(Feature image: Condition of a RWH structure in Karnal. The Tribune)

As India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared onset of 4 month South West Monsoon in Kerala on May 29, 2022 and published map of monsoon onset in rest of the country, key highlight of the news this week is how callous, non-serious is the govt in harvesting the rain where it falls. This is in spite of all the sloganeering about harvesting rain where and when it falls right from Prime Minister to downstairs. As they say, our actions speak louder than our words. The news came from Delhi and Karnal (Haryana) that in both states the rainwater systems even in government premises are lying defunct if all built.

The story would be similar from rest of the country. This also shows how serious is the government in working towards sustaining groundwater, India’s water lifeline as the biggest help GW can get is from harvesting rain where it falls, when it falls. This is particularly pertinent in the context of changing rainfall pattern with changing climate. If we had systems in place to harvest rain when and where it falls, it would also help reduce the flood peaks significantly. But until the government shows it is serious through demonstrable evidence of functioning rain water harvesting systems all across the river basins across India, there will be little morale authority in government pushing rest of us working to harvest rain, where and when it falls.

Delhi City fails to harvest rainwater While officials at Delhi Jal Board claimed they didn’t have data on RWH on the private buildings and residential colonies, most of the public complexes have no way to conserve rainwater or have defunct harvesting pits choked with mud, pebbles and horticultural waste. While rainwater harvesting is one of the key components of Delhi government’s plan to supply clean drinking water to people 24 hours a day in three years’ time, the 2022-23 state budget admitted that RWH was yet to catch on in any big way.

According to the Delhi Economic Survey 2021-22, DJB has implemented RWH in 594 installations of the water utility. Harvesting systems have also been installed in 3,687 of Delhi’s 4,778 schools. In 413 schools, RWH devices are being constructed, while work on the same is to begin in 449 institutions. However, there is no mention in the survey of the adoption of the technology by the private sector and things are not moving at the desired pace there. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/in-the-pits-delhi-fails-to-harvest-rainwater/articleshow/91842600.cms  (28 May 2022)

Karnal RWH systems lying defunct Monsoon is just round the corner, but a majority of the rainwater harvesting systems are lying defunct across the district, derailing the aim of recharging water table. there are around 800 rainwater harvesting systems across the district. Of them 30 were installed under the Smart City project, while 397 were set up by the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation at different locations in the district. Besides, the Panchyati Raj and Irrigation Departments have also constructed a number of water harvesting systems, but a majority of them are of no use, say the sources. The condition of these systems is worrisome in government institutions. A system had been installed at the mini secretariat, but the authorities haven’t paid any heed as it hasn’t been cleaned for a long time. Similarly, both the systems in Government Senior Secondary School, Sikri, two at a primary school in Sikri, one at Government Senior School, Subhri, are lying defunct. The situation in almost similar in most of the schools and government buildings.

– “I have directed the departments concerned to get the rainwater harvesting systems cleaned before the arrival of monsoon. All institutions should also maintain these systems. I will check the working of the systems in coming days”, said Anish Yadav, Karnal Deputy Commissioner. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/monsoon-on-doorstep-but-water-harvesting-systems-lying-defunct-398498  (27 May 2022)

HYDRO POWER PROJECTS

Arunachal Pradesh Contentious Etalin HEP waits for FAC approval The contentious Etalin hydroelectric project in Dibang Valley has been cleared by the power ministry and impact assessment division of the environment ministry and is awaiting approval of the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC). A four-member committee has been formed by the FAC to address all apprehensions and representations by various environmental groups on the project’s impact on wildlife and biodiversity. It has been directed to submit a report in this regard within three weeks for the FAC to decide on the forest clearance for the project, according to minutes of the FAC meeting on May 11 which have been uploaded on the environment ministry’s Parivesh website. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/contentious-hydro-electric-project-gets-govt-nod-fac-approval-awaited-101653676844159.html  (28 May 2022)

Ladakh Govt working on 10 hydel projects in Leh, Kargil These 10 projects are: Durbuk Shyok, Nimu Chilling, Kiru, Tamasha, Kalaroos-II, Baltikulan Small, Kargil Hunderman, Phagla, Kulan Ramwari and Mandi. Of these, five each are in Leh and Kargil, both in the UT of Ladakh. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/nation/govt-working-on-10-hydel-projects-in-leh-kargil-398471  (27 May 2022)

Himachal Pradesh Kinnaur’s chilgoza pine trees make way for hydro projects The local people in Kinnaur are protesting against approvals given to new hydro projects which they fear will destroy the chilgoza trees, an important cash crop in the region. https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/kinnaurs-chilgoza-pine-trees-make-way-for-hydropower-projects/  (23 May 2022)

Report Labour laws for migrant workers violated The extremely tragic death of 10 workers at a tunnel construction site in Ramban on Jammu-Srinagar highway has again drawn attention to the serious hazards faced by workers employed in highways and dams in Himalayan region, several of them in very remote areas. These workers were trapped after a landslide hit the under-construction tunnel on May 19, followed later by one more landslide. Apart from these deaths, the remaining workers suffered injuries. Numerous cases of landslides and accidents in the course of construction and widening work on highways have been reported from the Himalayan region. In addition the work on dams and hydro projects in the Himalayan region has also involved increasing risks for workers, generally migrant workers from remote areas with hardly any local resource base. https://www.counterview.net/2022/05/himalayan-tragedy-labour-laws-for.html  (27 May 2022)

INTERSTATE WATER DISPUTES

Godavari Water Disputes Lift irrigation plan kicks up fresh row The Andhra government came up with the new scheme – Polavaram lift irrigation scheme – in April 2021 to lift the water from the dead storage level of the Polavaram project into the right main canal during the non-monsoon season when the water level in the reservoir is low. The scheme, estimated to cost around ₹767 crore, is awaiting technical approval from the Central Water Commission. In a letter to the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB), constituted by the Union ministry of Jal Shakti, Telangana engineer-in-chief (irrigation) C Muralidhar said as per the AP Reorganisation Act, the Andhra Pradesh government cannot take up any new irrigation schemes on the Godavari river. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/godavari-river-lift-irrigation-plan-kicks-up-fresh-row-101653419839615.html  (25 May 2022)

IRRIGATION

Gujarat Farmers demand filling of Karmavat Lake with Narmada water Thousands of farmers and residents undertook a huge rally pressing for their demand to fill the Karmavat lake with Narmada water at Vadgam tehsil in Banaskantha’s Palanpur town On May 26 2022. They also handed over a memorandum to the district collector. The rally was led by the Karmavat Mukteshwar Jal Andolan Committee headed by local farmers from the region. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/gandhinagar/farmers-demand-filling-of-karmavat-lake-with-narmada-water-hold-rally-gujarat-7938470/  (27 May 2022)

Haryana Rs 70 lakh spent but pipeline fails to supply water Research farms of the Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) on about 200 acres in Hisar are unable to get adequate canal water supply for irrigation even after spending Rs 70 lakh for fetching canal water via a specially laid 4 km long pipeline 2016. Sources said that due to an alleged technical defect related to the levelling of the pipeline, the pipeline is unable to get water to the fields at tail end for irrigation, resulting in wastage of funds and low yield from the fields.

The work was done by a contractor through the Central Public Works Department. However, when the channel failed to fetch water, OP Dhillon, in-charge of the research farm, wrote a letter to the higher authorities in 2017 highlighting the shortcomings in the pipeline and requesting it to be rectified. However, Dhillon got transferred after some time. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/rs-70-lakh-spent-but-pipeline-fails-to-supply-water-to-wheat-research-institute-farm-398823  (28 May 2022)

URBAN RIVERS

Mula-Mutha; Pune RFD project does not consider ecology, hydrogeology, climate change, say experts India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Pune’s River Rejuvenation Project in March, announcing the commencement of the ambitious project that aims to redesign and reengineer a 44-kilometre stretch of the Mula, Mutha, and Mula-Mutha rivers in order to clean and beautify the river within city limits.

– The idea for the project was first floated five years ago by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project has been compiled by HCP Design, Planning, and Management Pvt Ltd, the consultant hired for the project, who has previously worked on the Sabarmati Riverfront Development and the Central Vista Project.

– While concerned citizens, environmentalists, and experts agree that the rivers need to be cleaned, they contend that the DPR takes a piecemeal and unscientific approach to river rejuvenation, and fails to take into account the current science on ecology, climate change and hydrogeology. https://india.mongabay.com/2022/05/punes-proposed-river-rejuvenation-project-does-not-consider-ecology-hydrogeology-and-climate-change-say-experts/  (27 May 2022)

Bhopal Sewage being discharged in Kaliasot river despite warning.

RIVERS

Study First global compilation of river avulsions Large floods will sometimes force a river to jump course and forge a new path across the landscape, in rare and catastrophic events known as river avulsions. These events can wipe out entire cities along the largest waterways, yet they also create the fertile deltas that have nurtured many societies.

A UC Santa Barbara-led team of scientists has just published the first global compilation of river avulsions in the journal Science. The study corroborates roughly a decade of theoretical and experimental work by the group, which fleshed out avulsions from what had been an understudied curiosity.

“This dataset provides the first unambiguous test of the theory, which demonstrates that there are three distinct regimes of avulsions on fans and deltas,” said co-author Vamsi Ganti, an assistant professor at UCSB’s Department of Geography. “This is a long way from where we started,” he added. “A decade ago, avulsions were thought to be these chaotic and stochastic events that were not very predictable.” https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2022-05-rivers-global-river-avulsions.amp  (26 May 2022)

The common thread tying all three categories is sediments, Rajiv Sinha, Professor, Department of Earth Sciences at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, told Down To Earth. He was not involved in this study. Sediments are known to fill up river beds, forcing rivers to seek new channels during floods, according to experts.

The study has compiled data from several different locations worldwide, Sinha said. But the downside is that it has not captured the complete picture, he added. For example, the study has not looked at the role of embankments — barriers created along rivers to protect against floods — in triggering avulsions, he said. Kosi-like systems bring a lot of sediments from the Himalayas. After embankments were made on either side of the river in the 1950s, it became much more unstable, Sinha highlighted.

The avulsion in the Kosi River, according to him, is not happening naturally. “Before the embankment, the river could distribute sediments along the 200-kilometre stretch. Now that has been reduced to 10 km,” he said.  The flow of sediments has not changed, but the area available for its movement has gone down, he explained. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/kosi-river-course-change-not-natural-says-study-on-location-of-avulsions-83046  (27 May 2022)

Yettinahole Project Not a drop at end of the pipeline after spending Rs 22K cr A portion of the Western Ghats at Habbanahalli village in Karnataka’s Hassan district collapsed March 14, 2022, damaging pipelines and a tunnel laid for the Yettinahole water project. The inoformation was confirmed by officials of the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam Limited (KNNL), the lead authors of the project. Over 2,000 tonnes of loose soil slid down the hill and fell on about 2 km of pipeline in the most difficult terrain of the Western Ghats. The landslip has also damaged a tunnel constructed for the maintenance of the pipeline. The Yettinahole diversion project is being planned by KNNL as a drinking water supply scheme. The government-owned corporation aims to fill up 725 tanks in five districts with 24 thousand million cubic feet (tmc) water lifted from the depths of the Western Ghats at Yettinahole to the ridgeline of the Shirady ghat at Sakleshpur. The water will then be pumped into a pipeline that stretches 873 kilometres, denuding 600 acres of forests. A large precipice was created during construction of the tunnel that was damaged. This was an engineering failure, said MG Hegde, leader of the Save Netravathi River movement. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/environment/yettinahole-water-project-not-a-drop-at-end-of-the-pipeline-after-spending-rs-22-000-crore-82049  (23 March 2022)

Punjab Netizens run Twitter campaign against pollution After recent reports of tubewells throwing up highly polluted blackish water at a couple of places, including at a village in Sangrur, and images of black water flowing in Ferozepur canal from Harike head works, Punjabi netizens took to Twitter on Sunday (May 22) in a major way to rake up issue of water pollution in the state. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/pb-netizens-run-twitter-campaign-against-pollution/articleshow/91730575.cms  (22 May 2022) https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/netizens-run-campaign-against-water-pollution-across-punjab-urge-cm-bhagwant-mann-to-take-action/articleshow/91755181.cms  (24 May 2022)

With Aam Aadmi Party nominating environmentalist Balbir Singh Seechewal more known as ‘Eco Baba’, for Rajya Sabha, the environmentalists are happy that now more concerted efforts could be made for water conservation and contamination in water stressed Punjab. Before the February 20 assembly elections in Punjab, Seechewal with environmentalists had visited various places in Punjab asking political parties to adopt ‘Green Agenda’ for saving the environment from further getting degraded. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/with-balbir-singh-seechewal-known-as-eco-baba-for-rajya-sabha-more-efforts-expected-against-water-contamination/articleshow/91856062.cms  (28 May 2022)

Images of black water being released into the Ferozepur feeder canal from Harike headworks have flooded the Internet in the past few days, with the Punjab Water Resources department issuing an advisory on May 16 asking residents not to use the water released in the canal for the purpose of drinking. A Punjab Pollution Control Department member, on Thursday (May 19), however, contradicted the state water department’s claim and stated that the water in the canal could be made drinkable after treatment. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/amritsar/black-water-in-ferozepur-canal-punjab-pollution-board-says-water-still-drinkable-7926858/  (20 May 2022)

Chhattisgarh Water pollution level in Swarnarekha alarming Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy Friday (May 27) expressed serious concern about the rising levels of pollution in the Swarnarekha river largely caused by industrial and municipal sources. Addressing a press meet to discuss the findings of Swarnarekha pollution review tour undertaken by him from 22nd May to 27th May, Roy said river water in Jamshedpur and Ranchi had become highly polluted and was thus a major cause of concern for all stakeholders. “Due to growing encroachment of drains and rivers, the situation is becoming worse. The rivers are not getting enough space for self cleaning and self treatment. This is resulting in reduced volume of water in rivers,” said Roy. https://avenuemail.in/water-pollution-level-in-ranchi-and-jamshedpur-alarming-saryu-roy/  (27 May 2022)

GANGA Uttarakhand Ensure no untreated waste is discharged into Ganga: NGT The NGT has directed the Uttarakhand chief secretary to look into a complaint alleging discharge of untreated waste into the river Ganga in Rishikesh and ensure adequate arrangements for setting up requisite STPs in the state. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted the submission of the petitioner that agents of the municipal corporation were taking bath and washing vehicles using the tap installed outside a toilet complex on the banks of the river Ganga in Rishikesh. The tribunal’s order came on a plea seeking execution of the NGT’s January 3, 2022 order directing the Uttarakhand government to ensure that no untreated waste is discharged into the river Ganga or its tributary.

The directions came while disposing of a plea filed by Vipin Nayyar against construction activities in the flood plain zone of the river Ganga. The plea contended that the Rishikesh Municipal Corporation is constructing toilets on the flood plain zone illegally and discharging untreated waste therefrom in the Ganga. No STP has been constructed to treat the waste, the plea said. The tribunal had directed that the arrangement in question should be interim and not treated as a precedent and shifted to an appropriate location, where construction is legally allowed. “Till alternative arrangement is made, septic tanks be regularly cleaned and maintained to ensure that no untreated sewage is discharged into the river or in the open,” the NGT had said. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/ensure-no-untreated-waste-is-discharged-into-ganga-ngt-to-uttarakhand-7935858/  (25 May 2022)

YAMUNA Haryana Karnal: Flood-control measures taken up The Irrigation Department will construct 8 studs in Lalupura village and also repair 8 old ones in Kundakalan village at an estimated cost of around Rs 4 crore. Deputy Commissioner Anish Yadav has directed the officials to get the work done by June 30 so that the monsoon does not cause havoc this year. He said the department was working on 15 projects worth Rs 34.37 crore to prevent floods and also recharge groundwater. The stone-laying work would be done 100 feet inside the river from the banks which would help strengthen the embankment, he added. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/flood-control-measures-taken-up-along-yamuna-397908  (25 May 2022)

RIVERS BIODIVERSITY

Study Influence of check dams on the activity pattern and morphometric traits of overwintering tadpoles in the Western Himalaya The study presents evidence of the influence of anthropogenic habitat alterations on behaviour and morphometric traits of overwintering tadpoles, which needs to be further investigated. We also discuss the variation in nocturnal emergence, habitat selection and morphometric trait patterns in the modified habitat, potential reasons and similar behaviour in other aquatic organisms, which need to be considered while developing conservation strategies for the overwintering tadpoles in the region.  https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0075951122000469 

World Otter Day Some basic information about otters that call India home  World Otter Day is celebrated on the last Wednesday of May every year.

Otters and Rivers:- The sight of a healthy otter family playing by the riverside is not just a good sign for the otters but also for the local river and forest ecosystems. Otters keep a check on the population of other aquatic species and signify clean rivers that are free of pollutants. Conservation of rivers, therefore, becomes a vital part of protecting the species. The Chambal river, for example, was once home to a significant number of otters, but with the construction of dams in the area, the otter numbers have greatly reduced. Today, Chambal is slowly regaining its otter populations. The absence of fish ladders during dam construction is also a contributing factor as it decreases the prey base for otters, impacting local populations. Additionally, water pollution due to pesticide runoff impacts the otters and the fish they prey on.

Conservation Initiatives:- India’s first dedicated otter reserve, the Tungabhadra Otter Reserve Sanctuary, is a 34km-stretch earmarked for mammals along the river in Karnataka. The reserve is home to both the Smooth-coated Otters and the Asian Small-clawed Otters. Despite studies, otter conservation in the country is in dire need of community participation. Take the Tungabhadra river, for example, the region is an important tourist destination and is flanked by agricultural lands. It is important that the local communities, especially fishers who frequently come in contact with these mammals, understand the importance of otters in the ecosystem. https://www.natureinfocus.in/animals/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-india-s-otters  (04 Oct. 2021)

Uttarakhand Microplastic found in fish of Alaknanda Plastic fibres and particles were recently found in the guts of fishes in Alaknanda river by a team of researchers at Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University. The samples were sent to IIT-Roorkee and a public lab in Chandigarh, where analysis confirmed the presence of microplastic in the fish. To find out the type of plastic and its source in the river, researchers have now decided to collaborate with IIT-Mumbai.

