River Ganga: Holy for most, septic almost

http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/mar/30ganga.htm:
Despite hundreds of crores of rupees being spent to clean the Ganga, the lifeline of north India, pollution levels in the river have reached septic levels at certain points with dissolved oxygen dropping to alarmingly low levels.
Ninety Five per cent of the pollution in the river is caused at point sources at which sewers and open drains bringing pollutants in domestic and municipal limits fall, while only five per cent is by the direct users.

As an Environmental Scientist who was involved in Pocomoke River(Chesapeake Bay tributary) Sediment toxicity research,

I am not at all surprised at this level of pollution in Ganges River. Non-point Agricultural runoff, very few sewage treatment plants outlet and polutry litter runoff has caused Pocomoke River disaster(massive fish kills). I would also say that Pocomoke River Pollution may be very very less compared to that of Ganges River Pollution. More studies on Ganges sediments must be done. Ganges sediments must also be analyzed for levels of various pollutants and steps needs to be taken along those lines in the cleanup process.

Makesh Karuppiah, Ph.D

Greed for wealth and growth will lead to Environmental Problems

News: Korea is interested in creating more industries in India, esp, Tamilnadu.

Ecological and environmental problems will be the main issues of future India.

This will occur mainly because of greed for wealth and growth, carelessness, poor environmental practices and Indian government legislation on Environment Protection.
India’s Environmental richness,forests and majestic animals such as elephants and tigers will be long gone if proper action is not taken at least in a small scale.

May be these countries need to pay for India's Environmental Protection when they build these Industries in India.

WORLD WATER DAY & EPA EARTHDAY PHOTOCONTEST

WORLD WATER DAY:

http://water.org/waterpartners.aspx?pgID=1081
Water – the most basic element on earth. Without water, human life doesn’t exist. And without safe water, neither does good health. For most of us, it’s a short walk to the faucet in the kitchen, or bottled water in the refrigerator. But for more than a billion people – about one in six people on earth – getting safe water each day is no easy task. Women and children around the world walk 200 million hours every day for water – water that often comes from a polluted source.

My Interest in Water Research:

http://www.geocities.com/kmakeshk/water.html





http://www.epa.gov/EarthDay/photocontest/




EPA Earth Day 2008 Photo Contest: Enjoying the Environment

EPA Earth Day 2008 Photo Contest: Protecting the Environment

EPA Earth Day 2008 Photo Contest: Nature and Wildlife

India a dumping ground - for E-wastes

Delhi - E-Waste Capital of the World.
E-Wastes - 1,46,180 tons per year.
Slow poisoning of Environment and health.
Many of India’s corporations burn e-waste such as PC monitors, PCBs, CDs, motherboards, cables, toner cartridges, light bulbs and tube-lights in the open along with garbage, releasing large amounts of mercury and lead into the atmosphere.
NEED MORE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
NEED STRONG e-waste policy and legislation
Fee from manufacturers/consumers for the disposal of toxic materials
Encourage recycling and disposal industries with positive points.

Ref: http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20051121/management01.shtml



Environment of India is being abused by e-waste generators, because of lack of awareness, laws and human greed. This is one reason for starting the Sustainable Land Development Project. Hopefully we can stop atleast few percentages of these Environmental Abuses to Incredible India.

Solutions: The following safety measures (less cost safety materials would save these people in long run). Safety glasses, dust masks and gloves would protect at least minimally from these hazardous materials. These safety materials must be mandated and provided by money making companies who send their eWastes. Also PVC ashes should never be allowed to be dumped or burned in children playgrounds. Government and Environmental Ministry should provide proper disposal options.
Safety Glasses:




Dust Masks:



Gloves:

World Bank Supports India’s Power Systems with US$600 Million

The World Bank today approved a US$600 million loan to the Power Grid Corporation of India, backed by a Government of India guarantee, designed to strengthen the country’s electricity transmission system in order to increase reliable power exchange between regions and states.

The Fourth Power System Development Project (PSDP IV) aims to reduce transmission losses and cut the cost of energy through further investments in transmission systems. It will also contribute to the clean energy initiative through both the ability to transfer surplus hydro energy to power deficit regions in India and relieve some of the pressure to build generation facilities, particularly in and around the major load growth centers.

