Tiger Population: Ministry of Environment and Forests

As per the findings of the recent all India estimation of tiger using the refined methodology, the total country-level population of tiger is 1411 (mid value); the lower and upper limits being 1165 and 1657 respectively. The recent assessment of tiger population is based on determining spatial occupancy of tigers throughout potential tiger forests and sampling such forests using camera traps in a statistical framework. This assessment is not comparable to the earlier total count using pugmarks owing to several shortcomings in the latter. The new findings indicate a poor status of tiger population in areas outside tiger reserves and protected areas. The tiger population, by and large, in tiger reserves and protected areas of such States are viable, while requiring ongoing conservation efforts. The reasons for decline in population of tigers are at Annexure-I.

The details of tiger deaths, including poaching, for the last five years is at Annexure-II.

Project Tiger is an ongoing, focused Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, providing funding support to 17 tiger range States in the country, for in-situ conservation of tiger in the 37 designated tiger reserves. It has put the endangered tiger on an assured path of recovery by saving it from extinction, as revealed by the recent findings of the All India tiger estimation using the refined methodology. This independent report highlights the achievements of Project Tiger by showing that viable tiger population exists only in tiger reserve areas, which are under the jurisdiction of Project Tiger, while the status of outside populations are highly depleted.

Annexure-I

The reasons for decline in population of tigers are

1. Mortality of wild animals due to poaching.

2. Degradation of forest status outside Protected Areas / Tiger Reserves owing to human pressure, livestock pressure, and ecologically unsustainable land uses

3. Fragmentation leading to loss of gene flow from source populations.

4. Mortality of wild animals due to man-animal conflicts.

5. Loss of reproduction owing to disturbance on account of heavily used infrastructure like highways, etc.

6. Lack of adequate protection in outside areas.

7. Loss of forest quality in terms of prey biomass to support large carnivores like tiger and leopard.

8. Insurgency / law and order problems in some tiger reserves / protected areas / forest areas.

Annexure-II

Mortality of tigers (year-wise) as reported by States

Year
	Natural (Animals)	Poaching (Animals)	Total (Animals)
2004	17	5	22
2005	13*	4	17
2006	10*	4	14
2007	20*	10	30
2008	10*	4	14
2009 (Till 22.02.2009)	7	2	9

* Includes cases in which Post Mortem report is pending.

Minister of State for the Ministry of Environment and Forests Shri S. Regupathy replied in a written question by Shri Prabhat Jha in Rajya Sabha today.

[Source: http://pib.nic.in, February 26, 2009]

Leaking mine waste contaminates State's water supplies

Brian Williams
HEAVY metals and acids from at least 10 Queensland mines have contaminated water supplies in an emerging environmental catastrophe. Authorities are unsure how much of the toxic material has been discharged into waterways after the biggest floods in decades swept through north Queensland over the past two months.

The Environmental Protection Agency has already ordered landowners downstream of the Lady Annie copper mine, 120km north of Mt Isa, not to drink water from or swim in Saga and Inca creeks and to destock paddocks. A helicopter is being used to take samples and graziers are talking about fish kills 20km from the Annie mine, acid eating away at steel pickets and water 1m deep pouring off the site.

Other mines in the northwest minerals province the EPA says have discharged contaminated material are the Great Australia Mine, Birla Mt Gordon, Ernest Henry Mine, MIM, Century Mine, Leichhardt Mine, Selwyn Mine, Lorena Mine and the Yurbi concentrate rail loading facility.

Graziers fear the contamination may put at risk western Queensland's burgeoning, multibillion-dollar, organically certified beef industry. Boulia mayor and grazier Rick Britton said mines were polluting water from north Queensland about 1300km down the Georgina River to Lake Eyre in SA, areas renowned for their lack of contaminants.

Many properties drew drinking water from streams and cattle drank from them. "The grazing industry's been here for 200 years and then these bastards come along and rip the guts out of the country," Cr Britton said. An EPA spokeswoman said yesterday some mines had had more than one discharge although most spills had ceased."If heavy rain continues, it is possible there will be further contaminated run-off," she said.

The EPA does not know how much has been spilled and what range of materials are involved. Greens spokesman Drew Hutton labelled it an environmental catastrophe on an unprecedented scale. He said he knew of no other single event in the state's history that had caused so much pollution.

An announcement made to the ASX yesterday by Annie joint receiver Gary Doran said mining had been suspended after significant flooding. "We are fully co-operating with the Environmental Protection Agency to protect the health and safety of the company's staff as well as the environment and local community," Mr Doran said.

[Source:http://www.news.com.au,February 26, 2009]

CSE offers summer environment course

Nava Thakuria
Guwahati: The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a reputed research and advocacy organization of India has designed a month-long environment course for the interested professional, students, research scholar and even a conscious citizen. Titled as ‘Agenda for Survival: Learning the policies, politics and practices of environmental management in India’, the certificate course will begin on June 1 next, informed Sharmila Sinha on behalf of the New Delhi based organization, which was formed by the eminent environmental journalist Anil Agarwal decades back. “The course design is innovative and goes beyond class-based lectures. Participants will get to interact with eminent environmentalists, activists and policy makers, watch films and documentaries, prepare detailed case studies and participate in weekly tutorials,” added Sharmila, who serves CSE as the assistant coordinator of Education & Training. This course includes overviews on the current state of resource management in the country, ecological rights and livelihoods, debates on forests and wildlife management, together with understanding rural poverty and livelihoods. The participants will get an opportunity to understand the environmental costs of rapid development, the need for sustainable strategies to manage industrial and urban growth, challenges of managing water, sewage and solid waste. They will also get enlightened with the global politics behind global environmental problems like the climate change. Another highlight of the course will be the opportunity for participants to improve their research, writing, editing and design skills. As part of their group assignment, participants will produce a journalistic product -- magazine or a web-based documentary that include real-life reporting, analysis and opinion pieces. During the program, the participants will also visit Garhwal on a week-long field trip, where they will see for themselves how communities are taking charge of their own development by restoring their common lands, regenerating their forests, and strengthening their food and water security. More over, they will also be taken for a boat ride on the river Yamuna and visit a landfill.

