शनिवार, 20 जुलाई 2013
A Very Expensive Proposition
Reel vs real women - Hindustan Times 13 Feb 2013
Reel vs real women - Hindustan Times
All along I have considered myself a fairly confident person. Being overly self-deprecating and indulging in self-pity for vested imperfections has never been my forte. For me, it has always been more significant to be as good a human being as possible, complete with all the incompleteness and imperfections that is 'me'. But lately some fissures have stealthily appeared on this poised perception of mine and startlingly it has got nothing to do with any real life incident but everything to do with the reel life. Yes, I am rationally destabilised and suffering from a bout of pseudo complexes thanks to the prodigious, implausibly perfect and obstinately idolized tele-serial daughters-in-law (DILs).
If you thought the small screen has outlived its days of soppy soap operas ruled by Adarshvadi Tulsis and Parvatis glorifying the stereotypical image of the Indian woman, you are sadly mistaken as these super women (DILs) are back in their revamped, utopian avatars. The renewed, farther from reality version of Akshara, Gopi, Simar, Anandi etc are the novel benchmark for an ideal daughter-in-law and have the entire nation revering them. No personal grudges against the actors, but it's the clichéd character portrayal that dismays me.
On reel, all these ethereal damsels are picture perfect literally, looking ravishing from dawn to dusk and thereafter too. They are all decked up, bejewelled from head to toe with iron-straightened silky tresses. In real life, we mere mortals have a perpetual bad hair, bad skin, bad weight, bad wardrobe and bad mood days. And that's how we are; we love dressing up but don't intend to compete with the showroom mannequins, ready to be showcased 24x7. After all, beauty is not only skin deep, it's much more than skin only.
The reel DIL is illusory, impeccable, unbelievably self-less, overly resilient and a know-all multidimensional avatar of a perfect wife, mother, sister-in-law and of course daughter-in-law. She is a one-stop solution to all family problems and you can blindly trust her to win hands down every challenge that you accept on her behalf during the my-DIL-is-better-than-yours tug of war never mind how silly it might be. For us, their real life counterparts, it's an everyday struggle, multitasking, trying to juggle our various roles and relations, both as a homemaker and a career woman. We put in our best, but it's not a win-win situation always. We struggle, we succeed, we falter and we try again. We are not selfish but we don't ignore 'self' also. We have forbearance but we are not meek. We foster family bonding but we seek personal space also. Family comes first but our aspirations do not lag behind.
Please stop this on-screen idolisation of women, epitomising a delusionary perception of a perfect wife, mother and daughter-in-law. Don't rev up the expectation quotient of an overly demanding society. Don't elevate us to the pedestal of a demi goddess, wary of a fall with every thrust of life. Just let us be. We are women, only human and not a synonym for perfection
All along I have considered myself a fairly confident person. Being overly self-deprecating and indulging in self-pity for vested imperfections has never been my forte. For me, it has always been more significant to be as good a human being as possible, complete with all the incompleteness and imperfections that is 'me'. But lately some fissures have stealthily appeared on this poised perception of mine and startlingly it has got nothing to do with any real life incident but everything to do with the reel life. Yes, I am rationally destabilised and suffering from a bout of pseudo complexes thanks to the prodigious, implausibly perfect and obstinately idolized tele-serial daughters-in-law (DILs).
If you thought the small screen has outlived its days of soppy soap operas ruled by Adarshvadi Tulsis and Parvatis glorifying the stereotypical image of the Indian woman, you are sadly mistaken as these super women (DILs) are back in their revamped, utopian avatars. The renewed, farther from reality version of Akshara, Gopi, Simar, Anandi etc are the novel benchmark for an ideal daughter-in-law and have the entire nation revering them. No personal grudges against the actors, but it's the clichéd character portrayal that dismays me.
