India ranked 10th on a list of over 60 countries assessed for efforts to fight climate change despite dropping two spots compared to last ago, thanks to its low per capita emissions and rapid deployment of renewables, a report said on Wednesday. The Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI 2025) report, released at the annual UN climate conference here, leaves the first three places empty followed by Denmark (fourth place) and the Netherlands while the largest two emitters, China and the US, remain very low at 55th and 57th place, respectively. Published by think tanks Germanwatch, New Climate Institute, and Climate Action Network International, the CCPI tracks the progress of the world's largest emitters in terms of emissions, renewables, and climate policy. The 63 countries, along with the European Union, assessed in the CCPI are responsible for 90 per cent of global emissions. India ranks 10th in this year's CCPI, remaining among the highest performers. However, noting that significant changes in India's climate policy are unlikely, the CCPI report said the growth-oriented approach to climate action is expected to continue or intensify, driven by rising energy demand from industry and the growing population. "While India is the world's most populous country, it has relatively low per capita emissions and energy use. Renewables have expanded rapidly over the last decade, and India aspires to play a leading role in green energy on the global stage,¿ the international climate think tanks observed. India's per capita emissions stand at 2.9 tons of CO2 equivalent (tCO2e), far below the global average of 6.6 tCO2e. The country, the world's third-largest greenhouse gas emitter and the fastest growing major economy, has pledged to reach net zero emissions (balancing emissions with removals) by 2070 and aims to achieve 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030, Indian official data shows. According to CCPI experts, over the past year, India has made considerable progress in renewable energy policy, particularly with large-scale solar power projects and the launch of the Rooftop Solar Scheme. Energy efficiency standards have been introduced, but their coverage remains inadequate, the report said, adding, India is also advancing in electric vehicle deployment, especially with two-wheelers. The experts said that despite these positive developments, India remains heavily reliant on coal. "India is among the 10 countries with the largest developed coal reserves and is currently planning to increase its production," the report said. The report leaves the first three places empty, as no country performed well enough across all index categories to achieve an overall "very high" rating. India and the UK are the only two G20 countries among the high performers in the CCPI. Argentina (59th), which withdrew from COP29 and may pull out of the Paris Agreement of 2015, is one of this year's biggest losers. Its newly elected president denies human-made climate change, contrary to scientific consensus. Denmark ranks at the top (but technically fourth place), followed by the Netherlands and the UK. The UK, this year's big climber, benefitted from its coal phase out and the government's pledge to halt new licenses for fossil fuel projects, the report said. China, the world's biggest emitter, ranks 55th, falling to a very low level. Despite promising plans, trends, and measures, the largest economy in Asia remains heavily dependent on coal and lacks sufficient climate targets. The US, the second-largest emitter, remains in 57th place among the very low performers. The four lowest-ranked countries in the CCPI are Iran (67th), Saudi Arabia (66th), the United Arab Emirates (65th), and Russia (64th), all four among the world's largest oil and gas producers. Also Read: India’s CO2 emissions account 8pc of global total, to rise by 4.6pc in 2024: Report This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
20 November,2024 06:16 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIIndia accounts for per cent of the global total carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, and it is expected to increase by 4.6 per cent in 2024, according to a new report released on Wednesday, ahead of the UN climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan. The report by Global Carbon Project, involving an international team of more than 120 scientists, showed that global carbon emissions from fossil fuels have reached a record high in 2024 -- 37.4 billion tonnes in 2024, up 0.8 per cent from 2023 levels. The report led by the University of Exeter showed “there is ‘no sign’ that the world has reached a peak in fossil CO2 emissions”. This is despite the urgent need to cut emissions to slow climate change. It showed that emissions from coal are expected to rise by 0.2 per cent; oil by 0.9 per cent; and gas by 2.4 per cent. China’s emissions -- which account for 32 per cent of the global total -- are projected to marginally increase by 0.2 per cent, while US emissions (which account for 13 per cent of the global total) are projected to decrease by 0.6 per cent. Notably, emissions from the European Union (accounting for 7 per cent of the global total) will decrease by 3.8 per cent. Emissions in the rest of the world (accounting for 38 per cent of the global total) are projected to increase by 1.1 per cent, said the report, published in the journal Earth System Science Data. Currently, more than 40 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions are released each year. This is increasing the level of CO2 in the atmosphere -- driving increasingly dangerous global warming. “Time is running out to meet the Paris Agreement goals," said Professor Pierre Friedlingstein, from the University of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute, who led the study. He called on world leaders meeting at the upcoming COP29 to “bring about rapid and deep cuts to fossil fuel emissions”, which will help the world to stay well below 2 degrees Celsius warming above pre-industrial levels. This study estimates the remaining “carbon budget” before the 1.5 degrees Celsius target is breached consistently over multiple years, not just for a single year. At the current rate of emissions, the Global Carbon Budget team estimates a 50 per cent chance global warming will exceed 1.5 degrees Celsius consistently in about six years. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 November,2024 02:14 PM IST | New Delhi | IANSGreenhouse gas levels surged to a new record in 2023, rising by more than 10 per cent in just two decades, according to a new report by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). In the course of 2023, large vegetation fire CO2 emissions and a possible reduction in carbon absorption by forests combined with stubbornly high fossil fuel CO2 emissions from human and industrial activities to drive the increase, according to the WMO's annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin. The globally averaged surface concentration of carbon dioxide reached 420 parts per million (ppm), methane 1934 parts per billion and nitrous oxide 336.9 parts per billion (ppb) in 2023. These values are 151 per cent, 265 per cent and 125 per cent of pre-industrial (before 1750) levels, it said. These are calculated on the basis of the long-term observations within the Global Atmosphere Watch network of monitoring stations. "Another year. Another record. This should set alarm bells ringing among decision makers. We are clearly off track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius and aiming for 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. These are more than just statistics. Every part per million and every fraction of a degree temperature increase has a real impact on our lives and our planet," said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. The 2023 increase of CO2 in the atmosphere was higher than that of 2022, although lower than that of the three years before that. The annual increase of 2.3 ppm marked the 12th consecutive year with an increase greater than 2 ppm. In the last 20 years, the CO2 level has increased by 11.4 per cent (42.9 ppm) above the level of 377.1 ppm recorded in 2004 by WMO's Global Atmosphere Watch network of monitoring stations. From 1990 to 2023, radiative forcing -- the warming effect on our climate -- by long-lived greenhouse gases increased by 51.5 per cent, with CO2 accounting for about 81 per cent of this increase, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Annual Greenhouse Gas Index cited in the WMO Bulletin. As long as emissions continue, greenhouse gases will continue accumulating in the atmosphere leading to global temperature rise. Given the extremely long life of CO2 in the atmosphere, the temperature level already observed will persist for several decades even if emissions are rapidly reduced to net zero. The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 was 3-5 million years ago, when the temperature was 2-3 degrees Celsius warmer and sea level was 10-20 metres higher than now. Also Read: India's development journey intertwined with environmental conservation: EAM This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
