Environment

Guardians of the Ganga: task force keeps a watchful eye on the river Ganga

Context: Recently, Under the Namami Gange initiative, over 4,000 volunteers actively combat littering and poaching in the river. Their efforts aim to preserve the river's flora and fauna.

Ganga Pollution

Rapidly increasing population, rising standards of living and exponential growth of industrialization and urbanisation have exposed water resources, in general, and rivers to various forms of degradation. The mighty Ganga is no exception.
The deterioration in the water quality impacts the people immediately. Ganga, in some stretches, has become unfit even for bathing. The threat of global climate change, the effect of glacial melt on Ganga flow and the impacts of infrastructural projects in the upper reaches of the river, raise issues that need a comprehensive response.

Sources of pollution of Ganga River:

In the Ganga basin approximately 12,000 million liters per day (mld) sewage is generated, for which presently there is a treatment capacity of only around 4,000 mld.
Approximately 3000 mld of sewage is discharged into the main stem of the river Ganga from the Class I & II towns located along the banks, against which treatment capacity of about 1000 mld has been created till date.
The contribution of industrial pollution, volume-wise, is about 20 per cent but due to its toxic and non- biodegradable nature, this has much greater significance. The industrial pockets in the catchments of Ramganga and Kali rivers and in Kanpur city are significant sources of industrial pollution. The major contributors are tanneries in Kanpur, distilleries, paper mills and sugar mills in the Kosi, Ramganga and Kali River catchments.

Issues Faced in cleaning Ganga River

• Inadequate Sewage treatment: As opposed to around Four thousand MLD treatment capacity available, Ganga basin produces around twelve thousand MLD sewage.

• Pollution from Agriculture: The cumulative use of pesticides has doubled in the last one decade and most of it runs off in our rivers.

• Disruption of Ecological Flow(e-flow): Many interruptions in the flow of the river lead to the reduction in the flow which results in reduced velocity and siltation. This also increases the pollutant concentration. The decrease in flow has led to an increase in groundwater extraction for various uses.

• Challenges of Swachh Bharat: About 180 mld sludge would be generated in five Ganga basin states when they become open defecation free (ODF) and if proper faecal sludge management is not in place, it would invariably pollute the Ganga.

• Escalating costs due to delays in setting up of STPs. An IIT report predicted the cost of treating sewerage to be about 1 paisa per litre at 2010 price levels.

NMCG could not utilize any amount out of the Clean Ganga Fund and the entire amount was lying in banks due to non-finalization of action plan.

• Lack of coordination: The cleaning of the Ganga requires seamless coordination between the agencies responsible for carrying out different tasks. Jal Shakti ministry signed MOUS with 10 ministries for better implementation of Namami Gange. However, till date no detail is available as to how these ministries are functioning for better convergence.

Nation Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG)

It has a five-tier structure at national, state and district level to take measures for prevention, control and abatement of environmental pollution in river Ganga and

to ensure continuous adequate flow of water to rejuvenate the river Ganga as below.

STRUStructureCTURE:

1. National Ganga Council under chairmanship of Prime Minister of India.

2. Empowered Task Force (ETF) on river Ganga under chairmanship of Hon’ble Union Minister of Jal Shakti (Department of Water Resources, River Development

and Ganga Rejuvenation).

3. National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG).

4. State Ganga Committees and

5. District Ganga Committees in every specified district abutting river Ganga and its tributaries in the states.

NMCG has a two-tier management structure and comprises of Governing Council and Executive Committee. Both are headed by Director General, NMCG.

Thus, the newly created structure attempts to bring all stakeholders on one platform to take a holistic approach towards the task of Ganga cleaning and rejuvenation.

The Director General (DG) of NMCG is an Additional Secretary in Government of India. For effective implementation of the projects under the overall supervision of NMCG, the State Level Program Management Groups (SPMGs) are, also headed by senior officers of the

concerned States.

National River Conservation Plan

• The river conservation program was initiated with the launching of the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) in 1985.

• The Ganga Action Plan was expanded to cover other rivers under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) in the year 1995.

• The objective of NRCP is to improve the water quality of rivers, which are major water sources in the country, through implementation of pollution abatement works in various towns along identified polluted stretches of rivers on cost sharing basis between the Central and state governments.

Namami Gange Programme

It is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 with budget outlay of Rs.20,000 Crore to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution, conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.
Its implementation has been divided into Entry-Level Activities (for immediate visible impact), Medium-Term Activities (to be implemented within 5 years of time frame) and Long-Term Activities (to be implemented within 10 years).

Ganga Task Force

It is a special unit of the Territorial Army raised under the public participation component of the Namami Gange Programme.
The unit is mandated to carry out rejuvenation of River Ganga through activities such as afforestation, monitoring of river pollution, patrolling of ghats, public awareness campaigns and assist civil administration during natural calamities in the three districts of Uttar Pradesh - Prayagraj, Varanasi and Kanpur.

