Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Expert team gauges Yamuna Action Plan (Indian Express- 30 Dec. 2009)
A team of experts from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) last week visited six projects sits under Yamuna Action Plan –II aimed at cleaning the Yamuna, overseen by the Delh Jal board (DJB). The DJB is rehabilitating and installing new sewers including construction of new sewage treatment plants and revamping of old ones, t increase sewage collection and treatment capacities. JICA representatives expressed satisfaction over the progress of work on each of sites.
Groundwater mining: American experience (The Hindu/Opinion- 28 Dec. 2009)
T. N. Narasimhan
Recent geophysical studies report large-scale groundwater mining in the Indus-Ganga Basin. India can gain useful insights by examining American experience in adapting to unacceptable groundwater overdraft.
In September, Virendra Tiwari of the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, reported in Geophysical Research Letters that approximately 54 cubic km of water is being mined annually from a 2.7-million sq.km area extending from Delhi in the west to Bangladesh in the east. Using similar satellite-borne gravimetry, a research group from NASA reported an annual groundwater depletion of about 18 cubic km from Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana. For a number of years, alarming declines in water levels due to groundwater overdraft have been reported from many parts of peninsular India. Clearly, groundwater over-exploitation poses a threat to India’s economic future.
Water-well drilling technology and use of deep-well turbine pumps were introduced in India during the 1950s by the Exploratory Tubewells Organisation, forerunner of the Central Groundwater Board. As part of this programme, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey trained the first batch of India’s earth scientists in groundwater hydrology. Over the past five decades, groundwater has unquestionably played a major role in India’s agricultural production, and provided domestic water supplies to rural communities throughout the nation. Hand in hand, vigorous groundwater use has also led to unsustainable overdraft. This problem of overdraft, however, is not limited to India.
In the United States, many large groundwater basins have suffered and continue to experience non-renewable depletion of storage. It is instructive to examine the nature of groundwater overdraft in the U.S. and understand how the country is adapting to meet the emerging crisis.
During the second half of the 19th century, as America expanded westwards, the new settlers discovered large, deep groundwater basins throughout the country. In the arid western parts, aquifer systems in these basins contained vast quantities of water accumulated during wet climatic eras of the geological past. These basins sparked large-scale irrigated agriculture and the settlement of large metropolitan areas.
At the turn of the 20th century, the deep-well turbine was invented so that large quantities of water could be lifted from these aquifers from great depths. The turbine pump, aided by the birth of hydroelectric power and AC motors during the 1890s, made unprecedented quantities of groundwater available for human consumption. Over the past century, groundwater has been exploited vigorously in the U.S. for municipal, irrigation, and industrial purposes. In parallel, the Geological Survey has accumulated valuable data on the impact of this exploitation on groundwater availability.
For a glimpse into this overdraft, we may consider the following five basins: the Dakota Aquifer System (1,71,000 sq. km.), the Atlantic Coastal Plain System (44,000 sq. km.), California’s San Joaquin Valley (9,730 sq. km), the High Plains Aquifer System extending from South Dakota to Texas (443,000 sq. km), and South Central Arizona (8,070 sq. km). Groundwater production from these systems significantly exceeds the ability of ambient natural precipitation to replenish. During the 20th century, non-renewable water mined from these systems amounted to over 365 cubic km. Unintended consequences of groundwater mining included continuous decline in water levels, drying up of perennial streams that depend on groundwater for base flow, demise of deep-rooted phreatophytes, land subsidence and ground fissuring. Evidence is overwhelming that irrigated agriculture and industries that rely on groundwater from these systems cannot be sustained for long.
During the 19th century and early 20th century, water laws were formulated in the U.S. to maximise economic growth through incentives for exploitation. Appropriative water rights were granted to users. Groundwater was treated as private property. During the second half of the 20th century, the traditional mindset of exploitation and growth found itself confronted by uncertainty of resource availability and interconnectedness of surface water and groundwater. Adapting to the changing reality gave rise to a serious social challenge.
Those who own water rights and have commercial interests like to exercise their rights to groundwater as private property, citing economic benefits to society. Others who are concerned about long-term resource integrity for the present and future generations like to see integrated, sustainable management of surface water and groundwater. Society is in a state of transition, continuously adjusting to these two opposing forces.
Legally, private rights to groundwater continue. Whereas navigable surface water is subject to public trust, groundwater remains outside its scope. In practice, as groundwater productivity declines, water levels fall, and ecological impacts become obvious, regulatory statutes are invoked to identify critically affected areas and regulate groundwater production.
Social transition is characterised by intense debate among groundwater users, groundwater professionals, environmentalists, NGOs, and academia on the future of sustainable groundwater management. Information on groundwater is openly disseminated by State and federal agencies. Private foundations dedicated to water education are active in providing material on groundwater to citizens and to children in schools. Although progress may be slow in arresting overdraft, there are encouraging signs that sustainable groundwater management will eventually materialise out of sheer necessity.
The latest findings of groundwater mining in the Indus-Ganga basin suggest that India’s water use is already on the threshold of exceeding availability. The deep-well pump, a technological marvel when it was invented, has also created an unforeseen problem. To overcome the problem, society must show resilience and adapt.
In a democracy, such resilience is inherent in constructive, open debate among informed citizenry that enables sacrifices and compromises. In this regard, America’s groundwater experience, and the way the country is making efforts to adapt technologically and socially to groundwater mining, should be of value to India’s own efforts to achieve sustainable adaptation.
(T.N. Narasimhan is Professor Emeritus, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley. tnnarasimhan@LBL.gov)
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Recent geophysical studies report large-scale groundwater mining in the Indus-Ganga Basin. India can gain useful insights by examining American experience in adapting to unacceptable groundwater overdraft.
In September, Virendra Tiwari of the National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, reported in Geophysical Research Letters that approximately 54 cubic km of water is being mined annually from a 2.7-million sq.km area extending from Delhi in the west to Bangladesh in the east. Using similar satellite-borne gravimetry, a research group from NASA reported an annual groundwater depletion of about 18 cubic km from Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana. For a number of years, alarming declines in water levels due to groundwater overdraft have been reported from many parts of peninsular India. Clearly, groundwater over-exploitation poses a threat to India’s economic future.
Water-well drilling technology and use of deep-well turbine pumps were introduced in India during the 1950s by the Exploratory Tubewells Organisation, forerunner of the Central Groundwater Board. As part of this programme, scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey trained the first batch of India’s earth scientists in groundwater hydrology. Over the past five decades, groundwater has unquestionably played a major role in India’s agricultural production, and provided domestic water supplies to rural communities throughout the nation. Hand in hand, vigorous groundwater use has also led to unsustainable overdraft. This problem of overdraft, however, is not limited to India.
In the United States, many large groundwater basins have suffered and continue to experience non-renewable depletion of storage. It is instructive to examine the nature of groundwater overdraft in the U.S. and understand how the country is adapting to meet the emerging crisis.
During the second half of the 19th century, as America expanded westwards, the new settlers discovered large, deep groundwater basins throughout the country. In the arid western parts, aquifer systems in these basins contained vast quantities of water accumulated during wet climatic eras of the geological past. These basins sparked large-scale irrigated agriculture and the settlement of large metropolitan areas.
At the turn of the 20th century, the deep-well turbine was invented so that large quantities of water could be lifted from these aquifers from great depths. The turbine pump, aided by the birth of hydroelectric power and AC motors during the 1890s, made unprecedented quantities of groundwater available for human consumption. Over the past century, groundwater has been exploited vigorously in the U.S. for municipal, irrigation, and industrial purposes. In parallel, the Geological Survey has accumulated valuable data on the impact of this exploitation on groundwater availability.
For a glimpse into this overdraft, we may consider the following five basins: the Dakota Aquifer System (1,71,000 sq. km.), the Atlantic Coastal Plain System (44,000 sq. km.), California’s San Joaquin Valley (9,730 sq. km), the High Plains Aquifer System extending from South Dakota to Texas (443,000 sq. km), and South Central Arizona (8,070 sq. km). Groundwater production from these systems significantly exceeds the ability of ambient natural precipitation to replenish. During the 20th century, non-renewable water mined from these systems amounted to over 365 cubic km. Unintended consequences of groundwater mining included continuous decline in water levels, drying up of perennial streams that depend on groundwater for base flow, demise of deep-rooted phreatophytes, land subsidence and ground fissuring. Evidence is overwhelming that irrigated agriculture and industries that rely on groundwater from these systems cannot be sustained for long.
During the 19th century and early 20th century, water laws were formulated in the U.S. to maximise economic growth through incentives for exploitation. Appropriative water rights were granted to users. Groundwater was treated as private property. During the second half of the 20th century, the traditional mindset of exploitation and growth found itself confronted by uncertainty of resource availability and interconnectedness of surface water and groundwater. Adapting to the changing reality gave rise to a serious social challenge.
Those who own water rights and have commercial interests like to exercise their rights to groundwater as private property, citing economic benefits to society. Others who are concerned about long-term resource integrity for the present and future generations like to see integrated, sustainable management of surface water and groundwater. Society is in a state of transition, continuously adjusting to these two opposing forces.
Legally, private rights to groundwater continue. Whereas navigable surface water is subject to public trust, groundwater remains outside its scope. In practice, as groundwater productivity declines, water levels fall, and ecological impacts become obvious, regulatory statutes are invoked to identify critically affected areas and regulate groundwater production.
Social transition is characterised by intense debate among groundwater users, groundwater professionals, environmentalists, NGOs, and academia on the future of sustainable groundwater management. Information on groundwater is openly disseminated by State and federal agencies. Private foundations dedicated to water education are active in providing material on groundwater to citizens and to children in schools. Although progress may be slow in arresting overdraft, there are encouraging signs that sustainable groundwater management will eventually materialise out of sheer necessity.
The latest findings of groundwater mining in the Indus-Ganga basin suggest that India’s water use is already on the threshold of exceeding availability. The deep-well pump, a technological marvel when it was invented, has also created an unforeseen problem. To overcome the problem, society must show resilience and adapt.
In a democracy, such resilience is inherent in constructive, open debate among informed citizenry that enables sacrifices and compromises. In this regard, America’s groundwater experience, and the way the country is making efforts to adapt technologically and socially to groundwater mining, should be of value to India’s own efforts to achieve sustainable adaptation.