[Source: http://www.newstrackindia.com, 25 Feb 2009]

Battery manufacturer wins environmental award

Reading, PA, United States
Industrial battery manufacturer EnerSys has won an environmental award for its approach to treating industrial wastewater. The Kentucky-Tennessee Water Environment Association presented the Industrial Pretreatment Award to the company’s plant in Kentucky. Dennis Brumbaugh, EnerSys Richmond plant manager, says when wastewater discharge limits were cut in 2006, the company needed to find an approach that would meet the new requirements.

EnerSys installed a membrane filtration system for cleaning industrial process wastewater. The company processes between 30,000 to 50,000 gallons (113,000 to 120,000 litres) of water per day through the filtration system. James Pikul, EnerSys Richmond Plant environmental, health and safety manager, says the new treatment method is a closed-loop system. "This means that the waste by-products are reintroduced back into the manufacturing process," he explains. "We now recycle 80% of our waste sulfuric acid. We also recycled 210,000 pounds (95,00 Kg) of lead in 2008 that was extracted from our wastewater."

EnerSys Richmond plant also won the Richmond Chamber of Commerce’s Industry of the Year award in recognition of its commitment to lessening its environmental impact.

[Source:http://www.forkliftaction.com, February 25, 2009]

School of Environment launch tomorrow

By Teetee Zwane
THE Swaziland Environmental Justice Agenda (SEJA) will tomorrow launch a School of Environment, a programme aimed at invigorating environmental education programmes in the country.

The programme would focus on capacity building for all people handling environmental issues at their local level, said Training Coordinator Seth Maphalala. He said this programme follows the organisation’s first advance course in environmental management, which was launched last year. This programme entails environmental research, law, audit and assessment, management systems and sociology. “This launch coincides with the start of this year’s tutorials for both the Certificate Course in Environmental Education and Advance Course in Environmental Education,” said Maphalala.

Imperatives
He said the school has been necessitated by the imperatives of the Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (DESD) for Swaziland, which require mainstreaming of sustainable development into education programmes in the country. “As one of the leading players in the field of environmental education, SEJA has taken the initiative to educate the public and to promote awareness on the DESD and its implementation in Swaziland,” added the training coordinator. He invited all those interested in being part of the change for sustainable development in Swaziland to be part of the programme and take part in the subsequent capacity building activities starting with the courses.

Maphalala said expression of interest can be registered by email to sejaadmin@gmail.com or by calling 613 2235, 603 7711, 607 5632 or 605 2225.

SEJA is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) focusing on promoting knowledge and improved decision making on issues relating to the environment at local level. It has been actively involved in the carrying out of environmental education activities since its inception in 1998.Some of the organisation’s activities include the holding hosting empowerment workshops for on-the-job personnel on how to handle work related environmental issues and decisions. It has spearheaded an internationally renowned course on environmental education and has provided capacity building opportunities for the rest of SADC where the same course has also been adopted in Namibia, Lesotho, Malawi, Zimbabwe and others.

[Source:Swazi Observer, http://www.observer.org.sz, February 26, 2009]

E-waste menace in Delhi: Ministry of Environment and Forests

Rajya Sabha
The total quantity of e-waste generation in Delhi is about 10,000 tonnes/annum. This has been stated in a study conducted by M/s IRG Systems South Asia. As per the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), there is no such information as Delhi is sitting on e-waste time-bomb.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests has notified the Hazardous Waste (Management, Handling and Transboundary Movement) Rules, 2008, for proper management and handling of hazardous waste which includes e-waste. As per these Rules, only the actual users who are having environmentally sound recycling facilities are granted registration by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for the purpose of recycling such waste. The Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Management of e-waste have been formulated and the approved guidelines are placed on the Ministry’s and CPCB’s website www.envfor.nic.in and www.cpcb.nic.in respectively. DPCC has issued Expression of Interest for authorizing operators for e-waste management.

Minister of State for the Ministry of Environment and Forests Shri Namo Narain Meena replied in a written question by Shri B.J. Panda and Ms Mabel Rebello in Rajya Sabha today.

[Source: http://pib.nic.in, February 26, 2009]

269 polluting industries closed last year

New Delhi: The Central Pollution ControlBoard (CPCB) has ordered closure of 269 of the 1,357 industrial units, which had been identied as the worst polluters across the country, last year. Stating this in the Rajya Sabha, Namo Narian Meena, Minister of State, Environment and Forest, said the CPCB had found the effulents from these industries with Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) load of 100 kg/day or more.

Meena in a written reply to a question raised by A Elavarasan said that the Central and State Pollution Control Boards had given treatment and disposal facilities to 898 industries. He said all these industries had shown encouraging results and were operating satisfactorily. However, the remaining 190 industries which were also given treatment plants have not been doing well and the authorities were likely to take action against them.

