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

IBM to implement waste mgmt system in Kochi

Announced four projects that include formulation of new strategies for the handloom sector, innovative youth empowerment programs and promotion of the budding micro-enterprise sector

KOCHI, INDIA: As a part of the Corporate Service Corps (CSC) program, IBM on Thursday announced four projects for Kochi. The projects will be implemented in partnership with India@75, Local Economic Development Society (LEDS), Kara Ventures and Navabharath Foundation.

A team comprising of 12 IBM employees from nine different countries (France, Canada, Sweden, Brazil, USA, Australia, Slovakia, Germany and Spain) will work on these projects over a six month period with one month being spent on location, said a press release. Read more

Source : ciol.com

Share of N-power in India is set to rise

MANGALORE: The current share of nuclear power in India is about 3%. But it has received major fillip in recent years and is poised to grow steadily. The key to capacity building in nuclear power sector critically depends on development of reliable nuclear power stations and an integrated system encompassing the complete fuel cycle, waste management and fissile fuel breeding, according to Srikumar Banerjee, chairman of Atomic Energy Commission ( AEC).

Delivering the convocation address at the 30th convocation of Mangalore University here on Thursday, he said India has already developed adequate core competence in all aspects of nuclear energy, and its roadmap for three-stage nuclear programme provides a blueprint for achieving sustainable energy security. The first stage utilises natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as moderator in indigenously-developed pressurized heavy-water reactors.The second stage of the programme is based on fast breeder reactors (FBRs) which are fuelled by plutonium obtained by reprocessing of spent fuel of thermal reactors. The prototype FBR of 500MWe is currently under construction at Kalpakkam. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Plan for Biogas Plants at State Institutions in Chandigarh, India

Chandigarh is a city and union territory in India that serves as the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana is to implement a Master Plan that will see the construction of a large number of food waste to biogas facilities.

Image Credit: Shutterstock/Rufous

According to a report in The Times of India, the plan calls for most of the city's hotels and a number of government buildings including college campuses, medical research centres and a hospital will generate their own energy through biogas plants. Read more

Source : waste-management-world.com

Civic woes: Huda to set up 300 mobile toilets

Gurgaon : The Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) has struck a deal with a private agency to set up around 300 mobile toilets at various locations across the city. The Huda will provide water supply and maintenance for these toilets. The waste will be disposed off in the master drain. At Iffco Chowk, four such toilets have been set up on trial basis. 

“I was satisfied with the operation of the mobile toilets and the most important that the people in good number were seen using these toilets. So I think the 300 mobile toilets would help the city in eradicating this nuisance,” said the administrator, adding that he may allow the firm to install minimum 1000 such public toilets. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.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

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

SCMS Group setting up centre on water technology in Kochi

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The SCMS Group of Kochi is setting up an Indo-German Centre for Water Technology and Management. It will shortly become operational at the SCMS School of Engineering and Technology (SSET).

Germany is way ahead in the field of water technology, conservation and management. This will be the first international research project undertaken by the SSET Centre for Research Consultancy and Innovation in Engineering and Technology, the research division of SCMS Engineering College. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

CPI (M) bats for decentralised waste management

EVERYBODY wants decentralised management of waste, said Communist Party of India (Marxist) district secretary AC Moydheen.

He was inaugurating a public meeting in front of the corporation office in connection with a protest march organised by CPI (M) yesterday. CPI (M) expressed solidarity with the hunger strike by social activist K Venu and agitation by Lalur Anti-pollution Agitation Front. Read more

Source : cityjournal.in

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

Going green, with a large side order of mercury

Despite the growing popularity of energy-saving fluorescent lamps, little has been done to address the issue of the safe disposal of the dangerous waste they generate.

A shop keeper displays the new generation energy saving compact fluorescent lamps at Parsh electrical appliances store on the electrical and sanitary street of Troop Bazar in Hyderabad. File photo: Mohammed Yousuf

Steady release of mercury into the air, soil and water poses a significant health risk. But, it appears, not for policymakers in India. Annually, a large amount of this toxic, complex metal is simply dumped into municipal landfills or released into the air from a “green” source — the millions of fluorescent lamps that are at the forefront of efforts to reduce power demand and carbon emissions. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

‘85% wells contaminated in Kochi’

Kochi : Despite the high quality of life indices, acclaimed sanitation facilities and public health consciousness, nearly 85 per cent of wells in the state is contaminated by E.coli bacteria.

The Pampa is the most polluted river in the state, according to studies by Centre for Water Resources Development and Management. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.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

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

Flush with money, they clog the drains

BWSSB officials say sanitary napkins and human hair from posh highrises are choking the drainage network, already groaning under the weight of a burgeoning population

With the increased number of calls to the sanitation control room, BWSSB’s 74 jetting machines are just not enough

In IT city, optic fibre cables vie for space with sewerage and the winners are... sanitary napkins and human hair. 

