Environment & People| March 2020

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Editorial

Advisors Narne Prabhakar Kaza Krishna Rao Dr. N. Harinath Dr. V. Haraprasad

Advisory Board M. Gopala Krishna, IAS (Retd.)

C.S. Ramalakshmi, I.F.S, Dr. N. Bhaskara Rao Prof. P.G. Sastry Er. G. Prabhakar Prof. D.N. Reddy Dr. Rameshwar Rao

WOMEN, WATER & CLIMATE CHANGE

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orld Water Day is celebrated every year on 22nd March. This year's theme is Water &

Climate change. Due to climate change, extreme weather events like floods and droughts are making water more scarce, more unpredictable and more polluted.

Women are more vulnerable to climate change. Degradation of forests increases drudgery for

S. Raghupathy Prof. I.V. Muralikrishna

women in fetching fuel and water from long distances. They get less time for other income generating activities and children's education. During floods, women and children are trapped

Editor

because they cannot swim. During droughts, women and girl children get less food due to low

Dr. P. Narayana Rao

yield from crops and increase in food prices. While men migrate to urban areas, women and girl Associate Editors

children will be left at home and are susceptible for sexual abuse. Sometimes they are victims of

Sweta Pendyala

human trafficking. The depletion of livestock leads to lack of milk for children and resultant mal-

Dr. B.Ramana Naik

nutrition. Loss of biodiversity such as flora and fauna affects their livelihoods and reduces their Sub - editor

income. Water borne diseases like malaria, cholera, dengue etc‌ increases infant mortality.

Swarajyam P.

Climate change induced sea level rise affects the fishermen and fisher women not only in terms

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of fish catch but also in terms of water scarcity.

So women must be involved in mitigation measures. They can be given training in water conservation methods ,such as rain water harvesting , revival of village ponds and wells and instal-

Edited, Printed & Published by P. Narayana Rao on behalf of society for

lation of hand pumps. The women can be involved in creating water conservation plan in their

environment and education, hyderabad.

village. They can be asked to participate in local level meetings and in interaction with government officials in decision making process. They can be encouraged to use biomass and biogas

Address for communication 302, Padma Nilayam,

for fuel generation and switch to solar energy. Women in urban areas can implement energy effi-

St.No. 1, Shanti Nagar,

cient programmes at household level such as lighting and use of appliances. The other climate

Hyderabad - 500 028.

mitigation activities include afforestation and reforestation through direct participation of

email: nraopotturi@yahoo.com

women. Government can distribute Tree pattas for women so that they can sell the produce for

contact: 9247385331

their livelihood. In short , they must be empowered for a greater engagement in climate action and ensure meaningful participation in all the activities related to it. The respective governments

(The views expressed by authors may not be necessarily be the same as those of

at local, state and central levels have to pay special attention to this other half of the world.

magazine) March 2020

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Environment & people

content

Could deforestation leave India exposed to disease?

5

Adapting to climate change through rain water harvesting

8

Women carry the burden of water crisis in India

10

Better batteries fuel surge in e-scooters in India, China

16

Inadequate safe drinking water

18

Aerosols and droughts is there a connection?

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“There is no fish in the ocean”:

Is zero budget natural farming the way forward?

Declining catch worries fishers in southern Karnataka

22

Kerala breaks new ground with electric food vans

26

Artificial Lungs Installed In Mumbai 28 Turn Black Within Seven Days

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Five takeaways from the UN’s proposals to protect biodiversity 30 5 spots to try Paragliding in Manali

COVID-19: More Misinformation than Information?

Environment & people

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March 2020

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to taste the thrill and thunder all at once in 2020

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Eco cartoons

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An army to keep beautiful Himalayas clean

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Nicholas Parry eforestation is a well known driver of climate change - reducing green spaces in the world and often replacing it with towns or land for agriculture to accommodate or feed an ever-growing population. Could it also be the case that deforestation is leaving the population more exposed to disease?

The two phenomena seem unlinked on the face of it, but such a notion is not without precedent. Rates of zoonotic diseases those spread by animals - have shown a correlation with those living in areas close to fragmented forests. Lyme disease, spread by ticks, has shown to increase in areas associated with fragmented forests and deforestation in the US. Ebola is another example of this concept. The disease is currently raging in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo. It has been found that human activities in regions previously covered by forests favour the presence of some bat species - believed to be reservoirs of the Ebola virus. This has resulted in higher

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numbers of cases in areas where deforestation is rife.

In India, across the Western Ghats, deforestation is giving rise to higher rates of Kyasanur forest disease (KFD). KFD is caused by the Kyasanur forest disease virus (KFDV), which is spread to humans by tick bites or through contact with an infected animal, such as a monkey - hence the commonly used name "monkey fever". The disease is endemic in south Asia and made headlines in Karnataka last year following a KFD outbreak. At the time, lapses in protocol on the part of the state health department concerning vaccination were flagged.

Vaccination against KFDV should take place within ten kilometres of any known infected person or infected animal. Reports suggested that this did not occur, instead only covering a short distance from each infection site, effectively allowing the infection to leapfrog from village to village.

Experts found through satellite imagery that areas prone to outbreaks coincided with those that were currently witnessing deforestation. This deforestation typically

meant that human activity in the area increased, often bringing farm animals which could also potentially harbour the ticks.

The surge in disease cases often presents as a temporary issue. Another study published early in 2019, reported that in the 1983-84 cases, there was a massive outbreak of KFD with 2,589 cases. At the time of the outbreak a 1983 news article noted that 400 hectares of virgin forests in the Western Ghats were cleared to establish cashew plantations. An outbreak at this time is not unexpected, as during the forest clearing there would be increased interaction between workers and tick-prone areas.

Environmental destruction is too often thought of as just a contributor to climate change. While of dire importance of its own accord, for many this seems like a concern relegated to the far-future. Destruction of the environment can and has had a direct impact on human health in the short term as well, with these diseases highlighting this.

(Source: healthissuesindia.com)

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Social media and messaging apps are becoming the main reasons behind the entire confusion Akshat Thonangi

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Inf o rm

Environment & people

t's not often that you type something of international concern and Google automatically shoots emergency SOS alerts at you.

Coronavirus, thankfully renamed as COVID-19, by the WHO, before the Mexican beer manufacturer lost its market share. It is essentially a large family of RNA (Ribonucleic acid) viruses. In humans, several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections, ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus (SARSr-CoV-2) is a species of coronavirus that affects humans. This new respiratory virus was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, in China. A popular digital news platform aptly framed as to 'how coronavirus spread to three nations through one British man who didn't visit China'. So, how did it all begin? A middle-aged businessman was attending a conference in Singapore and then passed it on to several compatriots, while later on holiday in the French Alps, before finally being diagnosed back in Britain. Of those infected by the man, five have been hospitalised in France, five in Britain and one other man on the Spanish island of Mallorca. More than 100 people took part in the conference (in Singapore), including at least one Chinese national from Hubei province, the epicentre of the epi-

demic that has now left more than 900 dead. The epidemic has now reached the India shores, through Kerala, as its gateway. However, in this part of the world, fake news about coronavirus happens to be spreading faster than the virus itself. It doesn't come with a surprise that WhatsApp has been the prime medium for this. Would it too much too soon to say that the usual IT cell miscreants are behind this? Perhaps, we could wait. Although certain political party representatives have offered bizarre cures such as consuming cow urine and cow dung could be the cures, while another distributed cloves 'energised by mantras,' according to reports.

It is probably safe to assume that most fake news on our WhatsApp family groups comes from the older generation, that fails to check for authenticity, due to their technical inability. The scale of the country's social media usage complicates the fight against misinformation. India is the biggest

market for the Facebook-owned messaging application, WhatsApp, has more than 400 million users in a country which has 468 million smartphones (2017). Some of the more absurd types of misinformation are in the form of medical advice, such as one message which claims that a bowl of freshly boiled garlic water can cure coronavirus, as told by an "old Chinese doctor, who has proven its efficacy".

Another message, supposedly sent by UNICEF, advises people to refrain from junk food, desserts and other confectioneries. Also, to wash clothes more often, because corona virus remains on the fabric for the next nine hours. Strangely none of them has been confirmed by experts as the possible precautionary cure for their scientific reasons. Thus nothing can be taken seriously.

Dr Harsh Vardhan led-Health Ministry, although under criticism for not being available for a timely com-

ment, put in its best efforts towards the construction of make-shift quarantine zones. The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports has advised all the National Sports Federations, including the BCCI, to 'ensure that no public gathering takes place in any sporting event.'

However, certain decisions are still being deliberated. The ongoing IndiaSouth Africa ODI series will see medical camps being set-up at all match venues. The upcoming IPL season, like the English Premier League matches, currently underway, may have to take place behind closed gates, with no spectators! This happened after the EPL's governing body decided not to postpone the tournament.

As responsible netizens, it should be our moral obligation to curb the dissemination of misinformation that is adding to the already calamitous situation, with the WHO declaring the outbreak as a global pandemic.

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Environment & people

Sujauddin Darbar

I Tarun Bharat Sangh, an organisation constantly trying to conserve water and waterbodies is working with the government to create a new law, by the name 'River Rights'.

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ndia is currently taking pride in hailing itself as one of the fastest-growing economies, with industrialisation being on its top priority, India is developing its urban infrastructure by leaps and bounds.

But everything comes with a price, while India may ostensibly be winning; it's taking a toll on its natural resources.