[Source: http://www.business-standard., Feruary 262009]

Sinking Sunderbans is a global crisis: Gandhi

Ghoramara island (Sunderbans) Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Wednesday visited Ghoramara island in the Sunderbans which is shrinking due to the rising sea-level. Gandhi, who had gone to the island to release a documentary made by a Delhi-based environment group, Centre for Science and Environment, on climate change, said that island is an example of the global environmental crisis. “The problem of global warming faced by the Ghoramara inhabitants is not the state’s problem alone, but a global crisis. Climate change is increasing the sea level and shrinking the island. It is our responsibility to check the situation,” said Gandhi. Ghoramara has shrunk from 9 square kilometres to 4.5 square kilometres in the past 30 years as rising sea level and constant erosion of embankment has already uprooted 7,000 inhabitants leaving another 7,000 in a state of constant fear. During his visit, Gandhi met several residents of the island gave a patient hearing to their problem. He urged the residents of the island not to be scared and to have faith in local bodies and the government. He said a joint initiative of the government, specialists and state entities were required to tackle the problem. “Ghoramara is a sign of global threat. You should not think that people from outside can come and teach you the crisis since you are the ones who are actually facing it and know the ground reality,” said the Governor. “I saw that solar energy is being used by some of the households here which should be utilised further. I urge the mothers of Ghoramara to send their kids not only to school but for further studies and not indulge in child marriage,” he added. Thirty-five-year-old Sadhan Haldar has lost 19 bighas of his land to the sea. He lives with his five-member family on one bigha land as Khasimara area in Ghoramara where he earlier resided is now under water. He had to spend more than Rs 1 lakh to relocate like other villagers. “I had 11 bigha land on Lohachara island which in now under water completely. I lost everything. Now I have relocated to Ghoramara,” said Arun Pramanik.

[http://www.expressindia.com, feruary, 2009]

Arsenic and old toenails

Scientists from Leicester and Nottingham have devised a method for identifying levels of exposure to environmental arsenic – by testing toenail clippings. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and people can be exposed to it in several ways. Long term exposure to arsenic is associated with increases in lung, liver, bladder and kidney cancers and skin growths.

The researchers collected toenails and washed and acid digested the samples under microwave irradiation. They then analysed the samples using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The research, published online ahead of print in the Journal of Environmental Monitoring, was carried out with Dr Gawen Jenkin, Department of Geology, University of Leicester. Dr Jenkin said: “This is the first time that the chemical form of the arsenic in the toenails has been measured.

[Source: http://www.hindu.com, February 26, 2009]

Polar research reveals new evidence of global environmental change

Published: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 09:59 in Earth & Climate
he wide-ranging IPY findings result from more than 160 endorsed science projects assembled from researchers in more than 60 countries. Launched in March 2007, the IPY covers a two-year period to March 2009 to allow for observations during the alternate seasons in both polar regions. A joint project of WMO and ICSU, IPY spearheaded efforts to better monitor and understand the Arctic and Antarctic regions, with international funding support of about US$ 1.2 billion over the two-year period. "The International Polar Year 2007 – 2008 came at a crossroads for the planet's future" said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of WMO. "The new evidence resulting from polar research will strengthen the scientific basis on which we build future actions."

Catherine Bréchignac, President of ICSU, adds "the planning for IPY set ambitious goals that have been achieved, and even exceeded, thanks to the tireless efforts, enthusiasm, and imagination of thousands of scientists, working with teachers, artists, and many other collaborators."

IPY has provided a critical boost to polar research during a time in which the global environment is changing faster than ever in human history. It now appears clear that the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are losing mass contributing to sea level rise. Warming in the Antarctic is much more widespread than it was thought prior to the IPY, and it now appears that the rate of ice loss from Greenland is increasing.

Researchers also found that in the Arctic, during the summers of 2007 and 2008, the minimum extent of year-round sea ice decreased to its lowest level since satellite records began 30 years ago. IPY expeditions recorded an unprecedented rate of sea-ice drift in the Arctic as well. Due to global warming, the types and extent of vegetation in the Arctic shifted, affecting grazing animals and hunting.

Other evidence for global warming comes from IPY research vessels that have confirmed above-global-average warming in the Southern Ocean. A freshening of the bottom water near Antarctica is consistent with increased ice melt from Antarctica and could affect ocean circulation. Global warming is thus affecting Antarctica in ways not previously identified.

IPY research has also identified large pools of carbon stored as methane in permafrost. Thawing permafrost threatens to destabilize the stored methane -a greenhouse gas- and send it into the atmosphere. Indeed, IPY researchers along the Siberian coast observed substantial emissions of methane from ocean sediments.

In the area of biodiversity, surveys of the Southern Ocean have uncovered a remarkably rich, colourful and complex range of life. Some species appear to be migrating poleward in response to global warming. Other IPY studies reveal interesting evolutionary trends such as many present-day deep-sea octopuses having originated from common ancestor species that still survive in the Southern Ocean.

IPY has also given atmospheric research new insight. Researchers have discovered that North Atlantic storms are major sources of heat and moisture for the polar regions. Understanding these mechanisms will improve forecasts of the path and intensity of storms. Studies of the ozone hole have benefited from IPY research as well, with new connections identified between the ozone concentrations above Antarctica and wind and storm conditions over the Southern Ocean. This information will improve predictions of climate and ozone depletion.

Many Arctic residents, including indigenous communities, participated in IPY's projects. Over 30 of these projects addressed Arctic social and human science issues, including food security, pollution, and other health issues, and will bring new understanding to addressing these pressing challenges. "IPY has been the catalyst for the development and strengthening of community monitoring networks across the North" said David Carlson, Director of the IPY International Programme Office. "These networks stimulate the information flow among communities and back and forth from science to communities."

