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Subject: Environment

  • Urban floods mitigation

    floods
    Context

    • Bengaluru floods are alarming us to go for robust disaster management strategies.

    What is flood?

    • Floods are the most frequent type of natural disaster and occur when an overflow of water submerges land that is usually dry. Floods are often caused by heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt or a storm surge from a tropical cyclone or tsunami in coastal areas.

    Causes of frequent urban floods

    Natural

    • Meteorological Factors:Heavy rainfall, cyclonic storms and thunderstorms causes water to flow quickly through paved urban areas and impound in low lying areas.
    • Hydrological Factors: Overbank flow channel networks, occurrence of high tides impeding the drainage in coastal cities.
    • Climate Change: Climate change due to various anthropogenic events has led to extreme weather events.

    Anthropological

    • Unplanned Urbanization:Unplanned Urbanization is the key cause of urban flooding. A major concern is blocking of natural drainage pathways through construction activity and encroachment on catchment areas, riverbeds and lakebeds.
    • Destruction of lakes: A major issue in India cities. Lakes can store the excess water and regulate the flow of water. However, pollution of natural urban water bodies and converting them for development purposes has increased risk of floods.
    • Unauthorised colonies and excess construction: Reduced infiltration due paving of surfaces which decreases ground absorption and increases the speed and amount of surface flow
    • Poor Solid Waste Management System: Improper waste management system and clogging of storm-water drains because of silting, accumulation of non-biodegradable wastes and construction debris.
    • Drainage System:Old and ill maintained drainage system is another factor making cities in India vulnerable to flooding.
    • Irresponsible steps: Lack of attention to natural hydrological system and lack of flood control measures.

    floodsImpact of the devastation due to floods:

    • On economy: Damage to infrastructure, roads and settlements, industrial production, basic supplies, post disaster rehabilitation difficulties etc.
    • On human population and wildlife:Trauma, loss of life, injuries and disease outbreak, contamination of water etc.
    • On environment:Loss of habitat, tree and forest cover, biodiversity loss and large scale greenery recovery failure.
    • On transport and communication: Increased traffic congestion, disruption in rail services, disruption in communication- on telephone, internet cables causing massive public inconvenience.

    Solutions for effective flood management

    • Improved flood warning systems: effective flood warning systems can help take timely action during natural calamities and can save lives. Pre-planning can significantly reduce the effects of floods, giving people time to migrate to safer locations and stock up essentials.
    • Building flood-resilient housing systems: concreting floors can be very useful during floods. Houses should be water proofed and electric sockets should be placed at higher levels up the walls to reduce the chances of shocks.
    • Constructing buildings above flood levels: buildings should be constructed a metre above from the ground to prevent flood damage and evacuation during floods.
    • Resilience to Climate change: drastic climate changes have increased the frequency of natural disasters in many parts of the world. Governments should bring about environment-friendly policy level changes and eliminate the ones hazardous to the environment to tackle the problem of global warming.
    • Create wetlands and encourage reforestation: creating more and more wetlands can help soak up excessive moisture since wetlands act as sponges. Wooded areas can also slow down heavy water flow, minimizing the effects of floods. Reforesting upstream regions can significantly reduce the effects of flood damage.
    • Improve soil conditions: improper soil management, animal hooves, and machinery can make soil compacted. As a result, instead of holding water in and absorbing moisture, the water runs off immediately. Properly drained soil can absorb large amounts of rainwater and can prevent it from flowing into the rivers.
    • Installing flood barriers: these are flood gates designed to prevent the area behind the barrier from flooding. They can also be kept around buildings to keep floodwaters outside the boundary created.
    • Development of GIS– Geographical Information System (GIS) based National Database: for disaster management. GIS is an effective tool for emergency responders to access information in terms of crucial parameters for disaster-affected areas.
    • Developing a Federal flood management plan: with responsibilities of union and state clearly defined.
    • Creation of 2nd flood commission: (Rashtriya Barh Aayog, created in 1976) to study the flood situation in India under rising challenges of climate change and propose a national-level flood resilience and management plan.

    Way forward

    • Resilience of people: The rapid transformation in rainfall characteristics and flooding patterns demand building people’s resilience.
    • Reconsider projects: Construction projects that impede the movement of water and sediment across the floodplain must be reconsidered.
    • Use of technology: At the same time, climate-imposed exigencies demand new paradigms of early-warning and response systems and securing livelihoods and economies.

    Conclusion

    • We can learn to live with nature, we can regulate human conduct through the state and we can strategically design where we build. We need to urgently rebuild our cities such that they have the sponginess to absorb and release water without causing so much misery and so much damage to the most vulnerable of our citizens.

    Mains question

    Q. We need to urgently rebuild our cities such that they have the sponginess to absorb and release water. Discuss the statement in context of urban flood management strategy in India.

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  • Ban on Single-Use Plastics

    Since July 1, 2022, India has banned the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of single-use plastics (SUP) items with low utility and high littering potential.

    What are single-use plastics?

    • Single-use plastics, often also referred to as disposable plastics, are commonly used for plastic packaging and include items intended to be used only once before they are thrown away or recycled.
    • These include, among other items, grocery bags, food packaging, bottles, straws, containers, cups and cutlery.