Despite a booming economy, India’s growth potential is constrained by inadequate electricity services and limited power generation and supply infrastructure. Over forty percent of the population is without electricity, and the cost of erratic and insufficient power supply is high for industry as well as households, which causes 60 percent of Indian firms and a large percentage of homes to rely on captive or back-up generation. The power sector has improved in recent years, albeit in an environment where demand for electricity continues to outstrip supply. The Electricity Act of 2003 brought together structural and regulatory reforms designed to foster competitive markets, encourage private participation and transform the state’s role from service provider to regulator. PSDP IV will facilitate these objectives of the Act.

“India’s policy reforms in the power sector are beginning to pay off,” said Isabel Guerrero, World Bank Country Director for India. “The sector’s financial performance is impro ving and more and more villages are being electrified. At the same time, the need to boost the rural economy where about 30 percent of villages are not electrified and improve the investment climate are placing additional demands on the country’s power supply system. This project, by strengthening transmission networks within and between regions, will enable more power to reach the people across the country."

Looking forward, the Government of India has established an ambitious mission of “Power for All by 2012.” This will entail increasing country’s installed generation capacity to more than 200,000 MW by 2012, up from the current level of 140,000 MW. The country’s transmission plan focuses on the consolidation of the national grid by adding over 60,000 circuit km of transmission network by 2012, which will carry 60 percent of the power generated in the country.

The Bank has been actively involved in the reform and development of the transmission sector in India, and specifically in the creation and strengthening of the Power Grid Corporation of India. The World Bank has made three direct loans to Power Grid since 1993. During this period, the company has nearly tripled its transmission network, its assets have grown more than eight-fold to US$7.3 billion, and revenues have increased more than six times to over US$1 billion.

“The Bank's partnership with Power Grid represents a sound and replicable model for engagement with middle income countries,” said Pedro Sanchez, World Bank Senior Energy Specialist and team leader for the project. “The current project is part of the Bank’s long term partnership with Power Grid, initiated when the company was established in 1989. During this period, the Bank has assisted Power Grid to achieve world-class operations and management by financing US$2.37 billion of its investment program and supporting its progress towards strengthening its technical capabilities, improving corporate g overnance, enhancing institutional capacities, and diversifying its business lines.”

The project will finance the strengthening of five transmission schemes: East-West Transmission Corridor,
Western Region System Strengthening Scheme II, Eastern Region System Strengthening Scheme I, Balia-Bhiwadi HVDC Bipole System, and North-West Transmission Corridor.

The loan, from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 20 year maturity which includes a 5-year grace period.

For more information on the Bank’s work in India, visit http://www.worldbank.org.in

For more project information

Contacts:
In Delhi:
Sudip Mozumder 91-11-24617241
smozumder@worldbank.org
In Washington: Erik Nora (202) 458 4735
enora@worldbank.org

Got this email. Hopefully the entities spend atleast few percentage of this money towards improving the treatment of pollution from these power units along with the support.

EPA toughens requirements for cutting smog - Green Vs Green.

Industry says - too much tough rules,
Scientists say - there need to be more toughness.

Economy (Green - money) Vs Environment (Green - nature).
People started to wear masks in developing world when riding motorbikes.
Noticed cement industry without Electro-static precipitators wiping out entire fauna of the area.

When we are greedy we don't think of nature and future.
Hopefully the future generation need not have to drive with gas masks.

Drugged Drinking Water, Pharmaceuticals In Drinking Water

A vast array of pharmaceutical drugs - including antibiotics, anti-convulsants, mood stabilizers and sex hormones - have been found in the drinking water supplies of Americans.

As an Environmental Scientist, who had done extensive research on sediments, this news did not surprise me. Sediments are history table of Mother Nature. Sediments samples (Core), near water treatment plants (Sewage and waste) should be taken and chemically analyzed to see the level of these drugs to understand the history of these drugs in cycle. New cycle studies on pharma drug cycle, ecotoxicology of drugs in environment, and fate of these drugs should be throughly investigated.