28 October,2024 05:05 PM IST | Mumbai | PTIThe Amethi district administration has constructed 30 kilometres of paved roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana using processed plastic waste, saving Rs 45 lakh, officials said on Thursday. According to officials, processed plastic waste can be used to protect the environment when incorporated into construction materials. In Amethi, waste management units are operational across all four tehsils to process plastic waste for reuse, Chief Development Officer (CDO) Suraj Patel said. He said these units, located in Bhausinghpur in Amethi tehsil, Bahadurpur in Tiloi, Mahona Paschim in Musafirkhana, and Sujanpur in Gauriganj, prepare plastic waste for reuse by mixing it with bitumen for road construction under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. "Processed plastic waste is mixed with bitumen, with an eight per cent plastic content in the mix that strengthens the roads. The addition of plastic prevents water from settling, which is one of the main factors that degrades bitumen roads," Patel added. The CDO said the district has completed 30 kilometres of roads using plastic waste, including one road in the Gauriganj block, one in the Bahadurpur block, and four in the Jagdishpur block. "Using plastic waste saves Rs 1.5 lakh per kilometre, leading to total savings of Rs 45 lakh on these 30 kilometres. This approach has also facilitated the management of plastic waste, which poses a significant environmental challenge," he added. Also Read: Small changes, big Impact - Eco-champions reveal surprising plastic culprits and sustainable swaps This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
25 October,2024 02:53 PM IST | Amethi | PTIRajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma expressed happiness over the success in the conservation efforts of the Great Indian Bustard species, as a "healthy chick" has been born through artificial insemination in Jaisalmer."Happy and proud news! A historic achievement has been made in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Significant success has been achieved in the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard species which is continuously moving towards extinction, where a healthy chick has been born through the new technique of artificial insemination," Bhajanlal Sharma wrote on X. सुखद एवं गौरवपूर्ण समाचार!राजस्थान के जैसलमेर में ऐतिहासिक उपलब्धि हासिल हुई है। लगातार विलुप्ति की ओर बढ़ती गोडावण (ग्रेट इंडियन बस्टर्ड) प्रजाति के संरक्षण में महत्वपूर्ण सफलता प्राप्त हुई है, जहाँ कृत्रिम गर्भाधान (आर्टिफिशियल इनसेमिनेशन) की नवीन तकनीक द्वारा एक स्वस्थ चूजे… pic.twitter.com/k6VmHHsUdR — Bhajanlal Sharma (@BhajanlalBjp) October 22, 2024 Calling the achievement unprecedented, the Chief Minister said it would prove to be a milestone in the conservation of Great Indian Bustards."This remarkable success has been achieved at the artificial breeding centre in Jaisalmer under the 'Bustard Conservation and Rehabilitation Program' run with the important objective of preventing the extinction of Rajasthan's state bird Great Indian Bustard and increasing its numbers. This unprecedented achievement will be an important milestone in the direction of Great Indian Bustard conservation," said CM Sharma.Extending wishes, the CM said, "Congratulations and best wishes to all the scientists, forest department officers and employees associated with this innovative project for their tireless and commendable efforts."Earlier on Saturday, continuing his investor outreach in the United Kingdom for the Rising Rajasthan Global Investment Summit to be held from December 9 to 11 in Jaipur, Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma said that "every third tourist that visits India, visits Rajasthan."At the Rising Rajasthan Tourism Meet held at the Taj Hotel in London on Saturday, Sharma addressed a gathering of tourism professionals, investors, and enthusiasts from across the UK, inviting them to the summit.During the event, CM Sharma highlighted that Rajasthan is known for its rich cultural heritage, historic landmarks and scenic beauty.The Chief Minister said that the tourism industry not only plays an important role in India's economy but is also essential globally. Every third tourist that visits India visits Rajasthan as any traveller feels incomplete if he doesn't visit the state. Rajasthan is not only known for its tourism but also for its historical and cultural heritage. Also Read: 'India's development journey deeply intertwined with environmental conservation,' says EAM S Jaishankar at art exhibition in Delhi This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
24 October,2024 10:24 AM IST | Jaisalmer | ANI
As Diwali draws near, an annual debate starts taking shape in the country: Should firecrackers be banned? While it is known that air pollution usually increases during the festive season, especially in metro cities like Delhi and Mumbai, experts have often debated the share of firecrackers contributing to poor AQIs. It is also an annual tradition for the State governments and the Supreme Court to release directions for regulating firecracker use in the weeks leading up to Diwali. Earlier this month, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee announced a complete ban on firecrackers till January 1, 2025. The order also banned manufacturing, storage and selling of firecrackers, including delivery through online marketing platforms. Last year, the Supreme Court clarified that its regulations of banning all crackers, except green crackers, are to be implemented throughout the country. Closer home, last year, the Bombay High Court directed municipal authorities and the police administration to ensure that the bursting of firecrackers is restricted to three hours between 8 PM to 10 PM. Also Read: Delhi govt imposes ban on firecrackers to combat air pollution While these judicial interventions are necessary to regulate the bursting of firecrackers and subsequently control air pollution, people believe it is not enough. Has the ban on firecrackers been effective in Delhi? Delhi is often in the news for its poor air quality, especially during the winter months. It is also one of the few places that has been implementing a complete firecracker ban for a few years now. But has that helped in reducing air pollution? Bhavreen Kandhari, a city-based environmentalist, says, “The ban is a step in the right direction. It surely helps, just like every other source of emission if checked, helps reduce AQI. Firecrackers contribute significantly to pollution during all festivities.” According to a report released by Delhi Pollution Control Committee, there was a 42 per cent increase in AQI on the next day of Diwali last year. Source: DPCC This, Kandhari believes, was majorly due to firecrackers. The same report also shows that AQI on Diwali reduced by 33 per cent in 2023 as compared to 2022, and the AQI on the next day of Diwali reduced by 0.3 per cent between the two years. Source: DPCC Several residents reveal that despite the ban, people still buy and burst firecrackers in the city. On-ground challenges for implementing a ban on firecrackers Kandhari believes that while the ban is important, several challenges exist in implementation. She says, “One of the key challenges with the firecracker ban is that it’s often enforced too late in the year. By the time the ban was announced, manufacturers and traders had already produced and sold large quantities of firecrackers, making them widely available in the market. This leads to easy access, especially with people being able to buy them from neighbouring states where restrictions might be more lenient.” “Also, enforcement of the ban is inconsistent, making it difficult to fully control the situation. Without early intervention and stricter monitoring, both production and sale continue unchecked, thus diluting