A Niti Ayog report titled "Composite Water Management Index", released in June 2018, mentions that India is undergoing the worst water crisis in its history and nearly 600 million people are facing extreme water stress. Another report claimed that 21 cities, including Chennai,

Bengaluru and Hyderabad, may see a Red Day, in 2020. (Red Day is referred to the day when the city will not have any water of its own).

The true solution to the current water crisis is to save every drop of water that's left.

"The amount of water you save is the amount of water you make", says Maulik Sisodia, the executive director of Tarun Bharat Sangh.

Maulik Sisodia works alongside Rajendra Singh, aka 'Waterman of India', who is also the chairman of Tarun Bharat Sangh. They work towards rejuvenating the rivers of India by mobilising the indigenous communities to implement rainwater harvesting to preserve water. "With the advent of climate change, rainfalls have become more unpredictable than ever. We help farmers build rainwater harvesting systems to pre-

give them strategies and ideas to prolong the life of the river, mostly they are about cutting down deforestation, growing specific species of plants that stimulate the health of the river, and set standards for controlled grazing. The second objective is to help them use water efficiently. Since most of it is used for irrigation, we equip them with water sprinklers to reduce water wastage. The final step is to instil the value of water into each and everyone."

"We run a campaign by the name of 'Jal Biradari', which means the water community.

We have around 10,000 volunteers, who spread the importance of water in the country. We also conduct national training for students who are interested in learning about water politics, water economics and other subjects," shared Maulik Sisodia, an expert

working with the government to create a new law, by the name of 'River Rights'. "Similar to Human Rights, River Rights will be fundamental rights that will lawfully protect our rivers," explained Maulik.

When asked about what we could do as individuals to save water, he expressed, "If you live in a flat or a bungalow with a slab on top, you can easily build a low-scale Rain Water Harvesting tank. Otherwise, the least one can do is cut back on the usage of plastic and always throw it where it's supposed to be thrown. When someone throws it out on the road, the wind carries it and accumulates it in or around a waterbody. The plastic then keeps dividing itself into smaller bits, eventually turning into a chunk that prevents rainwater from seeping into the ground. At times, the water also carries bits of plastic along

serve the water that can be used at their discretion, irrespective of the day of the year when it rains," said Maulik Sisodia.

Continuing the conversation further, he said, "We have so far created 12,000 water harvesting systems across eight rivers in India. We're currently working around the rivers in Rajasthan and Maharashtra."

in initiating these campaigns, on the national and international level.

With a deep sense of poignancy, Maulik explained why the rivers of India are aggravating day-by-day. He shared that pollution is the biggest cause of degradation of the rivers. In Hyderabad, most of the sewage drains into the Musi River and, every resident of Hyderabad is responsible for it. I couldn't help but realise that we're all equally responsible for it. The second cause is exploitation. We are drawing too much water and using it carelessly. Lastly, encroachment is rapidly destroying our rivers. Every time we find a water body to be dirty, instead of cleaning it, we decide to fully replace it with a five-star hotel, as the river alone can't fetch us any money, luxury apartments & hotels can."

Furthermore, Tarun Bharat Sangh is

with it, which is then mixed into the borewell water that we use for our daily chores. We use the contaminated water and become the victims of the very own plastic that we litter."

Sisodia also emphasised on the ramifications of our misuse of water. He said, "When the rivers will die, the societies will die along with them. If we continue destroying our rivers, we'll soon have no freshwater in the country. It will lead to tension between states and countries in the form of 'water-wars' and no judicial authority will ever be able to solve these disputes."

"As long as we don't change our perspective and step up to bring about a change, it's safe to say that our rivers are not in safe hands," he signed off.

Rainwater harvesting is just the face of Tarun Bharat Sangh. Besides this, their three main objectives are to educate indigenous communities about water management, efficient use of water and water literacy.

He further explained, "Our process starts by building a water parliament, which consists of a set of representatives from different villages around a particular river. We give them the responsibility to discuss and decide on how they would preserve the river. We

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Women carry the burden of water crisis in India

With the help of UNICEF and Swayam Shikshan Prayog, over 10,000 women in 100 villages of Maharashtra have solved the water crisis in their respective villages.

Sweta Pendyala

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ummer is approaching or should we say it is already here. On March 22, World Water Day is observed world over and, the usual thought comes to our minds is about the amount of water we are left with.

But, amidst the climate crisis and water scarcity, the world often forgets to discuss women and their struggle to fetch water on an everyday basis, especially in rural and underprivileged sectors of urban areas.

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Every human being on earth is affected when there's a water crisis, but women in India are the ones who witness this pain before any other person in the family.

In a report 'The Right to Water' jointly published

by United Nations Human Rights, UnHabitat and World Health Organization state, "Lack of access to safe drinking water and sanitation affects women in particular. Women and children do most of the water collecting if drinking water is not available on the premises. Collecting and carrying water takes time and is a heavy burden on them. According to UNDP, it also helps to explain the very large gender gaps in school attendance in many countries. It is not rare for women to spend up to four hours a day walking, queuing and carrying water, time that could be put to productive activities or housework and childcare.

The water collected is often dirty and from unprotected sources. Women's health can be particularly affected by the heavy burden of carrying water, as well as by water contact diseases such as schistosomiasis."

The report further continues, "Very often, women are excluded from decision-making concerning water and sanitation. As a result, their specific needs and circumstances are not taken into account in the development of water and sanitation programmes or the extension of these services."

In India, water collection is seen as a woman's job and, men at the house do not bother about the water sources. The worst part is, she cannot say no to stand in the queues even if she is sick and menstruating or her age doesn't allow her to do it. In urban areas, mostly women are seen standing in the

queues with colourful pots when the tanker comes to their respective areas. Whereas, in rural areas, women travel for kilometres to fetch water, as access to safe drinking water is scarce there.

Understanding that the water issue in rural areas is majorly affecting women and there's a need to resolve it, an organisation Swayam Shikshan Prayog (SSP), supported by UNICEF started to empower women on different topics. Through Women-led Sanitation Hygiene and Resilient Practices (wSHARP) around April 2018, water security is one of its main focus areas.

Talking about the programme spread across 100 villages of Kallam and Osmanabad districts in Maharashtra, empowering over 10,000 women, associate director of programs, SSP, shares, "We started this programme two and a half years ago, and now, we see a huge change in those 100 villages.

Women in villages take the burden of water and travel to kilometres from their home. It is not only is time-consuming but also takes a toll on their health.

Most of the villages in the two districts are hit by droughts leaving the villages parched. From drinking water to agriculture, everything is a battle here."

"Through our programme, we reached out to villages and, our primary aim is to educate women on their rights and make them realise their capabilities.

More than bringing water to the villages, we aim to make these women stand up and solve their issues.

We taught them about how they can work on bringing water to their area by installing their tanks. We trained them on the ways to conserve water and revive the drought land through rainwater harvesting."

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Environment & people

Through wSHARP initiative

by Swayam Shikshan Prayog, with the support of UNICEF, now women address own problems as well as help others.

They now understand the effective ways to reuse water, curb water shortage, learn rainwater harvesting and build soak pits to recharge groundwater bodies.

Earlier, the males used to work on cash crops but now foodrelated crops are also being cultivated.

"Our village was a droughtstricken and farming was an impossible task for us. I saw water as the concern that needed to be addressed not only because we all had to travel to kilometres to collect it but also because it was shutting the ways of income for us. Many of the people even started selling their cows and buffaloes as they couldn't afford to invest water in the food prepared for animals. Also, women had to leave working in farms of

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others as they spend most f their day fetching water," shares Priya Vibhishan Rakhunde, women leader at Khadki village of Kallam taluk in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra State.

She further continues, "It also is life-threatening and, I saw how it took lives. As toilets were shut due to the availability of limited water, women couldn't help but sneak out in the dark or travel to isolated places for open defecation. It was same for everyone in the family but for females, it has always been uncomfortable. There was an old lady who went to defecate in open post evening and a snake bit her and she passed away.

These kinds of incidents scared every woman in the village and, later they started to defecate on the roads of the village. Slowly the village started to stink and became unbearable."

Priya also adds that when two and a half years ago,

Swayam Shikshan Prayog visited their village that started to educate them on the basic rights we have as citizens. "We installed a tank and connected the motor to the well, we used to go and fetch from. Initially, it was difficult but now we made it systematic and women do not fight over it anymore.

During the 'Jal Shakti' programme, we learned about a lot of ways to conserve water and through rainwater harvesting, I was able to recharge the groundwater near the borewell in my house in 2019. The borewell which stopped working years ago has started working now. A lot of other women started to follow the same and now our village doesn't have water problem at all," adds Priya.

The women who are the leaders at their respective villages also get to interact with and educate women in their village and surrounding villages. They are not only solving their problems but also helping other women learn to find solutions to the water problem in their respective villages.

Sharing on how water played an extremely crucial role

behind the health problems people in the village faced, Dilshad Sammer Tamboli, women leader at Shelka Dhanora village says, "Whoever was consuming the groundwater in our village were falling sick and suffering from diarrhoea. Black in colour, the water was not suitable for cooking and the food used to turn black. Many used to go to the farm situated around five kilometres away from the village and rest continued consuming the same water from the village. After Swayam Shikshan Prayog approached us, we started to slowly solve our problem and, it brought RO plant to our village with the help of Bajaj, for which, we borne the expenses of the pipeline.

