The proposed National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) would be of “no use” as it has “not mentioned sector-specific and time-bound emission reduction targets” for industries. It has also failed to lay enough emphasis on units which are contributing to air pollution, environmentalists say.

With the goal to meet the prescribed annual average ambient air quality standards at all locations in the country in a stipulated timeframe, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in mid-April, floated the draft of the programme seeking public opinion till May 17.

According to experts, the draft suggests that NCAP will reduce air pollution by 35 per cent within next three years and 50 per cent in the next 5 years.

“This is more of a generic target for the country and it has to be translated into city or region wise target,” the environment think-tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) Executive Director Anumita Roychowdhury told IANS.

“On the basis of this pan India target, sector-specific targets which are not mentioned in the proposed programme have to be worked out for industries and accordingly a roadmap of stringent action is required to be followed to meet ambient air quality standards in a time bound manner,” she added.

The draft acknowledged air pollution “has increasingly been becoming a serious concern predominantly for the health of the people”.

While the problem of air pollution is mainly urban-centric, studies show regional scale pollution, which is more concentrated in entire Indo- Gangetic plains of India and more industrialised states, the draft said.

“The draft NCAP does not clearly speak about what should be done with various industrial sectors that are contributing to air pollution, though it recognised the fact that they are among major sources of air pollution. The proposed programme, without sector-specific and time-bound emission reduction targets, would be of no use,” Greenpeace India Senior Campaigner, (Climate & Energy) Sunil Dahiya told IANS.

Echoing Dahiya, Legal Initiative for Forest and Environment’s Analyst Kankana Das told IANS: “Industries ranging from thermal power, cement, foundry, coke oven and sponge iron plants to construction sector and transports which are major contributors to air pollution hardly got any place in the discussion of the proposed porgramme.”

The government, however, has undertaken a slew of measures, including notification of National Ambient Air Quality Standards and sector specific emission and effluent standards for industries, monitoring network for assessment of ambient air quality, introduction of cleaner fuel, leapfrogging from BS IV to BS VI standards for vehicles by April 1, 2020, ban on bursting of sound-emitting crackers between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. and many others.

“With these recent policy interventions, air quality has purportedly shown some minor improvement in some major cities in recent times which as of now cannot be called a trend,” the draft said.

However, this is “not sufficient” and higher level of focused time bound initiatives at both city and rural level now “appear obligatory” to address the issue comprehensively at the national level, it further said.

The draft proposes source apportionment study and formulation of action plan, but experts argue there is lack of synchronisation between the two.

“According to the proposed draft, the source apportionment study will be done in two years for 94 non-attainment cities, whereas the action plan for 100 non-attainment cities will be formulated in one year. Without having an insight of pollution sources, what is the purpose of making city specific action plan? It defeats the whole purpose of coming out with an action plan,” Das said.

For instance, West Bengal has Kolkata as the only non-attainment city. What about cities like Asansol, Raniganj, Howrah or Durgapur which are already listed as Critically Polluted Areas (CPAs) or Severely Polluted Areas (SPAs) in terms of air pollution component,” she asked.

Roychowdhury pointed out National Ambient Air Quality standards by themselves “do not put the liability of achieving them on the state governments or pollution control boards”.

“The NCAP framework needs a system that will incentivise achievement of air quality targets and disincentivise failure to meet the targets. The system needs teeth,” she said.

The environmentalists alleged data from Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS) and ambient air quality monitoring stations installed in the vicinity of the industrial plants and facilities, specifically for 17 red-category industries, was not made public.

“NCAP must address this issue,” Dahiya said.

Mount Merapi, the most active volcano in Indonesia, spewed a column of ash 3,500 metres into the air early on Tuesday, triggering an evacuation, a disaster agency official said.

The volcanology agency has raised the alert level to the second highest, Xinhua news agency quoted a spokesman of the national disaster management agency as saying.

“All climbing activities, except for research purpose, is barred in the radius of three km from the crater.”

About 660 people have taken shelters to safer grounds, he added. “The number of evacuee keeps rising since last night,” he said.

The volcano, located in the main Java Island, witnessed eruptions four times since Monday with the latest one at 1.47 a.m. on Tuesday, sparking rains of ash in Sleman and Klaten districts, the spokesman said.