“There were a lot of nano and micro particles present in the sample and to understand them, we are planning to expand the scope of this work by sharing details with IIT-Mumbai,” said Neha Butola, a researcher associated with the study. Incidentally, the same research team had earlier found “955 microplastics in the water and sediment samples of Alaknanda collected from five different places”. They had indicated that presence of such fine size plastic particles increases the effect of interaction with aquatic organisms, and had cautioned that “this possesses a greater risk to aquatic life”. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/dehradun/microplastic-found-in-fish-of-alaknanda-river-in-pauri/articleshow/91750896.cms  (24 May 2022)

रैणी-तपोवन में ऋषि गंगा और अलकनन्दा नदी में आये प्रलयकारी जल सैलाब का दुष्प्रभाव अब पारिस्थितिकि तंत्र पर भी पड़ने लगा है। अलकनंदा में मछलियों की तादात घटी है।  इसकी वजह जल सैलाब में आया आए गाद को वजह बताया जा रहा है। अलकनंदा में हिमालय ट्राउट में आई कमी का असर लोगों के रोजगार पर भी पड़ा है। रैणी-तपोवन की आपदा के वक्त जल सैलाब के साथ आए गाद से बड़ी संख्या में मछलियां मरी थीं।  रैणी आपदा की वजह से मछलियों का जीवन चक्र पूरी तरह प्रभावित हुआ है। आपदा के बाद से अब तक नदी में पहले जैसी मछलियां नहीं मिल रही हैं। जिन स्थानों पर बड़ी मात्रा में मछलियां होती थीं, वहां भी संख्या काफी कम है। मछली पकड़ कर जीविका चलाने वाले कहते हैं कि मछलियां कम होने से उनकी जीविका इससे प्रभावित हुई है।  https://www.livehindustan.com/uttarakhand/story-rainitapovan-disaster-is-also-affecting-fishes-the-number-of-fist-decreased-alaknanda-river-5201523.html  (29 Nov. 2021)

Assam Gangetic dolphin found dead in Barpeta A carcass of a Gangetic dolphin was found floating in the Pahumara river in Assam’s Barpeta district on Saturday (May 21). “We found the dead dolphin floating in the river. The dolphin was estimated to be around 70 kg”, a forest official said. The official further said, “We suspected that the Dolphin died after getting caught in a fishing net. An autopsy of the Dolphin was conducted but most of the organs of the dolphin were decomposed.” https://nenow.in/north-east-news/assam/assam-gangetic-dolphin-found-dead-in-barpeta.html  (21 May 2022)

2 Gangetic dolphins found dead The carcasses of two Gangetic dolphins, suspected to have been killed by poachers, have been recovered from Kamrup Rural district, a forest official said. The dead aquatic mammals, 1.09 metres and 1.18 metres in length respectively, were found at Salpara under Kamrup West Division on Thursday (Sept. 02, 2021).  The DFO said since the carcasses had started decomposing, the remains were buried in the presence of an authorised officer with proper documentation of the proceedings. In a submission to the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup, Bora said an investigation is underway and the report will be placed before the court in due course. https://www.theweek.in/news/sci-tech/2021/09/04/two-gangetic-dolphins-found-dead-in-assam.html  (04 Sept. 2021)

Brahmaputra tributaries no longer secure dolphin habitats Unregulated rise in human activities is causing serious degradation in dolphin habitats in the Brahmaputra. Acoustic vision being the primary mode of perceiving the environment for these animals, increasing noise levels and industrial activities cause major disruption in their perception of biologically critical sounds.

Scientists find conservation efforts of river dolphins in the Brahmaputra have largely ignored the aspect of Acoustic Habitat Degradation. Further, fishing continues to be one of the major threats to the Gangetic dolphin in the Brahmaputra. Accidental deaths of dolphins, through entanglement in fishing nets continue to concern conservationists.

On the other hand, Subansiri dolphins face severe threats of extinction from the dams upstream. Sand mining and other development activities make Kulsi dolphins all the more vulnerable. Recently one of the channels of the Kulsi was blocked by the sand mining groups impeding the free movement of the endangered species. https://nenow.in/north-east-news/brahmaputra-tributaries-no-longer-secure-dolphin-habitats.html  (23 Jan. 2019)

Uttar Pradesh हमीरपुर में यमुना नदी में मिला घायल घड़ियाल मेरापुर गाँव लोगों ने घड़ियाल का मुंह रस्सी से बंधा देखा तो इसे पकड़ कर नदी के किनारे लाये और इसका मुंह खोल कर इसे फिर नदी में छोड़ दिया। किनारे आने के बाद पता चला कि घड़ि़याल घायल है। उसकी ऊपरी चोंच का आधा हिस्सा कटा हुआ था। चोंच में रस्सी भी लिपटी हुई थी, जिससे आशंका जताई जा रही है कि घड़ियाल का किसी ने शिकार करने का प्रयास किया। https://www.bhaskar.com/local/uttar-pradesh/hamirpur/news/people-opened-their-mouths-and-left-them-back-in-the-water-the-crocodile-was-injured-129467152.html  (March 2022)

FISH, FISHERIES, FISHERFOLKS

Gujarat Behind Reports of Fishers’ Demands for Euthanasia In May 2022, 600 Macchiyaras—traditional small-scale Muslim fishers in Porbandar—approached the High Court to seek death through euthanasia alleging discrimination in accessing Gosabara wetlands and sea waters since 2016. The issue seems to go beyond the communal turn it seems to have taken, presenting a myriad of ecological contests and caste-class intersections amongst Porbandar’s small and large-scale fishing communities. https://thebastion.co.in/politics-and/environment/behind-reports-of-fishers-demands-for-euthanasia-in-porbandar-caste-class-religion-livelihoods/  (24 May 2022)

Assam Mob Torches Police Station After ‘Custodial Death’ Of Fisherman The mob set a police station on fire in Assam’s Nagaon district after the alleged death of a fisherman while in custody. The top official in the Police said that the fisherman was a resident; however, it was not clear why he was detained. The Police detained the fish trader who would catch a bus for Sivsagar on Friday (May 20). Police Demanded Bribe Of Rs 10,000 The Police had allegedly demanded ₹10,000 and a duck from the fish seller. However, later the mob said that the Police killed the local, The Economic Times reported. The family of the victim has alleged that he was unable to meet the demand for money and was assaulted in prison. https://thelogicalindian.com/trending/assam-mob-fish-trader-35671   (22 May 2022)

Maharashtra Fish die in Panchaganga d/s Ichalkaranji Incidents of fish death have been reported in the Panchaganga river, downstream of the textile town of Ichalkaranji. A couple of months ago, fish deaths were reported downstream of the Kolhapur city. Chemical analysis and field visit of a sugar factory near Kasba Bawda revealed that it was responsible for releasing untreated waste water into the river. Earlier, activists from Ichalkaranji and Shirol taluka had cautioned the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) officials that since the river is getting covered by extensive growth of water hyacinth, fish deaths may occur sooner or later. However, their warnings had fallen on deaf years. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/fish-die-in-panchaganga-downstream-of-ichalkaranji-activists-blame-textile-units/articleshow/91605956.cms  (17 May 2022)

MPCB regional officer J S Salunkhe said, “A show-cause notice has been issued to the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) on the issue of water pollution in Kotitirtha lake, due to which thousands of fishe were found floating dead over the water body. The process to take legal action against the KMC has been started.” The lake continues to be covered with dense water hyacinth. The KMC had started removing the water hyacinth last month but it has been stopped.

Dilip Desai, social activist from Kolhapur, said, “Thousands of dead fish were found in Kotitirth lake and also in Panchganga river last month. MPCB doesn’t do anything other than issuing a show-cause notice. The KMC has not taken any steps to stop the pollution or for removal of water hyacinth from the lake.” Desai added that Rankala lake has got polluted and claimed that no steps are being carried to stop the pollution. He said that removal of slurry from the Partala area of the lake is a must to stop pollution of Rankala lake. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/mpcb-notice-to-civic-body-over-kotitirth-lake-pollution/articleshow/91698031.cms  (21 May 2022)

MPCB has pinned the blame for the Panchaganga river fish death on the Ichalkaranji Municipal Council claiming that the municipal council failed to ensure treatment of 100% of wastewater being released into the river. The MPCB officials surveyed various sites and treatment plants located along the river downstream of the Ichalkaranji town. The inspection revealed that the STP of the municipal council — which is set to become a municipal corporation — is not functioning at 100% capacity. In fact, the municipal council’s STP is treating only 50% of the wastewater, the survey has found.

Jagannath Salunkhe, the MPCB regional officer, said the water level of the river is depleted due to the continuous pumping of water for irrigation. The water demand for irrigation, drinking and industrial purposes increases during the summer. “The depletion of the level has caused the water to become stagnant. The oxygen concentration in the water has dropped. As a result, aquatic life is suffering. We will request the irrigation officials to release water from the dams to ensure that the polluted water gets washed away. This may prevent further incidents of fish death,” said Salunkhe.

Meanwhile, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) leader Raju Shetti visited the site near the Terwad barrage where too fish death have been reported. He spoke to the MPCB officials and warned that they would be held responsible in case residents’ health is affected adversely. “The Panchaganga river pollution has led to the death of 25 people due to jaundice. If a similar incident happens again, we will take the MPCB officials to court and hold them responsible for any death. We will also meet higher authorities and make them take steps to stop wastewater from flowing into the river,” said Shetti. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/ichalkaranji-municipal-council-gets-blame-for-panchaganga-fish-death/articleshow/91628402.cms  (18 May 2022)

Mumbai Severe oxygen deficiency may have led to fish deaths at Banganga Tank Over 20 days after thousands of fish were found belly up in the city’s historic Banganga Tank, a probe by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which was prepared on April 29 has revealed that a severe oxygen deficiency in the water could have likely been the cause of death. Lakhs of fish were found dead and floating at the Banganga tank in April due to water pollution. This is considered to be an odd scenario in April as there are no festivals, especially the Pitrupaksha rituals, which are the main reason for the death of the fishes every year. According to the locals, during the Pitrupaksha rituals, people put a large quantity of food in the water as a symbolic offering to their ancestors. This leads to the death of fish. There is no clear policy of the government regarding it. During the lockdown, the fish at Banganga had survived during Pitrupaksha as citizens were not allowed to venture outside. https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-severe-oxygen-deficiency-may-have-led-to-fish-deaths-at-banganga-tank-in-malabar-hill  (10 May 2022)

Lakhs of fish were found dead and floating at the Banganga tank on Thursday (April 22) due to water pollution. This is considered to be an odd scenario in April as there are no festivals, especially the Pitrupaksha rituals, which are the main reason for the death of the fishes every year. Mahesh, an environmentalist of the locality said, “The dying of fishes in the Banganga is an annual affair in September due to the festivals. However, this year the fishes have died in April which was quite shocking for us. I visited the place and tried to find out what the issue was and why this place is getting worse day by day for the fishes.”

“There is leakage due to the water from the drains entering the tank and thus, polluting it. Rising temperatures might have also resulted in the deaths. Moreover, construction work of a building is in progress nearby. Water with cement and other construction material flows into the lake. All these reasons together are causing high pollution and bringing down the level of oxygen in the water which is leading the fishes to die this month,” he added. The contractor cleaning the tank on the site said that four trucks of fish were removed from the site and the cleaning process was still underway. https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/mumbai-lakhs-of-fish-die-at-banganga-tank-in-malabar-hill-area-due-to-water-pollution-watch-video  (22 April 2022)

टैंक से मरी मछलियों को निकालने का काम कर रहे बीएमसी के कर्मचारियों ने कहा कि, पिछले दो दिनों में करीब 20 से 25 क्विंटल मरी हुई मछलियों को अभी तक निकाला जा चुका है। वहीं स्थानीय लोगों ने यह भी बताया कि, जिस टैंक में मछलियां मरी हुई मिलीं वह गौड़ सारस्वत ब्राह्मण ट्रस्ट का है और ट्रस्ट ही इस टैंक की देखभाल करता है। दूसरी ओर वहां मौजूद एक सुरक्षा गार्ड ने बताया कि, इससे पहले कभी ऐसी कोई घटना नहीं हुई है, जिसमें इतनी बड़ी संख्या में मछलियां मरी हों। https://www.timesnowhindi.com/mumbai/article/large-number-of-fish-found-dead-in-banganga-tank-in-malabar-hill-mumbai-fisheries-department-start-investigation/401840  (22 April 2022)

Bihar सिवान के गंडक नदी में तैर रही हजारों मरी हुई मछलियां महाराजगंज प्रखंड के महुआरी गांव के शिव मंदिर स्थित गंडक नदी में मछलियों के मरने का सिलसिला लगातार जारी है. पिछले 10 दिनों की बात करें तो यहां हजारों से अधिक मृत मछलियां पानी की सतह पर तैरती हुई नजर आ रही हैं. स्थानीय पान व्यवसायी सुमन सिंह ने बताया कि प्रथम दृष्टया पानी अमलीय व दूषित होने का अंदेशा है. उन्होंने पानी में अमलीय व केमिकल की मात्रा होने से मछली के मरने की संभावना जतायी है. जानकारी हो कि, दूषित पानी होने के कारण मछली के प्रजनन पर असर से नया बच्चा तैयार नहीं होने के कारण मछली स्टाॅक पर असर पड़ सकता है. साथ ही, मछलियों की कमी से गरीब मछुआरों के व्यवसाय भी प्रभावित हो सकता है. https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/bihar/siwan/fish-died-in-gandak-river-of-siwan-bihar-due-to-pollution-in-river-of-bihar-news-skt  (03 March 2022)

सीवान के दरौंदा थाना क्षेत्र के कटवार चवर के एक एक निजी पोखरे में रविवार की सूबह 8 लाख रुपये की मछलियां मरी हुई पाई गईं। पानी की सतह पर उपला रही मछलियों को देख मत्स्यपालक के होश उड़ गए। इसकी सूचना उन्होंने स्थानीय थाना को दी। माना जा रहा है कि किसी ने पोखरे में जहर डाल दिया है जिससे मछलियां मर गई है। https://www.bhaskar.com/local/bihar/patna/siwan/news/fishes-worth-more-than-8-lakh-rupees-died-anti-social-elements-carried-out-the-incident-129744072.html  (01 May 2022)

Madhya Pradesh Contamination could have led to fish deaths in Govidpura Lake A preliminary investigation into the death of scores of fish in the Govidpura lake has reasoned that the deaths could possibly have been caused due to contamination and the scorching summer. Thousands of dead fish were found floating in the lake a few weeks ago. Free Press had prominently raised the issue on April 12 to attract the attention of the local administration.

This incident has again highlighted concerns about water pollution in the Govidpura lake situated 3 km away from Sardarpur tehsil in Dhar district which is the lifeline of six villages in the tehsil. The residents of Sardarpur and Rajgarh drink water of the lake, which could prove to be a health hazard. The lake is the primary source of potable water and provides water supply to farms besides being the source of income for local farmers. Vegetables are being cultivated in summer from the water of the reservoir. https://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/sardarpur-contamination-could-have-led-to-fish-deaths-in-govidpura-lake-says-prelim-probe  (29 April 2022)

मछलियां कैसे मर गईं और कितनी मछलियां मर चुकी हैं, इसकी कोई ठोस जानकारी किसी के पास भी नहीं है। तालाब के आसपास जितनी मछलियां मरी हुई नजर आ रही हैं, उस हिसाब से आकलन लगाया जा रहा है कि अनेक छोटी-बड़ी मछलियां मर चुकी हैं। मामला दो दिन से पुराना है, लेकिन जब कुछ लोग तालाब के पास पहुंचे और बदबू आई तो मामले का खुलासा हो पाया। जलाशय में अज्ञात कारणों की वजह से सैकड़ों की संख्या में मछलियां मर चुकी हैं। इससे जलाशय का पानी भी दूषित हो रहा है। मछलियों के मर जाने के बाद वे सड़ चुकी हैं और उनकी बदबू से न सिर्फ जलाशय का पानी, बल्कि आसपास की हवा प्रदूषित हो रही है। मछलियों के मरने की खबर जब ग्रामीणों को लगी तो देखने वालों का तांता लग गया। https://www.naidunia.com/madhya-pradesh/dhar-dhar-news-7490636  (27 April 2022)

पीने के पानी के बड़े स्रोत गोविंदपुरा जलाशय में मछलियों के मरने और सड़ने की सूचना के बावजूद जिम्मेदार अधिकारी और कर्मचारी बेसुध हैं। बगैर किसी रोकटोक पीने के लिए अब भी पानी सप्लाई किया जा रहा है। हालांकि सरदारपुर नगर परिषद से इंजीनियर और चार सदस्यीय टीम ने गोविंदपुरा जलाशय का दौरा करते हुए मृत मछलियों के बारे में जानकारियां एकत्रित की हैं, लेकिन प्रशासनिक स्तर पर अब तक कोई कदम आगे नहीं बढ़ा है। नतीजतन, मछलियां अब भी तालाब में ही मृत अवस्था में पड़ी हुई हैं। https://www.naidunia.com/madhya-pradesh/dhar-dhar-news-7491296  (28 April 2022)

Bhopal तालाब में मरी हजारों मछलियां https://www.ibc24.in/videos/bhopal-thousands-of-fish-died-in-the-pond-possibility-of-killing-fish-with-poison-or-chemical-895516.html  (09 May 2022)

भोपाल के बागमुफ्ती हुसैन तालाब  में रहस्यमयी तरीके से मछलियों की मौत हो रही हैं। मछलियों की रहस्यमयी मौत से हड़कंप मच गया है। इसके बाद इलाके में लोग डरे हुए हैं। मरी हुईं मछलियों से पूरा तालाब भर गया है। इसकी वजह से आसपास के इलाके में काफी बदबू भी आ रही है। वहीं, घटना सामने आने के बाद मंत्री ने इस पूरे मामले में जांच के आदेश दिए हैं। मछलियों की मौत कैसे हो रही है, इसके कारणों का खुलासा नहीं हो रहा है।गमुफ्ती हुसैन तालाब में पानी भी काफी गंदा है। आसपास के घरों से गंदा पानी भी इसमें आता है। ऐसे में यह आशंका भी व्यक्त की जा रही है कि पानी में किसी ने जहरीला केमिकल तो नहीं डाल दिया, जिसकी वजह से मछलियों की मौत हो रही है। https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/madhya-pradesh/bhopal/bhopal-pond-full-off-dead-fish-watch-video/videoshow/91541966.cms  (13 May 2022)

जबलपुर:- रानीताल तालाब में प्रदूषण के चलते मछलियों के मरने का मामला सामने आया है। सैकडों की संख्या में मछलियां मरकर पानी में उतराने से क्षेत्र में हड़कंप मचा है। मछलियों के मरने की घटना की एक बड़ी वजह तालाब का पानी प्रदूषित होना भी बताया जा रहा है तो वहीं जहर डालने से भी इंकार नहीं किया जा सकता है। तालाब के किनारे कब्जा कर बड़ी संख्या में लोगों ने मकान बना रखे हैं। जिनके घरों से निकलने वाला सीवेज का गंदा पानी तालाब में मिल रहा है। https://www.patrika.com/jabalpur-news/ranital-pond-water-turned-poisonous-hundreds-of-dead-fish-floating-7529814/  (13 May 2022)