Now our village has two RO plants as the Gram Panchayat also installed another one post SSP installed one. It was not only making our lives easier but also was ensuring the good health of our family."

Dilshad adds, "The RO plants were serving us the drinking water but we were yet to solve the water problems for other needs.

Women had to still travel four kilometres and under the UNICEF project, we started planning tanks for each lane to facilitate 20-30 houses with water. We installed the tanks after each woman contributed her share for the

expenses and also got the groundwater tested in the laboratory to find solutions. The water couldn't be cured but was treated to some extent. Now the village doesn't go through the water crisis which was the major problem we faced. We pay rupees five for 20 litres of RO water provided by Bajaj's plant and Gram Panchyat gives 15 litres for the same amount."

In Dilshad's village, the voice of women is heard and the Panchayat now consists of four women member along with other male authorities. These women in the villages have proved that if given a chance they can bring a change. "I believe, we are yet to solve 20 per cent of the water problem in our village. Each household has a tap but Gram Panchayat is yet to provide us with water. We are still fighting for it and we hope to see the success soon," adds Dilshad.

These 10,000 women in 100 villages are from some of the rural areas of Maharashtra and, more villages are yet to be covered. The count will increase with each passing day. The problem is not about women suffering from the water crisis in Maharashtra but about women in India as they are the first ones to deal with the water crisis in every region.

These problems should be addressed.

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An army to keep beautiful Himalayas clean Pahadi Robinhood, a backpackers' hostel cum business incubator has taken up an initiative of waste segregation in the mountains seriously Ruehie Karri

W

hen we think of Kullu and Manali, the first thing that strikes us is a good snowy vacation.

Instead, what is making headlines these days is the alarming rise of waste accumulation in these districts. According to recent reports by the Manali municipal council, Manali generates around 30 to 40 tonnes of waste every day and nearly 2000 tonnes during the peak tourist months of May and June.

Kullu MC is struggling to dispose of and recycle its garbage as they don't have the necessary space for landfills. The panchayats arrived at a solution to transport the waste and let it be treated in the new garbage power plant in Manali.

This is where Pahadi Robinhood comes in, which was co-founded by Mihil Bhansali, Joshua Willig and Sant Kumar Sharma. It is a backpackers' hostel, also doubling as a business incubator located in the town of Naggar in Kullu district. To kickstart the incubator, they themselves

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started the business of waste collection, having observed the non eco-friendly ways being used to dispose of the non-biodegradable trash.

Talking to environment & people, Mihil Bhansali spoke about how everything came into being. Read on to the conversation to understand how.

How did you embark on the journey of Pahadi Robinhood?

The main aim behind starting this company was to empower the rural communities of developing markets, thereby encouraging upcoming entrepreneurs to incubate their ideas with our company. Us being experienced marketing consultants can work out the nitty-gritty of the fledgling business and help it grow in a major way. I met Joshua in Vietnam during a vacation and got talking.

We realised that we share a lot of the same values and had a strong urge to help increase the markets of rural communities be it anywhere in Vietnam, Cambodia or India. We decided upon India as I speak the local language and India has a huge per cen-

tage of budding entrepreneurs with one-ofa-kind ideas. Our search for a place led to meeting our third partner, Sant Kumar Sharma, in Naggar, Himachal Pradesh.

Why did you decide to take up waste collection as your first venture?

During the construction of our hostel, we noticed that hotels and other hospitality chains disposed of their garbage by simply burning it in the streets. Even tourists followed this unhealthy practice or simply dumped waste in the river. This was a revelation to us. We wanted to find a feasible solution for disposal/recycling of waste with lesser to zero side effects.

After conducting some research, we came to know that the construction of a new garbage power plant was underway near the town of Manali, in Rangri district. It was going to become operational very soon and that got us thinking. This waste-to-energy plant works with segregated waste, as much as 100 tonnes every day to generate 1.5MW of electricity.

We approached the panchayat of

Naggar and struck a contract to charge every household a nominal fee and hotels, a slightly higher fee to segregate their waste at the source itself before handing it over to the municipal council. Initially not everyone was on board with this idea but when put across the fact that this would help reduce the accumulation of waste to a large extent and promote tourism as well, people quickly came around.

What kind of waste do you collect?

Plastic waste is the major contender.

Next is the food related waste. Usually 60-70 per cent of the waste generated in this town is food related. This is sent to the plant for disposal. We also recycle paper and cardboard waste as there is a recycling chain nearby. Even glass bottles can be sold to the recycling chain.

thus, enabling us to dispose of correctly.

Do you have any plans of processing waste in-house in the future?

Yes, we are looking at urban technologies that we can employ. We are doing a feasibility report on a bio-gas plant that can take care of the food waste and produce electricity. Another thing that we are looking at is a solution for dealing with single use plastic and how it can be used as fodder for road maintenance.

What message would you like to convey to the public at this point?

The three of us started a business incubator with the sole aim of promoting the mar-

kets of rural communities in India. We believe that it is no longer a requirement to be situated in the cities to start a business.

Imagine working full time in the Himalayan Mountains that we are in the process of cleaning up or having team meetings in a pine forest! The dream is to keep these very scenic towns as clean as possible while simultaneously improving their economy.

What was the impact of your initiative so far?

Our business has been active since July, 2019 and we have collected over 130 tonnes of segregated waste to be sent to the plant for treatment. One jeep can carry 1-2 tonnes of waste every 2-3 days. The response has been overwhelming. We have people from all over town calling us to collect their waste and some panchayats have expressed interest to adopt this idea. I must say the town looks cleaner, although there's still a long way to go and we are ready for it.

Are you thinking of other initiatives to help keep the villages clean?

We have plans to monetise the trash collection business further. Also, we have floated the idea of street cleaning drives to our panchayat. We are currently working on an education program with schools, which essentially asks them to pick up their trash and dump it in the dustbins provided by us at several locations instead of on the streets

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Environment & people

Venkat Viswanathan, Shashank Sripad

T

here is a major push in India and China to drive adoption of electric two-wheelers, with India providing financial incentives for 86 different models of electric scooters and motorcycles Cars dominate personal transportation in developed countries, but in the developing world, two-wheelers - motorcycles and motor scooters - account for the majority of vehicles on the road. China and India are the two largest markets for two-wheelers, which contribute to their air pollution problems. About 20% of the CO? emissions and 30% of particulate emissions in India are due to twowheelers.

Among the world's 50 most polluted cities, 37 are in India and China.

That's why there is a pressing need to examine this sector closely. But for electric vehicles to become mass market products, batteries need to improve, and we have studied what those requirements are.

In an earlier Conversation piece, we discussed a simple approach to estimate the energy an electric vehicle would need to carry on board - usually in the form of a battery - for a given driving range.

In much the same way, in a recent research paper, we analyzed the battery requirements for electric twowheelers to better understand the cost requirements to compete with gasoline-powered motorcycles and scooters.

We found that for a range of about 100 kilometers (60 miles), a battery pack of about 2.5 kiloWatt-hours is needed. This is about eight times smaller than the battery pack needed

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for driving the same range in an sedan. A distance of 100 km is the upper limit of the typical daily driving range for two-wheelers, although gaspowered two-wheelers can cover up to 300 km with a full tank of gas.

By understanding the battery needs of two-wheelers and projected battery costs - the other vitally important factor - one can get a better idea of when electric two-wheelers will be competitive with gas-powered vehicles. This means consumers can better evaluate when electric powered two-wheelers will meet their daily driving needs.

Cost challenge To move, a vehicle has to resist three forces: drag, or resistance from the wind; friction from the road; and inertia, or resistance to a change in speed. These factors all influence energy storage capacity - and thus battery size.

In an electric sedan or SUV, space and weight constrain the battery pack size. But this is not a bottleneck for electric two-wheelers because their total storage needs are substantially lower, as they are smaller vehicles and carry less cargo.

The specific energy of commercial batteries, or the amount of energy stored relative to their weight, is generally improving. This has a significant impact on the driving range of larger electric vehicles. But since the total energy capacity needs of twowheelers are lower, this ongoing technical progress provides a negligible increase in driving range for a given scooter or motorcycle.

Of course, the cost of the battery pack matters, too. The average retail price for two-wheelers in India is US$1,000. Currently, the battery pack

cost is around $180/kWh for small-volume markets, resulting in electric two-wheelers needing close to $500 for just the battery pack.

The general trend on battery prices is downward, going at a rate few have predicted. The battery cell price broke the $100/kWh barrier in 2018 for high-volume markets, such as electric vehicles, and cost declines are expected to continue over the next decade.

Electric micro-mobility There is a major push in India and China to drive adoption of electric two-wheelers. Electric two-wheeler sales reached 40 million last year, with China accounting for 90% of this. India has launched a program called FAME to provide financial incentives for 86 different models of electric two-wheelers.

Given the small battery pack, electric twowheelers can be charged easily from a regular wall socket. To explore these aspects, we worked with the CEO of electric scooter maker Ather Energy and the principal adviser to Indian policy think tank NITI Aayog to better understand charging in India.

Data from Ather Energy indicate that a large majority of electric two-wheeler owners tend to charge at home. Hence, a policy push toward establishing residential charging facilities, especially in large residential buildings like apartment complexes, would have a positive impact on adoption and utilization.

