Think India Foundation

'Pune municipality's river navigation project not feasible'

PUNE: Noted water expert Madhav Chitale on Friday said that river navigation project planned by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) on Mula-Mutha is not feasible. "The rivers are in a pathetic condition and do not have the required water level for such a project. Even in the next 20 years, the project will not be possible," he said.

Addressing a news conference on problems of rivers in the state, as part of the Vasundhara International Film Festival, Chitale said looking at the state of the rivers the PMC should take the responsibility of restoring the water bodies and see that sewage is not released on the rivers. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Tamil Nadu loses battle in green court

Chennai : The green court for south India was opened in Chennai on Friday. On the first day, this National Green Tribunal (NGT), Chennai circuit court, heard six major cases and disposed two of them including the three-year-old Pallikaranai case.

Setting aside the environment clearance given by the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) to the Chennai Corporation to set up an integrated waste management plant in Pallikaranai marshland, the court said, “The state of Tamil Nadu has no jurisdiction to grant environment clearance of this nature. Guindy national Park is located within 10 kms from the Pallikaranai project site.” Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

Rajasthan Amongst World's Best Locations for Solar Energy

"The conditions in Rajasthan are so favourable, that it will be amongst the most logical places in the world to implement photovoltaic solar power," says Edwin Koot, CEO of Solarplaza.

With India's highest solar radiation in western Rajasthan, half of India's solar power capacity in 2022 could come from this state, says Satya Kumar, managing director of Shri Shakti Alternative Energy Ltd. Read more

Source : evwind.es

TERI lighting up millions of lives in a greener, eco-sustainable way

In 2007, The Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) undertook a bold, first-of-its-kind initiative-the organisation pledged to illuminate a million lives in an eco-friendly and sustainable manner, thereby ushering in an era of green energy in rural India. And if that was not ambitious enough, the organisation soon expanded its target to a billion from the earlier million, spawning the 'Lighting a Billion Lives' programme. 

TERI's initiative could hardly come at a better time. Today, even as urban India is embracing greener technologies with enthusiasm, as many as 61 million families in the rural countryside still rely on kerosene and wick lamps for illumination. In addition to being a highly restrictive means of lighting, these traditional lamps spew close to 5.5 million tonnes of harmful CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. And as the world wakes up to the need to monitor and control these polluting emissions, cutting down on the use of these lamps is undoubtedly a good way to ingrain sustainability into the rural framework. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com 

Bangalore’s growth: Planning still in progress

Bangalore : Sprawling malls and multi-storey complexes continue to sprout at a frenetic pace in India’s technology capital.

However, increasing concern that Bangalore’s development is unplanned has prompted experts in various fields to gather in the city on Thursday to find ways to ensure the growth is solid and not fluid. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Green line gets thicker; biodiversity park in Aravali

Gurgaon : In an effort to preserve the natural beauty of the Aravali hills, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) is planning to develop a biodiversity park here on the pattern of an existing park in south Delhi ridge of the mountain range. 

“We want a park in Gurgaon similar to the one located in the Aravali ridge in south Delhi, where one can enjoy a complete thematic beauty of Aravali vegetation, animals and birds,” Huda administrator Praveen Kumar said. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Not many great Indian bustards left in the wild

The endemic great Indian bustard (GIB) is about to be extinct. It is one of the most magnificent grassland bird. Its can reach more than three feet in height. And only 300-odd birds remain in the wild today. If you visualise, they are just as many as the pigeons feeding on grains near a temple. In the ’60s, they were found in 11 states of our country but now they are restricted to only six states, of which Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have single digit population. In three states – Gujrat, Maharstara and Andhra Pradesh, the figure is between 25 and 35, each. Only Rajasthan has the largest population of GIBs – about 150 to 170. Experts are saying it is extinct from almost 90 per cent of its former range. If a tiger is perceived as the soul of Indian forest, GIB is the soul of the grassland. But grassland can easily be converted into agricultural lands and, therefore, GIBs are under bigger threat.
Read more

