What's With The Climate?

Cleaning up the mountains – an intern’s story

Surendran Balachandran — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 02:16:46 +0000

I was going through some relatively old files today and found this interesting report by some interns who were working with us this summer. More information about mountain cleaners and the inspiring Jodie at http://www.mountaincleaners.org/
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Before leaving all of us had a lot of expectations from the trip to Dharmashala and in fact we were more than satisfied from our experience. We got on the night bus to dharmashala from ISBT at Kashmere gate, it takes about 12 hours on a bumpy road from New Delhi to Dharmashala and was surprising to see the amount of activity throughout the night on the highway road.

We arrived at dharmashala bus station at eight in the morning and were welcomed with a cool mountain breeze far away from the delhi loo and a Israeli stranger who suggested us to live in Bhagsu because of the quietness of the area, we followed her advice blindly just to find the opposite. Bhagsu is a small town 20 minutes uphill from Dharmashala and we took a taxi to reach this tiny little hill top. Our arrival in Bhagsu was unexpectedly unpleasant as we were expecting a clean and a noise free place as was told to us. Our first couple of hours in Dharmashala were spent searching for a guest house, again contrary to our belief as wewere told that it was very easy to find accommodation in Bhagsu, so we decided to give up and feed our starving stomachs. As luck would have it we ended up staying at the same place where we had eaten. After all of rested and freshened up we met with Jody – the lady who heads the group ‘The Mountain Cleaners’ and whom we had come to dharmashala to help. Jody welcomed us very warmly and started off by giving an introduction to the work she has been doing in Dharmashala for the past year, she went on to
explain the problems she was facing currently and then to tell us about our soon to be trek up to the
mountain.

In simple words, every Monday the mountain cleaners climb up to one mountain top which a number of tourists visit. There are a number of chai shops on the way and on the mountain top which provide basic eating and drinking items to the tourists who come to visit the mountain and thereby they produce alot of garbage mainly plastic bottles and Glass bottles and with alot of non-recyclable waste items like chips and biscuits wrappers. Earlier, these chai shops were not separating their waste and everything use to come down the mountain as it is all together and then the burden use to be on the lady who manages the dump at Bhagsu to separate the waste. The mountain cleaners decided to make a difference and help the lady at the dump. The chai shops have been provided with three bags from the mountain cleaners to separate their waste, one for plastic bottles the second for recyclable waste and the third for non-recyclable waste, unfortunately even then they don’t.

The next morning, bags packed shoes tied at nine in the morning we started our trek. Climbing the winding path we headed towards the forestry department at the top of the mountain. The forestry department does all but their work, it was highly saddening to see this. As we finished the first stage of our trek we came by the first chai shop where we learned what to do. The bags provided to the chai shop were bought and the waste was put into correct bags. After separation all the bags were tied and left at the chai shop for the donkeys to take back to the valley. We performed the same task at 3 consecutive chai shops till we finally reached the mountain top.

We rested for a couple of hours before; we started our work for the day. Continuing the same task of segregation and tying the bags to be taken down to the valley. There are three chai shops at the mountain top and all of them produce a huge amount of waste which needs to be separated. Once the work at the chai shops was completed we started collecting garbage which was sadly scattered around the whole area. It was surprising to see how people could throw their waste at such a naturally beautiful mountain side. We finished our work by evening and then again rested

for sometime enjoying the beautiful view all around. At night we enjoyed a warm Indian dinner comfortably tucked inside a shack, watching the rain pour outside. We slept comfortably with the rain pouring heavily through the whole night.

The next morning, after having chai for breakfast, we continued our work, trying not to be stopped by the pouring rain. Our task was preparing the boxes for the glass bottles to be carried down to the valley by the donkeys. Unfortunately, a storm came along, so it was impossible for us to take the way back to Bhagsu, but we could enjoy a very good lunch at a chai shop, waiting for the storm to pass by.

Finally we could pick up the bags and put our feet on the path back, leaving that beautiful scenario behind our shoulders. The trek down to the valley was as hard as the trek up was easy because of the continuous rain which made descending very slippery and dangerous.

Finally we reached Bhagsu, after a tiresome descent. We left the bags that we were carrying at the dump-yard and paced up to our guesthouse to crash as it is. We got up only next morning, bought the tickets back to New Delhi and and the boarded the bus in the evening with heavy bags of clothes and thoughts.

Dilliwalas wake up!

Kabir — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 14:22:22 +0000

Malhaan is a 3 hour walk from Dadahu, a small town in the Sirmaur District of Southern Himachal Pradesh. No roads go to Malhaan and the nearest bus stop is a 1.5 hour walk. Despite the distance from a road, this neatly tucked away village is a thriving alternative to large scale economic development. Farmers in Malhan are earning neat sums of money from cash crops like ginger and tomatoes, while maintaining a healthy diet that depends on traditionally organic and home grown vegetables, grains, and dals. I don’t intend to romanticize peoples’ lives in Malhaan because that is not an “objective” point of view, according to some academics, but Malhaan’s share of troubles don’t include Dengue epidemics, or contaminated water. Does this ring a bell at all, Delhi?

Malhaan also has a variety of fruit trees in bloom every season, from mango to guava and jamun to pomegranate. Fields in Malhaan are ancestrally irrigated with water channeled from natural mountain sources. Further, as is the case in several other parts of India, Malhaan maintains traditional water powered mills (chakkis of a different kind) that grind all kinds of grain without using any electricity, depending instead on the energy of flowing water. These are only some of the wonderfully sustainable features of Malhaan. As a Dilliwala who has visited Malhaan twice I will stress this: don’t be surprised that we walked 3 hours to get to Malhaan, but the family I stayed with has a refrigerator for cold water as well as a DVD player.

Though, I have heard very few complaints about life from the people of Malhaan, one in particular shocks me. Roads and government dispensaries are what Kanta Devi and others in Malhaan demand, but instead they stand outraged because their survival is threatened by a dam reservoir that will submerge them along with 33 similar villages in the Sirmaur district of Himachal Pradesh. I am outraged; I think we should all be. The Renukaji Dam project has been threatening to become a dam just outside Dadahu, Himachal Pradesh. It will create a reservoir of water in the Giri river to send 23 cubic meters per second of water to Delhi for 9 months of the year, once it is build. Construction of the dam has not begun but land acquisition has, and several villages remain under article 17(4) of the Land Acquisition act, the Urgency Clause.

The Renuka dam was going to be 148m in height, but according to local Sirmauri activist Puran Chand HPPCL (dam builders) recently reduced the planned height of the dam. This reduction in height may sound like good news for those being displaced, but local activist Puran Chand explains that by bringing down the height of the dam, the Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation is only trying to get previously rejected environmental clearances passed.

How? Well a shorter dam means fewer trees will be submerged, which is great if you want environmental clearance. This will not change the kind of loss that submergence will cause, the families that will be displaced or ecology destroyed. The Himalayas are an ecologically sensitive and valuable region, blasting the mountains to make tunnels for the dam- injures mountains, water sources, everyones’ lives, India and the world.

Are you still wondering why we as Dilliwalas or anyone else should care about this dam, or why should we oppose this ‘development’, especially if people in Delhi need this water? In an open letter to Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dixit, prominent social activists, experts, and intellectuals in Delhi opposed the Renuka Dam on several grounds.

Water losses in Delhi amount to approx. 40% of the supply, and the letter recommends that this be reduced to the technically feasible 10%, instead of building the Renuka dam. Delhi doesn’t need to depend on out of state sources for water, especially in light of the recent incident at Muradnagar where local farmers took control of the water supply by refusing to send it to Delhi from the Ganga Canal. Such incidents will happen again if Delhi continues to behave like a parasite.

Dependable alternatives to augment Delhi’s water supply exist in the form of reducing water consumption, reducing concretization, increasing tree cover, reviving old baolis and collecting rainwater or putting it back into the ground. There is a tremendous unexplored potential for groundwater recharge in the city of Delhi.

When we decide that it is ok to destroy a valley (1600 ha in this case), we’re not just displacing local villages like Malhaan or drowning lots of trees, but we’re also losing a whole culture of sustainability that we could be learning from. Everything is ecologically connected. Ecology is a fine balance of different elements. The more we build dams and stop the flow of rivers and dry them up, the more we kill biodiversity and let nature and thus peoples’ lives fall prey to BJP vs. Congress and local politics, prey to the greed for money or a name that is eminent.

Even those of us who claim to care are chopping off the very branch that we are sitting on when we admit defeat or see no success in struggle and thus refuse to fight for people or the environment.

If we want to threaten food security and water quality, then let’s build a dam that will never be as efficient as a gharat! You may not believe me, but our lives depend more on the existence of river fish (they die when we build a dam), than they do on washing cars, making a good name for ourselves or even just fighting the sexy fights.

A few days ago, local thekedars from within Sirmaur installed yellow and white cement markers (bhurjis) amongst the fertile fields and mountains of Malhaan to mark the NEW AND REDUCED water level indicators for the Renuka dam reservoir. According to Kanta Devi, local thekedars came to install these markers in secret. Some markers remained yet to be installed.

The 27thof August 2010 was a different story. According to Kanta Devi and Vikramji, almost the entire village of Malhaan, men, women and children came together to oppose thekedars putting in reservoir level markers for the dam! This is a small victory for the people of Sirmaur who are struggling to take a stand on this parasitic project. Malhaan will not let Delhi’s unjustified greed kill their 300 year old mango trees or destroy their lives. What a pleasant thought!
Written By Tarini Manchanda

Kisan Swaraj Yatra: A call to join forces to save Indian farming and farmers

Kabir — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:00:39 +0000

“Farming today has been taken away from the hands of Indian farmers. There is no easy solution in sight for us. While newer ideas are put forth such as Green Revolution in Eastern India or Second Green Revolution (like we heard from the Prime Minister recently), these are in reality attempts to create markets for corporations and do not have any real solutions for farmers. It is very clear that government is not able to reach farmers, to improve their situation and these announcements are only political moves. Real and lasting solutions will emerge only if we bring back the culture and the way of life associated with Indian farming and look at agriculture differently”: Shri Vijay Jardhari of Beej Bachao Andolan.

Shri Anupam Mishra of Gandhi Marg: “So far, we have seen people who are trying to convert agriculture into business opportunities unleash different kinds of weapons – amongst them, chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides were prominent. Now, these business houses have begun eyeing Seed as a means of profiteering. Natural characteristics of Seed are being modified wherein various business possibilities are being inserted into the seed itself for larger markets. It has to be noted by farmers that wherever they buy and sow such seeds, the business interests of these corporations will take roots, flower and expand. We should all collectively decide what we will do with such Seed and whether we will let the control go away from the hands of farmers – this is one of the main issues that the Kisan Swaraj Yatra will raise for debate”.

“It is time to say loud and clear and in many diverse voices that India’s agriculture and farming community should not only survive but thrive, that it should find its own unique path and not simply follow in the disastrous footsteps of American agriculture. It is time to highlight the many solutions already proven at the field level, and the many solutions we are proposing at the policy level – and to formulate and proclaim all these in terms of a larger vision for agriculture to effectively counter the anti-farmer consensus among the powerful elite in Delhi and elsewhere. Even though some governments have come forward to promote organic farming, a word of caution needs to be sounded here: the same governments are also getting into partnerships with corporations like Monsanto and encouraging GM seeds. These two visions and systems cannot just co-exist”: Shri Kapil Shah of Jatan, Gujarat.

New Delhi, August 25th 2010: The Alliance for Sustainable & Holistic Agriculture (ASHA), a new network of individuals and organizations across the country has announced that a “Kisan Swaraj Yatra” would set off from Sabarmati Ashram on October 2nd 2010, to remind all Indians of our hard-won independence and the insidious ways in which agri-business corporations, supported by the State are taking this independence and sovereignty away, especially with regard to our food and farming. This Yatra is a call for joining forces to save Indian farming and farmers mired in deep distress and to forge a sustainable path forward for Indian farming.

In the last few weeks, two issues have dominated our public conscience – the rotting of grains in FCI’s holds, and the firing on farmers protesting inadequate compensation for land acquisition. As on 1 January 2010, there were 10.6 lakh tones of grains lying waste under FCI, on which the Supreme Court suggested that these be distributed free to the poor rather than be allowed to rot. In what has become his typical attitude and stand, the Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar glibly rejected the suggestion. In Aligarh, on Independence Day, the police opened fire on farmers demanding better compensation (at par with that given to farmers in NOIDA) for their land acquired for the Yamuna Expressway, killing at least four people. An irrelevant and insensitive Land Acquisition Act of 1894, whose date of expiry should have been 1947, is still wielded to rob the farmers off their fertile agriculture land and present it on a silver platter to industrialists and real estate developers. And yet, these two cases are only the latest reflection of what ails India’s agriculture and her small farmers, who are today at possibly the worst crossroads in their history. These cases, and many other similar or worse cases taking place across the country, are the inevitable ramifications of a market oriented paradigm that was cunningly forced on the people and the farmers of the country in the early sixties. The Swaraj Yatra is being launched to question this and to collectively regain self-reliance in farming and rights over resources for farming, ASHA members explained.