Advances in the performance metrics of batteries and cost reductions are spurring a revolution in micromobility in general. In addition to electric scooters, a market is emerging for electric mopeds, one-wheel scooters and skateboards, each with a range around 10-20 kilometers, or six to 12 miles. Vehicle trips under six miles are about 60% of total trips; in terms of person miles traveled, they make up only about 15%, according an analysis from Ark Investment, citing U.S. government data.

Our analysis shows that there are three key trade-offs when it comes to engineering electric two-wheelers: battery pack storage capacity, which translates into driving range; the average speed of the drivers; and the cost per kilowatthour. Electric motor scooters are already being purchased by hundreds of thousands of consumers in Asia - there's even an electric version of the iconic Indian scooter called the Bajaj Chetak.

Once manufacturers can make two-wheelers that achieve a range of 100 kilometers at a comparable price to gas-powered vehicles, we believe even more consumers will opt for the electric option.

FORM IV Statement about ownership and other particulars of Environment & People 1. Place of publication Hyderabad 2. Periodicity of its publication

Monthly

3. Printer’s Name Nationality Address

Dr.P.Narayana Rao Indian 302, Padma Nilayam St.No.1 Shanti Nagar Hyderabad-500028

4. Publisher’s Name Nationality Address

Dr.P.Narayana Rao Indian 302, Padma Nilayam St.No.1 Shanti Nagar Hyderabad-500028

5. Editor’s Name Nationality Address

Dr.P.Narayana Rao Indian 302, Padma Nilayam St.No.1 Shanti Nagar Hyderabad-500028

6.

Dr.P.Narayana Rao Society for Environment and Education 302, Padma Nilayam St.No.1 Shanti Nagar Hyderabad-500028

Names and addresses of individuals who own the newspaper and partners or shareholders holding More than one percent of the total capital.

I, Narayana Rao, hereby declare that the particulars given above are true to the best of my knowledge and belief. for SOCIETY FOR ENVIRONMENT AND EDUCATION Sd/- NARAYANA RAO Publisher

(Source: indiaclimatedialogue.net)

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A

global index of 180 countries has placed India 145th in regards to water quality and sanitation. India's most famous river, the Ganges, is currently in a state of pollution. Low water quality and a supply of groundwater that is rapidly depleting is threatening to plunge India into a situation where famine and water-borne disease are commonplace.

India's population is on the rise India's population is projected to reach more than 1.5 billion by 2030. This, in turn, increases demand for energy, resources and space. The implication of this is increased industrial output. This entails greater emissions of greenhouse gases, larger volumes of solid waste (much of which will be

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dumped at landfill) and increased deforestation as India urbanises and industrialises at a rapid pace.

Higher levels of pollution have caused large swathes of India's groundwater to become contaminated, increasing the risk of contaminants in the form of both chemicals and pathogens.

Inadequate safe drinking water, pollution to blame?

India as a nation has undergone rapid industrialisation. India's cities are growing at an unprecedented rate. As the population increases and more and more individuals move from rural to urban locations, power and housing needs increase accordingly.

This has led to mass scale construction projects, as well as the necessary development of new power plants to provide for the ever

growing cities.

India now holds the fourteen most polluted cities in the world. Kanpur, in Uttar Pradesh, is at the top of the list. It has the world's highest atmospheric concentration of PM2.5 (fine particulate matter), at 173 micrograms per cubic metre. India does not fare much better in lists based on PM10 pollution. Delhi is the world's most polluted megacity in this regard, with Mumbai (India's most populous city) in fourth place.

Delhi also places sixth on the list of most polluted cities in terms of PM2.5 pollution.

Such high levels of pollution in the air can also imply significant amounts of pollution in nearby water supplies.

Bengaluru is one of the Indian cities where polluted water is causing severe issues. The city epitomises India's current issues with drinking water. The Karnataka

state capital - dubbed India's 'Silicon Valley' - is one of ten global metropolises the Center for Science and Environment (CSE) says faces severe water shortages in the future.

Since 1973, a digital tech industry boom has seen built-up land in Bengaluru increase from eight to 73 percent according to Down to Earth magazine. Dr TV Ramachandra of the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru told Health Issues India that paved surfacing could cover 98.5 percent of Bengaluru's landscape by 2025.

Contamination of groundwater, Dr Ramachandra claims, could be responsible for the rapid rise in chronic conditions in residents within the city.

Contaminated Indian water, China to blame?

The Brahmaputra river is being contaminated with bacteria and iron due to construction upstream in neighbouring China, claims Sarbananda Sonowal, chief minister of Assam.

The river originates in the Tibetan Himalayas, flowing from China into India, through Arunachal Pradesh and Assam before flowing into Bangladesh. Officials in India claim construction within the Chinese segment of the river has caused pollution so severe it is present at a detectable level as far downstream as Assam.

Laboratory testing of the river's water within Assam has declared the water to be turbid and unfit for human consumption.

Despite these accusations, some rebuttals have pointed out that construction, as well as large scale deforestation is occurring along the Indian section of the river, and that this may also be playing a role in the river's contamination.

Ground water, a depleting resource India will face severe shortages of water by 2050, a UNESCO report warns. This

finding was backed up by a report published in The Lancet, which suggests that by 2050 India could be facing the very real threat of regular famine due to lack of groundwater.

Rivers and groundwater resources are becoming increasingly heavily polluted across the country. The Central Pollution Control Board identifies 275 Indian rivers as polluted - more than double the figure five years ago. The high levels of contamination across the country mean nineteen percent of the world's people who lack access to clean water live in India.

In the short term, this could result in situations similar to that seen in Cape Town, in which a "day zero" situation was approached where drinking water would no longer be available within the city. With dwindling supplies of unpolluted water available, this could become a regular occurrence within India if the situations is not resolved.

with heatwaves becoming more frequent across the country. In mid-March of 2018, 91 major reservoirs were at just 32 percent of their capacity.

Poor winter rains have left a number of India's major river basins at a fraction of their water capacity. The capacity of the River Ganges basin - home to more than 400 million people - has dropped by 16.5 percent. The Sabarmati has fallen by 17.96 percent and the Tapi by 33.3 percent.

A UN report from 2018 has predicted a 1.5 °C temperature rise globally by 2040 with potentially devastating implications for India's water supply. As temperatures rise they do not do so in an even manner. The figure is simply an average. In reality such a rise implies that heatwaves and more drastic cold temperatures are likely to be more common. Both of these issues can have devastating effects on water supply, in turn affecting the ability to grow crops.

Famine to be commonplace by 2050?

In the long term, the depletion of groundwater will lead to large scale reductions in agricultural output. In a country needing to feed a population exceeding a billion, the results of this could be catastrophic.

The Lancet study suggests a shift in dietary habits within the country could slow the depletion. They found that diets high in meat had the greatest impact on groundwater depletion, as not only do the animals themselves require water, crops used for animal feed also require vast amounts of groundwater.

Alongside this, wheat and rice consumption was also found to be a major contributor to groundwater depletion. The study suggests a shift towards vegetables and pulses as the bulk of the nations diet, as these foods were found to be the most ecologically friendly. As India - particularly in urban regions - shifts closer towards a western diet filled with fast food, this manner of dietary change appears a far less likely possibility.

Water treatment of the Ganges During the last election cycle, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ran a campaign to clean drinking water and invest funds into sanitising the famous Ganges river. A plan has been proposed to have funding over a five and ten year period. According to an article published in Bloomberg, India plans to invest 1.3 billion USD into a system of sewage treatment plant along the Ganges river with the aim to clean the water for 118 towns along the banks. Water drainage during storms or the monsoons remain an issue since many cities find themselves flooded due to poor drainage systems. Such floods and the stagnant water they leave behind can have ill effects on public health.

In 2018 the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has compared a dip in the Ganges to being as 'injurious to health' as a packet of cigarette. The risk of contracting infectious diseases from the Ganga water is high. The toxicity of the river is made significantly worse by industrial activity along the riverbanks.

Climate change may be playing a role in depleting water sources Water shortages are being seen as more of a common occurrences as temperatures and weather patterns change. Summers of recent years have been exceptionally hot,

Disease outbreaks linked to water Contaminated water can cause outbreaks of diseases such as cholera. Due to the practice of open defecation, this is commonplace within India. Many rural communities draw their water from wells or ponds located near to the village. If open (cont.. on page no.21) March 2020

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and

Is there a connection?

A study finds that high levels of aerosols in the atmosphere further worsen the impacts of El Nino on the rainfall leading to increased frequency of droughts in India.

I

ndia has a long history of droughts.

There were 26 major droughts from 1870 to 2018, when the All India Summer Monsoon Rainfall (AISMR) was found to be lesser than the mean rainfall for the country. Even the most recent drought was disastrous for India, affecting agriculture and water resources across the country.

Evidence shows that there has been a gradual increase in the frequency of droughts in the second half of the twentieth century as compared to the first half. A number of studies have attributed droughts in India to El Niño effects, which occur when there is abnormal warming over the Pacific Ocean, which has a negative impact on the monsoon, as it blocks the flow of

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moisture-bearing winds from the oceans to the Indian landmass.

However, a new study titled ‘Elevated aerosol layer over south Asia worsens the Indian droughts’ published in Nature Scientific Reports finds that presence of high levels of aerosols in the atmosphere further worsen the El Niño effect and have a role to play in declining rainfall patterns and increasing incidence of droughts in the country.

What are aerosols?