Source : mydigitalfc.com

28% of Gurgaon city's medical waste left untreated

GURGAON: In Gurgaon, it is estimated that every hospital bed generates close to 2 kg of medical waste. This category of waste includes expired medicines, used syringes, and other organic biomedical waste products, severely hazardous if not treated with due process. And according to a report published recently in Gurgaon on medical waste management, at least 28% of the medical waste generated on a daily basis is not being properly treated. ,

"All this medical waste generated is not being treated by registered facilities on a daily basis," the report, compiled by the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Assocham) says, adding that a similar trend can be witnessed in other cities of the country. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Various bodies unite for Bangalore's solid growth

Bangalore : A bunch of senior civil and urban planners and representatives of various industries will participate in a meet organized by Global Initiative for Restructuring Environment and Management (GIREM) on Thursday, Feb 22 to assess whether master plans for Bangalore's growth are solid enough to cater to the exploding population of the city and discuss how all stakeholders can add value to these plans.

Moreover, the participants will assess the role of metro in easing commuting problems, security aspects and whether the large IT firms can share transportation services to lessen vehicle congestion on roads. Read more

Source : news.oneindia.in

New Cities summit from May 14 in Paris

The New Cities Foundation (NCF), a Swiss non-profit organisation working on the field of urban innovation in 21st century cities, will hold the inaugural New Cities Summit from May 14-16, 2012 in Paris.

The annual summit is the centrepiece of the Foundation’s work. It aims to be the leading annual global event on 21st century urbanization, with a unique focus on urbanisation in fast-growing economies in Asia, the Middle-East and Latin America. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Govt. will focus on making Delhi cleanest city: Sheila

NEW DELHI : ‘2011 was primarily about launching and strengthening social sector schemes'

Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit with Chief Secretary P. K. Tripathi (left) and her Council of Ministers presenting her annual report card at the Delhi Secretariat on Tuesday. Photo: V.V.Krishnan

With not much to show by way of infrastructure development in the past year, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on Tuesday that 2011 was primarily about launching and strengthening social sector schemes.

Ms. Dikshit, who released the Working Report 2011 of the Delhi Government, said on the sidelines of the event that various welfare schemes for women and children, adolescent girls, the old and the infirm and in the field of health care, education, sustained support for economic growth and self-sufficiency were launched and strengthened during the year. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Firozabad seeking better infrastructure, education to stem migration

Firozabad (ANI): With four of seven phases of polling over in Uttar Pradesh, residents of Uttar Pradesh's Firozabad city, the state's famed glassmaking hub, have to contend with a lack of water, power supply and education, which is fuelling the migration of its residents to other cities, as well as abroad. 

Speaking about the acute water problem, social activist Waqaruddin Ahmed said apart from the receding water table, the paucity of power often forced people to walk long distances to fetch water. Read more

Source : newstrackindia.com

Investment in drinking water, sanitation as important as investment in defence: Jairam Ramesh

New Delhi: In the upcoming budget to be presented on the March 16, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation may see a hike in allocation that could be anything between 40 to 60 per cent, which means that the allocation could go up from approximately Rs 9500 crore to at least Rs 14,000 crore.

Speaking at the 2nd meeting of National Drinking Water and Sanitation Council, the minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Jairam Ramesh said, "We must feel that investment in water supply and sanitation is a matter of urgent priority. It is as important as investing in defence. We can invest in missiles, aircrafts and tanks but if we don't have clean drinking water and sanitation, the population is not going to be healthy... We are becoming a wealthy population but not a healthy one." Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Seeding a policy without the dirt on climate change

ICAR says knowledge of climate change impact in India is 'fragmentary'

Genetics mode: Researchers working with transgenic groundnut plants engineered for drought resistance at the glasshouse facility of the Genetic Transformation Lab at ICRISAT in Hyderabad. Photo: K. Gajendran

A recent international conference on climate change and sustainable agriculture in New Delhi brought forth the shocking realisation that there are no conclusive studies in India on the prospective impact of climate change on the agriculture sector including livestock and fisheries.

Much of the country's understanding comes from global data provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the World Meteorological Organisation and other world bodies. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Air pollution: Impact on heart health

It's a known fact that heart attacks are linked to hypertension, diabetes and smoking. Now urban India can add one more cause of concern to heart health disease, air pollution. 

