mumbai: Cracking the whip on all those throwing plastic bags in drains, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fined nearly 150 people and collected a fine of Rs1.32 lakh in a fortnight.
After having learnt lessons from July 26 deluge, when plastic bags had blocked drains and led to flooding in the metropolis, the civic body has formed two 'plastic ban' squads consisting of six people.
"We have collected a fine of Rs1.32 lakh from 146 people who were caught throwing plastic in drains in the last 12-13 days. These people are largely hawkers and shopkeepers," deputy municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale told PTI here.
On June 11, municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya had announced that anyone caught throwing plastic, thermocol and other items during monsoon will have to pay fine ranging from Rs100-5,000.
"These cases are mostly from eastern suburbs like Kurla, Mulund, Chembur, Govandi and others followed by western suburbs and the island city," Bhosale said.
Drain clogging had led to massive flooding on July 26, 2005 forcing the state government to contemplate banning polythene bags.
As per the Maharashtra Non-biodegradable Garbage Control Act, the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags must be 50 micron and their size should be no less than 8x12 inches.
Mumbai: Cracking the whip on all those throwing plastic bags in drains, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has fined nearly 150 people and collected a fine of Rs1.32 lakh in a fortnight.
After having learnt lessons from July 26 deluge, when plastic bags had blocked drains and led to flooding in the metropolis, the civic body has formed two 'plastic ban' squads consisting of six people.
"We have collected a fine of Rs1.32 lakh from 146 people who were caught throwing plastic in drains in the last 12-13 days. These people are largely hawkers and shopkeepers," deputy municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosale told PTI here.
On June 11, municipal commissioner Swadhin Kshatriya had announced that anyone caught throwing plastic, thermocol and other items during monsoon will have to pay fine ranging from Rs100-5,000.
"These cases are mostly from eastern suburbs like Kurla, Mulund, Chembur, Govandi and others followed by western suburbs and the island city," Bhosale said.
Drain clogging had led to massive flooding on July 26, 2005 forcing the state government to contemplate banning polythene bags.
As per the Maharashtra Non-biodegradable Garbage Control Act, the minimum thickness of plastic carry bags must be 50 micron and their size should be no less than 8x12 inches.
शनिवार, 17 जुलाई 2010
'Shining India' makes its poor pay price of hosting Commonwealth Games
The games have yet to start but they already have many losers: the slum dwellers whose communities are being destroyed
Jason Burke, Delhi
guardian.co.uk, Sunday 11 July 2010 16.39 BST
A girl works on a building project in front of the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in the Indian capital, where the games will be held. Photograph: Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images
The government bulldozers came to the school at 11am, after yoga and before English and Hindi lessons. The children and their teachers had three hours to clear the classrooms. By mid-afternoon, the Yamuna Riverbank school was rubble.
"They told us we were a security risk, so we had to go," the headteacher, Parminder Khaur Somal, said. "All my children were crying. I don't know how we can be a threat to anyone."
Somal founded the school five years ago for 180 slum children living on the banks of the Yamuna river on the outskirts of Delhi. In recent months, she and her pupils have watched a vast new complex of luxury apartments rise 500 metres away: the athletes' village for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games. "We never thought it could be a problem," Somal said.
The games, to be held in October, have triggered demolitions across the Indian capital. The competition is the biggest such international sporting event held in India for decades and is seen as an opportunity for the nation to show off its new economic might.
Sheila Dikshit, the chief minister of Delhi, has repeatedly said she wants to the city to be "world class". There is even talk of trying to host the Olympics.
A particular target of the authorities is anything that could tarnish the "shining India" image.
Organisers of the games are acutely aware that the din and filth of the Indian capital could shock visitors. So, along with the construction of new sporting facilities, roads, flyovers, metro lines and an airport, dozens of long-standing slum communities built on public land, vacant lots, by railways or along rubbish-strewn stream beds have been destroyed; hoardings conceal others.
The children at Somal's school came from a community of workers on nearby vegetable farms. The nearest alternative was three miles away, across busy dual carriageways. As the bulldozers destroyed the school, police also moved through the workers' shacks, scattering possessions, breaking down walls and ordering residents to leave.
"The police just started beating me." Said Dharam Pal, a shopkeeper. "They dragged me 50 metres on the ground and then told me: 'If you don't leave here on your own, we'll throw out.' " Pal, 40, said the community was established 15 years ago and that he had nowhere else to go.
Other residents complained of being assaulted. "Not only did they break the school, but they beat us too," said Harpyari Devi, 24, a mother of three children at the school.
Police at the scene refused to comment. Officials from the Delhi municipal authorities were unavailable.