(T.N. Narasimhan is Professor Emeritus, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management, University of California at Berkeley. tnnarasimhan@LBL.gov)
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Radiation technology for sludge treatment gets Bhabha nod (Indian Express Tuesday , Dec 29, 2009 )
Geeta Gupta Posted online:
New Delhi : The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has given its nod to a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) proposal asking for radiation technology to set up a sludge treatment plant near the Rithala Sewage treatment plant here.
The DJB move aims to convert waste sludge to act as an environment healer as it can be used for power generation and as fertiliser.
If all goes according to plan, nation’s premier nuclear and radiation research institution BARC will be providing radiation technology to help turn minerals-rich sludge into fertiliser.
Sludge is rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus — ingredients necessary for making fertiliser.
The waste water sludge generated by a sewage plant is very odorous and contains high levels of pathogens like bacteria and viruses, which limit the reuse of this waste.
Talking to Newsline DJB’s Additional CEO Santosh Vaidya said: “Further processing of sludge to reduce odour and pathogens is necessary. The technology offered by BARC ensures removal of pathogens with a high degree of reliability and is also commercially viable.”
With BARC joining hands with the DJB for a sewage sludge treatment plant at Rithala — with a capacity to treat 45 million litres of sludge per day — the DJB proposes irradiation of city’s sewage sludge for reuse as bio-fertiliser.
While negotiations are still on and the DJB has proposed that the plant be set by BARC, the capital cost of the plant will be shared on a 50-50 basis, sources said.
“The radiation-processed sludge, once free of pathogens, can be used as manure to improve soil fertility. The DJB is already in touch with fertiliser PSUs to recommend the use of such bio-fertilisers as an additive to chemical fertilisers,” Vaidya said.
Officials hope that the plan will also take care of sludge disposal, currently a major challenge, given the enormous quantum being produced by the various sewage treatment plants in the city.
“Sludge needs to be looked at as a by-product rather than waste. In the 1990’s, we could sell a truck of sludge for Rs 1,000, which does not even sell for Rs 10 today. Farming has completely moved out of the national capital region thereby increasing the transportation costs,” Vaidya said.
At present, the sludge generated from various sewage treatment plants is disposed at the plant itself, raising health concerns. “Once we start using treated sludge as a bio-fertiliser, it would impact the import of urea, which happens in large quantities presently,” Vaidya said.
BARC’s radiation treatment of sewage sludge to produce pathogen-free sludge has been highly successful in cities like Vadodara and Hyderabad.
Jal Board organises outreach programme in Dwarka
THE Delhi Jal Board (DJB) organised an extensive public outreach programme highlighting the deplorable condition of the Yamuna in Dwarka area of Southwest Delhi on Sunday.
The Board’s public campaign, Aao Jamuna Mein Jaan Dalein Abhiyaan, aims at spreading awareness about the condition of the river and the much-needed cleaning of the same.
The campaign, which is under the Yamuna Action Plan II (YAP II), was attended by thousands of Dwarka residents, who came forward to pledge their support towards cleaning the river.
“A strong need was identified towards engaging the people in the process of cleaning the Yamuna — a river with which almost every resident of Delhi identifies,” said Santosh Vaidya, Additional CEO of DJB.
“Organising such drives is a way to give expression to this public sentiment. Our citizens are the most important stakeholders in cleaning the Yamuna,” added Vaidya.
In order to reach the public, Mahilayen Pragati Ki Ore, the operating NGO in the region under YAP II, also distributed literature to spread a word about ways to clean the river.
ENS
New Delhi : The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has given its nod to a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) proposal asking for radiation technology to set up a sludge treatment plant near the Rithala Sewage treatment plant here.
The DJB move aims to convert waste sludge to act as an environment healer as it can be used for power generation and as fertiliser.
If all goes according to plan, nation’s premier nuclear and radiation research institution BARC will be providing radiation technology to help turn minerals-rich sludge into fertiliser.
Sludge is rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus — ingredients necessary for making fertiliser.
The waste water sludge generated by a sewage plant is very odorous and contains high levels of pathogens like bacteria and viruses, which limit the reuse of this waste.
Talking to Newsline DJB’s Additional CEO Santosh Vaidya said: “Further processing of sludge to reduce odour and pathogens is necessary. The technology offered by BARC ensures removal of pathogens with a high degree of reliability and is also commercially viable.”
With BARC joining hands with the DJB for a sewage sludge treatment plant at Rithala — with a capacity to treat 45 million litres of sludge per day — the DJB proposes irradiation of city’s sewage sludge for reuse as bio-fertiliser.
While negotiations are still on and the DJB has proposed that the plant be set by BARC, the capital cost of the plant will be shared on a 50-50 basis, sources said.
“The radiation-processed sludge, once free of pathogens, can be used as manure to improve soil fertility. The DJB is already in touch with fertiliser PSUs to recommend the use of such bio-fertilisers as an additive to chemical fertilisers,” Vaidya said.
Officials hope that the plan will also take care of sludge disposal, currently a major challenge, given the enormous quantum being produced by the various sewage treatment plants in the city.
“Sludge needs to be looked at as a by-product rather than waste. In the 1990’s, we could sell a truck of sludge for Rs 1,000, which does not even sell for Rs 10 today. Farming has completely moved out of the national capital region thereby increasing the transportation costs,” Vaidya said.
At present, the sludge generated from various sewage treatment plants is disposed at the plant itself, raising health concerns. “Once we start using treated sludge as a bio-fertiliser, it would impact the import of urea, which happens in large quantities presently,” Vaidya said.
BARC’s radiation treatment of sewage sludge to produce pathogen-free sludge has been highly successful in cities like Vadodara and Hyderabad.
Jal Board organises outreach programme in Dwarka
THE Delhi Jal Board (DJB) organised an extensive public outreach programme highlighting the deplorable condition of the Yamuna in Dwarka area of Southwest Delhi on Sunday.
The Board’s public campaign, Aao Jamuna Mein Jaan Dalein Abhiyaan, aims at spreading awareness about the condition of the river and the much-needed cleaning of the same.
The campaign, which is under the Yamuna Action Plan II (YAP II), was attended by thousands of Dwarka residents, who came forward to pledge their support towards cleaning the river.
“A strong need was identified towards engaging the people in the process of cleaning the Yamuna — a river with which almost every resident of Delhi identifies,” said Santosh Vaidya, Additional CEO of DJB.
“Organising such drives is a way to give expression to this public sentiment. Our citizens are the most important stakeholders in cleaning the Yamuna,” added Vaidya.
In order to reach the public, Mahilayen Pragati Ki Ore, the operating NGO in the region under YAP II, also distributed literature to spread a word about ways to clean the river.
ENS
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Comprehensive Environmental Assessment of Industrial Cluster (A CPCB Report - Dec 2009)
Dear Friends,
Please find time to peruse the enclosed report from CPCB released in Dec 2009. It covers 88 industrial areas and clusters in the country and assesses them for their air, water and land pollution. In the words of the report:
"The present CEPI is intended to act as an early warning tool, which is easy and quick to use. It can help in categorizing the industrial clusters/ areas in terms of priority of
needing attention. The analysis shows that there are 43 industrial areas/clusters out of the 88 are found to be critically polluted, with respect to one or more environmental component.
It is suggested that areas having aggregated CEPI scores of 70 and above should be considered as critically polluted industrial clusters/ areas, whereas the areas having CEPI between 60-70 should be considered as severely polluted areas and shall be kept under surveillance and pollution control measures should be efficiently implemented, whereas, the critically polluted industrial clusters/areas need further detailed investigations in terms of the extent of damage and an formulation of appropriate remedial action plan.
It is recommended that as the step II a comprehensive analysis of spatial and temporal data shall be done for the identified critical polluted industrial clusters/ areas so as to define the spatial boundaries and extent of damage to the eco-geological features. The outcome shall be subjected to structured consultation with the stakeholders for determining comparative effectiveness of alternative plans and policies. The effective implementation of the remedial action plan will help in abatement of pollution and to restore the environmental quality of these industrial clusters.
Further, it is to be noted that although efforts have been made to perfect the process of CEPI application to industrial clusters/ areas, there are still some aspects that need to be improved upon including, consistency in pollution monitoring data (parameters and frequency) available with the pollution control authorities; selection of sampling locations for the environmental monitoring; and collection of data on adverse impact on human population and other geo-ecological features due to industrial pollution. The process of evolution of the method and the mechanisms that yielded results are dynamic in nature. Improvements and alterations towards making it more efficient shall be a continuous task."
Is it any wonder that with Ghaziabad, NOIDA, Najafgarh drain basin, Faridabad and Agra (all catchment towns of river Yamuna) ranked in top 20 critically polluted industrial cluters in the country, the river is as good as dead in the downstream stretch of Wazirabad barrage and enjoys the dubious distinction of being perhaps the most threatened riverine stretch anywhere in the world.
Manoj Misra
Convenor
http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/Industrial%20Clusters_env_assessment.pdf
Please find time to peruse the enclosed report from CPCB released in Dec 2009. It covers 88 industrial areas and clusters in the country and assesses them for their air, water and land pollution. In the words of the report:
"The present CEPI is intended to act as an early warning tool, which is easy and quick to use. It can help in categorizing the industrial clusters/ areas in terms of priority of
needing attention. The analysis shows that there are 43 industrial areas/clusters out of the 88 are found to be critically polluted, with respect to one or more environmental component.
It is suggested that areas having aggregated CEPI scores of 70 and above should be considered as critically polluted industrial clusters/ areas, whereas the areas having CEPI between 60-70 should be considered as severely polluted areas and shall be kept under surveillance and pollution control measures should be efficiently implemented, whereas, the critically polluted industrial clusters/areas need further detailed investigations in terms of the extent of damage and an formulation of appropriate remedial action plan.
It is recommended that as the step II a comprehensive analysis of spatial and temporal data shall be done for the identified critical polluted industrial clusters/ areas so as to define the spatial boundaries and extent of damage to the eco-geological features. The outcome shall be subjected to structured consultation with the stakeholders for determining comparative effectiveness of alternative plans and policies. The effective implementation of the remedial action plan will help in abatement of pollution and to restore the environmental quality of these industrial clusters.
Further, it is to be noted that although efforts have been made to perfect the process of CEPI application to industrial clusters/ areas, there are still some aspects that need to be improved upon including, consistency in pollution monitoring data (parameters and frequency) available with the pollution control authorities; selection of sampling locations for the environmental monitoring; and collection of data on adverse impact on human population and other geo-ecological features due to industrial pollution. The process of evolution of the method and the mechanisms that yielded results are dynamic in nature. Improvements and alterations towards making it more efficient shall be a continuous task."