The new agriculture poisoned the soil, depleted and poisoned the water resources, demolished native seeds, agro-biodiversity and livelihood systems, eroded the farmers’ indigenous knowledge, practice and experience of thousands of years, multiplied the cost of inputs, gravely and increasingly threatened people’s health and nutrition through chemical intrusion in agriculture, and now through GM seeds, is all set to exacerbate the distress all around. Effectively, the messiahs of new agriculture have taken the control over agriculture from the farmers’ hands and placed it firmly at the market’s feet, and have squarely undermined people’s food security.

Since 1997, according to the Union Home Ministry’s National Crime Records Bureau, a staggering 1,82,936 farmers have committed suicides. Between 1997 and 2007, over 8 million farmers have given up farming altogether. The extent of hunger and malnutrition in India is the second highest in the world. A farmer today is at the lowest rung of the social and economic strata. Once an ‘annadata’, the farmers today have been pushed to become ‘anna-pata’. The worst affected by the ecomonic crisis are the farmers and agriculture; the worst affected by global warming and climate change are again farmers and agriculture; the worst affected by any disaster are, again, farmers and agriculture.

This is a historic juncture for the farmers in the country. There are obviously strong forces pushing farmers out of agriculture, with the vision that Indian agriculture will be more ‘manageable’ and ‘productive’ with around 15% of population engaged in farming, under the domination of corporatization, biotechnology and heavy machinery. There is also a vision driving policies that believes that pushing people out of farming and rural areas into other sectors and into cities is what constitutes development. The effects of this are already evident, with the distress migration from villages to cities, the forcible acquisition of agricultural land for industry and SEZs, and the increasing difficulty of the farmers to make ends meet. This Yatra will seek to create a debate on this ‘developmental inevitability’ that is being pursued.

This is the time to speak more loudly than ever, about the return of the small farmer and sustainable and holistic agriculture in our national conscience. There is a growing body of research, knowledge and opinion against the diabolic fallacy of pursuing the market agenda in food and agriculture, and in favour of biodiversity-based ecological agriculture. The IAASTD report issued in 2008, prepared over four years and based on the work and deliberation of over 800 scientists and intellectuals across the world, has pronounced that sustainable, ecological agriculture is the only way forward, if humanity was to have any semblance of purposeful survival in future. More recently, scientists and other concerned voices have underlined a return to chemical-free, localized agriculture as one of the main solutions to the problems of climate change.

It was 80 years ago that Gandhiji led the Namak Satyagrah (or the Dandi Yatra) to claim people’s sovereignty over their natural resources. It was hundred years ago that he extended a development model for India centred around the concept of “Hind Swaraj”. This year, on 2 October 2010, dozens of farmers’ movements and other organizations across the country will launch the “Kisan Swaraj Yatra” that will take off from the Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat and traverse through 20 states to reach Rajghat (New Delhi) on 11 December. The Yatra will be flagged off by renowned natural farmer Shri Bhaskar Bhai Save.

The Yatra will highlight issues such as seeds sovereignty, land grab, climate change, food sovereignty and security, GE seeds, chemical pesticides, farm produce pricing, etc. that directly and indirectly affect small farmers in addition to bringing up a debate around the proposed Green Revolution in Eastern India, the tie-ups that several governments have with MNCs like Monsanto, the continuing saga of farmers’ suicides and so on. The Yatra will also raise the concerns over free trade and bilateral agreements, the proposed food security and seeds laws, BRAI Bill, the handing over of public resources for private gains etc. The Kisan Swaraj Yatra will also draw in urban consumers into its fold and will raise issues of food safety, consumer choices etc. The Yatra will celebrate the conservation of diversity by farmers, farmers’ knowledge and will highlight the successes of ecological farming. The participants will develop concurrent events, programmes, campaigns in accordance with the needs and priorities in their respective states.

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For more information, contact the persons listed in the Yatra’s route throughout 20 states of India.

The Leh Cloud Burst: a First-Hand Account

Linkesh Diwan — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 15:47:25 +0000

Cross-posted from www.TaleOfGrace.com

Midnight, August 6, 2010: “Link, wake up! Water is coming in from the roof!” My mother and I were in Leh, Ladakh, staying at “Eco-Homestay,” the house of Mr. Sonam Gyatso and family, in Lower Sankar. The house was made in a hybrid of traditional and modern construction techniques: the main hall in the house was concrete, while rooms surrounding it were made of sun-dried mud bricks, and roofed with Poplar beams, a mesh of willow branches, and a thick pad of fine clay-like mud. The house incorporated passive solar building techniques, such as a direct-gain room, and a Trombe wall, and had solar-powered lighting. It had been raining since evening, and by midnight the clay roof was saturated and began to leak.

We were in Leh for the express purpose of meeting with Helena Norberg-Hodge, the founder of the International Society for Ecology and Culture [http://www.isec.org.uk/], co-founder of the International Forum on Globalization [http://www.ifg.org/], founder of the Ladakh Ecological Development Group [http://ledeg.org/], and founder of the Women’s Alliance, Ladakh. We had learned of her online, seeing an article of hers in CounterCurrents.org, and watching her video “Ancient Futures.” She is the only person who has critically witnessed the “development” of Ladakh, from complete self-sufficiency in an exceedingly fragile eco-system, to the disaster under which it writhes today. She has seen how “development” pulls people into a money economy, increases the distance between production and consumption, brings reliance on fossil fuels (especially apparent in Leh where fuel and commodities are trucked in over a hazardous two-day journey from lower altitudes), results in urbanization and rural-urban migration, and brings psychological impoverishment to the people it is inflicted upon. For 35 years, she has been working to bring safe, stable, and ecologically sound development to the region through her organizations. Her work today, no longer limited to Ladakh, is focussed on spreading economic literacy among people throughout the planet, educating about the deeper impacts of globalization and today’s consumer mono-culture. Garnered from her years of observation and research, she has an important message for humanity today, which is what prompted us to go and meet her.

Rain is more or less foreign and new to Ladakh, as are tourists. People there say that it never rained in Ladakh, though records show an insignificant average annual rainfall of less than 3.5 inches. Villages exist like oases around rivers and tributaries, the only green in the otherwise rocky, arid landscape. Geographically, Ladakh is situated in the rain shadow of the Lower Himalayan mountains. Water for drinking and irrigation in Ladakh comes from glacier melt, which was historically replenished every year by winter snowfall. Today, anyone in Ladakh — even children — can tell you their memories of large glaciers, now only tiny silver slivers on the tops of massive black mountains in the distance. Going and gone are the pure waters that came from those glaciers. Each generation, and now each year, looks toward the mountains apprehensively, watching their water supply — their life-blood — melt away.

Before bed, Stanzin Tashi, Mr. Gyatso’s son, had been playing with my camera, trying to take pictures of the lightening. It was a ferocious storm, with constant, menacing thunder, and an incessant volley of lightening up and down the valley. The whole family was a little nervous, since they had never seen such a storm before. Mom and I weren’t particularly worried, having experienced tropical storms in Kerala. Only later did we realize that tropical storms belong in the tropics, not the highest mountain desert of the world.

Ladakh, at an altitude of 3,500 meters, is geographically considered to be part of the Tibetan Plateau. They do have violent storms there, usually very brief and very destructive hailstorms, which come few and far-between. In the winter, there is lots of snow, and it is so cold that the schools give a three month holiday. People cluster around little stoves in the center of each room, burning wood and dung to keep warm. As shown in Helena Norberg-Hodge’s book “Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh,” (watch the movie online for free at: http://bit.ly/bIOl2B) traditional Ladakh had a completely sustainable life-style. The people were self-sufficient in all their needs: food, water, and warmth. For thousands of years, life had continued there more or less undisturbed by foreign cultures, even though the valley was a focal point for traders travelling the Silk Route, and traders from Tibet and China. Everything about life in Ladakh had a view toward the future generations; resources were shared and balanced, ensuring that they were never depleted, and the population was self-regulated to ensure enough for everyone. There were no squalid poor, no filthy rich. The people were strong, honest, and trustworthy. Only recently has all of this changed, as “modern world culture” invades and converts people to it’s individual-centric, greedy, consumerist ways.

As I awoke, I noticed water pouring down the walls, and saw that the storm was still in full force. Mr. Gyatso and I went up to the roof and started bailing with a dustpan and a bucket. Gradually the rain died down, and we removed most of the standing water. By around 3 AM, the rain had subsided, the storm had moved farther down the valley, and the roof was no longer dripping; we went to sleep.

Prayer Wheels near the Leh Gate.

Two nights previous, Nubra (a nearby town) had suffered significant damage from a cloud burst, and radio had reported some 12 deaths. On the morning of the 6th, the radio was silent and phones unresponsive, so Mr. Gyatso went out to take stock of the situation. When he came back, he was in shock. ”The BSNL office, the Bus Stand, the Hospital, everything below the [entrance to Leh] gate… all gone.” That’s all he could say. He had never seen anything like it, nor had anyone else in living memory. (The entrance to Leh is grandly decorated by a colorful and ornate Buddhist gate over the road, with prayer wheels and chortens on either side.) Apparently, a cloud-burst had happened in a ravine above the Leh Gate, causing a huge torrent of water to rush down the ravine into the road, picking up stones, mud, bricks, cars, people, and houses as it went. All communication channels were taken out — no electricity, no telephone, no radio, no internet.

The remains of the BSNL office. I'm told that it was quite a large building. All communications were knocked out.

Many of the fatalities have been blamed on poor planning: due to the mad influx of “development” to the region, many houses were built in places where, traditionally, no building should stand. We call it “tradition” and scoff at it, but in truth we are mocking a set of codes that have been developed and refined for thousands of years. A Ladakhi saying goes to the effect that “Water must have it’s way,” essentially, that the flow of water must not be blocked. Had this simple command been heeded, much of the destruction could have been avoided, but today’s globalization pattern eschews and destroys anything and everything that doesn’t fit the consumer mono-culture — it ignores the Earth upon which it stands.

A car smashed against a building destroyed in the flood. Helena Norberg-Hodge is visible in this photo.

Mom immediately swung into action, and she and I headed out by 9 AM with a shovel, some water, willing hearts, and two hands each. When we got to the gate, we saw unbelivable devastation. The flood had left behind mud about a story deep, buried houses, toppled steel-and-concrete structures four stories high, crunched cars… it was much like the Tsunami of 2004 in South East Asia. Numb with shock, a crowd of people were helping a JCB (backhoe) dig at the top of the pile, looking for survivors. We helped there a bit, then continued down the hill towards the hospital. The destruction became more and more massive as we went. The air was dry, causing passing vehicles to raise clouds of dust from the now-dry mud.

We later heard opinions expressed that the traditional mud-brick construction of the majority of the houses which were destroyed was responsible for the deaths; had it been modern cement and steel, they say, the houses would have remained. On the ground, however, next to a four story cement and steel structure that had half toppled over, was a single story mud-brick house that had received the full brunt of the flow but was still standing. Not that it made a difference: people in both structures died in the deep flow of mud, but the difference in structural integrity was astonishing, and is worth taking note.

This building is two or three stories tall (not sure because I haven't seen it before this), and the mud surrounding it is up to the top story.

As we continued down the path that the water had taken (we were walking on the mud left behind, between four and six feet above normal ground level) we went past the municipal buildings, the location of the destroyed BSNL office, and down towards the hospital. The destructive power of fast-flowing water is amazing: bulldozers and road rollers had been piled up against a fence; four buses were smashed into the back of a building; a water tanker was driven up a satellite dish; the bus stand was cleared; Innovas, Santros, Qualis’s, Sumos, all were strewn around the landscape, crushed sometimes beyond recognition; houses were wiped out without a trace. We are sure that every time we walked on that mud, we were walking over dead bodies.

Reaching the new hospital building, we joined the people working there. The construction of this three story building had been just finished, it’s plumbing and electrical was almost done, and miraculously, it had survived the flood. The ground floor was full of mud about two feet deep, and patients were already being brought in from the old, single-story, mud-filled hospital. Mom went up to see what she could do in the wards, while I joined some people clearing the mud for streachers and other equipment. Another major miracle: the hospital’s drug and equipment store room had been untouched, as had the only petrol pump in Leh, about 100 meters farther down.

This is the new hospital building. Note the height of the mud on the sides: over one story high.

A fire truck was positioned near the hospital, and supplied water to wash off the various pieces of equipment that were salvaged from the old wards: oxygen and nitrogen tanks, suction machines, X-Ray machines, beds, streachers, etc. Once washed, the equipment was dried and immediately put to use. After a bit, I too went to the wards, and got involved in dressing wounds. Most of the patients had full-body cuts and scrapes, about 90% of their skin scratched or missing, with head injuries, and many broken ribs.

Many of the patients were Bihari. Did you imagine that only tourists went to Ladakh? There are almost as many Bihari laborers in Leh as there are Ladakhis! Due to the economics of globalization, the poor Bihari has become the laborer for the rest of India, going to the most remote corners of the country, slaving for cash to send to his farming village, so that they can buy food that they can’t grow, as their fields are filled with mono crops meant for the export market. It continues to amaze me that farmers, who produce the only truly essential commodity, are taught to see their profession as backward, and are cheated into living in the money economy as poor, starved skeletons. Squeezing the rural poor is good for the GDP, however, since it creates a large, cheap labor pool, which encourages construction, which generates investment opportunities for the rich. ”To he that have shall be given, and from he that have not, shall be taken even that which he has.” The “poor” (”undeveloped”) had culture, now even that is being taken away by today’s globalized, greed-based corporatocracy.

