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4:46 AM
Nuclear Liability Bill needs scrutiny
Written By mediavigil on Friday, February 26, 2010 | 4:46 AM
Nuclear Liability Bill needs scrutiny
February 25, 2010 03:50 IST
Tags: CNL, US India Business Council, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Indian Parliament, Bill
Of all the 36 bills listed for introduction in the ongoing session of Parliament, the move to introduce the Nuclear Liability Bill, a pre-condition for the entry of American companies in the Indian civil nuclear sector, is the most significant.
Civil society groups and Opposition parties are alarmed at the swiftness with which the Bill is being introduced to facilitate the entry of US nuclear power companies into India.
One of the biggest myths being propagated is that nuclear cooperation with the US is the answer to India's energy crisis, which in any case would not see the light of the day before 2016. Also Indian Parliament and citizens have been kept in the dark about the cost of electricity from foreign-built nuclear power reactors.
Unmindful of the fact that all the countries that produce nuclear energy are facing a crisis in the management of nuclear wastes, India is taking the same route, that too with a plan of 25k megawatt by 2020.
In an interview conducted by EG Weymouth, editor-at-Large of Newsweek, on November 16, 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: 'We had a watershed and a landmark agreement with the United States on nuclear cooperation. We would like to operationalise it and ensure that the objectives for the nuclear deal are realised in full merit. My sincere hope is that we can persuade the US administration to be more liberal when it comes to transfer of dual-use technologies to us. Now that we are strategic partners these restrictions make no sense. India has an impeccable record of not participating in any proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. So, that is my number one concern.'
This was in reference to the consent agreement that the US President would have to sign and send to the US Congress. Responding to the question about the need for Indian Parliament to pass a liability agreement in the matter of nuclear cooperation with US, the prime minister said: 'We will do that. Our Cabinet will be taking a decision. I do not see any difficulties in honouring our commitments.'
Notably, when the prime minister was asked about the role of the Indian Parliament, he appears to have highlighted the Union Cabinet.
On October 1, 2008, the Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-Proliferation Enhancement Act came into effect after the US Senate passed it. While the role of the US legislature is quite manifest, the Indian Parliament has not been allowed any role to play, not even to examine the deal's provisions, and now wants the Indian legislature to pass a special law to provide foreign companies with liability protection in case of nuclear accidents.
This is being done because US nuclear companies, which are in the private sector, are demanding it. So far in India, our nuclear companies, quite like the French and Russians, are State-owned.
The proposed Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill, proposed to be introduced in the current Parliament session, is an exercise to provide State subsidy to foreign-nuclear reactor builders from the onus of the financial consequences of nuclear disasters, accidents and incidents by shifting the onus for accident liability from the foreign builders to the Indian State and citizens.
The Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania led to 14 years of clean-up costing $1 billion. The US interests are seeking to avoid open market competition by their companies. Although the US assumes liability for any nuclear catastrophic damages from an accident only above the $10.5 billion figure that is inflation-adjusted every five years and thus variable, which itself is quite low, through its machinations it denies India even that relief which it provides to its own companies.
The Bill must be revisited in the light of the international nuclear accidents the world over, before it is even tabled in Parliament.
"If there was not a cap and if there was no suitable legislation insurance in place, then we wouldn't be in the nuclear industry," said Peter Mason, president and chief executive of nuclear supplier GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada while explaining to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Canadian House of Commons on Natural Resources that is dealing with Bill C-20, their Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act, November 2009.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government's proposed Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2009 is ridden with glaring loopholes and booby traps because it insulates nuclear energy companies from punitive legal consequences.
The Bill seems to pretend the non-existence of the report of the US President's Commission on The Accident at Three Mile Island that happened in 1979. To begin with it should be renamed as Liability from Nuclear Damage Bill and it must explicitly inform Parliament and the citizens what all lessons from that report has been incorporated in the Bill.
Mere civil liability is totally unacceptable because clearly it has not factored in all the nuclear accidents which have happened in India and the world. Most importantly, before a Bill of this nature is brought in, the central government must come out with a white paper on the status of relief to radioactive radiation victims and the liability therein with regard to existing facilities. The Bill must include mining sites of radioactive minerals like uranium in its definition of nuclear facility.
The Union Cabinet cleared the text of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill on November 19, 2009 for introduction in Parliament. The passage of the Nuclear Liability Bill will allow India to join the international convention on civil liability for nuclear damage. So far, this nuclear Bill is not in the public domain.
While placing a cap on the compensation to be paid in the case of an accident at a nuclear site, the proposed legislation puts the responsibility for paying this compensation on the operator and not the suppliers or foreign companies installing the reactors in India, as has been demanded by the multinational corporations like Union Carbide Company and Dow Chemicals Company. This provision is not in the public interest.
Nuclear power companies in general and US nuclear companies like GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Westinghouse and Babcock & Wilcox intend to invest in India if and only they are provided anticipatory bail for their legal liability for nuclear accidents in future.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake informed a US House committee: '… We are hoping to see action on nuclear liability legislation that would reduce liability for American companies and allow them to invest in India…'
The US nuclear industry is addicted to special laws made by the US government that limits their liability from nuclear radiation accidents. It wishes to operate under the law, which has been shaped by it. It has been noted that US companies who are part of the US commercial nuclear mission to India organised jointly by the Nuclear Energy Institute and the US India Business Council informed the media that they are satisfied over the nature of the Bill and are in active discussion with the Nuclear Power Corporation, Tata Power, GMR, Jindal, NTPC, L&T to explore business potential.
Clearly, the US nuclear companies have seen the Bill (may have drafted it as well), which has not even been tabled in our Parliament.
Notably, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's 25 member working group on civil nuclear energy-2009 under the Chairmanship of Dr SK Jain, CMD, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited came out with a 57-page report with the format of the proposed Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2009.
The FICCI report has an annexure that is about "Domestic Legislation Dealing with CNL" (Civil Nuclear Liability) wherein it states, "As a natural corollary to the liberalisation of the nuclear sector in India, the government of India is mooting the idea of a CNL Bill. Aligning to any international CNL treaty would involve the enactment of a domestic CNL legislation with appropriate provisions. There being no explicit statute or legislation in India, either creating or limiting liability of persons engaged in nuclear installations till now, liability would stand determined by courts, pursuant to actions in tort."
FICCI's working group on nuclear energy suggests that the directions and observations of the Supreme Court in Charan Lal Sahu's case should serve as the object and purpose for enacting such CNL legislation. This entails the basis for damages in case of leakages and accident should be statutorily fixed taking into consideration the nature of damages inflicted, the consequences thereof and the ability and capacity of the parties to pay.
A law should be enacted to ensure immediate relief to victims -- viz, by providing for the constitution of tribunals regulated by special procedure for determining compensation to victims of industrial disasters or accident. The law should also provide for interim relief to victims during the pendency of proceedings. The law should provide for the establishment of a statutory Industrial Disaster Fund, contributions to which may be made by the government and industries, whether they are of transnational corporations or domestic undertakings, public or private. The Public Liability Insurance Act has been constituted pursuant to this, but it excludes damage from 'accidents caused by radioactivity'.
In the United States, liability for nuclear accidents is set at $10 billion (US), while in Japan the cap will be doubled next year to roughly $1.47 billion (Canadian). Whether a nuclear accident is a $650 million event or a multi-billion dollar catastrophe is determined by the direction and speed of the wind that carries the radioactive radiation.
Currently, Canada is seized with a Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act wherein the bill raises the cap on liability to $650 million from the $75 million limit established in 1976. The damage from Chernobyl is estimated at some $250 billion. In Germany, there is no cap on nuclear liability but an operator must be able to cover at least $4 billion but the civil liability is estimated at Euro 2000-5000 billion.
The international conventions, which provide for the liability regime, also favour the industry and not the possible victims and provides for indemnity to the global nuclear industry: the Paris Convention (1960), the Vienna Convention (VC) revised in 1997 and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC).
One of the worrying things of the new bill is that liability is likely to shift from manufacturer to operator.
FICCI's suggestions for 'Domestic legislation dealing with CNL' may incorporate the following: Single point liability for the operator of the nuclear installation ('Operator'); Liability of non-operators transferred to the operator; Exceptions to liability to include standard force-major provisions with specific emphasis on terrorist and anti-social activities; Capping of liabilities according to internationally adhered benchmarks may be adopted with the government prescribing the threshold limit; Prescribed liability for the plant must be benchmarked to the risk-magnitude of the installation.
The CSC limits the compensation payable by the operators of nuclear plants for any accidents or damage to $450 million, leaving the responsibility for the rest to national governments almost in the range of compensation paid to the victims of the Bhopal industrial disaster ($470 million) wherein victims were turned from citizens into subjects of the ruling regime.
It is now well known that 'hazardous corporations' are a fit case for the application of the principle of Absolute Liability and multinational enterprise liability because they are neither 'restricted by national boundaries' nor effectively controlled by international law' because of their complex corporate structure with 'networks of subsidiaries and decisions which make it 'exceedingly difficult or even impossible to pinpoint responsibility for the damage caused by the enterprise'. They operate through a neatly designed network of interlocking directors', a 'common operating system', global distribution and marketing systems', design development and technology worldwide, financial and other controls and highly sophisticated and technologically capable machines and working staff.
Consequently, victims of such daily actions are unable to identify which unit of the enterprise caused the harm. Therefore, faults by even a local subsidiary must be attributed to the parent company because their duty too is non-delegable.
Notably, the Supreme Court also held that the Act only deals with civil liability and as such does not curtail or affect rights in respect of criminal liability. The Civil Liability from Nuclear Damages Bill must be redrafted to include both criminal liabilities and deterrent civil liabilities.
Defence Research and Development Canada, Canadian Department of Defence has suggested that a severe nuclear accident results in wide contamination. The research looked at the impact of a relatively small dirty bomb going off in downtown Toronto. It estimated that cleaning up the contamination using the most stringent standards could cost up to $250 billion, and that the economic toll could reach $23.5 billion. The research was commissioned in 2007. No such research has been commissioned in India.
The institutional accountability for Bhopal and Kaiga like disasters rests with Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and the Civil Liability from Nuclear Damages Bill shows that it has not learnt any lessons because it has not been made accountable for its past lapses.
Private companies who want to do business with India have been seeking a liability law that protects their nuclear energy business at any cost. Foreign companies wanting to supply nuclear reactors and other equipment have been pressing India for the speedy passage of this crucial Bill. The Indian government is required to make some changes in its Atomic Energy Act as well.