the effectiveness of the ban. There’s a complete lack of enforcement by the police on the ground as well. For the ban to be truly impactful, it needs to be implemented earlier in the year (the ban should be announced now for the next year) with a focus on stopping the supply chain and stronger cross-state coordination to prevent smuggling and illegal sales,” she adds. These challenges also make it difficult for a complete ban to be announced and enforced in other cities. Ronak Sutaria, a Mumbai resident and founder & CEO of Respirer Living Sciences, a real-time air quality monitoring startup, says, “While Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) or State Pollution Control Boards have the authority to issue such bans, the main question is how do we enforce this? On paper, it looks right. But there’s no proper mechanism to implement it. The ban has to come with penalties but how will the police force be mobilised for this? Theoretically yes, a ban on firecrackers would help reduce air pollution but practically, the situation is different.” Mumbai-based environmentalist Stalin D backs this, saying, “The ban on firecrackers has largely remained on paper. Some smoke-emitting crackers have been banned. Beyond that, nothing has happened.” Ask him why the restrictions have not been effective and he’s quick to say, “The failure of the ban is due to many reasons. The masses believe that crackers are a must during festivals. People have not been able to understand the linkages between air pollution and health disorders. This is despite their children and aged parents suffering. The politicians who can help bring the change themselves encourage the violations and this hazardous activity. For every politician's birthday, loud firecrackers are burst at midnight. This again is done in gross violation of Supreme Court orders banning fireworks beyond 10 PM.” In his words, “A beautiful festival of lights has been turned into a noisy polluting nightmare.” Have firecracker restrictions helped improve AQI in Mumbai – what does data say? While Mumbai has not imposed a complete ban on firecrackers yet, there have been several restrictions in terms of sales, timings, etc. Has that helped reduce air pollution over the years? A report compiled by Repository Living Sciences using data from 18 stations in Mumbai presents the following insights: Average AQI one day before Diwali in 2021: 82.80 Average AQI one day before Diwali in 2022: 57.93 Average AQI one day before Diwali in 2023: 46.18 There is a 19.54 per cent reduction in AQI in 2023 as compared to 2022. Average AQI on Diwali in 2021: 84.25 Average AQI on Diwali in 2022: 68.79 Average AQI on Diwali in 2023: 66.64 There is a 1.85 per cent reduction in AQI between 2022 and 2023. However, the AQI remained above the safe level limit of 60 across all three years. Average AQI one day after Diwali in 2021: 91.18 Average AQI one day after Diwali in 2022: 109.49 Average AQI one day after Diwali in 2023: 78.62 The AQI reduced by 17.86 per cent in 2023 as compared to 2022. However, the levels remained above the safe level. While the insights show a positive change, it is important to note that a majority of stations recorded AQI above 60, which presents a dire picture. Also, factors beyond firecrackers may have also contributed in the increase or reduction in AQI. Is imposing a ban on firecrackers enough? While restrictions on firecrackers and in some places, a complete ban, are steps to curb air pollution, they are not enough. “The ban is a step in the right direction, but to see real, sustained improvement in air quality, we need long-term systemic changes that address these underlying causes of pollution. A comprehensive approach that includes better waste management, stricter regulation of industrial emissions, promotion of cleaner transportation and policies encouraging green infrastructure will have a more meaningful impact on the AQI,” believes Kandhari. Cultural and behavioural changes needed The harms of bursting firecrackers both on the health of living beings and the environment are not unknown. Yet, people continue this practice because many consider it a part of their culture, a way of celebration. “People believe firecrackers to be inherent in culture. In that sense, if you’re banning firecrackers, you are essentially asking for a cultural change and that is not something that the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) or other authorities can do. Unless some religious or cultural figure persuades people not to burst firecrackers, just the authorities saying it won’t make much of a difference, especially when there are no legal mechanisms to enforce it. A behavioural change and cultural change is required,” believes Sutaria. If one wants to stop or control the bursting of firecrackers, a mindset shift is required which can’t come about at the snap of a finger. It needs to start from an early stage. Other steps to control air pollution While firecrackers do play an important role in contributing to air pollution, especially during this time, other factors are also responsible for poor AQI. To manage those, some steps need to be taken around the year beyond restricting firecracker use. Kandhari suggests the following: Urgent transition to clean energy: For example, diesel gensets were banned in Delhi, which has been a great step. While alternatives like battery storage systems or solar-powered options are available, the high cost and limited infrastructure for cleaner options discourage widespread adoption. Convenience and affordability are key barriers to moving away from polluting technologies. Expanding public transport, promoting electric vehicles and creating better infrastructure for cycling and walking can reduce vehicular emissions. Implementing congestion and emission taxes in high-traffic areas can further discourage the use of private vehicles. Encouraging responsible waste management, strict implementation of SWM Rules 2016 implementing waste segregation at source, curbing open burning of waste and promoting composting will help curb harmful emissions from landfills and incinerators. Stricter enforcement of emission standards for factories and industries is crucial, along with incentives for cleaner technology adoption. Protecting forests and increasing green cover through urban forests and green belts is necessary. There’s also a need to implement greening guidelines for footpaths, roads and highways. Civil society and experts should be included in all stages of decision-making and implementation. Also Read: Diwali 2024: Eco-friendly and DIY ideas to elevate your home décor
23 October,2024 10:36 AM IST | Mumbai | Raaina JainIndia's development journey is "deeply intertwined" with environmental conservation, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said and lauded tribal communities for their role in protecting biodiversity. He was speaking at an event held at the India Habitat Centre here on Thursday to mark the inauguration of a tribal art exhibition -- 'Silent Conversation: From the Margins to the Centre' in Delhi. In his address, Jaishankar also praised the 'Project Tiger' that was started in 1973. "It is not an exaggeration, it is a shining example of success. And, for which the tribal communities deserve immense credit," the Union minister said. Jaishankar further said that this art does not just show creativity, it sends a "profound message, one that bridges the gap between nature and humanity.. from tigers to tribals". This exhibition showcases that people can exist with nature in complete harmony. It weaves the story of how tribal community over millennia has forged an enduring bond with nature, he added. In his address, he spoke of the philosophy of 'Antyodaya', which means to leave no one behind, and said "it is not just a policy, it is a soul and guiding principle of our government". "We are committed to ensuring Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Prayas, Sabka Vishwas, with a particular focus on uplifting marginalised community, especially our tribal population. Through targeted policies, we are creating opportunities, bolstering education with sustainable livelihood for our tribal youth," the minister said. The Aspirational Blocks Programme has been instrumental in improving the ease of living of tribal community, who reside in these areas, he underlined. "India's development journey is very deeply intertwined with environmental conservation," the EAM said, and highlighted that tigers have been depicted in arts, and also worshipped by some communities. There is an "emotional relationship" between tribals and the environment they inhabit and after seeing this exhibition, the feeling of the Mother Earth comes to one's heart, he said. He concluded that as a foreign minister it will be a "source of pride for me" to present art works made by tribals as a gift to people abroad. Later, he also posted some photos of the exhibition on X. "Delighted to inaugurate the tribal art exhibition 'Silent Conversation: From Margins to the Centre' in New Delhi today. Witnessed a beautiful exposition showcasing our ethos of environmental conservation, sustainability and living in harmony with the nature. Commend the exceptional work of our talented tribal artisans. Do visit and support," he posted. Sankala Foundation, in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, hosted the exhibition with the support of National Human Rights Commission and International Big Cat Alliance. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