Choglamsar, a town about 7 kilometers down the valley from Leh, was worst hit — reports said it was mostly wiped out. For several hours that morning, army lorries were bringing up loads of dead bodies every 10 minutes, and an unfinished shopping complex was turned into a temporary morgue, after the official one, and another hall, had filled up. The bridges and roads to other villages were completely wiped out, making the only escape for tourists in those parts a three day trek. A friend of ours who had gone trekking just before the disaster told us (when she finally made it back, days later) that the Ladakhi social fabric is still sufficiently intact, despite the onslaught of modernization, that families in the town she was in were opening their guesthouses free of charge for people whose homes were destroyed. Helena Norberg-Hodge, in a message she wrote to Ladakhis at this time observed that if such hospitality could be extended throughout the region, than the huge amounts of money that is usually spent for conventional emergency relief could be saved and put to better use. What better response than a community response? Low-cost, highly efficient, localized, and personal; that is the way of the future.

From Mrs. Norberg-Hodge, we learned that in Buddhism, as in Sanathana Dharma, there is an emphasis on accepting change, part of the reason that “development,” and the associated impoverishment of people has been readily accepted in Ladakh and throughout India. However, today’s change is not natural, evolutionary change, it is change that is actively brought about due to an economic structure that is destroying human civilization. Globalization is truly the spread of consumerism and an economically unsound mono-culture. In her film, “The Economics of Happines,” Helena Norberg-Hodge points to our common misconception of globalization, that it is about increasing international understanding and collaboration. Today’s globalized economies import and export about the same amount of each commodity, creating a needless increase in transportation. Need is manufactured, and products created to fill that need, leading to a gigantic, senseless waste of resources. Helena showed us how apples in the UK were flown to South Africa for washing and waxing, and then flown back for sales. The recent shutdown due to volcanic ash in Europe demonstrated the perilous aspects of the global economy. Consumerism is exported and expounded to all parts of the planet, impoverishing truly rich, though “undeveloped” people. All of this leads to an increase in the usage (wastage?) of energy worldwide, heating our Earth, polluting our water, killing our soil. When we speak of the world’s regions most vulnerable to climate change, islands and beaches top the list, but this experience in Ladakh convinces me that all places on Mother Earth are equally, and extremely, endangered.

The next two nights, the Government issued a warning, telling all people to leave their houses and congregate at higher ground, and many people went to the tops of nearby ridges. As it was, people were jumpy and nervous; several times during the day, on mere rumors, people ran up the mountainsides fearing more flooding. The shock and grief of everyone in Leh was palpable. We met many people who told us that their whole family had been washed away… The family we were staying with climbed up to the Shanti Stupa, which is built on a small rocky hillock. Both nights we got back from the hospital, they were already gone, and we had no idea that this warning was issued, so we slept in our beds, somewhat nervous, but not knowing what else to do. By God’s Grace there was nothing more than mild rain!

Since all roads were damaged (sections washed away, blocked by mudslides, bridges gone), the only way out was the airport. Airlines were operating extra flights out of the Leh Airport, and everyone who could was trying to get out. The embassies of various countries had requested all their people to evacuate. Any ticket was valid for any flight (if you waited in line for a free seat). As our seats were confirmed for the 12th, we decided to wait and help in the hospitals until we left. We were grateful to be useful at such a time. We took photos of the patients to show Holy Mother Amma for her blessing when we got back, and she saw them on the night of the 13th.

A picture of the Candlelight Procession.

Ladakh has been an interesting case-in-point since it was opened to “modernization” in 1975. It is a microcosm of what happens to a people, culture, and ecology, when the consumer mono-culture and globalization hits it without consideration of ancient wisdoms for living with Mother Earth, and regulated intelligent development. The crises that has now hit Ladakh will, most unfortunately, hit again and again, and is not necessarily confined to Ladakh. If humankind does not learn from the increasing incidence of natural and man-made disasters, we have nothing to look forward to but mass extinction. If we seek to change our ways, the only real way to look is towards Localization — the bringing together of producer and consumer, and the creation of ethically-oriented communities, not to be confused with backwardness and isolationism. We need to think globally, and live locally, if we seek genuine development —true globalization.

Candles at the end of the procession.

On the 11th night, the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) organized a candle light march from the petrol pump at the bottom of the hill to the LBA grounds in the Leh Market, in prayerful support of the people affected. Vehicles were stopped to limit the dust, but the wind blasted everyone with it anyway. Going down to the hospital before it started, clouds were gathering quite menacingly at the head of the valley, and it looked as if it was raining heavily in the next valley over, causing no slight misgivings among all the people! We bid farewell to all our friends in the hospital, and joined the march by the Leh gate. Angmo-le, Mr. Gyatso’s wife, was with us and sang a beautiful Buddhist chant as we went, as did many other groups. The procession culminated at the top of Market Road, placing all the candles in a circle, with everyone’s collective prayers for peace and harmony.

Video of the Candlelight Procession.

The following morning we flew out of the valley, over the majestic mountains, and down into Delhi. Personally, I was quite sad to leave the mountains; they are so beautiful and make easy a constant recall of the great power of God.

The tremendous loss of life in Ladakh is clearly a direct result of climate change, which in turn, is a direct result of the spread of economic globalization and with it the energy-intensive human and agricultural monoculture. As we are all aware, the floods that started in Ladakh continued down the Indus River, now displacing 13 million people in Pakistan. Submerging much of the Sindh area, it has become the biggest natural disaster in recent history. We were grateful to be able to render practical support and service to the great people of Ladakh, and pray that humans return to a loving and respectful relationship to each other and to Mother Earth, before it is too late.

It’s good not to be a tourist, it’s much more real to be family.

Credits: Much of the information in this article has been gained from our interactions with Helena Norberg-Hodge. See also: “Ancient Futures: Learning from Ladakh” by Helena Norberg-Hodge, and www.TheEconomicsOfHappiness.org

Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College aims for Carbon Neutrality

What's With The Climate? — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:49:04 +0000

On August 6th, the Climate Change Group (CCG) of Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana, in association with Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN) organized a plantation activity in collaboration with the District Forest Office, Ludhiana. 585 students planted saplings individually in the campus of Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College with the message, “Plant a TREE: Join Your Hands to Make GNE Carbon Free!”

Dr. MS Saini (Director), Dr. HS Rai (Dean – Testing & Consultancy), Dr. JN Jha (HOD – Civil) and Pr. YS Brar (Dean – Student’s Welfare) inaugrated the drive by planting a sapling. Dr. HS Rai – Chairman, CCG, elaborated on the effects of global warming and motivated the young entrants to professional college to play its role in countering global warming.

Students of the Climate Change Group at GNEC planting a sapling

Event coordinator Gurmehar Singh on behalf of CCG & IYCN discussed the importance of “youth participation to combat climate change.” Students joined hands with great enthusiasm to make GNEDC green by planting 585 saplings at various locations in the campus. “Our GNDEC already has a large green belt, this will be certainly a great addition to it,” said one of the first year students. The Climate Change Group also promised to organise such activities in and around Ludhiana in near future.

Leh Cloud Burst caused by Global Warming

What's With The Climate? — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 12:29:08 +0000

Photo: AFP

LEH cloudburst was an impact of global warming, feel scientists at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune. They said extreme events have been increasing in monsoon season due to warming.

“The normal average temperature of the Northern Hemisphere is 15 degrees Celsius. However, it has been observed that it has gone up to 15.7 degrees Celsius. The low pressure areas shifted to North-West due to warming that helped the monsoon winds reach Leh area, which generally gets very low rainfall even compared to dry places in Rajasthan,” said Nityanand Singh, a senior scientist at IITM.

He said the mixing of cool dry continental polar air from north and warm moist meritime tropical monsoon air from south resulted in the cloudburst. “Such phenomenon were observed during Mahabharat era when the average temperature of the hemisphere had gone up to 16 degree Celsius,” he said.

Singh said this year Pakistan, China, Tibet, Manchuria and most of the North West countries have been experiencing such extreme phenomena. “This is the impact of global warming on monsoon rainfall in South-East Asia,” he said.

Another senior scientist at IITM, J R Kulkarni, also said it has been observed that extreme events have been increasing in monsoon season. “We will study the Leh cloudburst at IITM as it was a rare phenomenon,” he said.

Kulkarni said when the cloudburst occurred in Leh, easterly winds were blowing in the area. “Convective system was formed over the region which started the rainfall. The clouds may have been 10 to 15 km in the depth that caused intense rains,” said Kulkarni.

He said such phenomenon occurs in deserts too.

When it was raining heavily in old Leh city, the Leh air force station only a few km away received only 12 mm rainfall. “The rain gauge at Leh air force station recorded only 12 mm rainfall. Since cloudburst is a localised event, it can happen.

However, we do not have the exact figures of rainfall since there was no rain gauge in that area,” said Kulkarni.

He said in mountain areas such as Leh installing network of automatic weather stations and radars is necessary. “Radars can observe the development of clouds every six minutes and warn of any calamity at least three hours before it happens. It can minimise the losses,” he said.

Original Post by Siddharth Kelkar from Indian Express

Celebrating Friendship Day with Trees (IYCN Chhattisgarh)

Kartikeya Singh — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:51:54 +0000

The Chhattisgarh team in the IYCN Office, New Delhi

Nature Bodies had started as a vibrant eco-group of young people studying in schools of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. They invest their time and soul in what they do best – maintaining the fragile ecological balance and restoring the natural beauty lost to urbanisation and modernisation (in their localities). Nature Bodies has earned a many accolades and much appreciation in India and abroad for their innovative projects which include solving the traffic chaos in their city, cleaning up the lake of water hyacinth using an insect, vermi-composting, starting a medicinal garden in a school, and conducting tree plantation drives among many other things. As a closely bonded group full of enthusiasm, they have been well-mentored by their environmental studies teacher, Mr. Panu Halder. He has been running this group since 1999 against all odds. Under his valuable and creative guidance, several students have been a part of nature bodies and still continue to be.

In June 2010, Nature Bodies decided to scale up their activities in Chhattisgarh using the larger platform of IYCN and joined the network. An IYCN Chhattisgarh Advisory Council has been established with students represented from nearby towns such as Pendra, Raipur, Bhilai, etc. The group began with a massive membership drive and organised a launch event for the IYCN Chhattisgarh Advisory Council on Friday July 30, 2010. The event was attended by over 250 students from different parts of Chhattisgarh as well as teachers. The RJ of radio station 94.3 “My FM” Bilaspur, Mr. Anupam, was the chief guest. His message to the gathering was to organize more environmental activities and for a call unity in efforts.

Friendship Day with Trees, Chhattisgarh

Since June the team has organised a whole set of activites including most recently, celebrating Friendship Day with the trees. Banners were made by hand and were tied to the trees symbolically saying, “trees are our friends” calling for their care just like they care for us. Moving forward, a state-wide “green transport campaign” has been planned on the eve of independence day (August 15) in which everyone in the state, from ministers and senior government officials to teachers and students, will be using bicycles to commute.

Srikakulam Tragedy: Where Fishermen turn into Beggers

Kartikeya Singh — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:55:22 +0000

Corruption runs deep as the lush wetland region of Srikakulam was cited as a “wasteland” in a detailed project report (DPR) for the construction of a mega power plant in the area. India is signatory to an international treaty called the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands which seeks to preserve these dwindling habitats rich in biodiversity and extremely important for a host of ecological services that they provide. How does one classify a wetland as a wasteland? This is no simple mistake. The fact that this project has advanced as far as it has, is a tragedy for India. 2,500 inland fishermen are without jobs as a result of bunds being created and wetlands being filled in. They are turning to begging. Is this the future we want?

Who will Win the Great Power Race?

Kartikeya Singh — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 06:03:25 +0000

Cartagena Dialogue Provides Breath of Fresh Air

Kartikeya Singh — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 13:14:23 +0000

“There is nothing wrong with being helped to go on living. And that is what this[climate change] issue is all about,” stated a senior official from the Environmental Protection Authority of Ethiopia. I am at a ministerial gathering of 28 nations of the Cartagena Group/Dialogue for Progressive Action convening in the beautiful island of Bandos in the Republic of Maldives. The participants are from Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Samoa, Spain, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Uruguay, UK and the European Commission. The Cartagena Group/Dialogue is an informal space, open to all countries that want ambitious and comprehensive outcomes in the UNFCCC, and that are committed, domestically to becoming or remaining low carbon. These are “forward looking” countries, willing to work positively and proactively together within and across regional and UNFCCC groups. The aim of the Group/Dialogue is to openly discuss the reasoning behind each other’s positions and to explore areas where convergence and enhanced joint action could emerge. That is precisely what I see happening.