Aerosols are minute particles suspended in the atmosphere. Sufficiently large particles scatter and absorb sunlight, and reduce visibility (haze) and redden sunrises and sunsets. Aerosols interact both directly and indirectly with the Earth's radiation budget, which includes the balance between incoming solar radiation and outgoing radiation (that includes partly reflected solar radiation and partly radiation emitted from the Earth, including the atmosphere). A change in balance can cause the temperature of the atmosphere to increase or decrease and

affect the climate.

The impact of aerosols on the Indian monsoon Aerosols lead to enhancement or suppression of the Indian summer monsoon rainfall depending on their duration and scale along with their tendency to scatter sunlight directly back into space, or by changing the size of cloud particles, thus negatively affecting their capacity to absorb sunlight. This leads to reduced temperatures over land, resulting in weaker land-sea temperature gradient, which is an essential force required to pull the monsoon circulation from ocean to land.

Recent evidence shows that aerosols levels increase during the El Niño period.

For example, this study found that an elevated layer of aerosol was present over South Asia during the months of JulyAugust of 2015 and 2016. However, this aerosol layer appeared thicker and was centered over the entire North Indian monsoon region during the El Niño period of

July–August 2015, while it was much less thicker over the monsoon region during the non El Niño period of July–August 2016.

The role of ATAL in controlling the monsoon According to a recent discovery, the presence of an aerosol layer in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS) known as “the Asian Tropopause Aerosol Layer (ATAL)” covers South Asia during the monsoon season, and has been suspected to have a role in controlling the monsoon precipitation. ATAL is formed because of the convective transport of aerosols from the lower atmosphere to the UTLS. It has been found that ATAL extends over the 12–18 km range and is made up of sulfates along with black-carbon, organic aerosols, nitrates and dust particles. Black carbon aerosols in ATAL are transported from North India and East China during El Niño.

Sulfate aerosols are transported from East-Asia. The black carbon and sulfate aerosol loadings are high during El Niño over the southern slopes of the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau (TP).

The increase in sulfate, dust, and organic carbon aerosols in the UTLS leads to the thickening and widening of the ATAL over the South Asian region.

The higher amounts of sulfate aerosols in the UTLS lead to a cooling effect of the earth’s surface by scattering incoming solar radiation and negatively affect the monsoon.

Combined effect of El Nino and aerosols is deadlier While the El Niño leads to a decrease in rainfall over India, inclusion of aerosols amplifies decrease in rainfall by 17% over the central India. India and China are increasingly adding millions of metric tons of aerosols into the atmosphere further increasing the risk of severe droughts over the monsoon region.

(page no. 19 cont...) defecation occurs in the vicinity of these water sources, the entire village's drinking supply may become contaminated. If the contaminated water is used for irrigation, this can also cause any resultant crops to also be contaminated.

The problem has become widespread in the state of Odisha, with the state government admitting they struggle to provide safe drinking water to tribals and rural populations. Many of these communities do not possess any public toilet facilities and so open defecation is a common occurrence, leaving the population vulnerable to water borne disease.

Stagnant water following floods, or collected in artificial containers in cities can also pose a problem to public health. Stagnant water provides a breeding ground for mosquitoes, this can lead to outbreaks of malaria, dengue fever, and chikungunya, particularly if occurring in built up urban areas.

Such a case was brought to media attention last year in Lucknow. A number of hospitals, as well as buildings surrounding the hospitals, were presenting unsanitary conditions such as the improper disposal of garbage and stagnant water claimed a team sent by the Health Department to inspect the area. This had led to the presence of mosquitoes around the hospital, putting the health of patients at risk.

Water as a human right The UN General Assembly in July 2010 adopted a resolution acknowledging that clean drinking water and sanitation are integral to the realization of all human rights. It called upon all states and international organizations to provide financial resources, to help build capacity and transfer technology specially to the developing countries to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation to all.

India voted in favour of this resolution, though there are currently no large scale plans by the centre to implement the policy. Water supplies are handled by the states, with disparities occurring between them in terms of quality of water.

Despite voting in favour of the resolution, India is far from providing clean water to all its citizens as a basic human right.

(Source: healthissuesindia.com)

Pollution control to reduce emissions This could spell doom for a country like India.

North–Central India is already experiencing hydrological stress and is already exposed to the vulnerability of hydrological extremes. The increase in the severity of droughts accompanied with El Niño could have a serious impact on agricultural production and the livelihood of millions of people living in the area.

The paper argues that one of the ways to deal with this is to focus on reducing aerosol emissions that would not only help in improving the air quality, but also help in reducing the negative impacts of aerosols on the monsoons and prevent droughts in the future.

(Source: www.indiawaterportal.org)

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“There is no fish in the ocean”: Declining catch worries fishers in southern Karnataka Supriya Vohra

J

anuary 18th, 2020. It is a hot Saturday afternoon in Sasihithlu, a small fishing village in southern Karnataka. At 12:30 PM, the sun is directly above us, glaring through a largely cloudless sky. Surya Salian, 62, gathers his cast net for a final throw. He enters the still blue water until it is waist-high. He swings his arm and throws the circular net. It forms a shimmering translucent circle in the air for a few seconds, then drops into the water. After a few minutes, he pulls it out. It has one small fish, a silver biddy, wriggling. He throws it on the white sand, next to three other fish caught a short while ago.

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“This might be the year of famine for us,” he said, after a moment.

January 19th, 2020. It is balmy and breezy at 4 AM in the Arabian Sea. A purse seiner, a big boat that goes out about 15 nautical miles into the ocean to catch Indian oil sardines, is ready to head out. Most of the crew on the ship is from Odisha, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. They left because their land did not offer them a living, and they arrived here, on the west coast, in south Karnataka, working on big fishing boats, hoping for a better life. After six hours, the ship returns, empty-handed. The crew members earn nothing for the day.

Since August 2019, fishers across the spectrum, from the small-scale ones to own-

ers of giant trawlers, echo a similar lament.

There are no fish in the ocean. Although the official fish catch data for 2019-2020 will be released only after March 2020, officials from Central Marine Fisheries of India (CMFRI) have confirmed that there has been a significant decline in fish catch since the post-monsoon season.

“Usually, the post-monsoon period is peak fishing time. There is some cause of concern that the peak season did not do well,” said Sunil Mohamed, principal scientist and head, Molluscan Fisheries Division, CMFRI, over a telephone conversation.

There has been a decline in coastal marine fish production in India over the last few years. CMFRI data reveals a 9%

decline in overall fish catch in 2018 as compared to the previous year. The 2018 annual fish landing data from the institute also showed a 54% decline since 2017 of the Indian oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps), a pelagic fish found abundantly in the Arabian Sea, particularly the coastal waters that cover Karnataka.

“We have seen a major decline in the Indian Oil sardine since 2016,” said Mohamed. “For a long time, it formed 3040% of fish catch. It reduced to 15%, and now barely makes it to 5%,” he said.

Reasons for the decline in fish catch Experts have given a variety of reasons for the decline of fish catch.

There’s climate change; the rise in sea surface temperature is changing the nature of oceans, which in turn affects the phytoplankton production, a primary food for several pelagic fish in the ocean, including Indian oil sardines. The Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change released a report last year stating that there will be an unprecedented rise in the frequency of cyclones in the Arabian Sea due to anthropogenic warming of the oceans.

Secondly, there are unsustainable methods of fishing. Bull (or pair) trawling involves tying a net between two mechanised boats and dragging the net for several kilometres. It sweeps the ocean bed completely, taking everything with it. Light fishing involves attaching powerful LED lights

at the end of nets, dropping it in the water to attract shoals of fish and catching large spawning adults. While bull trawling has been banned by the Karnataka state government since December 2016, LED light fishing has been widely criticized in both Karnataka and Goa, and banned in Goa. However, state officials and trawlers themselves admit that the ban has not had much of an effect.

Both bull trawling and light fishing are in operation during the fishing season. On January 19th, this visiting correspondent heard murmurings at the Mangalore Harbour about a trawler named Blue Whale returning after a successful journey of light fishing, with a haul of spearfish and yellowtailed tuna, worth 12 lakh rupees.

“Yes, illegal fishing is still happening,” said Manjula ShriShenoy, assistant deputy director at the department of fisheries, Mangalore. “In December, we caught two boats. We found generators for light fishing, higher horsepower (HP) [the limit is 350 HP], and mismatching registration certificate RC. We fined them INR 40,000 and 65,000 each. But there are more. But we are too short-staffed to do continuous surveillance.”

The fisheries department currently has a 40% occupancy. “Out of 43 seats, we have 25 lying vacant. None of our field officers are from Dakshin Kannada,” she said. “We don’t even know how many boats head out every day, and they come back at 2 AM, 3 AM, 4 AM. We don’t have the staff to monitor all this,” she said.

The Coastal security police and the Indian Coast Guard have a mandate to patrol the territorial and EEZ waters, respectively, for illegal fishing. Both, however, declined to give an official comment.

Overcapacity of boats In 1986, the Karnataka state government introduced the Karnataka Marine Fishing (Regulation) Act, 1986, in an attempt to regulate the rampant rise of fishing boats. The act requires a license for every boat and gives the state fisheries department the authority to search the vessels. Over the years, several rules have been formed by the state government, capping horsepower of engines, minimum legal size to bring about regulation in fishing.