IPY leaves as its legacy enhanced observational capacity, stronger links across disciplines and communities, and an energized new generation of polar researchers. "The work begun by IPY must continue", said Mr. Jarraud. "Internationally coordinated action related to the polar regions will still be needed in the next decades," he said. Ms Bréchignac concurs: "This IPY has further strengthened the ICSU-WMO relationship on polar research coordination, and we must continue to assist the scientific community in its quest to understand and predict polar change and its global manifestations at this critical time."

The increased threats posed by climate change make polar research a special priority. The "State of Polar Research" document not only describes some of the striking discoveries during IPY, it also recommends priorities for future action to ensure that society is best informed about ongoing polar change and its likely future evolution and global impacts. A major IPY science conference will take place in Oslo in June 2010.
Source: International Council for Science

[http://esciencenews.com, February 25, 2009]

Indians want smoke-free workplaces

A near unanimous majority of Indians - 99 percent - favour a prohibition of smoking in public places, including workplaces, restaurants and bars, and demand stringent enforcement of rules to check smoking in offices, a survey has found. According to the survey released by Voluntary Health Association of India (VHAI) Tuesday, majority of people agree that "all workers in India should be protected from exposure to second-hand smoke in workplaces".

A randomly selected sample of 1,026 respondents in four metros of the country - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata - were interviewed in December last year. "Majority of Indians support prohibition of smoking inside public places, including workplaces, restaurants and bars and an overwhelming 99 percent of Indians strongly favour enforcement of smoke-free rules in work places in order to provide comprehensive protection from second-hand exposure to tobacco smoke," the survey found.

Further, as many as 92 percent of respondents stated that exposure to second-hand smoke constitutes a serious health hazard for non-smokers. In India, smoking in all public places, including workplaces, restaurants and educational institutions, is prohibited according to a regulation by the ministry of health which came into effect Oct 2, 2008.

Commenting on the results of the survey, Bhavna B. Mukhopadhyay, senior director of VHAI, said: "These concerns translate to the very strong belief among Indians that it is the right of customers and employees to breathe smoke-free air in workplaces and public places."

S.S. Shastri, head, department of preventive oncology, Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai, said: "India has always been faced with the rampant use of tobacco across all sections of society. The general consensus achieved by the survey is a very positive indicator of the sentiments of the public." "It is very heartening to know that Indians recognise the fact that second-hand smoke is a major health hazard, and feel that the ban on smoking in public places should be more strictly enforced," said Shastri.

[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com, February 25, 2009]

North chokes from dense smog

By Bangkokpost.com
A thick haze and dense micro dust particles from bush fires blanketing northern provinces have raised fears air quality in the North is poised to reach danger levels. On Wednesday, the level of dust particles, technically called particulate matter (PM-10), which is a complex mixture of organic and inorganic substances, in several upper northern provinces was found to be beyond an acceptable limit.

It was measured at 201 microgrammes per cubic metre (ug/cu m) in Lampang against a health standard of 120 ug/cu m. The province was the worst hit.The level of PM-10 in Chiang Mai was measured at 129 ug/cu m. In Chiang Rai it was 143 ug/cu m, in Phayao 141 ug/cu m and in Lamphun 137 ug/cu m.Public health authorities in Chiang Mai and Lampang Wednesday warned residents to avoid outdoor exercises as thick smoke and dust particles might cause them to suffer respiratory problems.

The Lampang municipality ordered fire trucks to spray water onto public parks and main roads to reduce the amount of dust.From Feb 1 to 23, a total of 3,169 people in Lampang had sought treatment for respiratory problems. Most patients were children and the elderly, according to health officials.

Somchai Ruengsitthinaruparb, director of the artificial rain centre for the upper north, said the haze situation in the North was almost reaching a crisis because of heavy dust in numerous areas.His Majesty the King has expressed concern over smoke haze and drought in the North and asked the centre to urgently solve the problem.

[Source: http://www.bangkokpost.com, February 25, 2009]

Pollution scare on school-Seven blind students complain of eye infection

Moran(India): For the third time this winter, seven children of Moran Blind School complained of a severe eye infection, accompanied by headaches and fever. A series of tests later, the possible culprit turned out to be — not a virus — but a stone-crushing unit near the school.Alarmed by the recurring infections, the authorities of Jaanamangal Adarsha Andha Bidyalaya, popularly known as Moran Blind School, organised a special medical check-up camp last week for all the wards. A team of doctors and paramedics, led by Dr N. Kalita, the deputy superintendent of the Tiloi community health centre, was dispatched by the office of the joint director of health services, Dibrugarh, to conduct the check-up.“Most of the students are suffering from various airborne diseases which may be because of the pollution in the area. We have prescribed medicines. But if medicines do not work, we may have to refer them for specialised treatment,” Kalita said. Located on the outskirts of Moran town on National Highway 37, the school is just a few feet away from the stone crushing unit, set up on an industrial estate plot owned by the state government.Ever since it became operational last October, the crushing machines run almost round the clock, depending on the availability of electricity. “Since the school is a residential one, noise and dust pollution has become a major concern for not only our school but also the two other schools in the locality,” Pradip Bhatta, the secretary of the governing trust of the school, said.The two other schools affected by the unit are Gyan Banti Middle English School and Phatikachua Chakalia Lower Primary School.Moran Blind School, started by Maj. S.N. Banerjee in 1971, now has 45 students, including 18 girls. Now, his son, actor Victor Banerjee is the chairman of the managing trust and is a frequent visitor to the school.Bhatta said the school has requested industries minister Pradyut Bordoloi to intervene and accordingly, the department cancelled the lease granted to Hira Industries that owns the stone crushing unit.“We have already filed an affidavit in court in this regard stating that the unit is causing inconvenience to students of the blind school. Hopefully, the matter will be resolved soon,” the minister said. The owner of the unit, Mrinmoy Chetia, said he has moved court against cancellation of the lease and an injunction has been obtained till the case is finally disposed of.He said he had all the necessary clearances and would continue to run his business.“However, if the government allots me another plot of land somewhere else which is fit to re-locate the unit, I am ready to shift. It is very unfortunate that the school management preferred to pile political pressure on me instead of discussing the matter for an amicable settlement,” Chetia said.