बीना:- बेतवा नदी में अज्ञात कारणों के चलते लाखों की संख्या में मछलियां मर गई हैं। स्थिति यह है कि नदी की ऊपरी तरह मछिलयों के कारण सफेद दिखने लगी है। चार साल पहले बारिश के मौसम में इसी तरह करोड़ों की संख्या में मछलियां मर गई थी। आधिकारिक स्तर पर इसकी जांच की गई थी, लेकिन मछलियों के मरने का कारण सामने नहीं आया है। इस बार फिर लाखों की संख्या में मछलिया मर गई हैं। https://www.naidunia.com/madhya-pradesh/sagar-bina-news-6978959  (19 July 2021)

आगरा:- हरि की पौड़ी में प्रदूषित पानी के कारण फिर से मछलियां दम तोड़ने लगी हैं। श्रद्धालुओं ने हरि की पौड़ी में स्वच्छ जलापूर्ति की मांग की है। नगरपालिका ने इस संबंध में सिंचाई विभाग को पत्र लिखकर हरि की पौड़ी में जलापूर्ति करने की मांग की है। मंगलवार (May 17) की सुबह दर्शन के लिए पहुंचे श्रद्धालुओं ने जब हरि की पौड़ी में मछलियां मृत देखीं तो जानकारी नगरपालिका को दी। नगरपालिका ने कार्रवाई करते हुए हरि की पौड़ी से मृत मछलियों को बाहर निकलवा दिया। हरि की पौड़ी में पानी कम होने पर प्रदूषण का स्तर बढ़ जाता है और ऑक्सीजन लेवल कम हो जाता है और मछलियां मरने लगती हैं। दो माह पूर्व भी पानी प्रदूषित होने पर काफी मछलियां मरीं थीं। https://www.amarujala.com/uttar-pradesh/agra/fishes-died-in-har-ki-podi-again-kasganj-news-agr5338622100  (17 May 2022)

बागपत:- यमुना नदी के पानी में फैक्ट्रियों के रसायनयुक्त पानी ने लाखों मछलियों की जान ले ली। लोगों ने प्रशासन से मांग की है कि यमुना के अविरल जल को दूषित होने से बचाने के लिए फैक्ट्रियों के दूषित पानी को प्रवाहित होने से रोका जाए। शहर से गुजर रही यमुना नदी में सोमवार (May 09) को लाखों मछलियां मरी पड़ी थीं। मृत मछलियों के बीच दर्जनों कछुए भी मरे पड़े थे। https://m.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/bagpat-millions-of-fish-died-due-to-the-poisonous-water-of-yamuna-22696144.html  (09 May 2022)

कानपुर :- के अटल घाट पर मत्स्य मंत्री डॉक्टर संजय कुमार निषाद मत्स्य अंगुलिका रैचिंग कार्यक्रम के तहत गंगा में मछलियां प्रवाहित करने आये थे. लेकिन वह गंगा में मरी हुई मछलियां प्रवाहित कर गए. मंत्री डॉक्टर संजय कुमार निषाद ने मत्स्य अंगुलिका रैचिंग कार्यक्रम के तहत जैसे ही गंगा में मछलियां प्रवाहित की गईं तो सैकड़ों मछलियां मरी हुई निकली.पानी में गिरते ही मरी मछलियां पानी की सतह पर ही रह गई. बता दें कि भीषण गर्मी में प्लास्टिक के पैकेट में बंद होने से मछलियों की मौत हो गई. मत्स्य मंत्री ने पॉलिथीन का पैकेट खोलकर जैसे ही गंगा में मछली प्रवाहित की, वैसे ही कई मछलियां मरी निकली. https://www.prabhatkhabar.com/state/up/kanpur/minister-of-fisheries-sanjay-nishad-reached-in-fishing-finger-ratching-program-in-kanpur-rkt  (06 May 2022)

धर्मशाला :-उपमंडल पालमपुर के अंतर्गत दरंग परौर से निकलने वाली धीरा नौरा की तरफ जा रही ताल खड्ड में मछलियों के मरने से लोगों में भारी रोष पाया जा रहा है। गौरतलब है कि इस खड्ड में भारी संख्या में मछलियां तड़पती हुई देखी गई। वहीं पनापर में इस खंड पर बनी मिछयाल में भी सभी मछलियां मर गई। लोगों का कहना है कि खंड में परौर में कोई झाग युक्त दूषित पानी आने की वजह से यह घटना घटी है। https://dainiksaveratimes.com/2022/04/11/dead-fish-and-other-creatures-in-the-pond-coming-out-of-darrang-parour/  (11 April 2022)

जींद :- शहर के ऐतिहासिक रानी तालाब में पानी की कमी के कारण मछलियां मर गई। जिससे रानी तालाब से बदबू आ रही है। इससे लोगों में रोष है। सामाजिक संगठनों का कहना है कि प्रशासन के उदासीन रवैये की वजह से रानी तालाब में पिछले डेढ़ साल से पानी नहीं डाला गया है। जिसके कारण तालाब का पानी सूख गया और मछलियां मर गई। https://m.jagran.com/haryana/jind-the-fishes-died-due-to-less-water-in-the-rani-pond-of-jind-and-the-stench-started-coming-22690787.html  (06 May 2022)

अंबाला :- यमकेश्वर तीर्थ स्थल हुसैनी में यमकेश्वर सरोवर में पानी कम होने पर मछलियां मरने पर बीमारी फैलने के का डर है। जिससे यमकेश्वर मन्दिर की सेवा समिति ने एसडीएम को शिकायत देकर समस्या का हल करने की मांग रखी। यमकेश्वर के ट्यूबवेल का बिजली कनेक्शन कटने पर यह समस्या आई। जनस्वास्थ्य विभाग ने बिल न भरने पर कनेक्शन काट दिया। जिसके कारण गर्मी और ताजा पानी न मिलने पर सरोवर में मछलियां मर रही हैं। जिसके कारण बदबू है। मन्दिर समिति अपने खर्चे पर व ग्रामीणों की मदद से मरी हुई क्विटलों के हिसाब से मछलियों को निकलवाकर गड्ढों में दबा रही है। https://m.jagran.com/haryana/ambala-fishes-died-in-yamkeshwar-tirth-ponds-22713211.html  (14 May 2022)

पाली :- शहर के निकट स्थित मंडली गांव के तालाब में पानी की कमी के चलते सैकड़ों मछलियां मर गई। इस पर ग्रामीणों में रोष हैं। उनका कहना हैं कि प्रशासन इन जलीय जीवों के प्रति ध्यान दे ओर तालाब में पानी खाली करवाएं। जिससे तालाब में पल रही मछलियों, कछुओं आदि जीव-जन्तुओं की अकाल मौत न हो। दरअसल मंडली तालाब में जवाई बांध से आने वाले पानी को स्टोर किया जाता हैं। लेकिन वर्तमान में जवाई बांध खाली पड़ा हैं। पानी की आवक नहीं होने से धीरे-धीरे मंडली तालाब में भी पानी कम होता जा रहा हैं। कम पानी में ऑक्सीजन की कमी से मछलिया मर रही हैं। तालाब के किनारे मछलियों का ढेर लगा नजर आ रहा हैं। जिसमें बहुत सी बड़ी मछलियां भी शामिल हैं। https://www.bhaskar.com/local/rajasthan/pali/news/fishes-dying-in-mandali-pond-in-rajasthans-pali-129812848.html  (14 March 2022)

जैसलमेर:- में इंदिरा गांधी नहर बंदी के कारण सैकड़ों मछलियां मर गईं। नहर बंदी के कारण पानी सूख गया जिससे नहर में मौजूद सैकड़ों मछलियों की जान चली गई। नहरी इलाके के घंटियाली से एक ग्रामीण ने इसकी जानकारी देते हुए बताया कि लंबे समय से नहरबंदी के कारण पानी की आवक नहर में नहीं हुई। इंदिरा गांधी नहर में पानी नहीं आने से धीरे धीरे नहर सूखने लगी। नहर के सूखने से नहर में पल रही हजारों मछलियों के जीवन पर संकट आ गया है। https://www.bhaskar.com/local/rajasthan/jaisalmer/news/due-to-the-drying-of-the-canal-the-fishes-died-without-water-there-is-a-possibility-of-water-contamination-129830284.html  (Feb. 2022)

Hyderabad No annual fish ‘prasadam’ for third consecutive year There will be no fish ‘prasadam’ distribution by the Bathini Goud family for asthma patients in Hyderabad for a third consecutive year in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bathini Goud family has decided not to conduct the annual event this year too as a precautionary measure. Every year, members of the Bathini Goud family administer the ‘prasadam’ on Mrigasira Karti during the first week of June, which heralds the onset of monsoon. Despite controversies and criticism from rationalists, people continued to throng the venue in the hope of finding some relief for their respiratory problems. However, the numbers have dwindled over the years. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/no-annual-fish-prasadam-hyderabad-third-consecutive-year-164382  (26 May 2022)

SAND MINING

Report रेत खनन: 16 महीनों में 400 से अधिक मौत, पर्यावरण के साथ जान का भी नुकसान एसएएनडीआरपी के कोऑर्डिनेटर हिमांशु ठक्कर खनन के लिए स्थानीय समुदाय को साथ लेकर निगरानी समिति बनाने का सुझाव देते हैं। इनका कहना है, “सरकारी अधिकारियों को कैसे पता चलेगा कि खनन किस तरह हो रहा है। इसमें लोगों की भागीदारी जरूरी है। नदी किनारे रहने वाले लोगों को पता होता है कि खनन वैध है या अवैध। दिन या रात, मशीन या लोग, बहती नदी या नदी किनारे, किस स्तर तक खनन हो रहा है। स्थानीय लोग अहम कड़ी हैं। वे निगरानी में शामिल होंगे तभी इसका नियमन ठीक से किया जा सकेगा।” https://hindi.mongabay.com/2022/05/26/more-than-400-deaths-in-16-months-due-to-sand-mining-loss-of-life-along-with-environment/  (26 May 2022)

साउथ एशिया नेटवर्क ऑन डैम्स, रिवर्स एंड पीपल (एसएएनडीआरपी) ने दिसंबर 2020 से मार्च 2022 तक, 16 महीने में रेत खनन की वजह से होने वाली दुर्घटनाओं और हिंसा के मामलों का मीडिया रिपोर्टिंग के आधार पर अध्ययन किया है. इसके मुताबिक इस दौरान रेत खनन से जुड़ी वजहों के चलते देशभर में कम से कम 418 लोगों की जान गई है. 438 घायल हुए हैं. इनमें 49 मौत खनन के लिए नदियों में खोदे गए कुंड में डूबने से हुई हैं. ये आंकड़े बताते हैं कि खनन के दौरान खदान ढहने और अन्य दुर्घटनाओं में कुल 95 मौत और 21 लोग घायल हुए.

खनन से जुड़े सड़क हादसों में 294 लोगों की जान गई और 221 घायल हुए हैं. खनन से जुड़ी हिंसा में 12 लोगों को जान गंवानी पड़ी और 53 घायल हुए हैं. अवैध खनन के खिलाफ आवाज उठाने वाले कार्यकर्ताओं/पत्रकारों पर हमले में घायल होने वालों का आंकड़ा 10 है. जबकि सरकारी अधिकारियों पर खनन माफिया के हमले में दो मौत और 126 अधिकारी घायल हुए हैं. खनन से जुड़े आपसी झगड़े या गैंगवार में सात मौत और इतने ही घायल हुए हैं. दिसंबर 2020 से मार्च 2022 के बीच देश के उत्तरी राज्यों उत्तर प्रदेश, हरियाणा, उत्तराखंड, पंजाब, दिल्ली, जम्मू-कश्मीर और चंडीगढ़ में सबसे ज्यादा 136 मौत हुई हैं. इनमें से 24 मौत खनन के लिए खोदे गए गड्ढों में डूबने से हुई हैं. https://hindi.newslaundry.com/2022/05/27/at-least-418-people-died-across-the-country-due-to-sand-mining-related-reasons  (27 May 2022)

Bihar Journalist Reporting on Sand, Liquor Mafias Shot Dead in Begusarai A 26-year-old journalist was shot dead in front of his house in Sakho village, which falls under the Bakhri police station, in ​​Begusarai district on May 20.

According to Mahto’s relatives and journalist friends, his extensive reporting on the liquor mafia and his active support for a ward member candidate in the panchayat elections led to his murder. Saurabh Kumar, a stringer at a national channel and general secretary of Begusarai District Journalists Association, told The Wire, “In the election of a ward member, Mahto had supported a candidate and that candidate won. Apart from this, he was continuously reporting against the liquor mafia as well as the sand mafias. These can be the reasons behind his murder,” he says. https://thewire.in/media/bihar-journalist-shot-dead-begusarai  (22 May 2022)

3 brothers drown in Ganga 3 brothers drowned in the Ganga in Bhagalpur district on Friday (May 27) afternoon, police said. The 3, along with other relatives, went to the riverbank at Banteshwar Asthan to perform the death rituals of their sibling. After shaving their heads, they went into the river to take a dip, but did not realise the depth and drowned. By the time, somebody could try to come to their rescue, they disappeared in the water. The family members of the deceased said that due to illegal sand mining, the depth of the river is uneven, and the district administration has not declared the dangerous Ghats, leading to frequent accidents. https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/three-brothers-drown-in-ganga-in-bihars-bhagalpur-article-91842698  (28 May 2022)

छपरा में बालू लदे ट्रक ने किशोर को कुचला, मौत छपरा शहर से सटे मुफस्सिल थाना क्षेत्र अंतर्गत मेथवलिया चौक के समीप बालू लदे तेज रफ्तार अनियंत्रित ट्रक ने सड़क पार कर रहे एक किशोर को कुचल दिया। उसकी मौके पर ही मौत हो गई। मृतक मुफस्सिल थाना क्षेत्र के मेथवलिया गांव निवासी विद्या राय का 17 वर्षीय पुत्र लक्ष्मण बताया गया है। घटना के बाद चालक एवं खलासी ट्रक को छोड़कर भाग गए। घटना से आक्रोशित लोगों ने चौक पर आगजनी कर रोड जाम कर दिया। https://www.jagran.com/news/state-bihar-news-today-live-22-may-2022-updates-in-hindi-actress-akshara-singh-becames-fan-of-graduate-chaiwaali-price-of-petrol-and-diesel-as-well-as-weather-softened-lb-22733907.html  (22 May 2022) https://chhapratoday.com/saran/uncontrolled-truck-laden-with-sand-crushed-a-teenager-crossing-the-road/

ननौरा-मुहम्मदपुर पथ में एक सड़क दुर्घटना में एक युवक की मौत हो गई। घटना के संदर्भ में मिली जानकारी के अनुसार खपरपुरा निवासी मदन महतो का 25 वर्षीय पुत्र मनीष कुमार रौशन अन्य दिनों की भांति सोमवार भी अपनी ड्यूटी पर जाने के लिए घर से निकला था। वह एक कंपनी के शिवधारा कार्यालय में काम करता था। अपनी बाइक से घर से निकलकर जैसे ही ननौरा-मुहम्मदपुर पथ में कृपाल यादव के ईंट भट्ठा के पास आया कि ननौरा की ओर से आ रही बालू लदे ट्रक की चपेट में आ गया और ट्रक (यूपी 75 एम 9723) का अगला चक्का उसके कमर पर चढ़ गया। प्रत्यक्षदर्शियों ने बताया कि मनीष अपनी बाइक से स्लिप कर जानें के कारण गिर गया था। वर्षा होने और भट्ठा के मिट्टी जमा रहने के कारण वहां काफी फिसलन रहता है। https://www.bhaskar.com/local/bihar/darbhanga/news/a-sand-laden-truck-crushed-the-young-man-died-129843490.html  (24 May 2022)

सारण:- गड़खा थाना क्षेत्र के पिरारी गांव के समीप अनियंत्रित ओवरलोडेड बालू लदे ट्रैक्टर ने एक महिला को रौंद दिया। इससे उसकी मौत मौके पर हो गई। महिला की पहचान गड़खा थाना क्षेत्र के पिरारी कसीना गांव निवासी रामेश्वर ठाकुर की 65 वर्षीय पत्नी रामावती देवी के रूप में हुई। दुर्घटना के बाद ट्रैक्टर अनियंत्रित होकर पलट गया। इसके बाद चालक वाहन छोड़कर भागने में सफल रहा। https://sarannews24.thenewzkit.com/Accident/uncontrolled-sand-laden-tractor-crushed-woman-died-on-the-spot  (21 May 2022)

बांका में एक बार फिर बालू तस्कर पुलिस वालों पर हावी हो गए हैं. रजौन थाना क्षेत्र के कटियामा में सोमवार (May 16) की देर रात बालू तस्करों ने पुलिस टीम पर हमला कर दिया. इस घटना में दो पुलिस कर्मी जख्मी हुए हैं. पुलिस का वाहन भी क्षतिग्रस्त हुआ है. हमलावर जब्त अवैध बालू लदे ट्रैक्टर को छुड़ा ले गये. जानकारी के अनुसार प्रशिक्षु डीएसपी अर्जुन कुमार गुप्ता ने रजौन थानाध्यक्ष मनोज कुमार सिंह एवं पुलिस बल के साथ प्रतिबंधित रामपुर बालू घाट पर छापेमारी की. इस दौरान बालू तस्करों में हड़कंप मच गया. पुलिस को देखकर कई बालू तस्कर ट्रैक्टर को लेकर भाग निकले. इस दौरान पुलिस ने अवैध बालू लदे एक ट्रैक्टर को मौके से जब्त कर लिया. ट्रैक्टर चालक मौके से भागने में सफल रहा. जब्त ट्रैक्टर को पुलिस द्वारा थाना लाया जा रहा था. ट्रैक्टर के पीछे रजौन पुलिस की गाड़ी आ रही थी. पुलिस टीम पर पत्थरबाजी: इसी दौरान अचानक कटियामा सड़क मार्ग के पास काफी संख्या में बालू तस्करों ने पुलिस टीम पर हमला कर दिया. हमलावरों की पत्थरबाजी में पुलिस का वाहन बुरी तरह क्षतिग्रस्त हो गया. इसमें सवार सिपाही माधव कुमार एवं चौकीदार पप्पू पासवान गंभीर रूप से जख्मी हो गए. https://www.etvbharat.com/hindi/bihar/state/banka/police-team-attacked-in-banka-by-sand-mafia/bh20220517184613658658637 ; https://www.etvbharat.com/hindi/bihar/state/banka/mini-hiva-and-tractor-sized-in-banka/bh20220417174546450450445  (17 May 2022)

