August 2020 Environment

Sakshi Education

BIS’ draft standard for drinking water supply
The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has prepared a draft standard for the supply system of piped drinking water and has invited comments from water utilities on it.

Key highlights:
Labelled ‘Drinking water supply quality management system — requirements for piped drinking water supply service’, the draft has been prepared by the BIS’ Public Drinking Water Supply Services Sectional Committee.

It outlines the process of water supply, from raw water sources to household taps, and has been developed keeping in view the Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission for providing safe and adequate drinking water to all rural households by 2024.

It states that after treatment the drinking water should conform to the Indian Standard (IS) 10500 developed by the BIS.

The concept of district metering area (DMA) should be adopted where possible. DMA is a concept for controlling leakages in the water network, which is essentially divided into a number of sectors, called the DMAs, and where flow meters are installed to detect leaks.

Water should be sampled at the treatment plant every four hours against quality parameters. In the distribution system, the sampling should be done every eight hours at the water reservoirs. Random sampling should also be done at household levels.

A Water Audit should be conducted on a quarterly basis. Water audit is a calculation of the amount of water put into distribution against the amount that is consumed.

The IS 10500 outlines the acceptable limit of various substances in drinking water, including heavy metals such as arsenic, and other parameters like the pH value of water, its turbidity, the total dissolved solids in it, and the colour and odour.
NGT asks to modify National Clean Air Programme
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to modify the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) which proposes 20-30% reduction of air pollution by 2024.

National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)
It was launched by the MoEFCC in January 2019.

It is the first-ever effort in the country to frame a national framework for air quality management with a time-bound reduction target.

It seeks to cut the concentration of coarse (particulate matter of diameter 10 micrometer or less, or PM10) and fine particles (particulate matter of diameter 2.5 micrometer or less, or PM2.5) by at least 20% in the next five years, with 2017 as the base year for comparison.

The plan includes 102 non-attainment cities, across 23 states and Union territories, which were identified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the basis of their ambient air quality data between 2011 and 2015.

Non-attainment cities: These are those that have fallen short of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for over five years.

NGT’s Directions:
The timeline to reduce air pollution by 20-30% by 2024 needs to be reduced.

The target of reduction needs to be increased.

It suggested the Ministry to review and action in terms of shift to e-vehicles and CNG vehicles, intensifying public transport system, mechanical cleaning of roads, enhancement of public parking facilities, improvement in fuel quality, and traffic management.

It directed the state pollution control boards to ensure the assessment and installation of the requisite number of real-time online continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Systems within six months.

It also directed an expert team of the Central Pollution Control Board to design a model for source apportionment and carrying capacity assessment within two months which may be replicated for all the non-attainment cities.
Oil Spill in Mauritius
A Japanese vessel struck a coral reef resulting in an oil spill of over 1,000 tonnes into the Indian Ocean.

The ship was carrying an estimated 4,000 tonnes of oil.

The accident had taken place near two environmentally protected marine ecosystems and the Blue Bay Marine Park Reserve, which is a wetland of international importance.

BACKGROUND:
The vessel has broken near Pointe d'esny in Mauritius and the area has many environmentally sensitive zones.

The oil spill threatens the ecology of the coastline of Mauritius and the marine life in the Indian Ocean.

It endangers the already endangered coral reefs, seagrasses in the shallow waters, mangroves, the fishes and other aquatic fauna.
Bioethanol Blending of Petrol
The government has set targets of 10% bioethanol blending of petrol by 2022 and to raise it to 20% by 2030 under the Ethanol Blended Programme (EBP).

The EBP was launched in line with the National Biofuels Policy, 2018.

Key Points
Many countries, including India, have adopted ethanol blending in petrol in order to reduce vehicle exhaust emissions and also to reduce the import burden on account of crude petroleum.

Currently, the bioethanol blending in petrol stands at 5%.

Reasons for Ethanol Blending:
It is estimated that a 5% blending can result in replacement of around 1.8 million Barrels of crude oil.

As the ethanol molecule contains oxygen, it allows the engine to more completely combust the fuel, resulting in fewer emissions and thereby reducing the occurrence of environmental pollution.

The renewable ethanol content, which is a by-product of the sugar industry, is expected to result in a net reduction in the emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC).

Background:
The Ethanol Blended Petrol (EBP) programme was launched in January, 2003 by the Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas (MoP&NG).

The EBP seeks to achieve blending of Ethanol with Petrol with a view to reducing pollution, conserving foreign exchange and increasing value addition in the sugar industry enabling them to clear cane price arrears of farmers.

The Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs) are to procure ethanol from domestic sources at remunerative prices fixed by the government.

The Central Government recently extended the ambit of the programme to extract the fuel from surplus quantities of food grains such as maize, jawar, bajra fruit and vegetable waste which was limited only to sugarcane previously.
Ganga Rejuvenation Monitoring
Recently, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has observed that the pollutants are still being discharged into the river Ganga, despite several directions of various courts.

The states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal have failed in preventing discharge of untreated effluents in violation of provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

Key Points
Constitutional Right: Pollution-free environment is the constitutional right of every citizen and constitutional obligation of States. However, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and West Bengal are certainly failing in providing pollution free Ganga.

Monitoring: The NGT has directed the above states to periodically monitor the rejuvenation of the Ganga.

Joint Meetings: It has also called for periodic joint meetings of the above states to consider vital issues like pooling of human resources and sharing best practices for rejuvenation of Ganga.

The meetings shall be focussed on preventing discharge of sewage and other pollutants in Ganga directly or through its tributaries or drains connected thereto.

Initiatives Taken to Clean Ganga
Ganga Action Plan: It was the first River Action Plan that was taken up by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 1985, to improve the water quality by the interception, diversion, and treatment of domestic sewage.

The National River Conservation Plan is an extension to the Ganga Action Plan. It aims at cleaning the Ganga river under Ganga Action Plan phase-2.

National River Ganga Basin Authority (NRGBA): It was formed by the Government of India in the year 2009 under Section-3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

It declared the Ganga as the ‘National River’ of India.

Namami Gange Programme: It is an Integrated Conservation Mission, approved as a ‘Flagship Programme’ by the Union Government in June 2014 to accomplish the twin objectives of effective abatement of pollution and conservation and rejuvenation of National River Ganga.

It is being operated under the Ministry of Jal Shakti.

Clean Ganga Fund: In 2014, it was formed for cleaning up of the Ganga, setting up of waste treatment plants, and conservation of biotic diversity of the river.

Bhuvan-Ganga Web App: It ensures involvement of the public in monitoring of pollution entering into the river Ganga.

Ban on Waste Disposal: In 2017, the NGT banned the disposal of any waste in the Ganga.
Death Valley records the highest temperature on Earth
Death Valley (USA) registered a temperature of 54.4°C which, once verified, could be the highest temperature in more than a century.

The temperature was recorded at the USA National Weather Service’s automated weather station at Furnace Creek on 16th August 2020.

The Death Valley in southeastern California is the lowest point in the North American continent, and is a National Park. It is also the hottest and driest part of the continent.

BACKGROUND
The temperature has been termed as preliminary and not final as it awaits verification.

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Death Valley’s all-time record high is 56.7°C taken on 10th July 1913 at Greenland Ranch.

It still stands as the hottest ever recorded on the planet’s surface.

However, since the temperature-recording mechanisms a century ago were not as advanced, many have doubted if that reading was reliable.
Well ‘killing’ work suspended at Baghjan
The operation to ‘kill’ the blowout gas well at Baghjan in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district was suspended, after a valve in the well casing pipe gave way.

Background:
In May 2020, there was a continuous flow out of gas in Baghjan gas well, following a blowout.

Experts engaged by exploration major Oil India Limited (OIL) had begun killing Well No. 5 after capping it by placing a blowout preventer.

Two earlier attempts to place the preventer, vital for stopping the outflow of gas, had failed.

Details:
Killing is a technical term for injecting a viscous mud-cement mixture through an inlet in the blowout preventer at very high pressure to stop the pores at a depth of 3.5 km underground from where the natural gas and associated condensates have been spewing since the blowout.

Injecting the killing fluid can be done at a stretch for up to 10 hours.

Killing the well will help stop the uncontrolled outflow of gas as well as the fire.
East Kolkata Wetlands
East Kolkata wetlands is the biggest ecological asset of the city and a Ramsar Site.

The east Kolkata wetlands are a fascinating natural resource to which tremendous value has been added by traditional knowledge.

The wetlands have been historically created by a natural shift of the Bidyadhari, a tributary of the Ganga.

The land on which Kolkata is built slopes to the east.

So the British created canals to take out the city’s waste water into in the wetlands.

The traditional knowledge is used to treat this waste water.

For the past century, the waste water has been first fed into settling ponds.

There the biodegradation of organic components takes place.

Then the nutrient-rich sewage is transferred into a fish pond to improve the organic quality of the water.

Fish is grown in this pond and the used water is transferred to fields to irrigate crop.

The government has assured to maintain the balance between ecology and development.