According to records provided by the fisheries department, there are 1285 trawl

boats, 57 purse seine boats, and 1487 mechanised gill nets and other boats registered in south Karnataka. But both department officials and the local trawler association admit that there are more than the registered number of ships. “About 100-125 boats are added every year, many not registered” said Nithin Kumar, president of Dakshin Kannada Trawler Association.

“Even with registration, one doesn’t even need to be a fisherman to have a boat,” he scoffed.

Amidst all this, the traditional, small scale, artisanal fisherfolk suffer the most.

The “original” fishers of Dakshin Kannada “Madam, please make sure you emphasise on the word moola. It means “original,” and we are all the original fishermen of Dakshin Kannada,” said Chandrasekhar Shriyan as I jot down the name of their newly formed union. It is called Dakshin Kannada Karavali Moola Meenugarara Sangha, translated to South Karnataka Coastal Original Fishermen Union.

The union, with 1200 members covering 14 villages across the coast of south Karnataka, was formed on December 26th, 2019, as a result of growing discontent amongst small scale fish workers of the region.

“We are the Mogaveera, the original tribe of fishermen, born to protect the seashore,” explained Shriyan. “And we are being pushed to the brink of desperation.

There is nothing in the sea for us. The capitalists are taking everything.”

“And the government is not helping,” he added.

No fish no money no security Sharath Kumar, 38, has been fishing since he was 11 years old. He doesn’t own a boat but works on other people’s boats. “I do everything–gill netting, traditional, purse seining, trawl…anything you ask for I’ll do.” But he has not been successful since December 26th. “There is no fish in the sea, and if there is no fish, we don’t earn anything for the day,” he said. “I just play rummy all day. Thinking of running away,” he said with a laugh.

Venkatesh, 42, owns two boats–a motorised craft with an outboard engine of 15HP, which is kept by the beach, and a non-motorised traditional canoe, which he takes into the river. When there is nothing in

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the sea, he takes his traditional craft on the river and hunts for clams. When there is nothing in either, he jumps on a trawl boat.

On a trawl boat, for every lakh worth of fish caught, he receives INR 1000. But the season since August has been bad.

“We haven’t gotten anything in the sea since December 26th,” he said, echoing several others. “My monthly expense is at least INR 5000. I need to meet that to keep going.”

Shirish Kerkura has similar sentiments.

“You know, earlier we used to get a lot of fish, but not great money,” said the 40-yearold fisherman. “Today, the catch is less, but the fish price is higher. We catch fish once a week and the money gets adjusted for the

rest of the days. We roll with it.”

“But it has been awful since late December. They need to do something.”

“A fisherman’s income entirely depends on the catch of the day,” said Shobendra Sashithlu, president of Sasihithlu Fishing Cooperative Society. In existence since 1932, the cooperative currently has 464 active members from the village. At least 150 of them have taken loans from the cooperative, for education, health matters, marriage, life things, said Sasihithlu. “And at least 25 have been unable to return the money.”

“Macchi nahi hai paani mein”, he said in frustration. (Hindi for “There is no fish in

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the ocean”).

Support for women fisherfolk Remela M Mendela, 65, sells fish for a living. On January 17th, Friday, she woke up at 3:30 AM, made a cup of tea. She collected her baskets that she had made ready the night before. With four fellow fish sellers, she climbed onto a tempo they had taken on hire. She reached Malpe harbour,

nearly 50 km away at 4:30 AM. She bought fish worth INR 21,000. She then headed to another market place about 20 km away by 9:30 AM, sold all her fish, and returned home by 8:30 PM. Her net earnings: zero.

“Whatever I earned was spent on travel and food for the day,” she said.

In 2015, a subsidy was introduced for women, providing them with fish baskets,

insulated iceboxes and stools to sit on.

“That was a good subsidy, but it lasted only a year,” said ShriShenoy. “They should bring it back.”

But apart from this, there hasn’t been much support for women fisherfolk. They have to buy their gear, pay their own fare for transport, and sometimes work in dilapidated conditions to get by.

According to a report by The Hindu, in

2012, the National Fisheries Development Board and the Karnataka state government proposed the construction of “ten modern fish markets for women” in the three districts of coastal Karnataka, intending to boost a marketplace for small scale fish workers.

We visited the market structure in Padubidri, another fishing village in south Karnataka. Women fish sellers dominate the market. It was sanctioned at an estimated

cost of 76.92 Lakhs, with 90% funding from the central government (National Fisheries Development Board) and 10% from the state government (Karnataka State Fisheries Department). The property belongs to the panchayat, who has hired a contractor for four lakhs for nine months, who runs the show.

Fishers from neighbouring villages come in the morning and display their fish ready for auction, giving a minimum selling price. The women then begin the auction. They buy the fish and then proceed to sell it either in the market itself or carry it in their basket to a bigger market or walk for door-to-door delivery.

Tulsi Kotiyan, 42, bought 25-30kg of fish worth INR 5500. She is hoping to sell the fish in the morning hours itself. One of her fears is that if she purchases the fish at a high price, and if the same fish is caught in the sea by the big boats, then the value of her fish goes down.

She is one of the 25-30 women who sit at the market to sell the fish. She has to pay INR 20 per day to sit at her designated area. She received an insulated icebox from the state government. She gets her own plastic baskets.

She said the cleaning is not good, the water is stagnant, and the toilet facilities are terrible.

The place, while an essential marketplace for small scale fish workers, could do with better management Support for the elderly fish workers A few weeks ago, Salian went out to sea on his boat. A big wave surged towards him, and he toppled over, hurting his rib cage. The nearest government hospital was 20 km from his village. “I had to spend INR 8000 for my treatment at a private hospital,” he said.

Chandravati, 63, used to sell fish. But over the last few years, arthritis has gripped her. Her husband, Chandaya Mandan, 75, has not gone fishing for the last five years. They both receive INR 1000 per month under the Sandhya Suraksha Pension Scheme, a state government endeavour for the senior citizens of Karnataka.

“But it is not enough,” said Chandravati. “All our money goes towards medical expenses.”

Every year, the central and state government doles out welfare schemes and subsidies that aim to enhance capacity for fishing, and improve the socio-economic condition of those working in fisheries. Given the current scenario, do these subsidies do anything for the welfare of the small scale fisherfolk? We find out in the next story.

(Source: india.mongabay.com)

Eco

IQ

1. Is the following statement true or false? The United States is a net exporter of most raw materials used by industry today.

2. Which one of the six most common building materials can be produced with the least impact on the environment? Would it be: brick, concrete, aluminum, steel, wood or plastic?

3. The area covered by forests in the United States today is approximately how much of the land that was covered by forests in the 1600s? About 20 percent, 50 percent, 70 percent or 100 percent.

4. Is the following statement true or false? Excluding Alaska, the United States has more forested area today than in 1920.

5. Which of the following three statements about United States forest production is correct? Annual forest harvest exceeds net growth of new wood. Annual forest harvest about equals net growth of new wood.

Annual forest harvest is less than the net growth of new wood.

6. What percentage, by weight, of the total amount of paper used in the United States last year was recovered for reuse? Would you say it was less than 10 percent, 20-30 percent, 40-50 percent or 60-70 percent?

7. What percentage of the fiber used to produce U.S. paper last year came from recovered paper? Would you say it was about 5 percent, 20 percent, 40 percent or 60 percent?

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by Sapna Gopal

Electric auto rickshaws repurposed to hold a kitchen are providing an innovative and ecofriendly way for women in Kerala to earn a livelihood

I

n the past couple of years, the government of India has been vocal about its intent to make electric vehicles an intrinsic part of the country's transportation sector. Beginning with electric public transit options, it is also looking at an electric transition for three-wheelers by 2023, and most two-wheelers by 2025.

A study by NITI Aayog, the government's think tank, says this transition could help save up to 64% of the country's energy costs for road transport and cut down on 37% of carbon emissions. While policy has been supportive of the electric vehicle industry, initiatives by individuals have also helped further the cause of this sector.

One such instance is that of Georgekutty Kariyanappally, Managing Director of Lifeway Solar Devices Limited.

He is credited with launching India's first solar-powered passenger auto rickshaws in Kochi on August 2016. See: New solar rickshaw offers freedom from fumes Recently, Kariyanappally's firm also launched another innovative product - electric auto rickshaws armed with a kitchen unit. Introduced in the southern state of Kerala at the Kalamassery Municipality, the initiative is called Kudumbashree's Amma Ruchi Project.

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"It all began when our maid took leave due to ill-health," said Kariyanappally, recounting how this idea took shape. "Her daughter, who is a graduate, came to work instead. When I spoke to her, I realised that she had been looking for a job in Kochi, but was unable to get one since she lacked knowledge in computers and was not proficient in English. Hence, she decided it would be better to work as a domestic help.

This compelled me to initiate the Electric Vehicle Kitchen Unit."

Initially, there were some challenges as the electric auto had to be introduced on a grassroots level. These vehicles are powered by a battery, which can be charged either from the power grid, solar panels, a generator or a windmill. The key is to ensure that the battery remains charged. For lighting, a panel was placed on the rooftop and this was connected to another set of batteries and LED lights, he explained.

Carbon-free vehicles The main aim is to have carbon-free vehicles plying on the road, be it public transport or for the movement of goods, added Kariyanapally.

While the concept of mobile food kiosks is new to India, it is an advantage in large cities since roadside vendors use up a lot of space and footpaths end up being clogged with their presence. These electric autos, he believes, are a solution to this problem as it will enable vendors of groceries, vegetables and fish, to use them and sell their products during peak hours.

