Think India Foundation

Resources, implementation bugbears for environment management

Issues concerning the quality of air, water, soil, trees and other environmental and ecological attributes are at the top of the agenda in almost all discussions of our transforming society. However, the economic linkages that these issues deserve are not coming together owing both to India's economic position and individual commitment. As a result, we see a huge environmental and economic imbalance resulting in a slow pace of environmental improvements in the country.

If only intent and the content of policy are taken into account, India's environment should have been on a par with the rest of the developed world as legislations are comparable. Water, air and other waste are expected to be managed effectively and there are obligations to protect the ecology and the environment. However, implementation is far from satisfactory. Read more

Source : articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Improper urban planning in Northeast

Kohima : Airing concern over the improper urban planning in the north eastern states, the need to adopt a comprehensive strategy and road map for securing a holistic development and reformation of urban areas has been stressed here today at the regional workshop on “Urban Governance, Management and Municipal Finance” for the north eastern states.

Chief Secretary Lalthara told the workshop that the vulnerability of earthquake is very high in North East. Lalthara said most of towns/cities in North East are in congestion coupled with water, sanitation and drainage problem, adding that it is very difficult to rectify now as proper urban planning was not taken into account. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

In Delhi, Leaders Call for Sustainable Action Today, Not Promises for Tomorrow

As I traveled through Mumbai and Delhi over the past few days, I’ve been awed by the rapid growth taking place in Indian cities. Statistics about urbanization abound, but experiencing the dynamic, jammed-packed streets firsthand is much more revealing.

India’s leaders are committed to helping cities keep pace with this growth, but many do not stop there. They are also working to ensure that cities grow as sustainably as possible. Read more

Source : switchboard.nrdc.org

Funds for demolishing quake-damaged buildings

Gangtok: With the September 19 earthquake in Sikkim leaving many houses damaged, the Urban Development and Housing Department has suggested that funds be provided to house owners for carrying out demolition on their own. 

According to a notice by the Sikkim government, the damaged buildings were at risk of collapsing as was the case with one at Singtam, about 30 km from here, four months after the quake. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

'India should adopt sustainable ways of farming'

New Delhi: A top climate scientist today asked India to adopt sustainable ways of farming which is under pressure due to water crisis caused by global warming. 

UN Secretary General's Special Advisor Jeffrey D Sach also underlined the need for adopting green technology to deal with the issue of climate change in various sectors including agriculture. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Clean up and save water, says expert

BANGALORE: Wastewater treatment expert Glen T Daigger is president of the International Water Association (IWA), a global network of 10,000 water professionals who research all facets of the water cycle. Headquartered in London, IWA supports a series of strategic programmes designed to engage members on subjects critical to the water sector's wider development. TOI spoke to him on areas of concern for India, mitigation measures and the global water crisis. Excerpts:

What are the prime areas of concern in countries like India? In developed countries like Europe, the average lifespan of people went up significantly once the problem of sanitation was addressed. In developing countries too, emphasis should be on efficient sanitation system to reap economic benefits in the long run. With the global climate rapidly changing, it is getting difficult for countries to tackle long periods of drought and intense rain spells. Proper infrastructure needs to be in place too, to deal with the global water crisis. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Make biodiversity people's movement: Natarajan

New Delhi: The second day of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit opened with a special session on biodiversity that brought together a panel of leading experts, including India’s environment minister, Jayanthi Natarajan. 

In her keynote address, Natarajan shared a quote by the Buddha, "I do not believe in a fate that falls upon men however they act, but I do believe in a fate that befalls if you do not act." Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

Coping with disasters

Nothing tests the political will and administrative efficiency of a government like a natural disaster. More than long-term development projects and poverty-alleviating schemes, it is the response mechanisms activated in times of emergency that people remember. In Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, a month after cyclone ‘Thane' made landfall, the affected communities are still struggling to put their lives back together. Given the magnitude of destruction in the coastal areas, especially Puducherry and the districts of Cuddalore and Villupuram, normality could not have been restored in a matter of days. The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government in Tamil Nadu led by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa did well in the aftermath of the cyclone, clearing uprooted trees from the roads and reaching food to the victims. But with tens of thousands of electricity poles falling to the fury of the cyclone, power supply has returned only in phases, spread over a month, to the affected areas. More disconcertingly, a lot remains to be done in terms of rehabilitation for the people who lost their homes and means of livelihood. Farmlands have been ravaged, leaving farmers and workers without any means of income during harvest time. Many have resorted to taking loans or withdrawing deposits for day-to-day sustenance. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Renovation work begins at Sonar Fort