Way forward

• Multi-dimensional approach: Many of the separated approaches like river-linking, riverfront development projects, access to toilets, making villages open defecation free, piped water supply in rural areas, need to integrate long-term ecological and sustainability goals.

• Organic agriculture: Agriculture along the entire riverbed should be organic.

• Liquid Waste Management:

o Decentralization of STPs: at the colony level.

o Reuse treated wastewater for irrigation and empty into natural drains. For all upcoming cities, smart cities and for those, whose master plans are not in place, earmark land for STPs.

• Develop and restore local storages (ponds, lakes, wetlands) as permanent solutions to both floods and droughts. Only 10 per cent of water received during monsoon rainfall is harvested. Restoration of ponds, lakes and wetlands should be an integral part of river

restoration and conservation strategy

• Restoring lower order streams and smaller tributaries in the Ganga Basin.

Solar Payment Guarantee Fund & Solar Insurance Fund of ISA

Context: The International Solar Alliance (ISA) is engaging in discussions with member-countries, such as India and European nations, regarding contributions to its payment guarantee fund and insurance fund.

Solar Payment Guarantee Fund:

It aims to provide essential support to solar energy projects in the event of default, mitigating the risk of premature closures or bankruptcy.
To benefit from this fund, projects will contribute a premium, ensuring their coverage. By doing so, the fund effectively alleviates concerns among lenders, making financing more accessible for projects that may have otherwise struggled to secure funding.
The payment guarantee fund will offer only partial coverage. This intentional limitation is designed to discourage opportunistic behaviour and prevent the inclusion of subpar projects.
By minimizing the possibility of default, the fund opens up opportunities for short-term investments in regions that have historically received limited investment.
It allows investors to participate in solar projects without relying on the guarantee fund for recourse.

Solar Insurance Fund:

It aims to alleviate the burden of insurance premiums for solar developers specifically during the pre-revenue phase or construction phase of the project.
The goal is to enhance the bankability of solar projects by mitigating the impact of high insurance premiums.
It would collaborate with reputable project insurance organizations, such as Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), to provide insurance coverage.
During the specified period, the fund would cover a portion or the entirety of the insurance premium, effectively reducing the financial strain on developers.
To recover the covered insurance premium, projects could incorporate an additional tariff during the revenue phase, allowing them to recoup the costs incurred during the pre-revenue stage.

About International Solar Alliance (ISA):

It is an action-oriented, member-driven, collaborative platform for increased deployment of solar energy technologies as a means for bringing energy access, ensuring energy security, and driving energy transition in its member countries.
The ISA was conceived as a joint effort by India and France to mobilize efforts against climate change through deployment of solar energy solutions.
It was conceptualized on the side-lines of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) held in Paris in 2015.
Its headquarter is located at Gurugram.
The ISA's Framework Agreement was amended in 2020, making all member states of the United Nations eligible to join.
The ISA is guided by its ‘Towards 1000’ strategy which aims to mobilise USD 1,000 billions of investments in solar energy solutions by 2030, while delivering energy access to 1,000 million people using clean energy solutions and resulting in installation of 1,000 GW of solar energy capacity. This would help mitigate global solar emissions to the tune of 1,000 million tonnes of CO2 every year.
Activities under the programmes focuses on 4 priority areas – Analytics & Advocacy, Capacity Building, Programmatic Support, and readiness and enabling activities, that help create a favourable environment for solar energy investments to take root in the country.

Why the recent rain is no relief?

Context: The first two days of May have been unusually wet. Except the north eastern states, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, the entire country has received plenty of rain, with some areas in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh getting as much as 10 to 15 times the expected rainfall. This exceptional spell of rainfall was the result of a number of relatively local weather phenomena over different parts of the country coming together at the same time.

Several reports, including carbon brief, have confirmed that globally, the month of March this year was the second warmest March ever since the beginning of records in the mid-1800s. The year 2023 was shaping up to become one of the top four warmest years on record, citing the rapid development of the El Nino event, which has an overall warming impact on the planet.

How Global warming and Climate change are affecting India?

Temperature and rainfall, both are getting impacted and have regional variations:

Changes in Temperatures:

According to the Ministry of Earth Sciences average annual mean temperatures in India had risen by about 0.7 degree Celsius from 1900 which is significantly less than the global rise in temperatures, which has exceeded 1 degree Celsius for several years now.
India is likely to warm in the range of 2.4 to 4.4 degree Celsius from the current levels by the end of the scenario.
Tropical Indian oceans: Sea surface temperatures have risen by almost 1 degree Celsius between 1950 and 2015.
The warming over India is not uniform across regions:
- Himachal, Goa and Kerala : Temperatures have increased at the rate of more than 1 degree Celsius.
- North Eastern states: Temperatures have climbed at the rate of more than 0.7 degree Celsius.
- Eastern states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha: have experienced the least warming.
Goa has seen the maximum increasing trend in annual rainfall. Its rainfall has increased at the rate of 21 mm over a 100 year period.
Sikkim: The year 2022 was the warmest year.
Karnataka and Telangana: were cooler than normal in 2022, though only marginally.