Is it any wonder that with Ghaziabad, NOIDA, Najafgarh drain basin, Faridabad and Agra (all catchment towns of river Yamuna) ranked in top 20 critically polluted industrial cluters in the country, the river is as good as dead in the downstream stretch of Wazirabad barrage and enjoys the dubious distinction of being perhaps the most threatened riverine stretch anywhere in the world.
Manoj Misra
Convenor
http://moef.nic.in/downloads/public-information/Industrial%20Clusters_env_assessment.pdf
Friday, December 25, 2009
Najafgarh basin Delhi’s most polluted area (Indian Expre- Friday , Dec 25, 2009 )
New Delhi : Till now, pollution levels in residential areas of Delhi were known to be dangerously high. But a new methodology to calculate the pollution in air, water and land has detected some new villains.
A nationwide study by the Central Pollution Control Board on the most polluted industrial clusters shows that despite polluting manufacturing units being moved out of Delhi, not just the suburbs, but Capital’s heart too, is critically polluted.
The new system looks at presence of toxins, carcinogens and their impact on human life and land. And according to it, Delhi’s ‘Najafgarh drain basin’ — Anand Parvat, Naraina, Okhla, and Wazirpur — ranks eleventh among the 88 most polluted industrial clusters in India. Neighbouring ‘green’ suburbs Noida, (no. 12) Ghaziabad (no. 3) and Faridabad (no. 18) are also highly polluted. Ankleshwar in Gujarat occupies the top slot in pollution, the second spot is held by Vapi, also in Gujarat.
POLLUTION RATING
Air
Delhi: 69 Noida: 62 Faridabad: 63
Water
Delhi: 69 Faridabad: 58 Ghaziabad: 75
LAND
Delhi: 65 Faridabad: 62 Ghaziabad: 71
Figures in per cent; Critically polluted category requires rating above 60
A nationwide study by the Central Pollution Control Board on the most polluted industrial clusters shows that despite polluting manufacturing units being moved out of Delhi, not just the suburbs, but Capital’s heart too, is critically polluted.
The new system looks at presence of toxins, carcinogens and their impact on human life and land. And according to it, Delhi’s ‘Najafgarh drain basin’ — Anand Parvat, Naraina, Okhla, and Wazirpur — ranks eleventh among the 88 most polluted industrial clusters in India. Neighbouring ‘green’ suburbs Noida, (no. 12) Ghaziabad (no. 3) and Faridabad (no. 18) are also highly polluted. Ankleshwar in Gujarat occupies the top slot in pollution, the second spot is held by Vapi, also in Gujarat.
POLLUTION RATING
Air
Delhi: 69 Noida: 62 Faridabad: 63
Water
Delhi: 69 Faridabad: 58 Ghaziabad: 75
LAND
Delhi: 65 Faridabad: 62 Ghaziabad: 71
Figures in per cent; Critically polluted category requires rating above 60
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Now no stoppage from Mayur Vihar to Gandhi Nagar (The Hindu- 24 Dec.2009)
Special Correspondent
PTI ITO Chungi underpass flyover on Shastri Nagar, Pushta road inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday in New Delhi.
Four major road infrastructure projects worth Rs.412 crore were inaugurated by Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday. With this the movement of traffic from Mayur Vihar Phase-I to Gandhi Nagar in the trans-Yamuna Area has become signal-free.
The completion of these projects assumes significance as they are close to the Commonwealth Games Village that is coming up on the banks of the Yamuna.
Speaking at the inauguration of the ITO Chungi underpass, Shastri Nagar Pushta flyover, Geeta Colony bridge and Raja Ram Kohli Marg flyover, Ms. Dikshit said: “We promised to make Delhi a world-class city and develop all parts of the city including the trans-Yamuna area keeping in view this promise.’’
These four projects have collectively helped in significantly reducing the travel time in East Delhi. At ITO Chungi alone, the waiting time has come down to zero from about 10 to 15 minutes earlier as with the construction of an underpass and four clover leaves it has become signal-free.
The project has been constructed at a cost of Rs.81.77 crore in two years. It comprises a 750-metre-long underpass and four cloverleaves of nine metre width and 60 metre radius.
The Geeta Colony bridge over the Yamuna has been constructed at a cost of Rs.99.76 crore and it has provided an additional link over the Yamuna facilitating movement of traffic from East Delhi to Shanti Van.
The Rs.122 crore Raja Ram Kohli Marg flyover serves the Geeta Colony bridge and has made the intersection on its trans-Yamuna side signal-free.
The flyover at Shastri Nagar Pushta has been constructed at a cost of Rs.108 crore and it has made the Shastri Nagar intersection signal-free.
Delhi Finance Minister A. K. Walia, PWD Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan and Education and Transport Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely were also present at the function.
Dr. Walia said the Delhi Government wants to develop Pushta Road on which these four projects have come up as the Ring Road of East Delhi so that there is signal-free movement from Noida to Wazirabad.
Mr. Chauhan spoke of how another three important infrastructure projects would be completed in trans-Yamuna area before the Games. He said while the Gazipur grade separator would come up at a cost of Rs.230 crore, the UP Link Road improvement would cost Rs.350 crore and Apsara Border flyover another Rs.240 crore.
Keywords: Pushta Road, Yamuna, traffic jam, Sheila Dikshit, ITO Chungi underpass, world-class city, Commonwealth Games 2010, East Delhi .
Japanese team visits Yamuna project sites (The Hindu- 24 Dec. 2009)
Staff Reporter
NEW DELHI: A team of experts from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) visited six project sites under the Yamuna Action Plan II aimed at cleaning the river Yamuna on Wednesday. The projects are being overseen by the Delhi Jal Board.The work at these sites involves rehabilitation and installation of new sewers including construction of new and rehabilitation of old sewage treatment plants to increase sewage collection and treatment capacities in the city. A DJB spokesperson said the visitors expressed satisfaction over the progress of work on each of the sites. “Representing JICA Ms. Sato said she was confident that the Board will be able to complete the work on all these projects by 2010, well within the proposed time period,” said the spokesperson.
The JICA officials also took note of the difficulties being faced by the DJB .
NEW DELHI: A team of experts from the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) visited six project sites under the Yamuna Action Plan II aimed at cleaning the river Yamuna on Wednesday. The projects are being overseen by the Delhi Jal Board.The work at these sites involves rehabilitation and installation of new sewers including construction of new and rehabilitation of old sewage treatment plants to increase sewage collection and treatment capacities in the city. A DJB spokesperson said the visitors expressed satisfaction over the progress of work on each of the sites. “Representing JICA Ms. Sato said she was confident that the Board will be able to complete the work on all these projects by 2010, well within the proposed time period,” said the spokesperson.
The JICA officials also took note of the difficulties being faced by the DJB .
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Jal Board may extend deadline to get meters( Indian Express 23 Dec. 2009)
Geeta Gupta
New Delhi : Taking note of the problems faced by residents in installing meters, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) may extend the deadline to install water meters by another month.
In order to check water theft, DJB had issued instructions to install water meters and get defective meters replaced by December 31.
DJB officials said extension of the deadline was being considered as DJB-specified domestic meters were not easily available in the market.
“Considering the difficulties residents are facing in getting multi-jet meters, we are planning to extend the last date by a month or may be two,” DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said. He added that the board will take the final decision.
Instead of the easily available single-jet meters, DJB had said that residents should install multi-jet meters.
Suraj Chand, a resident of Mandawali, said, “I was told that I could buy my own meter and get it installed. But what if the DJB does not approve the meter? And then I don’t know where to buy the meter.”
“All residents in our colony have got their meters replaced,” Manjeet Singh Chugh, joint secretary of the South Extension-I RWA, said. “But there are issues regarding availability of DJB-specified meters for unauthorised colonies like Kotla Mubarakpur and Okhla.”
Over eight lakh water meters in Delhi, including 50,000 commercial connections, have to be installed or replaced by December 31.
Officials said they were in touch with meter manufacturers, who have been asked to help people in installing meters and provide plumbers if required.
Negi said meter manufacturers have been asked to set up stalls at Bhagidari workshops to inform people about the specifications. The first such workshop was held at the Delhi Secretariat on Thursday.
Pankaj Aggarwal, general secretary of the Delhi RWA Joint Forum, said: “Getting meters and installing them should have been done by the DJB. The quality of meters we get from the market is not just bad, but they also give erratic readings.” Often, the DJB has been criticised for losing over 40 per cent of its water to leakages and theft. In absence of a proper accounting system, the utility has been unsuccessful in assessing its water loss so far.
To plug losses, the DJB has also taken up the project to install bulk water meters at all water treatment plants, distribution mains, underground reservoirs and booster pumping stations in the city.
New Delhi : Taking note of the problems faced by residents in installing meters, the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) may extend the deadline to install water meters by another month.
In order to check water theft, DJB had issued instructions to install water meters and get defective meters replaced by December 31.
DJB officials said extension of the deadline was being considered as DJB-specified domestic meters were not easily available in the market.
“Considering the difficulties residents are facing in getting multi-jet meters, we are planning to extend the last date by a month or may be two,” DJB CEO Ramesh Negi said. He added that the board will take the final decision.
Instead of the easily available single-jet meters, DJB had said that residents should install multi-jet meters.
Suraj Chand, a resident of Mandawali, said, “I was told that I could buy my own meter and get it installed. But what if the DJB does not approve the meter? And then I don’t know where to buy the meter.”
“All residents in our colony have got their meters replaced,” Manjeet Singh Chugh, joint secretary of the South Extension-I RWA, said. “But there are issues regarding availability of DJB-specified meters for unauthorised colonies like Kotla Mubarakpur and Okhla.”
Over eight lakh water meters in Delhi, including 50,000 commercial connections, have to be installed or replaced by December 31.
Officials said they were in touch with meter manufacturers, who have been asked to help people in installing meters and provide plumbers if required.
Negi said meter manufacturers have been asked to set up stalls at Bhagidari workshops to inform people about the specifications. The first such workshop was held at the Delhi Secretariat on Thursday.