JAISALMER: Renovation work has started at Sonar Fort where parts of boundary wall had collapsed in heavy rain in August last year. About 15 labourers have been engaged in the reconstruction of the collapsed wall. Renovation work has also started at two other places in the fort.

TOI had reported the apathy towards the oldest living fort in its edition dated January 16, 2012. The report caught the attention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who sought a report from Union culture minister Selja. The minister later held a meeting at the secretariat in Jaipur for the protection and conservation of the fort. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Solutions evade impending water crisis

New Delhi: Farmers in the South-Indian state of Tamil Nadu are switching from paddy cultivation to panning for salt. On the other extreme of the sub-continent, hundreds of thousands of people live in harm’s way in the event of a glacial lake outburst-triggered flood, or GLOFs as they are called. 

Something sinister connects the two disturbing happenings – amplifying the vulnerabilities of people from the northern Hindu-Kush-Himalayan range to India's southernmost tip, Kanya Kumari, a whopping 1.5 billion people and counting. The least common denominator exasperating the vulnerabilities is the phenomenon of climate change. Read more

Source : zeenews.india.com

'836 mn Indians burn biomass for energy'

Washington As many as 836 million Indians still rely on traditional biomass for energy, a report has said, even as the US claimed that India along with China would account for half of global energy consumption by 2035.

"The largest populations that rely on traditional biomass for energy are in the developing regions of Asia, with 836 million in India alone," said a new research published by the Worldwatch Institute for its Vital Signs Online publication. Read more

Source : expressindia.com

Housing project for cyclone-hit districts in Chennai

CHENNAI : DMK legislators led by Stalin stage a walkout

A Rs.1,000-crore project of building one lakh concrete houses in cyclone-hit districts such as Cuddalore and Villupuram was the highlight of Governor K. Rosaiah's address to the Assembly on Monday.

Mr. Rosaiah, who delivered his first address as Governor since assumption of office in August, said the State would take up the construction immediately to replace the damaged huts in the districts. A detailed memorandum, spelling out the quantum of damage and seeking a special package of Rs.5,248 crore from the National Disaster Response Fund, had been submitted to the Centre. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

PMO asks ministries to cut out flab in report cards

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) has asked ministries to cut out the flab while submitting their monthly report card on progress in the thrust areas that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has identified to be the core of the UPA-II's agenda in 2012-13.

A case in point is the directive to the coal ministry that seeks a monthly report card in the form of a "running note, not exceeding 500 words". Information, including additional inputs, may still be furnished in tabular format, which is a favourite with ministries and government departments. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Delhi ignores own quake peril warnings

NEW DELHI, India (AP) -- The ramshackle neighborhoods of northeast Delhi are home to 2.2 million people packed along narrow alleys. Buildings are made from a single layer of brick. Extra floors are added to dilapidated buildings not meant to handle their weight. Tangles of electrical cables hang precariously everywhere.

In this Dec. 20, 2011 photo, commuters move past congested houses built close to each other in India's most crowded northeast district of New Delhi, India.

If a major earthquake were to strike India's seismically vulnerable capital, these neighborhoods — India's most crowded — would collapse into an apocalyptic nightmare. Waters from the nearby Yamuna River would turn the water-soaked subsoil to jelly, which would intensify the shaking. Read more

Source : sfgate.com

Tamil Nadu to get 1.8 lakh housing units in the next five years

1.43 lakh units for economically weaker sections: R.Vaithilingam

One of the stalls at the exhibition at Municipalika that got under way on Monday in Chennai. Photo: S.S.Kumar.

