Mains Ready By December. Smash Mains & Smash PYQ Admissions Open
Talk to Mentor

Civilsdaily

GS Paper: GS3-18.Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.

  • Species in news: Carissa carandas (the Great Hedge of India)

     

    Carissa carandas, a  multi-utility wild berry, whose thorny plant the British had used to build a barrier through India in the 1870s, has a hitherto unknown wilder cousin in Assam, a new study has revealed.

    Carissa carandas

    • The Carissa carandas was also among several thorny plants the British had grown 140 years ago for a 1,100-mile barrier apparently to enforce taxes and stop the smuggling of salt.
    • It has been used as a traditional herbal medicine for a number of ailments such as diarrhoea, anaemia, constipation, indigestion, skin infections and urinary disorders.
    • The leaves have been used as fodder for silkworms while a paste of its pounded roots serves as a fly repellent.
    • It is better known as karonda in Hindi, kalakkai in Tamil, koromcha in Bengali and karja tenga in Assamese, the Carissa kopilii is threatened by the very river it is named after — Kopili in central Assam.
    • The “sun-loving” plant was distributed sparsely, rooted in rocky crevices along the Kopili riverbed at altitudes ranging from 85-600 metres above sea level.

  • [pib] Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India

     

    The Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare has provided useful information about land degradation in India citing the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas.

    Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas of India

    • Space Applications Centre (SAC), ISRO has released out an inventory and monitoring of desertification of the entire country in 2016.
    • This Atlas presents state-wise desertification and land degradation status maps depicting land use, process of degradation and severity level.
    • This was prepared using IRS Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data of 2011-13 and 2003-05 time frames in GIS environment.
    • Area under desertification / land degradation for the both time frames and changes are reported state-wise as well as for the entire country.

    Degraded land in India

    • About 29.32% of the Total Geographical Area of the country is undergoing the process of desertification/land degradation.
    • Approximately 6.35% of land in Uttar Pradesh is undergoing desertification/degradation.

    Various move for land conservation

    • National Afforestation & Eco Development Board (NAEB) Division of the MoEFCC is implementing the “National Afforestation Programme (NAP)” for ecological restoration of degraded forest areas.
    • Various other schemes like Green India Mission, fund accumulated under Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), Nagar Van Yojana etc. also help in checking degradation and restoration of forest landscape.
    • MoEF&CC also promote tree outside forests realizing that the country has a huge potential for increasing its Trees Outside Forest (TOF) area primarily through expansion of agroforestry, optimum use of wastelands and vacant lands.

    Various institutions for land conservation

    • Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (IISWC): Bio-engineering measures to check soil erosion due to run-off of rain water
    • Central Arid Zone Research Institute (CAZRI), Jodhpur: Sand dune stabilization and shelter belt technology to check wind erosion
    • Council through Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal: Reclamation technology, sub-surface drainage, bio-drainage, agroforestry interventions and salt tolerant crop varieties to improve the productivity of saline, sodic and waterlogged soils in the country

  • [pib] GreenCo Rating System

     

     

    The Union Ministry of Railways has informed about the applications of Greenco Ratings on Workshops and Production Units of Indian Railways.

    GreenCo Ratings

    • GreenCo Rating is the “first of its kind in the World” holistic framework that evaluates companies on the environmental friendliness of their activities using life cycle approach.
    • Implementation of GreenCo rating provides leadership and guidance to companies on how to make products, services and operations greener.
    • It is developed by Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre.
    • It has been acknowledged in India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) document, submitted to UNFCCC in 2015.
    • GreenCo rating is applicable to both manufacturing facilities and service sector units.
    • The rating is implemented at unit or facility level. The unit or facility has to be in operation for a minimum period of 3 years. In case of new plants/ facilities minimum 2 years operation is required.

    Utility

    It helps the industrial units in identifying and implementing various possible measures in terms of energy conservation, material conservation, recycling, utilization of renewable energy, GHG reduction, water conservation, solid and liquid waste management, green cover etc.

  • Dumping of Radioactive Nuclear Waste

    In a controversial move, Japan has decided to dump the radioactive heavy water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Sea.  The dumping of nuclear waste is considered to be the easiest way to get rid of it.

    What is Heavy Water?

    • Heavy water (deuterium oxide) is a form of water that contains a larger than normal amount of the hydrogen isotope deuterium rather than the common hydrogen that makes up most of the hydrogen in normal water.
    • Heavy water is used in certain types of nuclear reactors, where it acts as a neutron moderator to slow down neutrons.
    • Slowed neutrons are more likely to react with the fissile uranium-235 than with uranium-238 which captures neutrons without fissioning.

    Where is Fukushima waste?

    • It is currently being stored in large tanks, but those are expected to be full by 2022.
    • Almost 1.2 million liters of radioactive water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant is to be released into the ocean.
    • The contaminated water has since been used to cool the destroyed reactor blocks to prevent further nuclear meltdowns.