[http://www.telegraphindia.com, February 25, 2009]

Pollution by Processing Industries: Ministry of Environment and Forests (India)

Lok Sabha
The Government has taken various steps to control pollution being spread by the processing industries. Environmental experts and other agencies including industrial associations are consulted, among others, for prescribing national environmental standards for industries. Six sector specific Committees have been constituted, which also include experts from different fields, to process the grant of environmental clearances. Experts of other agencies like Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR institutions are also involved in various research projects on Clean Technologies and Waste Minimization. The steps are:

(i) Notification of general and industry specific environmental standards.

(ii) Prescribing protocols for Hazardous Wastes management, handling and storage under The Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

(iii) Environment Surveillance and inspection of industries by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the concerned State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) to enforce the prescribed norms.

(iv) Issue of directions under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and under Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

(v) Mandatory Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) clearance for certain categories of industrial projects.

(vi) Issue of consent under Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, mandatory for polluting industries.

(vii) Promotion of establishment of Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETPs) and Treatment Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) by the Government of India.

(viii) Promotion of Clean Technology and Waste Minimization by undertaking research and dissemination.

(ix) Preparation of zoning atlas for siting of industries based on environmental considerations.

(x) Implementation of Corporate Responsibility for Environmental Protection (CREP) through voluntary initiatives by the industries.

Union Minister of State for Environment and Forests Shri Namo Narain Meena replied in a written question by Shri Jashubhai Dhanabhai Barad in Lok Sabha today.

[Source: http://pib.nic.in, February 25, 2009]

300 buildings still use CFCs despite government ban

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Some 300 high-rise buildings across the country still use chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in their air-conditioning systems, despite a 2007 ban by the government on imports of the ozone-depleting substances. The National Commission for Ozone Protection revealed Tuesday that most five-star hotels, office buildings and textile companies ran centrifugal chillers using CFCs.

"We found at least five buildings along Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta still using centrifugal chillers with CFCs," commission technical team member Rana Yusuf Nasir told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of a seminar on financing environmental investment. "We are still tracking down how they get illegally imported CFCs for their chillers." He added a new chiller unit already contained between 300 and 1,500 tons of CFCs, depending on the capacity. A 300-ton CFC chiller has the same cooling capacity as 400 household air conditioners.

"The building owners need to find at least 100 kilograms of CFCs to refill their chillers every year. We estimate 300 chillers would use up to 30 tons of CFCs per year," he said. Rana said the commission would survey the use of CFCs in textile firms in Bandung, Pasuruan (East Java) and Surakarta (Central Java) and check five-star hotels in Bali and commercial buildings in Surabaya. Many countries have phased out centrifugal air conditioners as part of a global campaign to cut back on the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS).

Indonesia is required to stop using CFCs by 2010 and methyl bromide (CH3BR) by 2015, after ratifying the Vienna Convention and Montreal Protocol on Ozone protection in 1992. Damage to the Earth's ozone layer - the primary protection from the sun's ultraviolet B rays - can lead to more cases of skin cancer, cataracts and blindness, human immune system suppression, damage to the natural ecosystem and climate change.

The government stopped importing CFCs and CH3BR in 2007, making Indonesia among the few countries to beat the protocol's deadline. It has also banned the imports of halon, methyl chloroform and carbon tetrachloride since 1998. The government has urged building owners to shift from centrifugal chillers to more eco-friendly air conditioners that use hydro chlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). However, under the Montreal protocol, consumption and production of HCFCs must be stopped by 2012 and phased out by 2040.

Rana said local financial institutions were still reluctant to provide funding for building owners to replace older centrifugal chiller, with replacements costing up to US$150,000 per unit.

BANNED SUBSTANCE

Substance--------------Phaseout year

Non-A5 parties---------A5 parties

CFCs, Halons,
Carbon tetrachloride----2000----2010
Methyl Chloroform-------2005----2015
Methyl Bromide----------2005----2015

Sources : United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)

[Source:http://old.thejakartapost.com, February 25, 2009]

‘Carbon fasting’ to reduce global warming

Kochi: “Thou shall not harm the environment” could well be the new-age commandment for members of the Mar Thoma Church. In a novel message, Dr Philipose Mar Chrysostom Mar Thoma Valiya Metropolitan, the senior most bishop of Mar Thoma Church, has urged the members of the community to observe ‘carbon fasting’ during this Lent period and urged them to do as much as they can to protect the environment and reduce global warming.

The Metropolitan in his letter to the church members has listed what to do on each day of the 50- day Lent that began on Feruary 22 and cut down on carbon besides meat, fish, egg and chocolates this year. “This is necessitated because there is no longer any real doubt about it: Global warming is happening. The ‘carbon fast’ is in response to an ‘urgent need’ to reduce carbon emissions and to protect poor communities around the world that are already suffering from the ravages of climate change.