The State will get an additional 1.85 lakh housing units in the next five years at a cost of Rs.17,230 crore. Of these, 1.43 lakh units would be for the economically weaker sections, R.Vaithilingam, Minister for Housing and Urban Development said on Monday.

Speaking at the inauguration of Municipalika, ‘10 international conference and exhibition on good urban governance for safe, healthy, green, inclusive and smart cities', he said 39,000 units were for other income groups divided into low, medium and high. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Initial assessment puts J&K infrastructure damages at Rs 20 cr

JAMMU : Various government departments of state have suffered huge losses on account of damage to the infrastructure and equipments during the last fortnight due to inclement weather. 

As per the initial assessments send by various departments to the state government the damages are recorded to the tune of Rs 20 crore. A high level meeting of officials of various departments would be held on Monday to approve funds to meet the expenses on account of damages. Read more

Source : greaterkashmir.com

Laser-powered study on climate change

VELLORE: The National Atmospheric Research Laboratory (NARL) attached to the Department of Space, government of India, is planning to set up a network of LIDAR (Laser Radar System) with the help of indigenously developed sensor tools in ten locations across the country in the first phase to study the aerosol distribution over India.

This was disclosed by Dr A Jayaraman, director of NARL, Gadanki (near Chittoor, AP) while inaugurating a two-day Third International conference on ‘Sensors and Related Networks’ (SENNET 12) organised by the School of Electronics Engineering and Center for Nano Technology Research attached to the VIT university on its campus on Friday. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Workers to be taught 'green plumbing'

NASHIK: Aiming to protect the environment and public health through 'green plumbing', the Nashik Plumbers' Association (NPA) has undertaken an initiative to create awareness among plumbers about green plumbing practices.

The NPA has organized a three-day workshop for the plumbers and the people associated with the plumbing profession. The workshop has been organized in association with the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials' India chapter and the Indian Plumbing Association. There are around 300 plumbing contractors engaged in Nashik. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Cutting dirty diesel pollution can reduce global warming while it improves human health

My colleague, Dan Lashof, just posted a great summary of the study, published in Science this week, that explained how cutting soot and smog pollution could help reduce the impacts of global warming in the short-term, while improving human health and buying time for critically important reductions in carbon pollution to take effect over the long term.  The study included a list of 14 key strategies like cleaner diesel engines, improved cookstoves, and capturing methane releases from coal, oil and gas production.

Here’s the key take-away: 

“[T]argeted measures to curb methane, black carbon, and carbon dioxide emissions would yield huge public health and environmental benefits.  Pollution reductions from this strategy would prevent 700,000 to 4.7 million premature deaths each year, increase crop yields, and greatly reduce the risk of extreme climate disruption that lies beyond global warming of 2 degrees Celsius.” Read more

Source : switchboard.nrdc.org

Healthcare providers 'too laid back' when it comes to clinical waste

More robust systems are needed for the management of clinical waste with many healthcare providers "too laid back" when it comes to dealing with the matter, according to a recent report. 

 

Activities by healthcare facilities represent 3% to 8% of the climate change footprint in developed countries, the Frost & Sullivan study states. The report, which focussed on practices out in India, found that around 1.48m tonnes of healthcare waste was generated each year in the country. Read more

Source : edie.net

Proposed Indian Nuclear Power Plant in Zone Subject to Earthquakes

Like many energy poor countries with rapidly rising economies, India’s government sees the development of a nuclear power industry as a potential godsend to meeting soaring demands for electricity.
 
But the country’s proposed nuclear program has run into increasing resistance, following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that on 11 March 2011 devastated Japan’s Daichi nuclear power plant complex, taking all six Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) reactors offline. Public opinion in India is concerned because the country is subject to both of the natural phenomena, and authorities are declining to release relevant materials. Read more

Source : oilprice.com

Earthquake-prone zones being identified in Vijayawada

The Geological Survey of India is busy preparing seismic hazard microzonation maps of Vijayawada to prevent loss to life and property in case an earthquake hits the city. Vijayawada is the only major place in Andhra Pradesh that falls under the “Earthquake zone III.” The rest of the state falls under the “Seismic zone II,” which is relatively safer. Once the microzonation maps are ready, the Earthquake Geology Division of the GSI will advise the municipal corporation about the areas in the city that are vulnerable to earthquakes, particularly high-rise buildings. The Vijayawada urban agglomeration has a population of over 17 lakhs and as many as 22 seismic sources, mainly faults, in and around the city have been identified. The Gundlakamma fault is the most active fault in the vicinity.