Blocked drains and sewerage lines have always been associated with the urban poor and slum areas where people are said to lack sanitation awareness. Not anymore. It’s the educated class and high net worth residents living in posh homes who are to blame. Read more

Source : bangaloremirror.com

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

50 years on, lack of amenities continues to plague Salt Lake

KOLKATA: It was 50 years ago that then chief minister of Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy had laid the foundation stone of the township. Five decades on, Salt Lake still lacks various civic amenities that are essential for the development of a township.

Two years back, Trinamool Congress took over the reins of the Bidhannagar Municipality and made numerous promises. The civic authorities had earlier submitted a list of civic issues, that needed to be looked into, to the state urban development department. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.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

RWAs may get more teeth to prevent water misuse in colonies

Gurgaon : To prevent the misuse of potable water in residential colonies, Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) is planning to give RWAs and maintenance agencies the power to penalise erring residents. "We can give this authority to some residents' welfare associations or maintenance agencies," said Huda administrator Praveen Kumar. 

"But that would be the power to issue 'evidence-based challan'. It means the RWAs or private agencies should have proper evidence before issuing challans against any resident," Kumar added. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.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

'Curb wastage, pollution to tackle water disputes'

New Delhi: Curbing wastage, reducing pollution and forming joint platforms to assess geological changes were among the urgent steps needed to tackle the growing conflicts on water between countries and within their own boundaries, say experts. 

The issue was debated at length by various experts, including filmmakers, columnists, academics and activists, at a roundtable on Water at War at the Alliance Francaise here Wednesday. Water had led to tensions between countries and caused fights within cities, the participants noted. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

How to slash power subsidies

The irrationality and waste in energy subsidies in India has been a perennial theme in analysis of the Indian economy and in reform prescriptions. Progress has, however, turned out to be elusive in the face of ground realities and feasible politics. 

The power ministry, after struggling for over a decade through repeated exhortations, had the satisfaction of getting a resolution in a Chief Ministers Conference in 2001 that free supply of electricity to farmers should be done away with. Nevertheless, 10 years later, the situation regarding free or, practically free, supply of electricity to farmers is practically the same. No chief minister seems inclined to touch the issue. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.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

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

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

Villagers demand access to portable drinking water in Maoist-affected Purulia

Purulia (ANI) : Villagers in the Maoist-hot bed of West Bengal's Purulia District have complained against the lack of portable drinking water, as hazardous wastes from a variety of sources have contaminated the ground water resources. 

Residents complained that they often suffer from infections and diseases by consuming unhygienic water available in the region and demanded access to clean drinking water. Read more

Source : newstrackindia.com

Rescuing cities from chaos

When it comes to basic areas of citizen requirement, only a small number of cities and towns have so far been able to take stock of where they stand, not to speak of steadily improving the benchmark levels. 

Master plans are one way to ensure orderly development of cities.

Urban governance is assuming new, enterprising forms. During my recent visit to some South Indian cities, it was reported that Chennai's water supply would be augmented with the government's plans for a Rs 330-crore new reservoir. This is good news, as the demand for drinking water has increased to 1,190 million litres a day, whereas Metrowater is able to supply about 800 mld. But it is clear that the city on its own cannot do this and hence the dependence on the State.

Surat is set to generate 24 MW of electricity from 600 tonnes of solid waste generated everyday. Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

With 42 green buildings, Chennai leads the pack

CHENNAI: The state may be hobbled by a severe power shortage, but its capital is home to more green buildings than any other city in the country. Chennai is home to 42 of the 212 structures in India that are certified as eco-friendly by the Indian Green Building Council(IGBC). 

Chennai is followed by Mumbai, with 29 green buildings, and the National Capital Region (28), among cities awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by IGBC. Hyderabad and Bangalore are tied in fourth place with 24 each and Kolkata is sixth with eight. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Thiruvananthapuram Corporation seeks police escort

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : For transporting clay for landfill work

Garbage piled up in the East Fort area in Thiruvananthapuram city. Photo: S. Gopakumar

As part of resuming work on the sanitary landfill inside the Vilappilsala solid waste treatment plant, the City Corporation has requested the Police Department to provide escort for transporting the clay required for lining the various layers of the landfill.

According to officials, around 300 loads of clay will be required for layering the landfill which is being constructed to dispose of the garbage rejects that have accumulated inside the plant over the years. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Mumbai-born engineer plans to make steel out of waste

Mumbai : Even as we grapple with the growing problem of waste management, a city girl’s homecoming is marked with an innovative patented technology that uses rubber and plastic to make steel. Meet Dr Veena Sahajwalla, director of Sustainable Materials Research and Technology at the University of New South Wales, whose enthusiasm about science is simply infectious.