Air pollution: Impact on heart health (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images) 

It affects the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel as a result affecting blood pressure. According to French researchers from the Paris Cardiovascular Research Center, the high levels of main pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and soot particles adversely affect the heart. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Water Board’s STP project in Lingam Kunta kicks up row

HYDERABAD: After Hussainsagar and Taj Banjara Lake, it is now the Lingam Kunta in Chanda Nagar in Ranga Reddy district that has fallen prey to a state government-backed Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) project. And much like in the case of the others, here too the STP is being constructed right in the middle of the lakebed __ on its full tank level (FTL). While the Andhra Pradesh High Court had issued a directive restraining authorities from going ahead with the project in November last year, local activists from the area rue how work at the site is still on. The STP is being built by the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB). 

"Only last week, we had noticed some dumping activity near the water body. The workers admitted they were deployed by the water board," said Rajkumar Singh who had, in 2010, filed a petition against the government department for tampering with the lake. The court order of 2011 was issued against his PIL. Now, with water board officials refusing to move out of the area and even claiming that the High Court judgment was in fact passed in its (HMWS&SB) favour, Singh has decided to file a contempt of court case against the department on Tuesday. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Water crisis looms over India

Major metros like Delhi and Mumbai face huge water and environmental crises as infrastructure tries to keep pace with the increasing population, says a new study of 71 Indian cities.

The report, Excreta Matter, prepared by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), comes at a time when India is urbanising at the highest rate in the world and half of all Indians are expected to be living in cities by 2050. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Children raise voice for civic awareness in Mysore

Mysore : B V Karanth Rangamandira at the Dasara Exhibition Grounds in the city was flooded with children on Saturday for ‘Mysuru habba.’

Students from almost 70 schools were present at Children’s Movement for Civic Awareness (CMCA), a joint initiative of CMCA India and Mysore City Corporation. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Solar energy in India

India is yet to utilise its solar potential; at present, solar power (photovoltaic and concentrating solar thermal power) contributes a mere 0.4 per cent of the total power generation.

Not so long ago, nuclear power was destined to save a country from energy drought by providing cheap and abundant power for centuries to come. Great political capital was expended, contracts signed. But, despite claims of being near perfect safety, damage did occur. Under unprecedented public pressure after the Fukushima incident especially, state and national governments have started to swear off nuclear power, making way for other renewable sources such as wind energy and solar power. Read more

Source : evwind.es

Designed to kill: Trees versus development

For sustainability and natural balance of the eco-system, forest cover of one-third of land area is considered desirable.

In pre-independent India, green cover was in the vicinity of about 40%. Today, we have depleted it to nearly 23%, most of it under the pretext of development and mainly to cater to ever increasing consumerism. As per quick estimate, human habitation over the globe account for only 6% of surface. The scary part is that even with only 6% space occupied for habitation, we feel the pinch of resource scarcity. It implies that we have perhaps consumed the resources of remaining 94% for sustenance of the six. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Indian minister 'shocked' CO2 emissions cuts seen as U.N. goal

NEW DELHI (AlertNet Climate) - India's rural development minister has slammed a United Nations report which includes reducing C02 emissions as a development target agreed by poor countries, saying it was a "mistake" and that the international body was "sending the wrong signal".

In this 2010 file photo, India's former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh gestures during a news conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York. REUTERS/Jessica Rinaldi

Jairam Ramesh, a former environment minister, was India's voice - echoing that of many developing nations - in refusing to commit to legally binding targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions in international climate change negotiations. Read more

Source : trust.org

In Asia-Pacific, health poses challenge to 2015 goals

DELHI — Sixty percent of the world’s population lives in the Asia-Pacific, which makes its performance critical to achieving the global Millennium Development Goals by 2015.  It stretches from Turkey in the west to the Pacific island nation of Kirabati in the east, and from the Russian Federation in the north to New Zealand in the south. 

The latest assessment, however, indicates that the region is performing poorly on reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. In 2010, over 3 million children died before their fifth birthday. Read more

Source : smartplanet.com

IIT Bombay students go green

Mumbai : Contrary to the popular perception that IITians do not give enough back to society, students at IIT Bombay have come up with their own unique way of spreading environmental awareness.