“The current climate change estimates predict increase in temperatures of 1.4 C to 5.8 C by 2100. This will affect species in several ways such as changes in distribution; increased extinction rates; changes in reproduction timings and changes in length of growing seasons for plants,” he says.

The 50-day plan prepared by the bishop lists simple energy-saving actions that can lead to a lighter carbon footprint. The plan includes snubbing plastic bags, giving the dishwasher a day off, recycling and even avoiding travel by vehicles. Participants are asked to begin the carbon fast by removing one light bulb from a prominent place in their houses and live without it for 50 days as a constant visual reminder during Lent for the need to cut energy.

On the final day of the fast, people are encouraged to replace the missing bulb with an energy-saving bulb. “It is the poor who suffer the effects of climate change. The tragedy is that those with the power to do something about it are least affected,” the bishop says.

[Source: http://www.expressbuzz.com, February 25, 2009]

Water vapour adds a degree to global warming

Sydney (IANS): Water vapour released into the air adds one degree Celsius to global warming for every one contributed by humanity through other greenhouse gas emissions. The evidence for this phenomenon, long-debated among climate scientists, is now indisputable, according to a review of the evidence by Andrew Dessler of Texas A&M University and Steven Sherwood of the University of New South Wales (UNSW).

Known to science as water vapour feedback, it is responsible for a significant portion of the warming predicted to occur over the next century, according to Dessler and Sherwood. This is because water vapour itself is a greenhouse gas. As a result of burning fossil fuels and other human activities, rising temperatures are increasing the volume of naturally occurring evaporation on our warm, watery planet, they point out. In turn, that evaporated water contributes additional global warming.

Dessler and Sherwood based their statement on studies of how atmospheric water vapour varies in line with the natural cycles that warm and cool the planet, such as the cyclical temperature change caused by the seasons and El Nino events. "It's a vicious cycle: warmer temperatures mean higher humidity, which in turn leads to even more warming," says Dessler, a professor. Recent estimates suggest the earth will warm by between two to four degrees Celsius over the next century - a scenario that could have devastating long-term consequences, said an UNSW release. The study was published in the latest issue of Science.

[Source: http://www.hindu.com, February 25, 2009]

Now, Modi minister for global warming

Gandhinagar(Gujarat): Gujarat government on Tuesday announced a new department to address issues of climate change and global warming , to be headed by chief minister Narendra Modi till a full time minister is appointed.

Officials here said Gujarat will be the first state in Asia and fourth province in the world to dedicate a department to global warming and climate change. "Gujarat has made efforts to get maximum carbon credits and currently has 29 per cent share of the entire country's carbon credit," Modi told the state Assembly. Under the green credit movement, if someone cuts trees to set up an industry he would have to replace with the same number of full grown trees, he said.

Thirty-nine clean energy initiatives of energy and petrochemicals, urban transportation, forest and environment, rural development and industries and mines will fall under this new department. It will carry out a study on the impact of global warming along the state's 1600-km coastline.

[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 25 Feb 2009]

Nine tigers already dead in 2009

New Delhi: Nine tigers have already died in and around the forests of India since the beginning of 2009, parliament was informed on Wednesday. The government had said last year that only about 1,400 tigers were left in the wild in the country. Replying to a question, Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests S. Reghupathy said in the Lok Sabha that according to information provided by various state governments, 14 tigers had died in 2008, 30 in 2007 and 14 in 2006.

The minister also provided the worrying information that 52 rare Asiatic lions had died in fiscal 2007-08 and 35 in 2006-07. One leopard has died in 2009 so far, the minister said, adding that the number of leopards that died was eight each in 2008 and 2007 and 17 in 2006.

[Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 25 Feb 2009]

24 rhinos fell prey to poachers in Assam

New Delhi: At least 24 rhinoceros fell prey to poachers in the past two years in Kaziranga national park and adjacent areas in Assam, the Lok Sabha was informed today. In reply to a question, Environment minister S Regupathy said, "Eighteen and six rhinos were killed by poachers in 2007 and 2008 respectively in Kaziranga national park and adjacent areas in Assam." Lucrative price for rhino horns in international markets is the main motive behind the poaching of rhinos, the minister said.

To protect the endangered species as well other animals in the habitat, state government has submitted a Rs 16 crore annual plan under the Centrally sponsored scheme "Project Tiger." "Based on this proposal, the Central government has approved Rs 4.57 crore to Kaziranga tiger reserve of which Rs 1.50 crore has already been released," Reghupathy added. Regarding the other steps to protect wildlife in the country, the minister said, various schemes and Acts have been enacted for keeping a check on poaching and anti-wildlife activities of the poachers.

[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 25 Feb 2009]

Six districts throwing untreated waste into Chenab

By Ali Raza

Lahore: Six districts in Punjab are throwing untreated industrial effluents and municipal sewage water into the Chenab River resulting in a serious threat to the aquatic life in the river as well as the ecosystem. Sources in Environmental Protection Department (EPD), Punjab, revealed that the department conducted a detailed survey of the river to gauge its pollution level and got terrifying results. They said there were some 15 points from where untreated toxic industrial effluents and municipal sewage was going into the river increasing the pollution every day.