18 October,2024 01:16 PM IST | Delhi | PTIMumbai witnessed heavy downpour on Wednesday this week bringing the city to a standstill once again as roadways and the city’s railway network was affected. It has only got worse since. The monsoon season has been erratic this year for the city, which saw a slump in August and has now returned this week, but for how long? The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has been sharing regular live updates, but the city also boasts of a citizen weatherman helping people in times of need. Rushikesh Agre, popularly known as Mumbai Rains, shares live updates on his social media accounts @rushikesh_agre_ on X (formerly Twitter) and @india_weatherman on Instagram. As we speak, Agre has put as many as 10 updates in the last 24 hours on Instagram to inform people about Mumbai’s current weather. The Mumbaikar has predicted ‘High Alert in Mumbai city and suburbs between 3 to 5 pm, and that major waterlogging is likely’ for this evening. The update is also supported with technical information that is broken down by him. It is not difficult but in fact easy to understand along with weather diagrams. While the accuracy of the updates may depend from time to time, the Mumbaikar has been consistently doing this since 2019 for the love of the weather. He has now amassed over 70,000 followers on Twitter, and over 8167 followers on Instagram – all of whom depend on him daily for Mumbai rain updates, especially when the situation gets worse like it has in this week. With more people depending on him, mid-day.com spoke to Rushikesh Agre to know more about what inspires him to be Mumbai’s weatherman. Interestingly, the 21-year-old is law student with a love for meteorology, and is armed with a course from Harvard University, that has not only made him a local celebrity but also around the world. Here are edited excerpts from the interview: What inspired you to take up tracking Mumbai's weather and since when have you been doing it?Forecasting Mumbai's weather, the financial hub of India, has always been a source of pride. Notorious for its unpredictable rains, Mumbai often leaves its residents uninformed about live updates. Thus, looking at these things, I started my journey in weather forecasting. Since June 2019, I have dedicated myself to studying weather patterns and providing daily updates, with a particular focus on the Mumbai-Pune stretch for the last five years.How did you start tracking Mumbai's weather? What are the methods you use? Initially, I started checking various weather radars and models and from their map analysis and after getting more comfortable in this field, I started developing my experience and interpret the weather alerting Mumbai people. I believe IMD Doppler Radar and IMD-GFS models are pretty accurate tools for the Indian subcontinent, to track live weather and how the weather will be ahead. Along with IMD forecast, I look on other platforms too just for a backup, if majority of the models show the same result, then it becomes easy for us to give more proximate estimation, quite faster and more accurate compared to them.At a time when India has the Indian Meteorological Department, what role do you think independent weathermen like you play generally as well as online? As IMD gives long term alerts, and few nowcast warnings, we as individual weathermen are more useful for the people for tracking live weather and thus, we become a bridge between IMD and citizens, as declaring alert from them takes time for few conditions to get fulfilled, but we give alerts suburb-wise as well looking at the live weather which makes it more efficient for people. But lastly, we rely on the information, from IMD based models only.What has been the most fascinating aspect of doing this? What have you learned in the process? It is important to have patience in this field. The fascinating part is I learn new geography concepts along with live happenings of the event, as I have a solid interest in geography and studying maps. I just recall myself, estimate the projection of the weather for a day, get it right and the satisfaction you get is just amazing. You don't leave this hobby once you get a streak of wins, same story as a cricketer.What are the challenges you face while doing a job like tracking the weather? Every day is a different day and a different challenge in the life of a weatherman. While forecasting the weather, various parameters have to be checked before posting or issuing an alert, sometimes the projection looks uncertain about how the weather would be, and you still have to wait for a lot of time, always checking with updates and models showing different trajectories especially while tracking cyclone, to get to an answer takes a lot of effort. At such time you just have to look at the history of the happenings, and along with that you can project your estimation, looking at the factors from time to time, which I do.How would you say has Mumbai and India's weather changed since you started tracking it?Well, I have been observing climate change is making the weather more unpredictable not only for Mumbai, but all over India. This summer we saw how Delhi got 40 degrees Celsius days almost for a month and a few days back Delhi got floods in the same month, On the west coast as well, heavy downpours begin in Mumbai in no time and the rest of the few days in monsoon remain dry, we all know about July 26 floods, such weather is getting more uncomfortable for all of us.Do you believe such weather updates help more during the monsoon than any time of the year? Yes, of course. Monsoon is a prime time for a weatherman, be it 3 pm or 3 am, you have to keep a watch on the weather, as we all have seen many times subways getting flooded due to rains every year. If all of us can be alerted before happening of the event, people can be ready and aware of the weather changes and can plan accordingly saving their precious time and lives.Do you have a day job? If yes, how do you manage it with this? Would you call it a hobby? I am a law student, pursuing BLS LLB in Government Law College, Mumbai and pursued Meteorology course from Harvard University. Forecasting the weather is still a hobby for me. I start the day with studying radars and post the morning tweets so all of us get prepared for the office hours, along with me. Haha. Whenever I get free, I primarily look at weather warnings and if no warnings are there, the day remains free unlike other days where you have to stay awake overnight looking at the weather models and radars.In the time that you have been sharing these updates online, what is the kind of reaction you have got from people? It is a pleasure serving the city of more than 2 crore people with live weather updates. I have always got appreciated by my people from time to time and also few social media influencers, especially Abhi and Niyu, and the legendary film director Vivek Agnihotri, which motivates me to go ahead with sharing more weather updates and alerting people.Lastly, do you have a memory where you think you may have helped make a difference?It just happened two months ago on May 13, when Mumbai witnessed a severe dust storm where I was the only person who alerted all Mumbaikars before the arrival of the dust storm, by giving warnings 1 hour before. As it came true, I got a lot of media recognition as it saved a lot of lives, my expert quotes from news media got shared and went viral all over European and North American media channels which made a huge difference. This was one of the most memorable moments in my life.