With the backing of an institute that boasts of momentous research in the development of eco-friendly technology, these students are willing to step beyond mere academic pursuits. The IIT Bombay Green Campus Initiative was launched a year ago with the objective of transforming the institution of world-class repute into a futuristic model of ecological sustainability and energy efficiency. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Companies must fight climate change

Leaders from across the world gathered in Durban in December last year to find common ground on what is currently the most important challenge facing humanity: climate change. With virtually no headway made since the Kyoto Protocol, there is precious little time left for all nations to act before we reach the point of no return. Governments across the world must give a clear signal that they are committed to a legal deal on climate change that puts the world on track to a low-carbon economy. 

While both developed and developing nations put forth their arguments keeping in mind their respective economic interests, it is important to note that businesses can, and must, play a vital role in building a greener world. Today, businesses across the world are committed to green growth and building a 'sustainable' global economy as it will ensure their future growth. There is a unique opportunity for businesses from developed and developing nations to collaborate and develop low-carbon technologies and business models. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Wildfire Smoke Kills 339,000 a Year, Researchers Say

VANCOUVER, British Columbia—Smoke from burning forests and grasslands kills on average 339,000 people a year world-wide, an international research team said Sunday in the first systematic global health study of air pollution from wildfires.

Every year, accidental and deliberate wildfires burn an area that, taken together, is larger than India. The dense plumes of fine particles and compounds released in the complex chemistry of combustion typically stay aloft for weeks and can travel hundreds of miles downwind. Smoke from fires in Central Siberia during 2003, for example, caused air pollution in the U.S. Read more

Source : online.wsj.com

Govt to set up specialised body for auto sector growth by Apr

New Delhi: A specialised body for promoting sustainable development of the Indian auto sector,dubbed the National Automotive Board,is likely to be set up by April.

"The proposed National Automotive Board (NAB),which is being finalised by the Department of Heavy Industry,is likely to be cleared by the Cabinet in a month," an official said. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Foreign aid cash spent tackling climate change

Nearly £1.5 billion has been spent tackling man-made climate change by Government department responsible for fighting poverty abroad, it can be revealed.

Dfid is one of only two departments not affected by the Government's austerity drive Photo: PA

The Department for International Development (Dfid) has spent the total on projects which they say will either reduce carbon emissions abroad or attempt to deal with the effects of predicted changes in the earth's climate.

In the past four years Dfid has spent £900 million on climate change projects with nearly two thirds of that being spent in the past financial year under the Coalition. A further £533 million has already been committed up to 2013. Read more

Source : telegraph.co.uk

Elections give a respite to illegal riverbed mining in Uttarakhand

Dehradun (ANI) : Corruption-free rule if voted to power again topped the agendas of leading political parties during the campaigning last month for the assembly elections on January 30th. Other promises included, predictably, uninterrupted power supply and employment for the local youth. 

The effect of the Uttarakhand elections 2012 will only be known in March. In the meantime, an unlikely set of beneficiaries have been the residents of Tailihat village in Garur Mandal of Bageshwar District in Uttarakhand, located on the banks of a local river - Gomti. They were given the gift of peaceful nights; for, as even an amateur politician knows, campaigning and elections are no time to get one's hands dirty with illegal river bed mining. Read more

Source : newstrackindia.com

Oz firm to clean Bhopal waste?

New Delhi : Is a solution finally in sight for the disposal of 350 metric tonnes of toxic waste which has been lying on the premises of the Union Carbide factory in Bhopal for a quarter century?

Representatives of the Australian company, Enware, attending the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear(CBRN) Disaster Management and Security meet in the capital, made an offer to DRDO scientists to clean up the contaminated factory with special metal oxides that also contain nanomaterial properties with a final particle size of nearly 5 um. Read more

Source : asianage.com

Green townships in Gurgaon: Builders turning their attention on green buildings

Apart from vertical developments, builders are also focusing their projects on green developments. For this, they are getting approval from GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment), in India. Some developers like Ansal API, 3C, Central Park,Chintels Ltd,Earth Infrastructure and Falcon Group have already launched projects in and around Gurgaon, under this system.