नवादाः जिले के हिसुआ थाना इलाके में बालू माफिया ने फिर से पुलिस को निशाना बनाया। माफिया ने पुलिस पर हमला कर जब्त अवैध बालू लदे ट्रैक्टर को छुड़ा लिया। हमले में कुछ पुलिसकर्मी चोटिल भी हुए। जिनका इलाज पीएचसी हिसुआ में किया जा रहा है। घटना शनिवार (30 April) की रात को बुधौल-बढ़ौना गांव में हुई। बताया जा रहा है कि पुलिस गुप्त सूचना पर जयश्री विगहा गांव में शराब के ठिकाने पर कार्रवाई कर वापस लौट रही थी। रास्ते में बढौना गांव के समीप बालू लदा तीन ट्रैक्टर को थानाध्यक्ष राजीव कुमार पटेल ने जब्त कर लिया। तीनों ट्रैक्टर को थाना लाया जा रहा था। तभी कुछ दूरी पर बुधौल गांव के समीप पांच-छह बाइक पर सवार करीब 7-8 की संख्या में बालू धंधेबाजों ने पुलिस का रास्ता रोक दिया।

इसके बाद बुधौल गांव के कुछ लोगों ने पुलिस पर पथराव करना शुरू कर दिया। कुछ लोगों ने पुलिसकर्मियों के साथ हाथापाई भी की। इस दौरान मौका पाकर पुलिस कब्जे से ट्रैक्टर को छुड़ाकर लोग ले भागे। हमले में कुछ पुलिसकर्मी जख्मी हो गए। पुलिस वाहन भी आंशिक रूप से क्षतिग्रस्त हुआ। उल्लेखनीय है कि चार माह से जिले में बालू खनन बंद है। जिसके कारण धड़ल्ले से सभी नदी घाटों से बालू की चोरी की जा रही है। हिसुआ इलाके में पुलिस टीम पर हमले की कई घटनाएं बालू-दारू माफिया द्वारा हमला किया जा चुका है। प्रशासनिक अधिकारियों की मिलीभगत से करोड़ों रुपये के बालू चोरी हो रही है । नवादा के डीएम यशपाल मीणा इस सवाल पर कुछ भी बोलने को तैयार नहीं है । https://indiapublickhabar.in/mafia-attack-on-police-team-in-nawada/  (01 May 2022) https://www.jagran.com/bihar/gaya-bihar-crime-sand-mafia-attacks-police-in-nawada-eight-named-including-30-to-40-unknown-in-the-fir-22680662.html  (03 May 2022)

बक्सर ओवर लोड बालू लदे ट्रक तड़के सुबह जिले की सीमा में प्रवेश करते हैं। जिससे प्रशासन की नजर से वह बच सकें। यह सिलसिला बदस्तुर जारी है। सोमवार की सुबह डुमरांव अनुमंडल मुख्यालय से सटे नया भोजपुर ओपी के पास ऐसा करते चार ट्रक पकड़े गए। जिनके उपर निर्धारित वजन से ज्यादा बालू लदा था। प्रशासन ने इन सभी को जब्त कर लिया। इस दौरान एक ट्रक वहां से भागने लगा। और ओपी के समीप ही चाट में पलट गया। हालांकि चालक सुरक्षित है। http://www.buxarkhabar.com/in-the-process-of-running-away-the-sand-loaded-truck-overturned/  (16 May 2022)

छपरा दरियापुर। गड़खा-मानपुर पथ पर अवतारनगर थाना क्षेत्र के कमालपुर के पास अनियंत्रित ट्रक ने एक तीन वर्षीया बच्ची को कुचल दिया जिससे मौके पर ही उसकी मौत हो गई। मृतका सोनी कुमारी ग्रामीण संजय राय की पुत्री थी। चालक ट्रक छोड़ कर फरार हो गया। जानकारी के अनुसार संजय राय की पत्नी बच्ची को लेकर दुकान पर सामान खरीदने जा रही थी। बच्ची मां का हाथ पकड़ी हुई थी। इसी बीच गड़खा की तरफ जा रहे बालू लदे अनियंत्रित ट्रक ने उसे कुचल दिया। इस घटना में बच्ची की मां बाल बाल बच गई। https://www.livehindustan.com/bihar/chapra/story-truck-crushes-girl-dies-6469824.html  (10 May 2022)

भागलपुर  सुल्तानगंज देवघर मुख्य सड़क मार्ग में असरगंज बस स्टैंड के समीप बालू लदे एक ट्रक ने एक छात्रा को कुचल दिया, जिससे उसकी मौके पर ही मौत हो गयी है। वहीं बच्ची के परिजनों ने मुआवजे की मांग को लेकर देवघर आसरगंज के मुख्य सड़क मार्ग को घंटों जाम कर दिया। जाम की वजह से सड़क पर गाड़ी की लंबी कतार लग गयी। https://news4nation.com/news/a-sand-laden-truck-crushed-the-girl-student-in-bhagalpur-died-on-the-spot-the-family-blocked-the-road-288780  (09 March 2022)

बेलागंज में बालू माफिया और उसके समर्थकों ने खनन निरीक्षक सत्येंद्र प्रसाद की जमकर पिटाई कर दी। बालू माफिया ने उनकी स्कॉर्पियो को घेरकर पहले उनके ड्राइवर की पिटाई की। इसके बाद खनन अधिकारी को पीटा। घटना गुरुवार (Jan. 27) देर शाम की है। इसका वीडियो सोशल मीडिया पर वायरल है, जिसमें खनन निरीक्षक और उनके ड्राइवर हाथ जोड़कर छोड़ने की अपील कर रहे हैं, लेकिन माफिया के गुर्गों ने उनकी नहीं सुनी। अधिकारी के साथ दो जवान थे, मगर दबंगों के सामने बेबस नजर आए।

स्थानीय लोगों का कहना है कि बेला श्रीपुर मार्ग पर दोपहर बाद एक बालू लदा ट्रक बेला की ओर जा रहा था। इस दौरान बेला की ओर से आ रही स्कार्पियो पर सवार तीन वर्दीधारी और दो अन्य लोग ने वाहन को अलावलपुर गांव के पास रोका और उससे वसूली कर निकल गए। इसकी जानकारी जब बालू के अवैध खनन से जुड़े लोगों को हुई तो वे स्कार्पियो सवार लोगों की खोज में निकल पड़े। इसी दौरान बालू माफिया के गुर्गों की खनन निरीक्षक से दरामपुर के पास मुलाकात हो गई। यहां दोनों पक्षों में पहले झड़प हुई। फिर बालू माफियाओं ने खनन निरीक्षक से वसूली के 40 हजार रुपए बैग से निकाल कर वीडियो बनाने लगे। उनकी पिटाई भी की। https://www.insiderlive.in/state/bihar/gaya-mining-inspector-attacked-brutally-beaten-up-by-sand-mafia/  (29 Jan. 2022)

बालू माफिया के हमले में चली गई दाउदनगर के एसआई की जान नानू बिगहा बालू घाट पर हुए लूट और मुंशी की हत्या के मामले के एक आरोपी को गिरफ्तार करने 27 जनवरी को शमशेरनगर पीड़ी पर सब इंस्पेक्टर वीरेंद्र पासवान गए थे। उन्होंने आरोपी को गिरफ्तार भी कर लिया था लेकिन वापसी में अचानक आरोपी के समर्थकों ने पुलिस की टीम पर जानलेवा हमला बोल दिया। आरोपी को पुलिस के कब्जे से छुड़ा लिया। हमले में सब इंस्पेक्टर वीरेंद्र पासवान घायल हो गए थे।

आनन-फानन में उन्हें इलाज के लिए दाउदनगर के एक निजी अस्पताल में भर्ती कराया गया, जहां से डॉक्टरों ने बेहतर इलाज के लिए पटना के पारस अस्पताल रेफर कर दिया। पटना में ही इलाज के दौरान रविवार (Jan. 30) की दोपहर उन्होंने दम तोड़ दिया। https://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/state/bihar/aurangabad/aurangabad-daudnagar-si-virendra-paswan-death-lost-his-life-in-the-attack-of-sand-mafia/articleshow/89224286.cms  (30 Jan. 2022) https://www.jagran.com/bihar/gaya-aurangabad-inspector-birendra-paswan-martyred-in-attack-by-villagers-woman-attacked-with-iron-tail-crown-on-january27-22424893.html 

सारण  इसुआपुर बाजार के उत्तरी छोर पर बुधवार की अहले सुबह बालू लदी ओवरलोडेड ट्रक ने बाइक चालक को बुरी तरह कुचल दिया। इस दौरान शव के दो टुकड़े हो गए। वहीं मोटरसाइकिल पर सवार उनका 4 वर्षीय पोता सड़क किनारे दूर जा कर फेंका गया। जिससे उसकी जान बच गई। हालांकि घायल अवस्था में उसका इलाज इसुआपुर सीएचसी में चल रहा है। घटना के बाद आक्रोशित लोगों ने बांस बल्ले लगाकर छपरा-सत्तरघाट एसएस 90 मुख्य सड़क को जाम कर दिया। वहीं स्थानीय प्रशासन के खिलाफ प्रदर्शन करने लगे। https://bhojpuriyamatinews.com/?p=4579  (Sept. 2021)

Govt decides to accord permission for exploration of gold reserve in Jamui The Bihar government has decided to accord permission for exploration of the “country’s largest” gold reserve in Jamui district, a senior official said on Saturday (May 28). As per a Geological Survey of India (GSI) survey, around 222.88 million tonnes of gold reserve, including 37.6 tonnes of mineral-rich ore, are present in Jamui district.

“The state Mines and Geology Department is in consultation with agencies engaged in exploration, including GSI and the National Mineral Development Corporation (NMDC), for exploration of gold reserves in Jamui.” “The consultation process started after analysing the GSI findings which indicated the presence of gold in areas such as Karmatia, Jhajha and Sono in Jamui district,” Additional Chief Secretary cum Mines Commissioner Harjot Kaur Bamhrah told PTI. She said the State government is likely to sign an MoU with a Central agency or agencies for G3 (preliminary) stage exploration within a month’s time. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/bihar-decides-to-accord-permission-for-exploration-of-countrys-largest-gold-reserve-in-jamui/article65469863.ece  (28 May 2022)

Meghalaya NGT needs to broaden proceedings against illegal sand-mining: HC  High Court has said that there is a need for the NGT to broaden its proceedings against illegal sand-mining across the entire northeastern state. A full bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee was on Tuesday (May 25) hearing a suo motu petition filed by the registrar general of the high court following reports of unregulated sand-mining destroying water bodies across the state.

“It is hoped that the NGT broadens the scope of the proceedings before it and takes immediate appropriate measures to ensure that the law of the land is followed,” the order stated. The court said the petition was adjourned on April 19 upon noticing that a notification had been published by the state government on April 14 pursuant to the directions of the NGT issued on April 5, 2019 and February 26, 2021. “An impression was given that the NGT was still monitoring all illegal sand-mining activities in the state and appropriate directions had been issued,” it said.

The court had observed in the immediate previous order of April 19, 2022 that if there was a matter before the NGT that covered the subject-matter of the present proceedings, the present proceedings may be closed. However, Amicus Curiae S Sen informed the court that the matter before the NGT is confined to the illegal sand-mining and extraction of rocks and stones from riverbeds in Ri-Bhoi district. The NGT, according to the amicus curiae, has not taken up several complaints pertaining to the same issue in other districts.

“Since a specialised body has taken up a matter relating to one aspect and covering a particular district, leave is given to any public-spirited individual to approach the NGT to expand the scope of the proceedings before it to address the same issue elsewhere,” the court said. In other words, the NGT may be approached to consider the extent of illegal sand-mining and sand-mining activities in general across the state, it added. The next hearing on the matter will be on June 21. The NGT was hearing the case since 2019. The high court began hearing the case in April this year after the suo motu petition was filed by the registrar general of the high court. https://www.eastmojo.com/meghalaya/2022/05/26/ngt-needs-to-broaden-proceedings-against-illegal-sand-mining-across-meghalaya-hc/  (26 May 2022)

Karnataka NGT bans use of heavy machinery for sand mining in river bed “Whenever lease in respect of sand mining in a river bed is granted, then the granting authority must specifically mention in that deed that no heavy machinery can be used for carrying it out. The officials must be careful in drafting the lease deed in the future,” the southern bench of the NGT said.

The NGT Southern Bench headed by Justice K Ramakrishnan passed this order after hearing a petition filed by former MLA Sarvabhoum Bagali from Vijayapur. The petitioner alleged large-scale illegal sand mining at two different sites in the Krishna River Bed in Joldahadgi Village, Devadurga Taluk in Karnataka’s Raichur using JCB machines which is against the guidelines issued by the MoEF&CC on sustainable sand mining policy.

Earlier, the NGT constituted a joint committee that suggested imposing fines against violators. The bench also directed Karnataka Mining and Geology Department strictly implement the provisions of Karnataka Minor Mineral Concessions Rules, the Sand Mining Management Guidelines.

“The authorities must also provide necessary mechanisms to check all these aspects and also must have a regular mechanism to have a vigil to supervise the sand mining areas to avoid natural resources being exploited,” the Bench said. “The Mining department is directed to take steps to realise the Environmental Compensation imposed against the persons responsible for illegal mining outside the permitted mining area in addition to the penalty imposed by the Joint Committee in accordance with law, after issuing show cause notice and providing opportunity of filing an objection,” the NGT said. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/ngt-bans-use-of-heavy-machinery-for-sand-mining-in-river-bed-1111495.html  (22 May 2022)

8 dead, 25 injured in bus-truck collision  In yet another road accident, at least eight people were killed and 25 others were injured in a collision involving a truck and a private bus in Karnataka’s Hubballi Dharwad district in the early hours of Tuesday (May 24). The incident took place in the outskirts of Hubballi around 12.45 am on the Pune-Bengaluru NH. According to sources, the bus was heading from Kolhapur to Bengaluru and the truck was moving towards Hubballi when the incident took place. The accident took place on the same stretch where 11 people had died in January last year after a mini bus collided with a sand laden tipper. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/karnataka-bus-truck-accident-8-dead-7933625/  (25 May 2022)

Goa Explain unabated illegal sand mining in Tiracol River: HC  Justice M S Sonak and Justice R N Laddha of the Bombay High Court at Goa directed the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police (DGP), to file affidavits by May 2, in the matter concerning illegal sand mining continuing unabated in Goa’s Pernem area.

In a contempt petition filed by the Goa Rivers and Sand Protectors Network (GRSPN), the court observed: “At least, prima facie, we think that this is a serious matter, because, instances are on the rise to defy not only court orders but to unauthorisedly extract sand, thereby causing environmental degradation. From the rise in such instances, we get an impression, which we sincerely hope is wrong, that the authorities are not seriously interested in controlling this activity of unauthorised sand extraction. There is virtually a game of hide-and-seek going on and the impression that we get is that the authorities are not doing enough to prevent it.”

The Court observed: “Besides, we wonder how 50 to 60 canoes can be involved in such an activity, and yet the police authorities and the mamlatdar claim virtual ignorance of what is happening at these sites. There is record that on both these occasions, complaints were filed to the Pernem police station and to the mamlatdar, urging action”. The court asked the officials to explain, “As to why despite all the mechanisms they claim they have put in place, such incidents continue unabated”. “The onus cannot be put entirely on activists or environmentalists to point out such incidents many a times, at the cost of risk to themselves and only thereafter, some modicum of action is reported. It is the duty of the state to prevent such activity in terms of the law,” the judges observed.

Recently, Uguem villagers threatened to block the National Highway 66 at Uguem if the government failed to stop the illegal sand extraction activity in the jurisdiction of Tamboxem-Mopa-Uguem Village Panchayat. A delegation of farmers submitted a memorandum at Pernem Police Station demanding action against illegal sand mining activities in Uguem village. This is the second memorandum that the farmers have submitted within a week, wherein they have highlighted that even after giving live proof of sand extraction activities in Tiracol River, the police failed to act.

The locals also said that they are not against sand mining in Tiracol River but only pertaining to the river stretch right from Railway Bridge to Uguem. “We are not against sand mining but concerned about this particular stretch since due to continuous sand mining for the last 25 years, the Uguem villagers are getting affected badly as their agriculture land gets submerged in river water. While increase in depth of the river, it is posing danger to the railway bridge at Porascadem,” Narayan Mahale said. https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=951853  (26 April 2022)

Haryana NGT restrains firm from mining in Yamunanagar village The NGT has passed an order restraining a private firm, Balaji Infra, from undertaking riverbed mining in the Yamuna in Jairampur Jagir village of the district. The NGT passed this order on May 24, after hearing an appeal filed by Junaid Ayubi, who alleged that the application of the firm was only for sand mining, but it had been granted EC for boulder, gravel and sand. In January, the EC was granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to this project for a year. However, sources said Balaji Infra started the mining operation in this block (an area of 33.85 hectares) only a week ago on May 19 after obtaining other necessary permissions.

Appearing in the case, the appellant’s counsel submitted that no replenishment study was conducted as was mandatory in terms of the enforcement and monitoring guidelines for sand mining under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, and order of this Tribunal passed on March 11, 2020. The appellant’s counsel added that other violations were also committed while granting EC. The NGT order reads, “The grant of EC without prior replenishment study is prima facie illegal. Instream mining is also not permissible. The source of water availability was also required to be looked into.” “Thus, the impugned EC may be liable to be quashed without prejudice to fresh consent being granted, after the replenishment study, excluding the area falling within the river stream and taking other precautions,” the order added. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/ngt-restrains-firm-from-mining-on-yamuna-banks-398496  (27 May 2022)

Punjab Villagers force ‘illegal’ miners to leave in Ropar A large number of locals led by Ilaqa Sangharsh Committee members forced dozens of digging machines and tippers to return from the Swan riverbed near Taraf Majari and Bhalan villages on May 29. The protesting villagers said the riverbed had been dug up over 30 foot illegally in the name of desilting by a contractor.

It was around 9 am when villagers noticed nearly one dozen digging machines and over 50 tippers mining sand and gravel from the riverbed. Following the protest, the mining was stopped and tippers loaded with sand and gravel were allowed to leave only after being emptied.

While the contractor did not pick the phone despite repeated attempts, Nangal SDO (Mining) Abhishek Kapoor said he had joined only two days ago. Revenue Department officials had been asked to measure the area and any action would be taken only after their report was received, he said. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/villagers-force-illegal-miners-to-leave-in-ropar-399065  (29 May 2022)

Sand, gravel supply increases, so do rates In its bid to bring down prices of sand and gravel, the state government has managed to increase the supply, but the cost of the basic construction material still is higher by around 45 per cent over the rates of last year.Interestingly, while contractors in three of the seven mining blocks have left the work midway through their contract term (at Mohali, Amritsar and Ferozepur clusters), the records show that amount of minor minerals excavated from the remaining four clusters of Ropar, Ludhiana-Nawanshahr, Pathankot and Hoshiarpur are much more this year as compared to last year.