On reel, all these ethereal damsels are picture perfect literally, looking ravishing from dawn to dusk and thereafter too. They are all decked up, bejewelled from head to toe with iron-straightened silky tresses. In real life, we mere mortals have a perpetual bad hair, bad skin, bad weight, bad wardrobe and bad mood days. And that's how we are; we love dressing up but don't intend to compete with the showroom mannequins, ready to be showcased 24x7. After all, beauty is not only skin deep, it's much more than skin only.
The reel DIL is illusory, impeccable, unbelievably self-less, overly resilient and a know-all multidimensional avatar of a perfect wife, mother, sister-in-law and of course daughter-in-law. She is a one-stop solution to all family problems and you can blindly trust her to win hands down every challenge that you accept on her behalf during the my-DIL-is-better-than-yours tug of war never mind how silly it might be. For us, their real life counterparts, it's an everyday struggle, multitasking, trying to juggle our various roles and relations, both as a homemaker and a career woman. We put in our best, but it's not a win-win situation always. We struggle, we succeed, we falter and we try again. We are not selfish but we don't ignore 'self' also. We have forbearance but we are not meek. We foster family bonding but we seek personal space also. Family comes first but our aspirations do not lag behind.
Please stop this on-screen idolisation of women, epitomising a delusionary perception of a perfect wife, mother and daughter-in-law. Don't rev up the expectation quotient of an overly demanding society. Don't elevate us to the pedestal of a demi goddess, wary of a fall with every thrust of life. Just let us be. We are women, only human and not a synonym for perfection
Chinese Checkers Himanshu Takkar Hindustan Times 12 Feb. 13
Field trials for new cotton GM seed over in Hry, Pb (HT- 12 Feb 13)
Kozhencherry — then & now - The Hindu
Kozhencherry — then & now - The Hindu
Kozhencherry — then & now
Serenity and tranquillity have been replaced by money and comforts
1982 — Kozhencherry, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala
It’s all dirt roads. Slushy in rain, puddles in downpour, small streams in thunderstorm. One umbrella and three children — blood-related, belligerent, boisterous. From the bus stand they hop from one puddle to the next that 2 km stretch. Nothing escapes them. Mangoes ripe and unripe, cashew nut fruit red and the green ones, jampakka; everything becomes a target for practice. When they finally get to their ancestral property, a two-room house, they get down for their feast. A rooster is killed and hung above the fire. All three of them sit around to pluck its feathers. Rest is taken care of by the womenfolk. Off they run to the ‘puncha’ paddyfields to catch small fish with dhotis and towels. Poor tadpoles are at the receiving end.
The well water was so cool and sweet unlike the chlorinated water in their cities. The wells never used to run dry even in the harshest summer. And summer was never that hot — felt like warm spring throughout. There was year-round paddy cultivation and labourers would come for water and food which was available throughout the day from the kitchen, shaming even a 24-hour restaurant.
The cows, chicken, kids of all ages kept the womenfolk busy. No courtyards had boundaries, no houses had gates, but I cannot remember a boundary dispute ever arising in those times. Even domestic herd respected these imaginary lines, the only violators being chicken, which were promptly warned away by the canine counterparts.
There would never be more than Rs. 300 in the house at any point. There never arose a need exceeding that amount. Church was the epicentre of all activities. Swimming courses were in the canal nearby which had year-around water supply. No house had any motorised vehicle. Hercules and Raleigh cycles reigned. We learned the basics of bicycling in these giant two-wheelers when the adults were away. We used to put our right leg below the bar across to the other side and it had a funny look. Bruises were healed by leaves of communist green and nature. None had any severe trauma like broken bones — God knows why.
Television was yet to invade our visual senses. Radio receiver sets were the omnipresent media (sans FM). Soap was always the red Lifebuoy. Bar soaps were unbranded and often made with coconut oil and caustic alkali in varying proportions in an old, patched up, plastic bucket. Battery was always Eveready and milk was always fresh from the udder.
Few teashops, which sold anything from tobacco to pepper to fertilizers, satiated all our consumerist needs. These old time malls were the hotspots for the latest political and local news. They were open late into the night with the help of a ‘ranthal”. Arrack was unheard of and men used to consume toddy in secrecy after night fall.