    Hazards of the nuclear contamination

    • Radioactive pollution in the ocean has been increasing globally — and not just since the disaster at Fukushima.
    • Radiation levels in the sea off Fukushima were millions of times higher than the government’s limit of 100 Becquerel.
    • A single Becquerel that gets into our body is enough to damage a cell that will eventually become a cancer cell.
    • Even the smallest possible dose, a photon passing through a cell nucleus, carries a cancer risk. Although this risk is extremely small, it is still a risk.

    Who else dumped radioactive water into oceans?

    The dumping of nuclear waste in drums was banned in 1993 by the London Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution. But discharging liquid contaminated with radiation into the ocean is still permitted internationally.

    • The lion’s share of dumped nuclear waste came from Britain and the Soviet Union, figures from the IAEA show.
    • By 1991, the US had dropped more than 90,000 barrels and at least 190,000 cubic meters of radioactive waste in the North Atlantic and Pacific.
    • To this day, around 90% of the radiation in the ocean comes from barrels discarded in the North Atlantic, most of which lie north of Russia or off the coast of Western Europe.

  • Oculudentavis khaungraae

    Scientists have found the skull of a 99-million-year-old flying dinosaur that is tinier than the tiniest bird known to humans.

    • The bird-like dinosaur was found stuck in a gob of tree resin that eventually hardened into amber, preserving it for millions of years to come.
    • The fossil was dug up in 2016 from a mine in Myanmar. It was so slight; it likely weighed just 2 grams.
    • The dinosaur skull holds around 100 sharp teeth, which hints at its ferocious nature despite its small size.
    • It even had teeth in the back of its jaw, under its eye.

     

  • New environment impact norm cuts time for public hearing

    A set of key updates to India’s Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Act has been proposed to reduce the time given to people to air objections.

    Features proposed by the amendment

    • The draft EIA notification proposes to be an update to the EIA of 2006, which specifies a “minimum of 30 days” for people to respond.
    • The current version of the update, which will likely become law in 60 days, gives a “minimum of 20 days” of notice period.
    • The public hearing process is considered a key component of the EIA. An organisation has to submit a detailed plan, as part of the EIA process that details the nature, need, potential impact and remedial measures, if their proposed infrastructure project threatens to significantly impact a region.
    • It also requires that the public-hearing process be wrapped up in 40 days, as opposed to the existing norm of 45 days.

    Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in India

    • EIA is a management tool to minimize adverse impacts of developmental projects on the environment and to achieve sustainable development through timely, adequate, corrective and protective mitigation measures.
    • The MoEFCC uses EIA Notification 2006 as a major tool for minimizing the adverse impact of rapid industrialization on the environment and for reversing those trends which may lead to climate change in long run.
    • EIA has now been made mandatory under the Environmental (Protection Act, 1986 for 29 categories of developmental activities involving investments of Rs. 50 crores and above.

    EIA stages

    1. Screening: This stage decides which projects a full or partial assessment need study.
    2. Scoping: This stage decides which impacts are necessary to be assessed. This is done based on legal requirements, international conventions, expert knowledge and public engagement. This stage also finds out alternate solutions that avoid or at least reduce the adverse impacts of the project.
    3. Assessment & evaluation of impacts and development of alternatives: This stage predicts and identifies the environmental impacts of the proposed project and also elaborates on the alternatives.
    4. EIA Report: In this reporting stage, an environmental management plan (EMP) and also a non-technical summary of the project’s impact is prepared for the general public. This report is also called the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).
    5. Decision making: The decision on whether the project is to be given approval or not and if it is to be given, under what conditions.
    6. Monitoring, compliance, enforcement and environmental auditing: This stage monitors whether the predicted impacts and the mitigation efforts happen as per the EMP.

    Scope of Environmental Clearance (EC)

    • Environmental clearance is required in respect of all new projects or activities listed in the Schedule to the 2006 notification and their expansion and modernization, including any change in product –mix.
    • Since EIA 2006 the various developmental projects have been re-categorised into category ‘A’ and category ‘B’ depending on their threshold capacity and likely pollution potential.
    • They require prior EC respectively from MOEFCC or the concerned State Environmental Impact Assessment Authorities (SEIAAs).
    • Where state level authorities have not been constituted, the clearance would be provided by the MOEFCC.

  • Species in news: Red Panda

     

     

    According to a report by the TRAFFIC report, there has been a considerable reduction in the poaching of Red Panda (ailurus fulgens). The report also recommended trans-boundary law enforcement co-operation through the use of multi-government platforms like SAWEN (South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network).

    Red Panda

    IUCN Red List Status: Endangered

    • The red panda (Ailurus fulgens) is a mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China.
    • Its wild population is estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and continues to decline due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, and inbreeding depression.
    • Despite its name, it is not closely related to the giant panda
    • The animal has been hunted for meat and fur, besides illegal capture for the pet trade.
    • An estimated 14,500 animals are left in the wild across Nepal, Bhutan, India, China and Myanmar.
    • About 5,000-6,000 red pandas are estimated to be present in four Indian states – Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Sikkim and West Bengal.
    • The diminishing habitat is a major threat to the species which is a very selective feeder and survives on selected species of bamboos.