For example, in the Ropar cluster, the quantity of the extracted minor minerals per day in May now is 11,307 MT as compared to 1,234 MT extracted in May last year. In Ludhiana, the minor minerals extracted are 22,397 MT per day as compared to 2,785 MT per day last year. Officials, who have been entrusted with studying the mining operations, say that in May this year, the excavation of sand and gravel from legal mines is 18 lakh metric tonnes (LMT), as compared to 8 LMT in May 2021. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/sand-gravel-supply-increases-so-do-rates-398769  (28 May 2022)

Maharashtra Cops caught partying with alleged sand mafia A video has surfaced from Bhandara district where some policemen have been captured on camera, partying with the alleged sand mafia in the area. The cop has now been suspended from duty by the local police administration.In the video, a group of policemen was seen dining and having drinks with some accused, who are said to be a part of the sand mafia.

The alleged sand mafia seen in the video were also accused of beating up an administrative official from the Revenue Department, an SDO on duty and attacking his car with sticks and stones. SDO Ravindra Rathod was seriously injured during the attack. He was attacked by about 20-25 people, some of whom were the same men seen in the now-viral video, after the SDO stopped a suspicious sand-laden tipper in the district in the wee hours of Wednesday (April 27). https://www.timesnownews.com/mirror-now/in-focus/watch-cops-caught-partying-with-alleged-sand-mafia-in-maharashtra-article-91174213  (29 April 2022)

In Yavatmal a truck speeding away with illegally mined sand skidded off a bridge and fell into Dhavanda river injuring the driver. https://www.tv9marathi.com/maharashtra/yavatmal/truck-overturned-in-yavatmal-illegal-transport-of-sand-unreasonable-speed-to-avoid-action-au128-712818.html  (18 May 2022)

Nanded A tipper transporting sand illegally hit a 24-year-old college student who had gone for a morning walk on Saturday, April 29. The youth was admitted to the hospital with serious injuries. He has been undergoing treatment for the last four days. The fight against the young man’s death finally failed on Wednesday, May 04.

The tipper who took the life of the youth has not been found by the police yet. In the afternoon, the citizens along with the enraged relatives brought the body of the youth directly to the tehsil office and took the authorities to task. In the last few months, illegal sand extraction and transportation has increased in Loha taluka. Despite complaints from social activists and citizens, it is being deliberately ignored by the police, including the revenue department. https://www.esakal.com/nanded/nanded-sand-truck-accident-youth-died-police-search-driver-oj05  (05 May 2022)

Odisha 4 officials attacked by ‘sand mafia’ At least four government officials, including the additional tehsildar and three revenue inspectors, were attacked by suspected sand mafia at Mali Jagannathpur in Ganjam district early on Sunday (May 08). Two persons have been detained in this connection. Subhendu Jena, the additional tehsildar of Ganja tehsil and three revenue inspectors — Bhaskar Sahu, Sitaram Sahu and Sushant Behera, were on the Rushikulya river bed to check illegal sand mining when the miscreants reportedly attacked them with iron roads and bamboo sticks. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/4-officials-attacked-by-sand-mafia-2-detained/articleshow/91426276.cms  (09 May 2022)

Chhattisgarh 4 killed as mini truck collides with truck in Bilaspur  4 youth died in a road accident after an over-speeding truck collided with a mini truck at Takhatpur area in Bilaspur while a sand-laden truck run over youth on NH 30. According to the Police, the accident near Bilaspur took place on Friday (May 20) night when a heavy truck collided head-on with a mini truck, killing four people. The collision was so severe that three of them from the mini truck were thrown off the vehicle while one person got stuck in the front seat.

In another incident, a youth Ashutosh Devangan (38) of Dhamtari was heading towards his in-law’s house in Abhanpur on Friday (May 20). Meanwhile, he stopped and parked his bike on the roadside on NH-30 between Birejhar and Jija Gaon square where a sand-laden speeding truck rammed into the bike and also run over the youth, killing him on the spot. The bike was crushed beyond recognition. The villagers also told the police that the national highway 30 has become accident prone due to reckless driving of trucks and trailers and the people in the nearby villages, mostly pedestrians, are falling victim to such accidents. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/four-killed-as-mini-truck-collides-with-truck-in-bilaspur/articleshow/91716416.cms  (22 May 2022)

3 persons were killed and 11 others were injured when their SUV, which was proceeding towards a marriage ceremony, collided head on with a sand-laden hyva truck in an area under Torpa police station in Khunti district on Tuesday (April 19) evening. The truck driver and the helper fled the spot.  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ranchi/3-killed-11-hurt-as-suv-collides-with-truck/articleshow/90967495.cms  (21 April 2022)

West Bengal Truck hit job: 20 minutes, 5 accidents, 6 injured in Kolkata A sand-laden truck — trying to flee from Rajpur after it smashed into three autos and damaged a light post — got involved in a series of accidents in a span of 20 minutes over a distance of 8 odd kms. In all, the truck was involved in five different accidents that left six people injured. Among the injured, the condition of three persons — a 55-year-old pedestrian and two persons selling vegetables in a cart at Azadgarh — is stated to be serious.

The driver was finally nabbed from near Tollygunge Metro station after a constable blocked the road with guard rails and multiple vehicles. A mob then even tried to assault the driver, Iktiar Md Sheikh (36), a resident of Galsi in Burdwan, but cops managed to shift the accused first to a nearby traffic kiosk and then to Regent Park PS. The incident was reported between 6 am and 6.20 am. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/truck-hit-job-20-minutes-five-accidents-six-injured/articleshow/91674309.cms  (20 May 2022)

Madhya Pradesh अंधाधुंध रेत के उत्खनन से बिगड़ रही है तवा की सेहत नर्मदापुरम जिले में तवा नदी अवैध खनन बैखोफ जारी है। रेत माफिया रात के अंधेरे में मशीनों से खनन कर टै्रक्टर-ट्रॉलियों से इसका जमकर परिवहन कर जमकर स्टॉक रहे हैं, ताकि बारिशकाल में इसे मनमाने दामों में बेचा जा सके। अवैध कारोबारी ट्रैक्टर-ट्रॉलियों से रेत चोरी कर शासन की रायल्टी का भारी नुकसान पहुंचा रहे। तवा बांध में बिजली भी बनती है, लेकिन इसका फायदा आम जन को नहीं मिलता। एचईजी कंपनी जो 6.5 गुणा 2 मेगावाट बिजली पैदा करती है, वह ग्रिड में देकर बदले में मण्डीदीप स्थित अपने कारखाने में ग्रिड से 80 प्रतिशत बिजली ले लेती है। 20 प्रतिशत बिजली रास्ते में नुकसान हो जाती है।

तवा परियोजना का कमांड क्षेत्र में जल के रिसाव से दलदलीकरण के कारण काली चिकनी मिट्टी को भी नुकसान हो रहा है। नहरें फूट जाने से भी खेतों को नुकसान पहुंचता है। तवा बांध की नहरों के आने से पूरे कमांड क्षेत्र में जंगल, चारागाह तथा सामुदायिक उपयोग की अन्य भूमि समाप्त हो गई और खेतों में बदल गई। इससे सबसे बड़ा नुकसान पारंपरिक पशुपालन का हुआ तथा पशुओं की संख्या तेजी से घटी है। विशेषकर आदिवासी, दलित एवं अन्य पिछड़े वर्ग के गरीब परिवार इससे ज्यादा प्रभावित हुए हैं। तवा, बारना बांध से बाढ़ नियंत्रण के दावे किए गए थे, लेकिन वर्ष 1999 और इसके बाद आई बाढ़ से ये दावे भी झूठे ही साबित हुए। बरगी बांध से छोड़े जाने वाले अथाह पानी के कारण तवा बांध के फुल होने के कारण बारिश में इसे लगातार खोलने से भी बाढ़ के हालात पैदा होते हैं। https://www.patrika.com/narmadapuram-news/tawa-which-brings-green-revolution-will-become-like-tributaries-7546787/  (22 May 2022)

छतरपुर में केन नदी की लाल बालू मौरम ने माफियाओ को दबंग कर दिया है। वहीं बालू से लदे डम्फर आम लोगो की सांसें  कुचल रहे है। अक्सर ओवरलोड डम्फर से होते हादसे इसकी बानगी हैं। नौगांव जनपद के अलीपुरा घाट से अवैध लाल बालू मौरम भरकर बेतहासा गति से आ रहे डम्फर ने एक मोटरसाईकिल सवार को जोरदार टक्कर मार दी हैं। इस हादसे में बाइक सवार ग्राम टीला निवासी प्रदीप यादव तो बच गए पर उसकी मोटर साईकिल क्रमांक एमपी 16 एमसी 5551 को डम्फर ने रौंद दिया जो पूरी तरह क्षतिग्रस्त हों गई हैं। आज 30 मई दिन सोमवार को ही समाचार पत्र प्रखर ज्ञान ने अलीपुरा घाट से बालू रेत के अवैध खनन को प्रमुखता से प्रकाशित किया हैं। रिपोर्ट में अंध गति से दौड़ते डम्फरो से आम लोगो के जीवन पर मंडराते खतरे की आशंका का जिक्र किया गया हैं। https://ashishsagarptb.com/bundelkhand/details/1376/——————  (30 May 2022)

गोरखपुर देवरिया जिले के रामजानकी मार्ग पर पड़ोसी प्रान्त बिहार के सिवान जनपद के गुठनी थाना क्षेत्र के श्रीकलपुर चेकपोस्ट के समीप शुक्रवार (April 01) की रात को हुई ट्रक और डीसीएम की टक्कर में डीसीएम के चालक, खलासी व उसमें यात्रा कर रहे सामान मालिक की मौत हो गयी।  देर रात्रि करीब 11:30 बजे सीवान की तरफ से मिनी ट्रक डीसीएम यूके 06 डीबी 5057 यूपी के तरफ तेजी व लापरवाही के साथ जा रहा था और इसी क्रम में गुठनी मेहरौना मुख्य मार्ग पर श्रीकलपुर चेकपोस्ट के नजदीक आगे खड़े बालू लदे ट्रक में पीछे से जोरदार टक्कर हुई। जिससे डीसीएम का अगला हिस्सा पुरी तरह क्षतिग्रस्त हो गया और उसमें बैठे तीनों लोग उसी में दब गए। तीनों के गाड़ी में ही दबे रहने से चालक की मौत मौके पर हो गई। अन्य दो लोगों की मौत काफी मशक्कत के बाद गंभीर रूप से घायल अवस्था मे अस्पताल ले जाते समय मौत हो गयी। https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/gorakhpur-city-three-people-killed-in-road-accident-of-collision-between-truck-and-dcm-in-deoria-22592863.html  (02 April 2022)

कालपी  यमुना में डूबे नगर के दो युवकों के शव बरामद हो गए। किलाघाट का घाट नगर का सबसे रमणीय स्थल है। यह यमुना किनारे स्थित है कानपुर देहात में यमुना से रेत के अवैध खनन के चलते यमुना की जलधारा किला घाट को छोड़कर कानपुर देहात की ओर चली गई है जिसके कारण बड़ा सा रेत का टीला निकल आया है। रेत के टील के समीप ही यमुना बहती है। इस स्थान पर रोजाना बडीं संख्या में नगर के लोग सुबह दोपहर शाम को घूमने जाते हैं। यहां पर जन्मदिन की पार्टी से लेकर वीडियो शूट किये जाते हैं। देर रात तक लोगों का आवागमन रहता है ।राहुल और कन्हैया भी अक्सर यहां आते थे। वहीं लोगो बताते हैं कि पांच दिन पूर्व कुछ युवा नदी में नहाने के दौरान डूब रहे थे। तब उन्हें एक नाविक ने बचाया था। https://www.jagran.com/uttar-pradesh/jalaun-bodies-of-two-youths-drowned-in-yamuna-river-recovered-21728219.html  (11 June 2021)

Tamil Nadu Govt. amends rules to enable use of granite waste as road metal and in M-Sand Hoping to generate substantial revenue from the granite waste lying in granite quarries, the State government has amended the Tamil Nadu Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 1959 to allow such waste, which cannot be sold as a dimensional granite block, to be used as road metal or as a raw material in the production of manufactured sand (M-Sand) or for any other purpose.

So far, the granite waste generated during quarry operations have been stocked in the quarry sites and exposed to various climatic conditions, resulting in quality degradation. In a policy note for 2022-23, the Industries (Mines and Minerals) Department had said that there was a huge demand for granite waste for the production of M-Sand and road metals and for other purposes.

A total of 27 black granite and 83 multi-coloured granite quarries on 336.46.6 ha are being operated in Tamil Nadu. While black granite is found in Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Salem, Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts, granites of various shades are found in Dindigul, Krishnagiri, Madurai, Salem and Virudhunagar districts. Kunnam Black, Zebra White, Paradiso, Red Wave, Tiger Skin, Desert Brown and Kashmir White are among the most popular commercial varieties quarried in Tamil Nadu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/govt-amends-rules-to-enable-use-of-granite-waste-as-road-metal-and-in-m-sand/article65454214.ece  (23 May 2022)

Rajasthan State Is Trustee Of All Natural Resources: HC On Mining, Encroachment In Forests High Court, Jaipur has recently directed the State to ensure compliance of law and prevent illegal mining, encroachments etc. in the Forests, Wild Life Sanctuaries, Forest Reserves, Tiger Reserves, etc. situated at Ranthambore, Sariska, Nahargarh, Jhalana and other forest reserves. In a batch of writ petitions concerning the issue, the court noted that it is a very sorry state of affairs that the concerned authorities have not carried out their duties for the reasons best known to them, in spite of notification issued under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, Wild Life Protection Act, 1972 and other relevant Legislations.

“Once there is a breach of a public trust and the notifications of the Government of India qua environment and forest are not adhered to and necessary compliances are not made, it becomes duty of this Court to act as a custodian and to take appropriate measures and also the duty of Government of the State and the Executives concerned that the said job be carried out to preserve the natural resources in their pristine purity so as to enforce the Doctrine of Public Trust”, the court said. https://www.livelaw.in/news-updates/rajasthan-high-court-illegal-mining-encroachments-forests-sanctuaries-tiger-reserves-199987  (24 May 2022)

Mines giving sandstone for Ayodhya temple get green nod The government has granted environmental clearance to 12 mines in Bansi Paharpur area of Bharatpur district for supply of pink sandstone to Ayodhya for construction of Ram temple, officials said. Green clearance for another set of 12 mines is expected to be approved by mid-July, they added. In November-December last year, the state mines department had e-auctioned 41 mining plots in Bansi Paharpur area for the pink sandstones which are preferred for the construction of the Ayodhya temple. https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/rajasthan-mines-giving-sandstone-for-ayodhya-temple-get-green-nod-101653591634643.html  (27 May 2022)

Environmental approval for another 12 mines will be granted by mid-July, officials said, which will ensure an adequate supply of stones for the temple construction. According to officials, the state’s mines department had e-auctioned 41 mining plots in Banshi Paharpur area in November-December 2021. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/jaipur-news/rajasthan-approves-12-pink-sandstone-mines-to-ensure-supply-for-ram-mandir-101653561939687.html  (26 May 2022)

DMF No improvement in mineral fund use under Centre’s oversight Though the Centre took complete control of the district mineral foundations (DMFs) from the states with effect from July last year, mainly to rein in diversion of funds, the utilisation of the funds has not improved much. Till March 2021, a total of Rs 31,212 crore, or just around half of the Rs 61,868 crore collected under the DMF since its inception, has been spent on the welfare of those affected by mining activities, including the tribal population. This compares with 48.5% spent of the total Rs 50,500 crore collection till July 15, 2021.

The Centre took complete control of the DMF funds through an order issued on July 12 last year. The Union mines ministry had then said the move was necessitated as “there are instances where a part of the funds of the DMF are being transferred to the treasury/consolidated fund of the state or state-level funds (by whatever name called) or Chief Minister’s Relief Fund or other funds or schemes”, thereby “defeating the very purpose” of the creation of the DMF. https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/no-improvement-in-mineral-fund-use-under-centres-oversight/2520987/  (12 May 2022)

Jharkhand Audit Tells Us About CAG’s Toothlessness A recently concluded performance audit on the functioning of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) Trusts in Jharkhand has indicted the state’s Mining and Geology Department for failing to furnish the actual figures of collections from mining leaseholders. Bringing the sad state of affairs to public notice, the national auditor said, “There were three sets of un-reconciled collection figures: one reported by Director of Mines, one as per DMFT bank accounts and one by District Mining Officers (DMOs)”. This performance audit presents all that has gone wrong with the implementation of this fund meant for the welfare of mining-affected communities in the country. https://thewire.in/political-economy/what-a-scathing-audit-on-mining-in-jharkhand-tells-us-about-cags-toothlessness  (25 May 2022)

WETLANDS, LAKES, WATER BODIES

Tamil Nadu Stop expansion at Vedanthangal sanctuary NGT on Monday (May 23) directed Sun Pharma not to proceed with expansion work inside Vedanthangal bird sanctuary till the next hearing of the case on July 12. The company and all other government agencies involved are directed to submit their replies before July 12. The Centre had earlier granted clearance to the company for expanding its active pharmaceutical ingredients manufacturing unit at Rs 202.36 crore.

K R Selvaraj Kumar from a local fishermen’s welfare association filed an appeal with the NGT Southern Zone saying the existing green law didn’t allow environment clearance (EC) for a ‘red’ category industry within 5km of a bird sanctuary. The Expert Appraisal Committee had confirmed that toxic material would be used at the proposed expansion site, but granted the EC after advising Sun Pharma to store such raw material with utmost precaution. “EC cannot be granted on undertaking given by the project proponent particularly when it is storage of toxic and explosive material in a bird sanctuary area,” the NGT had earlier observed. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/stop-expansion-at-vedanthangal-sanctuary-ngt-tells-sun-pharma/articleshow/91752645.cms  (24 May 2022)

NGT bench orders status quo on Sun Pharma expansion NGT on Monday (May 23) ordered status quo on the proposed expansion of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd inside India’s oldest Vedanthangal bird sanctuary. A petition was filed by MR Thiyagarajan from Meenava Thanthai Nala Sangam, challenging environmental clearance (EC) issued to Sun Pharma. The prayer was to quash and set aside the EC granted by the Union Environment Ministry. The NGT bench, comprising of judicial member Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member K Satyagopal, after hearing from both parties, including the counsel representing Sun Pharma, ordered status quo until the next hearing scheduled on July 12. https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2022/may/24/ngt-bench-ordersstatus-quo-on-sun-pharma-expansion-2457154.html  (24 May 2022)

Uttar Pradesh NGT asks Noida authorities to report on encroachment of wetlands The NGT on Friday (April 08) formed a joint committee comprising officials from the CPCB, SPCB, the State Wetlands Authority and the district magistrate and asked them to file a report within two months on the encroachment of 117 water bodies and wetlands in Noida. The green court also asked the committee to explain what is being done to conserve the water bodies in Noida. The bench, headed by justice Sudhir Agarwal and justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, gave the order while hearing a petition filed by a resident regarding the lack of protection for wetlands in the city that can help revive groundwater levels. The petition also highlighted 117 water bodies that should be urgently protected in the district. According to records, Gautam Budh Nagar is among 255 water-stressed districts in India.