In such a context, the drafters of Green Tribunal Bill and the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill must study the report of the investigative commission appointed by US President Jimmy Carter immediately following the accident. President Jimmy Carter had appointed a 12-member commission which submitted its Report of the President's Commission on The Accident at Three Mile Island -- The Need for Change: The Legacy of TMI in October 1979. It is advisable to learn from the blunders of the past.
Indian 'Nuclear Liability Bill' must take note of the environmental hazards from the nuclear facilities and potential nuclear accidents and incorporate stringent criminal and civil liability provisions taking lessons from worst accident at a civilian nuclear power plant in Three Mile Island occurred on March 28, 1979 in US and the Chernobyl disaster, a nuclear reactor accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.
This nuclear accident led to the cessation of new nuclear plant construction in the US.
Before passing the bill an independent and credible multi-disciplinary commission should be constituted with immediate effect to ascertain the potential consequences of nuclear accidents or 'incidents' and the liability arising out of it.
Gopal Krishna
http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/feb/25/nuclear-liability-bill-needs-scrutiny.htm
February 25, 2010 03:50 IST
Tags: CNL, US India Business Council, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Indian Parliament, Bill
Of all the 36 bills listed for introduction in the ongoing session of Parliament, the move to introduce the Nuclear Liability Bill, a pre-condition for the entry of American companies in the Indian civil nuclear sector, is the most significant.
Civil society groups and Opposition parties are alarmed at the swiftness with which the Bill is being introduced to facilitate the entry of US nuclear power companies into India.
One of the biggest myths being propagated is that nuclear cooperation with the US is the answer to India's energy crisis, which in any case would not see the light of the day before 2016. Also Indian Parliament and citizens have been kept in the dark about the cost of electricity from foreign-built nuclear power reactors.
Unmindful of the fact that all the countries that produce nuclear energy are facing a crisis in the management of nuclear wastes, India is taking the same route, that too with a plan of 25k megawatt by 2020.
In an interview conducted by EG Weymouth, editor-at-Large of Newsweek, on November 16, 2009, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said: 'We had a watershed and a landmark agreement with the United States on nuclear cooperation. We would like to operationalise it and ensure that the objectives for the nuclear deal are realised in full merit. My sincere hope is that we can persuade the US administration to be more liberal when it comes to transfer of dual-use technologies to us. Now that we are strategic partners these restrictions make no sense. India has an impeccable record of not participating in any proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. So, that is my number one concern.'
This was in reference to the consent agreement that the US President would have to sign and send to the US Congress. Responding to the question about the need for Indian Parliament to pass a liability agreement in the matter of nuclear cooperation with US, the prime minister said: 'We will do that. Our Cabinet will be taking a decision. I do not see any difficulties in honouring our commitments.'
Notably, when the prime minister was asked about the role of the Indian Parliament, he appears to have highlighted the Union Cabinet.
On October 1, 2008, the Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-Proliferation Enhancement Act came into effect after the US Senate passed it. While the role of the US legislature is quite manifest, the Indian Parliament has not been allowed any role to play, not even to examine the deal's provisions, and now wants the Indian legislature to pass a special law to provide foreign companies with liability protection in case of nuclear accidents.
This is being done because US nuclear companies, which are in the private sector, are demanding it. So far in India, our nuclear companies, quite like the French and Russians, are State-owned.
The proposed Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill, proposed to be introduced in the current Parliament session, is an exercise to provide State subsidy to foreign-nuclear reactor builders from the onus of the financial consequences of nuclear disasters, accidents and incidents by shifting the onus for accident liability from the foreign builders to the Indian State and citizens.
The Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania led to 14 years of clean-up costing $1 billion. The US interests are seeking to avoid open market competition by their companies. Although the US assumes liability for any nuclear catastrophic damages from an accident only above the $10.5 billion figure that is inflation-adjusted every five years and thus variable, which itself is quite low, through its machinations it denies India even that relief which it provides to its own companies.
The Bill must be revisited in the light of the international nuclear accidents the world over, before it is even tabled in Parliament.
"If there was not a cap and if there was no suitable legislation insurance in place, then we wouldn't be in the nuclear industry," said Peter Mason, president and chief executive of nuclear supplier GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada while explaining to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Canadian House of Commons on Natural Resources that is dealing with Bill C-20, their Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act, November 2009.
The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government's proposed Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2009 is ridden with glaring loopholes and booby traps because it insulates nuclear energy companies from punitive legal consequences.
The Bill seems to pretend the non-existence of the report of the US President's Commission on The Accident at Three Mile Island that happened in 1979. To begin with it should be renamed as Liability from Nuclear Damage Bill and it must explicitly inform Parliament and the citizens what all lessons from that report has been incorporated in the Bill.
Mere civil liability is totally unacceptable because clearly it has not factored in all the nuclear accidents which have happened in India and the world. Most importantly, before a Bill of this nature is brought in, the central government must come out with a white paper on the status of relief to radioactive radiation victims and the liability therein with regard to existing facilities. The Bill must include mining sites of radioactive minerals like uranium in its definition of nuclear facility.
The Union Cabinet cleared the text of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill on November 19, 2009 for introduction in Parliament. The passage of the Nuclear Liability Bill will allow India to join the international convention on civil liability for nuclear damage. So far, this nuclear Bill is not in the public domain.
While placing a cap on the compensation to be paid in the case of an accident at a nuclear site, the proposed legislation puts the responsibility for paying this compensation on the operator and not the suppliers or foreign companies installing the reactors in India, as has been demanded by the multinational corporations like Union Carbide Company and Dow Chemicals Company. This provision is not in the public interest.
Nuclear power companies in general and US nuclear companies like GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Westinghouse and Babcock & Wilcox intend to invest in India if and only they are provided anticipatory bail for their legal liability for nuclear accidents in future.
US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Robert Blake informed a US House committee: '… We are hoping to see action on nuclear liability legislation that would reduce liability for American companies and allow them to invest in India…'
The US nuclear industry is addicted to special laws made by the US government that limits their liability from nuclear radiation accidents. It wishes to operate under the law, which has been shaped by it. It has been noted that US companies who are part of the US commercial nuclear mission to India organised jointly by the Nuclear Energy Institute and the US India Business Council informed the media that they are satisfied over the nature of the Bill and are in active discussion with the Nuclear Power Corporation, Tata Power, GMR, Jindal, NTPC, L&T to explore business potential.
Clearly, the US nuclear companies have seen the Bill (may have drafted it as well), which has not even been tabled in our Parliament.
Notably, the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry's 25 member working group on civil nuclear energy-2009 under the Chairmanship of Dr SK Jain, CMD, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited came out with a 57-page report with the format of the proposed Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2009.
The FICCI report has an annexure that is about "Domestic Legislation Dealing with CNL" (Civil Nuclear Liability) wherein it states, "As a natural corollary to the liberalisation of the nuclear sector in India, the government of India is mooting the idea of a CNL Bill. Aligning to any international CNL treaty would involve the enactment of a domestic CNL legislation with appropriate provisions. There being no explicit statute or legislation in India, either creating or limiting liability of persons engaged in nuclear installations till now, liability would stand determined by courts, pursuant to actions in tort."
FICCI's working group on nuclear energy suggests that the directions and observations of the Supreme Court in Charan Lal Sahu's case should serve as the object and purpose for enacting such CNL legislation. This entails the basis for damages in case of leakages and accident should be statutorily fixed taking into consideration the nature of damages inflicted, the consequences thereof and the ability and capacity of the parties to pay.
A law should be enacted to ensure immediate relief to victims -- viz, by providing for the constitution of tribunals regulated by special procedure for determining compensation to victims of industrial disasters or accident. The law should also provide for interim relief to victims during the pendency of proceedings. The law should provide for the establishment of a statutory Industrial Disaster Fund, contributions to which may be made by the government and industries, whether they are of transnational corporations or domestic undertakings, public or private. The Public Liability Insurance Act has been constituted pursuant to this, but it excludes damage from 'accidents caused by radioactivity'.
In the United States, liability for nuclear accidents is set at $10 billion (US), while in Japan the cap will be doubled next year to roughly $1.47 billion (Canadian). Whether a nuclear accident is a $650 million event or a multi-billion dollar catastrophe is determined by the direction and speed of the wind that carries the radioactive radiation.
Currently, Canada is seized with a Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act wherein the bill raises the cap on liability to $650 million from the $75 million limit established in 1976. The damage from Chernobyl is estimated at some $250 billion. In Germany, there is no cap on nuclear liability but an operator must be able to cover at least $4 billion but the civil liability is estimated at Euro 2000-5000 billion.
The international conventions, which provide for the liability regime, also favour the industry and not the possible victims and provides for indemnity to the global nuclear industry: the Paris Convention (1960), the Vienna Convention (VC) revised in 1997 and the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC).
One of the worrying things of the new bill is that liability is likely to shift from manufacturer to operator.
FICCI's suggestions for 'Domestic legislation dealing with CNL' may incorporate the following: Single point liability for the operator of the nuclear installation ('Operator'); Liability of non-operators transferred to the operator; Exceptions to liability to include standard force-major provisions with specific emphasis on terrorist and anti-social activities; Capping of liabilities according to internationally adhered benchmarks may be adopted with the government prescribing the threshold limit; Prescribed liability for the plant must be benchmarked to the risk-magnitude of the installation.
The CSC limits the compensation payable by the operators of nuclear plants for any accidents or damage to $450 million, leaving the responsibility for the rest to national governments almost in the range of compensation paid to the victims of the Bhopal industrial disaster ($470 million) wherein victims were turned from citizens into subjects of the ruling regime.
It is now well known that 'hazardous corporations' are a fit case for the application of the principle of Absolute Liability and multinational enterprise liability because they are neither 'restricted by national boundaries' nor effectively controlled by international law' because of their complex corporate structure with 'networks of subsidiaries and decisions which make it 'exceedingly difficult or even impossible to pinpoint responsibility for the damage caused by the enterprise'. They operate through a neatly designed network of interlocking directors', a 'common operating system', global distribution and marketing systems', design development and technology worldwide, financial and other controls and highly sophisticated and technologically capable machines and working staff.
Consequently, victims of such daily actions are unable to identify which unit of the enterprise caused the harm. Therefore, faults by even a local subsidiary must be attributed to the parent company because their duty too is non-delegable.