27 September,2024 06:12 PM IST | Mumbai | Nascimento PintoOzone pollution is stunting the growth of tropical forests, with the effect being stronger in Asia, where such forests are losing nearly 11 per cent of new growth, research has found. Air quality will continue to play an important, yet often overlooked, part in how forests absorb and store carbon, according to lead author Flossie Brown, a recent graduate of the University of Exeter. While ozone in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere protects people from harmful ultraviolet radiations from the Sun, ozone closer to the ground level is harmful to plant and human health. The gas is formed when pollutants from human activities combine in the presence of sunlight. The researchers explained that urbanisation, industrialisation and burning fossil fuels and fires have resulted in an increase in 'precursor' gases -- such as nitrogen oxides -- that form ozone. The team found that ozone at the ground level can stunt new growth in tropical forests by over five per cent, translating into an estimated 290 million tonnes of uncaptured carbon every year since 2000. The findings are published in the journal Nature Geoscience. Tropical forests are vital 'carbon sinks', which capture and store carbon dioxide, an important greenhouse gas driving climate change. "Furthermore, this impact (due to ozone pollution) shows a great deal of geographic variation, from a decrease of 1.5 per cent in Central Africa to 10.9 per cent in Asian tropical forests," the authors wrote. Lead author Alexander Cheesman, University of Exeter, said, "We estimate that ozone has prevented the capture of 290 million tonnes of carbon per year since 2000. The resulting cumulative loss equates to a 17 per cent reduction in carbon removal by tropical forests so far this century." For their analysis, the researchers ran experiments to measure the effects of ozone on various tropical tree species. They then incorporated the results into a computer model of global vegetation.Under a warming climate, an increase in ozone levels across the tropics is expected due to an increase in 'precursor' emissions, according to Brown. "We found that areas of current and future forest restoration -- areas critical for the mitigation of climate change -- are disproportionately affected by this elevated ozone," Brown said. Also Read: Mumbai’s ongoing battle to preserve its green spaces in an urban hub This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
13 September,2024 06:21 PM IST | Mumbai | PTILack of green spaces and long-term exposure to air pollution increase the risk of hospitalisation for respiratory conditions, a new study has said. Traffic-related air pollution is also strongly linked to the progression from asthma to asthma-COPD (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), according to a second study presented at the ERS Congress the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Vienna, Austria. The first study was presented by Shanshan Xu from the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Norway. The study evaluated the association between respiratory health and long-term exposure (between 1990 and 2000) to particulate matter, black carbon, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and greenness (the amount and health of vegetation surrounding a person’s home). “Specifically, we observed that for each interquartile range increase in these pollutants, the risk of hospitalisation rises by approximately 30 to 45 per cent, depending on the pollutant. Greenness, on the other hand, contributed to a reduced risk of respiratory hospitalisation,” said Xu. But while greenness was associated with a decreased risk of respiratory hospitalisations, it was also linked to an increased number of respiratory emergency room visits, particularly when looking at the co-presence of hay fever. The second study was presented by Dr Samuel Cai from the Centre for Environmental Health and Sustainability at the University of Leicester, UK. Levels of two main air pollutants – particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide – were estimated at each participant’s home address, and a genetic risk score. The team found that for every 10 micrograms per metre cubed higher exposure to particulate matter, the risk of developing COPD was 56 per cent higher among asthmatic patients. “We also found that higher exposure to nitrogen dioxide increases the risk. In addition, if individuals carry a medium-to-high genetic risk score, the risk of increased nitrogen dioxide exposure causing asthma to progress to COPD is even higher,” Dr Cai explained. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.
08 September,2024 03:42 PM IST | London | IANS
The stunning hill station, Wayanad, which was one of the picturesque tourist spots, has been toppled like a house of cards. Guwahati, the vibrant northeast city of Assam, which was known for lush greenery and breath of fresh air and a wildlife haven, has been engulfed by the destructive tide. Shahjahanpur, a district situated in the heart of Uttar Pradesh, has been wrecked by a husky push of the flooded rivers. All these events have one thing in common, i.e., earth’s ruthless devastation - a nature’s cry seeking for abrupt aid, wanting to be saved and protected before another chaos hits urban cities. It’s very obvious that when monsoon strikes cities that are already propped up with rivers and seas, they end up surrendering to the escalating water levels, facing the worst nightmare in nature's playground. The ongoing monsoon crisis in several cities across India requires swift aid. Lakhs of people were adversely affected due to these merciless catastrophic floods. If there’s anything that we need to take from the recent disasters in India, it’s that people must and should educate themselves about climate change. A sharp blow by the surging sea levels, a hillside angry descent by destructive landslides, and submerging regions that were sunk like a stone due to the crushing tides of devastation - all these are climate change ravaging, giving warning messages to act before it’s too late. If there's one lesson we must take from nature’s fierce and unforgiving struggle, it’s that we need to educate ourselves about climate change. The storms, fires, and rising seas are not just random acts—they are warnings. Nature is sending us a message, and it’s up to us to listen, learn, and act before it’s too late. So, how did it all happen? To what extent did the chaos shatter the urban cities? On 12th July 2024, the UP’s state relief department stated that 732 villages in 17 districts were fully flooded. In one day’s span, 11 death cases were reported by the state officials as a result of UP floods. The NH24, Lucknow-Delhi Highway, was entirely flooded due to the rising water levels in the Garra and Khannaut Rivers, in Shahjahanpur, obstructing the traffic in the surrounding regions. Mumbai rainfall: The financial city drenched in flood waters For the last few decades until now, India has been witnessing a surge in flooding levels. Mumbai has faced awful destruction, posed by frequent climate changes and extreme shifts in weather conditions, despite the development of corridors and passage channels built in and around the rainfall-sensitive areas. Dating back to July 26, 2005, Mumbai faced a cataclysmic rainfall of 944 mm and flash floods, that submerged the city in deep waters, leaving both the locals and the government in a total mess. This event was an unforgettable one for Mumbaikars and the whole of India, as the city was in shambles, killing 1,094 human lives and several animals. The rainfall has posed an absolute mayhem, destroying the local infrastructure and the surrounding houses. Even the entire transport system, including the local train services, was halted due to the wreckage and havoc caused by the rainfall. As per multiple sources, this event led to damaging 4,000 cabs, 900 BEST buses, and 37,000 auto rickshaws. The surge in water logging only made the situation worse for Mumbaikars and hapless animal deaths engulfed in the deep floods expressed worries on the risk of disease emergence. Five years back from now, i.e., 2020, till 2024, the current period, the Mumbai rainfall has increased the difficulties for the locals, government, BMC, and other officials. While the geographic location is an exception, the city has not done much yet, concerning building proper channels that would give direction for excess flooding-prone areas to survive. The lack of proper infrastructure and disaster management systems in place are leading to harsh weather threats in Mumbai, which is something that needs immediate attention from the government and local bodies. On August 6, 2020, Mumbai faced a heavy rainfall of 293.8 mm within 12 hours. This was a record-setting August rain in a 24-hour window since 1974. The wind speed touched 