“We have got to know that about 1,000 ponds with an area of 4.5sqkm (448,418 hectares) are being profiled by the district administration. However, the worst part is that the protectors of these natural resources are themselves encroaching upon the water bodies. A 1,140sqm pond in Dadri was used to build the municipality office, as mentioned in the revenue records. Similarly, there is no care for any water body in Noida. If preserved, these can be natural aquifers to recharge groundwater across Noida,” said Abhisht Gupta, the appellant. The petition added that the appellant had earlier also asked the UPPCB to look into the matter but there was no serious action by the respondents to conserve the water bodies. Later, a case was filed in the Allahabad high court as well, but the team was redirected to the NGT.

According to the case details, of the 1,000 ponds being profiled in Gautam Budh Nagar, 474 ponds are in Dadri, 281 in Jewar, and 245 in Sadar (which covers part of Greater Noida, Noida, Dankaur and Bisrakh). The petition said, “At present, the groundwater in the district is being over-exploited or is [at critical levels]. This is an immense strain on the limited water sources. In this regard, instead of protecting, managing and conserving the existing water bodies, along with appropriate efforts to setup new water bodies, the respondents have ignored the rampant encroachments and systematic destruction of the wetlands and water bodies.” https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/noida-news/ngt-asks-noida-authorities-to-report-on-encroachment-of-wetlands-101649446925333.html  (09 April 2022)

West Bengal Panel to continue monitoring wetlands, says NGT The special bench of NGT has ordered the continuation of the East Kolkata Wetland Monitoring Committee headed by the state chief secretary, which will meet at least once a month and upload its minutes on the website of the SPCB. Any stakeholder/citizen can give suggestions for consideration by the committee, which was formed in response to a case filed by green activist Subhas Datta. The special bench also said that the water quality monitoring of wetlands and water bodies should be a regular feature of the execution plan.

The special bench has also asked for proper implementation of Integrated Management Action Plan for East Kolkata Wetlands 2021-2026. In the revised Management Action Plan, the budget has been revised to Rs 110.7 crore from Rs 119.8 crores. The NGT expressed concern over huge encroachments of EKW. There are more than 25,000 encroachments. On behalf of the state, it is submitted that action has been initiated against the encroachers. One of the reasons for the delay in taking action is stated to be on account of the long-pending cases filed under the East Kolkata Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Act, 2006.

This matter is of serious concern and requires monitoring but is not within the domain of the tribunal. We, therefore, request the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to be gracious enough to look into the matter so that the matters relating to serious environmental infractions are heard and disposed of expeditiously, the bench observed. We direct the state, more particularly the environment department, to file an affidavit to place on record the present status of all actions taken and also an action plan that is dealing with the matter. We also direct the BMC to place on record the latest status. Let the Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority (NDITA) and the New Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) also file reports on the current status, the bench added. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/ngt-panel-to-continue-monitoring-wetlands/articleshow/91297988.cms  (04 May 2022)

Maharashtra Activists appeal to HC to save Kharghar wetlands As destruction of wetlands in Kharghar goes unabated, environmentalists have appealed to the Bombay high court appointed wetlands committee to intervene and save biodiversity. Meanwhile, CM Uddhav Thackeray has asked principal environment secretary Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar to look into the complaints of construction debris on the edge of the NRI Wetlands at Sector-60, Nerul.

A group of Kharghar activists, M Keshbhat and N Singh threatened to block the heavy machines and trucks. Cidco quickly beat the retreat and stopped the work, Singh said, “But we do not know how long they will hold back,” and remanded that Cidco must learn to respect nature otherwise, Kharghar will be doomed, he said. Kumar said the holding pond is supposed to be part of the flood control mechanism and Cidco is repeating its Uran exercise of disposing off holding ponds which is dangerous. “We hope the HC appointed Wetland Committee will step and save the wetlandd,” he said.

The wetland behind NRI Seawoods complex has been constantly in danger due to the rapid construction in progress on its edge. The builder is not taking care of debris at all. Secondly, the construction is on CRZ area without any permissions. Despite a series of complaints, there is no official intervention to protect these wetlands the status of which has been confirmed by even a Bombay High Court judgement, Sunil Agrawal of Save Navi Mumbai Environment, said. Regarding Kharghar, Kumar regretted that bird watchers are now forced to become debris watchers.

The wetland near Sanjivani School and L M Hostel at sector 19 in Kharghar has been targeted by the debris mafia for quite some time with no officials doing anything about it, said activist Naresh Chandra Singh. Kharghar in fact has become the destination for debris and garbage dumping for construction contractors from other parts of Navi Mumbai, bird watcher Jyoti Nadkarni lamented.

It is difficult to imagine the officials are unaware of this dumping that has been going on so brazenly, in broad daylight, Singh said. In another case, the Cidco-designated holding pond has also come under a landfill, said Bhagwan Keshbhat of NGO Waatavaran. Truckloads of soil are being dumped and levelled in broad daylight. He asked how can Cidco or any other authority keep quiet about such violations. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/navi-mumbai/activists-appeal-to-hc-to-save-kharghar-wetlands/articleshow/91844023.cms  (28 May 2022)

‘Protect wetlands in Navi Mumbai’ With destruction of wetlands in Navi Mumbai going unchecked, environmentalists have appealed to the Bombay High Court-appointed wetlands committee to intervene and save biodiversity. NatConnect Foundation director BN Kumar, who sent separate complaints to the wetland committee and CM Uddhav Thackeray, said that the CM has already asked Principal Environment Secretary Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar to look into the complaints of construction debris on the edge of NRI Wetlands at Sector-60, Nerul. https://www.mid-day.com/mumbai/mumbai-news/article/protect-wetlands-in-navi-mumbai-23229278  (29 May 2022)

Coastal authority to expedite backlog of CRZ clearances Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has planned a ‘marathon’ meeting over five weeks, between June 7 and July 4, to expedite a backlog of requests for coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearances. A total of 197 proposals, some of which have been awaiting consideration for more than six months, will be taken up by the authority. The majority of projects are new developments which have not been able to obtain commencement certificates from respective municipalities and urban local bodies, for lack of CRZ clearance.

Of the 197 proposals for CRZ clearance which have been placed before the MCZMA, 96 are from Mumbai and about 30 from Navi Mumbai. At least 23 proposals are for the redevelopment of older properties. As per the new CRZ rules of the union environment ministry, restrictions on development in creek and bay-facing areas have been reduced from 100 metres to 50 metres from the high-tide line, opening up several land parcels for development.

The union environment ministry last year also gave its nod to the updated Coastal Zone Management Plan (CMZP) for Mumbai city and suburbs, opening up an estimated 10,000 old buildings for redevelopment. This was earlier impossible due to the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) restrictions, as any project within 500 metres of the high-tide line and 150 metres from the bay was allowed a base floor space index (FSI) of 1.33 in the island city and 1 in the Mumbai suburbs. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/coastal-authority-to-expedite-backlog-of-crz-clearances-101653838799559.html  (29 May 2022)

WATER OPTIONS

In Dhaulpur village Rajasthan people rejuvenate 250 water bodies and in the process rejuvenate a river too. Story of hour volunteer effort helped desilting of lakes in Coimbatore. In Chhattisgarh, in last five years, over a lakh solar irrigation pumps have made two crops possible in large areas that were barren post monsoon earlier.

Punjab SRI method of sowing paddy saves 15-20% water, gives better yield Experts said that unlike DSR, which is suitable only for mid to heavy textured soils, SRI is suitable in all types of soil including less fertile soil as in such soil the number of seedlings can be increased to double.

“Besides, this system increases productivity because of its sowing method more tillers shoots up from a single seedling as 30 to 50 tillers could be seen against 15 to 20 tillers in traditional method,” said Dr Amrik, adding that it also maintains soil health, lowers input costs by 10-20% as it requires 25% less urea and it’s root system is quite strong due to young plants’ transplantation which prevents lodging from rain or wind. Also small and marginal farmers can increase their income by spending less and getting more yield. This matures in 5-15 days less time. In Punjab, huge amounts of chemicals are used and this prevents the usage of weedicides which keeps the soil in good health.

Experts said that because of planting in rows and keeping proper spacing, it gives more yield. Dr Amrik Singh said that a large number of demonstrations on SRI have been organised by the Gurdaspur Agriculture department over a decade ago and the results reported clearly indicated the superiority of SRI practices over the traditional method. “SRI plots witnessed around 22.34% more rice yield of Basmati PUSA 1121 as compared to other methods of rice cultivation. There is a great potential of increasing yield under SRI,” said he, adding that even net total return is higher per acre with SRI as trials conducted in the field of farmers at Kothe and Khokhar villages said that Rs 21,000 to Rs 40,000 more net return was received against the conventional DSR and mechanical methods. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/punjab-paddy-sowing-technique-water-labour-costs-7938766/  (27 May 2022)

States of Punjab and Haryana, both the governments are pushing farmers to move away from the traditional ‘puddling’ practice and instead adopt the direct seeding of rice (DSR) technology this summer (kharif) season. In a bid to motivate farmers to adopt DSR, the Punjab government has announced to give ₹1,500 per acre incentive to the farmers for sowing paddy through this innovative technology. In the neighbouring State of Haryana, the government has introduced a cash incentive of ₹4,000 per acre to the farmers. This incentive-based scheme will be implemented in 12 districts, including Ambala, Yamunanagar, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Panipat, https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/punjab-haryana-push-for-new-cultivation-method-to-tackle-groundwater-crisis/article65439220.ece  (15 May 2022)

बिहार  कुओं की तरफ लौट रहे ग्रामीण

बिहार के कई गाँवों में हैंडपंपों के पानी में जहरीले रसायनों की वजह से एक बार फिर लोग कुओं की तरफ लौट रहे हैं, उन्होंने कुओं को पुनर्जीवित करके फिर से इस्तेमाल करना शुरू कर दिया है। इन गाँवों में कुओं के इस्तेमाल से बीमारियों में भी कमी आयी है। https://www.gaonconnection.com/desh/dug-wells-hand-pump-contamination-arsenic-iron-fluoride-water-well-bihar-har-ghar-jal-yojana-khagaria-megh-pyne-abhiyan-50828  (26 May 2022)

NCR Depleting groundwater unites RWAs In one of their major moves, the Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) decided to convince authorities across the region to ensure installation of rainwater harvesting systems in all government offices, corporate buildings, community centres, and educational institutions to harness monsoon showers to stave off a looming crisis.

At the meeting, the RWAs also decided to soon organise a national-level seminar on the depleting groundwater levels in Delhi-NCR and invite Union and state government ministers to the event so that eventually a policy on groundwater conservation could be formed by Parliament. Representatives of residents’ bodies from Noida, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad participated in the meeting organised by the Confederation of NCR RWA (CONRWA), the umbrella body of the region’s RWAs, at Safdarjung Club. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/depleting-groundwater-unites-ncr-rwas/articleshow/91824298.cms  (27 May 2022)

GROUNDWATER

SC stays NGT order imposing penalty of over Rs 15 cr on Coca-Cola’s bottling unit The Supreme Court has stayed a NGT order imposing an environmental compensation of over Rs 15 crore on Moon Beverages, a key bottler for American beverage maker Coca-Cola in north India. https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-ngt-order-coca-cola-bottling-unit-up-illegal-groundwater-extraction-199977  (24 May 2022)

A bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao, B R Gavai, and A S Bopanna issued notice on the plea filed by Moon Beverages to a Ghaziabad resident on whose petition the NGT had passed the order. The top court was hearing an appeal filed by Moon Beverages Ltd challenging NGT’s order imposing an environmental compensation of Rs 1.85 crore on Moon Beverages Ltd located at Greater Noida, Rs 13.24 crore on Moon Beverage Ltd’s Sahibabad unit, and Rs 9.71 crore on Varun Beverages Ltd’s Greater Noida unit.

The NGT had also constituted a joint committee comprising officials from the Environment Ministry, Ministry of Jal Shakti, CGWA, UPGWD, and District Magistrates of the districts concerned. The green panel had said the committee shall prepare a restoration plan within two months, execute the same in the next six months and submit a compliance report to it. https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/trends/current-affairs-trends/sc-stays-ngt-order-imposing-penalty-of-over-rs-15-crore-on-coca-colas-bottling-unit-8566871.html (24 May 2022)

Companies that have flouted environmental norms in India have managed to evade the fines, an analysis based on the response to a RTI application showed.  The fines in many cases were challenged in various courts and cases were dragged on for years, or the fines were repealed, it was found. The remaining fines were not even recovered.

The CPCB, has not been able to recover a single rupee from the Coca-Cola Group, PepsiCo Group, Reliance Industries Limited, Adani Group and other big companies in the last 30 years, although there was considerable environmental pollution and damage by their operations. Environmental fines are becoming limited to just show-cause notices and paper transactions, the assessment indicated. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/governance/dte-investigation-cpcb-failed-to-recover-fines-from-coca-cola-pepsi-reliance-adani-in-last-30-years-83020  (26 May 2022)

Madhya Pradesh Meeting held to explain new rules for use of underground water A meeting was organised on Friday (May 27) to discuss groundwater conservation in industrial area Pithampur. Naresh Jatav, an expert from the Ground Water Conservation Department, who came from Bhopal, said that according to the new guidelines all institutions which use more than 10 KLD of groundwater have to mandatorily instal a meter on the boring that they use, inform the authorities and get a NOC. https://www.freepressjournal.in/indore/meeting-held-to-explain-new-rules-for-use-of-underground-water  (29 May 2022)

URBAN WATER

Lucknow NGT petitioned to save water bodies in Aurangabad Khalsa area Lucknow Omaxe City Residents and Allottees Association (LORAA) has filed a petition with the NGT pleading against encroachment of water bodies like lakes and natural drains at an alarming pace near the Aurangabad Khalsa area. LORAA has demanded the mapping of ponds and a report on anti-encroachment projects initiated by the government for water conservation. The residents’ welfare society has blamed the land mafia for rapidly bridging ponds.

H K Singh, president, LORAA said, “There is a huge water body in the revenue record which is being encroached upon by a builder and his associates. This water body is a pond and an important source of natural water recharge for the region. The said builder has badly treated this pond and almost half of this pond has been destroyed due to encroachment. A few acres have been occupied out of the total catchment area of the pond and in some places, the entire land has been occupied, this has forced us to approach the NGT.”

He said that the builder in question pumped and drained out the water of the pond of about six and a half hectares located on Bijnaur Road about two years ago on the pretext that a STP of 2200 KLD shall be constructed for this colony. It was further assured by the builder that after STP being functional the treated water shall be released in this pond. But instead, untreated water of the STP installed in the colony is secretly being discharged into the drain outside the colony by the builder. For this, sewage from the STP is being drained out in the municipal drain by installing underground pipes. This is done to dry the pond in an organised way to encroach upon the land.

The residents have pleaded to the NGT to direct the authorities to ensure that the water holding capacity of the pond is restored by discharging treated water as per the regulatory standards so that the groundwater level can be maintained and the ecology can be improved. The residents have appealed to install marking pillars to protect ponds, lakes and water sources from encroachment and direct authorities to lodge an FIR against the wrongdoers. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/lucknow-news/ngt-petitioned-to-save-water-bodies-in-aurangabad-khalsa-area-101653679246404.html  (28 May 2022)

Gurugram HSPCB wants action plan for legacy waste at Bandhwari Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) on May 27, 2022 recommended the disposal of refuse-derived fuel (largely combustible components of processed waste) at the earliest at the Bandhwari waste management plant. It also directed Ecogreen, the waste management concessionaire, to set an action plan and a timeline for disposing of the screened fractions of legacy waste at Bandhwari while treating the fresh waste dumped at the site daily.

The directions came during the hearing of a petition in the NGT, filed by city-based environmentalist Vivek Kamboj in January, about the illegal dumping of solid waste and leachate from the Bandhwari site into the fragile ecosystem of the Aravali forest areas on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road. The green court, responding to the petition in February, directed the district administration to form a joint committee with some members from HSPCB and the district forest department and the district magistrates of Gurgaon and Faridabad.

It also made the HSPCB the nodal agency for coordination and compliance. Other recommendations included restricting smoking in the landfill, visual checking of waste unloaded in the filling area for potential fire sources like glowing ash or burning remains, and restricting entry to the plant to authorised personnel only. When contacted, an Ecogreen spokesperson said, “We are working on most of the recommendations by HSPCB.” https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/hspcb-wants-action-plan-for-legacy-waste-at-bandhwari/articleshow/91843992.cms  (28 May 2022)

Environmentalists on Tuesday (May 24) alleged that toxic leachate is seeping into the ground in Aravallis and several pleas to the pollution control department and the civic agencies have failed to move authorities to action. The green activists alleged that leachate was not being treated at Bandhwari waste-to-energy plant properly and the situation now is more critical after heavy rainfall lashed the city on Monday (May 23), as the leachate gets mixed with rain water and flows further down the hills. Environmentalists said the leachate has formed several ponds over a 1km area near the waste-to-energy plant and was slowly seeping into the ground, thereby contaminating underground water.

When asked about the matter, a spokesperson of Ecogreen strongly refuted the allegations and said rainwater got collected around the site. Meanwhile, officials from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said they will collect the samples and check the quality of leachate.  https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/gurugram-news/activists-allege-leachate-seeping-into-ground-in-aravallis-101653417507492.html  (25 May 2022)

Over 200 residents fell ill due to water contamination A team of officials from Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Saturday visited Westend Heights in DLF 5 and collected samples of drinking water being supplied in the condominium, a day after more than 200 residents complained of health issues due to the consumption of “contaminated drinking water” supplied by the authority there. At least 205 residents of the condominium alleged that they have been falling ill over the past four days — the youngest among them being a two-year-old boy, currently admitted to hospital for diarrhoea — after consuming drinking water. Most of the residents have complained of suffering from nausea and vomiting. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/gurugram-news/gmda-collects-contaminated-water-samples-from-gurugram-condo-101653821822758.html  (29 May 2022)

Anamika Sagar, a resident of the condominium for the last 14 years, said such an incident has occurred for the first time. “We are suspecting water contamination as despite having a water purifier, we fell ill. We are on antibiotics and ORS,”said Sagar.

Officials of the GMDA ruled out any problem at their end. Abhinav Verma, executive engineer of GMDA, infra II division, said water supplied by them across the city is not contaminated. “The issue lies with society. Their internal storage and underground tanks are not cleaned and maintained regularly, which is why the residents are facing health issues. The management has to look into the maintenance of these water tanks. The water being supplied from GMDA pipelines to all corners of Gurugram is completely safe,” he said.