Pankaj Aggarwal, general secretary of the Delhi RWA Joint Forum, said: “Getting meters and installing them should have been done by the DJB. The quality of meters we get from the market is not just bad, but they also give erratic readings.” Often, the DJB has been criticised for losing over 40 per cent of its water to leakages and theft. In absence of a proper accounting system, the utility has been unsuccessful in assessing its water loss so far.
To plug losses, the DJB has also taken up the project to install bulk water meters at all water treatment plants, distribution mains, underground reservoirs and booster pumping stations in the city.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Trying to catch up with lost time: Gill (The Hindu-21 Dec. 2009)
Sujay Mehdudia
NEW DELHI: Union Sports Minister M.S. Gill on Sunday asserted that the government and organisers of the 2010 Commonwealth Games were busy doing the catching-up job and came out with the promise that everything would be in place well before the October 3-14 games next year.
Mr. Gill’s declaration came a day after Commonwealth Games Federation president, Michael Fennell said he was “distressed,” as some of the venues would not be ready before next June. “Whatever time has been lost since 2003, we are trying to make it up,” Mr. Gill told journalists after a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) here.
Mr. Gill said, “Mr. Fennell had said repeatedly that a lot of progress was made of late and we are doing the catching up job. Engineers are working hard; give them some credit. Workers from Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal are working hard and it is these people who are putting up the game and not me. God willing, I am sure we will get there in good time.” A clear direction would be given on the final plans after the next GoM meeting on December 29, he said.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
NEW DELHI: Union Sports Minister M.S. Gill on Sunday asserted that the government and organisers of the 2010 Commonwealth Games were busy doing the catching-up job and came out with the promise that everything would be in place well before the October 3-14 games next year.
Mr. Gill’s declaration came a day after Commonwealth Games Federation president, Michael Fennell said he was “distressed,” as some of the venues would not be ready before next June. “Whatever time has been lost since 2003, we are trying to make it up,” Mr. Gill told journalists after a meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) here.
Mr. Gill said, “Mr. Fennell had said repeatedly that a lot of progress was made of late and we are doing the catching up job. Engineers are working hard; give them some credit. Workers from Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal are working hard and it is these people who are putting up the game and not me. God willing, I am sure we will get there in good time.” A clear direction would be given on the final plans after the next GoM meeting on December 29, he said.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
As Capital expands, Delhi Jal Board works to widen sewerage network (Indian Express- 21 Dec. 2009)
Geeta Gupta
New Delhi : With Masterplan 2021 asking for 1,486 sq km of Delhi to be urbanised, the Delhi Jal Board now faces the challenge of providing sewerage facilities to areas not covered by the city’s sewerage network.
Officials said the Jal Board will now look at altering its plan to include vision 2021. It has already shortlisted eight consultant companies, out of 23 that submitted ‘expressions of interest’, they added.
“The eight companies have been issued ‘request for proposal’ and the bids would be announced on December 21. Work would then be awarded to the selected company for preparation of a sewerage masterplan for Delhi,” DJB Additional CEO Santosh Vaidya told Newsline.
The Board had earlier prepared the 2007 masterplan for sewerage, which, an official said, “could not envision the population growth”. The official said the Centre later decided to regularise unauthorised colonies. “As per Masterplan 2021, the total urbanisable area of Delhi has increased to 1,486 sq km — from 520 sq km in Masterplan 2001.”
The DJB’s mandate has now tripled: extended to rural, unauthorised, and resettlement colonies of Delhi.
The new sewerage masterplan would look into three basics: new sewers in areas not covered earlier (like Outer Delhi), alignment of existing network of trunk sewers and internal sewers with existing sewerage treatment plants, and chalk out a wastewater policy for the use of treated effluent.
“Besides providing sewerage solutions for the city, the selected company will also prepare a detailed wastewater policy for the use of effluent,” Vaidya said.
At least 450 million litres of treated effluent from existing DJB plants is used for commercial purposes every day by agencies such as Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Delhi International Airport Limited, North Delhi Power Limited, Delhi Transport Corporation, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Vaidya said the new masterplan would also look into sludge treatment for power generation and fertilizer use. Sludge is said to be rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus — ingredients necessary for making fertilizer.
New Delhi : With Masterplan 2021 asking for 1,486 sq km of Delhi to be urbanised, the Delhi Jal Board now faces the challenge of providing sewerage facilities to areas not covered by the city’s sewerage network.
Officials said the Jal Board will now look at altering its plan to include vision 2021. It has already shortlisted eight consultant companies, out of 23 that submitted ‘expressions of interest’, they added.
“The eight companies have been issued ‘request for proposal’ and the bids would be announced on December 21. Work would then be awarded to the selected company for preparation of a sewerage masterplan for Delhi,” DJB Additional CEO Santosh Vaidya told Newsline.
The Board had earlier prepared the 2007 masterplan for sewerage, which, an official said, “could not envision the population growth”. The official said the Centre later decided to regularise unauthorised colonies. “As per Masterplan 2021, the total urbanisable area of Delhi has increased to 1,486 sq km — from 520 sq km in Masterplan 2001.”
The DJB’s mandate has now tripled: extended to rural, unauthorised, and resettlement colonies of Delhi.
The new sewerage masterplan would look into three basics: new sewers in areas not covered earlier (like Outer Delhi), alignment of existing network of trunk sewers and internal sewers with existing sewerage treatment plants, and chalk out a wastewater policy for the use of treated effluent.
“Besides providing sewerage solutions for the city, the selected company will also prepare a detailed wastewater policy for the use of effluent,” Vaidya said.
At least 450 million litres of treated effluent from existing DJB plants is used for commercial purposes every day by agencies such as Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, Delhi International Airport Limited, North Delhi Power Limited, Delhi Transport Corporation, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
Vaidya said the new masterplan would also look into sludge treatment for power generation and fertilizer use. Sludge is said to be rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus — ingredients necessary for making fertilizer.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
To rob Yamuna of sand, its course changed (Times of India-18 December 2009)
Neha Lalchandani, TNN
Yamuna Pollution is not the only problem plaguing the Yamuna. Upstream of Wazirabad, on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border — where till now the river had somehow managed to retain its free-flowing character before literally turning into a drain in the city — the sand mining mafia is clandestinely working to change the course of the river.
The river is silently being robbed off its sand right under the nose of the administration and police. In the Palla area, just before the river is channelled into the Wazirabad canal, a temporary bank has been created in the middle of the Yamuna to trap sand, effectively shifting its flow more towards the Delhi border and creating a small sand island. A couple of days after the police arrested four people for illegal sand mining in the area, TOI visited the spot only to find that there had been no change in the situation.
Two large cranes lifted sand from the river and loaded it in trucks that later drove off towards UP, all in the presence of cops. Police personnel pleaded helplessness saying that the men were operating from the UP side of the river.
‘‘We have been complaining to the flood control department about this for a while because we are not authorised to take action if the offence is carried out in the other state. The miners bring in huge machinery and carry away several truckloads of sand each day. At any point when they see the police approaching, they turn their cranes towards the UP side. Technically, the river comes under Delhi but again the police is not authorised to take action unless the agency concerned files a complaint with us,’’ said sources.
Each day, hundreds of truckloads of sand is being carried out by the miners, who police say are residents of nearby villages. Each truckload is sold for about Rs 800 on the outskirts of Delhi, basically for construction purposes.
Experts say that removing small amounts of sand from the river bed manually is not a problem since the flowing water keeps replenishing the sand. However, for a river like the Yamuna, which hardly has a water flow throughout the year, this can cause serious problems. ‘‘Usage of machinery is causing a change in the natural topography. Deep digging and drilling leads to formation of ponds and when the river floods at any point of time, there is a danger of it changing its course. This can prove to be catastrophic for the city infrastructure as well,’’ said Manoj Misra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Villagers farming in the area are equally affected by the mining since the heavy machinery that is used for digging ruins their fields. Some claim that their land has also been appropriated for use during mining. ‘‘Many of these men come in from the Delhi side,’’ they said, contrary to the police version. ‘‘We have caught some of them but then they damaged our fields and crops and we had to let them off,’’ said Pratap Chand, a farmer.
SDM of the area, Ashish Mohan, told TOI that his department would be taking strict action against the miners, even if that meant taking a boat across to the Delhi border and apprehending them there. ‘‘I have also written to the area DCP on Tuesday, asking him to appoint the Alipur SHO as the nodal officer for taking action in other such cases in future,’’ he said.
neha.lalchandani@timesgroup.com
Yamuna Pollution is not the only problem plaguing the Yamuna. Upstream of Wazirabad, on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border — where till now the river had somehow managed to retain its free-flowing character before literally turning into a drain in the city — the sand mining mafia is clandestinely working to change the course of the river.
The river is silently being robbed off its sand right under the nose of the administration and police. In the Palla area, just before the river is channelled into the Wazirabad canal, a temporary bank has been created in the middle of the Yamuna to trap sand, effectively shifting its flow more towards the Delhi border and creating a small sand island. A couple of days after the police arrested four people for illegal sand mining in the area, TOI visited the spot only to find that there had been no change in the situation.
Two large cranes lifted sand from the river and loaded it in trucks that later drove off towards UP, all in the presence of cops. Police personnel pleaded helplessness saying that the men were operating from the UP side of the river.
‘‘We have been complaining to the flood control department about this for a while because we are not authorised to take action if the offence is carried out in the other state. The miners bring in huge machinery and carry away several truckloads of sand each day. At any point when they see the police approaching, they turn their cranes towards the UP side. Technically, the river comes under Delhi but again the police is not authorised to take action unless the agency concerned files a complaint with us,’’ said sources.
Each day, hundreds of truckloads of sand is being carried out by the miners, who police say are residents of nearby villages. Each truckload is sold for about Rs 800 on the outskirts of Delhi, basically for construction purposes.
Experts say that removing small amounts of sand from the river bed manually is not a problem since the flowing water keeps replenishing the sand. However, for a river like the Yamuna, which hardly has a water flow throughout the year, this can cause serious problems. ‘‘Usage of machinery is causing a change in the natural topography. Deep digging and drilling leads to formation of ponds and when the river floods at any point of time, there is a danger of it changing its course. This can prove to be catastrophic for the city infrastructure as well,’’ said Manoj Misra of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan.
Villagers farming in the area are equally affected by the mining since the heavy machinery that is used for digging ruins their fields. Some claim that their land has also been appropriated for use during mining. ‘‘Many of these men come in from the Delhi side,’’ they said, contrary to the police version. ‘‘We have caught some of them but then they damaged our fields and crops and we had to let them off,’’ said Pratap Chand, a farmer.