The city has four types of soil with black cotton soils making up 58 per cent; sandy clay loams 23 per cent, red loamy soils 17 per cent and sandy soils 2 per cent. The microzonation maps will be prepared on a scale of 1:10,000 to 5,000 and will be useful for disaster management. Similar studies have been proposed for other seismic areas like Ongole and Bhadrachalam too. Read more

Source : deccanchronicle.com

Inclinometer tests show Jaisalmer Fort under threat from seismic activities

JAISALMER: Experts have raised concerns over the safety of the historical Sonar Fort of Jaisalmer, as a recent seismic study at the world famous monument has indicated tectonic instability in a section of its foothill.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the World Monuments Fund (WMF), New York, got three inclinometer tests conducted at the fort in 2011. Even as the fourth test is due in February this year, an analysis done in the UK of the tests conducted so far has reported that earthquake faults have been found at three places in the fort. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

CEPT to develop guidelines for Indian cities to adapt to climate change

AHMEDABAD: Imagine sudden floods at Sabarmati River arising out of climate change and a loss of Rs 1,200 crore for Gujarat's Sabarmati Riverfront project!

A prior understanding of the effects of climate change and including features to adapt to these effects of climate change in the project could avoid such loses. Read more

Source : articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Worldly Wise: Explore sustainable transport solutions

2011 was a year when we were able to witness and become aware of major geopolitical changes and economic disturbances

2011 was a year when we were able to witness and become aware of major geopolitical changes and economic disturbances. But, it was also a year when very discreet yet dramatic changes took place, the world's population turned seven billion. In 40 years, our planet will be inhabited by nine billion, with two out of every three people living in cities. This accelerating urbanisation creates unparalleled challenges for governments.

The World Energy Council (WEC), in its ‘Global Transport Scenarios 2050' report, envisions that total fuel demand in all transport modes could grow by up to 88 per cent by 2050, depending on the level of government intervention. Read more

Source : gulfnews.com

New radar to predict accurate weather updates in New Delhi

New Delhi : Delhi citizens would now be able to get more accurate short-term weather updates to help them better plan their daily lives,thanks to a first-of-its-kind Doppler radar that would enable the weather department provide quick and area-specific information.

The C-band polarimetric radar,that comes in addition to an S-band radar already operating in Palam office in South Delhi,is expected to offer significant improvements in rainfall estimation,precipitation classification,data quality and weather hazard detection. Read more

Source : bernama.com 

Linking Leh via Manali through Rohtang Tunnel

Experts Work 24X7 To See Light At The End Of Tunnel

Manali (Himachal Pradesh) : Working deep below a mountain of snow in Arctic-like conditions, a team of dedicated men, including experts from Germany and Austria, are focussed on a challenging mission - completing the 8.8-km-long Rohtang tunnel, considered India's most strategically important infrastructure project.

The Rs.1,495-crore ($290 million) Rohtang tunnel, when completed, will ensure all-weather connectivity to Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district of this Himalayan state. Read more

Source : greaterkashmir.com

Homeless in Delhi dwell on roads in extreme cold

For many of us, winter means dressing up in designer jackets, stylish mufflers and sexy boots; but for them, a torn blanket is the only weapon in their fight against the harsh Delhi winter.

The best efforts of the Sheila Dikshit government in providing shelters and several court directives notwithstanding, thousands of the homeless still dwell on city roads in the extreme cold. Many sit around bonfires of plastic and rags near bus and railway stations across the city to keep themselves warm. Read more

Source : indiatoday.intoday.in

5+ crore for Nagaland’s Disaster Management

Dimapur (MExN): The government of India allocated at least Rs. 5 Crore to Nagaland as funds to “deal with disaster in the state” during for the current fiscal year 2011-2012. In December, Minister of State of Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran told the Rajya Sabha that the government of India allocated over Rs. 396.87 Crore under the State Disaster Response Funds (or SDRF) to deal with disasters in the North East Region.  