A DLF spokesperson said, “Westend Heights has been handed over to the respective RWA in 2013 (the year the project was completed) and since then, the RWA is maintaining the property. Moreover, potable domestic water is being supplied by GMDA and is being billed directly to the Westend Heights condominium association. The DLF is neither responsible for managing the internal water supply nor external supply through GMDA”. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/gurugram-news/at-least-200-of-dlf-condominium-fall-ill-water-contamination-suspected-101653677267899.html  (28 May 2022)

Jammu At least 105 people developed health related issues after they drank water from a well at Sohal village in Hiranagar block of Kathua district. https://www.greaterkashmir.com/todays-paper/jammu-todays-paper/105-fall-ill-in-hiranagars-village-after-drinking-water-from-well  (26 May 2022)

Ludhiana Manufacturing unit caught dumping waste in green belt At the time when residents have been raising hue and cry over rising pollution, staffers of a saddle manufacturing unit, Surindra Saddles, were caught dumping untreated electroplating waste in a green belt in Phase 5 of Focal Point on Friday (May 27) evening. MC officials impounded the vehicle and filed a complaint with police and Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) for further action. On checking, the MC officials found that untreated electroplating waste was being dumped at the green belt. They said that industrialists have turned a few acres of green belt into a ground for dumping untreated waste. It is being done to save the money which has to be spent to get the waste treated at the treatment plant. This also results in groundwater contamination with seepage of liquid waste. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/ludhiana-staff-of-manufacturing-unit-caught-dumping-waste-in-green-belt-101653776331698.html  (29 May 2022)

MC finds industrial unit releasing waste water in vacant plot The Municipal Corporation has caught a vehicle in which industrial waste was brought to dump in a vacant plot near the MC’s disposal unit in Phase V of Focal Point, here. It is learnt that the industrial waste water was being released in the plot for a long period. When an NGO raised the issue of illegal release of industrial waste water in the vacant plot, a team of the NGT monitoring committee had also inspected the site. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/ludhiana/ludhiana-municipal-corporation-finds-industrial-unit-releasing-waste-water-in-vacant-plot-399131  (29 May 2022)

4th plant creaks under load For the past two weeks, the city has been facing a major crisis for which Delhi government has blamed Haryana. According to Delhi Jal Board, due to the problems at Wazirabad, Chandrawal and Okhla water treatment plants, the fourth plant at Haiderpur has also been affected. The level of the Wazirabad pond was 668.3 feet on Saturday, the lowest so far this season, against the required level of 674.5 feet.

On May 17, when the Yamuna was running dry, the water level at Wazirabad pond was 669 feet. DJB had then written to the Haryana irrigation department requesting for an additional 150 cusecs of water to be released into the river. This was the fourth time since April 30 that DJB had written to officials in Haryana requesting for additional water. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/water-crisis-to-worsen-as-4th-plant-creaks-under-load/articleshow/91729116.cms   (23 May 2022)

New WTP to come up at Chandrawal next year A new water treatment plant (WTP) is set to come up at Chandrawal by April 2023, according to Water Minister Satyendar Jain. The plant will have a capacity of 105 MGD, and is being set up at a cost of Rs 600 crore. The new plant is likely to be able to treat ammonia levels of up to 4 ppm (parts per million) in the water. The DJB’s existing WTPs can treat ammonia up to a level of around 1 ppm, while the BIS standard for ammonia in drinking water is 0.5 ppm. High levels of ammonia in the Yamuna have in the past disrupted the water supply.

2 WTPs are currently operational at Chandrawal, one of 35 MGD and another of 55 MGD, supplying a total of 90 MGD of water. While the 55 MGD plant is also being redeveloped, a total of 160 MGD of water will be produced at Chandrawal once the new plant is ready. A ‘central water management centre’ is likely to be included in the new plant at Chandrawal to monitor water supply, distribution, and pressure, according to the DJB. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/new-water-treatment-plant-to-come-up-at-chandrawal-next-year-7940644/  (28 May 2022)

40 hectares around Asola’s Neeli Jheel to be redeveloped for visitors Neeli Jheel in the heart of the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary will see considerable change in the next four months as the Delhi environment minister’s office on Thursday approved a redevelopment plan for 40 hectares of area around the 5.16-hectare lake, officials said. Work on vantage and selfie points, an amphitheatre, an animal exhibit and steps that will double up as seats for visitors is likely to commence next month, they added .

Officials of the forest department said the area will be developed to promote eco-tourism and bird watching. An unmetalled (kutcha) road will be constructed to bring visitors all the way up to the lake in e-vehicles or golf carts. “All materials used in development/construction will be eco-friendly. The area will have plenty of native trees and shrubs, with the parking area left unpaved so that groundwater recharge is not impeded. These vantage points will be ideal for visitors. We will create a 3D animal exhibit to educate visitors about the sanctuary and the animals found here,” said a senior forest official, on condition of anonymity. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/40-hectares-around-asola-s-neeli-jheel-to-be-redeveloped-for-visitors-101653589964467.html  (27 May 2022)

Delhi to be made city of lake: Gopal Rai Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai chaired a joint meeting with officials on Tuesday (May 24) at the Delhi Secretariat to address the beautification and repair of Delhi’s lakes.

Chairing the meeting, the Environment Minister said, “Delhi will be made ‘City of Lakes’. It was decided to revive and develop 20 lakes in Delhi in accordance with international standards in the first phase of this project.” While highlighting the project, Rai informed that the Wetland Authority of Delhi has finished the mapping of roughly 1,018 lakes out of a total of 1,045 lakes. In addition, UID numbers have been assigned to each of the 1045 lakes. The rest of the lakes will be developed as part of this project in the future.

”Responding to complaints about lakes is the most important component of lake development and repair. So far, the research has identified encroachment, sewage discharge, and solid waste disposal as important challenges,” Rai added. To address these concerns and promote lake development, the Delhi government constituted a District Grievance Committee. The Committee will be in charge of checking and monitoring these lakes on a regular basis. It will also take care of any complaints about the lake. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/delhi-to-be-made-city-of-lakes-with-aim-to-conserve-wetlands-gopal-rai-122052500164_1.html   (25 May 2022)

Bengaluru Recycled water to fill lakes Phase two of the project will be taken up at a cost of Rs 540 crore and the treated water will be supplied to fill 22 lakes in Bengaluru East and Hosakote taluks. This time, there are also plans to take up lift irrigation from KR Puram Lake as well. In the first phase of the project, budgeted at Rs 1,342 crore, water from the Koramangala-Challaghatta valley was pumped via huge pipelines to 270 lakes in Kolar. Water from the Hebbal-Nagawara valley was supplied to 24 lakes.

Currently, around 8 TMC of treated water is being pumped from STPs of Bellandur and Varthur, and around 400 million litres of primary and secondary treated water are being pumped per day through an 85-km pipeline to Kolar.  According to officials, the treated water supply did wonders as the water table rapidly rose from 1,400 feet to 400-600 feet.

During Friday’s (May 27) budget in the State Assembly, CM Bommai said the first task would be to fill 234 tanks in Bengaluru Urban and Rural, Tumakuru and Chikkaballapur districts with 308 MLD water processed from the Vrushabhavathi Valley of Bengaluru Urban. However, this project is plagued with with controversies as well. Many organisations had opposed the project alleging that the treated water had arsenic content which would adversely affect the health of people and cattle. Frothing was another complaint. Some of them alleged that the treated water was dangerous due to the presence of heavy metals and pollutants as well. https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/civic/recycled-water-to-fill-bengalurus-lakes/articleshow/91860303.cms  (29 May 2022)

BBMP’s plan to engage two vehicles to collect wet and dry waste will likely escalate expenditure on garbage disposal by Rs 200 crore. The additional cost is expected to further burden the BBMP whose annual expenses for collection and transportation (C&T) of waste have already gone up by Rs 50 crore to Rs 580 crore. https://www.deccanherald.com/city/top-bengaluru-stories/new-waste-collection-system-to-jack-up-bbmps-annual-garbage-bill-by-rs-200-crore-1113632.html  (30 May 2022)

Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB) is now using the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) technology to treat sewage at its STPs. The HMWS&SB officials said SBR technology requires less space compared to the Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) technology which is used in existing STPs. The maintenance cost is also lower for SBR.

Under the SBR technology, sewage water is sent to the SBR tank, also known as a single batch reactor. When the water enters it, the ‘activated sludge process’ starts. Under this process, wastewater is treated using aeration and biological floc followed by a series of steps that treat the dirty water and make it usable for maintaining greenery, washing vehicles, construction activities, etc. https://telanganatoday.com/hyderabad-adopts-smart-tech-for-sewage-treatment  (26 May 2022)

Chennai Nemmeli desalination plant to be ready by 2023 The Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB) has begun work to lay pipelines to draw seawater and discharge brine from the upcoming third desalination plant at Nemmeli. The plant will have a capacity to treat 150 mld seawater. Over 50% of the construction of seawater intake sump, ultrafiltration, reverse osmosis, and dissolved air flotation, in the plant has been completed so far. https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/chennai/nemmeli-desalination-plant-to-be-ready-by-2023/article65467712.ece  (27 May 2022)

Mumbai Rains to test underground water storage tank project More than a year after the BMC started building the underground water storage tanks at Pramod Mahajan Udyan in Dadar and St Xavier’s ground in Parel to prevent flooding at the saucer-shaped, low-lying Hindmata area, the upcoming monsoon will be a real test on whether or not the Rs 111-crore project floats or sinks.

BMC’s additional municipal commissioner P Velrasu said the underground tank in Parel, built at a cost of over Rs 60.5 crore, will be fully functional before the rains, while the Dadar one, costing nearly Rs 51.1 crore, will not be augmented yet. Each tank is 100m in length, 50m wide and 6m deep. “The total holding capacity of the tanks is 28.3 million litres of water or three hours of continuous rainfall,” Velrasu said. “Phase one of the project was completed before this monsoon, as per schedule. Phase two works have been tendered and the work is on.” https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/rains-to-test-if-underground-water-storage-tank-project-floats-or-sinks/articleshow/91846247.cms  (28 May 2022)

Panvel Depleting dam level  The water level at Appasaheb Vedak (Dehrang) dam, which is the main source of supply to Panvel city, has gone down to the point where sludge is visible. This has led to a water shortage in Panvel city and forced the Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to announce water cuts on alternate days. Panvel city requires 28 million litres of water supply daily. With no water at Dehrang, the administration will have to look at alternate sources.

PCMC will now likely source water from Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). “Usually, every year, the Dehrang dam water level recedes by April, however, proper planning by the water department this year extended it till May end this year. The meteorological department has announced that the monsoon could arrive 10 days earlier. If that happens, it will help fill up the dam. However, if the monsoon is delayed, the water shortage will aggravate,” a civic official said. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/panvel-city-to-get-water-supply-on-alternate-days-due-to-depleting-dam-level-101653673969335.html  (27 May 2022)

Nasik Women block roads in protest amid water crisis. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2bAaS3LnWo  (28 May 2022)

जोधपुर में पानी का संकट गहरा गया है। नहरबंदी के कारण पानी की सप्लाई बाधित थी। हालात ऐसे हो गए हैं कि जोधपुर प्रशासन ने पानी की सप्लाई का जिम्मा अपने हाथ में ले लिया है और सभी फिल्टर हाउस पर पुलिस का पहरा बिठा दिया है। 60 दिन की नहरबंदी कारण जोधपुर में पानी का संकटा पैदा हो गया है। प्रस्तावित 60 दिनों की इंदिरा गांधी नहरबंदी 21 मई तक पूरी होनी थी पर पंजाब में इंदिरा गांधी मुख्य कैनाल पर सरहिंद फीडर टूट गया है। ऐसे में फीडर की मरम्मत के बाद जोधपुर को दस दिन बाद पानी मिलेगा। नहरबंदी के कारण जोधपुर के प्राकृतिक जलाश्य कायलाना और तख्तसागर तक पानी पहुंचाने वाली स्थानीय हाथी नहर भी सूख गई है। अब इन जलाश्य में मौजूद पानी से ही शहरवासियों को काम चलाना है। कायलाना और तख्तसागर से प्रतिदिन 15 एमसीएफटी पानी की आपूर्ति होती है। यहां अभी 125 एफसीएफटी पानी है, जिससे दस दिन आपूर्ति हो सकती है। फिलहाल प्रशासन ने इस पानी से दस दिन में चार बार पानी की आपूर्ति देने का प्लान बनाया है। https://www.amarujala.com/photo-gallery/rajasthan/water-crisis-24-hours-police-force-deployed-at-filter-plants-in-jodhpur  (23 May 2022)

60 दिन की नहर बंदी के कारण जोधपुर में सप्लाई के लिए पानी का स्टॉक बेहद संभल कर खर्च किया जा रहा था। अब पंजाब में नहर टूटने से पानी आने में दस दिन और लगेंगे। जोधपुर के पास अब दस दिन तक प्यास बुझाने लायक पानी भी नहीं है। जन स्वास्थ्य अभियांत्रिकी विभाग नगर सर्कल के अधीक्षण अभियंता जगदीश चंद्र व्यास ने बताया कि प्रस्तावित 60 दिनों की इंदिरा गांधी नहरबंदी 21 मई तक पूरी होनी थी। पर पंजाब में नहर टूटने और मरम्मत के काम के कारण अब नहरबंदी की अवधि आगे बढ़ने की संभावना है। इसके चलते जोधपुर शहर के जलाशयों में पर्याप्त जल रखने के लिए शहर में आगामी शटडाउन हर दो दिन बाद किया जाएगा।  https://www.bhaskar.com/local/rajasthan/jodhpur/news/water-emergency-situation-jodhpur-latest-news-update-water-will-come-from-punjab-to-jodhpur-by-june-2-129840762.html  (23 May 2022)

इंदिरा गांधी नहर बंदी 20 मई को खत्म होने वाली थी। इस बीच सरहिन्द फीडर और IGNP का कॉमन बैंक टूटने से अब 23 मई तक पश्चिमी राजस्थान के जिलों में पीने का पानी नहीं पहुंच सकेगा। ऐसे में इन जिलों में पेयजल संकट और बढ़ने वाला है। दरअसल, 8 मई की रात को सरहिंद फीडर व इंदिरा गांधी फीडर के बीच के कॉमन बैंक के टूटने से जलापूर्ति पूरी तरह से बाधित हो गई।ऐसे में बीकानेर, श्रीगंगानगर और हनुमानगढ़ जिले के पूर्ण क्षेत्र को 25 से 27 मई के बीच पेयजल हेतु जलापूर्ति होने की संभावना है। https://www.bhaskar.com/local/rajasthan/bikaner/news/common-bank-broken-between-sirhind-feeder-and-ignp-now-water-crisis-in-western-rajasthan-till-may-23-129824747.html  (19 May 2022)

Opinion Who’s Waste, Is It Anyway? Nabeela Siddiqui & Saibaa Ghazala With rapid urbanisation, the country is facing massive waste management challenge. A report by IIT Kanpur (2006) found the potential of recovering at least 15 per cent or 15,000 MT of waste generated every day in the country. The report added that despite immense potential in big cities in this area, participation from non-profits or community is limited.

The Hon’ble NGT in OA No. 606 of 2018, Vide order dated 16.01.2019, after noticing that statutory timelines provided under Rule 22 of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 for various steps had expired and failure of the same was a punishable criminal offence under the provisions of the Environmental (Protection) Act as well as under the provisions of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 (NGT Act), the Tribunal required the presence of Chief Secretaries of all States/UTs. Data on the amount of garbage generated in India is contradictory since there is no mechanism in place to gather data on waste creation on a regular basis. As a result, solid waste estimates and predictions vary greatly from one agency to the next. https://www.livelaw.in/columns/united-nations-conference-on-the-human-environment-persistent-organic-pollutants-pops-wastes-ghazipur-landfill-explosion-national-green-tribunal-ngt-swm-rules-2016-200327  (28 May 2022)

JJM/ RURAL WATER SUPPLY

Report Less than 25% households covered 4 states Uttar Pradesh has the lowest coverage at 13.75 per cent, followed by Jharkhand at 20.01 per cent, Chhattisgarh 23.26 per cent and Rajasthan at 24.58 per cent, according to official data. According to official data, tap water supply has been given to 8.6 lakh schools, 8.89 lakh anganwadi centres, and 3.51 lakh gram panchayat offices and CHCs. Among states and union territories, Jharkhand has the lowest coverage of tap water connections in schools and anganwadi centres at 17.99 per cent and 4.57 per cent, respectively.  https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/jal-jeevan-mission-less-than-25-pc-households-covered-in-up-jharkhand-rajasthan-chhattisgarh/articleshow/91866538.cms  (29 May 2022)

50 per cent of rural households having access to tap water connections, the Jal Shakti Ministry said on Saturday (May 28). In a statement, the ministry said Goa, Telangana, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Puducherry and Haryana have already achieved 100 per cent household water connections.

Punjab, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar have coverage of more than 90 per cent of the households and are progressing fast towards attaining the status of ‘Har Ghar Jal’. Over 9.59 crore rural households spread across states and union territories are getting water within their premises, it said. The ministry said as on May 27, all households in 108 districts, 1,222 blocks, 71,667 gram panchayats and 1,51,171 villages have been provided with drinking water through taps. https://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/50-of-rural-households-have-access-to-tap-water-connections-govt-122052800913_1.html  (28 May 2022)

Assam People In Udharbond Are Using Ancient Methods To Deal With Water Crisis  The people of Deshbandhunagar of Tilokpar Panchayat told with grief and despair that they were not provided with any tube well or public ring well yet. Their lives depend upon the muddy untreated water from the river, or they have to dig up the ground to get some water. They use it both for drinking and other household purposes, and they suffer from many water-borne diseases. “The water turns muddy during the rain, and we harvest rainwater for drinking purposes,” said Sima Rani Das, a local woman. They have demanded many times to PHE, but no actions were taken. https://www.barakbulletin.com/en_US/people-in-udharbond-are-using-ancient-methods-to-deal-with-water-crisis/  (26 May 2022)

MONSOON 2022

IMD Southwest monsoon has set in over Kerala, three days ahead of its normal onset date of June 1, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday (May 29). https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/monsoon-arrives-in-kerala-3-days-ahead-of-time-imd/articleshow/91866716.cms  (29 May 2022)

Contrary to its earlier prediction of the onset of the Southwest Monsoon over Kerala on May 27, the IMD on May 26, said it can happen anytime this forecasting week (till June 1) and the conditions are being monitored real time. https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/monsoon-onset-over-kerala-can-happen-anytime-till-june-1-says-imd-164408  (27 May 2022)

Skymet Weather has said the country appears to have missed the bus regarding the onset of the monsoon over Kerala, which it had earlier predicted would unfold on May 26, with a model error of +/-3 days. There is no sign of the seasonal weather system approaching the coast as of Thursday, said GP Sharma, President, Meteorology and Climate at Skymet Weather.  https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/monsoon-onset-being-delayed-country-may-have-missed-the-bus-says-skymet/article65463107.ece  (26 May 2022)

Himachal Pradesh Lahaul, Spiti snowfall in May uncommon occurrence Surender Paul, who heads IMD’s Meteorological Centre at Shimla, said: “Snowfall in May in Lahaul Spiti is an uncommon occurrence. And yet, there are reports of snowfall in Keylong, Hansa, Gondla in recent past years viz 2020 and 2021 too.” https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=962127   (25 May 2022)

Maharashtra 77% pre-monsoon rain deficit in Pune district According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), between March 1 and May 27, Pune district has reported 77 per cent rainfall deficiency. For Pune city, pre-monsoon rainfall deficiency is as high as 37.7 millimetres rainfall during the same time. Maharashtra as a whole has also reported a deficiency of 62 per cent, as per IMD. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/pune-news/77-pre-monsoon-rain-deficit-in-pune-district-101653672707568.html  (27 May 2022)

FLOOD 2022

Dam Flood Assam Floods made worse by dams, say locals Residents of Hojai and Nagaon districts said a dam upstream caused the waters of the Kopili river to swell abruptly.