“I love engineering, and I have always been this problem-solving person,” she says as she reminisces her childhood days in Mumbai. At a time when girls studying science mostly opted for medicine, Dr Sahajwalla opted for engineering to become the only woman engineer in her IIT-Kanpur batch in 1980s. Her focus on sustainable materials has its roots in her childhood interest in little glass medicine bottles. “Women would collect these bottles to exchange them at the scrap guy, as there is a value attached to them. And I realised then that if I wanted to pick up rubbish and figure out a way to do something with it, I was different,” she says. Read more

Source : dnaindia.com

What happens to the millions of gadgets we discard?

Miraj Malik deals with the after life. His days begin with a casual stroll around the dusty lanes of Seelampur - a Delhi suburb - inspecting the latest cold cargo that's been picked up from across the National Capital Region (NCR) and unloaded by hundreds of trucks the previous night. 

Malik dabbles in cadavers of computers and sundry gizmos. He runs 18 shops in Seelampur - one of India's biggest "organised" unorganised market for scrapped electronic devices - where they are dismantled, glass and plastic parts are sifted out from metals, which, in turn, are separated to be sold to metal hubs like Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Housing conundrum: FICCI report on urban infrastructure reveals uncomfortable truths

In 2001, about 286 million persons were living in urban areas of India and it was the second largest urban population in the world. According to the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, the urban population in India over the next 25 years is expected to grow 38 per cent and become 534 million in 2026. Furthermore, as per the Census of India, 2001, 640 cities/towns in 26 States/Union territories have reported slum populations. 

Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of towns (77) reporting slums followed by Uttar Pradesh (69), Tamil Nadu (63) and Maharashtra (61). As many as 42.6 million people lived in slums in 2001. This constitutes 15 percent of the total urban population of the country and 22.6 percent of the urban population of the states/union territories reporting slums. Read more

Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com

Resources, implementation bugbears for environment management

Issues concerning the quality of air, water, soil, trees and other environmental and ecological attributes are at the top of the agenda in almost all discussions of our transforming society. However, the economic linkages that these issues deserve are not coming together owing both to India's economic position and individual commitment. As a result, we see a huge environmental and economic imbalance resulting in a slow pace of environmental improvements in the country.

If only intent and the content of policy are taken into account, India's environment should have been on a par with the rest of the developed world as legislations are comparable. Water, air and other waste are expected to be managed effectively and there are obligations to protect the ecology and the environment. However, implementation is far from satisfactory. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Ernakulam is hazardous waste capital of Kerala

KOCHI : Pesticides and metallurgical industries top polluters

Ernakulam district has emerged as the new hazardous waste capital of Kerala. The district is the top contributor to the amount of hazardous waste generated in the State, producing about 45,560 metric tonnes of hazardous waste annually.

Kerala generated about 71,050 metric tonnes of hazardous waste in 2009-10, according to the State inventory of hazardous waste generating industries prepared by the Kerala State Pollution Control Board. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Mangalore City Corporation team returns from Gujarat tour

MANGALORE : The 46-member team studied amenities at three cities

A 46-member team of councillors and officials of Mangalore City Corporation returned from their seven-day study tour of Gujarat on Wednesday.

The team members included 27 councillors of the Bharatiya Janata Party, seven councillors of the Congress, a councillor of the Communist Party of India (Marxists) and an Independent. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Call to segregate waste at home

Chennai : The Germans and most other families in the developed world have four bins to segregate garbage at home — one is for glass, the second for metal, the third for paper and the fourth for organic waste.

In contrast, we continue to dump all garbage together, ignoring the repeated pleas from the civic administration and environmentalists to segregate waste between biodegradable and non-degradable by keeping just two separate bins at home. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

India, Israel to collaborate on urban renewal, water treatment

India and Israel are expected to sign an agreement on collaboration in the field of water treatment technologies in urban areas during the forthcoming visit of Minister of Urban Development Kamal Nath.

With India and Israel commemorating 20 years of establishment of diplomatic relations, the new year has seen a flurry of activities and further diversification in areas of cooperation to include many new fields. Read more

Source : waterworld.com

Ahmedabad's dog sterilization drive to finally kick off

AHMEDABAD: After a prolonged wait for agencies showing interest in the city's dog sterilization drive, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) finally got offers from four organizations for the project. The standing committee of the AMC has agreed to offer the job of sterilizing the 2.5 lakh dogs of the city, which was recently counted in a census by an animal welfare board of India approved body.