According to his reply, Nagaland was allocated Rs. 5.22 Crore with the funding share of the Centre at Rs. 4.70 Crore and the state’s share at just Rs. 0.52 Crore. The other north eastern Region states were also mentioned in his reply Assam state received the biggest SDRF funds with Rs. 276.96 Crore allocated to it, followed by Arunachal Pradesh with Rs. 38.58 Crore as funds for disaster management. Read more

Source : morungexpress.com

Power supply restored in several areas in Kashmir

Jammu (PTI) : Power supply has been restored to several areas in Kashmir valley, which had plunged into darkness due to collapse of the power infrastructure due to heavy snowfall.

"Power supply in several areas of Kashmir valley has been restored. we hope to restore electric supply in more areas in valley by this evening", the Minister of State for Power, Shabir Khan told PTI. Read more

Source : news.in.msn.com

Green jobs to grow 60% in 2012: Experts

Mumbai : With global warming becoming a major concern world over, hiring of green professionals is likely to grow by up to 60% this year, say experts.

"Companies are today taking steps to become environment-friendly and are hiring green professionals, who can help them reduce energy consumption. Read more

Source : business-standard.com

TN Student Selected as International Climate Champion

A 3rd year B Tech girl student in Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) has received a unique distinction of having been selected as the 'International Climate Champion-2011' by British Council.

Harshita Mehta, doing Energy and Enviornmental Engineering course, was on the top 17 to get selected as ICC-2011, among 400 competitors from all over India, a TNAU release said here today. Read more

Source : news.outlookindia.com

Indian industry pollution blankets Terai in fog

The dense fog over the Nepal Terai in the second and third weeks of December 2011 took a total of 40 lives because of the resultant cold wave it caused. The trend has followed for the past two decades as dense fog and cold wave claim several lives every year, with the poor always in the frontline.

Climate experts say that the major reason behind the fog that has enveloped the Terai since the second week of December is the growing industrial pollution in India. 

The fog has not only affected Nepal but also the Indian capital Delhi and the border states of West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Read more

Source : myrepublica.com

The vanishing shore

The country’s coastline is under threat from climate change and human activities. Experts are converging to prepare maps to pin down the changes and need for future plan in this sector

Cyclone Thane hit the southern shores of the country recently leaving major devastations in its wake. Memories of tsunami, though it happened more than five years ago, recurred all over again. Another Aila, the cyclone that had devastated Bengal’s coastline in 2009, is not a remote possibility either. Nature’s fury is way beyond human control and the ensuing destructions. Now that 2012 is here some even predict the end of the world citing an old Mayan calendar. The disaster movie 2012 from the Hollywood mill has generated its own fear psyche. To add to the fear of doomsday is the fact that the number of people exposed to natural disasters is expected to more than double by 2050. Well, that gives us a few more years. But the sad truth is that millions of victims are likely to be from India. The culprit, says the World Bank, is rapid urbanisation and the extreme weather stemming from climate change.

With such nature- induced holocaust staring us in the eye, the shoreline mapping project along the coast of India by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM), Chennai, is a welcome move. The Sundarbans in West Bengal has been identified globally as a critically affected area. Read more

Source : indiablooms.com

Redesign Amayizhanjan canal in Thiruvananthapuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Redesigning of the Amayizhanjan canal is the key to preventing flash floods in the city, experts say. But that’s not all.

Haphazard urbanisation and ‘plastering’ of land becoming a fad are factors contributing to flash floods, says a study by Geology Cafe, a forum of geologists in the city. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Showers leave Kanpur city waterlogged

KANPUR: The heavy rains on Sunday left many roads and lanes waterlogged and paralysed the movement of vehicles.