Notably, the Supreme Court also held that the Act only deals with civil liability and as such does not curtail or affect rights in respect of criminal liability. The Civil Liability from Nuclear Damages Bill must be redrafted to include both criminal liabilities and deterrent civil liabilities.
Defence Research and Development Canada, Canadian Department of Defence has suggested that a severe nuclear accident results in wide contamination. The research looked at the impact of a relatively small dirty bomb going off in downtown Toronto. It estimated that cleaning up the contamination using the most stringent standards could cost up to $250 billion, and that the economic toll could reach $23.5 billion. The research was commissioned in 2007. No such research has been commissioned in India.
The institutional accountability for Bhopal and Kaiga like disasters rests with Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs and the Civil Liability from Nuclear Damages Bill shows that it has not learnt any lessons because it has not been made accountable for its past lapses.
Private companies who want to do business with India have been seeking a liability law that protects their nuclear energy business at any cost. Foreign companies wanting to supply nuclear reactors and other equipment have been pressing India for the speedy passage of this crucial Bill. The Indian government is required to make some changes in its Atomic Energy Act as well.
In such a context, the drafters of Green Tribunal Bill and the Civil Nuclear Liability Bill must study the report of the investigative commission appointed by US President Jimmy Carter immediately following the accident. President Jimmy Carter had appointed a 12-member commission which submitted its Report of the President's Commission on The Accident at Three Mile Island -- The Need for Change: The Legacy of TMI in October 1979. It is advisable to learn from the blunders of the past.
Indian 'Nuclear Liability Bill' must take note of the environmental hazards from the nuclear facilities and potential nuclear accidents and incorporate stringent criminal and civil liability provisions taking lessons from worst accident at a civilian nuclear power plant in Three Mile Island occurred on March 28, 1979 in US and the Chernobyl disaster, a nuclear reactor accident that occurred on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.
This nuclear accident led to the cessation of new nuclear plant construction in the US.
Before passing the bill an independent and credible multi-disciplinary commission should be constituted with immediate effect to ascertain the potential consequences of nuclear accidents or 'incidents' and the liability arising out of it.
Gopal Krishna
http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/feb/25/nuclear-liability-bill-needs-scrutiny.htm
4:32 AM
Steps in Budget 2010-11 for the Environment
Proactive Steps in Budget for the Environment
To ameliorate the negative environmental consequence sand increased pollution levels associated with industrialisation and urbanisation, a number of proactive steps have been proposed in the Budget 2010-11. This was announced by the Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee in his Budget speech in Parliament today.
The major steps include:
· National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) - for funding research and innovative projects in clean energy technology. The Finance Minister said that in many areas of the country pollution level has reached alarming proportions. While it must be ensured that the principal of a “polluter pays” remains the basic guiding criteria for pollution management, there should also be a positive thrust for development of clean energy. And to build the purpose of the NCEF, the Minister has proposed to levy a clean energy cess on coal produced in India at a nominal rate of Rs.50 per tonne, which will also be applicable to imported coal.
· Affluent Treatment Plan, Tirupur - The Government has proposed a one time grant of Rs. 200 crore to the Government of Tamil Nadu towards the cost of installation of a zero liquid discharge system at Tirupur to sustain knitwear industry. This industry which provides livelihood to lakhs of persons will now be able to do so without undermining the environment.
· Special Golden Jubilee Package for Goa - The Government has proposed to provide a sum of Rs.200 crore as a special golden jubilee package to Goa to preserve the natural resources of the State by restoring Goa’s beaches which are prone to erosion, and increasing its green cover through sustainable forestry.
· National Ganga River Basin Authority - Allocation for National Ganga River Basin Authority has been doubled in 2010-11 to Rs.500 crore. The “Mission Clean Ganga 2020” under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) with the objective that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial influent will be discharged into the National river has already been initiated.
The Minister has also announced schemes on bank protection works and development on alternate port facility in West Bengal.
To ameliorate the negative environmental consequence sand increased pollution levels associated with industrialisation and urbanisation, a number of proactive steps have been proposed in the Budget 2010-11. This was announced by the Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee in his Budget speech in Parliament today.
The major steps include:
· National Clean Energy Fund (NCEF) - for funding research and innovative projects in clean energy technology. The Finance Minister said that in many areas of the country pollution level has reached alarming proportions. While it must be ensured that the principal of a “polluter pays” remains the basic guiding criteria for pollution management, there should also be a positive thrust for development of clean energy. And to build the purpose of the NCEF, the Minister has proposed to levy a clean energy cess on coal produced in India at a nominal rate of Rs.50 per tonne, which will also be applicable to imported coal.
· Affluent Treatment Plan, Tirupur - The Government has proposed a one time grant of Rs. 200 crore to the Government of Tamil Nadu towards the cost of installation of a zero liquid discharge system at Tirupur to sustain knitwear industry. This industry which provides livelihood to lakhs of persons will now be able to do so without undermining the environment.
· Special Golden Jubilee Package for Goa - The Government has proposed to provide a sum of Rs.200 crore as a special golden jubilee package to Goa to preserve the natural resources of the State by restoring Goa’s beaches which are prone to erosion, and increasing its green cover through sustainable forestry.
· National Ganga River Basin Authority - Allocation for National Ganga River Basin Authority has been doubled in 2010-11 to Rs.500 crore. The “Mission Clean Ganga 2020” under the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) with the objective that no untreated municipal sewage or industrial influent will be discharged into the National river has already been initiated.
The Minister has also announced schemes on bank protection works and development on alternate port facility in West Bengal.
4:12 AM
India awaits e-waste mountain
India, China and other developing countries face “the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains” unless they step up action to collect and recycle e-waste, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has warned.
As sales of electronic products in India, China and other developing countries are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, these “e-waste mountains” would have “serious consequences for the environment and public health”, said a report released here during UNEP’s governing council meeting.
The report, “Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources”, used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation - which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and television sets.
The report estimates e-waste generation in India now at over 100,000 tonnes a year from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones
Electronic waste from old computers will jump 500 percent in India, and between 200 and 400 percent in South Africa and China by 2020, the report predicts.
By that same year in India, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about 18 times higher than 2007 levels and, in China, seven times higher.
By 2020, e-waste from televisions will be 1.5 to 2 times higher in China and India while in India e-waste from discarded refrigerators will double or triple.
Most e-waste in India is incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold — practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.
UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner said: “India, Brazil, Mexico and others may face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.”
The report was co-authored by the Swiss EMPA, Umicore and the United Nations University (UNU), part of the global think tank StEP (Solving the E-waste Problem).
The report says:
* Global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year
* Manufacturing mobile phones and personal computers consumes three percent of the gold and silver mined worldwide each year, 13 percent of the palladium and 15 percent of cobalt
* Modern electronics contain up to 60 different elements — many valuable, some hazardous, and some both
* Carbon dioxide emissions from the mining and production of copper and precious and rare metals used in electrical and electronic equipment are estimated at over 23 million tonnes
* Globally, more than a billion mobile phones were sold in 2007, up from 896 million in 2006
The report suggests critical e-scrap like circuit boards or batteries be sent to certified end-processors from poor countries that lacked the ability to process them. The report’s authors praised a pilot project in Bangalore to transform the operations of informal e-waste collection and management.
UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary General Konrad Osterwalder said: “The challenge of dealing with e-waste represents an important step in the transition to a green economy.
“This report outlines smart new technologies and mechanisms which, combined with national and international policies, can transform waste into assets, creating new businesses with decent green jobs. In the process, countries can help cut pollution linked with mining and manufacturing, and with the disposal of old devices.”
Bali, Feb 24
IANS
As sales of electronic products in India, China and other developing countries are set to rise sharply in the next 10 years, these “e-waste mountains” would have “serious consequences for the environment and public health”, said a report released here during UNEP’s governing council meeting.
The report, “Recycling - from E-Waste to Resources”, used data from 11 developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation - which includes old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and television sets.
The report estimates e-waste generation in India now at over 100,000 tonnes a year from refrigerators, 275,000 tonnes from TVs, 56,300 tonnes from personal computers, 4,700 tonnes from printers and 1,700 tonnes from mobile phones
Electronic waste from old computers will jump 500 percent in India, and between 200 and 400 percent in South Africa and China by 2020, the report predicts.
By that same year in India, e-waste from discarded mobile phones will be about 18 times higher than 2007 levels and, in China, seven times higher.
By 2020, e-waste from televisions will be 1.5 to 2 times higher in China and India while in India e-waste from discarded refrigerators will double or triple.
Most e-waste in India is incinerated by backyard recyclers to recover valuable metals like gold — practices that release steady plumes of far-reaching toxic pollution and yield very low metal recovery rates compared to state-of-the-art industrial facilities.
UNEP Executive Director and UN Under-Secretary-General Achim Steiner said: “India, Brazil, Mexico and others may face rising environmental damage and health problems if e-waste recycling is left to the vagaries of the informal sector.”
The report was co-authored by the Swiss EMPA, Umicore and the United Nations University (UNU), part of the global think tank StEP (Solving the E-waste Problem).
The report says:
* Global e-waste generation is growing by about 40 million tons a year
* Manufacturing mobile phones and personal computers consumes three percent of the gold and silver mined worldwide each year, 13 percent of the palladium and 15 percent of cobalt
* Modern electronics contain up to 60 different elements — many valuable, some hazardous, and some both
* Carbon dioxide emissions from the mining and production of copper and precious and rare metals used in electrical and electronic equipment are estimated at over 23 million tonnes
* Globally, more than a billion mobile phones were sold in 2007, up from 896 million in 2006
The report suggests critical e-scrap like circuit boards or batteries be sent to certified end-processors from poor countries that lacked the ability to process them. The report’s authors praised a pilot project in Bangalore to transform the operations of informal e-waste collection and management.
UNU Rector and UN Under-Secretary General Konrad Osterwalder said: “The challenge of dealing with e-waste represents an important step in the transition to a green economy.
“This report outlines smart new technologies and mechanisms which, combined with national and international policies, can transform waste into assets, creating new businesses with decent green jobs. In the process, countries can help cut pollution linked with mining and manufacturing, and with the disposal of old devices.”