But the reality is that the wetlands are slowly and steadily disappearing.

Recently Kolkata Urban local bodies (ULB) were warned of punishment by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for failing to comply with its order over waste disposal at East Kolkata Wetlands.

They were accused of illegally dumping waste and contaminating water bodies in the area.
Micro-plastic Pollution in Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean contains 12-21 million tonnes of microplastics — about 10 times higher than previously determined — according to new research published in Nature Communications.

Highlights of the report
In the study, scientists studied pollution of the Atlantic Ocean caused by three types of plastics: polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene, which were suspended in the top 200 metres of the ocean.

These three types of plastic are most commonly used for packaging.

Scientists say that pollution caused by microplastics has been “severely” underestimated in previous assessments.

They also estimate that based on plastic waste generation trends from 1950-2015 and considering that the Atlantic Ocean has received 0.3-0.8 per cent of the global plastic waste for 65 years.

To date, a key uncertainty has been the magnitude of contamination of the ocean and our findings demonstrate that this is much higher in terms of mass than has been estimated previously.
Landslide near Eravikulam National Park
Recently, landslides have been reported at the Nayamakkad tea estate at Pettimudy which is located about 30 km from Munnar, adjacent to the Eravikulam National Park (ENP), Kerala.

Key Points
Features of ENP:
It is located in the High Ranges (Kannan Devan Hills) of the Southern Western Ghats in the Devikulam Taluk of Idukki District, Kerala.

It spreads over an area of 97 square km and hosts South India's highest peak, Anamudi (2695 m), in its southern area.

The Rajamalai region of the park stays open to the public for tourism.

History:
The Government of Kerala acquired the area from the Kannan Devan Hills Produce Company under the Kannan Devan Hill Produce (Resumption of lands) Act 1971.

It was declared as Eravikulam-Rajamala Wildlife Sanctuary in 1975 and was elevated to the status of a National Park in 1978.

Topography:
The main body of the park comprises a high rolling plateau (plateau at different elevation or with varying heights) with a base elevation of about 2000 m from mean sea level.

Three major types of plant communities found in the park are: Grasslands, Shrub Land and Shola Forests (mosaic of montane evergreen forests and grasslands).

The park represents the largest and least disturbed stretch of unique Montane Shola-Grassland vegetation in the Western Ghats.

Flora:
It houses the special Neelakurinji flowers (Strobilantheskunthianam) that bloom once every 12 years and the next sighting is expected to be in 2030.

Apart from that, it has rare terrestrial and epiphytic orchids, wild balsams, etc.

An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water or from debris accumulating around it.

Fauna:
The park holds the largest viable population of the endangered NilgiriTahr (Nilgiritragushylocrius).

It has other little known fauna such as Nilgiri Marten, Ruddy Mongoose, Small Clawed Otter, Dusky Striped Squirrel, etc.

Significance:
It is regionally important as a catchment area for both east (tributaries of River Pambar) and west (tributaries of River Periyar and Chalakkudy) flowing rivers.

Locally, it is important for maintaining the climate and providing drinking water to the surrounding estates and for irrigation.

Proximity: The park is in continuity with the neighboringChinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Anamudi Shola National Park, Pampadum Shola National Park, Kurinjimala Sanctuary and Anamalai Tiger Reserve.
GoI launched National portal “SURAKHSYA” on Human Elephant conflict
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), India has launched National Portal on human-elephant conflict called "Surakhsya".

The beta version of the portal on Human-Elephants Conflict is for the collection of real-time information. The portal was launched on the ocassion of World Elephant Day, which is observed on 12th August.

SURAKHSYA:
SURAKHSYA will manage the conflicts on a real-time basis.

It will help to set the data collection protocols, data transmission pipelines, and data visualization tools to enable policy-makers to leverage HEC data for policy formulation and for preparation of Action Plans for mitigation of conflicts.

The beta version of the SURAKHSYA portal was launched for data testing before the pan India roll out for adoption by the states, which is likely to be done before the year-end.

The move by the Government of India is aimed to save Elephants and other animals. GoI is currently taking measures towards robust, practical, and cost-effective solutions to end the Human-Animal Conflict.
Investment to Reduce Plastic Waste in India
A Singapore-based-NGO namely ‘Alliance to End Plastic Waste’ plans to invest between USD 70 million to 100 million in India over the next five years to reduce plastic waste.

Overall, the Alliance has a USD 500 million budget for environmental projects including the USD 100 million for India. The rest is for South East Asia and China.

Key Points
World Nature Conservation Day:
The investment to end plastic waste in India was announced on the World Nature Conservation Day (28th July).