A representative from an industrialized nation stated clearly, “don’t push us, [to be even more ambitious] or you are not going to like it.” While the words may seem a little jarring, that was not the intent. The purpose was to make clear that negotiators and country representatives sent to UNFCCC talks can only do so much as they are at the mercy of the political winds of the countries they represent and might suffer backlash from voters. It reaffirms that if large industrialized (and rapidly emerging) economies are to take strong action, it requires the majority of the citizens of those countries to have the will. And while we witnessed the lack of political will to pass through climate and energy legislation before the congressional mid-term elections in the United States this week, countries small and large gathered at Cartagena have provided a glimmer of hope, giving a breath of life to the stale atmosphere that lingers within the UNFCCC post Copenhagen. The truth is that the stiff negotiating environment of the UNFCCC rarely allows for a common space for understanding country positions and barriers to creating a comprehensive agreement. This is especially true given such forums are reduced to a debate over choice of words in what is essentially a legal contract. This is the second meeting of the Cartagena Group/Dialogue with regular meetings planned in the future. The arrival of this group is also important as Copenhagen revealed that even large groupings such as the G-77 are beginning to fracture due to the rise of BASIC. The latter’s demands conflict with many Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developing Countries (LDCs) who are calling for a 350 ppm or 1.5 degree Celsius warming target. It remains unclear what future groupings could be like within the UNFCCC and there is no formal “Cartagena Group.” The current impasse in the UNFCCC requires new alliances and I suspect with time, a “G-X” will emerge to break the deadlock.

Ethiopia, a nation that is often recalled for chilling images of the devastation from the droughts and famines of the mid-1980s, has announced its commitment at this event to become carbon neutral by 2025. The nation, which can be considered a cradle of humanity’s agricultural experimentation and development had only 5% of its original forest cover remaining in tact by the early 20th century has seen that percentage grow to approximately 30% today. Last year, it planted 7 billion saplings, second only to China. Joining it in this commitment was the small pacific island of Samoa which pledged to become carbon neutral by 2020. The Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda pledged that the tiny Caribbean island nation would slash its emissions 25% below 1990 levels by 2020. Costa Rica and the Maldives also reaffirmed their commitments to go carbon neutral by 2021 and 2020 respectively. And while no industrialized country has yet made such a commitment, Norway is developing its own carbon neutral plan for the year 2030.

The Cartagena Group/Dialogue will continue to discuss ways to deepen and enhance access to carbon markets for all nations, leverage the finance commitments from Copenhagen, and tackle MRV structuring (the measuring, reporting and verification component of mitigation commitments). All of this is in hopes that Cancun can pave the way for a breakthrough at the Earth Summit in South Africa in 2012. “While expectations for Cancun might not be high, we certainly cannot lower ambition.” The Cartagena Group gathered here in one of the most vulnerable nations to climate change impacts made that clear.

Punjab: A Dying Civilization?

Kabir — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 10:18:56 +0000

Repeat of devastation of Sindhu Valley Civilization

By Umendra Dutt

About two years ago my friend the famous singer Rabbi Shergill in one of his Punjabi article says “There is no doubt that it was just because of a major environmental change that the great civilization of Indus valley had completely vanished. The same reasons, in the same form are today existed before us. The only difference between the both situations is this that in those times it was a natural disaster but this time it is of man made”. Rabbi equated present situation of Punjab with Sindh valley which destroyed because of water scarcity.

Rabbi concluded his article by saying ‘Sindh ghaatti aj fir maran nu tyaar hai’ which means Sindh valley is again prepared to die “Will this really happen?” I asked my co-passengers “Of course, it is a degrading environment and a dying civilization in Punjab; a whole community has been put to slow death” affirmed Dr Amar Singh Azad, my senior colleague in Kheti Virasat Mission. “It is a crime committed against humanity and nature by our own governments, that too in the name of Development”, I said, endorsing his observation. All of us were very upset and angry after visiting villages near Dhakansu drain and Ghaghar River in Patiala and Sangrur districts.

This was our third visit to a river or drain area to educate ourselves on environmental toxicity and its multiple impacts. About eight years ago, I did a padayatra along the Jayanti River in Ropar district. I found several similarities between the disappearance of Jayanti and Ghaghar rivers. Both rivers have lost their relevance after society forgot and neglected the significance of these rivers. The river eco-system was ruined at both places by the developmental activities carried out by “modern society”. Our latest Yatra was a field visit to learn more on the crisis of water, environmental toxicity, condition of agriculture, biodiversity, the unfolding health crisis and the socio- economic fallout of this ecological disaster.

The entire picture is extremely frightening. There has been a lot of debate on the severe health and water tragedy apparent in the districts of Malwa region. But we should correct our view point – it is the whole of Punjab that seems to be under deadly devastation now. Some of our well-wishers ask us again and again that – “Why are you activists bent on such scare-mongering around these things?” I would like to repeat the words of Dr Azad here – “Yes, we want to create a scare, because the situation is far more destructive and scary than our government and people can ever imagine.

It is a life and death question for Punjab; it is clearly evident that Punjab is a dying civilization. Several people may find this offending, ugly and uncalled for. However, the indications that we are getting from across Punjab point to a death sentence written for the whole eco-system in this part of the country and particularly for this brave community.

‘Villages up for sale’ are a unique symbol of distress and devastation in Punjab. It was a first-of-its-kind protest in India at that time. In March 2002, Harkishanpura of Bathinda district put itself up for sale and then Mal Singh Wala of Mansa district followed in 2005. Both of these villages are situated in cotton belt of Malwa. Both have a common reason -– the Water crisis. It was a desperate step that was taken by the villagers. Now, this water distress has engulfed the villages of the apparently ‘eco-prosperous’ area of Puadh. A village in Patiala district near Chandigarh – Mirzapur Sandharsi is contemplating putting itself up for sale. The reason is the same “waterlessness” that has now become a nightmare for this village too. After reading reports in the media, we visited this village – what was bluntly visible and extremely disturbing to find is that Punjab is fast turning into a waterless region. It can be Harkishanpura, Mandi Khurd or MalSingh Wala or Teja Rohella, Dona Nanka near Fazilka or Mirzapur Sandharsi – villages after villages are caught in the grip of a severe water crisis.

There are several indicators to confirm what Dr Amar Singh Azad said about Punjab being a dying civilization. The disturbing symptoms of this slow death are common, in a journey from Mirzapur Sandharsi, Harpalpur to Shahpur Theri and Makrod Sahib in Sangrur. I wondered how accurate is forecast made by Rabbi Shergill.

The symptoms are: severe, multiple environmental toxicity, drinking water crisis due to drying-up of upper aquifers and rapid deterioration of the groundwater situation all over the state, water quality going drastically down with multiple kinds of contamination, destruction of river eco-systems and vanishing aquatic life, loss of biodiversity and crop diversity, increasing health problems particularly those related to reproductive health, declining immune capacity, early ageing and cancers etc.

Disturbingly, the same pattern of health problems is being found in domestic animals: farmers repeatedly reported that animals are unable to conceive and if they conceive they abort frequently. Further, the all-round crisis is also reflecting itself in agriculture and agricultural livelihoods: falling agriculture productivity, increase in external inputs and rising debts, growing disconnect between farmer and his/her land, farmers selling their farms and lastly, emergence of loss of self- confidence and self-esteem amongst the affected people to tackle the situation.

I often say in Punjabi that Punjab is fast turning into Be-aab and Punjabis of Be-aab Punjab are bound to become Be-abaad (displaced). I find that Mirzapur Sandharsi and nearby villages are an apt illustration for this idiom. Surinder Singh, Sarpanch of Mirzapur Sandharsi told us, “There is no proper water; this water crisis has forced us to sell our land. We are ready to sell even our village”. As there is no water left in two upper aquifers – at 70 feet and 150 feet respectively – villagers are facing a lot of hardship to meet even basic requirement of water. Around ten years back, the 70-feet aquifer began to go dry and about five years ago, water started disappearing from the 150-feet aquifer also. “We are forced to increase the lowering by 12 to 20 feet every year”; told Harbans Singh, Chairman of village Cooperative Society. “When Ghaghar was alive about 20 year back, there was no such problem. As Ghaghar died slowly, this water crisis engulfed our area”.

Now villagers are forced to draw water from third aquifer to be found at the depth of about 400 feet, but unfortunately at many places this aquifer is having water unfit to even irrigate their farms, so it is of little use. Even if it is fit for irrigation, it is very costly to draw it and more over how long will it last. After all it is ‘Fossil Water’. It is going to be exhausted. What after that? No body is able to answer.

Farmers are able to grow wheat and paddy but with this hard water, vegetables cannot be grown. It’s very difficult to find anyone growing vegetables from last ten years in the village. “We forgot the taste of our own grown vegetables”, said a farmer. This is a common trend in all villages of this area where purchasing vegetables from cities is common. Earlier, farmers here used to grow several kinds of vegetables for sale in the market as well as self-consumption. Now, they don’t cultivate vegetables in several villages of Ghannour area of Patiala district. Farmers from Harpalpur gave a more pitiable picture: “Earlier we use to sell our vegetables in Rajpura and Chandigarh markets; now, because the water quality has deteriorated, we are not able to cultivate vegetables anymore. Farmers will tell you the same story in villages like Shahpur Theri, Mandavi, Chandu, Makorad Sahib and Foold. Everywhere, farmers have turned into buyers of vegetables from being producers. This is sign of loss of household food and nutritional security. This has also put an economic burden on them”.

The average wheat yield dropped drastically in the last few years in all villages we visited. Farmers reported getting yields as low as 5 quintals per acre of wheat. ‘As groundwater is going deeper and deeper, it is also losing its quality. This affects crops and their yields often.’ It is a common perception of farmers from different villages. This has another impact -manifold increase in usage of chemical fertilizers, making agriculture more expensive now. All of this makes the farm economics unviable, with farmers becoming more indebted. Almost all the agricultural land here is mortgaged! “We were happy and prosperous those days, using Ghaghar water and getting higher yields in comparison to today. We used to grow Basmati about 15- 20 years back with very less water from Ghaghar and used to obtain 16 to 20 quintals per acre, 14 to 16 quintals of wheat and even 10 to 12 quintals of pulses. We had these results without using any Urea in our fields.” said Gyani Subeg Singh, a 70-year old farmer from village Shahpur Theri .

Loss of agro-biodiversity is another issue of concern. It was found that in the last 20 years, there has been a drastic loss in agro-biodiversity. Earlier, most of farmers used to grow pulses. Slowly, as yields started declining, they stopped producing pulses. It was found that earlier, diversity-based farming was the main approach. Farmers grew Corn, Basmati, Cotton, Sugarcane, Wheat, Mustard, Pearl Millet, Barley, Pigeonpea, Moong, Masar, Moth, Alsi, Til, Tara-Mira, Gwara, Arhar and Chilies.

Farmers reported that all these crops were grown without any chemical inputs simply by irrigating their farms with Ghaghar water. But as Ghaghar has gone dry, the biodiverse farming system which flourished here for hundred of years also dried up. Farmers’ real wealth – water and soil – was plundered.

This has also eroded traditional knowledge system of farming in this area. Now farmers are using high amount of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and weedicides. They are now so obsessed with chemical farming that they lost self confidence. “We cannot grow any thing without chemicals. We know it is poison – but we have no other alternative” said Jaswant Singh of Shahpur Theri, while preparing to apply chemical fertilizers in his farm.

When asked about debt situation, Harvinder Singh, Youth Club President of Shahpur Theri says with grief, “Death of Ghaghar has destroyed both our wealth and health. Now, the entire village is under debt. Not a single acre of land is free from loan. Several farmers were forced to sell their farm land. About 35 to 40 people sold their entire property and shifted out of the village. Several farmers are now working as landless laborers”.

This situation is reminiscent of my earlier experience in Mirzapur Sandharsi and Harpalpur. In these villages, a large number of farmers had already sold their land. When I asked farmers at Harpalpur in Patiala what they thought of Mirzapur Sandharsi villagers putting up their village for sale, more than three farmers replied at once in a collective voice – “We are also ready to sell our village.” Then one farmer added “Why talk about only these two villages – the whole belt of around 40 villages is up for sale though we are not declaring it openly. But if we get a chance, we are all ready to quit agriculture and move out of here”. Everyone sitting there supported his views. These farmers no more feel any attachment to their village. Sadly, the cord of affinity with their land no longer exists.

The most painful experience we have had in this tour is that of the murder of a river and her bounties. It was the case of entire society breaking away from its water heritage. Everybody whom we met during our visit told us – “Once Ghaghar River used to be full of life and we used to drink Ghaghar water about 20 years back – it used to be clear, sweet and tasty”. Vaid Piyara Singh (55) of Makrodr Sahib said with unshed tears in his eyes: “Ghaghar was clean and the whole village used to drink its water; I used to drink Ghaghar water almost every day while returning from fields – I never experienced any problem with that – that was about 20 years back”.

In village Phoolad, which is just 300 meters from Ghaghar we got to know that except two young men, all the persons sitting in front of us had once been able to drink directly from the river.

“Fish from Ghagar used to be quite famous once upon a time; people used to come from far away to purchase fish here. Thousands of fish of different species, small and big tortoises and so on used to be present in large numbers in Ghaghar. Ghaghar died right in front of our eyes”, said Kulwant Singh (52) of Makrodr Sahib with visible grief on his face.

In adjoining Chandu village, all households used to irrigate their farms from Ghaghar water, but now they are forced to look for other options. “Earlier our animals would go there for grazing, bathing and drinking Ghaghar water, but now we cannot even think of it. It is acid only.” said Vaid Subhash (37).