Bali, Feb 24
IANS
1:55 AM
World's top firms cause $2.2 trillion in environmental damage
Written By mediavigil on Monday, February 22, 2010 | 1:55 AM
World's top firms cause $2.2tn of environmental damage, report estimates. The cost of
pollution and other damage to the natural environment caused by the world's biggest
companies would wipe out more than one-third of their profits if they were held financially accountable, a major study finds. London Guardian, United Kingdom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/18/worlds-top-firms-environmental-damage
via www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
pollution and other damage to the natural environment caused by the world's biggest
companies would wipe out more than one-third of their profits if they were held financially accountable, a major study finds. London Guardian, United Kingdom.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/18/worlds-top-firms-environmental-damage
via www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
1:54 AM
US Army to blow up part of chemical weapons stockpiles
About to miss treaty deadline, Army plans to blow up part of chemical stockpiles in Ky., Colo. Under the gun to destroy the U.S. chemical weapons stockpile — and now all but certain to miss their deadline — Army officials have a plan to hasten the process: Blow some of them up.
Associated Press
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-chemical-weapons-
destruction,0,2190511,full.story
via www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
Associated Press
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-chemical-weapons-
destruction,0,2190511,full.story
via www.EnvironmentalHealthNews.org
1:49 AM
Cancel environmental clearance to Vedanta Refinery
Green group seeks cancellation of clearance to Vedanta refinery
A green NGO on Friday urged the central government to cancel the clearance granted to the Vedanta group for its alumina refinery in Orissa. It charged the firm with violating the clearance conditions, and said trucks bringing raw material to refinery were polluting the air.
Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of the Wildlife Society of Orissa, has written to
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, alleging that Vedanta is flouting the
conditions in its clearance letter by buying bauxite ore elsewhere and then
carting it to its refinery on trucks that were causing air pollution.
A Vedanta spokesman pointed out that the refinery is the first in the country
and among the few in the world with a "zero discharge system. The
environmental measures adopted in the plant with respect to air and water
pollution is among the best and performance of the same is being regularly
monitored by State pollution Control Board".
The spokesman said: "Vedanta strongly denies any allegations of pollution of
the environment in Lanjigarh." But Mohanty stuck to his charge about trucks
coming to the refinery and causing air pollution en route. "According to the
environment clearance letter the source of bauxite for the alumina refinery will
be from the captive bauxite mines located nearby," he said.
The firm, which is a part of NRI Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Resources Plc,
has not yet started working the mines, but the alumina refinery has been
operating since August 2007.
In 2004, the environment ministry allowed Vedanta to set up and operate the
one-million-tonne per annum alumina refinery and a 75 MW captive power
plant at Lanjigarh village in Kalahandi district, some 600 km from state capital
Bhubaneswar.
"The company is running the refinery with bauxite ore sourced from far away
by using trucks. Thousands of heavy trucks are operating to ferry bauxite for
the refinery and this is causing enormous air pollution in the locality," Mohanty
wrote. "Local tribals are unable to use the roads since they are clogged with
the bauxite loaded trucks heading for the plant."
"The procurement of raw material by road transport from far off places, other
than by conveyor belts from the adjacent Niyamgiri hill was never proposed by
the company in its project report or application filed for environment
clearance," he said.
"This was also not considered by the ministry expert committee on
environment which appraised the project and granted environment clearance."
According to Mohanty: "In financial year 2008, the Lanjigarh refinery produced
0.267 million tonnes of alumina. In 2009, the Lanjigarh refinery produced 0.586
million tonnes of alumina. "Therefore, at least 1.2 million tonnes of bauxite
were consumed in 2009. Using 30 tonne high capacity trucks would mean the
movement of least 40,000 trucks in one year."
Mohanty said environment ministry officials overlooked this condition when
they inspected the complex recently.
from the Economic Times website dated 19.2.2010
A green NGO on Friday urged the central government to cancel the clearance granted to the Vedanta group for its alumina refinery in Orissa. It charged the firm with violating the clearance conditions, and said trucks bringing raw material to refinery were polluting the air.
Biswajit Mohanty, secretary of the Wildlife Society of Orissa, has written to
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, alleging that Vedanta is flouting the
conditions in its clearance letter by buying bauxite ore elsewhere and then
carting it to its refinery on trucks that were causing air pollution.
A Vedanta spokesman pointed out that the refinery is the first in the country
and among the few in the world with a "zero discharge system. The
environmental measures adopted in the plant with respect to air and water
pollution is among the best and performance of the same is being regularly
monitored by State pollution Control Board".
The spokesman said: "Vedanta strongly denies any allegations of pollution of
the environment in Lanjigarh." But Mohanty stuck to his charge about trucks
coming to the refinery and causing air pollution en route. "According to the
environment clearance letter the source of bauxite for the alumina refinery will
be from the captive bauxite mines located nearby," he said.
The firm, which is a part of NRI Anil Agarwal-promoted Vedanta Resources Plc,
has not yet started working the mines, but the alumina refinery has been
operating since August 2007.
In 2004, the environment ministry allowed Vedanta to set up and operate the
one-million-tonne per annum alumina refinery and a 75 MW captive power
plant at Lanjigarh village in Kalahandi district, some 600 km from state capital
Bhubaneswar.
"The company is running the refinery with bauxite ore sourced from far away
by using trucks. Thousands of heavy trucks are operating to ferry bauxite for
the refinery and this is causing enormous air pollution in the locality," Mohanty
wrote. "Local tribals are unable to use the roads since they are clogged with
the bauxite loaded trucks heading for the plant."
"The procurement of raw material by road transport from far off places, other
than by conveyor belts from the adjacent Niyamgiri hill was never proposed by
the company in its project report or application filed for environment
clearance," he said.
"This was also not considered by the ministry expert committee on
environment which appraised the project and granted environment clearance."
According to Mohanty: "In financial year 2008, the Lanjigarh refinery produced
0.267 million tonnes of alumina. In 2009, the Lanjigarh refinery produced 0.586
million tonnes of alumina. "Therefore, at least 1.2 million tonnes of bauxite
were consumed in 2009. Using 30 tonne high capacity trucks would mean the
movement of least 40,000 trucks in one year."
Mohanty said environment ministry officials overlooked this condition when
they inspected the complex recently.
from the Economic Times website dated 19.2.2010
1:36 AM
UNFCCC Chief Resigns After Copenhagen Debacle
Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of UNFCCC has just resigned. He led the Copenhagen process. The resignation is on personal grounds.
HE was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the new Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC on 10 August 2006. The appointment had been endorsed by the Bureau of the Convention.
Before joining the UNFCCC, he was Director for International Affairs of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment of the Netherlands, responsible for international policy, both in the context of the European Union, as well as broader international cooperation.
He has also served as Deputy Director-General for Environmental Protection in the same Ministry, as Head of the Climate Change Department and has worked in the fields of housing and public information. Early in his career, he worked for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT).
He has been involved in climate change policies since 1994. He has helped to prepare the position of the European Union in the lead-up to the negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, assisted in the design of the internal burden sharing of the European Union and has since led delegations to the UNFCCC negotiations.
He has actively sought broad stakeholder involvement on the issue of climate change. To that end, he launched an international dialogue on the clean development mechanism and has partnered international discussions with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, aimed at increasing private sector involvement.
He has served as Vice-President of the Conference of Parties to UNFCCC and as Vice-Chair of the Commission on Sustainable Development. At the time of appointment, he was a member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, the Bureau of the Environment Policy Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Advisory Group of the Community Development Carbon Fund of the World Bank and the Board of Directors of the Centre for Clean Air Policy.
Born in Vienna, he is married and has 3 children. As the son of a Dutch diplomat, he travelled the world extensively before entering boarding school in the United Kingdom and obtaining a technical degree in social work in the Netherlands.
He was in charge of negotiating a new international deal to stop global temperature rise. His role at Copenhagen was crucial. After four years in the post he has decided to step down to go and work for global accounting firm KPMG.
Failure of the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen was a blow to the UN at a time of scandals.
The international meeting in Mexico where it is hoped world governments will draw up a legally binding treaty on climate change will happen in his absence.
HE was appointed by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as the new Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC on 10 August 2006. The appointment had been endorsed by the Bureau of the Convention.
Before joining the UNFCCC, he was Director for International Affairs of the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment of the Netherlands, responsible for international policy, both in the context of the European Union, as well as broader international cooperation.
He has also served as Deputy Director-General for Environmental Protection in the same Ministry, as Head of the Climate Change Department and has worked in the fields of housing and public information. Early in his career, he worked for the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UN-HABITAT).
He has been involved in climate change policies since 1994. He has helped to prepare the position of the European Union in the lead-up to the negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, assisted in the design of the internal burden sharing of the European Union and has since led delegations to the UNFCCC negotiations.
He has actively sought broad stakeholder involvement on the issue of climate change. To that end, he launched an international dialogue on the clean development mechanism and has partnered international discussions with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development, aimed at increasing private sector involvement.
He has served as Vice-President of the Conference of Parties to UNFCCC and as Vice-Chair of the Commission on Sustainable Development. At the time of appointment, he was a member of the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development, the Bureau of the Environment Policy Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Advisory Group of the Community Development Carbon Fund of the World Bank and the Board of Directors of the Centre for Clean Air Policy.
Born in Vienna, he is married and has 3 children. As the son of a Dutch diplomat, he travelled the world extensively before entering boarding school in the United Kingdom and obtaining a technical degree in social work in the Netherlands.
He was in charge of negotiating a new international deal to stop global temperature rise. His role at Copenhagen was crucial. After four years in the post he has decided to step down to go and work for global accounting firm KPMG.
Failure of the recent UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen was a blow to the UN at a time of scandals.
The international meeting in Mexico where it is hoped world governments will draw up a legally binding treaty on climate change will happen in his absence.
11:34 PM
E-Waste & SAICM
Written By mediavigil on Friday, February 12, 2010 | 11:34 PM
Report of the Third Central and Eastern European Regional Meeting on the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (Lodz, Poland, 9-10 December 2009) is now available on the SAICM Secretariat website (www.saicm.org).
Direct link to the report: http://www.saicm.org/index.php?content=meeting&mid=87&menuid=&def=1
As you know IPEN POs presented a draft Recommendations on hazardous substances within the life cycle of electrical and electronic products. The Recommendations were supported at the meeting. See par.36-37 of the Report:
VI. Emerging policy issues
(d) Hazardous substances within the life cycle of electrical and electronic products
36. In the ensuing discussion several participants referred to European Union legislation on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) noting that it might be of interest to non-European Union member countries as they embarked on management of such waste. The European Union was currently negotiating a restructuring of that legislation. A paper was tabled with draft recommendations on hazardous substances within the lifecycle of electrical and electronic products that might be considered by the current meeting. One participant said that, at a recent OECD meeting on sustainable materials management, the issue of electronic and electrical waste had been linked to producer responsibility. Such waste was considered the fastest growing in the waste sector. Producer responsibility, she said, should also extend to provision of information on hazardous substances in electronic and electrical waste and action on contaminated sites. The export of such waste to developing countries and countries with economies in transition should be prohibited and capacity building to deal with end-of life products was essential. Several participants strongly supported that statement.