I had never played with an electronic gadget ever in my life. When I was a kid, I never had any and when they became ubiquitous I never felt the need. Boredom was never complained for we used to amuse ourselves with whatever was available. Rooms were small but hearts were big, Men were men and women, women and there were none in between.
2013 — Kozhen-cherry
Rubberised tarred roads greet us. Palatial houses line either side, a majority lying vacant and a few occupied by elderly grandparents. There is an SUV in every porch. Courtyards are patterned with interlocking tiles. Old wells have dried up replaced by tubewells. The thick greenery has been replaced by a thinner one. The village currently boasts the maximum density of vehicle showrooms in Kerala. NRI bank accounts are overflowing with fixed deposits.
Paddyfields lie dormant (they are awaiting a new tarmac for an airstrip), the courtyards are bereft of animals. Milk comes in packets and powders. More than 75% of the population consist of senior citizens; youngsters and children have emigrated to presumed greener pastures. There are more rooms than occupants in all the houses and the inmates appear to be waiting the final visa.
This is the greatest irony one can witness in a short span of 30 years — the problem of plenty leaving unanswered questions. A good portion of their lives was spent gathering and now they are left with arthritic knees, fatty livers, and dim visions. They are doing their best safeguarding their collections and looking at various permutations and combinations on how to pay the least income tax. Money is kept in NRI accounts and they count the number of days they spend in India, careful not to exceed 180 days. The spurt in prosperity gospel churches aid this belief as they need something to fall back upon. When does one finally live!
(The writer is MD, DM, PDF, Epilepsy Assistant Professor, Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram. Email: drajithcherian@yahoo.com)
The great medical education bazaar - The Hindu 23 June 2013
The great medical education bazaar - The Hindu
The great medical education bazaar
The HinduThousands of gullible students are spending time preparing for and paying entrance fees to appear for these bogus tests where the candidates who have already “booked” their seats months or even years in advance get the top ranks. File photo: K. Murali Kumar
The massive fraud being played on medical students who prepare for the entrance exam of private colleges, thinking them to be genuine, should be stopped
It is admission time and the great medical education bazaar is in full swing. Parents are running around like headless chickens ready to mobilise bundles of cash trying to get their children into the best medical colleges. In a society that has come to accept that paying illegal capitation fees is an effective way to get good education it is little surprise that parents have no compunction in violating the law and in acceding to the demands of the colleges by paying up whatever is asked.
Officially, the collection of capitation fee is banned. However, it is an open secret that many colleges continue to charge this fee with impunity. Many private medical colleges are believed to be charging between Rs.30 lakh and Rs.60 lakh as the capitation fee per candidate for an MBBS seat this year. On top of this, is the official annual fees which is between Rs.5 lakh and Rs.7 lakh a year. Thus a medico joining a private college this year under the management quota is likely to be spending anywhere between Rs.50 lakh and Rs.80 lakh or even more for just the undergraduate degree. The capitation fee for a post-graduate seat in a prized specialty like obstetrics & gynaecology or orthopaedics or radiology is now rumoured to be well over Rs.1.5 crore. The colleges have tightened their security systems to keep away the media who are always on the lookout for their hidden camera scoops.
One step of the farcical admission process is the “entrance or admission test” conducted by many of these private colleges. In most of them, the result/merit list is ready even before the candidates appear for the exam. Thousands of gullible students are spending time preparing for and paying entrance fees to appear for these bogus tests where the candidates who have already “booked” their seats months or even years in advance get the top ranks.
The present system needs urgent reform for several reasons. There is a massive fraud being played on students who are actually preparing for the entrance tests in these colleges thinking them to be genuine. If they knew that these are rigged exams, it will enable them to save their time and money. Private colleges would do their best to try to scuttle the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET) exam administered by the MCI, which would be transparent and where the merit list can be the basis of admission (though this is not the case at present), as there is no guarantee that the selected merit list candidate will be willing to pay anything more than the official fees.