Also, they will ensure they go back home after their business is done. Thus,

roads in a city and the sidewalks will be free for cleaning by the civic body at night.

Kariyanappally believes that providing women with these vehicles will not only help them but their families as well.

"Empowering a woman means the entire family will be empowered in the process.

Furthermore, it engages them and gives them employment," he said. "This kind of a project can be used to uplift not just women, but men as well. Instead of searching for jobs, this initiative will ensure employment and be lucrative."

The economics are encouraging, since the mobile kitchens will help women to earn INR 2,500 to INR 3,000 (USD 35-50) every day. "They will get a 30% margin for the business they do. Even if they work for 25 days in a month, they will earn approximately INR 70,000 (a year), thereby ensuring a paradigm shift in their lives and empowering them in the process," Kariyanappally said.

Following in the footsteps of the Kalamassery municipality, other civic bodies in Kerala have also approached Kariyanappally to introduce these vehicles.

Encouragingly, the federal government's Deendayal Antyodaya YojanaNational Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAYNULM) project that bears the interest of the loan amount, is focused on such projects. In Kerala, the state government gives INR 100,000 as subsidy for similar projects, he said.

(Source: indiaclimatedialogue.net)

Artificial Lungs Installed In Mumbai Turn Black Within Seven Days

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he pair of artificial lungs titled- 'The Billboard that breathes' was installed outside RD National College junction on Thursday, January 14, 2020. These lungs were made of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. Within three days, the colour of these lungs started turning grey. Artificial lungs put out at Bandra (West), Mumbai, to make people aware of the rising air pollution levels in the city has started turning black within just a week of installation. The initiative of setting up these lungs was taken by Jhatkaa.org, a digital advocacy organisation, in collaboration with Waatavaran Foundation, an environmental organisation, both who are a part of the Clean Air Collective in Maharashtra which is a coalition of organisations/citizen groups working on air pollution.

The pair of artificial lungs titled- 'The Billboard that breathes' was installed outside RD National College junction on Thursday, January 14, 2020. These lungs were made of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters.

Within three days, the colour of these lungs started turning grey.

Like Mumbai, artificial lungs were installed in the streets of Delhi, Lucknow and Bangalore, so that people could be made aware of the damage caused by air pollution.

Due to extreme pollution in Delhi, artificial lungs turned completely black within 6 days.

In Lucknow, the colour of artificial lungs turned black in 5 days, while in Bangalore, these lungs were fine for 25 days. "When I saw these faux lungs, I told the campaigners that these are like my lungs, which have been put up on a billboard. I will now get to see what is happening to my lungs as well as that of other Mumbaikars. This is the best possi-

ble way to demonstrate to people what is happening inside their body when they inhale polluted air," said Dr Sanjeev Mehta, Chief Pulmonologist, Lilavati hospital.

Mehta added that people will forget, Air Quality Index (AQI) or Particulate Matter levels but will never forget the sight of these black lungs at the traffic junction. "I feel it's important that more such 'Billboard that breathes' should be placed across the city to create a strong public opinion," he added.

"Professionals, businessmen and corporates all travel in private cars. Three lakh cars come to the Bandra Kurla Complex every day. That has impacted air quality. The main cause of air pollution is vehicular emission. Second is dust from construction," NDTV quoted Bhagwan Kesbhat, the founder of an environmental organization called Waatavaran.

(Source: thelogicalindian.com)

March 2020

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Is zero budget natural farming the way forward?

A

recent study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water offers insights into Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) vis-Ă -vis its effect on the economics of agriculture in Andhra Pradesh. The study titled ‘Can Zero Budget Natural Farming Save Input Costs and Fertiliser Subsidies?

Evidence from Andhra Pradesh’ compares costs of ZBNF inputs and practices with the costs of chemical inputs such as fertilisers and pesticides for the farmer. It also estimates the potential savings

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in fertiliser subsidies at different stages of ZBNF penetration for the state.

The study is a first-of-itskind, independent evaluation of zero budget natural farming that shows the multiple benefits of shifting away from chemical farming practices. It was conducted through a primary survey of about 600 farmers across all agro-climactic zones in Andhra Pradesh. It attempts to look at the budgetary savings that come from alternative agricultural practices.

Post green revolution, agri-

culture in India has relied heavily on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, whose excessive use has led to diminishing marginal utility resulting in declining net incomes and growing debt for farmers. It also poses a threat to soil health, groundwater purity, local biodiversity and human health. The inherent unsustainability of chemical-based agriculture and its contribution to the ecological and agrarian crises have led to a demand for sustainable agriculture practices.

Andhra Pradesh scales

up ZBNF In 2015, the Government of Andhra Pradesh mandated Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, a state-owned, non-profit organisation to scale-up ZBNF practices to cover all six million farmers and eight million hectares of agricultural land in the state by 2024. The programme aims to promote climate-resilient, chemical-free, ecological agriculture and provide small and marginal farmers with profitable livelihoods from agriculture.

ZBNF could potentially reinvigorate rural economies and reduce credit risks for farmers caused by high-input resourceintensive chemical farming.

The burden of fertiliser subsidy Fertiliser subsidy in the country amounting to close to INR 79,960 crore in 2019-20 constitutes a sizeable portion of the government’s agricultural subsidies. The urea subsidy alone corners more than 60 percent of the allocation, the rest being nutrient-based subsidies. The total outlay on fertiliser subsidies in 2017–18 in Andhra Pradesh alone is INR 3,485 crore.

The study captured information on the socioeconomic characteristics of the farmers and data on their landholding size, crops cultivated, input costs, and chemical and natural fertiliser consumption.

Multi-cropping and inter-cropping encouraged under ZBNF In the study sample, out of the 254 ZBNF farmers, 77 percent use all-natural inputs and the remaining 23 percent are partial ZBNF farmers as the transition from chemical-based practices to natural farming is an incremental and iterative process.

Almost twelve percent of ZBNF farmers were growing fruits and vegetables as their main kharif crop as compared to three percent of non-ZBNF farmers.

The study establishes the fertiliser savings potential with the scaling-up of ZBNF, but further rigorous evidence is needed to understand ZBNF’s impact on improving crops’ climate resilience, the soil health, local biodiversity, and water-use in agriculture.

Budgetary savings in ZBNF The study found that if ZBNF was scaled up across Andhra Pradesh, it would considerably alter the landscape of chemical inputs in agriculture, particularly fertilisers.

The avoided fertiliser subsidies from scal-

ing ZBNF would lead to significant budgetary savings, which could be redirected towards more sustainable uses, including funding ZBNF scaling up efforts. Some key findings include On an average, to cultivate rice, farmers spent INR 5,961 per acre on chemical inputs while farmers who were practicing complete ZBNF spent INR 846 per acre on natural inputs.

ZBNF farmers cultivating maize spent INR 503 per acre on natural inputs, whereas farmers using chemical inputs, on an average, spent INR 7,509 per acre.

To cultivate groundnut, a farmer using chemical inputs spent INR 1,187 per acre as against INR 780 per acre spent by complete

Based on the actual reported consumption of fertilisers in the survey, the estimated annual subsidy outlay for Andhra Pradesh is 2,154 crores. This estimate in the counterfactual scenario is only about 60 percent of the actual subsidy outlay for Andhra Pradesh - INR 3,485 crores - for 2017-18.

Against the counterfactual scenario calculated from the survey, Andhra Pradesh can save fertiliser subsidy worth INR 517 crore if 25 percent of cropped area (low policy scenario) in the state adopts ZBNF, including partial ZBNF. Similarly, the annual subsidy savings would be INR 1,553 crore with 75 percent (medium policy scenario) and INR 2,071 crores with 100 per-

ZBNF farmer.

The median input cost of ZBNF farmers cultivating rice was INR 12,200 per acre compared to non-ZBNF farmers who reported it to be INR 14,700.

For maize cultivators, the median expenditure per acre for ZBNF farmers was INR 15,660 while that for non-ZBNF farmers was INR 17,425.

The median per acre input cost of ZBNF farmers cultivating groundnut was, however, higher - INR 12,483 - as compared to the median of INR 9,996 for the non-ZBNF group.

A ZBNF farmer cultivating rice can avoid fertiliser consumption by 83 to 99 percent. For groundnut, ZBNF would lead to reduction of urea use by almost 70 per cent in urea and diammonium phosphate (DAP) use by 91 percent.

cent (high policy scenario) cropped area under ZBNF. If ZBNF adaptors completely transition to the practice with no use of chemical inputs, the subsidy savings would be INR 539 crore annually in a low policy scenario.

In a high policy scenario, the subsidy savings would be INR 2,154 crore annually a 100 percent savings against the counterfactual scenario.

The study was carried out to improve the current understanding of ZBNF and aims to highlight the differences between ZBNF cohorts and those practising chemicals-based agriculture in terms of fertiliser consumption. It also provides an estimate for the savings in fertiliser subsidies resulting from reduced fertiliser consumption due to ZBNF adoption.

(Source: indiawaterportal.org)

March 2020

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Environment & people

Negotiations are ramping up on a new framework for the Convention on Biological Diversity. Can they deliver a new deal for nature?

D

ubbed by some the “other COP”, UN negotiations over revised biodiversity targets and a new international framework for nature restoration and conservation have not had the same media or political profile as those on climate change.