The entire belt of villages on the bank of Ghaghar in Sangrur district was using Ghaghar water not only for irrigation but also for domestic usage. Some people also pointed out that the river bed had several springs like Nadiya Taal from where they got water throughout the year. There were large numbers of Dhaak and Dhaki trees, Jand, Kiker, and bushes of Duaansa. This indicates that along with destruction of Ghaghar the native plants and trees also got ruined.

“In those days, several species of birds were found; now we hardly see even common birds like the crow or the sparrow. They are all gone”. We heard this almost everywhere that we went. Many report that the number of birds in this area has gone down. Dr Azad kept muttering that this is our Silent Spring unfolding in Punjab. I am speechless since the picture emerging in front of us was a hopeless picture of doom.

In every village we had also enquired about existence of honeybees and earthworms and unfortunately got the similar answer indicating more vast destruction of life – ‘Now honeybees and earthworms are almost gone, we hardly see any hive around our villages’ villagers told us. Every time when we got negative answer about presence of honeybees, Dr Azad reminds me famous prediction of Albert Einstein, “If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.”

Like earthworms and honeybees several other insects were thrown out of web of life. And the younger generation of farmers even does not know the names of several friendly-insects.

In spite of floods every year, Ghaghar was generous with life and prosperity. Now it appears that hell is flowing here and villagers are forced to live with the situation. They reported that Ghaghar got polluted some years back with toxic effluents from a factory at Main near Patiala and Chambowali drain which joins Ghaghar at Chandu village. The water is black, with bad smell and with no life at all. The water, if touched, produces irritation, itching and skin rashes, it was explained. We do not even dare to touch it where we used to earlier be able to drink the water, they said.

Punjab is going to be a state of sick people highly dependent on medicines”, Dr Azad keeps saying again and again. His words were reinforced during this tour as we had personally witnessed a massive health crisis all around. What we have witnessed during this study visit has reaffirmed our earlier hypothesis that Punjab is being subjected to multiple environmental toxicity. Every village we had visited illustrates the same tragedy.

As Dr Azad often says, “The whole ecosystem of the earth is interwoven in a web of highly sensitive and complex interdependence; any toxin in the environment – air, water and soil – affects all forms of life right from the microbes to human beings. Wherever toxicity is high, humans, cattle, wild animals, other living forms including microbes and plants are gravely affected. Punjab today is witnessing the whole spectrum of ill effects on human health shown through various studies, of such contamination. The immunity of Punjabis is being ruthlessly damaged”.

In each village we visited, people reeled out high numbers of cancer deaths in addition to a long list of cancer patients under medication. What we got from villagers is shocking data regarding cancers, raising infertility and other reproductive health disorders, increasing number of neurological disorders, allergies and impaired immunity. As farmers gave this information to us while sitting in front of us by recalling names, the possibility of errors must certainly be there; however, this is an indicator that cancer is on the rise while reproductive health is deteriorating fast, that too in all parts of Punjab. We found quite a large number of issueless couples, cases of miscarriages, spontaneous abortions and premature deliveries; in each village, we also found cases of neurological disorders Children with mental retardation and congenital abnormalities, cerebral palsy, autism, ADHD, ADD, learning and behavioral disabilities and so on were identified. It is hard to believe that the list of illnesses is much longer then we thought.

Skin diseases are also very common in all villages; Dr Azad points out that this is a sign of impaired immune system in people of Punjab. We also found large number of patients with kidney problems, stones in kidney and gall bladder, digestive system disorders etc.

This starkly visible disease pattern can be correlated to the toxicity load caused by environmental toxicity and prevalence of toxins in our eco-system and food chain. During group discussions, it was also noticed that number of young deaths in last ten years is on the rise. Though it may be because of other reasons too, a young death is an indicator that something is seriously wrong in Punjab.

Poisoning of ecology has a deep impact on animal health as well. The status of animal health in these parts seems to indicate that the toxicity everywhere has reached its threshold level. People reported that apart from human beings, cows and buffalos are also losing reproduction capacity. They observe lesser lactation period and lesser reproduction cycles. It has come down to 5 from 15 reproduction cycles. More and more cows and buffalos are becoming sterile. These animals are unable to conceive and miscarriages and abortions are increasing amongst these animals. At least 70% animals have become unproductive and sterile, people reported. Their milk productivity is also going down. Moreover, even horses are reported to be getting sterile. Some farmers observe that desi hens are not able to lay eggs properly.

When the villages had pasture lands, the animals used to give more milk, they recall; now, the animals are falling sick and dying. These animals cannot go to Ghagar now and farmers have to run pumps for water, which adds to the financial burden of the families. “We are ruined due to the poisonous water that was allowed to flow in Ghaghar”, they say.

But question is – who is responsible for this ecological destruction? How are we going to restore justice to river Ghaghar, her inhabitants and Nature? Who is to be blamed for subjecting this whole area to this severe environmental health crisis? What has killed River Ghaghar and its thousands of animals, fishes, tortoises, birds and other creatures?

The answer is very simple – our Development model obsessed with high GDP. The factories of liquor and wine at Banaur, Patiala and Patran have contributed to the death of Ghaghar. The owners of these factories, their management, the government departments which gave clearances for the establishment and running of these factories, the officers with whose signatures these factories came into existence, the Punjab Pollution Control Board which is primarily responsible for monitoring and controlling pollution and effluents, the Revenue department and Directorate of excise and taxes, the Finance Ministry of Punjab which is filling its pockets from taxes on these factories thus giving them a legal status and lastly, the people who remain silent and indifferent during this demolition are responsible for the death of a river and her ecosystem, the destruction of health and environment here and for the displacement of farmers. These are environmental criminals who need to be held liable. Punjab needs a people’s movement to take up the issue of life of our rivers and to keep alive Punjabi civilization. By giving a rousing call to the public, Sant Balbir Singh Seenchewal has already taken an initiative in this direction. But we have still a long way to go.

Moreover , After confirmation of presence of uranium traces in hair samples of children from Baba Farid Centre for Special Children and water and soil samples it is certain that Punjab is in midst of multiple environmental toxicity. This is an indicator that it is situation of extreme emergency in Punjab. Let us start talking the political ecology. Let people start thinking politically to punish the environmental culprits of Punjab. We have to evolve newer ways to punish those who are responsible for this devastation. Though, I also found that I was also one of the culprits, even several of us those who are now fighting for environment were not behaved in responsible manner earlier, otherwise situation would have been different. I feel we are also blameworthy and I am firm that all those who are guilty must be punished

My friend and the person who is carving my understanding on ecological issues, Prof. Shubh Prem Brar from Bathinda has rightly said, “Southern Punjab is surrounded by toxic water ways. It is as though a garland of poisonous water is encircling a large area of Punjab”. If you see the map of Punjab, you can see the absolutely terrifying picture of poisonous water encircling entire south, south-eastern and south-western region of Punjab. I ask further – Is it possible to change this death wreath into a life jacket? Can we stop our civilization from dying?

I am waiting for an answer…the 63-year old young revolutionary Dr Azad is equally eager to know this answer, as he constantly says “Punjab is a dying civilization and time is running out of our hands.” None of us want Punjab to die, do we?

(Author is Executive Director of Kheti Virasat Mission; a Jaitu based a civil society ecological action group working on natural farming and environmental health. Contacts: umendradutt@gmail.com ; Phones: 09872682161)

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IYCN Hyderabad Turns One

What's With The Climate? — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:24:53 +0000

350 Global Day of Action, October 24, 2009, Charminar, Hyderabad
This June, the IYCN chapter in Hyderabad turned one! One year of climate campaigns and workshops and an immense amount of learning for any and every member of IYCN in the city! Hyderabad is labelled a lazy city for many reasons but when the need arises to address an issue that is close to the heart of the city, one will not find more passion and concern than in Hyderabadis.This is not intended to be a progress report for the IYCN Hyd chapter and its activities but rather an opportunity for us to narrate our experiences that the Hyderabad team enjoyed last year and what lies in the year ahead.

From the first Hyderabad Youth Summit on Climate in June 2009, that proved to be the launchpad for kicking off IYCN’s activities in the city, it has been a rollercoaster ride for many of the members. Andhra Pradesh has seen a recent flurry of organizations and activities that are addressing different environmental issues. Besides the veterans like WWF, CSA, Greenpeace, DDS, APNGC et al, new bodies and networks like the Andhra Pradesh Environment Connect, Lets unite for a greener tomorrow, SOUL, Planet 3 protection alliance and a multitude of small environment clubs across schools, colleges and corporate campuses have added to the variety and diversity to the people and the ways deployed to tackle the environmental crises. This is evidence enough of growing awareness and people taking up action irrespective of any support from the Govt. or otherwise.

The campaigns and workshops we organized brought us closer to organizations and individuals from various backgrounds and it is always wonderful to recollect the fact that a majority of the people out there are concerned about the issues we fight for and are only waiting for the push that will come through mobilization and/or being an example of change ourselves. This aspect runs across the country and is one of the major reasons for IYCN to begin engaging people beyond campaigns and get into projects and influencing policy at different levels of Govt. operation. It is always easy to convert the cynicism that proliferates the status quo into a element of motivation and encouragement when we work in a team and look at the examples of change that people are busy creating around us. Often quoted examples of Pragati Nagar in the city that banned plastic in the entire colony or the first green commercial (CII-GBC) and residential green building from Hyderabad remain positive influences for many young groups which need to see and understand the possibilities out there.

Most if not all the members of the chapter are young people who are exposed to an incredible amount of information and activities happening across the world. With communication becoming global and easier, one can expect to find a sense of dissonance and delusion to the events of our time amongst the youth. A changing climate does not merely change the temperatures but affects the political, economical and social spheres in many unknown ways. This is a crucial aspect that IYCN Hyderabad works on by networking and working with different organizations that are not necessarily working on climate change at the surface. Events around Bhopal, contemporary media, human rights, peoples struggles, energy issues and a lot more. Sensitization aside, this gives the person a holistic experience and an opportunity to piece things together and view them in relation to climate change.

2010 and the years ahead hold a lot of promise with new teams settling in and new opinions and ideas entering the organization and we have moved into a new office as well. IYCN Hyderabad with the Great Power Race is aiming high to reach out to campuses across the city and create massive awareness that will definitely result in a few projects being executed on the ground. Communication is one of the major focuses this year and employing innovative ways of communication through art, audio, video are underway. Documentation can always be an Achilles heal for NGOs that fail to record their activities and to avoid that, documentation of all activities meetings will be done through effective and innovative means for benefits in the future. Partnering with more organizations and continuing to explore and understand new areas that find a relation to climate change will be a key focus for the team here. IYCN recently started a chapter in Kakinada and that gives us immense pride.

Ideas are endless but with the aim of structuring and institutionalizing our work, a long term and a focused approach will be adopted to sustain the organization and its key activities. IYCN Hyderbad is always open to new people with new ideas and an interest in anything under the sun. You could love football, enjoy watching the stars or just wish to sit quiet, we have a need for you and we know how you can help protect the environment and become a part of our global network. Here’s to more learning and more action!

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Waste to Energy-An Eyewash!

Kabir — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:59:25 +0000

Disregarding Supreme Court’s order, unmindful of the adverse order of the Delhi High Court and the fact that the matter is sub-judice and ignoring the concerns of the residents, Sheila Dikshit, Delhi’s Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for a polluting waste to energy plant today in the national capital to produce electricity from wastes.

In an open letter (attached) to the Chief Minister which has also been sent to the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and Union Ministry of Environment & Forests, the residents said, “This plant will emit large quantities of hazardous and toxic emissions (such as dioxins and furans) due to burning of Municipal Solid Waste, and will profoundly affect the health of the people living in the surrounding areas and environment for all times to come in future.”

Scientists investigating the effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam have found that people living in the areas where USA had used it as a chemical weapon have the highest blood levels of its poisonous chemical dioxin ever recorded in the country. Agent Orange, which has the dioxin (TCDD – short for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) as one of its constituents, was last used in 1973. Scientists from the US led by Prof. Arnold Schecter of the University of Texas published his findings wherein he observed that Dioxins causes cancers and problems with reproductive development, the nervous and immune systems.

Sheila Dikshit government and MNRE are pretending ignorance when the facts are clear that recycling creates six to ten times more jobs than incinerating as is envisaged in the project. By recycling waste valuable materials are recovered and hazardous pollution is prevented.

Chief Minister has turned a blind eye to Delhi High Court order which led to an inquiry by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to conduct an inquiry into the failure of the Timarpur plant that was also based on incineration technology (namely Refuse Derived Fuel) and the ‘White Paper on Pollution in Delhi with an Action Plan’ prepared by Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, the Chief Minister has been misled in to promoting it.

The White Paper says, “The experience of the incineration plant at Timarpur, Delhi and the briquette plant at Bombay support the fact that thermal treatment of municipal solid waste is not feasible, in situations where the waste has a low calorific value. A critical analysis of biological treatment as an option was undertaken for processing of municipal solid waste in Delhi and it has been recommended that composting will be a viable option. Considering the large quantities of waste requiring to be processed, a mechanical composting plant will be needed.” (attached Incinerator: Myths and Facts)

Even Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s own Feasibility Study and Master Plan for Optimal Waste Treatment and Disposal for the Entire State of Delhi of March 2004 says, “Incineration of RDF is considered waste incineration.” (Page 25, Appendix D, Technology Catalogue). It also says the costs of RDF are often high for societies with low calorific value because energy is used to dry the waste before it becomes feasible to burn it.