The latest is Ansal API's Esencia in Sector 67 on Golf Course Extension, Gurgaon. Esencia Community offers well-designed homes with the best of amenities. Esencia Township has been registered as a pilot project for rating under GRIHA. The 3C has got 47 acre in Sector 89 to develop a Green Township. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

PIL against windmill work in Jaisalmer dismissed

JODHPUR/JAISALMER: The Rajasthan High Court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking prohibition on setting up of windmills on pasture land in Jaisalmer. Terming the petition as frivolous, the court refused to consider the land referred to as pasture area.

Earlier on 24 December last year, the court while admitting the petition filed by an NGO, Libra India, had issued notices to revenue department, district collector, Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation (RREC) and windmill companies with regard to the allotment of the common land, more specifically known as "Charagah" land for establishing windmills in the district and had stayed the setting up of the windmills on this land. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Indian government should scrap energy subsidies & raise energy efficiency says RK Pachauri, TERI

According to reports, the International Energy Agency has projected the possibility of oil prices reaching $150 per barrel by 2035. Oil price projections are fraught with uncertainties and complexities, which defy conventional analysis. It is entirely possible that the IEA’s projections will turn out to be off the mark.

But, fundamental changes in the global oil market suggest growing pressure on supply as a result of production capacity lagging behind quantity demanded. Read more

Source : panchabuta.com

India's rag-pickers inspire recycling charity

Inspired by India's rag-pickers, an non-governmental organisation in the Indian city of Chennai (formerly Madras), Paperman, creates awareness about recycling and runs campaigns to fund social causes, says Pia Chandavarkar.

Mathew's organisation also maintains a database of rag-pickers across Chennai

The bell indicates the end of another day at the Church Park School in the southern city of Chennai. The students stream out of the classrooms, eager to get home. Read more

Source : bbc.co.uk

City migration as a development problem? It's the ultimate urban myth

Rather than portraying rapid urbanisation in terms of overconsumption, we should be celebrating it

Rapid urbanisation in Beijing and elsewhere has taken the number of city dwellers in China over 51% for the first time. Photograph: Dan Chung for the Guardian

In January, China marked a historic milestone in its development: for the first time ever, city dwellers outnumbered the rural population. According to the Chinese statistics bureau, 691 million people now live in cities, amounting to more than 51% of the population. Yet this fact merited just a single sentence in a Chinese government press release. Meanwhile, in the western media, to the extent that this genuinely historic event was covered, it sometimes seemed less a matter for celebration than trepidation. 

Such a reaction says a lot about the way rapid urbanisation in the developing world is viewed. Over the next 20 years or so, the global urban population is expected to rise to approximately 5 billion. This explosion of urban life could be greeted enthusiastically, as a sign of progress and development – moving people off the land and out of back-breaking labour. But far too often, urbanisation is instead seen through the contemporary prism of social, political and ecological concerns: overpopulation, fears about the breakdown of traditional communities, and the dangers cities create for the broader environment, to name but a few. Read more

Source : guardian.co.uk

Come May, e-waste rule will become highly demanding

CHENNAI : The instruction manuals that usually come with your cell phone or television set most often lay down ways to properly discard these consumer items but do all of us read them? Come May, electronic device manufacturers might have to put in more efforts to ensure their ‘take back' schemes work better, as they will be responsible for the safe disposal of electronic and electrical goods that they produce.

As per the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2010, which will come into effect in May 2012, manufacturers of electronic goods, under the Extended Producers' Responsibility (EPR), will be responsible for recycling, reducing levels of hazardous substances in electronics and setting up collection centres. Bulk users such as large corporations, banks, insurance companies, government agencies and educational institutions will also need to keep a record of their e-waste disposal. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Rajkot breathes easy compared to Ahmedabad, Surat

Ahmedabad : One would think that Rajkot, the hub of small and medium industries (SMEs) in Gujarat, would be highly polluted.

Interestingly, the level of PM10 emissions in the city are far lower than in Ahmedabad and Surat. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

Manure generation from garbage may start from April

VARANASI: The organic manure manufactured out of the garbage collected in the city will hit the market in April. The villagers and farmers are hoping to benefit from the initiative.