The four organizations that have offered to do the job include Animal Help Foundation, Peoples For Animals, Ahmedabad, Animal Rights Fund from Bangalore and Animal Protection Club from Maharashtra. "The four organizations have been assigned the work for the entire city as we wanted to eliminate any allegations that the AMC has been partial towards few. We have a MoU with AWBI which will be monitoring the process," says a senior official of the AMC. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Recycle industrial waste to generate revenue: experts

BANGALORE: A waste exchange mechanism for industries needs to be established in Karnataka. The goal is to reduce the adverse environmental impact of industrial waste disposal and generate economic returns through the promotion of resource recovery from industrial waste, said experts at the 'Sustainability: From strategy to growth' seminar organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Bangalore.

"Nanjangud industrial area is exchanging 40% of its wastage voluntarily. We are coming up with an idea of creating an online platform for industrial waste exchange," said Megha Shenoy, research director, Resource Optimization Initiative. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Water purification business attracts over Rs 500 crore in PE

The inability of the state to deliver on basic services has nurtured many a business: inverters and bottled water, to name just two.

A third one is beginning to flourish: water purification and waste-water treatment. As the state increasingly relinquishes these functions to the private sector, and even discusses the idea of privatising water supply, companies in this business are seeing a likely suitor: private equity (PE). Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Imphal NGO bags international green award

IMPHAL: An Imphal-based NGO, Centre for Research on Environmental Development (Cred), has bagged the prestigious Green Globe Foundation Award 2012 in New Delhi for 'Outstanding Contribution by a NGO'. Cred works at the grassroots level on critical issues like environmental degradation, generating mass awareness on pollution-related issues, mobilizing local communities in sustained high-pitched campaigns and engaging in legal activism through public interest litigation, thus forming the backbone of the green movement in India.

"We are so grateful to the foundation for having recognized our unrelenting efforts to join the global green movement to save our planet," said Cred secretary T Leikhendra Singh. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Gurgaon residents up in arms against dumping of waste

Gurgaon : Residents of Sector 15-I are up in arms against the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) for dumping several trucks of construction waste in a park located in the area. They have lodged a complaint with Huda administrator Praveen Kumar. “I am not aware of it. But I will inspect the park and do the needful,” said the Huda administrator, who had issued instructions in December last year to upgrade the park.

The residents claimed that the dumping of construction debris in the park was done with due permission from a senior Huda official. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Clean up and save water, says expert

BANGALORE: Wastewater treatment expert Glen T Daigger is president of the International Water Association (IWA), a global network of 10,000 water professionals who research all facets of the water cycle. Headquartered in London, IWA supports a series of strategic programmes designed to engage members on subjects critical to the water sector's wider development. TOI spoke to him on areas of concern for India, mitigation measures and the global water crisis. Excerpts:

What are the prime areas of concern in countries like India? In developed countries like Europe, the average lifespan of people went up significantly once the problem of sanitation was addressed. In developing countries too, emphasis should be on efficient sanitation system to reap economic benefits in the long run. With the global climate rapidly changing, it is getting difficult for countries to tackle long periods of drought and intense rain spells. Proper infrastructure needs to be in place too, to deal with the global water crisis. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Agencies pass buck as Gurgaon drain raises a stink

Gurgaon : An open drain in the heart of the city, near Richmond Park and Garden Villa in DLF Phase-4, is posing a serious health hazard to residents. Reeking of muck and filth, the pool of stagnant water has become a garbage dumping site, including construction waste, raising serious ecological concerns. It used to be a natural drain flowing from Ghata village (in Aravalli hills) towards NH-8 along the forest bund. 

A portion of 500 metres of the drain has got landlocked between two culverts — one at Sector 27 and other at the entry gate of Excelsior American School — blocking the flow of water. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

PMC bid to better sanitation in Patna city

PATNA: Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) has readied an integrated project to process and dispose of solid waste.

"We will invite private parties for door-to-door collection of garbage," PMC commissioner Pankaj K Pal told TOI on Thursday. Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCo) is preparing the tender. "It will be floated by February 15," said BUIDCo's MD Anupam Kumar Suman. Read more

Source  : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

‘Marshes aren’t wastelands, don’t dump toxic waste there’

Mumbai : Girish Chandwadkar, 32, a Thane resident is passionate about bird photography and visits mangroves in and around Mumbai during holidays.

But lately, Chandwadkar feels that infrastructure projects have rapidly encroached on mangroves around the city. “Today, we are surrounded by an absolute concrete jungle from all sides. Eco-systems like wetlands and mangroves will be remembered only through pictures and videos,” said Chandwadkar, consultant, communication design, Tata Interactive Services. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com