Changes in rainfall:

Monsoon rainfall in India has been surplus by around 7% this year though with extreme inequity.
Central and southern India saw a sharp surge in rainfall. Rains in Central India were surplus by 20% and in southern India by 25%, with the last month seeing several instances of flooding in Kerala, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
On the other hand, large parts of U. P., Bihar, Odisha have seen large deficits.
The east and northeast of India have reported a 17% shortfall.
The northwest part has seen 2% shortfall.
Overall monsoon has remained within the normal range of long period average.

Note: These data can be used by the students while analysing the impact of climate change over India. Analysis must be quantitative as well as qualitative. Here quantitative aspects have been provided.

Great Nicobar Island project

Context: The eastern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered a stay on the ₹72,000 crore Great Nicobar Island project and constituted a committee to revisit the environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

About the Great Nicobar Island Project

The Great Nicobar Island (GNI) Project is a mega project to be implemented at the southern end of the Andaman and Nicobar islands.
The project will include, among others, an International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT), a Greenfield international airport, a township, and a 450 MVA gas- and solar-based power plant over 16,610 hectares in the Great Nicobar Islands.

Impacts:

Tectonic Volatility: The GNI lies between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in a tectonically sensitive zone.
“Important Marine Turtle Habitats in India”:
- In February 2021, India’s National Marine Turtle Action Plan mentioned Galathea Bay on the south-eastern coast of the Great Nicobar Island as one of the “Important Marine Turtle Habitats in India”.
- Beaches on either side of the Galathea River are the most important nesting sites in the northern Indian Ocean for the Leatherback turtle, the world’s largest marine turtle.
- The Action Plan says that coastal development projects, including the construction of ports, jetties, resorts, and industries, are major threats to turtle populations.
Impact on tree cover:
- The loss of tree cover will not only affect the flora and fauna on the island, it will also lead to increased runoff and sediment deposits in the ocean, impacting the coral reefs in the area.
Destruction of Tribal land:
- GNI is designated as a tribal reserve under the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation, 1956.
- The Island has been home to two isolated and indigenous tribes — the Shompen and the Nicobaris — for thousands of years.
UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme in 2013:
- The GNI was declared a biosphere reserve in 1989 and included in UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme in 2013.
- It has an unparalleled array of microhabitats- sandy and rocky beaches, bays and lagoons, littoral patches with mangrove communities, evergreen and tropical forests, and more.
- These habitats host numerous species, including marine animals, reptiles, birds, mammals, trees, ferns, insects, crustaceans, and amphibians.
- Several of these, like the Nicobari Megapode, are endemic to GNI and found nowhere else in the world.

Concerns Against the Project
-  Shompen people will be displaced leading to their total marginalisation.
-  Endemic flora and fauna will be displaced.
-  Diversion of forests and coastal development not allowed under
-  Tribals have not been adequately consulted.

Rationale for the project
-  Countering China’s increasing presence in the Indian Ocean Region
-  Curb the stealing of marine resources by poachers from Myanmar
-  Bridge infrastructure gaps in the region,
-  Promote international trade by allowing the port to provide an alternative to Singapore ports.

About Great Nicobar:

Great Nicobar, the southernmost of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, has an area of 910 sq km.
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a cluster of about 836 islands in the eastern Bay of Bengal, the two groups of which are separated by the 150-km wide Ten Degree Channel.
The Andaman Islands lie to the north of the channel, and the Nicobar Islands to the south.
Indira Point on the southern tip of Great Nicobar Island is India’s southernmost point, less than 150 km from the northernmost island of the Indonesian archipelago.
The island comprises of unique and threatened tropical evergreen forest ecosystems.
The region is noted for its rich biodiversity and fosters several rare and endemic species.
- The endemic species comprise of 11 species of mammals, 32 species of birds, 7 species of reptiles and 4 species of amphibians.
- Of these, the well-known Crab-eating Macaque, Nicobar Tree Shrew, Nicobar Megapode, are endemic and/or endangered.
- It is home to 650 species of angiosperms, ferns, gymnosperms, bryophytes, among others.
One of the most unique aspects of Great Nicobar is the southernmost point, the Galathea Bay, a nesting ground for the Leatherback Turtle.
The primary human inhabitants of the island are the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes who have been living on the island for countless generations.
- The Shompen tribe are an aboriginal people of about 200 to 300 members who inhabit the interiors of Great Nicobar.
- This particularly vulnerable tribal group (PVTG) is a semi-nomadic hunter-gatherer community, practicing basic horticulture and pig rearing, who probably migrated around 10,000 years ago.
- They are a unique group, anthropologically completely distinct from the other PVTGs of the Andaman Island as well as from the Nicobarese.
- Their language, Shompanese, unrelated to any other existing language, seems to have adopted a few words from Nicobarese in the context of an existing, even if very limited, barter system between the two communities.