Capitation fee or its equivalent which is widely prevalent needs to be brought above the table. If the governments cannot or will not enforce the law and stop the colleges from collecting this fee then they must consider some method of legalising it. The colleges claim (not without some merit) that with today’s cost structure it is simply not financially viable to run a private medical college without collecting capitation fee. The present system also leaves the colleges open to blackmail by politicians, bureaucrats, Income-tax officials, police, etc., all of whom know very well what’s going on. In fact, the corrupt among these groups are the major beneficiaries of the present system. Many of the more established colleges may actually welcome an opportunity to go legitimate if they are legally allowed to collect the capitation fee component.
All over the world, including the best private universities in the U.S., one is permitted to pay his or her way in once the college is satisfied that the student meets the eligibility criteria. The education fairs being held all over the country by foreign universities are essentially aimed at attracting buyers for the seats. So why can private colleges in India not do the same? If there are more colleges the cost would automatically come down as has happened with the engineering colleges and the courses would become affordable to a larger segment of the population.
Management quota seats can be at a hefty premium but the allotment of these too needs to go through a centralised, state-supervised process to ensure that candidates without the minimum qualifications are not selected and that capitation fee is not charged. Private medical colleges have made huge investments and the system evolved must protect their interests too as the fate of thousands of students is involved.
While the principle that education must not be a commodity that can be purchased without merit is a sound one, burying our heads in the sand without acknowledging the stark reality of the medical education bazaar in India will have dangerous repercussions.
In a situation where the parents and the colleges collude and neither has a problem it becomes difficult for the government to act against the collection of capitation fees as there is no complaint made by anyone. The ones who lose out are often the weakest students (no money/no influence) whose only asset may be merit. In the India of today, that does not count for much.
(The writer is a consultant in internal medicine. He can be reached at sumanthcraman@gmail.com)
Girl child, a load to unburden - The Hindu
Girl child, a load to unburden - The Hindu
Girl child, a load to unburden
Everyone rally around
The expectant mother
When it is the delivery
Of the first baby.
Congratulations and smiles
Gifts and sweets
Follow the baby
The child and mother
Pampered.
Because it’s a boy.
It’s a baby girl
Still, the parents grin
Showing they don’t care
If it’s a son or daughter
But with the secret hope
That there is always
A second chance.
And when it is a girl
Even the second time
There is sorrow
Frustration follows.
Wanting a boy
A girl is born.
Unwanted, unloved.
The mother and daughter
Uncared, shunned
By family, society
The father detached
His heredity doomed
Only, only if I had a son
He thinks
My problems solved
My prestige restored.
Can I take a chance?
For a third child
The father thinks
Maybe, luck will favour
And a son be born.
After all, son
Is a son for ever
And a daughter,
A load to unburden.
(The writer’s email: radhika_writer@yahoo.co.in
Game changer or spoiler? - The Hindu
Game changer or spoiler? - The Hindu
Game changer or spoiler?
While policymakers consider exploring shale gasto meet energy security goals, questions are being raised if it will drive India towards a serious water scarcity situation
Look before you leap:The file photo shows workers preparing drilling equipment at a shale gas fracking facility in Poland.
India’s move for exploiting shale gas resources in the country has been red-flagged by The Energy and Resources Institute stating that in a water-stressed country like ours, rapidly approaching water scarcity conditions, the results might not be as dynamic as it had proved for the U.S.
The latest policy brief “Shale Gas in India: Look Before You Leap” explores the question of shale gas being a game changer in the context of India. It explains the nature of shale gas, the technology for its extraction from underground sources, and its potential for India. It also highlights overseas acquisitions of this resource by Indian companies even before it is sourced domestically, and then examines the viability of the technology in India. One of the key determinants of the viability of this technology is the availability of large quantities of clean water. The policy brief points out that conventional gas can occur by itself or in association with oil. Coal bed methane (CBM), which is extracted from coal beds, is also an unconventional gas and, in terms of depth, occurs much closer to the land surface than other similar gases.