    Why are single-use plastics harmful?

    • The purpose of single-use plastics is to use them once or for a short period of time before disposing of them. Plastic waste has drastic impacts on the environment and human health.
    • There is a greater likelihood of single-use plastic products ending up in the sea than reusable ones.

    SUP ban in India

    • India has taken resolute steps to mitigate pollution caused by littered single-use plastics.
    • A number of items are banned, including earbuds with plastic sticks, balloon sticks, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice cream sticks, polystyrene (thermocol) for decorations, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws etc.
    • India has also banned plastic or PVC banners less than 100 micron, stirrers, etc.

    What is the impact on the environment?

    [A] Solid Waste generation

    • The disposal of plastics is one of the least recognized and most highly problematic areas of plastic’s ecological impact.
    • Ironically, one of plastic’s most desirable traits: its durability and resistance to decomposition, is also the source of one of its greatest liabilities when it comes to the disposal of plastics.
    • A very small amount of total plastic production (less than 10%) is effectively recycled; the remaining plastic is sent to landfills.
    • It is destined to remain entombed.

    [B] Ecological Impact

    (i) Groundwater and soil pollution

    • Plastic is a material made to last forever, and due to the same chemical composition, plastic cannot biodegrade; it breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces.
    • When buried in a landfill, plastic lies untreated for years.
    • In the process, toxic chemicals from plastics drain out and seep into groundwater, flowing downstream into lakes and rivers.
    • The seeping of plastic also causes soil pollution and have now started resulting in presence of micro plastics in soil.

    (ii) Water Pollution

    • The increased presence of plastic on the ocean surface has resulted in more serious problems.
    • Since most of the plastic debris that reaches the ocean remains floating for years as it does not decompose quickly, it leads to the dropping of oxygen level in the water.
    • It has severely affected the survival of marine species.
    • When oceanic creatures and even birds consume plastic inadvertently, they choke on it which causes a steady decline in their population.
    • In addition to suffocation, ingestion, and other macro-particulate causes of death in larger birds, fish, and mammals.

    [C] Health Hazards

    • Burning of plastic results into formation of a class of flame retardants called as Halogens.
    • Collectively, these harmful chemicals are known to cause the following severe health problems: cancer, neurological damage, endocrine disruption, birth defects and child developmental disorders etc.

    Ban elsewhere

    • India is not the first country to ban single-use plastics.
    • Bangladesh became the first country to ban thin plastic bags in 2002; New Zealand banned plastic bags in July 2019.
    • China had issued a ban on plastic bags in 2020 with a phased implementation.
    • As of July 2019, 68 countries have plastic bag bans with varying degrees of enforcement.

    What are the plastic waste management rules in India?

    • With effect from September 30, 2021 India has the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2021.
    • It prohibited the manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale, and use of plastic carry bags whose thickness is less than 75 microns.
    • From December 31, 2022, plastic carry bags whose thickness is less than 120 microns will be banned.
    • It means that the ban does not cover all plastic bags; however, it requires the manufacturers to produce plastic bags thicker than 75 microns which was earlier 50 microns.
    • As per the notification, the standard shall be increased to 120 microns in December this year.

    What is the role of the manufacturer?

    • In addition, the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change notified the Plastic Waste Management Amendment Rules, 2022 on February 16, 2022.
    • Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is the responsibility of a producer for the environmentally sound management of the product until the end of its life.
    • The guidelines provide a framework to strengthen the circular economy of plastic packaging waste, promote the development of new alternatives to plastic packaging and provide the next steps for moving towards sustainable plastic packaging by businesses.

    Various steps taken

    • The Indian government has taken steps to promote innovation and create an ecosystem for accelerated adoption and availability of alternatives across the country.
    • To ensure the effective enforcement of the ban, national and State-level control rooms will be established, as well as special enforcement teams for the purpose of checking the illegal sale and use of single-use plastics.
    • To prevent the movement of banned single-use plastic items between States and Union Territories, border checkpoints have been established.
    • In an effort to empower citizens to help curb the plastic menace, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has launched a grievance redressal application.

    What are the challenges?

    • The ban will succeed only if all stakeholders participate enthusiastically and engage in effective engagement and concerted actions.
    • However, if we look back at our past, almost 25 Indian States previously banned plastic at the state level.
    • However, these bans had a very limited impact in reality because of the widespread use of these items.
    • Now the challenge is to see how the local level authorities will enforce the ban in accordance with the guidelines.
    • Banned items such as earbuds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, etc., are non-branded items and it is difficult to find out who the manufacturer is and who is accountable.

    Way forward

    • The consumer needs to be informed about the ban through advertisements, newspaper or TV commercials, or on social media.
    • In order to find sustainable alternatives, companies need to invest in research and development.
    • The solution to the plastic pollution problem is not the responsibility of the government alone, but of industries, brands, manufacturers and most importantly consumers.
    • Finding alternatives to plastic seems a little difficult, however, greener alternatives to plastic may be considered a sustainable option.
    • For example, compostable and bio-degradable plastic, etc., may be considered as an option.
    • While the total ban on the use of plastic sounds a great idea, its feasibility seems difficult at this hour, especially in the absence of workable alternatives.