106 km/hr as against the normal monsoon wind speed range of 10-15 km/hr. This calamity destroyed the nature imbalance, collapsing hospital infrastructure, posing short circuits and power outages in multiple parts of the city, and stranding the train services. This is the same year the deadly pandemic struck the world, putting mandate distancing rules in place. During this period, a rainfall like this made everything impossible and vexing to operate and resolve the flooding crisis in Mumbai. Despite several alerts from the meteorological department, the BMC failed to take swift preventive measures, which left trials of destruction and disorder in the financial city. On July 18, 2021, Mumbai encountered another catastrophic rainfall of 235 mm in 24 hours. All the roads were clogged and jammed with water touching to the neck level, especially the Santacruz–Chembur Link Road. As per the IMD reports, the July month surpassed 1000 mm rainfall rather than the normal rainfall of 827 mm in Mumbai. In the same month, the city also faced two thunderstorms which led to 500 mm rainfall, drenching the entire city. The city received rainfall above and beyond 2,000-mm in July alone, carrying a similar pace since June 1 - the start of monsoons in India. Due to heavy rains in July month, the city also succumbed to fatal landslides in the suburbs of Chembur and Vikhroli, resulting in 32 deaths. On July 1, 2022, the financial city was again drowned in wet, facing severe rains of 250 mm within 12 hours, resulting in flash floods in central Mumbai, posing 19 deaths. The city received above 4000 mm rainfall during the entire year, transcending the previous year’s record. The BMC’s improper management and lack of drainage system upgrades failed to meet the spiking flooding challenges in Mumbai. Moving forward to 2024, the monsoon season moved towards the extreme side, as the Mumbai city’s tagline “the city that never sleeps”, continues to remain sleepless due to the rising rainfall and flood concerns. On July 7-8, 2024, the financial city received 300 mm rainfall, one of the extreme ones in the year so far. Due to this extreme weather event, certain places were waterlogged, hence several buses were rerouted to other directions by BEST. "Heavy rains in some low-lying areas led to waterlogging and disruption of suburban train services," said the BMC. Further, the BMC declared a holiday in the first half of the day for all the schools and colleges, both government and private ones, respectively. “Train services are affected at Sion and between Bhandup and Nahur stations. Rainwater was above the tracks, so trains were stopped for nearly one hour. Now water has receded a bit, so trains are restarting but services are still affected,”said the Central Railway Public Relations Officer (CRPO). Reports claim 5 fatalities due to drowning and electrocution. The city faced a loss of hundreds of crores due to extreme rainfall and floods, resulting in property destructions, business shutdowns, transport immobility, etc. According to the BMC reports, the eastern suburbs of Mumbai, particularly Vikhroli received a record rainfall of 315.6 mm (Automatic Weather System) in between 1 am to 7 am, Powai received 314.5 mm of rainfall, Andheri East recorded 292 mm, Chakala with 272 mm, and Aarey recording 259 mm, individually. The July 2024 rainfall was considered to be extreme, surpassing any July rainfall rainfall in the last 5 years. In a sit-down with Sunil Kamble, a Senior India Meteorological Department (IMD) official, our conversation revolved around severe landslides, unpredictable monsoons, and floods that ravaged several states for decades, including the past two months. With regards to monitoring and predicting rainfall patterns in regions prone to landslides and floods, Sunil Kamble said, “We have surface observational networks all over India. We release the air balloons for taking upper air observations. We have a network of automatic weather stations. We have more than 40 radars in India which take observations every 10 minutes. We have satellite images, the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model, the Global Forecast System (GFS) model, and ECMWF model. Additionally, we got ship observations of those who are in the oceans and aircraft observations. We monitor and take all the aforementioned observational network data every three hours, and analyze the whole of India and surrounding countries weather changes. The model predictions depend on the season and weather conditions. Apart from that, the IMD also conducts manual observations every three hours. Every half an hour satellite image observations are taken. The radar takes observations every 10 minutes. The automatic weather stations also give recent updates on weather activities every 15 minutes. We have lightning detectors set across regions to know where the thunderstorm activities are taking place. This cumulative data is taken into consideration before giving the final prediction of the rainfall or heatwave or cold wave activities.” In 2022, the BMC launched the Mumbai Climate Action Plan ( MCAP) to address the rising climate change hassles in Mumbai over the last few years. The aim of MCAP is to focus on the ground reality problems of vulnerable regions in Mumbai city. As per the MCAP 2022 report, Mumbai stands in the 5th position among the world’s cities most at risk of flooding, resulting in USD 284 million monetary loss annually. The 2005 Mumbai flooding event alone posed a USD 690 million loss for the city. Studies claim that, by 2050, such extreme weather events, like floods and rains, will spike the annual monetary losses up to USD 6.1 billion per year. The IMD uses the latest technologies like Doppler Radar, Satellite Imaging, and Numerical Weather Prediction models to enhance the weather forecasts. Kamble, the IMD official said, “We get data updates of weather after every 10 minutes with the aid of radar. The scanning capacity and range of one radar is almost 500 kms in and around. With the help of this radar, we get to know the water content in the clouds, moving direction of the clouds, and where it can reach in 30 min. We also get to know the vertical profile of the wind from the ground to 8 to 10 kms, along with changes in the wind patterns.” As they say, it’s never too late to mend, the MCAP has got everything planned for Mumbai to make it a greener economy. Some of the MCAP 2020 strategies include the creation of an EV cell, 100% electric freight with a shift to rail and water by 2050, 100% electrification of buses by 2050, etc. The C40 Cities Cities Climate Leadership Group has launched a Climate Budget Program in collaboration with the City of Oslo, to aid and assist in building climate friendly cities, and Mumbai is a part of this program among others. To enhance the weather forecasting, the IMD has been working constantly to widen their reach. “We have increased the observational network. Earlier, we used to have only 25 radars, now we have increased the radar by 40, and expect to increase them by 65-70. We are trying to increase the automatic weather stations and observational network. No weather event should go undetected, so with the help of the latest technologies. We are trying to increase the observational network in inaccessible areas, so that we can get the data of those areas like hilly regions,” says Kamble, the IMD Official. According to the BMC FY 20224-25 report, they have allocated INR 31,774.59 crores for capital expenditure. The BMC has a set budget of INR 10,224.24 crores for the activities related to climate change, INR 2,163.8 crores budget has been set for MCAP activities such as plantations/landscaping, rooftop solar, electrification works, and sewage treatment plants in new constructions. The monsoons affect the country from June-September, however, the rainfall pattern has not met the seasonal expectations. The IMD official, Sunil Kamble, said, “Because of climate change, we are not getting the rainfall pattern like before. Earlier, we used to get continuous rainfall for a long period and that’s not happening nowadays. In the month of July, we are getting excess rain, in the month of August, we are not getting as much rain as expected. With the rise of urbanization, the earth’s temperature levels are increasing simultaneously, posing climate change threats - a factor that’s causing floods in the urban cities.” The BMC allocated a budget of INR 10,22,42,430 spanning across 6 sectors. The Urban Flooding & Water Resource Management sector has been allocated INR 9,70,79,774, accounting for 30.55% share of the total capital expenditure. On July 18-19, 2024, Mumbai was again all wet, and got knocked down with 250 mm rainfall, submerging the part of the city, all with flooded waters. Raigad, Navi Mumbai, Konkan, Gandhi Market, Marathwada, and Vidarbha were some of the Mumbai regions that were given heavy