According to Kailash Shukla of Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam, who is looking after the much-awaited project of solid waste recycler in Karsada area, the pre-sorting machines are currently being installed at the plant and mostly all the machines have arrived in the city. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Compilation of inventory to estimate electronic waste planned

Chennai (PTI) : Intending to estimate the amount of electronic waste generated in the country, Central Pollution Control Board will compile an inventory across 20 cities/towns in the next financial year. "We are planning to compile an inventory from data from 20 cities or important towns with more than 10 lakh population. The cities would be from dense industrial hubs and noted zones of industrial activity," a CPCB source said.

The inventory would help CPCB in estimating the total amount of e waste India had, especially ahead of the application deadline for the e-waste (management and handling) Rules, 2011 from May one this year. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Saranda camps: permission sought where none required

Ranchi : Jharkhand wants the Centre’s go-ahead for forest diversion to set up 17 CRPF camps in Saranda, even though forest clearance authority lies with the state and the move is only expected to delay the process of setting up security hubs in the saal reserve.

Sources said in a letter last week, the state sought the Union ministry of environment and forests’ permission for forest clearance and diversion for the camps. Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

Mining Axe Falls on Orissa Forests

BHUBANESWAR: Illegal mining, urbanisation and smuggling have taken their toll on forests of Odisha in the last few years. The latest Forest Survey of India (FSI) report confirms it. The India State of Forest Report, 2011, reveals that Odisha has lost at least 41 sq km of very dense (VD) and moderately dense forests (MDF) between 2007 and 2009.

The 2011 assessment takes into account satellite imagery of the period 2008-2009. According to the FSI report, the State’s very dense forest cover has declined from 7,073 sq km to 7,060 sq km whereas moderately dense forest has declined more __ from 21,394 sq km to 21,366 sq km. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Door-to-door garbage collection project still on paper in Jaipur

JAIPUR: For proper cleanliness of the city the state government is banking upon the proposed door-to-door collection of the garbage through Public-Private Partnership ( PPP). However, the project announced many years ago is still on the paper. 

After failed attempts in attracting private companies despite extending the date for submission of bids, the authorities are claiming that the process will get completed by February end. "We are currently evaluating the technical bids and it will be finalized by the end of next week. The process is in the final stages," said Tarachand Meena, director of directorate of local body ( DLB). Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

India keen on having nuclear waste repository

New Delhi, DHNS : Site will be decided after research over next five years

Half-a-century after launching the nuclear programme, India has finally begun working on a “deep geological repository” to permanently store its nuclear waste. Read more

Source : deccanherald.com

Civic bodies not worried with ‘bulging’ waste

JAIPUR: The Jaipur Municipal Corporation's (JMC) 12th general body meeting on Monday witnessed Independent councillor Haji Nawab Ali throwing garbage on the sanitation committee chairman, BJP's Roshan Saini. It seems that the civic body that has the responsibility of keeping the city clean is least interested in solid waste management. 

The population of 3.5 million people in Jaipur produces 1,100 metric tonnes of solid waste every day but only 85 per cent of it gets dumped, leaving the rest inside the premises of the city. JMC has placed a total of 1,794 dustbins. But the bins have been placed only in 41 wards out of total 77 wards. In the rest 36 wards there are open depots where there is no garbage container. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Artificial Glaciers Water Crops in Indian Highlands

Villagers discover that it is easier to store water in ice than in a reservoir, and less is lost to evaporation.

Ran Bhadur (right) and Mohan Bhadur (left) shovel sand and rock to dam a stone embankment holding water that will eventually freeze and serve as an artificial glacier in the village of Stakmo in India's northern Ladakh region. Photograph by Mary Knox Merrill, Christian Science Monitor/Getty Images

This story is part of a National Geographic News series on global water issues.

A remote Indian village is responding to global warming-induced water shortages by creating large masses of ice, or "artificial glaciers," to get through the dry spring months. (See a map of the region.)