     

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  • What is the idea of Climate Reparation?

    Facing the worst flooding disaster in its history, Pakistan has begun demanding reparations, or compensation, from the rich countries that are mainly responsible for causing climate change.

    Why in news?

    • On the face of it, Pakistan’s demand for reparations appears to be a long shot, but the principles being invoked are fairly well-established in environmental jurisprudence.
    • In fact, Pakistan is not alone in making this demand.
    • Almost the entire developing world has for years been insisting on setting up an international mechanism for financial reparation for loss and damage caused by climate disasters.
    • The issue has come up repeatedly at international negotiations for climate change, and on other platforms.

    What is Climate Reparation?

    • At its heart, the demand for compensation for loss and damage from climate disasters is an extension of the universally acknowledged “Polluter Pays” principle.
    • This makes the polluter liable for paying not just for the cost of remedial action, but also for compensating the victims of environmental damage caused by their actions.
    • Climate justice is based on the notion of not being punished for someone else’s bad behaviour, but it does not sanction additional bad behaviour.

    Who are responsible for climate change?

    • In the climate change framework, the burden of responsibility falls on those rich countries that have contributed most of the greenhouse gas emissions since 1850, generally considered to be the beginning of the industrial age.
    • The United States and the European Union, including the UK, account for over 50% of all emissions during this time.
    • If Russia, Canada, Japan, and Australia too are included, the combined contribution goes past 65%, or almost two-thirds of all emissions.
    • Historical responsibility is important because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years, and it is the cumulative accumulation of carbon dioxide that causes global warming.

    What about developing countries?

    • A country like India, currently the third largest emitter, accounts for only 3% of historical emissions.
    • China, which is the world’s biggest emitter for over 15 years now, has contributed about 11% to total emissions since 1850.

    Why need climate reparations?

    • While the impact of climate change is global, it is much more severe on the poorer nations because of their geographical locations and weaker capacity to cope.
    • Countries that have had negligible contributions to historical emissions and have severe limitations of resources are the ones that face the most devastating impacts of climate change.

    Institutional mechanism for Climate Reparations

    (1) United Nations

    • The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the 1994 international agreement that lays down the broad principles of the global effort to fight climate change.
    • It explicitly acknowledges this differentiated responsibility of nations.
    • It makes it very clear that rich countries must provide both the finance and the technology to the developing nations to help them tackle climate change.
    • It is this mandate that later evolved into the $100 billion amount that the rich countries agreed to provide every year to the developing world.
    • While this promise is yet to be met, this $100 billion per year amount is not meant for loss and damage.
    • Climate disasters were not a regular occurrence in 1994, and as such the UNFCCC does not make a mention of loss and damage.
    • This particular demand emerged much later, and faced stiff resistance from the developed nations.

    (2) Warsaw International Mechanism (WIM)

    • The WIM for Loss and Damages, set up in 2013, was the first formal acknowledgment of the need to compensate developing countries struck by climate disasters.
    • However, the progress on this front has been painfully slow.
    • No funding mechanism, or even a promise to provide funds, has come about.

    Pushback from Developed Countries

    • It is not hard to understand why the developed countries are dead against compensation claims.
    • They are struggling to put together even the $100 billion per year flow that they had reluctantly agreed to provide.
    • Further, loss and damage claims can easily spiral into billions of dollars, or even more.
    • The report said that the United States alone is estimated to have “inflicted more than $1.9 trillion in damages to other countries” due to its emissions.

    Issues with loss assessment

    • There are practical difficulties in estimating how much a country has actually suffered due to the actions of others.
    • To begin with, it has to be established that the disaster was caused by climate change.
    • Then there are non-economic losses as well, including loss of lives, displacement and migration, health impacts, and damage to cultural heritage.
    • Then there is this other step about assessing how much of the losses are due to the event itself, and what could be attributed to misgovernance.

    Conclusion

    • A lot of background work is going on to create the framework in which it would be possible to quantify the compensation due to an affected country.
    • What Pakistan has done, through its demands for reparations, is to call attention to this often neglected aspect.

     

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  • Planned sand mining

     

    sand miningContext

    • From flora and fauna to human residents, no one has been left untouched due to the wanton extraction of sand mining from Yamuna River.

    What is sand?

    • Sand is a granular material made up of finely divided rock and mineral fragments. According to The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulations) Act of 1957, sand is classified as a “minor mineral”.

    What is Sand mining?

    • Sand mining is the extraction of sand, mainly through an open pit but sometimes mined from beaches and inland dunes or dredged from ocean and river beds. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in concrete.