In fact the Master Plan Report (2020) of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) itself says,… “RDF is often an option when emission standards are lax and RDF is burned in conventional boilers with no special precautions for emissions.” One is surprised that despite this observation the report then goes on to suggest RDF. In fact the MCD report itself says that RDF is another form of incineration.

A 10 member Fact Finding Team visited the plant site on 18th June 2010 to take stock of the situation. Its preliminary findings are as follows: 1. RDF or incineration is completely inappropriate for Indian urban waste, which is largely biodegradable in nature. They extract a very high cost for the energy which they claim to generate. 2. The cost largely subsidised by various schemes, does not however include the environmental and health costs caused by their toxic releases, and which are externalized. 3. These technologies also use valuable resources which can be recycled, such as plastics and metals, and which support a massive recycling sector in the country. Indian municipal waste is fit for composting and bio-methanation treatment processes. 4. RDF is a thermal and combustion technology, mainly used to prepare waste for mass incineration. 5. If mixed waste is burnt will create problems of very toxic compounds such as dioxins and furans, heavy metals and other pollutants. 6. The calorific value for the waste comes from materials such as plastics and metals. 7. Plastics, especially chlorinated plastics such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) when combusted gives rise to these highly toxic pollutants and 8. PVC plastic combustion which is part of the mixed waste is banned in India by regulation both in the municipal and bio-medical waste handling rules.

The team comprised of Prof. Vikram Soni, Jamia Millia Islamia, Mehraj Dube, Associate Editor, NDTV, Ruhi Kandhari, Down To Earth, Anil Mishra, P K Nayyar, Sukhdev Vihar Residents Welfare Association, Sayantan Bewa, Centre for Science & Environment, Rakesh Bhatt, Ecology & Faith Forum, Sanjay Tiwari, Editor, www.visfot.com and Soumya Ray, lawyer, Supreme Court besides Gopal Krishna, an environmental health researcher. The final report would be shared in due course.

Earlier residents had not allowed the land hand over ceremony for the project that is proposed in the residential area of Okhla but unmindful of the public protest, New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) had permitted Jindal Urban Infrastructure Ltd to set up this plant. This company has secured a contract from New Delhi Waste Processing Company Limited, a joint venture between the Delhi Government and Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd. (IL&FS), to produce 16 MW power from 2, 000 metric tonnes of municipal waste. Jindal company’s misplaced claims to that effect that it will process nearly 2000 tonnes of waste, later it would be in a position to process as much as 4,000 tonnes based on obsolete technology will distort capital city’s waste management beyond repair.

The proposed polluting technology to deal with the waste from South Delhi, North West Delhi and East Delhi is fraught with disastrous public health consequences for which two companies namely, Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Company (TOWMCL) and the Unique Waste Processing Company (subsidiary of IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited have been set up.

Environmental groups, recycling workers and neighborhood residents are demanding closure of this combustion based project for a just transition from burning waste to building a better, cleaner future for the residents of Delhi. The transition is necessary in the face of issues such as the high cost of incineration, health effects of pollution in neighborhoods, and adverse climate change. Children suffer asthma rates three times the national average among other devastating health impacts.

The Power distribution company BSES Rajdhani Power Limited (BRPL) has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Company Private Limited (TOWMCL) which is setting up the plant. The agreement was signed on January 20, 2010. Since March 2005, Rakesh Mehta, the present Chief Secretary in different capacities as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation Delhi (MCD) and later as Power Secretary, Delhi government, has been misled into promoting this dubious technology despite incontrovertible evidence against the technology and in spite of its explicit exclusion by the Prime Minister’s National Action Plan for Climate Change.

This plant is based on a hazardous technology that receives fiscal incentives from Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE). Notably, while ‘whether or not energy from mixed municipal waste (with hazardous characteristics) is a driving concern’ remains in dispute, the Prime Minister’s National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC) categorically refers to Biomethanation technology, a biological treatment method for waste to energy instead of the Refuse Dervied Fuel (RDF) process which is a incineration technology and is a tried, tested, failed and Dioxins emitting technology.

As per the agreement, BRPL will procure 50 per cent of the 16 MW electricity to be produced by TOWMCL at its plant in Okhla in the vicinity of numerous residential areas such as Sukhdev Vihar, Hazi Colony, Gaffar Manzil and others. The plant being set up plans to process over 6,43,500 lakh metric tonnes or one third of Delhi’s Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) per year generated in Delhi. The plant is scheduled to be commissioned in late 2010-2011. Around 1,300 Tonnes Per Day (TPD) of MSW will be sourced from the Okhla landfill site and 650 TPD from Timarpur. BRPL will procure power at a DERC approved competitive tariff rate, determined by a competitive bidding process. The agreement allows the promoters to sell the remaining 50 per cent electricity through a suitable open access mechanism.

Similar waste to energy project is coming up at Ghazipur as well. Earlier, in November, 2009 BRPL had signed a 25-year-agreement to procure 49 per cent of the electricity generated from garbage to energy project at Ghazipur. Chief Minister referred to this project as well.

Unmindful of the environmental and human cost the installation of proposed municipal solid waste (MSW) to energy plants in Ghazipur, Timarpur and Okhla, based on incineration of Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) is being pursued. This compelled the residents to move to the Delhi High Court. Earlier, the matter came up for hearing on December 11, 2009 wherein the petitioners (Sukhdev Vihar Residents Welfare Association & others) pointed out the polluting nature of the Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) Incineration technology and how both the central government and the Delhi government has misled the court. The court in its latest order has found that it was misled earlier which had led to it dismissing the petition which has now been restored and is scheduled for hearing on 22nd July before the Delhi High Court. In the presence of A.S. Chandihok, Additional Solicitor General, the bench headed by the Chief Justice, Delhi High Court in an order dated 15th January observed, “that the project in question” and “the location of the pilot project in Delhi was neither recommended by the Expert Committee nor approved by the Supreme Court.”

Delhi government and Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) must take cognizance of the sad plight at waste to energy site in Gandhamguda village in Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh (wrongly mentioned as Hyderabad project) which had the same technology. While the RDF incinerator was in operation, the village was covered by a heavy shroud of dark smoke. Originally a pelletisation plant with a furnace, After the plant came up, local doctors started detecting case of problems not found before — skin rashes, asthma, respiratory problems and some cases of stillborns. In a statement, Gandhamguda sarpanch D. Shakuntala had said: ‘‘Everyone in Peerancheru Gram Panchayat and its adjoining regions is now contaminated with harmful pollutants and symptoms are visible in the form of brain fever, vomiting, jaundice, asthma, miscariages, infertility.’’ Similar fate awaits residents of Delhi. For misplaced carbon revenue, it would not be appropriate to turn Delhi residents as guinea pigs.

MNRE has an incorrect policy of subsidizing hazardous technologies like proposed incinerators.

East Delhi Waste Processing Company Private Limited, a special purpose vehicle of the latter company is working for generating electricity at the Ghazipur site with the support of the Delhi Government. ‘New Delhi Waste Processing Company Private Limited’ a Joint Venture company of Delhi Government, IL&FS and APTTDC is supporting the project as well. The integrated municipal waste-processing complex is proposed to include a MSW processing plant at Ghazipur to produce Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) along with a power plant of 10 MW capacity where the RDF derived from the waste will be used as fuel to produce electricity. It is supposed to handle an average 1300 tons per day. It claims that 111,949 metric tonnes CO2 equivalent per annum of green house gases would be reduced. The crediting period for the project is from 1st November, 2010 to 31 October, 2020.

The Timarpur-Okhla carbon credit project which was registered on 10th November, 2007 with a claim to reduce green house gases to the tune of 262,791 metric tonnes CO2 equivalent per annum. Unique Waste Processing Company, a subsidiary of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) and Andhra Pradesh Technology Development Centre (APTDC) has incorporated Timarpur-Okhla Waste Management Company for developing the project for processing municipal waste and also to produce electricity at two locations namely Timarpur and Okhla, at the site at Okhla that is adjacent to defunct Okhla Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). TOWMCL is working with New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and MCD. The Timarpur and Okhla plant will together be processing 650 tonnes per day of MSW at Timarpur site and 1300 tonnes per day of MSW at Okhla and claims to generate 16 MW of electricity.

The Timarpur-Okhla carbon credit project has been met with protest rally from the residents of Gaffar Manzil, Sukhdev Vihar and Hazi Colony together. Local politicians have also pledged their support for the protesters. Over 600 people walked through the colonies in a procession to stage their protest. The proposed plant is located inside dozens of densely populated residential colonies like Harkesh Nagar and Johori Farm, when the policy of the government is to shift or relocate all existing industries whatsoever from the residential areas. Besides this the site is in proximity of hospitals like Holy Family, Fortis-Escorts and Apollo. Inhabitants of colonies like Gaffar Manzil, Sukhdev Vihar and Hazi Colony are rightly alarmed at the prospect of a Dioxins emitting incinerator plant from coming up in their vicinity.

The move underway to install RDF plants in Delhi and several other state capitals is an environmentally unsustainable solution, which should be deemed unacceptable. If Delhi allows such toxic plant, it will set a bad precedent for other cities. It raises serious concerns about the health and safety of the citizens, which such a technology, will jeopardize.

For Details: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance, Mb: 9818089660,
E-mail: krishna2777@gmail.com, Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com
On behalf of RWAs: P K Nayyar, Mb: 9212111404, K K Rohtagi, Lawyer, Delhi High Court: 9810134860

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Petrol Subsidy Removal an Opportunity?

Kartikeya Singh — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:08:31 +0000

Image Courtesy Rediff Business
A long awaited and perhaps much needed realignment of national petroleum product prices with the international markets was announced today. The cost of petrol will increase by Rs. 3.75 per litre, kerosene by Rs. 3 a litre, and LPG costs will rise by Rs. 35 per cylinder. While petroleum prices are freed, diesel prices are to rise by Rs. 2 per litre and it remains to be seen when if at all, its prices will also be freed to align with international markets.

This has caused some tension within the UPA government and many are claiming that the “common man” will suffer the most. Watching the news tonight, I could not help but notice that all the people being interviewed on television were residents of urban metro areas (namely Delhi). Most of them seemed to be quite well to do and were filling up their tanks at petrol pumps while being interviewed. While many of them complained of the price hike and took the side of the “common man,” some were in support of the increase, citing that the government is overburdened by the subsidies (the burden it is to be relieved of is approximately Rs. 24,000 crore annually in petroleum product subsidies).

BRT Corridor, New Delhi
While watching the dialog, I had a bit of deja vu. In 2008, when the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) corridor opened up in Delhi for trial runs, there was a great outcry from this same class of the people, highlighted in the mainstream media. Not enough attention was given to the “common man’s” benefit from a more efficient, extensive, and properly planned public transportation system. In an independent survey conducted by a coalition of civil society groups, it was revealed that many “common” citizens (those who did not own private vehicles but instead rode on buses, walked, or used bicycles) were actually in support of the BRT. It is unfair to say that the middle class will not be impacted and that the price of commodities and services will not rise in the near future due to their reliance on petroleum for transport and processing. Yet, we must find within this decision, the opportunities to free our nation from the hydrocarbon-trap. The government simply cannot keep subsidizing these fuels.

We must look at this subsidy removal in three ways: 1) its potential to spur investment in, and the greater use of public transportation and 2) the potential of private industries to seek renewable energy solutions to meet their needs (thereby increasing investment in the renewable energy sector) and 3) an opportunity rapidly deploy decentralized energy systems for rural areas and the “common man” which is dependent on kerosene for cooking and most importantly, for lighting.

Railways transport and urban mass transit systems are poised to gain from this hike in prices. Should our cities focus on integrated transportation plans with seamless connectivity (i.e., between a metro and a BRT) and comfort, it might allow for the capturing of more commuters who currently use private vehicles. Companies like Infosys in Bangalore have already had a hand in shaping their cities transit plans and seek to gain from the improved productivity of their employees through decreased and hassle free commuting time. It is hoped that this subsidy removal coupled with the steady signals from the central government on climate and energy policy, will help strengthen private investments in the renewable energy sector.

Biogas plant in Kerala, photo credit: Bob Spicer, Open University
Finally, we arrive to the plight of the “common man” in the form of LPG and kerosene use. With approximately 400 million people in the countryside still living without access to electricity, the monthly ration of 3 to 4 litres of kerosene goes a long way in providing for lighting needs. It has been argued for some time, that the subsidy for kerosene could perhaps be switched for solar lanterns, or solar home lighting systems–thereby switching to a cleaner more sustainable fuel. Why not use this opportunity to strengthen research and development in the solar industry and scale up deployment of solar lighting systems for those villages and hamlets where grid extension will never be feasible? Similarly, research and development of family-type biogas plants stopped in the 1970’s with the last innovation being a modified Chinese technology called the Deenbhandhu model. Is the hike in LPG and kerosene (where it is used for cooking) also not an opportunity to renew our efforts in maximizing the vast bio-energy potential of the country?

There is a lot to be said. Let the debating begin!