Somal said she had been told the school, which is run by volunteer teachers and funded by donations, was a "security risk" for athletes in the village, which is ringed by high concrete walls and heavily patrolled. Equipped with its own water filtration plant and helipad, the complex will cost more than £150m, according to local campaigners.
"If we were a security threat, we could have just stopped classes until after the games. But the law here is just 'might is right,' " Somal said.
Children at the school, still wearing their free uniforms, said they were sad. "I wanted to be a doctor," Ranjeet Shakya, eight, said.
The parents of almost all the pupils are illiterate. Many eke out a living as vegetable vendors in Delhi. None knew what the flats overlooking their fields and the ruined school were for.
"I've never heard of the Commonwealth Games," said Danveer Karan, a 35-year-old farmer who supports his family of four on a daily wage of 100 rupees (£1.30). "I don't know why the buildings have been made. I don't know why the government destroyed our school either."
ends
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010
शुक्रवार, 16 जुलाई 2010
Japanese told to go to bed an hour early to cut carbon emissions
Japanese households are being urged to go to bed one hour earlier than normal in order to help tackle climate change.
Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
Published: 12:38PM BST 24 Jun 2010
A typical family can reduce its carbon dioxide footprint by 85kg a year if everyone goes to bed and gets up one hour earlier, according to the campaign Photo: ALAMY
The Japanese government has launched a campaign encouraging people to go to bed and get up extra early in order to reduce household carbon dioxide emissions.
The Morning Challenge campaign, unveiled by the Environment Ministry, is based on the premise that swapping late night electricity for an extra hour of morning sunlight could significantly cut the nation's carbon footprint.
A typical family can reduce its carbon dioxide footprint by 85kg a year if everyone goes to bed and gets up one hour earlier, according to the campaign.
The amount of carbon dioxide emissions potentially saved from going to bed an hour early was the equivalent of 20 per cent of annual emissions from household lights, "Many Japanese people waste electric power at night time, for example by watching TV until very late," a ministry spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph.
"But going to bed early and getting up early can avoid wasting electrical power which causes carbon dioxide emissions. If people change their lifestyle, we can save energy and reduce emissions." The campaign also proposes that people take advantage of an extra hour of morning sunlight by improve their lifestyles in general by running, doing yoga and eating a nutritious breakfast.
It is the latest initiative tackling climate change by the Japanese environment ministry, which is faced with the challenge of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent from 1990 levels within the next decade.
It was the same government department that launched the high profile Cool Biz campaign five years ago, which encourages workers to wear short-sleeved shirts and offices not to turn air con lower than 28 degrees during the summer.
Danielle Demetriou in Tokyo
Published: 12:38PM BST 24 Jun 2010
A typical family can reduce its carbon dioxide footprint by 85kg a year if everyone goes to bed and gets up one hour earlier, according to the campaign Photo: ALAMY
The Japanese government has launched a campaign encouraging people to go to bed and get up extra early in order to reduce household carbon dioxide emissions.
The Morning Challenge campaign, unveiled by the Environment Ministry, is based on the premise that swapping late night electricity for an extra hour of morning sunlight could significantly cut the nation's carbon footprint.
A typical family can reduce its carbon dioxide footprint by 85kg a year if everyone goes to bed and gets up one hour earlier, according to the campaign.
The amount of carbon dioxide emissions potentially saved from going to bed an hour early was the equivalent of 20 per cent of annual emissions from household lights, "Many Japanese people waste electric power at night time, for example by watching TV until very late," a ministry spokesperson told The Daily Telegraph.
"But going to bed early and getting up early can avoid wasting electrical power which causes carbon dioxide emissions. If people change their lifestyle, we can save energy and reduce emissions." The campaign also proposes that people take advantage of an extra hour of morning sunlight by improve their lifestyles in general by running, doing yoga and eating a nutritious breakfast.
It is the latest initiative tackling climate change by the Japanese environment ministry, which is faced with the challenge of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 25 per cent from 1990 levels within the next decade.
It was the same government department that launched the high profile Cool Biz campaign five years ago, which encourages workers to wear short-sleeved shirts and offices not to turn air con lower than 28 degrees during the summer.
शुक्रवार, 29 जनवरी 2010
I wonder Why? 28 Jan. 2010
I wonder why the grass is green
And why the wind is never seen?
who taught the birds to build a nest
And told the trees to take a rest?
O, when moon is not quite round
Where can be missing bit be found?
Who lights the stars when the blow out
And makes the lightening flash about?
Who paints the rainbow in the sky
And hangs the fluffy clouds so high?
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