37. The meeting agreed on recommendations on hazardous substances within the life cycle of electrical and electronic products for consideration at the upcoming workshop (to be held in May, 2010), which are attached to the current report as annex A.
Direct link to the report: http://www.saicm.org/index.php?content=meeting&mid=87&menuid=&def=1
As you know IPEN POs presented a draft Recommendations on hazardous substances within the life cycle of electrical and electronic products. The Recommendations were supported at the meeting. See par.36-37 of the Report:
VI. Emerging policy issues
(d) Hazardous substances within the life cycle of electrical and electronic products
36. In the ensuing discussion several participants referred to European Union legislation on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) noting that it might be of interest to non-European Union member countries as they embarked on management of such waste. The European Union was currently negotiating a restructuring of that legislation. A paper was tabled with draft recommendations on hazardous substances within the lifecycle of electrical and electronic products that might be considered by the current meeting. One participant said that, at a recent OECD meeting on sustainable materials management, the issue of electronic and electrical waste had been linked to producer responsibility. Such waste was considered the fastest growing in the waste sector. Producer responsibility, she said, should also extend to provision of information on hazardous substances in electronic and electrical waste and action on contaminated sites. The export of such waste to developing countries and countries with economies in transition should be prohibited and capacity building to deal with end-of life products was essential. Several participants strongly supported that statement.
37. The meeting agreed on recommendations on hazardous substances within the life cycle of electrical and electronic products for consideration at the upcoming workshop (to be held in May, 2010), which are attached to the current report as annex A.
7:54 PM
Kids have higher lead levels in blood
Written By mediavigil on Thursday, February 11, 2010 | 7:54 PM
New Delhi: Over 51 per cent of children in metro cities below the age of 12 years have more than the normal lead levels in their blood, a finding that has prompted the Quality Council of India to launch a campaign in schools on the harmful effects of the metal-based paints.
The study, done by National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India (NRCLPI), found more than 51 per cent children have their blood lead level above the normal limit of 10 microgram per decilitre.
Alarmed at the findings, the QCI will conduct a program aimed at checking use of such paints in schools, buses, playground and other areas accessed by children.
Blood lead levels above 10 microgram are known to reduce the IQ during growth and developmental phase of children, the study had said.
Dr Giridhar J Gyani, Secretary General, Quality Council of India, said "People are not yet aware about the harmful effect of lead. It is in benefit of children that the use of this poisonous substance stopped in schools as paints."
According to another study published in an American Journal, "Children are particularly susceptible to lead's toxic effects... Major source of a child being exposed to lead is from the yellow paint which is also widely used on all school buses and at parks."
PTI
The study, done by National Referral Centre for Lead Poisoning in India (NRCLPI), found more than 51 per cent children have their blood lead level above the normal limit of 10 microgram per decilitre.
Alarmed at the findings, the QCI will conduct a program aimed at checking use of such paints in schools, buses, playground and other areas accessed by children.
Blood lead levels above 10 microgram are known to reduce the IQ during growth and developmental phase of children, the study had said.
Dr Giridhar J Gyani, Secretary General, Quality Council of India, said "People are not yet aware about the harmful effect of lead. It is in benefit of children that the use of this poisonous substance stopped in schools as paints."
According to another study published in an American Journal, "Children are particularly susceptible to lead's toxic effects... Major source of a child being exposed to lead is from the yellow paint which is also widely used on all school buses and at parks."
PTI
6:31 AM
Dr R.K. Pachauri: Indian climate chief endures attacks at home
Written By mediavigil on Wednesday, February 10, 2010 | 6:31 AM
Indian environmentalists have joined critics of Dr R.K. Pachauri, the head of the UN's Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change, accusing him of damaging the country's environment and protecting "polluter" corporations who fund his research institute.
Dr Pachauri has been fighting to salvage his reputation since it was revealed that his recent climate change report included false claims that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035.
But environmentalists in his own country have failed to rally around him and have instead launched their own attacks on a man they claim is harming endangered forests, depleting scarce water reserves and promoting power companies which emit the carbon gases that cause global warming.
They said his consultancy group, The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), had built a university on The Ridge, a protected forest threatened by construction in New Delhi, and is a contractor for the Commonwealth Games Village which campaigners say could severely damage the Yamuna river, the capital’s “water lifeline”. Leena Srivastava, Teri's executive director, said the local government had given environmental clearance for the university construction.
Several campaigners said Teri had failed to declare conflicts of interests when it had produced favourable reports or given environmental awards to companies that funded its projects. Teri denies the claims.
Gopal Krishna of the Toxics Watch Alliance told The Daily Telegraph that Teri had promoted "waste to energy" companies which generated power by incinerating waste, in spite of UN concerns that the process led to the emission of dangerous toxins and carbon gases.
Pollution from one such plant had caused miscarriages, asthma, and severe sickness in local villages, he alleged.
"There's a conflict of interest because Teri was funded by Thermax, an incinerator company," said Mr Krishna. Ms Srivastava said Teri was "technology neutral."
Himanshu Thakkur of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, said he began to investigate Teri after it had given an award for "environmental excellence" to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation for its power project in the remote Uri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
He discovered the corporation had a poor record in the area and that it had been criticised in neighbouring states for insensitivity to national park forests. He also discovered that the company had paid Teri £125,000 to fund a chair in its new university on Delhi's endangered Ridge.
His evidence persuaded the panel that had awarded the prize, which included J.S. Verma, the former Indian chief justice, to withdraw the award. Teri then formed a new committee and confirmed the prize prompting Justice Verma and three other judges to resign in protest. A Teri spokeswoman said the jury had not had the authority to withdraw a prize.
Mr Thakkur said: "The suspicion [is] that Teri's award 'greenwashed'...[the] poor environment performance." A Teri spokeswoman said the claims were "completely baseless".
By Dean Nelson
07 Feb 2010
Telegraph, UK
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7182567/Dr-R.K.-Pachauri-Indian-climate-chief-endures-attacks-at-home.html
Dr Pachauri has been fighting to salvage his reputation since it was revealed that his recent climate change report included false claims that the Himalayan glaciers would melt by 2035.
But environmentalists in his own country have failed to rally around him and have instead launched their own attacks on a man they claim is harming endangered forests, depleting scarce water reserves and promoting power companies which emit the carbon gases that cause global warming.
They said his consultancy group, The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri), had built a university on The Ridge, a protected forest threatened by construction in New Delhi, and is a contractor for the Commonwealth Games Village which campaigners say could severely damage the Yamuna river, the capital’s “water lifeline”. Leena Srivastava, Teri's executive director, said the local government had given environmental clearance for the university construction.
Several campaigners said Teri had failed to declare conflicts of interests when it had produced favourable reports or given environmental awards to companies that funded its projects. Teri denies the claims.
Gopal Krishna of the Toxics Watch Alliance told The Daily Telegraph that Teri had promoted "waste to energy" companies which generated power by incinerating waste, in spite of UN concerns that the process led to the emission of dangerous toxins and carbon gases.
Pollution from one such plant had caused miscarriages, asthma, and severe sickness in local villages, he alleged.
"There's a conflict of interest because Teri was funded by Thermax, an incinerator company," said Mr Krishna. Ms Srivastava said Teri was "technology neutral."
Himanshu Thakkur of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, said he began to investigate Teri after it had given an award for "environmental excellence" to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation for its power project in the remote Uri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
He discovered the corporation had a poor record in the area and that it had been criticised in neighbouring states for insensitivity to national park forests. He also discovered that the company had paid Teri £125,000 to fund a chair in its new university on Delhi's endangered Ridge.
His evidence persuaded the panel that had awarded the prize, which included J.S. Verma, the former Indian chief justice, to withdraw the award. Teri then formed a new committee and confirmed the prize prompting Justice Verma and three other judges to resign in protest. A Teri spokeswoman said the jury had not had the authority to withdraw a prize.
Mr Thakkur said: "The suspicion [is] that Teri's award 'greenwashed'...[the] poor environment performance." A Teri spokeswoman said the claims were "completely baseless".
By Dean Nelson
07 Feb 2010
Telegraph, UK
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/7182567/Dr-R.K.-Pachauri-Indian-climate-chief-endures-attacks-at-home.html
6:05 AM
BT BRINJAL DECISION WELCOME BUT ITS A HALF STEP
Written By mediavigil on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 | 6:05 AM
Note: Adoption of precautionary principle-based approach is a consistent step of the Environment Minister which is a welcome step but it appears like a half step. While the moratorium on Bt brinjal that implies "rejection of this particular case of release for the time being" is a matter of relief, it is sad that the minister missed the opportunity to apply the same approach to Bt Cotton and other GM products. It is disturbing to note that there has so far been no mandatory labelling of the GM products. Consequently, it must have led to genetic contamination that has not been taken cognisance of. The proposed mandatory labelling of the GM products by the Food Safety and Standards of India under Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare. The import of GM products without an accompanying declaration that they are GM products is liable to penal action under The Foreign Trade (Development and Regulation) Act,1992. Without pre-existing mandatory labelling such penal provisions have little meaning. The million dollar question is: are our customs competent to detect GM products without labels?.
Changing the name of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)to Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is fine but the functioning and the composition of the GEAC merits scrutiny. Decisions taken by GEAC in past did not adopt the precautionary principle, therefore, they need to be reviewed. A white paper should be brought on the environmental and health impact of Bt cotton. A transdisciplinary team must be constituted to examine the issue of genetic pollution.
Gopal Krishna
DECISION ON COMMERCIALISATION OF BT BRINJAL
18:22 IST, February 09, 2010
Union Ministry of Environment and Forests
Following a series of nationwide consultations, the Minister for Environment and Forests (I/C) today announced his decision on the production and use of BT Brinjal. He also made public a copy of his exhaustive report which relies on inputs received from stakeholders from all across the spectrum of scientists, civil society, academics, Chief Ministers of various states and others concerned. Following is an excerpt from the statement issued today:
“Based on all the information presented in the preceding paragraphs and when there is no clear consensus within the scientific community itself, when there is so much opposition from the state governments, when responsible civil society organisations and eminent scientists have raised many serious questions that have not been answered satisfactorily, when the public sentiment is negative and when Bt-brinjal will be the very first genetically-modified vegetable to be introduced anywhere in the world and when there is no over-riding urgency to introduce it here, it is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary principle-based approach and impose a moratorium on the release of Bt-brinjal, till such time independent scientific studies establish, to the satisfaction of both the public and professionals, the safety of the product from the point of view of its long-term impact on human health and environment, including the rich genetic wealth existing in brinjal in our country.