According to an EPD source, 9000 million gallons of wastewater, having 20,000 tons of BOD5 loading, are daily discharged into water bodies from the industrial sector. Automobile service stations are another major contributor to surface water pollution. Untreated oil, grease and dirt find its way into nearby canals and rivers where it damages the ecosystem. Sources, while going through the report, said that 15 points from where polluted water was going into the river were situated in six districts. Out of the 15 points, four are situated in District Gujrat, two in District Mandi Bahauddin, four in District Jhang (two each in Tehsil Chinot and Tehsil jhang), three in District Multan and one each in District Hafizabad and District Sargodha.

Besides these districts, Upper Jehlum Canal is also disposing industrial effluents into the river, sources said, adding five drains from the above mentioned six districts, carrying municipal and industrial effluents, are throwing toxic water into the river. These drains are Marh Drain and Paharang Drain in Chiniot, Ahmedwala and Karewala drains in District Jhang and Buddhi Nullah in District Sargodha. However, the monitoring report claimed that overall situation regarding dissolved oxygen in Chenab River is favorable to support aquatic life but the situation, if not controlled immediately, could be changed.

EPD sources said waste water of Multan city was the biggest threat to the river because there was no wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the city due to which untreated industrial as well as municipal waste was going into the river. Sources said the Punjab government had approved installation of WWTP at Suraj Miani site near Multan and the PC-1 of the project was under preparation. Likewise, no wastewater treatment plants are installed in the cities of Jhang, Chinot and Gujrat and untreated water is going into the river, sources said adding there was no plan to install wastewater treatment plants in these cities in near future.

A report of WWF-Pakistan said fresh water was fundamental to the survival of humans and most other land-based life forms. It said growing population, increased economic activity and industrialization had resulted in an increased demand for fresh water. It added that rapid urbanization was changing the patterns of water consumption, which caused a severe misuse of water resources. The report maintained that discharging untreated sewage and chemical wastes directly into rivers, lakes and drains had become a traditional habit and in Pakistan, water was mainly used for industrial, agricultural and domestic purposes. It said that municipal sewage was a major source of pollution. About two million wet tones of human excreta are annually produced in the urban sector of which around 50 per cent go into water bodies to pollute them. National Conservation Strategy (NCS) states that almost 40 per cent of deaths are related to water borne diseases.

Domestic wastewater collects on the streets and in low-lying areas. The situation is further aggravated by the addition of untreated wastes from small-scale industries. The report further said that industrial wastewater contained toxic chemicals and it was alarming that most industries had been started without proper planning and waste treatment plants. They just dispose of untreated toxic waste into nearby drains, canals or rivers. Lahore, Faisalabad, Karachi and Sialkot contribute major pollution loads into their water bodies, the report claimed.

Another report of World Health Organization (WHO) says that 25-30 per cent of all hospital admissions are connected to water borne bacterial and parasitic conditions, with 60 per cent of infant deaths caused by water infections. WWF-Pakistan’s report revealed that water pollution extended a savage threat to wildlife in the country because animals drink water out of polluted water bodies, ailing ponds, rivers and streams. This sickens the animals and some may even die. Extreme pollution of Ravi river has destroyed the once existing 42 species of fish and the bird life around the river has migrated to other areas. Survival of small invertebrates, micro fauna and flora is also threatened.

The report suggested the government to identify industrial units that are the biggest polluters of river water. If National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS) regarding wastewater were strictly enforced, these industries would have to reduce and treat their waste prior to disposal. A regular qualitative and quantitative monitoring of fresh water resources should also be done. Construction of proper sanitary landfill sites and investigation of ground water quality are among the other recommendations of the report.

Naseemur Rehman, a senior EPD official, said Paharang drain was disposing of treated water into the river, as the only municipal waste water treatment plant in the province was installed on this drain and was fully operative. Talking about the other points from where untreated wastewater is entering into the river, he said the department had asked all the concerned district governments to plan immediate installation of both industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants in their respective districts.

[http://www.thenews.com.pk, February 25, 2009]

EPA photo contest highlights care for the environment

By Meggie Lu
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) yesterday unveiled the 22 winning entries in its photography contest on the theme “Cherish the Environment, Care for the Earth.” The photographs demonstrate that love for one's surroundings does not take much and can be done as part of everyday life, the EPA said.

“EPA officials, photographers and environmental experts conducted several rounds of selection before picking the winners from a total of 890,” said Liu Tsong-yung, director-general of the EPA's department of comprehensive planning.The high number of entries was proof that people care about the environment, he said.In the “environment” category, Chan Feng-ching's Sun-dried Vegetables won the gold medal for showing how farmers make good use of their yards for drying their laundry in the sun, stocking rice, vegetables and for chatting after work, Liu said.

Other winners focused on bodies of water, with silver medalist Wu Chiu-ju's Emerald Mountain and Green Water Heaven highlighting the result of fish conservation in Taipei County's Jingualiau River , he said.In the “portrait” category, winners mostly submitted shots of volunteers cleaning the environment, with Lee Hsiu-li winning the top prize with Joyful Beach Cleaning, which showed a group of community volunteers giving their time to create a cleaner environment for future generations, Liu said.

Runner-up Chao Shun-ching won with a piece titled Love for Environmental Protection, which showed environmental volunteer moms being cheered on by their children.Winners will receive cash prizes — gold medalists will receive NT$30,000 each, silver medal winners NT$20,000 and bronze medalists NT$10,000 — and their award-winning pieces will be uploaded on the EPA Web site for public viewing, Liu said.“They may also be used in EPA promotional publications in the future,” he said.