SC modifies order on Ecologically Sensitive Zones around protected forests

Context: The Supreme Court modified its judgment to have mandatory Eco sensitive zones (ESZ) of a minimum one kilometre around protected forests, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries across the country.

What is the concept of Ecologically sensitive zone (ESZ)?

The 2002 Wildlife Conservation Strategy envisaged lands within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to be notified as ecologically fragile zones under Section 3(2)(v) of the Environment Protection Act 1986.
Ecologically sensitive zones (ESZ) are intended to protect ‘protected areas’ – national parks and wildlife sanctuaries – by transitioning from an area of lower protection to an area of higher protection.
ESZs are effectively insulating layers where humans and nature can be at peace with each other.
Thus they act as a buffer and ‘shock absorber’ to the protected areas.
Besides, in order to protect the biodiversity in areas having ecological significance, Ministry also notifies Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA), which has unique biological resources, which require special attention for their conservation.
The MoEFCC was to take steps to protect the environment by regulating and (if required) prohibiting industries, operations and processes.

What is the procedure to notify ESZ?

Survey and identification of ESZs are conducted by the respective State Governments for consideration of the Central Government as per the guidelines formulated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).
On the basis of proposals and recommendations of the State Government, Ministry notifies the ESZs under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
Section ‘3’ of the ESZ Notification provides the Guidelines for preparation of the Zonal Master Plan (ZMP) by the respective State Government and mandates preparation of the Tourism Master Plan forming part of Zonal Master Plan on the basis of the Carrying Capacity study of the concerned ESZ.

Evolution of the ESZ in India:

2002 - Wildlife Conservation Strategy envisaged lands within 10 km of the boundaries of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries to be notified as ecologically fragile zones under Section 3(2)(v) of the Environment Protection Act 1986 .
2005 - National Board for Wildlife decided to delineate site-specific ESZs to regulate specific activities instead of prohibiting them. So it asked the States and UTs to propose ESZs.
2006 - Supreme Court directed the MoEFCC to have the States’ and UTs’ proposals submitted within four weeks.
2010 – No guidelines by MoEFCC. Supreme court intervened.
2011 – Guidelines by MoEFCC came:
- A committee consisting of the Wildlife Warden, an ecologist, and an official from the local government was to determine the extent of each ESZ, the nature of environmental concerns to be addressed and ways to address them
- The Chief Wildlife Warden was to then list the activities that were to be prohibited, to be restricted with safeguards and to be permitted.
- Finally, the state government would submit this, the geographical description of the area and the biodiversity values, the rights and entitlements of local communities, and their economic potential and implications for their livelihoods, as a proposal to the MoEFCC for notification.
- To monitor compliance with the various provisions of each notification, a State had to set up a monitoring committee for each ESZ; headed by the District Collector as the chairperson.
2012 – ESZ notification began.

What was the recent Supreme court order?

The court said that the MoEFCC guidelines are also to be implemented in the area proposed in the draft notification awaiting finalisation and within a 10-km radius of yet-to-be-proposed protected areas.
It mandated a minimum 1-km eco-sensitive zone around national parks or wildlife sanctuaries
The Court also allowed States to increase or decrease the minimum width of ESZs in the public interest.
Court vested the powers to ensure compliance with the guidelines with the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) and the Home Secretary of the State/UT.
The court also ordered that no new permanent structure could come up for any purpose within an ESZ.
All the activities permitted by the guidelines and which are already being carried out can continue only if the PCCF grants permission, and that too within six months of the court’s order. This period has already expired.

What is the issue now?

These court’s directions have put the lives of many people in the hands of the PCCF. Several concerns were sparked regarding the habitation falling under the ESZ zone. There rights are also protected under Forest rights act 2006 and PESA act 1996.
If no permanent construction is to be permitted for any purpose, a villager who is desirous to reconstruct his house would not be permitted.
Similarly, if the government decides to construct schools, dispensaries, anganwadi and other basic structures for improvement of the life of the villagers, the same would also not be permitted.”

What is the modified order?

2022 order will not be applicable to ESZs in respect to which draft and final notifications have been issued by the MoEFCC, and where proposals for such notifications have been received by the ministry.
It will also not be applicable where the national parks and sanctuaries are located on inter-state borders or share common boundaries.
But it underlined that no mining would be allowed, either within national parks and sanctuaries or in a 1-km radius.