However, shale rock is sometimes found 3,000 metres below the surface. Therefore, after deep vertical drilling, there are techniques to drill horizontally for considerable distances in various directions to extract the gas-rich shale. A mixture of water, chemicals, and sand is then injected into the well at very high pressures (8,000 psi) to create a number of fissures in the rock to release the gas. The process of using water for breaking up the rock is known as ‘hydro-fracturing’ or ‘fracking’. The chemicals help in water and gas flow and tiny particles of sand enter the fissures to keep them open and allow the gas to flow to the surface. This injection has to be done several times over the life of the well.
The number of wells to be drilled for shale gas far exceeds the number of wells required in the case of conventional gas and the land area required is a minimum of 80 to 160 acres.
The other interesting contribution to shale gas development in the U.S. is the export of guar gum from India, which helps in improving the viscosity and flow of water in the fracking process. The gum is extracted from guar ki phalli , grown mainly by farmers in Rajasthan and Haryana. Earlier, guar gum was used mainly as an additive in ice creams and sauces, but with the discovery of its use in shale gas extraction, its production has risen enormously, earning almost $5 billion during the period from April 2012 to January 2013.
The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG) has identified six basins as potentially shale gas bearing. These are Cambay, Assam-Arakan, Gondwana, Krishna-Godavari, Kaveri and the Indo-Gangetic plain. In a study conducted by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), recoverable resources of 6.1 tcf have been estimated in three out of 26 sedimentary basins. India had also put out in 2012, a draft policy for the exploration and exploitation of shale gas, inviting suggestions from the general public, stakeholders, environmentalists, etc.
Water issues
The policy is being considered by a group of ministers. The draft policy has identified some of the water issues in the exploitation of shale gas. Optimal exploitation of shale gas/oil requires horizontal and multilateral wells and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing treatments of stimulate oil and gas production from shale. This may require large volume of water 3-4 million gallons per well (11,000 to 15,000 cubic metres of water required for drilling/hydro fracturing depending upon the well type and shale characteristics).
The water after hydraulic fracturing is flowed back to the surface and may have high content of Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) and other contaminants (typically contains proppant (sand), chemical residue occur in many geologic formation, mainly in shale). The possibility of contamination of aquifier (both surface and subsurface) from hydro-fracturing and fracturing fluid disposal and the need for safeguarding the aquifer is the need of the hour.
The government’s draft policy suggests that there should be a mandatory rainwater harvesting provision in the exploration area, which trivialises the extent to which water will be required. It states, as far as possible, river, rain or non-potable ground water only should be utilised for fracking and re-use/recycling of water should be the preferred method for water management. The environmental concerns in using water for fracking have been considerably downplayed and their significance underestimated. Further, enforcing legislation on environmental and water issues is a problem in India, and such legislation has been more in breach than in observance.
India suffers from physical and economic water scarcity whereas the U.S. and Europe do not have the same water worries. The website Indiawaterportal.org points out that in the next 12-15 years, while the consumption of water will increase by over 50 per cent, the supply will increase by only 5 to 10 per cent, leading to a water scarcity situation.
TERI’s own study in 2010, ‘Looking Back to Think Ahead’, demonstrates that India is already a water-stressed country and is fast approaching the scarcity benchmark of 1,000 m3 per capita with unabated growth in the irrigation sector; again, it is evident that potential shale gas bearing areas, such as Cambay, Gondwana, Krishna-Godavari, and the Indo-Gangetic plains are also areas that will experience severe water stress by 2030.
Shale gas basins
It points out that land acquisition is not covered in the shale gas policy, but will be a serious issue because of the large area required for fracking and the consequent displacement of people. When the government invites bids, they are expected to cover three major basins, i.e., Cambay, Krishna-Godavari, and Raniganj (Damodar basin). According to the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), there are about 34 tcf of shale gas in the Damodar basin alone (compared to India’s total conventional gas reserves of 47 tcf) of which 8 tcf are recoverable.