Mount Merapi is situated about 28 km north of Yogyakarta city which has a population of 2.4 million and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano.

The volcano has regularly erupted since 1948. In November 1994, pyroclastic flow from a large explosion killed 27 people, and another large eruption occurred in 2006.

At least five people have been killed and seven are missing as heavy rains and strong winds caused havoc in Sri Lanka, the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) said on Monday.

The deaths were reported from the eastern district of Trincomalee and in the lower central hills of Badulla, Xinhua news agency reported.

Three people were killed by lightning, one perished in a landslide, while the fifth death was the result of a fallen tree, said DMC officials.

Over 9,000 people were affected by the adverse weather while hundreds of families were evacuated from their homes as the Meteorology Department warned of more rains in the coming days.

DMC spokesperson Pradeep Kodippili said five major rivers were at spill level and those living in low areas were evacuated to safer levels.

He said floods were also reported from the Ratnapura district in the Sabaragamuwa province and a landslide warning had been issued for Kalutara, Kegalle, Ratnapura, Badulla, Nuwara Eliya, Galle and Kurunegala.

“The police and tri forces are all on standby and assisting in relief efforts. We request the people in low areas to move to safer locations,” he said.

Meanwhile, Sri Lankan Education Ministry said schools in the rain affected areas in Sabaragamuwa province will remain shut on Monday and Tuesday.

Sri Lanka is facing its annual southwest monsoon, with the Meteorological Department warning of more rains in several districts across the country in the coming days.

“Very heavy falls, about 150 mm, can be expected at some places in Sabaragamuwa, Western provinces and in Galle and Matara districts,” the Meteorological Department said.

Over 200 people were killed and 78 people missing when the southwest monsoon caused severe floods and landslides across Sri Lanka in 2017.

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats and countries need better waste management to cope with the sheer quantity of plastic rubbish that is fouling the waters and environment, says United Nations Environment head Erik Solheim.

“Plastic pollution is one of the biggest environmental threats the planet is facing right now,” Solheim emphasised.

Sample these startling facts about plastic pollution: Every year the world uses 500 billion plastic bags. Fifty per cent of the plastic we use is single-use or disposable. Each year, at least eight million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans, the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute.

In the last decade, the world produced more plastic than in the whole of last century.

“We’re throwing up to 13 million tonnes of plastic waste into the oceans each year, and in the next decade that could double . We’re turning the oceans into a plastic soup,” the UN Under-Secretary-General told IANS in an exclusive online interview.

“This has to stop, and right now, because it’s harming marine life and ending up in our own food and water supplies. If it’s not resolved, this is a problem that will come back to bite us. It’s also a problem that’s difficult to clean up.

“We’d like to see a mass mobilisation of people around the world and big clean-ups. These are important because no amount of clean-ups can solve this issue. We need upstream change, that means a change in the way we use plastic,” Solheim, who is coming to India, a host to UN Environment-led global event World Environment Day on June 5.

“Beat Plastic Pollution”, the theme for World Environment 2018, urges governments, industry and individuals to explore sustainable alternatives and reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic polluting oceans, damaging marine life and threatening human health.

“We need consumers to pause and examine their relationship with plastic. If we look at our daily lives, there is so much single-use and throwaway plastic that can easily be eliminated and replaced with sustainable alternatives. If enough people do this, it translates into colossal consumer power!” Solheim said.

For companies, he says: “Then we want industry to innovate, to find sustainable alternatives and embrace the idea of extended producer responsibility — by which a manufacturer takes responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their product.”

“I strongly believe that the companies that innovate now will be the winners of the future.”

“We also want governments to drive this change through legislation, and ensure we have strong enforcement. It’s about ensuring manufacturers have the necessary incentives in place to do the right thing.”

There’s no single, magic solution to enforce a ban on single-use pet bottles or straws. Every minute we buy one million plastic bottles globally, according to the UN Environment.

“It’s clear that we need better waste management to cope with the sheer quantity of plastic rubbish. But let’s not see this as just a litter problem. We need to stop wasteful practice and to do that bans on certain single-use plastic items are helpful,’ he said.