The distribution and utilisation of water bodies in India

Context: A report released by Ministry of Jal Shakti has thrown light on the number of water bodies in India and what they are used for. The document is the first such census of water bodies in India. The census has identified 24,24,540 water bodies in India.

Definition of a Water body

All natural or man-made units bounded on all sides with some or no masonry work used for storing water for irrigation or other purposes (e.g. industrial, pisciculture, domestic/drinking, recreation, religious, ground water recharge etc.) will be treated as water bodies in this Census. These are usually of various types known by different names like tank, reservoirs, ponds and bundhies etc.
A structure where water from ice-melt, streams, springs, rain or drainage of water from residential or other areas is accumulated or water is stored by diversion from a stream, nala or river will also be treated as water body.

Information available on water bodies through following initiatives / Institutions

India - Water resource information system (India-WRIS) - Central Water Commission (CWC), Ministry of Jal Shakti.
Repair, Renovation and Restoration (RRR) of water bodies - Component of Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (Har Khet Ko Pani)
“Jal Shakti Abhiyan - “Catch the Rain” The “Jal Shakti Abhiyan
Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) CPCB
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)

Salient Features

First census of water bodies was conducted with reference year 2017-18 across the country in 33 States/UTs except Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep.

Classifications

During 1st census of water bodies, 24,24,540 water bodies have been enumerated in the country, out of which

59.5% (14,42,993) are ponds
15.7% (3,81,805) are tanks
12.1% (2,92,280) are reservoirs
remaining 12.7% (3,07,462) are water conservation schemes/check dams/percolation tanks, lakes and other water bodies

Location / Concentrations

Top five States in number of water bodies are as follows

Top five states in number of Ponds, Tanks and Lakes are as follows

Top five states in number of Reservoir, Water Conservation schemes are as follows

Out of the enumerated 24,24,540 water bodies, 97.1% (23,55,055) are in rural areas while 2.9% (69,485) are in urban areas.

Among all water bodies, 9.6% are located in Tribal areas, 8.8% in Flood prone areas,7.2 % under Drought Prone Area Programme (DPAP), 2.0 % in Naxal affected areas , 0.7% under Desert Development Programme (DDP)and remaining 71.7% water bodies are located in other areas.

Operational Status

Among these water bodies, 83.7% (20,30,040) are 'in use' whereas the remaining 16.3% (3,94,500) are not in use/non-functional on account of drying up, construction, siltation, destroyed beyond repair, salinity, industrial effluents etc.

Uses

Out of all 'in use' water bodies, major water bodies are reported to be used in Pisciculture followed by Irrigation and Ground water recharge.

Ownership

55.2% (13,38,735) water bodies are owned by private entities whereas 44.8% (10,85,805) are under public ownership.

Man made & Natural water bodies

78% are man-made water bodies whereas 22% are natural water bodies. Majority of man-made water bodies are earthen in nature and have original cost of construction upto Rs. 1,00,000.

Encroachment

• Among all 24,24,540 water bodies, 1.6% (38,496) water bodies are reported to be encroached. Majority of encroached water bodies are ponds followed by tanks.

• Water User Associations (WUA) has helped to a large extent in preventing encroachments .

Need for Water Bodies Census

The need for conducting a separate census of water bodies was pointed out by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Water Resources on the subject “Repair, Renovation and Restoration of Water Bodies – Encroachment on water bodies and steps required to remove the encroachment and restore the water bodies”.
The Committee recommended that in order to enable an objective assessment of water bodies and their condition, there should be separate census of water bodies and thereby creating a Central database on water bodies. As recommended by the Standing Committee, the first Census of Water bodies was launched by Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation in 2018-19 in convergence with the 6th Minor Irrigation (MI) census.

The use of water bodies data is also envisaged in the following fields:

The water bodies census data will serve as an authentic dataset for estimation of recharge of ground water.
Information obtained from MI Census and water body census will be highly useful in

implementation of the Atal Bhujal Yojana.

Block/ Gram Panchayat level data related to MI structures & water bodies will help the scheme personnel to convince the community of the actual groundwater conditions at the local level.
The information can be used for spatial analysis of distribution of abstraction structures Coordinates (Longitude and Latitude) and assessment of ground water draft.
There are several instances of water from bore wells being sold and bought at farm level, but specific reports are not available. The census may provide an opportunity to get ground information on this aspect and provide insights into farm level water trading. The information will be relevant to State Governments involved in farm level irrigation and water management.
Results of First Census of Water bodies will be immensely useful for planning and executing Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY).

The Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR), Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS), Government of India (GoI) has been conducting census of minor irrigation structures, quinquennially under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Irrigation Census” with 100% central assistance to States/UTs. The scope of Irrigation Census Scheme has been enhanced by launching the Census of Water Bodies in convergence with sixth Minor Irrigation Census which covers all types of water bodies in both rural and urban areas and aims to collect all the important parameters of the Water Body like type of use, status (whether defunct or in-use), storage etc.