While the potential shale gas reserves overshadow those of conventional gas, we have a long way to go in identifying shale gas rich basins and acquiring the necessary technology and experience to extract shale gas. Meanwhile, the water situation will only get worse due to the reducing availability of fresh drinking water year by year, dropping groundwater levels, and the increasingly polluted rivers and other water bodies. Unless, there is some revolutionary technological breakthrough, which does not need the use of fresh water and chemicals, it is vital that we seriously ask ourselves this question: Should we further endanger a rapidly depleting resource on which all life depends? The answer should be a resounding “NO”, and instead the focus must be on removing the bottlenecks in CBM exploration and production while safeguarding the environment.
Turning garbage into gas - The Hindu 18 July 2013
Turning garbage into gas - The Hindu
Turning garbage into gas
While incineration endangers lives, gasification will produce transport fuel that can meet half of India’s consumption needs
Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has been at her wits’ end on how to dispose of the city’s ever growing mountain of garbage. Rising population and growing affluence have raised the daily outpouring of refuse to more than 8,000 tonnes, while simultaneously pushing up the cost of land to astronomical levels. The result: Delhi has run out of land for landfills, and none of the neighbouring States intends to surrender any to meet its needs.
The obvious answer to Delhi’s problem seems to be to burn the solid waste. Cities all over the world are doing it, so why can’t Delhi follow suit? In 2006, the Delhi Municipal Corporation proposed that a small, mothballed, waste incineration plant at Timarpur, that had been put to work for altogether five days since it was built in the 1980s, be reopened to convert 214,000 tonnes of solid waste a year into 69,000 tonnes by sifting out inorganic matter, and drying and palletising the rest to increase its fuel value. Burning this garbage, it was estimated, would produce six megawatts of power per hour, or 5.5 billion units of electricity a year.
The proposal never took off, but it became the springboard for a private sector grab at Delhi’s garbage — investors figured their income would come from the highly inflated tariff decreed by the Central government for ‘green’ energy and the carbon credits they would earn by reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Their plans are close to maturing. In her 2013-14 budget speech, Ms Dikshit announced that the city already has one incineration plant at Okhla, burning almost 2,000 tonnes a day, and that two more are being set up to incinerate another 4,300 tonnes a day. What’s more, these plants will generate 50 MW of power every hour of the day. More incineration plants are on their way: since the Okhla plant went on stream, the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has approved eight more plants in various cities.
There is, however, a catch. Incinerating garbage in Delhi will cost an estimated 200,000 ragpickers their jobs. Throughout the world, moreover, countries are closing incineration plants owing to the hazard they pose to human health. The threats come from particulate emissions that greatly exacerbate lung diseases from bronchitis and asthma to emphysema and lung cancer, and from dioxins and furans in addition to the usual nitrogen and sulphur oxide gases in the flue gas.
THE DIOXIN THREAT
To residents of Indian cities who have become inured to dust, smoke, diesel fumes, as well as lead and nitrous oxide poisoning, this may sound like just one more addition to the long list of risks they face in their daily lives. But dioxins belong to another level of threat altogether. The word is a generic term for more than a hundred long lasting chemicals that are produced by burning municipal and medical waste and by a few industrial processes. Dioxins are insoluble in water and when they settle on land and water bodies, they are absorbed in their entirety by terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. They travel up the food chain into animals and fish that feed on plants and thence into humans. Since living organisms cannot metabolise them, they are found in very high concentrations in meat, fish, milk and eggs. In human beings, a prolonged exposure to dioxins — through a ‘rich diet’ — impairs the functioning of the liver and the immune and reproductive systems, and raises the incidence of cancer. In sum, dioxins shorten our lifespan. Men have no way of expelling them. Women can, but only by passing them to foetuses in their wombs or breast-feeding their babies.