“Ultimately, though, we need changes in design. We need to see sustainable alternatives emerge on the market to replace so much of the wasteful plastic products that we use.”
Yes, India needs more Afroz Shah, not only for clean-up oceans but also for rivers and mountains.

“Afroz Shah is a great inspiration, not only for India but for the entire world. So yes, we do need more people like him! What is important is not just the quantity of litter that has been collected, but that a powerful message has been sent around the world and that this message has been heard!”

Shah, a young lawyer from Mumbai, and his volunteers have removed around 13 million kg of waste since 2015 in what the UN has called “the world’s largest beach cleanup project”.

Solheim is optimistic that India can act as a catalyst for curbing pollution.

“Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi recently said it would be a crime against future generations not to take action on climate change.

“India, therefore, carries a strong moral argument. In addition, India is among the nations that stand to suffer the biggest impact from climate change; so it’s important that it acts as a powerful voice for action on the global stage,” he said.

“India is also innovating, and that’s what I think will be its biggest act of leadership: showing climate action can also unlock incredible economic gains,” he added.

Bodies of 12 persons including two children were retrieved from Godavari river in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday as a search was on for others who went missing after a launch capsized the previous evening.

Rescue workers pulled out the launch by using boats and heavy cranes. Earlier, the Indian Navy personnel traced the launch reportedly at a depth of 60 feet.

Teams from the Navy, state disaster management department and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were engaged in the rescue operations with the help of Navy helicopters.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who rushed to the scene to supervise rescue operations, told reporters that 10 more bodies were yet to be pulled out.

The incident occurred near Manturu in Devipatnam block of East Godavari district around 5 p.m.

The boat, which sailed from Kondamodalu, was on its way Rajamahendravaram. It is believed to have capsized due to gusty winds.

Naidu announced Rs 10 lakh compensation each for the next of kin of the deceased. He said the government would provide jobs to one member each from the families of the victims and would also make arrangements for free education for their children.

The Chief Minister said human error led to tragedy. He was informed by the officials that the launch was carrying cement bags and two-wheelers.

When the boat was caught in gusty winds and rains, those onboard closed the windows. This led to the capsize and also sealed the escape routes.

The incident came close on the heels of a boat with over 100 tourists catching fire in the Godavari river in the same district on May 11.

The passengers had a narrow escape as the driver wheeled the boat to the shore and they jumped off before the entire boat was completely destroyed.

Two children died and at least 11 were injured after a high voltage wire fell and came in contact with a school van in Baniapur.

Reports suggest the students have been rushed to the hospital. Among the 11 students, 3 are said to be critical. More details are awaited.

As many as 80 people were killed in five states due to thunderstorms and lightning strikes since yesterday, with Uttar Pradesh alone recording 51 deaths, the Home Ministry said today. Meanwhile, six more deaths, including a girl aged under four, were reported today from the state of Bihar, parts of which were lashed by a thunderstorm that uprooted trees, electric poles and billboards.

The IMD again issued an advisory of a thunderstorm accompanied with squall and hail with wind speed reaching 50-70 kilometers per hour being “very likely” at isolated places over Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Gangetic West Bengaltomorrow.

Thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds are also likely at isolated places over east Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, sub Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, south interior Karnataka, Kerala and north Tamilnadu, the weather office said.

Thunderstorms and lightning had lashed several states yesterday evening and the toll in related incidents had reached 51 in Uttar Pradesh alone, a Home Ministry spokesperson said. Fourteen people died in West Bengal, 12 in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand, the official added.

Of the 136 people injured in lightning strikes and thunderstorms, 123 were from Uttar Pradesh, 11 from Delhi and two from Uttarakhand. Lightning strikes and thunderstorms hit 24 districts in Uttar Pradesh, six in West Bengal, three in Andhra Pradesh, two in Delhi and one in Uttarakhand, the spokesperson said.

Dust storms and thunderstorms wreaked havoc in Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh yesterday, leaving behind a trail of destruction. High-velocity winds uprooted trees and affected road, rail and air services last evening at a number of places in north India, including the national capital.

Thunderstorms also occurred at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said yesterday.

The devastation comes over 12 days after storms hit Uttar Pradesh (UP), Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttarakhand and Punjab, killing 134 people and injuring over 400. UP was the worst affected, accounting for 80 deaths, most of them in Agra district in the western part of the state.