Single Use Plastics & Plastic Waste Management Rules Amendment, 2021

Context: Over the past 10 months, the Delhi government has banned plastic products twice. While 19 Single Use Plastic (SUP) items, including spoons and cups, were prohibited on July 1, 2022, a ban on plastic bags thinner than 120 microns came into force in January this year. However, many of these prohibited items are still used openly across the Capital.

About Single-use plastics

They are goods that are made primarily from fossil fuel–based chemicals (petrochemicals) and are meant to be disposed of right after use—often, in mere minutes.
They are most used for packaging and service-ware, such as bottles, wrappers, straws, and bags.

Pollution due to single use plastic items has become an important environmental challenge confronting all countries.
India imposed a nationwide ban on plastic bags, cups and straws on Oct 2nd, 2019 in its most sweeping measure yet to stamp out single-use plastics from cities and villages that rank among the world's most polluted.

In this background let us understand various aspects of the single use plastics issue.

Consequences of using single use plastic

• Non-renewable: Only 1-13% of the plastic items are recyclable, the rest ends up either buried in the land or water bodies, eventually reaching the oceans, leading to polluting of water bodies and killing of marine life.

• Pollution: One of the biggest threats about plastic bags is that they threaten the environment. Plastic bags pollute the land and water, since they are lightweight, plastic materials can travel long distances by wind and water.

• Energy intensive: Production of plastic material are very energy intensive. They require a lot of water for their production. Thus, using plastic bags is not advisable.

• Threat to aquatic life: Being non-recyclable, plastic bags end up in the oceans. While they reach, they break up into tiny little pieces and are consumed by wildlife. Thereby leading to health issues or even death. Many animals also get entangled or trapped in plastic bags.

• Harmful to human health: Toxic chemicals from plastic bags can damage the blood and tissues. Frequent exposures can lead to cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, hormone changes, endocrine disruption and other serious ailments.

Hence, with climate and environment becoming a rising global concern, plastic pollution and plastic waste management have become the point of worry.

Challenges to Phase out Single-use Plastic

• Effective waste collection: India lacks systems for effective waste separation, collection, and recycling.

• National Policy for recycling plastics: There is no policy in place for recycling plastics. There are also difficulties in establishing a recycling plant due to environmental concerns voiced by various state Pollution Control Boards.

• Attitudinal change: Changing one's behavior to avoid using single-use plastic is difficult.

Plastic Waste Management Rules Amendment, 2021

• Prohibition: The manufacture, import, stocking, distribution, sale and use of following single-use plastic, including polystyrene and expanded polystyrene, commodities shall be prohibited with effect from the 1st of July 2022.

• Compostable plastic: The provisions will not apply to commodities made of compostable plastic.• Timeline: The government has given industry ten years from the date of notification to comply with any future bans on plastic commodities other than those included in this notification.

• Thickness of plastic bags: The allowable thickness of plastic bags will be increased from 50 mm to 75 microns on September 30, 2021, and to 120 microns on December 31, 2022.

• Monitoring agency: The Central Pollution Control Board, along with state pollution bodies, will monitor the ban, identify violations, and impose penalties already prescribed under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986.

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR): According to the Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016, the plastic packaging waste that is not covered under the phase out of identified single-use plastic items must be collected and managed in an environmentally sustainable manner through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) of the Producer, Importer, andBrand Owner (PIBO).

Government And Global Initiatives:

India has announced its commitment to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022 at Confederation of Indian Industry’s (CII) Sustainability Summit in New Delhi.

India piloted a resolution on combating pollution caused by single-use plastic products at the fourth United Nations Environment Assembly in 2019.
India has received international praise for its “Beat Plastic Pollution” resolution, which was announced on World Environment Day last year and committed to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022.
Project REPLAN (stands for REducing PLastic in Nature) launched by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) aims to reduce consumption of plastic bags by providing a more sustainable alternative.
The Group of 20 (G20) environment ministers, agreed to adopt a new implementation framework for actions to tackle the issue of marine plastic
waste on a global scale.
Plastic Waste Management Rules, 2016 state that every local body has to be responsible for setting up infrastructure for segregation, collection, processing, and disposal of plastic waste.
Plastic Waste Management (Amendment) Rules 2018 introduced the concept of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).

Way Forward

• Effective waste management: India lacks a well- organized system for managing plastic trash, resulting in widespread littering. To strengthen processing, there is a need to invest extensively in increasing waste source segregation and supporting end-to-end waste segregation.

• Sustainable products: The government should put money into fostering the formation of businesses that supply sustainable products as an alternative to non- recyclable ones.

• Need for a new international legally binding agreement that addresses the entire life cycle of plastics, from extraction of raw materials to legacy plastic pollution.