Located on the western edge of the Tibetan plateau, the village of Skara in the Ladakh region of India is not a common tourist destination. Read more

Source : news.nationalgeographic.com

Changing climates of governance

Understanding real-world complexity and anticipating change are the key to global and local governance in the 21st century

The issue of global governance has acquired increasing salience in recent years. With the process of globalisation and the increasing interconnectedness of economies, issues that transcend national and regional boundaries have become progressively more important. These include non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in particular, nuclear weapons; cyber-security and the security of space-based assets; international terrorism, whether state-sponsored or perpetrated by non-state actors; international drug trafficking; and maritime security.

Such cross-cutting issues can be economic and social. For example, climate change and energy security have a global dimension, where competitive action by states may result in adverse consequences for all stakeholders. There are public health challenges, such as Aids, avian flu pandemics, the eradication of polio or other epidemic diseases which have a global dimension. They share a common feature in that no state, however powerful, can tackle these challenges on its own. They require a common global platform, coordinated strategies and agreed preventive actions to safeguard both domestic and global interests. Domestic actions influence and, in turn, are influenced by global responses. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

MCC is all at sea while handling solid waste

MANGALORE : Everything is wrong with the solid waste management process in the city, say experts

Solid waste dumped at sanitary landfill site in Pachchanady near Vamanjoor in Mangalore. Photo: H.S. Manjunath

A few days after joining the State Cabinet and taking over as Dakshina Kannada district in-charge Minister, Mangalore North MLA J. Krishna Palemar inaugurated, in August 2008, a Rs. 15.88-crore compost plant at Pachchanady, Vamanjoor, promising that “each batch of waste” collected from the city would be put through a 35-day process. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

MCZMA issues new rules for hoardings in CRZ areas

IN A bid to protect the state’s 720-km-long coastline, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has issued a set of guidelines restraining putting up of hoardings in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) areas.

Under these guidelines, no hoardings would be allowed in CRZ I and no-development zone of CRZ III. In CRZ II areas —land close to the shoreline that is already substantially developed — hoardings will be permitted on the landward side of the road or existing buildings. In case of CRZ III areas, hoardings will be allowed only on the landward side of the 200-m setback line. However, the approval comes with a mandatory rider that the hoardings have to prominently carry a “message, slogan or quote related to environment and coastal conservation”. Read more

Source : indianexpress.com

Yamuna veggies toxic: Study

New Delhi: The next time you stop along the Yamuna to buy those fresh leafy vegetables, think twice. A study carried out by The Energy Research Institute (TERI) has found that the continuous dumping of untreated industrial effluent and sewage into the river has contaminated the riverbed soil, and several vegetables, specifically the green leafy ones, contain high levels of toxic metals. 

The report, titled 'Living in a cleaner environment in India: A strategic analysis and assessment', says that levels of nickel, manganese and lead in Yamuna's water were found to be higher than the international aquatic water quality criteria for fresh water. Meena Sehgal, a consultant with TERI who worked extensively on the report, says that their focus was on heavy metals found in the environment and through what means they enter the human body. "Our findings made it clear that it is essentially green leafy vegetables that contain the highest amount of metals. This is because such vegetables have a high tendency to accumulate metals. Levels were significantly lower in other vegetables and practically negligible in drinking water samples," she said. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

UN: Soil erosion increasing global warming threat

Global warming will get worse as agricultural methods accelerate the rate of soil erosion, which depletes the amount of carbon the soil is able to store, a United Nations' Environment Programme report said today.

Soil contains huge quantities of carbon in the form of organic matter which provides nutrients for plant growth and improves soil fertility and water movement.

The top metre of soil alone stores around 2,200 billion tonnes of carbon, which is three times the level currently held in the atmosphere, said the UNEP Year Book 2012. Read more

Source : buenosairesherald.com

Enjoy 'real India' in the heart of Delhi: Government to bring the countryside to the big city

The Delhi government plans to bring the Indian countryside to the Capital itself. To present the 'real India' to foreign tourists, the government has selected 14 villages, each with a water body, across the Capital. 

Green living: Chhawla tourism complex at Kanganheri

These spots will be redeveloped, restored and offered as a 'rural tourism destination' to the foreigners. The project, worth crores of rupees, has already received the necessary clearances. Read more

Source : dailymail.co.uk