Not surprisingly, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which put together the first comprehensive report on dioxins in 1994, described them as “the most poisonous substances known to man.” In Finland, the government has ordered shut an incineration plant built with the most elaborate safeguards when it found, after two years of its operation, that dioxin levels in the surrounding vegetation had risen by 15 to 25 per cent within a distance of 4 km from the plant.
Whenever environmentalists have pointed these hazards out to the Delhi government, its officials and company representatives have assured them that elaborate safeguards have been incorporated into the design of the plants to ensure that they meet prescribed safety norms. But subsequent tests have falsified this claim. In tests carried out at Okhla last year, particulate emissions exceeded norms on four occasions and stayed within them only on six. A test carried out in May 2013 revealed dioxins and furans emissions from its two chimney stacks to be 2.8 and 12.7 times the prescribed maximum!
In the face of such facts, the Delhi government has merely reaffirmed its determination to go ahead with setting up the incineration plants. This has led to the usual accusations of corruption and crony capitalism, but in this case the cause probably lies in two preconceptions that are deeply imbedded in the public mindset. First, that garbage is simply a nuisance and has no economic value whatever; second, since the physical sorting of household refuse is not feasible in India, incineration is the only way out.
Both assumptions reflect the casual ignorance of decision-makers. There is a third way of disposing garbage that not only eliminates all pollutants, but turns garbage into gold. This is to gasify garbage. Gasification is an incomplete combustion of organic matter that replaces a large part of the carbon dioxide we get from combustion with carbon monoxide and hydrogen. These two gases are, and have been for a hundred years, the basic building blocks of the world’s petrochemicals industry. They are also ideal for driving gas turbines to generate power. From India’s perspective, their best feature is the ease with which they can be synthesised into any transport fuel one desires, and into Di Methyl Ether, a condensate gas that is a superior diesel substitute and a complete substitute for Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).
Gasification also eliminates the threat from dioxins. When gasification is carried out with oxygen, it produces only seven per cent of the flue gas obtained from combustion. The reaction takes place, moreover, at such high temperatures —1000 to 3,000 degrees Celsius — that dioxins and furans get broken down into their basic elements, losing their toxicity. The release of dioxins from a 24 tonne-per-day plasma gasification plant that has been running for more than a decade in Yoshii, Japan, has been found to be less than one per cent of that released by corresponding incineration plants. Consequently, city and municipal corporations around the world have begun to switch to gasification. According to the U.S.-based Recovered Energy Inc., a turnkey engineering company specialising in renewable energy projects, there are 200 Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) gasification plants under construction or in operation globally, of which half use the revolutionary new technology called plasma gasification.
ISOLATED VENTURES
Ironically, India already has employed plasma gasification technology — for the past four years, two 68 tonnes-a-day commercial plants employing this technology have been disposing of medical and other hazardous wastes in Pune and Nagpur. Since Indian states do not share information, however, these have remained isolated ventures.
At present, most MSW gasification plants abroad produce electricity. But this is giving way to the production of transport fuels. British Airways is partnering Solena, a U.S.-based biofuels company, to set up a plant that will gasify 1,300 tonnes a day of London’s solid waste to produce 16 million gallons of Aviation Turbine Fuel and 9 million gallons of naphtha in addition to generating up to 40 MW of power. This plant is expected to meet two per cent of British Airways’ global demand for jet fuel. Solena has won contracts for similar plants with Qantas, Lufthansa and SAS. Lufthansa’s plant will have a modification that New Delhi will do well to take note of: instead of naphtha, it intends to produce 9 million tonnes of diesel fuel.
India stands therefore at a crossroads. In 10 years from now, 600 million Indians will be living in cities with more than a million inhabitants who generate at least 600,000 tonnes of garbage a day. Incinerating this garbage will endanger the lives of future generations. Alternatively, this is sufficient to produce more than 35 million tonnes of transport fuel a year and meet half of India’s current consumption of the same. The saving in foreign exchange will lift the threat of a foreign exchange crisis forever. It will also free domestic prices from the yoke of international oil prices forever. And it will do all this without requiring a rupee of subsidies.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
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