    Sand Mining overview

    • Least regulated: Sand and gravel are the second largest natural resources extracted and traded by volume after water, but among the least regulated.
    • Uneven distribution: Sand is created by slow geological processes, and its distribution is not even.
    • Desert sand: Available in plenty, is not suited for construction use because it is wind-smoothed, and therefore non-adherent.
    • Environmental impact: While 85% to 90% of global sand demand is met from quarries, and sand and gravel pits, the 10% to 15% extracted from rivers and sea shores is a severe concern due the environmental and social impacts.

    sand miningConcerns of excessive mining

    • Deteriorating river banks: Their extraction often results in river and coastal erosion and threats to freshwater and marine fisheries and aquatic ecosystems, instability of river banks leading to increased flooding, and lowering of ground water levels.
    • Critical hotspot: The report notes that China and India head the list of critical hotspots for sand extraction impacts in rivers, lakes and on coastlines.
    • Broken replenishment: system exacerbates pressures on beaches already threatened by sea level rise and intensity of storm-waves induced by climate change, as well as coastal developments.
    • Aesthetic sense is reduced: There are also indirect consequences, like loss of local livelihoods an ironic example is that construction in tourist destinations can lead to depletion of natural sand in the area, thereby making those very places unattractive and safety risks for workers where the industry is not regulated.
    • No comprehensive assessment: Despite this, there is no comprehensive assessment available to evaluate the scale of sand mining in India.
    • Damage to the environment: Regional studies such as those by the Centre for Science and Environment of the Yamuna riverbed in Uttar Pradesh have observed that increasing demand for soil has severely affected soil formation and the soil holding ability of the land, leading to a loss in marine life, an increase in flood frequency, droughts, and also degradation of water quality.
    • Loss to exchequer: It is not just damage to the environment. Illegal mining causes copious losses to the state exchequer.

    Innovative use of technology

    State governments such as Gujarat have employed satellite imagery to monitor the volume of sand extraction and transportation from the riverbeds.

    sand miningSustainable Sand and Minor Mineral Mining – Guidelines

    • Where to mine and where to prohibit mining: District Survey Report for each district in the country, focusing on the river as a single ecological system. ISRO, remote sensing data, and ground truthing are all used.
    • Sustainable mining: It involves extracting only the amount of material that is deposited each year.
    • District authorities’ participation in the process: The District Collector chairs the District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA). The District Collector will be assisted by the District Level Expert Appraisal Committee (DEAC), which is led by the Executive Engineer (Irrigation Department) and is tasked with granting environmental clearance for up to 5 hectares of mine lease area for minor minerals, primarily sand.

    Conclusion

    • Protecting sand mineral requires investment in production and consumption measurement and also monitoring and planning tools. To this end, technology has to be used to provide a sustainable solution.

    Mains question 

    Q. A growing global population increasingly living in cities has led to a spiralling rise in the extraction of sand and aggregates, with serious environmental, political and social consequences. Examine.

     

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  • Abnormal’ La Nina conditions impacting India’s monsoon

    In what may be termed as an uncommon ocean phenomenon, the prevailing La Nina conditions over the equatorial Pacific Ocean have entered the third consecutive year.

    What is the news?

    • The current La Nina phase has been prevailing since September 2020.
    • Since the 1950s, La Nina lasting for more than two years has been recorded only on six instances (see graph below), data by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated.
    • It confirmed that India’s La Nina conditions are here to stay till the end of 2022.

    What is El Nino and La Nina?

    • While El Nino (Spanish for ‘little boy’), the more common expression, is the abnormal surface warming observed along the eastern and central regions of the Pacific Ocean (the region between Peru and Papua New Guinea).
    • The La Nina (Spanish for ‘little girl’) is an abnormal cooling of these surface waters.
    • Together, the El Nino (Warm Phase) and La Nina (Cool Phase) phenomena are termed as El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO).
    • These are large-scale ocean phenomena that influence the global weather — winds, temperature and rainfall. They have the ability to trigger extreme weather events like droughts, floods, hot and cold conditions, globally.
    • Each cycle can last anywhere between 9 to 12 months, at times extendable to 18 months — and re-occur after every three to five years.
    • Meteorologists record the sea surface temperatures for four different regions, known as Nino regions, along this equatorial belt.
    • Depending on the temperatures, they forecast either as an El Nino, an ENSO neutral phase, or a La Nina.

    Why has La Nina conditions continued for 3 years?

    • It is surprising that it has continued for the last three years. It may be good for India but not for some other countries.
    • Under climate change conditions, one must expect more such instances. Climate change could be a factor driving such anomalous conditions.

    Issues with La Nina

    • La Nina years are infamous for frequent and intense hurricanes and cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean and the Bay of Bengal.
    • Chances of more cyclones are likely due to multiple aiding factors, including high relative moisture and relative low wind shear over the Bay of Bengal.

     

    Try this PYQ:

    Q. La Nina is suspected to have caused recent floods in Australia. How is La Nina different from El Nino?

    1. La Nina is characterized by unusually cold ocean temperature in equatorial Indian Ocean whereas El Nino is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperature in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
    2. El Nino has an adverse effect on south-west monsoon of India, but La Nina has no effect on monsoon climate.

    Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

    (a) Only 1

    (b) Only 2

    (c) Both 1 and 2

    (d) Neither 1 nor 2

     

    [wpdiscuz-feedback id=”b6qp23xiv6″ question=”Please leave a feedback on this” opened=”1″]Post your answers here.[/wpdiscuz-feedback]

     

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  • Consumerism should be replaced by minimalism

    Consumerism Context

    • The COVID-19 pandemic brought shifts in consumer behaviour. The world witnessed a shrinkage of demand. But post-pandemic recovery and suppressed consumerism is now leading to ‘revenge shopping’.

    What is consumerism?

    • Consumerism is a social and economic order that encourages the acquisition of goods and services in ever-increasing amounts.