A moratorium implies rejection of this particular case of release for the time being; it does not, in any way, mean conditional acceptance. This should be clearly understood.”
PIB
For Details:
http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/minister_REPORT.pdf
Changing the name of Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC)to Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee is fine but the functioning and the composition of the GEAC merits scrutiny. Decisions taken by GEAC in past did not adopt the precautionary principle, therefore, they need to be reviewed. A white paper should be brought on the environmental and health impact of Bt cotton. A transdisciplinary team must be constituted to examine the issue of genetic pollution.
Gopal Krishna
DECISION ON COMMERCIALISATION OF BT BRINJAL
18:22 IST, February 09, 2010
Union Ministry of Environment and Forests
Following a series of nationwide consultations, the Minister for Environment and Forests (I/C) today announced his decision on the production and use of BT Brinjal. He also made public a copy of his exhaustive report which relies on inputs received from stakeholders from all across the spectrum of scientists, civil society, academics, Chief Ministers of various states and others concerned. Following is an excerpt from the statement issued today:
“Based on all the information presented in the preceding paragraphs and when there is no clear consensus within the scientific community itself, when there is so much opposition from the state governments, when responsible civil society organisations and eminent scientists have raised many serious questions that have not been answered satisfactorily, when the public sentiment is negative and when Bt-brinjal will be the very first genetically-modified vegetable to be introduced anywhere in the world and when there is no over-riding urgency to introduce it here, it is my duty to adopt a cautious, precautionary principle-based approach and impose a moratorium on the release of Bt-brinjal, till such time independent scientific studies establish, to the satisfaction of both the public and professionals, the safety of the product from the point of view of its long-term impact on human health and environment, including the rich genetic wealth existing in brinjal in our country.
A moratorium implies rejection of this particular case of release for the time being; it does not, in any way, mean conditional acceptance. This should be clearly understood.”
PIB
For Details:
http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/minister_REPORT.pdf
11:50 PM
hypocrisy and environmentalists
Written By mediavigil on Friday, February 05, 2010 | 11:50 PM
Note: Corporate media has routinely accused Rajendra Pachauri of being an environmentalist despite his consistent anti-environment position. For long he has been involved in green washing and blue washing (by providing UN logo) of business enterprises of dubious colours.
True, walkable distances must be walked. But senseless promotion of myopic “automobilisation” and mad rush for consequent compulsion for fly overs by the corporate media has created a trasport policy that has led to insane ugliness of traffic jam in urban India. This is the situation when cars are owned by only around 0.7% of households in India. A recent World Bank report noted that currently there are eight cars per thousand people. Imagine a situation when there would be 86 privately owned cars per 1,000 people in 2031-32.
The active promotion of such car ownership by the government and the corporate media is quite regressive. In recent times, do remember the shallowness of corporate media in the matter of nano.
Pachauri is a creation of companies and corporate media not of environmental movements.
Gopal Krishna
hypocrisy and environmentalists
Climate change scientist Rajendra Pachauri has been slammed by a British newspaper for using a car to travel just one mile (1.6 km) to work.
“Controversial climate change boss uses car AND driver to travel one mile to office... (but he says YOU should use public transport),” the Mail on Sunday newspaper told its readers.
“On Friday, for the one-mile journey from home to his Delhi office, Dr Pachauri could have walked, or cycled, or used the eco-friendly electric car provided for him...
“But instead, he had his personal chauffeur collect him from his 4.5 million pound home - in a 1.8-litre Toyota Corolla,” the paper said.
It quoted Pachauri's chauffeur as saying the family owned or ran a total of five cars.
Pachauri uses three: a company Toyota, an electric REVA and an “Ambassador-style car”, which was described as a “a smoke-belching” vehicle.
The family's two other cars are owned by Pachauri's wife and his son.
“Dr Pachauri does use the electric car sometimes but most of the time he uses the Toyota,” the chauffeur was quoted saying.
“…As controversy continued to simmer last week over the bogus 'Glaciergate' claims in a report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - which he heads - Dr Pachauri showed no apparent inclination to cut global warming in his own back yard,” the paper said.
It gave an account of Pachauri's lifestyle, reporting how he lives in Delhi's plush Golf Links area - where Britain's richest man Lakshmi Mittal owns a house - and how he was driven “to an upmarket restaurant popular with expatriates and well-off tourists just half a mile from his luxurious family home”.
Rajiv Chhibber, manager for corporate communications at The Energy Research Institute (TERI), where Pachauri works, said: “He does use the REVA electric car whenever he can and he encourages the staff to use the other electric cars when they drive around town. He also encourages all his staff to pool cars when we can.
“But sometimes the REVA is not practical. It may be he has to pick up other people. There is not so much room inside.”
Pachauri created a stir in the British media last year by advising people to eat less meat in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
sameer mohindru
True, walkable distances must be walked. But senseless promotion of myopic “automobilisation” and mad rush for consequent compulsion for fly overs by the corporate media has created a trasport policy that has led to insane ugliness of traffic jam in urban India. This is the situation when cars are owned by only around 0.7% of households in India. A recent World Bank report noted that currently there are eight cars per thousand people. Imagine a situation when there would be 86 privately owned cars per 1,000 people in 2031-32.
The active promotion of such car ownership by the government and the corporate media is quite regressive. In recent times, do remember the shallowness of corporate media in the matter of nano.
Pachauri is a creation of companies and corporate media not of environmental movements.
Gopal Krishna
hypocrisy and environmentalists
Climate change scientist Rajendra Pachauri has been slammed by a British newspaper for using a car to travel just one mile (1.6 km) to work.
“Controversial climate change boss uses car AND driver to travel one mile to office... (but he says YOU should use public transport),” the Mail on Sunday newspaper told its readers.
“On Friday, for the one-mile journey from home to his Delhi office, Dr Pachauri could have walked, or cycled, or used the eco-friendly electric car provided for him...
“But instead, he had his personal chauffeur collect him from his 4.5 million pound home - in a 1.8-litre Toyota Corolla,” the paper said.
It quoted Pachauri's chauffeur as saying the family owned or ran a total of five cars.
Pachauri uses three: a company Toyota, an electric REVA and an “Ambassador-style car”, which was described as a “a smoke-belching” vehicle.
The family's two other cars are owned by Pachauri's wife and his son.
“Dr Pachauri does use the electric car sometimes but most of the time he uses the Toyota,” the chauffeur was quoted saying.
“…As controversy continued to simmer last week over the bogus 'Glaciergate' claims in a report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - which he heads - Dr Pachauri showed no apparent inclination to cut global warming in his own back yard,” the paper said.
It gave an account of Pachauri's lifestyle, reporting how he lives in Delhi's plush Golf Links area - where Britain's richest man Lakshmi Mittal owns a house - and how he was driven “to an upmarket restaurant popular with expatriates and well-off tourists just half a mile from his luxurious family home”.
Rajiv Chhibber, manager for corporate communications at The Energy Research Institute (TERI), where Pachauri works, said: “He does use the REVA electric car whenever he can and he encourages the staff to use the other electric cars when they drive around town. He also encourages all his staff to pool cars when we can.
“But sometimes the REVA is not practical. It may be he has to pick up other people. There is not so much room inside.”
Pachauri created a stir in the British media last year by advising people to eat less meat in order to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
sameer mohindru
10:11 PM
National Research Conference on Climate Change
Written By mediavigil on Thursday, February 04, 2010 | 10:11 PM
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD), Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), and the
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) are organizing a National Research Conference on
Climate Change to be held at IITD on March 5 and 6, 2010.
This conference will cover major topics on scientific, technical, economic, and policy aspects of
climate change relevant to India. Such a conference is the first in a series of annual conferences on this kind, with the possibility of targeted satellite conferences that are aimed at exploring particular themes in the climate arena (such as energy, disaster mitigation and adaptation, water, agriculture, etc.).
The main goals of this and future related conferences are to enhance capacity for climate research and action in the country by:
a. Identifying existing institutions and activities that are engaged in climate-related work in India;
b. Developing a common understanding of key issues;
c. Identifying lacunae in science, policy, and action that need particular attention;
d. Deepening and broadening institutional engagement, especially engaging smaller academic
institutions and NGOs in local climate-related activities across all parts of the country;
e. Strengthening a sense of ‘community” among researchers;
f. Initiating the development of an Indian Climate Research Network and an Indian Climate
Action Network;
g. Initiate a platform for a dialogue between researchers, NGOs, and policy-makers
Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) are organizing a National Research Conference on
Climate Change to be held at IITD on March 5 and 6, 2010.
This conference will cover major topics on scientific, technical, economic, and policy aspects of
climate change relevant to India. Such a conference is the first in a series of annual conferences on this kind, with the possibility of targeted satellite conferences that are aimed at exploring particular themes in the climate arena (such as energy, disaster mitigation and adaptation, water, agriculture, etc.).
The main goals of this and future related conferences are to enhance capacity for climate research and action in the country by:
a. Identifying existing institutions and activities that are engaged in climate-related work in India;
b. Developing a common understanding of key issues;
c. Identifying lacunae in science, policy, and action that need particular attention;
d. Deepening and broadening institutional engagement, especially engaging smaller academic
institutions and NGOs in local climate-related activities across all parts of the country;
e. Strengthening a sense of ‘community” among researchers;
f. Initiating the development of an Indian Climate Research Network and an Indian Climate
Action Network;
g. Initiate a platform for a dialogue between researchers, NGOs, and policy-makers
1:25 AM
Environment and Forests Ministry to give renewed impetus to science
Five Specific Initiatives Introduced
The Ministry of Environment & Forests today announced a series of measures to strengthen the scientific base underlying the activities of the Ministry. The Ministry has introduced five specific initiatives in this direction.