SDM of the area, Ashish Mohan, told TOI that his department would be taking strict action against the miners, even if that meant taking a boat across to the Delhi border and apprehending them there. ‘‘I have also written to the area DCP on Tuesday, asking him to appoint the Alipur SHO as the nodal officer for taking action in other such cases in future,’’ he said.
neha.lalchandani@timesgroup.com
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Water supply to be affected in many Delhi areas ( The Hindu- 18 Dec. 2009)
Staff Reporter
Haiderpur and Nangloi water treatment plants will be shut down from Friday morning till Saturday evening
Central-West Delhi, North-West Delhi, West Delhi, South-West Delhi, South Delhi areas to be affected
‘Residents will have to store water as we will not be in a position to even send water tankers’
NEW DELHI: Large parts of the Capital will go without water on Friday and Saturday as two water treatment plants at Haiderpur and Nangloi will be shut down on account of some work and also because of repairs being carried out elsewhere.
According to Delhi Jal Board officials, following a request by the Haryana Irrigation Department, the Delhi sub-branch canal that supplies raw water to the Haiderpur and Nangloi water treatment plants will be closed from early Friday morning till late Saturday evening.
“The plants will be shutdown for about 24 to 30 hours, so water supply to all areas on the command of these two treatment plants will be affected. The closure of the sub-branch canal is required to facilitate construction of culverts to lay the pipeline across the bed of the canal,” said an official.
The closure of the treatment plants will affect people living in Central-West Delhi, North-West Delhi, West Delhi, South-West Delhi, Naraina, Delhi Cantonment and South Delhi areas falling under the New Delhi Municipal Council. “Though we will try and provide supply on Friday morning as well as Saturday night, residents in these areas will have to store water as we will not be in a position to even send water tankers,” said the official.
Also on account of repairs in West Punjabi Bagh, water supply will be affected on Friday in East and West Punjabi Bagh, Moti Nagar, Karampura, Rani Bagh, Jaidev Park, Bhagwan Dass Nagar, Shivaji Park, Arihant Nagar, SFS Madipur, Kirti Nagar, Sudershan Park, Ram Garh and Rattan Park.
DJB official said due to the installation of flow meter at Janakpuri, water supply will be affected on Friday and Saturday in Janakpuri A, B, C and D Block, Virender Nagar, Shiv Nagar, Nangal Raya, Lajwanti Garden Institutional Area, Pankha Road and Prem Nagar.
Water supply will also be affected over the weekend in Moti Bagh, Teen Murti and NDMC areas. There will be low water pressure in Kailash Hill, Karawal Nagar, Dayalpur, Mustafabad, Pocket-F Dilshad Garden, Pocket-E Mayur Vihar Phase-II, Molar Band village because of annual cleaning and maintenance work.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Haiderpur and Nangloi water treatment plants will be shut down from Friday morning till Saturday evening
Central-West Delhi, North-West Delhi, West Delhi, South-West Delhi, South Delhi areas to be affected
‘Residents will have to store water as we will not be in a position to even send water tankers’
NEW DELHI: Large parts of the Capital will go without water on Friday and Saturday as two water treatment plants at Haiderpur and Nangloi will be shut down on account of some work and also because of repairs being carried out elsewhere.
According to Delhi Jal Board officials, following a request by the Haryana Irrigation Department, the Delhi sub-branch canal that supplies raw water to the Haiderpur and Nangloi water treatment plants will be closed from early Friday morning till late Saturday evening.
“The plants will be shutdown for about 24 to 30 hours, so water supply to all areas on the command of these two treatment plants will be affected. The closure of the sub-branch canal is required to facilitate construction of culverts to lay the pipeline across the bed of the canal,” said an official.
The closure of the treatment plants will affect people living in Central-West Delhi, North-West Delhi, West Delhi, South-West Delhi, Naraina, Delhi Cantonment and South Delhi areas falling under the New Delhi Municipal Council. “Though we will try and provide supply on Friday morning as well as Saturday night, residents in these areas will have to store water as we will not be in a position to even send water tankers,” said the official.
Also on account of repairs in West Punjabi Bagh, water supply will be affected on Friday in East and West Punjabi Bagh, Moti Nagar, Karampura, Rani Bagh, Jaidev Park, Bhagwan Dass Nagar, Shivaji Park, Arihant Nagar, SFS Madipur, Kirti Nagar, Sudershan Park, Ram Garh and Rattan Park.
DJB official said due to the installation of flow meter at Janakpuri, water supply will be affected on Friday and Saturday in Janakpuri A, B, C and D Block, Virender Nagar, Shiv Nagar, Nangal Raya, Lajwanti Garden Institutional Area, Pankha Road and Prem Nagar.
Water supply will also be affected over the weekend in Moti Bagh, Teen Murti and NDMC areas. There will be low water pressure in Kailash Hill, Karawal Nagar, Dayalpur, Mustafabad, Pocket-F Dilshad Garden, Pocket-E Mayur Vihar Phase-II, Molar Band village because of annual cleaning and maintenance work.
© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Thirsty Agra to get Ganga water now (The Pioneer, 08 Dec. 2009)
Biswajeet Banerjee Lucknow
Although Agra is situated on the banks of Rive Yamuna, it is Ganga water that will quench the thirst of its residents, under a project called ‘Gangajal.
A 100-km long canal would bring Ganga water to Agra from Bulandshah and would be taken to Jewwami Mandi and Sikandra Water Works, where it would be treated and then distributed as piped water supply. This Ganga water would cater to almost 16 lakh people- the expected population of Agra by the end of 2010.
“This project would come into operation by June 2010 and be carried out in collaboration with Japan International Co-operative Agency (JICA),” principal secretary in he Department of Urban Development Alok Ranjan told The Pioneer
Ranjan said this Rs 1,076 –crore project was part o Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT)- the flagship project aimed at providing basic necessities like water, sewage, transport and solid sewage, transport and solid waste management.
“We are forced to bring “Gangajal’ to the banks of the river Yamuna through a canal because the area around Agra practically does not have surface water. Agra being the tourist destination, we can not leave this area parched,” the principal secretary said.
Agra city has 12 underground reservoirs, which have a capacity of 42,475 kilolitres.
The perennial Yamuna had met the water demand of this historic city till now. With changing times, however, the character of the city changed. The population swelled with influx of people from neighboring villages.
Agra was one of the first cities in India where the piped water supply system was introduced, almost 120 years ago in 1890. It was designed to quench the thirst of 1,60, 000 resident- including the cantonment population. With the increase in population, several rehabilitation schemes were implemented till 1997, when the Supreme Court intervened and asked National Environmental Engineering Research Institute to prepare a comprehensive project report for augmentation of the water supply system.
According to the estimate, Agra would need 351 MLD of water by 2010, as its population is likely to swell o 15.64 lakh. Till date, only 217 MLD of water is supplied through different sources- including Yamuna and ground water
According to the water supply master, Agra would be divided into 25 zones, of which 15 would be in the city and 10 on the outskirts.
Although Agra is situated on the banks of Rive Yamuna, it is Ganga water that will quench the thirst of its residents, under a project called ‘Gangajal.
A 100-km long canal would bring Ganga water to Agra from Bulandshah and would be taken to Jewwami Mandi and Sikandra Water Works, where it would be treated and then distributed as piped water supply. This Ganga water would cater to almost 16 lakh people- the expected population of Agra by the end of 2010.
“This project would come into operation by June 2010 and be carried out in collaboration with Japan International Co-operative Agency (JICA),” principal secretary in he Department of Urban Development Alok Ranjan told The Pioneer
Ranjan said this Rs 1,076 –crore project was part o Urban Infrastructure Development Scheme for Small and Medium Towns (UIDSSMT)- the flagship project aimed at providing basic necessities like water, sewage, transport and solid sewage, transport and solid waste management.
“We are forced to bring “Gangajal’ to the banks of the river Yamuna through a canal because the area around Agra practically does not have surface water. Agra being the tourist destination, we can not leave this area parched,” the principal secretary said.
Agra city has 12 underground reservoirs, which have a capacity of 42,475 kilolitres.
The perennial Yamuna had met the water demand of this historic city till now. With changing times, however, the character of the city changed. The population swelled with influx of people from neighboring villages.
Agra was one of the first cities in India where the piped water supply system was introduced, almost 120 years ago in 1890. It was designed to quench the thirst of 1,60, 000 resident- including the cantonment population. With the increase in population, several rehabilitation schemes were implemented till 1997, when the Supreme Court intervened and asked National Environmental Engineering Research Institute to prepare a comprehensive project report for augmentation of the water supply system.
According to the estimate, Agra would need 351 MLD of water by 2010, as its population is likely to swell o 15.64 lakh. Till date, only 217 MLD of water is supplied through different sources- including Yamuna and ground water
According to the water supply master, Agra would be divided into 25 zones, of which 15 would be in the city and 10 on the outskirts.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Stand up, speak up (The Hindu/Young World-08 Dec 2009)
CHETNA DUA
The project to clean the Yamuna saw positive results.
Come, let's clean: Kids in action
The Yamuna has been reduced to a dirty, stinky and polluted canal thanks to the tonnes of sewage perpetually being dumped into it, both by industries and people living in residential colonies, slums and rural areas. To take a step against this maltreatment of the river, the Society for Child Development got together 800 students from 45 schools of Delhi to participate in the ‘Clean Yamuna Project' recently.
“Till last year it was a once-a-year programme where all the children would come together and do the cleaning or shramdaan as they prefer to call it. But this year we brought them in mixed groups of 60-70 students, including disabled kids,," said Madhumita, founder of of the Society.
Getting together
A press meet was organised on the Yamuna ghat. Aptly titled ‘Stand up, Speak up' it saw students keenly discussing with Rajendra Mehta, advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Rita Khanna, one of the directors in the same ministry, the steps being taken, or rather ‘not' being taken, to keep the environment and the Yamuna clean. Bombarded by questions, the government representatives said every individual has to contribute to make a change, but most of the suggestions came from those involved in the cleaning projects.
The children wanted to know why, when they come and clean the river, the MCD does not come immediately to pick up the garbage.
“We put in so much time and hard work in removing the garbage, and then we are told to leave it on the side. What's the use? It can go again into the river if the MCD van doesn't come,” reasoned an agitated participant.