    What is minimalism?

    • Minimalism is owning fewer possessions. It is intentionally living with only the things we really need those items that support our purpose. Removing the distraction of excess possessions to focus more on those things that matter most.

    ConsumerismWhat Is Revenge Shopping?

    • Revenge shopping occurs when a customer who previously could not get access to certain goods or services for a period of time suddenly has access. It can also occur when customers have been deprived of other events or happenings.

    ConsumerismThe symptoms of excessive consumerism

    • You buy more than you planned: if you set out with a plan of what you need to purchase but consistently come back with more than you anticipated, then you’re falling in the consumerist trap.
    • You run out of storage space for your stuff: sometimes it can’t be helped if you live in a tight area or you’re disorganised. But suppose you’re in a reasonable situation and things you bring in don’t have an allocated home. In that case, you’re likely living excessively.
    • You rely too much on return policies: returning an item is useful. Particularly if you need to test a product for the intended purpose, be it sizing for clothes or a tool for a building project. However, suppose you’re depending on returns for purchases. In that instance, you’re not sure you need it, or if you can’t afford it, then you’re probably suffering from too much consumerism.
    • You routinely seek approval for your purchases: getting feedback on purchases can be reassuring, especially if you’re indecisive. Yet, there’s a difference between picking someone’s brain before buying and looking to justify your purchase after the fact. If you’re seeking post-acquisition approval, you probably don’t need the item.
    • You mistakenly buy things you already have: not much to say here. If you’re getting things only to realise you already have it, then you’re probably deep in a consumerist cycle.
    • You buy things on credit: if you’re strategic and disciplined, you can buy things on credit cards to acquire points and benefits. However, if you’re like the majority of us, then you’re vulnerable to buying things you can’t afford.
    • You constantly go over your budget: sometimes, you miss-forecast how much you need to spend each month. But if you set a realistic budget and find that you’re still going over, then you’re probably consuming excessively.
    • You regret your purchases: the most obvious sign that you have a shopping habit is you regret things you bought. Buyer’s remorse is an overwhelming feeling and one we want to avoid.

    ConsumerismNegatives of consumerism

    • Causes more pollution: Consumerism as a system can have devastating effects on the environment.
    • A major contributor to resource depletion: The second main negative of consumerism is resource depletion.  Simply put, resource depletion refers to the idea that human beings are using up the resources on the earth as an ever increasing rate such that we will ‘deplete’ or completely use up some resources.
    • Leads companies to develop low quality products: Modern companies practice a technique called ‘planned obsolescence’. In general, planned obsolescence is best understood as products that are designed to fail. Modern companies do this to encourage consumers to repurchase a product over and over again.
    • Does not necessarily lead to increased happiness beyond a certain point: The main negative aspect of consumerism is that it does not necessarily lead to higher levels of happiness for people.
    • Global inequality: The huge rise in resource consumption in wealthier countries has led to an ever widening gap between the rich and the poor. As the age old saying goes, “the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”

    What can we do?

    • Extend the lifespan of your things: Repairing your things is not only an effective way to reduce your consumption, but it’s also beneficial to the environment.
    • Reframe shopping as a skill: When you focus on the role the thing you’re buying will play in the overall experience instead of the experience of shopping itself, you’ll be able to shift away from a consumerist mind-set.
    • Do the deathbed test: Not to get too dark, but if you were hypothetically on your deathbed today, and you were reflecting on your life, what would be your fondest memories? The quality of our lives is generally measured by moments of “that was a good time”, not “that thing I had was awesome”.
    • Borrow or rent instead of buy: A simple method for getting your consumerism under control is to rent or borrow items instead of buying them.
    • Practice minimalism: What’s the ultimate alternative to consumerism? Minimalism. A minimalist is someone who naturally rejects consumerism and sees value in having fewer things over more things. Minimalism is a powerful philosophy that impacts how you view material things, your relationships, commitments, and digital inventory.

    Conclusion:

    • The M.K. Gandhi once said: “The Earth provides-enough to satisfy everyone’s needs but not any one’s greed.” We shall find that Gandhian call to curtailment of wants is relevant in the rapidly depleting natural resources, bio-diversity and eco-system and its contemporary relevance

    Mains question

    Q. What do you understand by the term consumerism? Discuss importance of minimalism as there is rise in revenge shopping in post covid19 era.

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  • Species in news: Peninsular Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis)

    A study carried out by researchers from Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, undertook to characterise urbanisation in the region and also to understand where the rock agama reside in and around Bengaluru specifically.

    Why in news?

    • The study examined several environmental factors that could affect the presence of the lizard and revealed that they are found mainly in rocky places and warm spots.
    • Thus, the inference is that conservation efforts must point towards retaining rocky patches even while reviving landscapes by planting trees.

    Peninsular Rock Agama

    • The Peninsular Rock Agama (Psammophilus dorsalis) is a type of garden lizard has a strong presence in southern India.
    • This lizard is a large animal, strikingly coloured in orange and black.
    • They do not generate their own body heat, so they need to seek warmth from external sources like a warm rock or a sunny spot on the wall.
    • They are important in ecology from different aspects — they can indicate which parts of the city are warming, and their numbers show how the food web is changing.
    • Habitat loss and other such features of urbanisation have affected the presence of the animal in urban centres.