I A Global Advisory Network Group on Environmental Sciences (GANGES)
II A National Environmental Sciences Fellows Programme
III An Expert Committee to Enhance the Scientific Capacity of MoEF
IV An Action Plan to Enhance Forestry Science
V An Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA), announced in Oct 2009
Announcing these initiatives, the Minister of State (I/C), Environment & Forests, Mr. Jairam Ramesh said, “When this Ministry was conceived in the early 1980s by Smt. Indira Gandhi, it was conceived as a scientific ministry. It was recognized that in order to conserve our environment and forests, we need rigorous science-based policy making and enforcement. Over the years, this science-focus has got somewhat diluted. With these initiatives, we aim to ensure that science is brought back into the mainstream of our work and decision-making.”
[I] Global Advisory Network Group on Environmental Sciences (GANGES)
GANGES is a new forum, comprising the world’s leading environmental scientists of Indian origin, established to advise the Government of India on the country’s environmental sciences agenda. GANGES will focus on questions such as:
· What areas of Environmental Sciences should we focus on?
· How should the government engage on this agenda (identify priority areas, directly conduct research, support and fund outside research, etc.)?
· Which institutional collaborations should be undertaken in specific areas and in what way? How should academia and private sector be engaged?
· How should innovation in this space be stimulated, and how do we fast-track development, demonstration and dissemination?
The following scientists are part of the group:
1. Subra Suresh, School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
2. Jagadish Shukla, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, USA
3. Purnendu Dasgupta, Department of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, University of Texas, Arlington, USA
4. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, University of California, San Diego, USA
5. Asit Biswas, Third World Centre for Water Management, Queens University, Canada
6. Ashok Gadgil, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
7. Pratim Biswas, Washington University in St. Louis, USA
8. Kamal Bawa, University of Massachusetts, Boston
9. Tam Sridhar, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, Australia
10. Shankar Sastry, Dean of Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, USA
11. Venkatachalam Ramaswamy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of Colorado, Boulder Institute, USA
12. Venky Narayanamurti, Science, Technology and Public Policy Programme, Harvard Kennedy School, USA
[II] A National Environmental Sciences Fellows Programme
This new programme will provide our most promising young scientists desirous of working in the forefront of environmental sciences, engineering and technology, the opportunity to do cutting-edge research on critical environmental issues in collaboration with leading institutes and scientists in India and the world. It will provide 10 young scientists under the age of 35 ,where age limit is extendable to 40 in exceptional cases, with a generous fellowship and institutional support to undertake this research. Each fellow would be attached to an institution which will sign an MoU with the Ministry. The selection of the fellows and thrust areas for research will be done by Management Committee eminent scientists.
This programme will allow young Indian scientists to enhance their areas of expertise under the mentorship of the leading scientists in the world today, and will help create a cadre of top class Indian environmental scientists for the future. The knowledge emerging from the research work under this programme will help inform our environmental policy agenda, ensuring that it is based on rigorous science.
[III] An Expert Committee to Enhance the Scientific Capacity of MoEF
Scientific personnel have historically made up a large portion of the human resources of the Ministry of Environment & Forests, as it was conceived as a science-based Ministry. Over the years, a number of issues and constraints have arisen related to the scientific resources and expertise of the Ministry. These need to be urgently addressed. With this in mind, and to ensure that the scientific manpower and infrastructure in the Ministry remains cutting edge, the Ministry has set up an Expert Committee to take a fresh look at scientific manpower and infrastructure in the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
It is proposed that the Committee will comprise of the following members:
1. Dr. Kasturirangan, Member Planning Commission, Chairman
2. Dr. Chandra Venkataraman, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Mumbai, Member
3. Dr. Kalpana Balakrishnan, Professor, Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra University Chennai, Member
4. Shri Vishwanathan Anand, Retired Secretary, MoEF, Member
5. Dr. Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, Member
6. Ms. Swati A Piramal, Director of Piramal Healthcare Limited, Member
7. Shri M.F. Farooqui, Additional Secretary, MoEF, Convenor
[IV] An Action Plan to Enhance Forestry Science
On 1oth January, 2010, a special meeting of the Minister with over 100 Indian Forest Service Officers with PhD degrees in forestry science was convened. A number of decisions related to upgrading the scientific capabilities of India’s forestry establishment were taken at this meeting. These included the institution of the following:
1. A Forestry Fellowship Programme: To recognise outstanding contributions to forestry sciences, a forestry fellowship programme is being introduced.
2. A National Forestry Knowledge Forum: A platform where expert knowledge in various issues in forestry will be shared is being developed. This forum will facilitate virtual interactions of experts in forestry. It will be physically located in Delhi and will be open for national and international experts in the field of forestry science.
3. National Forestry Information Network: A network is being established with a robust foundation using remote sensing, GIS and MIS. All land based forestry interventions will be geo-mapped and monitored on a time scale, and will be put in the public domain. The process is being guided by a core group of forestry professionals.
4. IT for fire monitoring: A programme to use satellite data for early transmission of fire signals to the mobile phones/ PDA’s of field officers is being undertaken. The University of Maryland has agreed to share all active fire data obtained from TERRA and AQUA satellites of NASA every six hours for this. This will not only help in quick fire detection and reducing the response time, but has also helped in identifying fire sensitive areas. This was originally conceived by the MP forest department, which a national e-Governance Award for the initiative.
5. National Bureau for Forest Germplasm: A Forest Genetics Resource network is being established along the lines of the Plant Genetics Resource Bureau. The objective would be to identify, characterise, preserve the valuable germplasm of a wide number of forestry species in the country. This will protect our valuable genetic resource against extinction and exploitation
In the Union Budget for 2009-10, the government has already made a special grant of Rs. 100 crore to the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) for modernisation of forestry research. This grant is being used to support some of these initiatives, among other things.
[V] Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA)
Established by the MoEF in October 2009, INCCA is a network-based programme to make science, particularly the “3 Ms” – Measuring, Modelling and Monitoring – the essence of our policy-making in the climate change space. It brings together over 120 institutions and over 220 scientists from across the country.
The first Report of the INCCA – an updated emissions inventory of greenhouses gases of anthropogenic origin of India for 2007 – will be released on May 11 2010. A comprehensive “4x4” assessment of key sectors in India – agriculture, water, natural ecosystems & biodiversity and health – and key geographic ‘hotspots’ – the North-East, the Indian Himalayan Region, the Western Ghats, and the Coastal Areas – will be released in November 2010.
A group has also been constituted under INCCA comprising of scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), ISRO and MoEF to run specific regional models for the Indian subcontinent for the monsoon in order to enable better assessment of impacts and reduction of uncertainties in monsoon projections over the South Asian region.
The “4x4” and the regional assessment will be provided to the IPCC as part of the input to the IPCC’s 5th Assessment Report (AR5). This is the first time that India will be providing institutional inputs to the IPCC. This has already been communicated to the Chairman, IPCC. Both these initiatives will help fill an important scientific knowledge gap in the IPCC assessment, by providing robust information at the sub-regional level.
Incinerators in Disguise
Indeed there are very few scientific studies regarding specifically waste incineration in cement kilns, therefore, study/work by Dr. Edward Kleppinger merits attention.
The Ministry of Environment & Forests today announced a series of measures to strengthen the scientific base underlying the activities of the Ministry. The Ministry has introduced five specific initiatives in this direction.
I A Global Advisory Network Group on Environmental Sciences (GANGES)
II A National Environmental Sciences Fellows Programme
III An Expert Committee to Enhance the Scientific Capacity of MoEF
IV An Action Plan to Enhance Forestry Science
V An Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA), announced in Oct 2009
Announcing these initiatives, the Minister of State (I/C), Environment & Forests, Mr. Jairam Ramesh said, “When this Ministry was conceived in the early 1980s by Smt. Indira Gandhi, it was conceived as a scientific ministry. It was recognized that in order to conserve our environment and forests, we need rigorous science-based policy making and enforcement. Over the years, this science-focus has got somewhat diluted. With these initiatives, we aim to ensure that science is brought back into the mainstream of our work and decision-making.”
[I] Global Advisory Network Group on Environmental Sciences (GANGES)
GANGES is a new forum, comprising the world’s leading environmental scientists of Indian origin, established to advise the Government of India on the country’s environmental sciences agenda. GANGES will focus on questions such as:
· What areas of Environmental Sciences should we focus on?
· How should the government engage on this agenda (identify priority areas, directly conduct research, support and fund outside research, etc.)?
· Which institutional collaborations should be undertaken in specific areas and in what way? How should academia and private sector be engaged?
· How should innovation in this space be stimulated, and how do we fast-track development, demonstration and dissemination?
The following scientists are part of the group:
1. Subra Suresh, School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
2. Jagadish Shukla, Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, USA
3. Purnendu Dasgupta, Department of Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, University of Texas, Arlington, USA
4. Veerabhadran Ramanathan, University of California, San Diego, USA
5. Asit Biswas, Third World Centre for Water Management, Queens University, Canada
6. Ashok Gadgil, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
7. Pratim Biswas, Washington University in St. Louis, USA
8. Kamal Bawa, University of Massachusetts, Boston
9. Tam Sridhar, Faculty of Engineering, Monash University, Australia
10. Shankar Sastry, Dean of Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, USA
11. Venkatachalam Ramaswamy, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, University of Colorado, Boulder Institute, USA
12. Venky Narayanamurti, Science, Technology and Public Policy Programme, Harvard Kennedy School, USA
[II] A National Environmental Sciences Fellows Programme
This new programme will provide our most promising young scientists desirous of working in the forefront of environmental sciences, engineering and technology, the opportunity to do cutting-edge research on critical environmental issues in collaboration with leading institutes and scientists in India and the world. It will provide 10 young scientists under the age of 35 ,where age limit is extendable to 40 in exceptional cases, with a generous fellowship and institutional support to undertake this research. Each fellow would be attached to an institution which will sign an MoU with the Ministry. The selection of the fellows and thrust areas for research will be done by Management Committee eminent scientists.
This programme will allow young Indian scientists to enhance their areas of expertise under the mentorship of the leading scientists in the world today, and will help create a cadre of top class Indian environmental scientists for the future. The knowledge emerging from the research work under this programme will help inform our environmental policy agenda, ensuring that it is based on rigorous science.