It is celebrated every year to create and increase awareness about the importance of natural resources.

The day also encourages people to save and protect Earth’s natural resources that are fast-depleting owing to over-exploitation and even misuse.

Ongoing Initiatives in India:
Currently, ‘Alliance to End Plastic Waste’ is working on the Project Aviral which aims to reduce plastic waste in the Ganga river.

Aviral seeks to pilot an approach to address waste management challenges. In particular, it will focus on strengthening an integrated plastic waste management system.

Worldwide Initiatives:
UN-Habitat Waste Wise Cities (WWC):
Alliance to End Plastic Waste is also collaborating with the UN-Habitat to implement solutions toward a circular economy, creating business and livelihood opportunities while enhancing resource recovery.

It intends to use the UN-Habitat Waste Wise Cities (WWC) Tool to map waste flows and assess potential plastic leakage from waste management systems.

The collaboration supports the WWC Challenge to clean up and establish sustainable waste management in 20 cities around the world by 2022.

It is also expected to identify short- and long-term pathways to increase the amount of plastic waste collected, recycled and recovered.

Zero Plastic Waste Cities Initiative:
It is also implementing the Zero Plastic Waste Cities initiative in India and Vietnam which aims to tackle the plastic issue by improving and supplementing municipal waste management, repurposing collected waste and preventing it from flowing into the ocean.

It will also develop sustainable social businesses that improve the livelihoods of many while preventing plastic waste from escaping into the environment.

The two initial cities involved in this project are Puducherry in India and Tan An in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.
Three States rank high in dhole conservation
A study has pointed out that Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh rank high in the conservation of the endangered dhole, in India.

BACKGROUND:
Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Goa will need to increase financial investments in the forest and wildlife sectors, and reduce the ease of granting forest clearances for infrastructure projects.

It is important to improve habitat conditions and prey densities in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha.

Doing so would strengthen the link between dhole populations in the Western Ghats and central India.

It highlights the need for a targeted management plan for scientific monitoring of the species.

The Western Ghats perhaps supports the largest dhole population in the world and is, therefore, a critical conservation landscape for the species.

Dhole:
Also known as Asiatic wild dog, Dhole (Cuonalpinus) is native to Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.

Dholes play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems.

Dholes hunt in packs and tend to venture into forested landscapes adjoining protected areas.

Besides the tiger, the dhole is the only large carnivore in India to be classified in the ‘endangered’ category by the IUCN.

It is protected under Schedule II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Large Population and Assets to be Affected by Sea Level Rise
Recently, a study in journal Scientific reports made predictions that a large population and assets will be globally affected as a consequence of Sea Level Rise (SLR).

Key Findings
SLR is a consequence of climate change, which is predicted to increase coastal flooding by 2100.

The global population potentially exposed to episodic coastal flooding will increase from 128-171 million to 176-287 million by 2100.

0.5-0.7% of the world’s land area is at a risk of episodic coastal flooding by 2100, impacting 2.5-4.1% of the population.

The value of global assets exposed to coastal flooding is projected to be between 6,000-$9,000 billion USD, or 12-20% of the global GDP.

Globally, of the 68% area that is prone to coastal flooding, over 32% can be attributed to regional SLR.

For most of the world, flooding incidents that are typically associated with a 1 in a 100-year event could occur as frequently as 1 in 10 years, primarily as a result of SLR.

Sea Level Rise
SLR is an increase in the level of the world’s oceans due to the effects of climate change, especially global warming, induced by three primary factors:

Thermal Expansion: When water heats up, it expands. About half of the sea-level rise over the past 25 years is attributable to warmer oceans simply occupying more space.

Melting Glaciers: Higher temperatures caused by global warming have led to greater-than-average summer melting of large ice formations like mountain glaciers as well as diminished snowfall due to later winters and earlier springs. That creates an imbalance between runoff and ocean evaporation, causing sea levels to rise.

Loss of Greenland and Antarctica’s ice sheets: As with mountain glaciers, increased heat is causing the massive ice sheets that cover Greenland and Antarctica to melt more quickly, and also move more quickly into the sea.

Global sea level has been rising over the past century, and the rate has accelerated in recent decades. The average global sea level has risen 8.9 inches between 1880 and 2015. That’s much faster than in the previous 2,700 years.

Regional SLR: SLR is not uniform across the world. Regional SLR may be higher or lower than Global SLR due to subsidence, upstream flood control, erosion, regional ocean currents, variations in land height, and compressive weight of Ice Age glaciers.

Sea level is primarily measured using tide stations and satellite laser altimeters.