rainfall alerts by the IMD. Kamble commented, “We are giving updates 24 hours in advance for flash floods and extreme rainfall warnings. With the aid of radars, we get to know in which area how much quantity of rainfall is likely to take place within the next 3-4 hours. We do NOWCAST, where we make predictions in advance, like in which area there will be a cloudburst or extreme weather situation. Moreover, we send SMS-es to disaster management authorities in every district of India.” The IMD official further added, “Monsoon prediction is always a challenge, especially the rainfall, but still we have the latest technologies compared to developed nations. A tropical weather phenomenon takes place because of convective activities. All the district disaster management authorities should take care of their respective districts. We are giving the district forecast for the next 5 days in advance along with timely updates. The disaster management authorities, district collectors, and local government authorities have to take a call for their district and convey whether it’s orange alert or yellow alert or red alert. Extreme weather events are increasing nowadays. Earlier, we used to face very little extreme weather events but today we are witnessing rainfall of beyond 200 mm in less than 24 hours. Because of climate change and global warming, the monsoon patterns are changing frequently. Hence, all the reports are revised the following day, everyday at 12 to 12 in the afternoon. Plus, we are updating the weather report for the next 5 days twice to keep everyone abreast of the weather forecast.” Landslides in India: A trip down memory lane Landslides, another climate change disaster that wiped several cities and villages in the past in India. The common cause behind recurrent landslides is prolonged rainfall for long hours and the inherent lack of vegetation in the upper regions of the catchment areas. India has a long history of landslide disasters for the last 8 decades and so, and still continues to create a massacre through the brutal force of nature. Tracing back to the previous years, the first worst landslide happened in Guwahati on September 18, 1948. The severity of the event was devastating and tumultuous, claiming more than 500 lives and left the entire village trapped under landslide detritus, as per the report. Another worst landslide took place in the heart of Darjeeling-Sikkim region on October 4, 1968. This region received prolonged ceaseless rainfall for 4 days, which triggered 100s of landslides, swallowing homes and bridges in its fury, smothered the region by the landslide remnants, leading to a loss of 1000 innocent lives. The next worst landslide occurred in Malpa, Uttarakhand, India, on 11th August and 17th August, 1998, in Malpa, resulting in a massive wreck and crimson drops of heartbreak in and around the village. Woefully, the deadly disaster didn’t pose any sign of alert for the people to escape or prepare for sheltering. As per the International Journal of Applied Research 2002, this landslide killed 380 people in the Malpa village. On July 12, 2000, the suburbs of Mumbai was hit by a striking landslide due to heavy rainfall and land erosion, claiming 67 souls. Amboori Landslide in Kerala was the next chaotic one in the climate disaster list. The event took place on November 9, 2001, where nearly 40 people lost their lives due to this landslide disaster. The incessant rains of 82.4 mm slamming into the earth’s soil with mighty force, has caused the landslide to plummet. Another brutal landslide happened in Uttarakhand, called the Kedarnath Landslide, on June 1, 2013. This event happened due to cloudbursts, rapid melting of the Chorabari Glacier, and heavy rains, taking more than 5700 lives. This event was caused by rainfall and floods, dismantling 4200+ villages, and highlighting the lack of proper protection and the vulnerability of Himalayan regions to climate change. If a landslide happens in a remote location, it feels like being trapped in a maze where every exit leads to more torment. This is exactly what happened on July 30, 2014, when a destructive landslide buried Malin village under nature’s unforgiving wrath. This whirlwind of meteorological mayhem has led to a loss of 151 people and 100 people missing, as per several reports. This disastrous event happened due to steep terrain, deforestation, and human activities like quarrying. In 2018, India witnessed another major landslide in Kodagu, Karnataka. This disaster happened between August 10 and 17, claiming 53 souls and destroying 4,056 houses. The landslide was caused due to heavy rainfall, poor management, and deforestation activities. As per the reports, 18,000 people were evacuated from Kodagu due to this landslide. Any slope above and beyond 20° is prone to landslide disasters, and that’s what happened in Pettimudi, Idukki district. This landslide took place on August 6, 2020, at Pettimudi in Rajamala. This disaster event was caused due to relentless monsoon downpour, and the steep terrains carried the victims into nearby streams, making the rescue operations much more arduous. Knowing about the Idukki landslide, two NDRF teams were immediately sent to the disaster place for searching and rescue operations. Even other agencies were tagged along to quicken the rescue search. As per the NDRF report, 65 dead bodies were recovered after a 22-day prolonged rescue search. Some post-landslide event reports state that only 12 people survived and 70 were dead. These unusual disasters are triggered by the effects of global climate change that were primarily driven by irregulated human activities like deforestation, burning fossil fuels, poor construction, etc. Manipur is another state that gets affected due to frequent landslides due to extreme rainfall conditions. In 2022, the Tupul Railway station area got hit by a massive landslide in Manipur, leaving a spree of 61 dead bodies and 18 injured people. In 2023, another landslide devastated the natural balance of Manipur, as this event ravaged the Imphal-Silchar highway resulting in obstructing 500 goods vehicles for drawn-out hours. These frequent landslides in the western Manipur region are due to several reasons such as heavy rains, poor maintenance of hilly slopes, deforestation, lack of proper passages for debris and Ijei river, etc. Wayanad landslide: City revival in progress 2024 hasn’t been the best year for India, as the nation is drowning in debris, floods, and landslides. On July 30, 2024, a stunning evergreen district of Kerala, Wayanad, took a huge landslide blow, driving the whole state upside down like never before. The district faced 570 mm rainfall, which was beyond control for nonstop 48 hours, annihilating everything sparing not even a whisper of what once was. As per several reports, this massive landslide event resulted in over 420 deaths of innocent souls and 397 injured people. Due to incessant rainfall for a prolonged period and extensive deforestation, this landslide event exterminated the lives of several people. Chooralmala, Mundakkai, and Punjirimattom are the three surrounding areas of Wayanad that were adversely impacted by the landslide. Though the official data regarding the deaths and other aspects of the disaster were released, there are some missing details that are still under the search radar of the rescue officials. This event has triggered the government, climate experts and activists, and native locals in particular, highlighting how climate change can turn an entire region or state into a graveyard of shattered dreams. The Gadgil Report, formally known as the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) Report, was headed and chaired by Dr. Madhav Gadgil. The prime reason for this report is to identify and address the key issues of highly sensitive areas in the Western Ghats. Home to a rich tapestry of species, the Western Ghats are recognized as one of the world’s eight premier biodiversity hotspots, as per the UNESCO World Heritage Center. The Gadgil report categorized Western Ghats into Ecologically Sensitive Zones (ESZs) and ranked them accordingly. The ESZ-1 is considered as highly sensitive and the ESZ-3 labeled as the highly less sensitive ones. To conserve the precious ecosystem, the report recommended stringent regulations on development activities, such as mining, construction, and large-scale industrial projects, and suggested involving local communities for any future decision-making. As far as urban planning is concerned, IMD official, Sunil Kamble, said, “Generally, whenever they plan for drainage or extended corridors for excessive water passage due to floods, they do consider how much rainfall does occur in a particular city. The projections are made based on the urban planning reports of the last 2-3 decades. When rainfall happens more than 100 mm in an hour or in 24 hours, we get flash floods