Due to heavy rains, several localities virtually turned into islands. Though most of the people remained indoors but those who ventured out had to wade through the flooded streets. Several localities in south Kanpur like Kidwai Nagar, Govind Nagar, Barra, Dabauli, Ratanlal Nagar, Shankracharya Nagar, Naubasta, Basant Vihar and others remained waterlogged. Localities like VIP Road, Swaroop Nagar, Arya Nagar, Lajpat Nagar and Shivaji Nagar also experienced waterlogging. Read more

Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Old 'green' idea, underscored for '12

Trend casting is an essential New Year Game, and so here it is. The green trend for 2012 will be an intensification of the 2011 trend.

The poor and the marginal will fight back against any plans to capture their natural resources. The close dependence on natural resources by a large number of Indians will result in much more intense resource wars-of the POSCO kind. And in fact, the environment will become a much more fraught concept, with notions embraced by the middle classes being contested by the poor. Read more

Source : hindustantimes.com

Big cities can prevent 15% water loss with ICT tools: Study

NEW DELHI : Real-time monitoring by technological tools, such as smart meters and sensors, can help big cities save up to Rs 27 lakh a day and at least 15 per cent of water that's lost owing to leakages and pilferage.

Unaccounted for water (UFW) is high at 20-50 per cent in urban India, indicative of inefficient management. The highest UFW is in the National Capital Region, says a recent report by TERI and Nasscom titled “Sustainable Tomorrow: Harnessing ICT Potential.” Read more

Source : thehindubusinessline.com

Experts stress for effective preparedness

Srinagar : Underscoring the need for effective preparedness to meet any eventuality arising due to natural disasters, experts today recommended spreading awareness among masses to minimize effects of natural calamities.

The experts were speaking during the valedictory function of the two-day Disaster Preparedness Programme which  concluded at Government College for Women, M.A Road here. The training programme had been organised by Divisional Administration in collaboration with Civil Defence under the Urban Risk Reduction Project (URRP), sponsored by Government of India. Read more

Source : greaterkashmir.com

Experts list safety loopholes

Jalpaiguri : An IIT Madras team of experts has said a series of lapses in different quarters multiplied the extent of damage to buildings, roads and monasteries in Sikkim during the September earthquake. The experts laid stress on immediate rectification of such faults in case there are fresh tremors in future.

C.V.R. Murthy, a faculty at IIT Madras and a member of the seismic code committee of the country, said several shortcomings had aggravated the damage to roads, buildings, monasteries and the communication system in the state. Read more

Source : telegraphindia.com

LED-based solar lamps show the way

With international pressure mounting on India to cut emissions in the fight against climate change, the government’s goal of providing ‘power for all’ seems to be a tall order. The country remains critically dependent on coal for electricity generation. The government must promote off-grid electricity solutions from renewable sources like solar along with energy conservation if it wants to meet the twin challenge of universal electricity access and climate change.

Off-grid solar generation coupled energy efficient lighting solutions should go a long way towards meeting the two challenges. Read more

Source : financialexpress.com

Smartening the grid

India is adding capacity in renewable power as part of the global effort to fight climate change. But to ensure integration of renewable power to the grid, the country needs to implement smart grid technologies across the electricity supply network.  

A smart grid is an electricity network that uses digital and other advanced technologies to monitor and manage the transport of electricity from all generation sources to meet the varying electricity demands of end users. Read more

Source : financialexpress.com

Re-settled or living in forced exile?

CHENNAI : Water shortage, sewage stagnation, mosquito menace haunt residents of tsunami rehabilitation tenements

Lorries line up the dusty road leading to Ennore, drivers sit idle waiting for their turn to drive ahead. On the other side, the landscape varies from small fishing hamlets to large stretches of vacant land and imposing facades of industrial units. Some paces away past the milestone which says Ennore is five km away, a narrow road to the left leads up to a compound wall of the Tsunami Quarters that is lined up with uncleared garbage. Read more

Source : thehindu.com

Ahmednagar village adapts to climate change

Pune: Climate change was a far-off term for villagers of Sarole Pathar in Sangamner taluka of Ahmednagar district, till they realised that the whimsical rain, delayed seasons, frequent dry spells had disturbed their traditional cropping pattern. The water level in the village well was depleting and their yield had decreased considerably.