However, the issue of biodiversity loss has gained ground in the past ten months, since the publication of the landmark report

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by scientists on the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, which stated that one million species were facing extinction.

Businesses have also been found to be more dependent on nature than previously thought, with approximately USD 44 trillion of economic value generation – equivalent to half the world’s GDP – moderately or highly dependent, according to a report published by the World Economic Forum and consultancy PwC. The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recently published its initial proposals for the framework. This “zero draft” will be discussed at a series of meetings in the run-up to the final Conference of Parties

(COP), to be hosted by China in Kunming in October, with the first scheduled for the end of February.

Now that solid proposals are on the table, we explore five key points.

Areas protected for nature should be increased National parks and other protected areas cover 15% of land and 10% of territorial waters. This is widely recognised as nowhere near sufficient. The zero draft proposes that at least 60% of important sites be protected by 2030, covering at least 30% of land and sea areas, with at least 10% under strict protection.

The increase has been broadly welcomed by scientists and environmental

campaigners, for whom this was a major demand. “We think this is a pretty good starting point. But we’re not naïve, we’re expecting a lot of heated political discussion on this,” says Li Shuo, senior climate and energy policy officer at Greenpeace China.

Callum Roberts, a professor and marine conservation biologist at the University of York, believes that the politics around protected areas will be tricky. “There’s a delicate balance being played out here. If the text is too prescriptive about protected areas, that will scare some countries. They may be unwilling to sign up and we won’t get the agreement necessary. On the other hand, I don’t want there to be no target in there – it’s important that we’re ambitious in this draft.”

For Brian O’Donnell, director of the Campaign for Nature, the targets are good, but too vague. “There are some concerns about the wording – only 10% will be in strict protection – what about the rest? How will it be managed in a way that ensures conservation?” he says.

Implementation must significantly improve Matt Walpole, senior director of conservation programmes at Fauna and Flora International, stresses that lack of focus on implementation is the main reason previous attempts to halt biodiversity loss have failed.

Unlike the Paris Agreement, where governments bring their commitments to action to be debated at the negotiations, the CBD merely agrees the wording of the framework, then devolves detailed action to governments to take forward.

“At the point at which the mechanism is agreed, there is no commitment to action,” he says. “It doesn’t get us to the detail of how we make the changes, and that signifi-

cantly weakens the convention.”

Linda Krueger, senior policy advisor at The Nature Conservancy, says that implementation depends on the involvement of all of society. “The right stakeholders are not engaged. Ministers of energy, transportation and industry all need to be involved in implementing the agreement.

And they’re probably not even aware that this is happening.”

A boost in finance is critical This is another political hot potato for the CBD, says Li. “The dynamic is similar to the climate talks: developing countries are seeking financial support from those that are more developed. At the CBD, it’s primarily African countries that are asking for this,” he says.

Roberts says that the amount spent on biodiversity needs to be significantly boosted. “We need to spend a lot more heavily on biodiversity protection in the coming decades if we’re going to come anywhere close to achieving the ambition in the zero draft,” he says.

O’Donnell says that finance should come from all sectors, including governments, businesses and philanthropy. But discussions on finance have yet to really get going, he reports. “There’s been much more focus on the policy, science and place-based discussions. That will really be the make or break – if the targets are not met with enhanced financing, then they’re not going to achieve their objective.”

Indirect drivers need accounting for The zero draft recognises the role of unsustainable consumption in biodiversity loss, saying that “people everywhere” should moderate consumption and lifestyles so that levels are sustainable by 2030. But

the extent to which the framework will target such issues, which also include population, trade and the extractive sectors, will be a “big debate”, predicts Li. “Some of those are not necessarily reflected in the zero draft, but I can tell you that in the negotiations those issues are being discussed quite a bit. Indirect drivers are a little bit beyond the CBD’s remit, but at the same time are major contributors of biodiversity loss,” says Li. Climate and biodiversity need tackling together The zero draft recognises the role of nature in mitigating climate change by proposing that nature-based solutions such as sequestering carbon in soils, trees and oceans provide around 30% of the effort needed to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. O’Donnell welcomes the move, adding that such coordination of the two objectives has been missing in the past.

Roberts is also pleased, and says that both challenges need to be tackled together for either to be successful. “Unless we go much higher on our climate ambition, we’re not going to stem biodiversity loss, and unless we go much higher in protected area coverage, we’re not going to implement nature-based solutions to climate mitigation on a large enough scale to make any difference at all.”

As these issues are fleshed out in the run up to October, many commenters believe that China is ideally placed to host the biodiversity COP, as it is already implementing its concept of “ecological civilisation” through its ecological red lines strategy to balance economic growth with ecological and environmental protection.

(Source: thethirdpole.net)

March 2020

31

Environment & people

I

f you are excited at the slightest mention of adventure and keep looking out for activities to try then paragliding in Manali is for you.

Located in the Kullu district of the northern state of Himachal Pradesh, Manali offers a breathtaking view of the snow-clad mountains of Pir Panjal and Dhauladhar ranges of the Himalayas.

Forests with tall pine and eucalyptus trees, gushing streams and meadows with rich coloured flowers greet a traveller on reaching the small town of Manali.

Manali is also an adventurer's paradise.

Offering the gliders a scenic view and clean atmosphere in their glide from 2050 metres above sea level. Trekkers and hikers also visit Manali across the year to enjoy their stint through the Beas Kund trek and Bhrigu Lake Trek. Manali is the starting point of an early trade route to Ladakh that connected to the Tarim Basin through the Karakoram Pass.

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The town also attracts historians who come to visit the Naggar castle. Manali serves as a haven for photographers too! Solang Valley, another picturesque town near Manali also offers a number of adventure activities like zorbing and horse-riding. It is also a well-known skiing destination for adventure lovers. But that is all about what Manali offers. However, paragliding in Manali is a completely different experience and something you must try.

5 Best Places For Paragliding in Manali If you are on a lookout for the best places for paragliding in Manali then we have prepared a list for you to take a quick glance at and choose what suits you best. " Solang Valley " Fatru " Bijli Mahadev " Kangra Valley " Marhi

1. Solang Valley Solang valley is well known to offer a complete taste of this adventure activity. A mere 15km from Manali, Solang valley is favoured by most tourists who wish to try their hands on paragliding in Manali. The magnificent view and lush greenery adds to the charm, making it perfect for paragliding in Manali. Soar up in the sky with the help of experienced instructors who will guide you through the activity, as well as its do's and don'ts.

Duration: 20 minutes

3. Bijli Mahadev What is known about this place is that it is one of the most famous treks in Manali. What is unknown is that it is even more amazing and awe-inspiring when it comes to paragliding in Manali which is prefered the most. Located in Kullu Manali which is surrounded by Parvati Valley range and covered with beautiful and colorful flowers which make for a sight to behold, it is a spot framed for Bijli Mahadev.

Duration: 20 to 30 minutes

2. Fatru he location provides one of the best paragliding in Manali experiences to look forward to. Considering the conditions prevail right, this place is preferred by individuals who enjoy a longer flight time. Fatru is a decent option for people who are more experienced and have tried paragliding a few times before, for shorter durations. The spectacular view from the sky is as ravishing as can get and makes the experience worth your while. The experience gives such a great adrenaline rush, making you feel high on self-accomplishment.

Duration: 30 minutes

4. Kangra Valley Adventure junkies are often drawn to the paragliding adventure at the Bir Billing stretch. The flight takes off from the spectacular sight of Bir while landing takes place at the dainty region of Billing. The place is filled with adventure seekers between the months of August to November. During these months, the yearly Himalayan paragliding pre-event is also conducted. As you glide in the sky like a free bird, you can indeed enjoy the true beauty of the Kangra Valley.

Duration: 15 to 30 minutes

5. Marhi Another one of the famous spots for paragliding in Manali, Marhi is very popular among tourists and why not! Offering stunning views of the Dhauladhar Range, Marhi is indeed amazing. The views you will have while paragliding here are impressive and unforgettable and you will keep coming back for more. Situated at a height of about 3360 meters, Marhi is what you were looking for.

Duration: 20 minutes.

Tips For Paragliding In Manali l Make sure to carry appropriate government-issued documents that prove your identity, like your passport or ADHAAR card. l It is better to keep a local guide and an experienced paraglider who can communicate and assist you as well as can communicate with the local people. It makes easy for you to communicate with the local people and people of different communities.

Also, it assures you to have a safer paragliding experience. l Follow the instructions of the experienced paraglider carefully to have a safe journey. l Check the equipment provided thoroughly before starting your ride. l Carry your own sleeping bags, yoga mats, tents, water bottles etc. you might need if you are planning for a trip of paragliding around several places around Manali l Although there are ATMs, the availability of ATMs becomes less frequent as you move away from the city area, so make sure you have enough cash on hand at all times. l Take your own first aid kit with you and don't forget to take your regular medicines with you. Keep medicines for common cold and fever with you all the time as the weather is very different. l As you are travelling from Mumbai, take care of the weather. Be sure that it is not rainy. l Altitude sickness is something that is likely to affect you as you go higher up the mountains-the lack of oxygen and changes in air pressure may cause nausea, dizziness and in rare cases, pulmonary oedema! Make sure you check with your doctor first and go slowly.

March 2020

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Environment & people

Media Spotlight: Hey, what about us?

Covid-19 World Tour: The coronavirus is spreading fast.

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Environment & People

RNI - 63997/94