Strict vigil
The students demanded more posters and plans to make people aware of the growing dirt in the river which is the heart and life of the city. They also proposed a complete ban on plastics and strict vigilance of industrial waste being thrown into the river.
There was a unanimous cry for immersion tanks at every ghat in the country.
“We cannot stop the rituals of the country, but till we provide them with alternatives like the immersion tank, people will continue to drown idols and other samagri in the river,” said Henry Dunant, eco club co-ordinator from the Public School of Red Cross Society.
Saying sewage need not enter the river at all, Manoj Mishra, convenor of Yamuna Jeeye Abhiyan, said, “The best solution would be to build a drain for sewage parallel to or under the Ring Road from Wazirabad to the Okhla sewage plant where the sewage gets treated and goes into the Agra canal for irrigation purposes. The best use of sewage is for irrigation.”
The project to clean the Yamuna saw positive results.
Come, let's clean: Kids in action
The Yamuna has been reduced to a dirty, stinky and polluted canal thanks to the tonnes of sewage perpetually being dumped into it, both by industries and people living in residential colonies, slums and rural areas. To take a step against this maltreatment of the river, the Society for Child Development got together 800 students from 45 schools of Delhi to participate in the ‘Clean Yamuna Project' recently.
“Till last year it was a once-a-year programme where all the children would come together and do the cleaning or shramdaan as they prefer to call it. But this year we brought them in mixed groups of 60-70 students, including disabled kids,," said Madhumita, founder of of the Society.
Getting together
A press meet was organised on the Yamuna ghat. Aptly titled ‘Stand up, Speak up' it saw students keenly discussing with Rajendra Mehta, advisor to the Ministry of Environment and Forests and Rita Khanna, one of the directors in the same ministry, the steps being taken, or rather ‘not' being taken, to keep the environment and the Yamuna clean. Bombarded by questions, the government representatives said every individual has to contribute to make a change, but most of the suggestions came from those involved in the cleaning projects.
The children wanted to know why, when they come and clean the river, the MCD does not come immediately to pick up the garbage.
“We put in so much time and hard work in removing the garbage, and then we are told to leave it on the side. What's the use? It can go again into the river if the MCD van doesn't come,” reasoned an agitated participant.
Strict vigil
The students demanded more posters and plans to make people aware of the growing dirt in the river which is the heart and life of the city. They also proposed a complete ban on plastics and strict vigilance of industrial waste being thrown into the river.
There was a unanimous cry for immersion tanks at every ghat in the country.
“We cannot stop the rituals of the country, but till we provide them with alternatives like the immersion tank, people will continue to drown idols and other samagri in the river,” said Henry Dunant, eco club co-ordinator from the Public School of Red Cross Society.
Saying sewage need not enter the river at all, Manoj Mishra, convenor of Yamuna Jeeye Abhiyan, said, “The best solution would be to build a drain for sewage parallel to or under the Ring Road from Wazirabad to the Okhla sewage plant where the sewage gets treated and goes into the Agra canal for irrigation purposes. The best use of sewage is for irrigation.”
No such thing as a free glass (Indian Express/Editorial-11Dec2009)
Yoginder K. Alagh
We say all the right things and do the wrong ones. Young Viral Dholakia, who died in a lathi-charge on protestors against water hikes at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters, possibly believed what we say — and probably paid for that with his life. We say loudly, including in the National Water Policy, that the first priority on available water is for drinking — and hardly ever enforce it. Industry, businesses, in rural areas powerful farmers groups, all muscle in the name of social priority. An occasional brave collector reserves stored water in years of drought for drinking purposes in the summer, raising the hackles of farmers and others.
The only priority we should enforce is for drinking water for the very poor; for water is life, as R. Ramaswami constantly reminds us, and cannot therefore be priced for the very poor. Everybody else — and that means everybody — must pay. Once we accept this, and also that water is in its supply also in the commons, the price of water has to be regulated. We don’t have regulatory bodies for water apart from some exceptions. I track those, and in most cases the regulator is threatened to be established — but is actually not there.
Some experts argue that the poor also must pay. This follows a strong argument that they actually pay now — and as a number of studies show the private costs of water are high since they miss out on the great cost advantages of community-supplied or municipal water. As is well known, 24x7 water supply is cheaper, because it has to be on large-scale and also leads to less water demand, because there is no premium on storing water at home. So everybody should pay and get the advantages of large economies. For the very poor, these experts — and some are my best students so I don’t take them lightly — would, when pressed, accept that maybe some subsidy can be given and we can work a dual pricing scheme. But there are very few such working dual-price schemes.
We need both large water supply schemes and highly decentralised delivery and revenue collection set-ups. Technologically, it is now possible to combine scale economies with efficiency at the mohalla level. Maintenance at lower-level systems should also be better. We don’t do all this. For one thing, we hate large projects. Our cities can choke but the Luddites opposing a dam to supply drinking water which otherwise flows into the sea will prosper — and that too with American or Japanese NGO aid money, since those countries have built all their dams and nuclear power plants and can afford to scoff at us. I have not known of even a small-town abroad which does not have a large storage water supply scheme.
We also don’t trust small communities, and so the thinking goes on. We don’t even have, in most towns, a concept of what the solution is. Water will not come free; and the long-term marginal cost of supplying water will be high, particularly in some regions, although much less than what we spend now. In most habitations pumped ground water by individuals is usually at least thrice the cost of other ways of getting water.
But even the efficiency costs are high. In SSP, the activists criticised us for not working out the benefit cost ratio of drinking water. I kept on explaining that that was so because that gets into valuing life, as water is a basic human need — not that we can’t work out the benefit cost numbers. But later we worked out the numbers, because of the sickening abuse. Of course the benefits went up in a big way, because in Kutch, for example, the alternative water supply schemes had a cost of around four rupees a kilolitre — now getting close to the costs of bottled water. There are no free lunches with a glass of water; it is reasonably certain that a good regulator can work out the price of water, one which will be less than what we actually pay now.
That price has also to be paid — because only then can municipal bodies borrow on the scale at which financing of real solutions is possible. A water revenue model can be escrowed, to aid non-sovereign guaranteed borrowing for real water solutions. A number of municipal bodies have made a beginning with CRISIL-rated non-sovereign guaranteed bonds. Others must follow.
The sad part of the current utter confusion? More and more, we see local-level violence over water. A town or a big industry will try and pump out groundwater and the villagers will surround it saying it is their water. The police will come, and there will be firing. In years of drought state governments are known to have asked the police to run water distribution, showing system collapse. While we develop long-term mechanisms, let us also try and douse the fires which erupt on the way.
The writer, a former Union minister, is chairman, Institute of Rural Management, Anand
We say all the right things and do the wrong ones. Young Viral Dholakia, who died in a lathi-charge on protestors against water hikes at Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters, possibly believed what we say — and probably paid for that with his life. We say loudly, including in the National Water Policy, that the first priority on available water is for drinking — and hardly ever enforce it. Industry, businesses, in rural areas powerful farmers groups, all muscle in the name of social priority. An occasional brave collector reserves stored water in years of drought for drinking purposes in the summer, raising the hackles of farmers and others.
The only priority we should enforce is for drinking water for the very poor; for water is life, as R. Ramaswami constantly reminds us, and cannot therefore be priced for the very poor. Everybody else — and that means everybody — must pay. Once we accept this, and also that water is in its supply also in the commons, the price of water has to be regulated. We don’t have regulatory bodies for water apart from some exceptions. I track those, and in most cases the regulator is threatened to be established — but is actually not there.
Some experts argue that the poor also must pay. This follows a strong argument that they actually pay now — and as a number of studies show the private costs of water are high since they miss out on the great cost advantages of community-supplied or municipal water. As is well known, 24x7 water supply is cheaper, because it has to be on large-scale and also leads to less water demand, because there is no premium on storing water at home. So everybody should pay and get the advantages of large economies. For the very poor, these experts — and some are my best students so I don’t take them lightly — would, when pressed, accept that maybe some subsidy can be given and we can work a dual pricing scheme. But there are very few such working dual-price schemes.
We need both large water supply schemes and highly decentralised delivery and revenue collection set-ups. Technologically, it is now possible to combine scale economies with efficiency at the mohalla level. Maintenance at lower-level systems should also be better. We don’t do all this. For one thing, we hate large projects. Our cities can choke but the Luddites opposing a dam to supply drinking water which otherwise flows into the sea will prosper — and that too with American or Japanese NGO aid money, since those countries have built all their dams and nuclear power plants and can afford to scoff at us. I have not known of even a small-town abroad which does not have a large storage water supply scheme.
We also don’t trust small communities, and so the thinking goes on. We don’t even have, in most towns, a concept of what the solution is. Water will not come free; and the long-term marginal cost of supplying water will be high, particularly in some regions, although much less than what we spend now. In most habitations pumped ground water by individuals is usually at least thrice the cost of other ways of getting water.
But even the efficiency costs are high. In SSP, the activists criticised us for not working out the benefit cost ratio of drinking water. I kept on explaining that that was so because that gets into valuing life, as water is a basic human need — not that we can’t work out the benefit cost numbers. But later we worked out the numbers, because of the sickening abuse. Of course the benefits went up in a big way, because in Kutch, for example, the alternative water supply schemes had a cost of around four rupees a kilolitre — now getting close to the costs of bottled water. There are no free lunches with a glass of water; it is reasonably certain that a good regulator can work out the price of water, one which will be less than what we actually pay now.
That price has also to be paid — because only then can municipal bodies borrow on the scale at which financing of real solutions is possible. A water revenue model can be escrowed, to aid non-sovereign guaranteed borrowing for real water solutions. A number of municipal bodies have made a beginning with CRISIL-rated non-sovereign guaranteed bonds. Others must follow.
The sad part of the current utter confusion? More and more, we see local-level violence over water. A town or a big industry will try and pump out groundwater and the villagers will surround it saying it is their water. The police will come, and there will be firing. In years of drought state governments are known to have asked the police to run water distribution, showing system collapse. While we develop long-term mechanisms, let us also try and douse the fires which erupt on the way.
The writer, a former Union minister, is chairman, Institute of Rural Management, Anand
Jairam seeks review of river-linking project in Madhya Pradesh(The Hindu- 14 Dec 2009)
Aarti Dhar
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has asked the Centre to review the Ken-Betwa river-linking project in Madhya Pradesh in view of the ecological implications.
In a letter to Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mr. Ramesh suggested that it "may be revised" to exclude the tiger reserve area falling within its purview.