• Chemical recycling and upcycling of polymers: Hitherto management of plastic waste was focused on mechanical recycling of plastic waste.

However, strategies have been developed for chemical recycling of plastics into its constituent monomers and subsequently restructured into new polymers used for new plastic production. This will lead to circularity of the plastic ecosystem.

• Promoting use of waste plastics: Waste plastics are useful as a structural material and can be utilized as a binder for laying roads, making of blocks, table-tops etc. For example, Plastone is a structural material developed which is synthetic granite.

• Promoting biodegradable bioplastics: Bioplastics are a broad category of materials encompassing bio-based plastics that can be both biodegradable and non- biodegradable. They are manufactured from diverse sources such as crops and crop waste, wood pulp, fungi etc. with the help of algae or microbes. Examples of biodegradable bioplastics are polylactic acid (PLA) or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs).

Abatement Cost

Context: 'Abatement cost' has emerged as a key tool to steer the decarbonisation of the economy, to reduce its cost and to assess the efficiency of a technology, an investment or a public policy.

Abatement Cost

Abatement cost is simply the cost of an intervention that will reduce greenhouse gases emissions by one tonne. Abatement costs will be negative for energy efficient (cost savings) technologies.
Example: A plant can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by replacing a gas boiler with a heat pump. But they will have to pay for installation of heat pump and will have to pay for the electricity needed to run it and will save money by no longer purchasing gas. Abatement cost per tonne of carbon not emitted can be arrived at dividing the total additional cost by the avoided emissions.

Significance of Abatement Cost

Abatement costs can be considered as a tool to select priority climate actions.
Negative abatement costs correspond to opportunities to reduce emissions with a net economic gain. Lowest abatement costs indicate opportunities to avoid emissions at low cost.
Thus, if we have limited budget for transition, then choosing the lowest abatement costs will maximise emissions reductions.

Limitations of using Abatement Cost

Abatement cost focuses on marginal emissions: Abatement cost is designed to reduce marginal emissions. Thus, if the goal was to reduce emissions slightly - for ex. by 10%, they abatement cost will be perfect tool. But the world is aiming for 'Net-zero emissions', wherein we cannot ignore hard-to-abate emissions.
Costs of technologies keep evolving: In a deep transition, technologies and their costs are not fixed and they evolve with our investments. For ex. In 2007, solar photovoltaics and wind power were expensive per tonne avoided. However, with increasing investments the cost of solar and wind power has come down.

Conclusion

Thus, marginal abatement costs may not be useful in developing a decarbonisation strategy. However, to minimize costs to net-zero emissions, we need to implement integrated strategies – in all sectors simultaneously – an economic, technological and social transition towards carbon neutrality.

Melting of glaciers and its impact

Context: The United Nations has reported that the world's glaciers melted at an alarming rate last year, and saving them from further destruction is virtually impossible due to climate change.

More on news

The last eight years have been the warmest on record, with greenhouse gas concentrations hitting new peaks, and sea levels rising at an unprecedented rate. Antarctic sea ice reached a new low, and some European glaciers melted at an alarming rate. The oceans also experienced record high temperatures due to greenhouse gases. Despite the Paris Agreement's pledge to limit global warming, the outlook for glaciers and the environment is grim.

Impact of melting of Glaciers

Increase in sea level: As glaciers melt, the water they release adds to the global sea level, which can lead to flooding and erosion of coastal areas.
Changes in weather patterns: The melting glaciers are causing a significant concern as they are adding a considerable amount of freshwater into the ocean. This increase in freshwater has the potential to disturb the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which is a crucial system of ocean currents responsible for shaping the Earth's climate and weather patterns.
Scarcity of freshwater: The fresh water available for human consumption is limited to only 2% of the total water on Earth, with over 70% of it locked in the form of glaciers and snow. Although glaciers are a primary source of fresh water in many regions of the world, the ever-growing population and the decreasing mass of glaciers pose a severe threat of water scarcity in the future.
Impact on Biodiversity: Melting glaciers can affect the habitats and migration patterns of many animal species, which can have cascading effects on entire ecosystems. E.g., In the Arctic, as sea ice melts, wildlife like walrus are losing their home and polar bears are spending more time on land, causing higher rates of conflict between people and bears.
Increased risk of natural disasters: The retreat of glaciers can increase the risk of natural disasters such as landslides, rockfalls, and glacial lake outburst floods.
Loss of cultural heritage: Glaciers are often important cultural sites and have significant spiritual and symbolic value to indigenous communities, and their loss can result in the loss of cultural heritage.
Economic impacts: The melting of glaciers can have significant economic impacts, particularly in regions where tourism and recreation are dependent on glacier-fed rivers and lakes. E.g., Himalayan region.
Increasing global warming: Due to the shrinking of high-albedo glaciers and sea ice, more solar radiation is being absorbed by the Earth, which creates a dangerous feedback loop, leading to a more rapid cycle of warming and melting.