Earlier, IPCC released ‘The Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate’ which underlined the dire changes taking place in oceans, glaciers, and ice-deposits on land and sea.

The report expects oceans to rise between 10 and 30 inches by 2100 with temperatures warming 1.5 °C.
Agatti Island of Lakshadweep
Recently, the southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has granted an interim stay on felling of coconut trees on Agatti Island in Lakshadweep.

Key Points
Background:
Recently, a petition was moved in the NGT over indiscriminate cutting of coconut trees for a beach road.

The tree-felling was violating the Union Territory’s (UT) Integrated Island Management Plan (IIMP).

IIMP was formulated on the basis of a report submitted by the Supreme Court-appointed Expert Committee, headed by Justice R.V. Raveendran, a former judge of the SC.

IIMP includes holistic island development plans prepared by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) for implementation by coastal States/ UTs.

The IIMP undertakes scientific approaches, coupled with indigenous knowledge for the better management of the islands and its resources.

Concerns:
Due to the large scale cutting of the coconut trees, local residents are affected by losing income from the tree produces.

It also poses an environmental challenge because the trees on the coastline act as a green belt to protect the rest of the island during cyclones and other natural calamities.
Dhole Conservation
Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh rank high in the conservation of the endangered Dhole in India, according to a new study.

This study was conducted by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society-India, the University of Florida, the Wildlife Conservation Trust, and the National Centre for Biological Sciences.

Key Points
In this study, the scientists explored the conservation tenets of retention, recovery and restoration of dholes in India.

Karnataka, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh were found to be adequately equipped for consolidating forest habitats and recovering populations of Dhole by increasing prey density and reducing the pressure on forests.

Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Goa are suggested to increase financial investments in the forest and wildlife sectors, and reduce the ease of granting forest clearances for infrastructure projects.

Improving habitat conditions and prey densities in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha would strengthen the link between dhole populations in the Western Ghats and central India.

Dhole
About: Dhole (Cuonalpinus) is a wild carnivorous animal belonging to the canine family, found in Central, South, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.

They are also known as Asian wild dogs.

Ecological role: Dholes play an important role as apex predators in forest ecosystems.

Conservation Status: It is under the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s ‘endangered’ category.

The species is protected under Schedule 2 of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and under Appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

In India, the first conservation breeding centre for dhole was built at the Indira Gandhi Zoological Park (IGZP) in 2014.

Threats:
Ongoing habitat loss: Due to deforestation and fragmentation of forest corridors.

Depletion of prey base: Ungulates are main prey of dholes whose population is rapidly decreasing due to excessive hunting and habitat loss.

Persecution due to livestock predation and disease transfer from domestic and feral dogs.
Pokkali Rice: Kerala
Farmers in West Bengal are experimenting with the pokkali variety of rice to tide over a crisis-like situation created by severe seawater incursion into paddy fields in the Sundarbans (owing to Cyclone Amphan).

Vyttila-11 varieties of pokkali seedlings were brought from Kerala.
Key Points
The pokkali variety of rice is known for its saltwater resistance and flourishes in the rice paddies of coastal Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Thrissur districts of Kerala.

The single-season paddy is raised in saltwater fields between June and November followed by a season of fish-farming.

The uniqueness of the rice has brought it the Geographical Indication (GI) tag and is the subject of continuing research.

Several foreign research institutes, including the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines, have been studying pokkali’s gene pools and have identified a portion of DNA on one of its chromosomes that is crucial for salt tolerance.

Given its ability to thrive under harsh climatic conditions and produce high yield, it can help in promoting climate-resilient agriculture.

Pokkali has medicinal properties and its higher value of antioxidants and low carbohydrate content makes it preferable to those on a low sugar diet.

Vyttila-11 is the latest variety of pokkali developed by the Kerala Agricultural University.

It yields about 5 tonnes per hectare.

The crop duration is about 110 days.

Other GI Tag Registered Varieties from Kerala: Kaipad, Wayanad Jeerakasala, Wayanad Gandhakasala, Palakkadan Matta and Navara.

Further, the Kuttanad below-sea level farming system has been recognised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS).

It is unique as it practices rice cultivation below sea level.
Environment Ministry dithered on decision to close LG plant
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) decided against closing down operations of the LG Polymers plant in Vishakapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Background:
A gas leak in Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh had claimed at least 11 lives and affected thousands of residents in five villages. The source of the leak was a styrene plant owned by South Korean electronics giant LG.

The high-power committee (HPC) formed by the government to investigate the styrene vapour leak at LG Polymers in Visakhapatnam had submitted its 4000-page report to the Chief Minister.