    About South Asia Wildlife Enforcement Network (SAWEN)

    • SAWEN is a Regional network is comprised of eight countries in South Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
    • It aims at working as a strong regional intergovernmental body for combating wildlife crime by attempting common goals and approaches for combating illegal trade in the region.
    • The South Asia region is very vulnerable to illegal traffic and wildlife crimes due to the presence of precious biodiversity and large markets as well as traffic routes for wildlife products in the south East Asian region.
    • The collaboration in harmonizing as well as enforcing the wildlife protection in the region is considered very important for effective conservation of such precious biodiversity.
    • India adopted the Statute of the SAWEN and became its formal member in 2016.

    Back2Basics

    TRAFFIC

    • The TRAFFIC, the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network, is a leading non-governmental organisation working on wildlife trade in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
    • It is a joint program of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the IUCN.
    • It aims to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature.
    • The TRAFFIC is governed by the TRAFFIC Committee, a steering group composed of members of TRAFFIC’s partner organizations, WWF and IUCN.
    • TRAFFIC also works in close co-operation with the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

  • [pib] Person in news: Gaura Devi

     

     

    Union HRD Minister along with senior women officers of the Ministry planted a sapling in memory of Gaura Devi, Chipko Activist in New Delhi.

    Gaura Devi

    • Gaura Devi was born in 1925 in a village named Lata in the state of Uttarakhand. She moved to a nearby village named Reni by the Alaknanda River.
    • She was elected to lead the Mahila Mangal Dal (Women’s Welfare Association) in the wake of the Chipko movement. The organization worked on the protection of community forests.

    Her contributions in Chipko Movement

    • Gaura Devi came to notice in 1974 when she was told that local loggers were cutting the trees.
    • The men of Reni village had been tricked out of the village by news that the government was going to pay out compensation for land used by the army.
    • She challenged the men to shoot her instead of cutting down the trees and she described the forest with her maika (mother’s house).
    • They managed to halt their work by hugging the trees despite the abuse of the armed loggers.
    • They kept guard of the trees that night and over the next three or four days other villages and villagers joined the action. The loggers left leaving the trees.

    Impact

    • After this incident, the Uttar Pradesh Government established a committee of experts to investigate the issue of felling of trees, and the lumber company withdrew its men from Reni.
    • The committee stated that the Reni forest was an ecologically sensitive area and that no trees should be felled there.
    • Thereafter the government of Uttar Pradesh placed a 10-year ban on all tree-felling in an area of over 1150 km².

  • [pib] Law for Rain Water Harvesting

     

     

    The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has issued the Model Building Bye Laws, 2016 for guidance of the States/UTs and has a chapter on ‘Rainwater Harvesting’.

    Why such move?

    • These laws aim to regulate the over-exploitation and consequent depletion of ground water.
    • It would enable States/UTs to enact suitable ground water legislation for regulation of its development, which includes provision of rain water harvesting.

    About the Bye Laws

    • 33 States/UTs have adopted the rainwater harvesting provisions.
    • The provisions of this chapter are applicable to all the buildings.

    Various provisions

    • As per Model Building Bye Laws- 2016, provision of rainwater harvesting is applicable to all residential plots above 100 sq.m.
    • Water being a State subject, initiatives on water management including conservation and water harvesting in the Country is primarily States’ responsibility.
    • So the implementation of the rainwater harvesting policy comes within the purview of the State Government/Urban Local Body / Urban Development Authority.

    Back2Basics

    Groundwater governance in India

    • Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) has been constituted under Section 3(3) of the ‘Environment (Protection) Act, 1986’ for the purpose of regulation and control of groundwater development and management in the Country.
    • CGWA is regulating ground water withdrawal by industries/infrastructure/ mining projects in the country for which guidelines/ criteria have been framed which includes rainwater harvesting as one of the provisions while issuing No Objection Certificate.

  • [pib] Biomethanation Process

     

     

    In an all India coordinated project, efforts are on to produce bio-gas for kitchen use and quality manure for fields using bio-methanation of rice straw by anaerobic digestion method. Six domestic level paddy straw-based bio-gas plants have been installed in Punjab for field trials and further study is in progress.

    What is Biomethanation?

    • It is a process by which organic material is microbiologically converted under anaerobic conditions to biogas.
    • Three main physiological groups of microorganisms are involved: fermenting bacteria, organic acid oxidizing bacteria, and methanogenic archaea.
    • Biomethanation has strong potential for the production of energy from organic residues and wastes. It will help to reduce the use of fossil fuels and thus reduce CO(2) emission.

    How it works?

    • Microorganisms degrade organic matter via cascades of biochemical conversions to methane and carbon dioxide.
    • Syntrophic relationships between hydrogen producers (acetogens) and hydrogen scavengers (homoacetogens, hydrogenotrophic methanogens, etc.) are critical to the process.
    • A wide variety of process applications for biomethanation of wastewaters, slurries, and solid waste have been developed.
    • They utilize different reactor types and process conditions (retention times, loading rates, temperatures, etc.) in order to maximize the energy output from the waste and also to decrease retention time and enhance process stability.