    Why study them?

    • Insects are critical components of a healthy ecosystem as they provide so many services, including pollination.
    • So, while rock agamas are interesting in themselves, they are also a good model system to understand other aspects of the ecosystem.
    • In cities such as Bengaluru, there is a lot of flora and fauna that is rapidly disappearing.
    • The rock agama is one such species which is dependent on rocky scrub habitats which are being converted into buildings and plantations.

     

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  • Forest rights act

    forest right actContext

    • There is a surge in demand by forest communities to not only access the resources of their habitat, but also to establish their ownership over forests as forest rights act in not meeting its objective.

    What is the news?

    • Residents of 18 villages in Chhattisgarh’s Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve blocked the busy National Highway 130C.

    What tribal people say?

    • “We need forest resources for survival. Being a tiger reserve, we already lead a life with many restrictions. There is no power supply, access to grazing lands is non-existent and we cannot undertake construction works,” says Arjun Nayak of Nagesh, one of the 18 villages in Gariaband district.

    forest right actWhat is forest rights act 2006?

    • The Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006 recognizes the rights of the forest dwelling tribal communities and other traditional forest dwellers to forest resources, on which these communities were dependent for a variety of needs, including livelihood, habitation and other socio-cultural needs.
    • It aimed to protect the marginalised socio-economic class of citizens and balance the right to environment with their right to life and livelihood.

    forest right actWhat are individual rights under FRA act?

    • The Act encompasses Rights of Self-cultivation and Habitationwhich are usually regarded as Individual rights.

    What are community forest rights under FRA act?

    • Community Rights as Grazing, Fishing and access to Water bodies in forests, Habitat Rights for PVTGs, Traditional Seasonal Resource access of Nomadic and Pastoral community, access to biodiversity, community right to intellectual property and traditional knowledge, recognition of traditional customary rights and right to protect, regenerate or conserve or manage any community forest resource for sustainable use.

    Case study / Value addition

    Chargaon village, Dhamtari district, Chhattisgarh

    Migration has drastically reduced due to economic benefits after getting CFRR. Success in improving quality of tendu leaves with better management practices, increasing income.

    forest right actIssues with Forest rights act

    • Non responsive states: The forest rights claims of these tribes and forest-dwellers are mostly rejected by the States.
    • Improper claims: Being poor and illiterate, living in remote areas, they do not know the appropriate procedure for filing claims.
    • Low awareness: The gram sabhas, which initiate the verification of their claims, are low on awareness of how to deal with them.

    forest right actWhy are forest rights important for tribals?

    • Justice: Aimed at undoing the “historic injustice” meted out to forest-dependent communities due to curtailment of their customary rights over forests, the FRA came into force in 2008.
    • Livelihood: It is important as it recognises the community’s right to use, manage and conserve forest resources, and to legally hold forest land that these communities have used for cultivation and residence.
    • Conservation: It also underlines the integral role that forest dwellers play in the sustainability of forests and in the conservation of biodiversity.

    Conclusion

    Despite the contentious and debatable nature of this law, the importance and necessity of the FRA, 2006 can not be negated completely. The law assumes even more significant importance when the country is a developing economy and is full-fledged following the path of capitalism, thus making it even more substantial to provide a redressal mechanism for vulnerable and marginalised communities and groups, such as the Adivasis and the other similar tribes, from the necessary evil of development and infrastructural growth while also safeguarding their traditions, heritage and identity that forms an important part of the nation’s cultural diversity as well.

    Mains question

    Q. There is a surge in demand by forest communities to not only access the resources of their habitat, but also to establish their ownership over forests. In this context analyse the issues with working of FRA 2006.

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  • Construction and demolition waste

    Construction and demolitionContext

    • Huge amounts of construction and demolition waste in a residential area is hazardous for human health and warrants immediate disposal.

    Why in news?

    • The Twin towers in Noida, Uttar Pradesh were demolished by controlled implosion. Their being located in a residential neighbourhood of Noida makes it even more essential to introduce interventions to mitigate pollution and waste, post-demolition.

    What is construction and demolition waste?

    • Construction and demolition wastes (CDW) are the status of building materials after the end life of buildings. CDW could be concrete, steel, wood products, asphalt shingles, and bricks from building.

    What is waste management?

    • Waste management refers to the activities and actions required to manage waste from its start till its disposal. This includes collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste together with monitoring and regulation.

    Construction and demolitionWhy they should be managed properly?

    • Waste management and diligent planning becomes critical for regulation of humongous solid waste being generated every day. With growing urbanization and rise of smart cities on the offing the issue of solid waste management becomes even more imperative.

    Data to remember

    62 million tons of waste is generated annually in the country at present.

    India manages to recover and recycle only about 1 per cent of its construction and demolition (C&D) waste, says new CSE analysis.

    Construction and demolitionWhat are the impacts of construction waste on the environment and human health?