But the villagers are now adapting to climate change, thanks to the climate change adaptation (CCA) project. Read more

Source : daily.bhaskar.com

Floods, heat, migration: How extreme weather will transform cities

(CNN) -- When Tropical Storm Washi ripped through the southern Philippine city of Cagayan de Oro last weekend, it dumped in one day more than the city's entire average rainfall for the month of December.

Brooklyn Bridge stands shrouded in heavy rain and heavy clouds as Hurricane Irene reaches the New York City area on August 28,2011.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration, a total of 181 millimeters of rainfall was recorded in the area last Friday, compared to the expected 99.9 millimeters for the whole month. Read more

Source : edition.cnn.com

Scientists Pioneer New Methods In Climate Studies

Using sophisticated new methods of statistical analysis to study patterns of extreme rainfall in India, a handful of members of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Expeditions in Computing Program have created a research tool that has already resolved an ongoing debate in the science community and may go on to revolutionize the study of climate change.

Scheduled for official publication in February of next year, the journal Nature Climate Change pre-published the critical paper online on Dec. 19 conducted by engineer and computer-science expert Vipin Kumar of the University of Minnesota and his co-author Auroop Ganguly of the civil and environmental engineering department at Northeastern University in Boston and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Using new so-called ‘data-driven methods’, the two NSF members and their team have identified significant geographic variability in India‘s climate over the course of the last 50 years. Read more

Source : redorbit.com

IDFC study calls for urgent steps to conserve water

Mumbai (PTI) : With rapid industrialisation and rising population, there is a need to focus on reusing, recycling and conserving water, a study by Infrastructure Development Finance Company (IDFC) said. IDFC's infrastructure report titled 'Water policy and performance for sustainable development' mentions that unchecked growth in demand for water, large variations and inequities in availability across regions and consumer groups coupled with the effects of climate change, are all likely to exacerbate conflicts over water in future.

 "With a billion people around the world without access to clean drinking water and nearly three quarters of Indians already living in water-stressed regions, water scarcity is a major issue today," the report said. The report emphasised on the need for an immediate and appropriate policy framework from the perspective of rights, ecological justice, and demand management. "We need a paradigm shift in making our water consumption practices more efficient by focusing on reusing, recycling, and conserving our limited resources," IDFC managing director and chief executive Rajiv Lall said in a release issued here today. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Aerosols increasing over India

[NEW DELHI] Aerosols — particles or droplets suspended in the air that impact climate  by scattering or absorbing the sun’s radiation — are increasing across India, new research shows.

Satellite data shows increasing aerosols over India. NASA

The findings by S. Ramachandran and colleagues from the space and atmospheric sciences division of the Physical Research Laboratory, Ahmedabad, were published online last month (20 November) in Atmospheric Environment. Read more

Source : scidev.net

17 Odisha districts declared drought-hit, package announced

Bhubaneswar (PTI) : Odisha government today declared 17 of the state's 30 districts as drought-affected and announced a package for farmers and poor people. "The state government had received reports on possible loss of 50 per cent or more crops in 12,046 villages under 113 blocks, 100 wards under 25 urban local body areas spread over 17 districts," Revenue and Disaster Management Minister S N Patro announced in the assembly.

The announcement came a day after opposition Congress and BJP slammed the government over the alleged delay in providing assistance to the affected areas. The drought-hit districts are Angul, Bargarh, Bhadrak, Bolangir, Boudh, Cuttack, Deogarh, Ganjam, Gajapati, Jharsuguda, Kalahandi, Koraput, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Nayagarh, Nuapada and Subarnapur. Patro, however, said the state government would get the final crop cutting report from districts by January 15. Read more

Source : ibnlive.in.com

Kashmir’s abandoned glaciers

Shelving a vital project to monitor melting Himalayan ice will impede our ability to understand these changes and prepare for the consequences

Funding cuts have brought a halt to one of the few on-the-ground projects monitoring receding ice in the western Himalayas. The move comes as scientists stress there is greater need than ever to boost our understanding of glacier changes, which will have a huge impact on the water systems of millions of people downstream. Read more

Source : chinadialogue.net