The project encompasses a considerable forest area falling within the notified core/critical tiger habitat of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. "The proposal, if implemented, would involve construction of a large dam spread over 1.5 km besides the supporting infrastructure and powerhouses. This would cause considerable disturbance to the core/critical habitat of the tiger reserve which is required to be kept "inviolate" for tiger and other wild animals as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972." Mr. Ramesh said.
Conflict-ridden area
Panna is a conflict-ridden landscape where tigers have gone locally extinct in the recent past. The Centre is actively supporting the State to restore the tiger population, the letter said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ramesh has also written to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, seeking his intervention in the speedy notification relating to the buffer zones of Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat and Pench Tiger Reserves.
He also pointed out the "considerable" delay on the part of the Maharashtra government in releasing funds to tiger reserves. So far during the current financial year, it is learnt that only a small amount has been released to the field units.
Mr. Ramesh asked Mr. Chavan to create a reserve-specific Tiger Conservation Foundation under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, to receive Central assistance under Project Tiger. A similar letter has also been written to the Assam Chief Minister regarding the Kaziranga and Manas Tiger Reserves.
Keywords: Jairam Ramesh, Ken-Betwa river-linking project, Panna Tiger Reserve, notified tiger habitat
Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh has asked the Centre to review the Ken-Betwa river-linking project in Madhya Pradesh in view of the ecological implications.
In a letter to Union Water Resources Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mr. Ramesh suggested that it "may be revised" to exclude the tiger reserve area falling within its purview.
The project encompasses a considerable forest area falling within the notified core/critical tiger habitat of the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. "The proposal, if implemented, would involve construction of a large dam spread over 1.5 km besides the supporting infrastructure and powerhouses. This would cause considerable disturbance to the core/critical habitat of the tiger reserve which is required to be kept "inviolate" for tiger and other wild animals as per the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972." Mr. Ramesh said.
Conflict-ridden area
Panna is a conflict-ridden landscape where tigers have gone locally extinct in the recent past. The Centre is actively supporting the State to restore the tiger population, the letter said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ramesh has also written to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, seeking his intervention in the speedy notification relating to the buffer zones of Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat and Pench Tiger Reserves.
He also pointed out the "considerable" delay on the part of the Maharashtra government in releasing funds to tiger reserves. So far during the current financial year, it is learnt that only a small amount has been released to the field units.
Mr. Ramesh asked Mr. Chavan to create a reserve-specific Tiger Conservation Foundation under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, to receive Central assistance under Project Tiger. A similar letter has also been written to the Assam Chief Minister regarding the Kaziranga and Manas Tiger Reserves.
Keywords: Jairam Ramesh, Ken-Betwa river-linking project, Panna Tiger Reserve, notified tiger habitat
Monday, December 14, 2009
capital’s Water tariffs(Indian Express- 14 Dec. 2009)
New Delhi : Starting January, Delhi will pay more for the amount of water consumed. Newsline looks at the new rates.
DOMESTIC CATEGORY:
* Consumers of 10 kl per month will continue to pay Rs 2 per kilolitre (kl). Fixed charge: Rs 50
* Monthly consumption ranges from 10 kl to 20 kl will pay Rs 3 per kilolitre. Fixed charge: Rs 100
* Monthly consumption ranges from 20 kl to 30 kl will pay Rs 15 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 150
* Monthly consumption above 30 kl will pay Rs 25 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 200
INDUSTRIAL CATEGORY:
* Monthly consumption till 10 kl will continue to pay Rs 10 per kl. Fixed charge:Rs 400
* Monthly consumption ranges from 10 kl to 25 kl to pay Rs 20 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 600
* Monthly consumption ranges from 25 kl to 50 kl to pay Rs 50 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 700
* Monthly consumption ranges from 50 kl to 100 kl to pay Rs 80 per kilolitre. Fixed charge: Rs 800
* Monthly consumption of above 100 kl to pay Rs 100 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 900
SEWER MAINTENANCE:
* Sewer maintenance in the above categories is 60 per cent of the volumetric charge (charge as per volume) per kl.
* Banquet halls to pay Rs 10,000 per month per function site.
* Hotels, guest houses, hospitals and nursing homes with more than 50 rooms and less than 100 to pay Rs 10,000 per month. Malls and cineplexes to also pay Rs 10,000 per month.
* Hospitals and nursing homes with less than 50 and more than 25 beds to pay Rs 4,000
* Hospitals and nursing homes with less than 25 beds to pay Rs 1,500.
DOMESTIC CATEGORY:
* Consumers of 10 kl per month will continue to pay Rs 2 per kilolitre (kl). Fixed charge: Rs 50
* Monthly consumption ranges from 10 kl to 20 kl will pay Rs 3 per kilolitre. Fixed charge: Rs 100
* Monthly consumption ranges from 20 kl to 30 kl will pay Rs 15 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 150
* Monthly consumption above 30 kl will pay Rs 25 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 200
INDUSTRIAL CATEGORY:
* Monthly consumption till 10 kl will continue to pay Rs 10 per kl. Fixed charge:Rs 400
* Monthly consumption ranges from 10 kl to 25 kl to pay Rs 20 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 600
* Monthly consumption ranges from 25 kl to 50 kl to pay Rs 50 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 700
* Monthly consumption ranges from 50 kl to 100 kl to pay Rs 80 per kilolitre. Fixed charge: Rs 800
* Monthly consumption of above 100 kl to pay Rs 100 per kl. Fixed charge: Rs 900
SEWER MAINTENANCE:
* Sewer maintenance in the above categories is 60 per cent of the volumetric charge (charge as per volume) per kl.
* Banquet halls to pay Rs 10,000 per month per function site.
* Hotels, guest houses, hospitals and nursing homes with more than 50 rooms and less than 100 to pay Rs 10,000 per month. Malls and cineplexes to also pay Rs 10,000 per month.
* Hospitals and nursing homes with less than 50 and more than 25 beds to pay Rs 4,000
* Hospitals and nursing homes with less than 25 beds to pay Rs 1,500.
Friday, December 4, 2009
One person dead as Mumbaikars protest 15% water cut outside BMC office
MUMBAI: One person has been killed and several persons injured when police baton-charged demonstrators protesting against water cuts in front of the
The protestor was admitted to G T Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
An unspecified number of protestors received injuries when the riot police used force to disperse them after they tried to force their way into the BMC headquarters in south Mumbai this afternoon, officials said.
The agitators from several parts of the city and its suburbs had started collecting in front of the BMC office since noon under the umbrella of an NGO--"Swabhiman" to protest 15 percent cut introduced by the local body in view of the water shortage due to scanty monsoon.
Nitesh Rane, son of Congress leader Narayan Rane, had organized the demonstration on the issue of water cuts in the city.
A follower of Narayan Rane died when the police resorted to lathi charge on the morcha which turned violent.
Junior Rane organised the morcha under the banner of his own organisation Swabhiman.
Waving red flags and shouting slogans against BMC, the agitators pulled down barricades put up by the police and tried to barge into the Corporation headquarters, prompting the security personnel to lathicharge.
The death has created tension in South Mumbai and large number of his followers assembled in front of the hospital, GT Hospital where he died while undergoing medical treatment. His body is being sent for post mortem.
The protestor was admitted to G T Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
An unspecified number of protestors received injuries when the riot police used force to disperse them after they tried to force their way into the BMC headquarters in south Mumbai this afternoon, officials said.
The agitators from several parts of the city and its suburbs had started collecting in front of the BMC office since noon under the umbrella of an NGO--"Swabhiman" to protest 15 percent cut introduced by the local body in view of the water shortage due to scanty monsoon.
Nitesh Rane, son of Congress leader Narayan Rane, had organized the demonstration on the issue of water cuts in the city.
A follower of Narayan Rane died when the police resorted to lathi charge on the morcha which turned violent.
Junior Rane organised the morcha under the banner of his own organisation Swabhiman.
Waving red flags and shouting slogans against BMC, the agitators pulled down barricades put up by the police and tried to barge into the Corporation headquarters, prompting the security personnel to lathicharge.
The death has created tension in South Mumbai and large number of his followers assembled in front of the hospital, GT Hospital where he died while undergoing medical treatment. His body is being sent for post mortem.
Row over water treatment at tributary of Pampa
Radhakrishnan Kuttoor
PATHANAMTHITTA: The direct treatment of water in the Njunangar stream, a tributary of the Pampa, using ferrous chloride has kicked up a controversy.
Experts and environmentalists say the system will pose a health hazard as the downstream of the river has several drinking water schemes. The chemical used is from a private company in Aluva which produces it as a byproduct, or rather a waste material. It used to discharge the chemical into the Periyar and had to stop it following protests.
Inquiry sought
The environmentalists demand an inquiry into the whole matter.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has been carrying out the water treatment, with the technical guidance and expertise of the State Pollution Control Board (PCB), for two years to reduce the coliform bacteria count in the river water.
However, many experts, including those of the PCB, have criticised it, especially the use ferrous chloride.
Heavily contaminated
Eloor Purushan, an environmental activist who was in the forefront of an agitation against the discharge of ferrous chloride into the Periyar, says the company is engaged in the manufacture of synthetic rutile in which ferrous and ferric chlorides are obtained as heavily contaminated byproducts.
The water treatment system has three earthen bunds across the stream.
In the first segment, the coagulants, lime and ferrous chloride, are added and allowed to stand. The waste settles as sludge.
The clear overflow is aerated in the next segment and released for discharge. The sludge generated is discharged into small pits in the adjoining forests. But owing to the nature of the terrain, the pits get filled quickly and the sludge overflows back into the river and thus the system fails, says a senior engineer with the PCB.
The drinking water standard for iron (without conventional treatment but after disinfection) is 0.3 mg a litre. But if there is conventional treatment followed by disinfection, the limit is 50 mg a litre. Permissible standards for lead and cadmium are 0.1 mg a litre and 0.01 mg a litre, respectively.
Health risk
However, the discharge of these toxic materials into the Pampa, through Njunangar, is said to be far exceeding all permissible limits, posing a health risk to the population up to Kuttanad downstream, says the PCB expert on the condition of anonymity.
The Legislative Committee on Environment, chaired by Rajaji Mathew Thomas, recently expressed concern over the direct river treatment without conducting proper studies, Mr. Nair says.
The committee raised the question of the toxicity of the system at its sitting at Pampa on November 18.