[http://www.taipeitimes.com, Feb 25, 2009]

Govt places report on illegal mining before Green Bench

Bangalore(India):The government on Tuesday placed before the green Bench of the high court the Lok Ayukta report, which went into the Rs. 150-crore mining bribery scam. "We have formed a three-member committee to study the recommendations made by the Lok Ayukta in the voluminous report submitted to the government on December 18. The committee comprises additional chief secretary, home secretary and mines secretary. We have three months to decide and send a report on the proposed action. Moreover, there is an SLP pending before the Supreme Court on the same issue. That was tagged with other pleas challenging the power of the high court to direct a CBI probe. That plea is filed by G Janardhana Reddy, who had earlier filed the plea and later withdrew it,'' advocate general Udaya Holla told the court.

"In that case, we'll await the apex court's verdict. We are in a fix. One, there is a similar plea pending before the highest court of the land; second, the applicant there is a respondent here in this petition. There are serious allegations made. If those things are not proved, the petitioner may have to compensate. Tell him to be ready with Rs 1 lakh to pay as compensation to each of the respondent MLAs (including former and present CM) who were made party to this PIL," the division Bench headed by the Chief Justice told the petitioner's advocate before adjourning the hearing.

Shankar Munavalli, former KPCC member from Belgaum, had filed this plea complaining that JD(S) and BJP joined hands to form the government under B S Yeddyurappa in November 2007 -- just to hush up the mining bribery scam.

3 pleas disposed of
The green Bench in its first sitting disposed of three petitions related to mining. The Bench told the authorities to survey the land and take action against the guilty if they are indulging in illegal mining or quarrying.

The cases relate to Melinakuruvalli and Bekalapura in Thirthahalli (Shimoga), Kolachagondalli in Honnali taluk (Davanagere) and Thodar village in Mangalore taluk.

[Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 25 Feb 2009]

Environment Ministers Meet In Antarctica

A group of environment ministers landed on remote corner of Antarctica on Monday to learn more about how the melting continent may threaten the Earth. The parka-clad representatives from more than twelve nations, including the U.S., China, Britain and Russia, were to meet scientists from the U.S. and Norway who were arriving after the last leg of a two-month, 1,400-mile trip over the ice from the South Pole. The group will gain "hands-on experience of the colossal magnitude of the Antarctic continent and its role in global climate change," said Norway's Environment Ministry, who organized the meeting.
They will also learn more about the challenges plaguing research into the link between global warming and the continent, such as how much Antarctica is warming, how much its ice is melting into the sea and how high sea levels might rise throughout the worldwide. The answers are hard to pin down, so much so that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a Nobel Prize-winning network of U.N. scientists, excluded the potential threat from polar ice sheets from calculations in its authoritative 2007 global warming assessment.
The IPCC predicts that oceans may rise up to 23 inches this century, due to heat expansion and melting land ice, global emissions of carbon dioxide are not reduced. However, the U.N. panel did not consider Antarctica and Greenland in their forecast, since the interactions of atmosphere and ocean with their enormous stores of ice are not clearly understood. Antarctica has 90 percent of the world's ice.The West Antarctic ice sheet alone "could be the most dangerous tipping point this century," according to NASA's James Hansen, a top U.S. climatologist. "There is the potential for several-meter rise of sea level," he told The Associated Press last वीक। It’s a "frightening" scenario, said IPCC's chief scientist, Rajendra Pachauri, who met with the ministers in Cape Town ahead of their nine-hour flight from South Africa to Antarctica.Finding the answers has been a critical component of the 2007-2009 International Polar Year (IPY), which has enlisted 10,000 scientists and 40,000 others from more than 60 nations for concentrated research on the Arctic and Antarctica using icebreakers, submarines, surveillance satellite and other methods.
The 12-member Norwegian-American Scientific Traverse of East Antarctica, currently making their 1,400 mile trek to the research station, was one key part of that work. The team drilled deep cores into the ice sheet’s annual layers in this rarely-explored region, to determine the quantity and composition of snow that has fallen historically there.Such efforts will be combined with a separate IPY project that will conduct an all-out initiative to map by satellite radar the "velocity fields" of the entire continent’s ice sheets. The researchers seek to assess how quickly the ice is being pushed into the surrounding sea.
Scientists may then be better able to understand "mass balance" — how much the snow, beginning with ocean evaporation, is counterbalancing the ice pouring out to sea."We're not sure what the East Antarctic ice sheet is doing," IPY director David Carlson explained to the AP from the organization’s offices in Cambridge, England last week."It looks like it is flowing a little faster. So is that matched by accumulation? What they come back with will be crucial to understanding the process."The visiting ministers were those of Britain, Algeria, Sweden, Congo, the Czech Republic, Finland and Norway. Other nations were represented by climate negotiators and policymakers, including China’s Xie Zhenhua Dan Reifsnyder, a deputy assistant U.S. secretary of state.
During their long day on the continent, with 17-hours of sunlight and temperatures dropping to near zero Fahrenheit, the representatives took in the magnificent sights of Queen Maud Land, a mountainous icescape 3,000 miles southwest of South Africa, and visited the Norwegians' high-tech Troll Research Station, upgraded to year-round operations in 2005.Significant research lies ahead, including investigations of the possible shifting and warming currents of the Southern Ocean ringing Antarctica, the scientists say."We need to put more resources in," Carlson told the AP.Some scientists say political action is more urgently needed."We are out of out cotton-pickin' minds if we let that process get started," said Hansen, referring to an Antarctic meltdown. "Because there will be no stopping it."

[Source: http://www.redorbit.com, 24 February 2009]