    • Air: Disassembling and shredding of construction waste generate dust or large particulates into the surroundings and affects the respiratory health of waste management workers and others.
    • Water: (Landfills are not properly designed to hold construction waste + Illegal dump sites + Improper recycling & disposal of e-waste) = compounds leach into the ground = Groundwater gets toxified due to heavy metals from demolition waste.
    • Soil: Soil is contaminated by direct contact with contaminants from construction waste or its by-products from recycling & disposal + indirectly through irrigation. Soils become toxic when substances such as lead, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, and polychlorinated biphenyl’s (PCBs) are deposited in landfills. Contaminated soils have bad impacts on microbes and plants => the pollutants reach higher animals or humans through the food chain.

    Construction And Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016 – Salient Features

    1.Duties of waste Generators

    • Construction and demolition waste must be separated by each waste generator, and it must be deposited at a collection site or given to authorised processing companies.
    • Should take care to prevent any trash or depositing that could block vehicles, the general public, or drains.
    • Before beginning building, demolition, or remodelling work, large generators (those that create more than 20 tonnes or more in a single day or 300 tonnes per project in a month) must submit a waste management plan and obtain the necessary approvals from the local authorities.
    • Large generators must have an environmental management strategy to address any environmental problems resulting from building and demolition work, storage, transportation, and waste disposal and recycling.
    • The waste from large generators must be divided into four streams, including concrete, soil, steel, wood, and plastics, as well as bricks and mortar.
    • The appropriate fees for collection, transportation, processing, and disposal must be paid by large generators according to the notices issued by the competent authorities.

    2.Duties of Service providers and Contractors

    • Within six months of the rules’ notification, the service providers are required to develop a thorough waste management plan for the waste produced under their control.
    • They must also remove all construction and demolition waste independently or through a third party after consulting with the relevant local authority.

    3.Duties of State Government and Local Authorities

    • Within one and a half years after the date of the final notice of these regulations, the responsible State Government department dealing with land should offer suitable locations for the establishment of the storage, processing, and recycling facilities for construction and demolition waste.
    • In order to prevent long-term disruption of the processing plant, the Town and Country Planning Department must include the location in the authorised land use plan.
    • In municipal and government contracts, materials created from building and demolition waste must be purchased and used to the tune of 10–20%.
    • The local authority must install suitable bins for garbage collection, removal at regular intervals, and transportation to suitable facilities for processing and disposal.
    • Large generators of construction and demolition waste must submit a comprehensive plan or undertaking before Local Authorities may approve the waste management plan;
    • Seek help from the relevant authorities for the safe disposal of any nuclear waste or building and demolition debris contaminated with hazardous or toxic materials from industry;
    • Local Authorities must provide the generator with the necessary incentives for salvaging, processing, and/or recycling, preferably on-site;
    • Million plus cities (based on the 2011 Indian census) must commission the processing and disposal facility within 1.5 years of the date of final announcement of these regulations.
    • Local Authorities will build a database and update it once a year.

    4.Duties of Central Pollution Control Board, State Pollution Control Board or Pollution Control Committee

    • Construction and demolition waste management operating rules must be created by the Central Pollution Control Board.
    • The construction and demolition waste processing plant will receive authorization from SPCB.
    • The involved local bodies will keep an eye on how these guidelines are being applied.
    • Send an annual report to the State Government and the Central Pollution Control Board.

    Construction and Demolition Waste Management – Concerns

    • In spite of the aforementioned, industry and state pollution control boards operate poorly.
    • In India, between 25 and 30 million tonnes of C&D waste are produced each year, but barely 5 percent of it gets treated.
    • It is noteworthy that dirt, sand, and gravel make up 36% of C&D waste. This waste affects soil fertility and poses a threat to public health in cities.
    • The almost total lack of recycling also violates India’s obligations to reduce carbon emissions.
    • The need to recycle C&D waste is critical.
    • This is due to the fact that widespread sand mining is already eroding river beds and ultimately aggravating flood damage.

    Some positive suggestions

    • Need robust estimation and characterisation of C&D waste to design systems for material recovery: Cities need comprehensive assessment and quantification of C&D waste generation, to plan adequate infrastructure and systems for treatment and management.
    • Need of documentation: Cities must create easily accessible databases of buildings and their physical and legal attributes. Construction/demolition permits need to be inventorised with associated waste management plans attached.
    • Preparing for waste management from new generation material: Expanded polystyrene insulation (EPS), Styrofoam, plastic spacers, bituminous material and asbestos embedded within new wall assemblies are a recycling challenge. This needs special attention.
    • Infrastructure projects need to set up their own recycling facilities: DMRC has done so. Concrete can be easily recycled. Butt excavated waste is a challenge. Other infrastructure projects like highway and roadwork find recycling of bituminous material waste challenging. Globally, proactive prevention of waste is undertaken through modification of existing on site construction practices etc.
    • Responsibility of the construction Industry: The current system provides no incentive to the construction agencies for managing their own waste via waste reduction and on-site reuse and recycling. The Rules have created a push by creating a legal requirement for waste management but the financial drivers are missing. This requires fiscal strategy.

    Conclusion

    • Environmental and material challenges associated with the Construction and Demolition waste problem need urgent and immediate attention nation-wide to recover material, protect environment, and for clean air.

    Mains question

    Q. India manages to recover and recycle only about 1 per cent of its construction and demolition waste analyse the constraints in it. Also suggest some positive measures to address this challenge.