PATHANAMTHITTA: The direct treatment of water in the Njunangar stream, a tributary of the Pampa, using ferrous chloride has kicked up a controversy.
Experts and environmentalists say the system will pose a health hazard as the downstream of the river has several drinking water schemes. The chemical used is from a private company in Aluva which produces it as a byproduct, or rather a waste material. It used to discharge the chemical into the Periyar and had to stop it following protests.
Inquiry sought
The environmentalists demand an inquiry into the whole matter.
The Travancore Devaswom Board has been carrying out the water treatment, with the technical guidance and expertise of the State Pollution Control Board (PCB), for two years to reduce the coliform bacteria count in the river water.
However, many experts, including those of the PCB, have criticised it, especially the use ferrous chloride.
Heavily contaminated
Eloor Purushan, an environmental activist who was in the forefront of an agitation against the discharge of ferrous chloride into the Periyar, says the company is engaged in the manufacture of synthetic rutile in which ferrous and ferric chlorides are obtained as heavily contaminated byproducts.
The water treatment system has three earthen bunds across the stream.
In the first segment, the coagulants, lime and ferrous chloride, are added and allowed to stand. The waste settles as sludge.
The clear overflow is aerated in the next segment and released for discharge. The sludge generated is discharged into small pits in the adjoining forests. But owing to the nature of the terrain, the pits get filled quickly and the sludge overflows back into the river and thus the system fails, says a senior engineer with the PCB.
The drinking water standard for iron (without conventional treatment but after disinfection) is 0.3 mg a litre. But if there is conventional treatment followed by disinfection, the limit is 50 mg a litre. Permissible standards for lead and cadmium are 0.1 mg a litre and 0.01 mg a litre, respectively.
Health risk
However, the discharge of these toxic materials into the Pampa, through Njunangar, is said to be far exceeding all permissible limits, posing a health risk to the population up to Kuttanad downstream, says the PCB expert on the condition of anonymity.
The Legislative Committee on Environment, chaired by Rajaji Mathew Thomas, recently expressed concern over the direct river treatment without conducting proper studies, Mr. Nair says.
The committee raised the question of the toxicity of the system at its sitting at Pampa on November 18.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Water to cost more in Capital (2 December 2009) - The Hindu
Staff Reporter
With the twin purpose of enforcing judicious use of water and tiding over its fiscal deficit, the Delhi Jal Board on Tuesday announced a steep increase in water tariffs for the Capital’s citizens effective from January 1 next year.
The volumetric increase in water charges ranging between 57 and 151 per cent for domestic category consumers has been affected to make heavy users pay more. Commercial users on the other hand will have to pay more not only for water; they have also been slapped with an additional sewerage charge ranging from Rs.2,000 to Rs.10,000 per month.
Announcing the hike, the Jal Board chairperson, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, said though Delhi’s per capita consumption of water is the highest in the country it continues to be the city with the lowest water charges. “Water tariffs have been revised after five years and this was needed because the population has been increasing. Every year about 4 to 5 lakh people are added to this city and about 10 lakh come here to work everyday. We have to cater to them all,” she said.
The Chief Minister said the recently regularised colonies that are being provided water connections are putting an additional burden on Delhi’s share of water.
Referring to the revision in rates, Ms. Dikshit said the structure has been designed to put the least pressure on the economically weaker sections of consumers. Since the hike is volumetric, she urged people to install meters at their premises and warned that the Jal Board might otherwise be forced to take harsh steps. There are about 18 lakh metered connections in the city now.
Pointing out that the Jal Board will continue to subsidise water, the Chief Minister said the hike in charges would mean a reduction in subsidy, not its removal. “The Jal Board incurs a cost of Rs.24 per kilolitre in sourcing, treatment and distribution of water in the city. This includes sewerage treatment cost as well. However, it is able to recover only a fraction of this cost.”
According to the revised structure, water will be charged at Rs.2 per kilolitre for usage up to 10 kl per month. The fixed charge has been increased from Rs.40 to Rs.50 for this category of consumers. In the commercial category no increase has been made in water rates for consumers who use less than 10 kl a month.
In the domestic category, the Jal Board will now charge Rs.100 as a fixed service charge from consumers who use 10 kl to 20 kl of water a month with the volumetric increase being Rs.3 per kl. For consumers using between 20-30 kl per month, the service charge will be Rs.150 and the volumetric increase will be Rs.15 per kl. Those consuming more than 30 kl a month will have to shell out Rs.200 as service charge and the volumetric increase will be Rs.25 per kl.
Sewer charges are 60 per cent of the total water volumetric charge.
In the commercial category, 0 to 10 kl will be charged at Rs.10 per kl and a fixed rate of Rs.400; 10-25 kl will be charged Rs.600 as fixed rate and Rs.20 per kl; 25 to 50 kl category will be charged Rs.700 as fixed charge and Rs.50 per kl; 50-100 kl category of users will be charged Rs.900 as fixed rate and Rs.100 per kl.
Keywords: Delhi Jal Board, water tariffs, Sheila Dikshit
With the twin purpose of enforcing judicious use of water and tiding over its fiscal deficit, the Delhi Jal Board on Tuesday announced a steep increase in water tariffs for the Capital’s citizens effective from January 1 next year.
The volumetric increase in water charges ranging between 57 and 151 per cent for domestic category consumers has been affected to make heavy users pay more. Commercial users on the other hand will have to pay more not only for water; they have also been slapped with an additional sewerage charge ranging from Rs.2,000 to Rs.10,000 per month.
Announcing the hike, the Jal Board chairperson, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, said though Delhi’s per capita consumption of water is the highest in the country it continues to be the city with the lowest water charges. “Water tariffs have been revised after five years and this was needed because the population has been increasing. Every year about 4 to 5 lakh people are added to this city and about 10 lakh come here to work everyday. We have to cater to them all,” she said.
The Chief Minister said the recently regularised colonies that are being provided water connections are putting an additional burden on Delhi’s share of water.
Referring to the revision in rates, Ms. Dikshit said the structure has been designed to put the least pressure on the economically weaker sections of consumers. Since the hike is volumetric, she urged people to install meters at their premises and warned that the Jal Board might otherwise be forced to take harsh steps. There are about 18 lakh metered connections in the city now.
Pointing out that the Jal Board will continue to subsidise water, the Chief Minister said the hike in charges would mean a reduction in subsidy, not its removal. “The Jal Board incurs a cost of Rs.24 per kilolitre in sourcing, treatment and distribution of water in the city. This includes sewerage treatment cost as well. However, it is able to recover only a fraction of this cost.”
According to the revised structure, water will be charged at Rs.2 per kilolitre for usage up to 10 kl per month. The fixed charge has been increased from Rs.40 to Rs.50 for this category of consumers. In the commercial category no increase has been made in water rates for consumers who use less than 10 kl a month.
In the domestic category, the Jal Board will now charge Rs.100 as a fixed service charge from consumers who use 10 kl to 20 kl of water a month with the volumetric increase being Rs.3 per kl. For consumers using between 20-30 kl per month, the service charge will be Rs.150 and the volumetric increase will be Rs.15 per kl. Those consuming more than 30 kl a month will have to shell out Rs.200 as service charge and the volumetric increase will be Rs.25 per kl.
Sewer charges are 60 per cent of the total water volumetric charge.
In the commercial category, 0 to 10 kl will be charged at Rs.10 per kl and a fixed rate of Rs.400; 10-25 kl will be charged Rs.600 as fixed rate and Rs.20 per kl; 25 to 50 kl category will be charged Rs.700 as fixed charge and Rs.50 per kl; 50-100 kl category of users will be charged Rs.900 as fixed rate and Rs.100 per kl.
Keywords: Delhi Jal Board, water tariffs, Sheila Dikshit
World Bank fund for Ganga River Authority (3 December 2009) - The Hindu
Aarti Dhar
NEW DELHI: The World Bank on Wednesday announced a soft loan of $one billion in the next 5 to 7 years for the recently launched National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) to clean and conserve the river.
The support would include substantial financing over several phases as well as assistance in building a consortium of financiers. The initial phases of this long-term support would focus on building and strengthening the NGRBA and related institutions, including a world-class Ganga Knowledge Centre.
“Visionary leadership”
Speaking on the occasion, the World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said India had shown “visionary leadership” to address the challenge of conserving large rivers and the Bank would begin its engagement by facilitating the exchange of relevant experience from elsewhere such as river Thames.
“We hope this will assist in the improved management of this great river basin that supports close to 400 million people in India alone,” Mr. Zoellick said.
The Ganga has sustained civilisations throughout time, but is today burdened by expanding production, industries and urban development along its banks and in its basin, with all the pollution this brings. According to the joint statement issued by Mr. Zoellick and the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, the World Bank will seek to support government’s national programme to clean and conserve the Ganga through substantial financing over several phases, with the first of several loans planned for presentation to the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors for approval between July 2010 and June 2011.
Pledge
Under the ‘Mission Clean Ganga,’ the Authority has resolved that by year 2020 no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluents will be discharged into the Ganga.
An investment of $4 billion is currently planned to meet this objective.
NEW DELHI: The World Bank on Wednesday announced a soft loan of $one billion in the next 5 to 7 years for the recently launched National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) to clean and conserve the river.
The support would include substantial financing over several phases as well as assistance in building a consortium of financiers. The initial phases of this long-term support would focus on building and strengthening the NGRBA and related institutions, including a world-class Ganga Knowledge Centre.
“Visionary leadership”
Speaking on the occasion, the World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick said India had shown “visionary leadership” to address the challenge of conserving large rivers and the Bank would begin its engagement by facilitating the exchange of relevant experience from elsewhere such as river Thames.
“We hope this will assist in the improved management of this great river basin that supports close to 400 million people in India alone,” Mr. Zoellick said.
The Ganga has sustained civilisations throughout time, but is today burdened by expanding production, industries and urban development along its banks and in its basin, with all the pollution this brings. According to the joint statement issued by Mr. Zoellick and the Minister of State (Independent charge) for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, the World Bank will seek to support government’s national programme to clean and conserve the Ganga through substantial financing over several phases, with the first of several loans planned for presentation to the Bank’s Board of Executive Directors for approval between July 2010 and June 2011.
Pledge
Under the ‘Mission Clean Ganga,’ the Authority has resolved that by year 2020 no untreated municipal sewage or industrial effluents will be discharged into the Ganga.
An investment of $4 billion is currently planned to meet this objective.
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