type of situations. So, the planning is done accordingly to ensure less flooding in risk-prone areas during heavy rainfall events.” The Gadgil report has classified the ecologically sensitive areas, however, the government wasn’t happy with the recommendations, claiming that this move would hamper economic progress in states like Kerala, Karnataka, and Goa. Hence, the government brought in a new committee with a new chair head Dr. K. Kasturirangan. After the full review of the report, the new committee eliminated key areas that were once considered ecologically sensitive by the previous committee. As they say, “every action has an equal and opposite reaction”, and the Wayanad Landslide event is a classic case manifesting the failure of implementing the initial Gadgil report recommendations. The government’s poor decision-making led to a huge downfall of what was once known as the verdant paradise for every tourist who visited Kerala. Instead of focusing on protecting the environment that’s prone to dangerous landslides, the government extended the areas for economic development by turning a blind eye to unforeseen future consequences and repercussions. This resulted in the Wayanad tragedy. The report recommended that regions falling under the ESZ-1 category should be properly regulated, asking to limit the human interventions to secure the surroundings and reduce the chances of disasters. All those stern rules were not properly implemented by the government, which led to increased vulnerability to landslides in Wayanad and the bordering regions. This thereby heightened disaster risk in ecologically sensitive regions like the Western Ghats. Commenting on the Wayand case, Kamble said, “IMD has a separate R&D wing to research in diverse areas like agriculture, telecommunication, NWP products, etc. Many research papers were published on extreme weather events such as cyclones, rainfalls, and landslides. For the Himalayan regions, we are trying to have more Doppler Radars, so that one radar can see at least 200 kms in and around the hilly areas, so that no weather events get undetected.” The IMD collaborated with other government bodies like the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to ensure timely dissemination of weather warnings. With regards to the Wayand situation, the IMD official stated, “Whenever there’s a cyclone or thunderstorm threat, the IMD sends SMS alerts and warnings to NDMA of all the cities and regions across India. The NOWCAST report is also sent in advance to the disaster management authorities, railways, district collectors, shipping corporations, power grids, etc.” Funding aid for Wayanad's reconstruction The Wayanad hazard led to considerable chaos and mayhem in and around the region. The district faced a major loss, causing severe injuries and claiming several lives. The seasonal factors play a key role in determining the risk of landslides in specific regions of India. The IMD official, Sunil Kamble, asserted that “Basically, it’s very difficult to make a decision or inform about landslides but in hilly areas when the rainfall quantity is more than 200 mm or extreme rainfall occurs for 2-3 days in hilly areas, the soil gets loose and the possibility for landslides is higher.” To aid the landslide victims and revive the state back to normal condition, various private and government organizations came forward to do their bit. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan stated that the state government would help the families who suffered due to this landslide. The CM announced INR 6,000 for landslide survivors who are staying under the roof of their relatives and INR 6 Lakh for the closest living relative of the deceased person. The initial INR 4 lakh of the total INR 6 lakh compensation will be given from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), and the rest will be sourced from the Chief Minister's Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF). CM Vijayan stated siblings of the deceased person should prove their blood relation to claim the ex-gratia payment. Additionally, the government announced monetary aid of INR 75,000 to survivors who became physically disabled due to the landslide. The Kerala government sought the center for disaster aid of INR 900 crores to fund the rehabilitated groups and for recovery operations of the landslide affected regions. Moreover, some celebrities and non-profit organizations also showed their support in terms of donations and volunteering assistance. Mamootty and his son Dulquer Salmaan have donated INR 20 Lakh and 15 Lakh, respectively. Apart from that, the duo father-son, also supplied food, meds, ambulances and other important necessities through the Mammootty Care Foundation. Tamil actor Vikram contributed a generous sum of INR 20 lakh to the Wayanad disaster. Yuvraaj, Vikram’s manager, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Pained by the sad news of the devastation caused by the recent landslide in Kerala’s #Wayanad district that left over 150 people dead, 197 injured and several others missing, Actor @chiyaan today donated a sum of ₹20 lakhs to the Kerala Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund.” Actress Rashmika Mandanna showed her extended support to the landslide victims by donating INR 10 Lakhs to the Kerala Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF). The Chiranjeevi family gave a handsome donation to the Kerala Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF). Actor Allu Arjun made a noble donation of INR 25 Lakh to help with the rehabilitation operations in Wayanad. The stylish star took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “I am deeply saddened by the recent landslide in Wayanad. Kerala has always given me so much love, and I want to do my bit by donating ₹25 lakh to the Kerala CM Relief Fund to support the rehabilitation work. Praying for your safety and strength.” Chiranjeevi and his son Ram Charan, the father-son duo and acclaimed actors, also extended their financial support by contributing a sum of INR 1 Crore to the Kerala Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF). Chiranjeevi took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Deeply distressed by the devastation and loss of hundreds of precious lives in Kerala due to nature’s fury in the last few days. My heart goes out to the victims of the Wayanad tragedy. Charan and I together are contributing Rs 1 Crore to the Kerala CM Relief Fund as a token of our support to the victims. My prayers for the recovery of all those in pain.” The rebel star and actor, Prabhas, also joined the Telugu stars club, to help the Wayanad Landslide issue, by making an enormous donation of INR 2 crore. Tamil Movie Actors Suriya, Karthi, and Jyothika together made a substantial donation of INR 50 lakh to the Kerala issue. Fahadh Faasil and Nazriya Nazim collectively made a donation of INR 25 Lakh. Actor Kamal Haasan made a considerable donation of INR 25 Lakh to the Kerala Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF). The duo-couple, Nayanthara and Vignesh Shivan, also contributed their share of INR 20 Lakh, to bolster the ongoing operations. Stay updated on weather forecasts Being a step ahead on the weather information can save you from becoming prey to any unforeseen disaster. The IMD official, Kamble, stated, “The IMD is informing all the government bodies from NDMA to chief secretaries during climatic changes to take proper precautions. The IMD is always connected with the WMO (World Meteorological Organization). Whatever we are doing here, the technology we are adapting, all activities are at par with the WMO.” The IMD has three weather apps, namely, Mausam, Damini, and Meghdoot. The Mausam app conveys local weather info, the Damini app informs about the lightning and thunderstorms that are likely to take place, and finally, the Meghdoot app, designed particularly for farmers, delivers tailored crop management advice based on the latest weather trends. All three apps are available on both Android and Apple stores for download. “We have Whatsapp groups of concerned agencies. We send weather forecast emails and SMS-es. We have hotline connectivity with all the district disaster management authorities. IMD does a lot of media workshops, general public workshops, and outreach programs for fishermen and farmers. So that all the information is reached to every user,” added Kamble on educating the masses and widening the reach of information. Since the fake news saga continues in the evolving digital world, the IMD official mentioned a note: “I request that any WhatsApp message or misleading messages are there, you need to go to the IMD official website of the government of India and get the authentic info.” Also Read: How India is combating climate change amid unbearable temperatures
27 August,2024 11:07 AM IST | Mumbai | Krishna PrasadADVERTISEMENT