[III] An Expert Committee to Enhance the Scientific Capacity of MoEF
Scientific personnel have historically made up a large portion of the human resources of the Ministry of Environment & Forests, as it was conceived as a science-based Ministry. Over the years, a number of issues and constraints have arisen related to the scientific resources and expertise of the Ministry. These need to be urgently addressed. With this in mind, and to ensure that the scientific manpower and infrastructure in the Ministry remains cutting edge, the Ministry has set up an Expert Committee to take a fresh look at scientific manpower and infrastructure in the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
It is proposed that the Committee will comprise of the following members:
1. Dr. Kasturirangan, Member Planning Commission, Chairman
2. Dr. Chandra Venkataraman, Professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, IIT Mumbai, Member
3. Dr. Kalpana Balakrishnan, Professor, Environmental Health Engineering, Sri Ramachandra University Chennai, Member
4. Shri Vishwanathan Anand, Retired Secretary, MoEF, Member
5. Dr. Deepak Pental, Vice Chancellor, Delhi University, Member
6. Ms. Swati A Piramal, Director of Piramal Healthcare Limited, Member
7. Shri M.F. Farooqui, Additional Secretary, MoEF, Convenor
[IV] An Action Plan to Enhance Forestry Science
On 1oth January, 2010, a special meeting of the Minister with over 100 Indian Forest Service Officers with PhD degrees in forestry science was convened. A number of decisions related to upgrading the scientific capabilities of India’s forestry establishment were taken at this meeting. These included the institution of the following:
1. A Forestry Fellowship Programme: To recognise outstanding contributions to forestry sciences, a forestry fellowship programme is being introduced.
2. A National Forestry Knowledge Forum: A platform where expert knowledge in various issues in forestry will be shared is being developed. This forum will facilitate virtual interactions of experts in forestry. It will be physically located in Delhi and will be open for national and international experts in the field of forestry science.
3. National Forestry Information Network: A network is being established with a robust foundation using remote sensing, GIS and MIS. All land based forestry interventions will be geo-mapped and monitored on a time scale, and will be put in the public domain. The process is being guided by a core group of forestry professionals.
4. IT for fire monitoring: A programme to use satellite data for early transmission of fire signals to the mobile phones/ PDA’s of field officers is being undertaken. The University of Maryland has agreed to share all active fire data obtained from TERRA and AQUA satellites of NASA every six hours for this. This will not only help in quick fire detection and reducing the response time, but has also helped in identifying fire sensitive areas. This was originally conceived by the MP forest department, which a national e-Governance Award for the initiative.
5. National Bureau for Forest Germplasm: A Forest Genetics Resource network is being established along the lines of the Plant Genetics Resource Bureau. The objective would be to identify, characterise, preserve the valuable germplasm of a wide number of forestry species in the country. This will protect our valuable genetic resource against extinction and exploitation
In the Union Budget for 2009-10, the government has already made a special grant of Rs. 100 crore to the Indian Council for Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) for modernisation of forestry research. This grant is being used to support some of these initiatives, among other things.
[V] Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment (INCCA)
Established by the MoEF in October 2009, INCCA is a network-based programme to make science, particularly the “3 Ms” – Measuring, Modelling and Monitoring – the essence of our policy-making in the climate change space. It brings together over 120 institutions and over 220 scientists from across the country.
The first Report of the INCCA – an updated emissions inventory of greenhouses gases of anthropogenic origin of India for 2007 – will be released on May 11 2010. A comprehensive “4x4” assessment of key sectors in India – agriculture, water, natural ecosystems & biodiversity and health – and key geographic ‘hotspots’ – the North-East, the Indian Himalayan Region, the Western Ghats, and the Coastal Areas – will be released in November 2010.
A group has also been constituted under INCCA comprising of scientists from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), ISRO and MoEF to run specific regional models for the Indian subcontinent for the monsoon in order to enable better assessment of impacts and reduction of uncertainties in monsoon projections over the South Asian region.
The “4x4” and the regional assessment will be provided to the IPCC as part of the input to the IPCC’s 5th Assessment Report (AR5). This is the first time that India will be providing institutional inputs to the IPCC. This has already been communicated to the Chairman, IPCC. Both these initiatives will help fill an important scientific knowledge gap in the IPCC assessment, by providing robust information at the sub-regional level.
Incinerators in Disguise
Indeed there are very few scientific studies regarding specifically waste incineration in cement kilns, therefore, study/work by Dr. Edward Kleppinger merits attention.
12:54 AM
Landfill in a wildlife sanctuary of Aravalli hills!
Note: Notwithstanding the fact that there is a problem of seepage at Bhatti mines. Water is difficult to store there because it seeps into the ground through large fissures in the rock. Quarrying of red and started in the Bhatti hill area (southern ridge) in 1959. In the '60s, skilled labourers from Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab migrated to the area to work for private quarrying companies. As private operators repeatedly flouted safety norms, the Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation took over the mines in 1975. Planned settlement of the mine workers took place in three colonies (Sanjay Colony, Indira Colony and Balbir Nagar) and they were recognized as permanent residents of the area. In May 1990, seven labourers died when a quarry caved in. The quarries were shut down as a result. In 1991, the area that included the quarry and the settlements was declared part of the Asola wildlife sanctuary.
The ridge was notified as a reserved forest (RF) under the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927, all encroachments on it in violation of the IFA provisions would be 'illegal' - irrespective of the government's permission. Records show that 796 hectares (ha) of northern and central ridge were demarcated as RF in 1913, while in 1980, by a notification under the IFA, 20 sites in northern, central and south-central ridge were demarcated as protected forests.
MCD's proposal to build a landfill at Bhatti Mines ignores that there is risk of contamination of water resources from leachate emissions. Also it lies in the vicinity of sensitive locations like Asola Wild Life sanctuary and two villages, Sanjay Nagr and Balbir Nagar.
MCD wants to dump waste at Bhatti
NEW DELHI: With the mountainous garbage dump at Ghazipur increasingly dwarfing the ultra-modern abattoir promising hygienic meat to Delhiites, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has rushed to the Supreme Court seeking urgent permission to dispose Delhi's daily garbage at the abandoned Bhatti mines in the Ridge area.
Citing a 10-year-old study conducted by the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) and the Delhi government on urban environment and infrastructure improvement, MCD counsel Praveen Swarup mentioned an application before a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and sought an urgent hearing on it.
The application said of the sanitary landfill sites at Ghazipur in East, Bhalsawa in North and Okhla in South, the one in East Delhi has already exceeded its intake capacity and needs to be closed as soon as possible.
Amicus curiae Sanjiv Sen, assisting the court in the PIL filed by Almitra H Patel on scientific and environmental friendly municipal waste disposal, told the court that MCD's proposal has to be evaluated from the environmental angle and said a detailed hearing would be necessary.
MCD said the Bhatti mines area, if reclaimed, could meet the requirement of disposal of municipal solid waste of Delhi for the next 25 years. "The proposed reclamation of parts of the disused quarry areas of Bhatti mines by sanitary landfilling would cost an estimated Rs 11 crore. In addition, as part of the development, a compost plant costing Rs 15 crore has also been recommended," it said quoting the study report of the year 2000.
The civic body said it along with the environment department of Delhi government had carried out an extensive survey of the Bhatti mines area to identify the pits available for disposal of municipal solid waste by landfilling.
Accordingly, a proposal was submitted before the Ridge Management Board (RMB) for allotment of this land for Engineered Sanitary Landfill site, it said. On RMB's recommendation, an environment impact assessment (EIA) study carried out by MCD to find out the suitability of Bhatti mines as an SLF site that fell close to the Asola Sanctuary.
The EIA study clearly indicates that Asola Sanctuary fell outside the demarcated SLF site at Bhatti mines and the RMB has in principle cleared the proposal, MCD said reminding the apex court that it had promised to close the Ghazipur landfill site in a phased manner after the commencement of operation of the modern abattoir.
It also promised that after the complete closure of the Bhatti mines SLF, it would be made into a forest cover as per the closure guidelines mentioned in the Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2000.
Dhananjay Mahapatra,
31 January 2010
The Times of India
The ridge was notified as a reserved forest (RF) under the Indian Forest Act (IFA), 1927, all encroachments on it in violation of the IFA provisions would be 'illegal' - irrespective of the government's permission. Records show that 796 hectares (ha) of northern and central ridge were demarcated as RF in 1913, while in 1980, by a notification under the IFA, 20 sites in northern, central and south-central ridge were demarcated as protected forests.
MCD's proposal to build a landfill at Bhatti Mines ignores that there is risk of contamination of water resources from leachate emissions. Also it lies in the vicinity of sensitive locations like Asola Wild Life sanctuary and two villages, Sanjay Nagr and Balbir Nagar.
MCD wants to dump waste at Bhatti
NEW DELHI: With the mountainous garbage dump at Ghazipur increasingly dwarfing the ultra-modern abattoir promising hygienic meat to Delhiites, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has rushed to the Supreme Court seeking urgent permission to dispose Delhi's daily garbage at the abandoned Bhatti mines in the Ridge area.
Citing a 10-year-old study conducted by the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) and the Delhi government on urban environment and infrastructure improvement, MCD counsel Praveen Swarup mentioned an application before a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and sought an urgent hearing on it.
The application said of the sanitary landfill sites at Ghazipur in East, Bhalsawa in North and Okhla in South, the one in East Delhi has already exceeded its intake capacity and needs to be closed as soon as possible.
Amicus curiae Sanjiv Sen, assisting the court in the PIL filed by Almitra H Patel on scientific and environmental friendly municipal waste disposal, told the court that MCD's proposal has to be evaluated from the environmental angle and said a detailed hearing would be necessary.
MCD said the Bhatti mines area, if reclaimed, could meet the requirement of disposal of municipal solid waste of Delhi for the next 25 years. "The proposed reclamation of parts of the disused quarry areas of Bhatti mines by sanitary landfilling would cost an estimated Rs 11 crore. In addition, as part of the development, a compost plant costing Rs 15 crore has also been recommended," it said quoting the study report of the year 2000.
The civic body said it along with the environment department of Delhi government had carried out an extensive survey of the Bhatti mines area to identify the pits available for disposal of municipal solid waste by landfilling.
Accordingly, a proposal was submitted before the Ridge Management Board (RMB) for allotment of this land for Engineered Sanitary Landfill site, it said. On RMB's recommendation, an environment impact assessment (EIA) study carried out by MCD to find out the suitability of Bhatti mines as an SLF site that fell close to the Asola Sanctuary.
The EIA study clearly indicates that Asola Sanctuary fell outside the demarcated SLF site at Bhatti mines and the RMB has in principle cleared the proposal, MCD said reminding the apex court that it had promised to close the Ghazipur landfill site in a phased manner after the commencement of operation of the modern abattoir.
It also promised that after the complete closure of the Bhatti mines SLF, it would be made into a forest cover as per the closure guidelines mentioned in the Municipal Solid Waste Rules, 2000.
Dhananjay Mahapatra,
31 January 2010
The Times of India