Major Economies Forum

Context: The leader’s meeting of the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate Change, was convened virtually by the United States of America on 20^th April 2023.

About the Major Economies Forum

The group represented 20 major economies of the world including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, European Commission, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
The aim of the forum is to deal with climate change
The leaders informed the forum about the steps being taken by different countries toward climate action that varied across sectors.
The forum will foster cooperation among member countries in dealing with climate change.

Campa Fund

Context: Union Minister of Tourism, Culture, and DoNER has written to Telangana Chief Minister on the “non-utilization” of Rs 610 crores of the allocated amount from CAMPA funds in the last three years in Telangana.

About CAMPA FUND

The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF Act), 2016 and Rules, 2018 provide elaborate guidelines and activities for utilization of CAMPA Fund. The monitoring of CAMPA activities in States/UTs are carried out through Internal and Third Party monitoring and e-Green watch web portal.
Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), a National Advisory Council headed by the Union Minister of Environment & Forests for monitoring, technical assistance, and evaluation of compensatory afforestation activities.
The law establishes the National Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of India, and a State Compensatory Afforestation Fund under the Public Account of each state.
These Funds will receive payments for: (i) compensatory afforestation, (ii) net present value of forest (NPV), and (iii) other project specific payments.
The National Fund will receive 10% of these funds, and the State Funds will receive the remaining 90%.
The CAMPA funds are utilised for compensating the loss of forest land and ecosystem services by raising of compensatory afforestation, improving quality of forests through assisted natural regeneration, enrichment of biodiversity, improvement of wildlife habitat, control of forest fire, forest protection and soil and water conservation measures.
CAMPA activities are implemented by engaging local communities in afforestation, nursery raising, soil-water conservation and forest protection activities. The National Authority does not maintain any information related to job creation under various Projects/Schemes funded under National Fund, CAMPA.
The Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act, 2016 provides for audit of the accounts of both National and States/UTs CAMPA Authorities by the Comptroller and Auditor- General of India (C&AG).

Bamboo based bio-refineries

Context: National Thermal Power Corporation, the largest power-generating utility in India, and Chempolis India, a leading Finnish bio-refining technology provider, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the feasibility of setting up a Bamboo-based Bio-Refinery in Bongaigaon, Assam.

Major Highlights

Chempolis will work with NTPC to conduct the feasibility study for the project which shall utilize bamboo for the production of 2G Ethanol, Bio-Coal for thermal power plant & other value-added products.
The proposed Bio-Refinery is planned as an integration project with NTPC Bongaigaon Power Plant, where all utility requirements such as steam, power, etc., shall be supplied from the power plant and the Bio-Coal produced by the Bio-Refinery shall partly replace coal in the power plant, effectively converting 5% of the generation of the power plant to green.
Significance: The project will support NTPC’s decarbonization efforts, create job opportunities and build a sustainable model by promoting the use of locally available resources.

What is a Bio-Refinery?

Biorefineries are processing facilities that convert biomass to energy and other value-added products such as biofuels, biochemicals, bioenergy/biopower, and other biomaterials.

National Policy on Biofuels

The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas published the “National Policy on Biofuels" in 2018, which was further amended in June 2022.
The policy's objective is to reduce the import of petroleum products by fostering domestic biofuel production.

Salient Features of the National Policy on Biofuels

Oil Companies shall sell Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) with a percentage of ethanol up to 20% throughout the country from 01st April 2023.
A target of 20% blending of ethanol in petrol is proposed by Ethanol Supply Year (ESY) 2025-26.
An indicative target of 5% blending of biodiesel in diesel /direct sale of biodiesel is proposed by 2030.
The Policy categorises biofuels as:
- "Basic Biofuels" viz. First Generation (1G) bioethanol & biodiesel
- "Advanced Biofuels" - Second Generation (2G) ethanol, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) to drop-in fuels
- “Third Generation’’ (3G) biofuels, bio-CNG etc. to enable the extension of appropriate financial and fiscal incentives under each category.
It expands the scope of raw materials for ethanol production by allowing the use of Sugarcane Juice, Sugar containing materials like Sugar Beet, Sweet Sorghum, Starch containing materials like Corn, Cassava, damaged food grains like wheat, broken rice, Rotten Potatoes, unfit for human consumption for ethanol production.
It allows the use of surplus food grains for the production of ethanol for blending with petrol with the approval of the National Biofuel Coordination Committee.
With a thrust on Advanced Biofuels, the Policy indicates a viability gap funding scheme for 2G ethanol Bio refineries of Rs. 5000 crores in 6 years in addition to additional tax incentives, and a higher purchase price as compared to 1G biofuels.
It encourages the setting up of supply chain mechanisms for biodiesel production from non-edible oilseeds, Used Cooking Oil, and short gestation crops.