In downstream Hojai and Nagaon districts, residents say the floods are getting worse every year. 55 year-old Anar Ullah lives in Janghal Block and owns a small country boat, which he has used to rescue 70 to 80 people already this year. Ullah said he got the boat in 2004, when there were severe floods. “But this is the biggest flood I have seen in my life,” said Ullah, who is living under tarpaulin sheets by the road since the floodwaters filled his home. “It is not even monsoon but the flood is many times deadlier than the 2004 flood.”

The residents of Tetelisora Grant village in Nagaon district blamed their plight on the sudden release of water from the dam. The village is in between Kampur and Kathiatoli towns. The floodwaters of the Kopili have washed away the main road which connects Kampur and Kathiatoli and passes through Tetelisora Grant Village. Arobinda Deka’s house in Tetelisora Grant village was flooded with water till the roof, he said, forcing him to take shelter in a camp five kilometres away from the village. “The floodwater was very dirty and muddy,” he said. “The water also flowed at a high speed. We have heard that they have opened the dam gates – that’s why there is lots of water.”

Scroll.in spoke to at least 20 residents of villages in neighbouring Hojai district. They had all heard the same story. “Some gates were opened in Dima Hasao, after which the water suddenly entered the village on Sunday evening [May 15] ,” alleged 38-year-old Abdur Hoque of Bhedeoti village. Hoque’s farmlands are now under water, and his harvest of rice is destroyed. “The Kopili river is around eight to 9 kms from our village,” he said. “Even if there was a flood earlier, it used to take two to three days for the whole village to be submerged. This time, the entire village was submerged within 10-12 hours.”

Zakir Hussain of Pub Bagari village echoed these claims. “It was NEEPCO’s dam water,” he said. “Most of the year, it remains dry. They stock the water in the winter and release it when the dam is full and they cannot control it. If a warning had been given, we could have still prepared better.” Mokbul Ali, a resident of Paschim Bagari village, agreed – they only had time to run for their lives. “What will you save — humans or animals?” asked 40-year-old Ali. He also said that for about the last decade and a half, they had witnessed the river go from dry to overflowing its banks. https://scroll.in/article/1024610/  (24 May 2022)

Experts say it is futile to blame climate change alone and that non-climatic factors have worsened the flood situation. Rahman explains how ecological concerns were ignored as infrastructure building got a big push in the region. “The logic given for infrastructure building was that it is for furthering economic connectivity. But at the same time they were disrupting the ecological connectivity. If you don’t put ecological connectivity at the heart of economic connectivity projects, all such projects are doomed to fail in the face of climate change,” Rahman told Al Jazeera.

Dima Hasao is one of the districts in Assam that have seen many big-ticket infrastructure projects recently, including a broad-gauge rail link, roads and highways. Das attributes the grim flood scenario to how deforestation and faulty land use practices have increased riverbed siltation even as structural measures and encroachment on core floodplains cause channel congestion. But experts say the government needs to do more. “They are trying to mitigate flood hazards with age-old and temporary measures like earthen embankments,” Das said. “Non-structural measures like catchment and watershed management and flood forecasting and flood early warning etc, have never been taken seriously,” he said, adding that Assam needed “a time-bound master plan with a pragmatic, progressive and adaptive integrated flood and erosion management policy”. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/26/he-never-returned-widespread-misery-in-indias-flooded-assam  (26 May 2022)

Maharashtra Panel to examine causes of 2021 floods in Chiplun The state government has set up a panel comprising nine members and experts to study the effect of water discharge from the Kolkewadi dam into Vashisthi river which had caused floods in Chiplun town of Konkan in 2021.

Deepak Modak, retired chief engineer of irrigation department, has been elected as the head of the nine-member panel. The panel will also include Sanjay Chopade, chief engineer of the Koyna Hydro Power Station Complex located at Pophali in Ratnagiri district, Sharad Joshi civil engineering professor from Belgaum based college and Prakash Patankar activist from Chiplun. The panel has been asked to submit the report whether the discharge from the dam causes Vashisthi river to flood and also suggest stand operating procedure to manage discharge from the small dam.

In December 2021, several local activists from the coastal town of Chiplun in Ratnagiri district had met deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and presented their observations regarding submergence of almost 50% of the town in two to three days. They had claimed that the discharge from Kolkewadi dam during heavy rain was one of the reasons for the flooding of Vashisthi river along with the encroachments alongside the river and narrowing of the stream due to dumping of debris. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolhapur/panel-to-examine-causes-of-2021-floods-in-chiplun/articleshow/91753369.cms  (24 May 2022)

Karnataka Heavy rains in Western Ghats fill up Tungabhadra The Tungabhadra reservoir has received heavy inflows following incessant rainfall in upstream areas of the Western Ghats in Karnataka. The dam this time recorded the highest storage in a decade.  In addition, over 200 irrigation tanks in Rayalaseema region witnessed full storage capacity this time, after many decades, due to the arrival of Krishna waters through the Handri Neeva Sujala Shravanthi and Galeru Nagari projects. In addition to the diversion of water from HNSS phase –II, heavy rainfall resulted in the over-flowing of water in the peak summer season. “We never see the tank filled even during the peak rainy season, but overflow of water in the summer season this time could meet the drinking water needs of the municipality,” Satyanarayana from Madakasira observed.  https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/240522/tungabhadra-dam-with-heavy-inflows.html  (24 May 2022)

Rajasthan Untimely discharges from Kota barrage washes away nestlings of Indian skimmers Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), tweeted a video on Wednesday (May 11) showing a drowned birdling. “Sudden release of water from Kota Barrage in Rajasthan has led to [the] flooding of river islands in Chambal, downing the eggs and newly hatched chicks of the endangered Indian Skimmer,” it said. It added so far 22 Indian skimmer nests with over 60 chicks and eggs have been washed away. “Many more nests of Little Tern, River Tern, and River Lapwings have also drowned.” BNHS appealed to CM Ashok Gehlot to halt the release of water for two weeks until the birdlings begin to fly. Hours later, the Rajasthan irrigation department issued an order on Tuesday night for diverting the water to smaller canals instead of the Chambal River. In a tweet, BHNS thanked Gehlot for the order.

Sudden release of water at Kota barrage in #Rajasthan has led to flooding of river islands in Chambal, drowning the eggs and newly hatched chicks of the #Endangered Indian Skimmer. An urgent appeal to @ashokgehlot51 to halt the process for ~2 weeks till they take flight. pic.twitter.com/MhpsextQaW

— Bombay Natural History Society (@BNHSIndia) May 10, 2022

A Rajasthan irrigation department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the water was released for an annual inspection of Madhya Pradesh’s Gandhi Sagar Dam and it needed to be full for the purpose. “Following the state government’s permission, the water was being released from Kota Barrage since April 30. On an average 3,000 cusec daily were released.” BNHS’s member Manoj Kulshreshtha said the Indian skimmer, black-bellied tern, and river tern are river system birds. “The sudden release of water killed the newborn skimmers. Earlier, also sudden release damaged their nests but it did not come to light. The govt needs to come up with a policy.” https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/release-of-water-from-rajasthan-washes-away-nestlings-of-indian-skimmers-101652247751157.html (11 May 2022)

Jharkhand Fly ash Continues to Threaten Villagers More than a fortnight after a settlement in Jharkhand was flooded with slurry from a fly ash pond, life for nearly 150 people affected by the incident is yet to return to normal. On 7 May, the dyke of an ash pond belonging to Bokaro Power Supply Company Limited had given way resulting in slurry entering numerous dwelling units in Rautdih village, in the Chas subdivision of Bokaro district. As per reports, barely a few days before the incident, SPCB had instituted an enquiry into the alleged illegal dumping of fly ash by the power company.

As per the enquiry report, a copy of which is with Newsclick, the dyke breach took place due to the accumulation of huge amounts of sludge within a certain section of the pond. Further, channels constructed to drain water from the pond had also been clogged with sludge. Stone blocks used to construct the dyke had not been properly placed resulting in their displacement, which led to overflow and flooding, the report states. The enquiry committee has also found deficiencies in the structure of the ash pond and noted that timely action could have prevented this disaster.

A report by Manthan last year documented, at least, eight major instances of fly ash breaches resulting in loss of lives and property between August 2019 and May 2021. A number of other flooding incidents resulting from the overflow of slurry due to leakages or collapse of dykes of fly ash ponds were also reported during this period. At least, three incidents were reported from the Sasan Ultra Mega Power Project, in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh between August 2019 and April 2020. The flooding in Singrauli on April 10, 2020, spread over 200 acres and killed, at least, six people. The think tank found a pattern in fly ash pond breach incidents in its study. “The fly ash breaches and illegal dumping documented in this report occurred at different places and times, but they demonstrate the same patterns of violations, negligence, lack of accountability, and unsatisfactory action by keepers of the law,” the report stated. https://www.newsclick.in/fly-threaten-jharkhand-villagers-centre-boosts-coal-usage  (28 May 2022)

URBAN FLOODS

Mumbai Hindmata’s chronic flooding spots Urban experts say it’s not just the saucer-shaped topography that causes the annual flooding in Hindmata, and point to how the BMC is almost never prepared — while old sewer lines lie damaged, new illegal ones crisscross the area. Old British-era arch drains — designed to carry rainwater from Dadar to Britannia (Reay Road) outfall and finally into the sea — have been reduced to barely 1.13 sqm from their original 2.69 sqm carrying capacity due to silting and encroachments, said a retired civic official.

In 2016, the BMC constructed the Britannia pumping station, claiming that it would make the Hindmata junction free of waterlogging. But the neighbourhood continued to get flooded. The following year, an inquiry into the functioning of the Britannia pumping station recommended the installation of additional drains to carry rainwater, following which, in 2019, Rs 50 crore was spent to lay the lines and augment the capacity of the existing lines. But Hindmata remained a water-filled saucer during the rains. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/i-want-to-run-away-at-the-thought-of-rains-7941749/  (29 May 2022)

ENVIRONMENT GOVERNANCE

Chhattisgarh Government has become only the second state in the country to recognise Community Forest Resource (CFR) rights of a village inside a national park. The CFR rights of tribals living in Gudiyapadar, a hamlet inside the Kanger Ghati National Park in Bastar district, were recognised Wednesday (May 25), giving the community power to formulate rules for forest use. The community forest resource area is the common forest land that has been traditionally protected and conserved for sustainable use by a particular community. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-what-are-community-forest-rights-why-do-they-matter-7939921/  (27 May 2022)

The battle over mining Hasdeo forest https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-battle-over-mining-in-chhattisgarhs-hasdeo-forest-7942527/  (29 May 2022)

Report Researchers warn about perils of mass drives to plant trees  Researchers at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) have cautioned on the perils of tree planting drives undertaken annually during World Environment Day on June 5. Experts point out that if tree-planting initiatives are not scientifically sound, it may even lead to a reduction in the water table. The approach should rather be based on restoring the local ecosystem. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/bangalore/researchers-perils-mass-drives-to-plant-trees-7933723/  (24 May 2022)

Western Ghats Eco concerns raised as railways revives line to Madikeri  Nearly two decades after a plan to build a railway line to Madikeri was put to rest, the Railway Board has sanctioned a survey for a line from Shravanabelagola to Madikeri, raising concerns over ecological destruction in the fragile Western Ghats district. The ministry has approved Rs 58.5 lakh as the cost for survey of the 117-km railway Shravanabelagola-Madikeri line, which will pass through Holenarsipur, Arkalgud, Konanur and Kushalnagar. “Considering the vulnerability of the Western Ghats, any railway line is a harbinger of disaster. If the governments have not learnt about the sensitivity of Kodagu district from the landslides witnessed since 2018, we have no hope for the future of biodiversity and water security of the state,” a senior forest officer who studied the region told DH. https://www.deccanherald.com/state/eco-concerns-raised-as-railways-revives-line-to-madikeri-1112763.html  (26 May 2022)

CLIMATE CHANGE

Research A 3 fold rise in widespread extreme rain events over central India M. K. Roxy, Subimal Ghosh, Amey Pathak, R. Athulya, Milind Mujumdar, Raghu Murtugudde, Pascal Terray & M. Rajeevan Abstract:- Socioeconomic challenges continue to mount for half a billion residents of central India because of a decline in the total rainfall and a concurrent rise in the magnitude and frequency of extreme rainfall events. Alongside a weakening monsoon circulation, the locally available moisture and the frequency of moisture-laden depressions from the Bay of Bengal have also declined. Here we show that despite these negative trends, there is a threefold increase in widespread extreme rain events over central India during 1950–2015. The rise in these events is due to an increasing variability of the low-level monsoon westerlies over the Arabian Sea, driving surges of moisture supply, leading to extreme rainfall episodes across the entire central subcontinent. The homogeneity of these severe weather events and their association with the ocean temperatures underscores the potential predictability of these events by two-to-three weeks, which offers hope in mitigating their catastrophic impact on life, agriculture and property. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-00744-9  (03 Oct. 2017)

Widespread extreme rain events across central India have tripled since 1950, reports a study led by Dr. Roxy Mathew Koll and his team at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), and published in Nature Communications. These severe weather events result in largescale floods and catastrophic loss for life and property across central and northern India – Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Odisha, Jharkhand, Assam and parts of Western Ghats – Goa, north Karnataka and central Kerala. https://www.climate.rocksea.org/research/widespread-extreme-rainfall-india/ 

Jammu & Kashmir Climate Chaos in Kashmir Could Change the Colour of Our Kheer In order to study the climate change impacts, I spent the next 14 days between Uri and Pahalgam, trying to find out in which direction Kashmir was going. Overall, each area reported a reduction of 25-30% of snowfall and rain. https://thewire.in/agriculture/climate-chaos-in-kashmir-could-change-the-colour-of-our-kheer-and-a-whole-lot-more  (28 May 2022)

Report Deadly Indian heatwave made 30 times more likely by climate crisis The heatwave scorching India and Pakistan has been made 30 times more likely by the climate crisis, according to scientists. Extreme temperatures and low rainfall since mid-March have caused widespread suffering, including deaths, crop losses, forest fires, and cuts to power and water supplies.

The study is the latest to show the already severe impacts of global heating on millions of people, even though the global average temperature has risen only 1.2C above pre-industrial levels to date. If it rises to 2C, heatwaves as intense as the current one would be expected as often as every five years in India and Pakistan, the scientists estimated. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/may/23/deadly-indian-heatwave-made-30-times-more-likely-by-climate-crisis  (23 May 2022)

Spring Never Came to India This Year https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/24/opinion/india-heat-wave-climate-change.html  (May 24, 2022)

CEEW presents What On Earth! A cartoon series on sustainability. On how we are treating the planet and how the planet is treating us back. What On Earth!™ will appear every Wednesday and on special days with a point or a counterpoint to ponder and to share forward. https://www.ceew.in/what-on-earth 

SOUTH ASIA

GBM Basin Countries Face Annual Rs 1420 Cr Loss Due to Non-Cooperation in Water Sharing “Non-cooperation over shared waters governance in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) basin results in basin countries losing over USD 14.2 billion annually. Such a high cost of non-cooperation in one of the most climate-stressed regions warrants more urgent action by various stakeholders to improve and sustain cooperation on shared waters and associated natural resources,” said the report Understanding the Costs of Non-Cooperation in the GBM Basins.

One of the first such analyses for the GBM basins, the report has attempted to quantify the economic costs due to non-cooperation while the other social and cultural costs, including the differential impact across various countries, sectors, and social groups, are yet to be explored and quantified. With an aim to reduce the non-cooperation cost and facilitate cooperation, the study identified three areas of consideration — shift in policy outlook and decision-making processes, development of institutional arrangements and promotion of benefit sharing. It called for a major shift in policies to reduce negative externalities among the water, energy, food, and environment sectors and also underscored the need for the current institutional arrangements to be better developed to create a conducive atmosphere for cooperation. https://weather.com/en-IN/india/news/news/2022-05-18-ganga-brahmaputra-meghna-basin-countries-face-massive-loss  (18 May 2022)

ASIA

MEKONG Thailand Thai Mekong Campaigner Awarded A Thai environmental activist who successfully campaigned against a China-led Mekong River channel deepening project is among the recipients of the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize. Niwat Roykaew is the head of the grassroots environmental group Rak Chiang Khong, which has campaigned for years against plans to blast away rapids along the middle Mekong to allow the passage of Chinese cargo vessels, and his efforts were crucial in the Thai cabinet’s decision to terminate the project in February 2020.  https://thediplomat.com/2022/05/thai-mekong-campaigner-awarded-prominent-environmental-prize/  (26 May 2022)

THE REST OF THE WORLD

USA The largest dam removal project in U.S. history is set to begin on the Klamath River in Northern California. The removal of four aging dams will revitalize ecosystems that have been endangered by aging hydroelectric infrastructure for far too long. https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/California-dam-removal-17187703.php   (22 May 2022)  

Europe Removing its dams https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJoZPqEkLow  (23 May 2022)

Africa A Waterway Project in Brazil Imperils a Vast Tropical Wetland The Pantanal, the world’s largest tropical wetland, has been battered in recent years by agricultural development, drought, and fire. Now, a push to turn the region’s key river into a waterway for soybean-laden barges threatens to alter the natural flows of this iconic ecosystem. https://e360.yale.edu/features/a-waterway-project-in-brazil-imperils-a-vast-tropical-wetland  (26 May 2022)

Report Microplastics in sewage: a toxic combination that is poisoning our land George Monbiot Policy failure and lack of enforcement have left Britain’s waterways and farmland vulnerable to ‘forever chemicals’ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/26/microplastics-sewage-poison-land-britain-waterways-chemicals  (26 May 2022)

Compiled by SANDRP (ht.sandrp@gmail.com)

Also see: DRP News Bulletin 23 May 2022 & DRP News Bulletin 16 May 2022  

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