Subsequently on May 9, several parts of Uttar Pradesh were struck by a severe storm that left 18 dead and 27 others injured. In its advisory issued today, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said heat wave conditions were very likely at some places over west Madhya Pradesh, one or two places over east Madhya Pradesh and Vidharbha.

Dust storm, hail and lightning have claimed as many as 53 lives in Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Delhi, said Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday.

As per the MHA report, 39 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh on the intervening night of May 13-14 due to lightening and thunderstorm while in Andhra Pradesh nine lives were lost.

In West Bengal seven people and in Delhi one person lost their lives.

The total number of injured were 65 — in Uttar Pradesh 53, in West Bengal one person and in Delhi eleven people,” the statement said.

Condoling the deaths, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged the party workers to provide all possible assistance to the bereaved families.

“My condolences to the families of those killed in the severe storms and lightning strikes across India, yesterday (Sunday). Many have also been injured.

“I urge Congress Party workers to provide all possible assistance to the families of those killed and injured,” he said in a tweet.

Leave behind a trail of destruction
Prez $@$# PM express grief on deaths

Met Department has said that the thunderstorms will continue for the next 48 to 72 hours over North-Western, Eastern and Southern part of the country.

Thunderstorms are occurring due to circulation of a western disturbance in North West India and strong easterlies.

At least 41 people were killed when dust storms and thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds hit Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and the national capital on Sunday evening.

18 people were killed in Uttar Pradesh, 12 in West Bengal, nine in Andhra Pradesh, and two in Delhi.

President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have expressed grief on the loss of lives.

In a Tweet message, Kovind said, “Sad to hear of loss of lives due to rain and thunderstorms in different parts of the country. Condolences to those bereaved. Thoughts with fellow citizens who have been affected, especially little children.”

Modi said, “Saddened by the loss of lives due to storms in some parts of the country. Condolences to the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured. Asked officials to provide all possible assistance to those affected.”

A squall and dust storm with a wind speed of up to 109 kmph battered Delhi and neighbouring areas killing two persons and injuring 19 others.

Met department has issued warning for several districts in eastern UP for the next 24 hours.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked the in charge Ministers of different districts to visit the affected areas and monitor relief operations being conducted.

According to Met Department, thunderstorms also occurred in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Maharashtara, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

At least 16 were killed and over 25 injured in yet another thunder and hailstorm that wreaked havoc in over a dozen districts in Uttar Pradesh. Earlier, 73 people were killed when a high-velocity storm hit different parts of the state about a week ago.

Reports reaching the state headquarters claimed that four persons in Etawah and Agra, three in Mathura, two in and Ferozabad, one each Aligarh, Hathras and Kanpur Dehat were killed in separate incidents of house collapse/tree and electric pole felling and lightening.

Reports claimed that Western parts of Uttar Pradesh, particularly the Agra division, was worst-affected again when yet another 68 Km/hour high-velocity winds hit the state, third in less than two months. The met department had warned about the storm in advance.

The thunderstorm was followed by a hailstorm that caused more damage to human lives, livestock, and crop. In Mathura, 33-year-old Bhagwati Singh riding a tractor was caught in the storm near Khanjara Baans village. He was crushed to death when his tractor toppled on him due to strong winds.

Shakuntala Singh (55) was electrocuted when an electric pole fell on her in Maant tehsil in Mathura district. A resident of Mahawant village in Mathura, Mukhypyari (60) died in a similar incident when an electric pole fell on her.

A 15-year-old boy died when lightning struck him at Mohabbatpura village in Hathras district. In Etmadpur in Agra, two people were killed when the roof of their house caved in.

The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed district magistrates in affected areas to provide immediate compensation to the families of victims and personally supervise relief and rescue operations.

The Relief Commissioner Sanjay Kumar said that teams of disaster management have been rushed in these districts to speed up the relief and rescue operations. “More funds have been allocated to the worst affected districts for providing immediate relief to the families of victims,” said he.

Earlier, at least 73 persons were killed and over 100 injured when the storm hit western parts of Uttar Pradesh about a week ago. The Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who was on a three-day campaign tour to poll-bound Karnataka, had to cut short his tour. He rushed back to Agra to meet the families of the victims and injured.

PTI