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  • Centre raises alarm over Undemarcated Protected Forests in Chhattisgarh

    The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has objected to the transfer of thousands of hectares of land without following due process by Chhattisgarh from its Forest to the Revenue Department for setting up industries and for building road, rail, and other infrastructure.

    What is the news?

    • The Union Environment Ministry has warned that the land in question is “undemarcated protected forests”, which cannot be used for non-forest purposes without clearance under the Forest Conservation (FC) Act, 1980.

    ‘Types of Forests’ in Law

    • Broadly, state Forest Departments have jurisdiction over two types of forests notified under the Indian Forest (IF) Act, 1927:
    1. Reserve Forests (RF): where no rights are allowed unless specified and
    2. Protected Forests (PF): where no rights are barred unless specified
    • Certain forests, such as village or nagarpalika forests, are managed by state Revenue Departments.
    • The FC Act, 1980, applies to all kinds of forests, whether under the control of the Forest or the Revenue Department.
    • It requires statutory clearance before forests can be used for any non-forest purpose such as industry, mining, or construction.
    • In 1976, forests were included in List III (Concurrent List) under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.

    Chhattisgarh case

    • The recorded forest area in Chhattisgarh covers 44.21% of its geography.
    • The state government says it is constrained by the limited availability of land, particularly in the tribal regions, for development works.
    • Therefore, in May 2021, it sought a field survey to identify non-forest land — parcels smaller than 10 hectares with less than 200 trees per hectare.

    Orange, a grey area

    • It sought that the forests had been included by mistake in Orange Areas under the Forest Department.
    • This year, it announced that over 300 sq km of “Orange” area in the Bastar region had been handed over to the Revenue Department.
    • Under the zamindari system, villagers used local malguzari (livelihood concessions) forests for firewood, grazing, etc.
    • When zamindari was abolished in 1951, malguzari forests came under the Revenue Department.
    • In 1958, the government of undivided Madhya Pradesh notified all these areas as Protected Forest (PFs) under the Forest Department.
    • Through the 1960s, ground surveys and demarcations of these PFs continued — either to form blocks of suitable patches to be declared as Reserve Forests, or to denotify and return to the Revenue Department.
    • For this purpose, Madhya Pradesh amended the IF Act, 1927, in 1965 — when forests figured in the State List — to allow denotification of PFs.
    • The areas yet to be surveyed — undemarcated PFs — were marked in orange on the map.

    Policy jam

    • Since 2003, a case has been pending in the Supreme Court on rationalising these orange areas that have remained a bone of contention between the two Departments.
    • The transfer of PFs to the Revenue Department continued until 1976, when reports of illicit felling in Revenue areas prompted Madhya Pradesh to seek a fresh survey to shift quality forest patches.
    • But before this survey could be undertaken, the new government that came to power in the state in 1978 switched the focus to settling encroachments.
    • The FC Act came in 1980, and required central clearance for non-forest use of forest land.
    • This led to a situation where the rights of lakhs of villagers, including those settled by the government through pattas, remained restricted.

    After MP was split

    • Carved out of Madhya Pradesh in 2000, Chhattisgarh inherited its share of ‘orange’ areas.
    • Ranked second after Orissa in implementing the Forest Rights Act, 2006, the state has settled over 26,000 claims since 2019.
    • The logical next step, say officials who declined to be quoted, was to find land for the economic development of the tribal belt.
    • Chhattisgarh did not seek central clearance to transfer over 300 sq km to Revenue, they claim, because it did not have to.

    New definition of forests

    • In December 1996, the SC defined ‘forest’ after its dictionary meaning, irrespective of the status of the land it stands on.
    • It also defined forestland as any land thus notified on any government record irrespective of what actually stands on that land.
    • To meet this broad definition, Madhya Pradesh in 1997 framed a “practical yardstick” — an area no smaller than 10 hectares with at least 200 trees per hectare — to identify forests in Revenue areas for handing over to the Forest Department.
    • These non-forest areas, they claim, are now being identified and returned to the Revenue.

    Issues with such Un-forestation

    • The nature of vegetation changes over time.
    • After so many years, a visual survey cannot determine if a particular piece of land did not meet the definition of forest.
    • Once brought under the Forest Department, whether mistakenly or otherwise, an area gets the status of forestland as per the 1996 SC order, and hence comes under the FC Act, 1980.

    Options available for CG

    • Chhattisgarh, thanks to the 1965 amendment to the IF Act, can still denotify PFs unilaterally.
    • It may also vest management of any land with any department since the state owns all land within its boundaries.
    • But if the stated purpose is non-forest use — building industries and infrastructure — the state will anyway require central clearance under the FC Act, 1980.

    What lies ahead?

    • Clearance for non-forest use of forestland under the FC Act requires giving back twice the area for compensatory afforestation (CA) from Revenue to Forest.
    • That would defeat the very purpose of the state government’s action.
    • However, conversion of Forest to Revenue land has been exempted from CA under exceptional circumstances in the past.
    • For example, when enclaves were moved out of forests, the SC allowed those to be resettled at the edge of the forests, in the absence of suitable Revenue land, as revenue villages.
    • It will be a stretch, though, for such considerations to apply to thousands of hectares meant for industries.

     

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