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Making India ‘safe’ for foreign investors, ‘unsafe’ from hazardous chemicals, asbestos and nuclear industries

Kabir — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:19:29 +0000

The deafening silence of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) so far in the matter of industrial disaster of Bhopal and Gulf of Mexico was intriguing. Now that it has spoken out with a press release, it has revealed itself as a lobby group which is callous towards victims of Bhopal and public interest and ignores the lessons to be learnt from oil spill disaster in Gulf of Mexico. Its views are an expression blind obsession with unsound profit alone. All its views on safety, health and environment appear to be an insincere expression and a mere lip-service.

It took the mild sentencing of Keshub Mahindra in the Bhopal Gas tragedy case for CII to react, not the disaster or the plight of the victims and pollution due to hazardous industries. CII’s request to the government “to treat non executive members of the Board including Non Executive Chairmen, differently when it comes to Directors’ liabilities” is misplaced. The Companies Act 1956 is right in not differentiating between different categories of directors in terms of liabilities. It rightly envisages trial for non-executive directors as well. They too should be made to undergo the ordeal of a trial for offence of non-compliance with a statutory provision. CII’s lobbying to ensure exemption from vicarious criminal liability under the applicable statutes for non-executive directors is motivated and must be rejected.

If there is indeed rule of law that governs both natural and artificial persons like companies, the proposed Companies Bill 2009 must ensure that non-executive directors remain liable for vicarious criminal liability for offences committed by the company. Independent directors are duty-bound to raise the red flag when he/she spots an inherent issue which the others could not do merely because they possess a non-independent status. Had Keshub Mahindra done so, the disaster in Bhopal could have been prevented? Is there anything on record to show that Mahindra or anyone in other corporate scandals documented their dissent? The limited liability clause in the Companies Act under which subsidiary of Union Carbide Corporation was formed must be re-examined.

With regard to Board of Directors of UCC’s Board of Directors and their role, the circumstances of their historic industrial betrayal must be probed along with those of its subsidiary. Absence of rigorous liability regime for hazardous chemicals, asbestos and nuclear industries during their entire life span reveals that nothing has changed despite the disaster. How is it that Dow owns the asbestos liabilities of Union Carbide and Government of India has far failed to make it liable for Bhopal’s legacy?

Unmindful of a confidential 13 page safety audit report (attached) of Union Carbide Corporation (now owned by Dow Chemicals), Indira Gandhi government was prevailed upon to grant industrial license for a plant that led to disaster in December 1984.

There is a need to review The Registration and Licensing of Industrial Undertakings Rules, 1952 under which the license was granted on 31st October 1975. An application for the registration of the plant was made Eduardo Munoz, headed the South and East Asia divisions, Agricultural Products Division (APD), Union Carbide Corporation on 1st January 1970 to the Ministry of Industry (formerly to Ministry of Industrial Development), Government of India. The Ministry of Industry’s Committee that recommended the issuance of industrial license to Union Carbide must be made public. The very fact that application for industrial license was made by Munoz establishes the liability of Dow Chemicals owned Union Carbide Corporation (UCC).

Notably, foreign investors were limited to 40% ownership of equity in Indian companies, but Indira Gandhi government waived this requirement in the case of UCC. In pursuance of an agreement between in 1966, to begin with Union Carbide’s India plant built in 1969 was to import 1,200 tons of Sevin from the parent company in the US for manufacturing pesticides and UCC was to build a factory in India to produce Sevin within five years. Although Eduardo Munoz, the Argentinean agronomic engineer objected to the location of the factory because it was residential area and sought to stop storage of huge quantity of Methyl Isocynate (MIC) but he was overruled by the UCC officials saying, “You have absolutely no need to worry, dear Eduardo Munoz. Your Bhopal plant will be as inoffensive as a chocolate factory.” The agreement between Government of India and Union Carbide that led to the setting of the plant too must be made public.

Government of India must re-examine all the industrial licenses granted to hazardous chemical plants in particular and the granting of industrial licensing procedure in general. The safety audit report notes, “our safety performance has shown no improvement for more than ten years as measured by the most significant yardstick: disabling injury frequency. Furthermore, in the last ten years we have become the most hazardous employer in the Big Seven chemicals group, maiming people at more than twice the rate of the others.” In 2001 Union Carbide merged with Dow Chemical, Inc., but it continues to operate its huge plants in places like West Virginia, Louisiana and Texas. Government of India must inform the citizens its action taken report with regard to

The safety audit report was authored by R. T. Bradley and covers the period from 1959 to1968. The report observes, “We have been twice as bad as their combined average over the last ten years. We rank seventh in the Big Seven (DuPont, Monsanto, American Cyanamid, Allied, Celanese, Dow and Carbide, in that order).” Government of India must explain as to how it supervises hazardous industries without sufficient industrial intelligence and how it pre-empts possibility of production of war time chemicals? R. T. Bradley concludes saying, “All management and supervision must seriously want more safety–we will only get as much safety as we want, not what we might just say we want, unless we really mean it.” It further infers, “All of this will involve more cash outlay for loss prevention but it will be in the form of sound investment. Our 1968 property losses, between $5 and $10 million, indicate as much. The humanitarian aspect is, of course, the most important consideration and should not be dollar -oriented. However, a good measure of improvement in injury experience will almost certainly become a corollary to reduction in property losses and business interruption losses.” Clearly, non-compliance with such recommendations led to Bhopal’s disaster. Isn’t it sufficient to make Government of India to state categorically that Dow Chemicals is liable for Bhopal’s disaster?

Efforts of US corporations to create a duality by referring to parent company and subsidiary company as two entities is an exercise in sophistry to which Government of India has been fallen prey by introducing Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill in the parliament amidst massive opposition which puts the “liability” of the private “operator” at Rs. 500 crore per incident, with the further proviso to lower it down to Rs. 100 crore in a manifest attempt to favour private business enterprises at the cost of Indian citizens. The Nuclear Liability Bill is an extension of what the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI)’s 25 member working group on civil nuclear energy-2009 had articulated in its 57-page report too explicitly draws on the directions and observations of the Supreme Court in Charan Lal Sahu’s case in the matter of Bhopal disaster. This propensity is illustrated by what Peter Mason, president and chief executive of nuclear supplier GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy Canada said while explaining to the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Canadian House of Commons on Natural Resources that is dealing with Bill C-20, their Nuclear Liability and Compensation Act, November 2009. He contended, “If there was not a cap and if there was no suitable legislation insurance in place, then we wouldn’t be in the nuclear industry.”

While British Petroleum (BP) is facing a bill of up to $34 billion from the Gulf of Mexico disaster after US senators demanded the oil company deposited $20 billion (about Rs 92000 crores) into a ring-fenced account to meet escalating compensation costs. The cost of the clean-up effort and payment of damages to affected communities, such as fishermen is about a total of $5 billion. In India, the recommendations of Group of Ministers (GoM) on Bhopal are following the path of Telengana in order to dilute the massive public outrage against cover-up in the matter of justice for Bhopal disaster. The GoM’s reported recommendation about enhanced compensation for Bhopal victims to the tune of Rs. 1500 crores and Rs. 720 crores for rehabilitation is pittance in comparison to what has just be set as a benchmark for Gulf of Mexico’s industrial disaster. If Government of India does not know how to act, it should at least learn from US President in order to make Dow Chemical liable and make Warren Anderson face charges trial for manslaughter. Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh must learn to deal with long-term corporate terrorism that has been underway with connivance of government officials. An all party committee and a Joint Parliamentary Committee must examine the dubious circumstances of the birth and death of Bhopal’s plant and UCC’s research and development centre.

“Investigation has revealed that UCIL started importing Sevin from the UCC, USA in December, 1960. They were marketing this Sevin after adding dilutants etc. Subsequently, they decided to manufacture Sevin in their plant at Bhopal itself and accordingly created necessary facilities for production of Sevin MIC as the basic raw material. To start with, they were importing MIC in 200 litres capacity stainless steel drums from the UCC Plant in West Virginia, USA, Subsequently UCC and UCIL decided to manufacture MIC in their factory at Bhopal itself,” as per the Supreme Court order dated 13/09/1996. The order observes, “At that stage on 13th November, 1973, UCC and UCIL entered into an agreement entitled Foreign Collaboration Agreement according to which the best manufacturing information then available from or to Union Carbide had to be provided for the factory in India. This necessitated UCC supplying the design, know how and safety measures for the production, storage and use of MIC which ought to have been an improvement on the factory of UCG at West Virginia based on the experience gained there. Investigation has however disclosed that: the factory at Bhopal was deficient in many safety aspects. The design, know-how and safety measures were provided by the Union Carbide Corporation, USA and the erection and commissioning of the plant was done under the strict control of the experts of UCC. The Indians in this plant were only working under their directions.” All this clearly reveals that UCC did not disclose its 10 year safety audit report to Government of India.

Supreme Court’s order notes, “After an initial period of profits, the UCIL factory was running in loss. The loss for the first 10 months of 1984 amounted to Rs. 5,03,39,000. Due to this, U.C.E, Hongkong directed UCIL vide their letter dated 26 October, 1984 that the factory at Bhopal should be closed down and sold to any available buyer. As no buyer became available in India, UCE,, Hongkong directed UCIL to prepare an estimate for dismantling the factory and shipping it to Indonesia or Brazil where they probably had some buyers. These estimates were completed towards the end of November, 1984.” The Joint Parliamentary Committee must examine as to how is that no institution of Government of India had intelligence about the goings on the plant and suggest ways to bring such companies under genuine legislative control.

U.S.-India Business CEOs Forum that commenced on 22nd June in Washington in the shadow of the industrial disaster of Bhopal or Gulf of Mexico which is not the last crisis that democracy in India and US face. The U.S.-India Business CEOs Forum is likely to work hard to ensure that they are insulated from civil and criminal liabilities for engineering catastrophe- be it in chemical industry or in the nuclear industry. The forum was constituted in 2005 by US President and the Indian Prime Minister. During the Forum’s meeting underway Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee who is leading India’s delegation of CEOs like Tata Group Chairman Ratan Tata, all ears are on how the matter of Dow’s liability and Anderson’s extradition is dealt with.

In the light if the above there is a need to review the Registration & Licensing of Industrial Undertakings Rules, a parliamentary probe as to why Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) abandoned its medical research in 1994, how did a dubious trust like the Bhopal Memorial Hospital Trust came in to being, why there has been non-execution of the Letter Rogatory [Letter of Request] of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bhopal had issued on 6th July 1988 to the US to permit the CBI to carry out a comparative study of the safety systems of plants in West Virginia, USA and identify other concerned officials of UCC and to examine current registration and licensing of chemical pesticides taking cognizance of Union Carbide’s 10 year Confidential Safety Report, US Securities Commission’s revelation regarding Dow’s bribery of Indian officials.

It is incumbent upon Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama to be wary of extreme monetary pre-occupations of CEOs and attend to pressing non-monetary concerns of ecosystem services in order to provide healing touch to disasters in Bhopal and Gulf of Mexico by learning lessons from Chernobyl nuclear disaster and Three Mile Island Nuclear Accident. How they make corporations like and Dow Chemicals and British Petroleum (BP) accountable will determine whether or not shareholders property based democracy is superior to peoples’ democracy.

For Details: Gopal Krishna, ToxicsWatch Alliance, Mb: 9818089660, E-mail: krishna2777@gmail.com Web: toxicswatch.blogspot.com

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Citizens oppose state government’s favourable stand on GM Maize in Punjab

Kabir — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 09:41:05 +0000

Eminent citizens, Farmers’ Unions’ representatives and environmental activists from Punjab today questioned the reported government stand in favour of GM crops, reflected in the support sought for Bt Maize by the Chief Minister’s delegation to Planning Commission a few days ago. They demanded that the CM explain on what basis/scientific evidence and through what process of decision-making did the government take this stand for the state of Punjab which is already reeling under a severe environmental health crisis and paying a heavy price for its short-sighted vision for farming in the state.

Umendra Dutt of Kheti Virasat Mission said that “GM Maize, as latest scientific studies show, results in adverse health effects including ones associated with the kidney and liver, the dietary detoxifying organs; other effects were noticed in the heart, adrenal glands, spleen and haematopoietic system. He quoted the 2009 study by Spiroux et al to support his contention and highlighted that in another study by Dr. Zollac involving GM Maize, transgenic seeds responded differentially to the same environment as compared to their respective isogenic controls, as a result of the genome rearrangement derived from gene insertion, pointing to unintended changes”. Dutt also mentioned that in an official study done by the Austrian government, it was found that GM maize was linked to infertility and reproductive health effects.

Questioning the intention of the Punjab CM, social activist Hemant Goswami said that it was apparent that the CM and his family were favoring the industry for reasons best known to them, and they are not at all bothered about the welfare of the people and the farmers in specific. “The Punjab Government is pushing poison down the throat of people of Punjab. I also challenge the partner in Punjab Government, BJP, to clarify its stand on genetically modified crops. We want to know what the Punjab BJP thinks on the issue since other BJP-ruled states are clearly taking a stand against GM technology and we have a coalition government with BJP here. The whole world knows about the harms of Genetically Modified crops, there are reams of scientific documents on this. Still, the Badals are trying to push foreign interest over farmers’ welfare. Punjab farmers are suffering high rates of cancer and other diseases due to unsustainable and unscientific perspectives of the Government. In such a scenario, when Punjab should be pushing for organic and bio-fertilisers, it is inviting an even-bigger disaster in the name of Bt and genetically modified (GM) crops. Punjab should even withdraw Bt Cotton but it appears that Punjab is still to learn from its past mistakes. Such a short-sighted approach will surely put the Punjab farmers and people on an irreversible suicidal path.” Hemant added.

Sukhdev Singh Kokrikalan, General Secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Ugrahan lamented this move and said, “Farmers have been looted and plundered by the MNCs in the name of modern technologies like hybrids and agri-chemicals; now, the Genetically Modified (GM) nexus is further trying to entrap us on the basis of many false claims. Bhartiya Kisan Union opposes the move vehemently”.

Neeraj Atri of Bharat Swabhiman Trust mentioned that “Bt is promoted with the claim that it offers resistance against some pests. It does not reduce water consumption or offer better yield than our natural maize. In terms of environmental effects, Bt Maize is shown to simply swap one pest with another as a study from the USA shows. Further, some Bt Maize varieties have been shown to be susceptible to aphid infestation. GM Maize, including herbicide tolerant maize as with other GM crops, is shown to increase overall chemical use in farming and this is leading to resistant weeds in countries like the USA. This will pose more problems for Punjabi farmers than the solution it is purported to be.”

Balkar Singh Dakunda, President, Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta Punjab said, “It is clear that the government is being run with a short-sighted vision with regard to agriculture and agricultural livelihoods in the state. The Bt in Cotton and Maize could in fact worsen the water situation in Punjab. Citing a few scientific studies Balkar Singh mentioned that leaves or grain from Bt maize have proved to be toxic to aquatic life if it enters streams, by way of dead leaves or grain. So instead of helping people, it can actually spoil the existing water sources too.”

Umendra Dutt further stated “The state government, especially the BJP constituents of the government, have to explain their role and stand in this decision of the government to seek support for GM crops. How do they explain this when many BJP-ruled states are clearly directing their state agriculture towards sustainable farming? If the BJP constituents in the government have not been consulted in this process, the CM has to explain how this decision was possible and how does this reflect the stand of the coalition government. It is surprising that even in states where Congress or UPA constituent parties are ruling, the governments, in consultation with farmers’ organisations, scientists and civil society groups have taken a cautious stand against this controversial and unproven technology, while the Punjab government (in a state where agricultural technologies have left their adverse effects) is clearly going against common people.”

Hemant Goswami further demanded that Manpreet Badal should explain his role in the siphoning off of about 80 crores in the name of experimenting with organic farming. Instead of seriously trying the option of organic farming, it has been reported that crores were spent on the farms of politicians and bureaucrats in the name of organic farming and the rest was siphoned off. “We should understand that the Punjab Government is deliberately making these schemes related to organic farming fail so that there is no option left other than purchasing patented seeds, insecticides and fertilisers from big MNCs. Corruption in the name of organic farming also has a long term effect of weakening the agriculture sector and provide a justification for helping the seed and chemical companies.” Hemant emphasised.

We ask the following questions to the Punjab Chief minister—

1. Is this decision his personal decision or a decision of the Cabinet?
2. Is this decision based on the recommendations of any broad-based body which has representation of scientists, medical experts, farmers’ unions, civil society representatives and consumer groups? If no-why not? If yes which one?
3. Has any committee of scientists given any report on which his decision is based? Such a decision has to be based on the recommendations of Experts including from the fields of Agriculture, Health, Veterinary science, Environment and Peoples Organisations like Peasants, Consumers and NGOs.
4. Has the government studied the whole controversy which is going on in the whole world regarding GM Crops, including trade security implications, the scientific debates etc.?
5. Is this issue (bringing in GM Food Crops) a state matter or a national matter?
6. Does Mr. Badal know that the final agenda of the corporations bringing GM seeds is for MNCs to take total control over Indian agriculture, throwing the peasantry out of the agriculture?

Eminent social activist Dr Gaurav Chhabra and Onkar Chand , R K Kaplash Chairman , Consumer Coordination Council also aired their views.

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No More Bhopals!

Kabir — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:11:09 +0000

Join us for an Evening of songs of Freedom and Justice !

After 26 years and nearly two generations of untold sufferings, nightmares, pain, trauma, lost livelihoods and a historic fight for justice from Bhopal to all across the world the verdict is : to two years imprisonment and a fine of Rs. one lakh each under section 304(a), imprisonment of 3 months and a fine of Rs.250 under Sec 336, 6 months and Rs.500 under Sec 337 and 2 years and Rs.1,000 under Sec 338; all the sentences to run concurrently and UCIL to pay a paltry 5 Lakh rupees.

It’s shame for the judicial system and another blot on the secular, socialist democratic traditions of the country. It’s an insult to those who died, continue to die and rubs salt to unhealed wounds of those survived and who have struggled in face of unsurmountable odds for all these years. The citizens of Delhi and the whole country are enraged at this travesty of justice and petty politicking which has marred the worst industrial disaster in human history.

We call upon you all to join for an evening to express yourself on the streets of Jantar Mantar in words, verses, banners, posters, poems, songs or actions… we will perform a die-in action too demanding justice in Bhopal and light candles in memory of those who died and salute to those who continue to struggle and suffer. Let us join hands and stand up for justice in Bhopal …

SATURDAY, JUNE 12 2010

JANTAR MANTAR, 4 PM ONWARDS

Friends of Bhopal…

Contact :

Kabir Arora 9911879675 | Kaveri Rajaraman 99588789298 | Madhuresh 9818905316

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Great Power Race: Race for the future

Chaitanya Kumar — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 02:03:15 +0000

The world has witnessed another earth day go by and another environment day breeze past us with little or no difference to the day next. Symbolic actions for environment and climate have come a long way in the world with increasing participation from public and more pressure on the leaders, but Govt.’s across the world are still callous and work in denial of the environmental crises the world is currently undergoing. The Copenhagen conference is an example of the gross injustice perpetrated on the people of this world. The youth from India, China and the US have seen their nations fumble and falter at important negotiations and act for their own narrowed interests. The gauntlet has been thrown to the public and we need to be ready to take it up. It is time for climate solutions and the power of communities and groups to implement them with or without Govt. intervention. We are witnessing signs of it with key nations racing for clean energy and the examples are here

“Asian Nations Could Outpace U.S. in Developing Clean Energy” – The Washington Post, Jul 7, 2009
“Obama Says U.S. Must Win Clean-Energy Race” – The Los Angeles Times, Oct 24, 2009
“China surges ahead of U.S. in clean energy race” – The Hindu, Mar 26, 2010
“China leads world in clean energy investment” – The People’s Daily Online, Mar 29, 2010

The Great Power Race (GPR) is a clean energy competition between universities and other college/school campuses in India, China and the US. The aim is to kick-start hundreds of new climate solution projects on campuses and in communities in all three countries and to demonstrate to governments and businesses our generation’s leadership in transforming our world towards a green economy.

From installing compost pits to solar panels to changing light bulbs to growing local food, campus teams are encouraged and trained to take up various projects that reduce their dependence on dirty fossil fuel and emit less greenhouse gases. The competition is a one of its kind where teams will be allowed to communicate with each other across nations and share best practices thereby learning and understanding the differences and challenges of executing clean energy projects.

The Indian Youth Climate Network, Chinese youth climate action network, Energy action coalition and 350.org are the main organizers of the competition in the three countries. The competition is in 4 phases and will last till April 2011. Phase I ends by June 30th and the race is on for the maximum registrations from countries. Phase II involves training and execution of projects with the winners being declared in Cancun, Mexico during COP16 and the final two phases will accept more registrations and the winners will be declared in mid 2011. Eminent personalities in the field of environment from all three countries will be chosen to judge the projects and an elaborate point system has been designed to evaluate projects across various criteria.

The Indian youth climate network, a registered society working on issues of climate change and sustainable development is the main organizer of GPR in India. With a wide network amongst youth in the country, IYCN aims at helping support multiple climate solution projects in India.

Campus teams can register or follow the race at www.greatpowerrace.org or www.facebook.com/greatpowerrace and please help spread the word to your friends, family and the world.

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Firefighting Environmental Violations in India

Anna da Costa — Sat, 29 May 2010 05:09:54 +0000

A workshop to discuss major reforms to India’s environmental-governance system was held in Delhi this week. It was hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and inputs were invited from central and state government, business and civil-society stakeholders on a proposal for a National Environmental Protection Authority (NEPA).

“Every day, I receive hundreds of emails from civil society reporting environmental violations, and right now we are firefighting”, said environment minister Jairam Ramesh at the meeting, pointing to his ministry’s current lack of capacity to prevent, monitor and respond to such violations.

“Violations are worsening by the day in the face of India’s rapid industrialisation and infrastructural development and we do not have the machinery to monitor and respond to them all,” echoed Dr Muruganandam, a director at the ministry.

The NEPA would be a wholly new institutional body that would take over a number of roles currently held by the Ministry. Proposed responsibilities include the granting of environmental clearances, penalty enforcement, capacity building of state-enforcement agencies and communication around environmental regulations.

“If the Ministry of Environment and Forests is the umpire, NEPA would be the policeman”, added Ramesh. Indeed, the establishment of this new institution would redefine of the role of the MoEF itself, leaving it free to focus on policymaking and programme evaluation, while NEPA would focus on enforcement.

Yet some have questioned the idea. “Lack of capacity is not a reason to start a new institution. We need a better problem analysis before finalising NEPA’s framework,” said Chandra Bhushan, associate director at Indian think tank, Centre for Science and Environment.

Others said the problems with India’s environmental enforcement concerned regulation, rather than enforcement or implementation. “NEPA would be a non-solution as it inherits the legacy of poor regulatory design,” said Kanchi Kohli, environmental activist and member of Kalpavriksh Environmental Action Group.

Responding to these and other criticisms raised at the workshop, Ramesh cautioned that “the best can sometimes be the enemy of the good”. However he conceded that the meeting had highlighted a number of grey areas still to be addressed before the NEPA framework is finalised.

The United States is one country that already has an Environmental Protection Agency in place. Could there be lessons learnt for NEPA from their experiences in terms of function and form? Anjali Jaiswal, a Senior Attorney at US body the Natural Resources Defense Council believed the workshop to be an encouraging step towards improving environmental compliance in India. “We were honoured to be invited to present our perspectives on environmental compliance and enforcement based on our decades of experience in the US and elsewhere as Indian civil society, industry, and government work to find solutions,” she said.

This piece first appeared on China Dialogue.

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Greensolutions J&K

Surendran Balachandran — Tue, 11 May 2010 07:59:01 +0000

Kashmir, the so called “Paradise on Earth” is gradually burning and humans are to blame for this atrocity. Over the years the state of Jammu and Kashmir has seen rapid environmental degradation. Degradation of the forests and land resources, polluted fresh water lakes, river sedimentation, frequent flash floods, soil erosion/landslides, acid rains, and impacts of global warming are just a few manifestations of man’s insensitivity to environment and ecology in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), temperature in Kashmir has increased by over one degree, and it is now continuously soaring at .05 degree every year. The IMD further reported that deforestation had caused 35 percent decrease in monsoon and 10 percent in snow annually in Kashmir.

The waste management and sewage treatment systems are not up to the mark because of which untreated municipal/industrial waste is being discharged into water bodies, polluting the drinking water and destroying aquatic life forms. The once pristine Dal Lake is now choked with silt, excessive weed growth, sewage, and it also faces the problem of encroachments. The condition of the lake is an indicator of the degree of pollution.

The green cover around Jammu is shrinking at a fast pace. A number of trees have been cut for widening the roads and other developmental projects.Deforestation has led to soil erosion which is responsible for frequent flash-floods. Wildlife and biodiversity in the region have greatly been affected.

The Snow Leopard and the Kashmiri Otter have now become a thing of the past. The Snow Leopard along with the Flying Squirrel and the Long Tailed Himalayan Marmot are frequently hunted and poached for their valuable skin and teeth and have now almost become extinct. Other rare species like the Ibex, Blue Sheep, Urian, the big horned sheep, antelope are also on the brink of extinction. Another major loss that the valley has seen due to incessant deforestation is the disappearance of a number of species of birds who have lost their natural habitat.

Air-pollution is also on a steady rise. Industrialization in the state along with constantly increasing number of automobiles has been adding to greenhouse gas emissions. Per capita number of vehicles has increased greatly in Jammu in particular and the whole state in general as compared to population density.

Better waste management, a mix of renewable energy technologies and a massive tree plantation drive has to be undertaken to restore the natural beauty of this region. Alongside, the administrative mechanism has to be strengthened by making environmental clearances mandatory for all projects, and since J&K has a number of industries catering to the tourist sector, all of them should have proper waste management and sewage treatment systems.

The Indian Youth Climate Network (IYCN), along with FCIK(Federation Chambers of Industries Kashmir) is organizing a two day conference, fair and youth fest taking place in SKICC( Sher-e-Kashmir International Conference Center) in Srinagar on the 25th and 26th of May 2010.

The conference is featuring experts and speakers to talk about existing environmental problems in the Jammu and Kashmir region along with possible eco-solutions that meet local needs will be provided by the Green Solution Fair. Participants will comprise companies offering solutions to local problems, NGOs, Universities offering environment related courses and Green Job Placements. At the same time through the youth fest we are aiming to educate the youth of Jammu and Kashmir about the environmental degredation and climate change.

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