Ganga water quality has worsened in 3 years: Study - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Ganga water quality has worsened in 3 years: Study.

The Rs 20,000-crore “Namami Gange” project to “conserve, clean and rejuvenate” the Ganga river seems to have failed to achieve its target. On the contrary, analysis of data collected by the city-based Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) has revealed a significant rise in coliform bacteria and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), important parameters to evaluate water quality.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set an ambitious 2019 deadline to achieve results on nirmalta (cleanliness) of Ganga when he launched the project in May 2015. Union minister Nitin Gadkari last year extended the deadline to March 2020.
SMF, a Varanasi-based NGO, has been monitoring the quality of Ganga water since the launch of the Ganga Action Plan by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1986. Working as a watchdog for the cause of the Ganga, SMF has established its own laboratory to analyse the samples of Ganga water on a regular basis.
Coliform in Ganga water at alarming levels
Data collected by SMF’s Ganga Laboratory at Tulsi Ghat here has painted a gloomy picture of the Ganga’s health due to high bacterial pollution. Coliform organisms should be 50MPN (most probable number)/100ml or less in drinking water and 500MPN/100ml in outdoor bathing water, while BOD should be less than 3mg/l. According to SMF data, faecal coliform count rose from 4.5 lakh (upstream at Nagwa) and 5.2 crore (downstream in Varuna) in January 2016 to 3.8 crore (upstream) and 14.4 crore (downstream) in February 2019.
“Similarly, BOD level has risen from 46.8-54mg/l to 66-78mg/l during January 2016-February 2019. Besides, the level of dissolved oxygen (DO), which should be 6mg/l or more, has gone down from 2.4mg/l to 1.4mg/l during this period. High presence of coliform bacteria in Ganga water is alarming for human health,” said SMF president and IIT-BHU professor V N Mishra, who is also the mahant of the famous Sankat Mochan temple.
“Faecal coliform is present in the gut and faeces of warmblooded animals. Consequently, E coli is considered to be the species of coliform bacteria that is the best indicator of faecal pollution and possible presence of disease-causing pathogens,” said noted environmental scientist and former BHU professor B D Tripathi.
A slight improvement was seen in tapping discharge of sewage into the Ganga during this period. (Source: The Economic Times)


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Ganga water quality has worsened in 3 years: Study.

India successfully completes trials of guided Pinaka rockets in Pokhran - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

India successfully completes trials of guided Pinaka rockets in Pokhran.

The consecutive successful missions of guided Pinaka proves the efficacy, reliability and high precision capabilities of the weapon system.

India on Tuesday successfully carried out the third test-fire of the guided Pinaka rocket from Pokhran ranges after two successful runs on Monday, March 11, the Defence Research and Development Organisation said in a statement.
The consecutive successful missions of guided Pinaka proves the efficiency, reliability and high precision capabilities of the weapon system, the government statement said. “All the three trials met mission objectives,” the communique read.
The weapon system is equipped with state-of-the-art guidance kit comprising of an advanced navigation and control system. In both the missions, the weapon systems impacted the intended targets with high precision and achieved desired accuracies
Telemetry Systems tracked and monitored the vehicle all through the flight path. All the mission objectives have been met. The indigenously-developed Guided Pinaka by DRDO, India’s central agency responsible for military research and development, will significantly boost the capability of the artillery to make precision hits.
The multi-barrel rocket system Pinaka is an area weapon system to supplement the existing artillery gun at ranges beyond 30 kilometres, having quick reaction time and high rate of fire, the DRDO website says.


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India successfully completes trials of guided Pinaka rockets in Pokhran.

Govt proposes national green aviation policy - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

Govt proposes national green aviation policy.

• India is one of the fastest growing domestic aviation markets
• In a white paper on 'National Green Aviation Policy' that has been put up for public comments
The civil aviation ministry will create a simplified regulatory regime to speed up clearances for airport development and other aviation projects while taking due care of environment sustainability, according to a white paper.
In a white paper on 'National Green Aviation Policy' that has been put up for public comments, the ministry said aviation regulator DGCA would work with other government agencies for making bio-jet fuels commercially viable.
Besides, the watchdog would assess and understand emissions from all aviation related sources, their contribution to the local air quality and their effect on compliance with local air quality regulations, as per the paper.

According to the paper, the ministry would create a "favourable regulatory regime for clearances of aviation projects such as new airports development and expansion".
There would be a special provision and timelines that would be worked out in collaboration with central and state government bodies, environment ministry, pollution control boards and the DGCA to speed up the developmental activities with due care environment sustainability, it added.
India is one of the fastest growing domestic aviation markets and is projected to become the the world's third largest air passenger market in 10 years.
As part of the proposed green aviation policy, the DGCA would assess and understand emissions from all aviation related sources and their contribution to the local air quality.
"DGCA will work with aviation stakeholders and other government authorities with framework to adopt measures to reduce emissions in all areas -- aircraft, ground support, airport infrastructure and landside access traffic," it added.
Among others, airports would adopt local air quality monitoring system and programs to monitoring the air quality around airport.
The paper noted that the DGCA would work with other government agencies including petroleum and natural gas ministry as well as private agencies for ensuring availability of bio-jet fuels for aircraft use which is commercially viable.
All aviation stakeholders shall also explore the possibilities of use of bio-fuel and other alternate fuels with lower emissions for ground vehicle application," it added.
Further, the paper noted that the stakeholders would work closely with government agencies, local bodies for effective waste management around the airport to ensure reduced bird hazards and safe airport operation.
A centre of excellence for green aviation has also been proposed, that would focus on identifying environment friendly solutions, research, competency and skill developments and aviation programmes, among others.(Source: Livemint)


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Govt proposes national green aviation policy.

3-5°C temperature rise is now ‘locked-in’ for the Arctic - Pragnya IAS Academy - News Analysis.

3-5°C temperature rise is now ‘locked-in’ for the Arctic.

• Even if Paris Agreement goals met, Arctic winter temperatures will increase 3-5°C by 2050 compared to 1986-2005 levels.
• Thawing permafrost could wake ‘sleeping giant’ of more greenhouse gases, potentially derailing global climate goals.
• Ocean acidification and pollution also posing major threats to Arctic
Even if the world were to cut emissions in line with the Paris Agreement, winter temperatures in the Arctic would rise 3-5°C by 2050 and 5-9°C by 2080, devastating the region and unleashing sea level rises worldwide, finds a new report by UN Environment.

Meanwhile, rapidly thawing permafrost could even accelerate climate change further and derail efforts to meet the Paris Agreement’s long-term goal of limiting the rise in global temperature to 2°C, warns Global Linkages - A graphic look at the changing Arctic.
Other environmental pressures on the Arctic identified by the paper – released at the United Nations Environment Assembly – include ocean acidification and plastic pollution.
“What happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic,” said Joyce Msuya, UN Environment’s Acting Executive Director. “We have the science; now more urgent climate action is needed to steer away from tipping points that could be even worse for our planet than we first thought.”
Even if global emissions were to halt overnight, winter temperatures in the Arctic would still increase 4 to 5°C by 2100 compared to the late 20th century, the study finds. This increase is locked into the climate system by greenhouse gases already emitted and ocean heat storage.
Arctic societies now must respond to climate change through suitable adaptation actions. Arctic Indigenous Peoples already face increased food insecurity. By 2050, four million people, and around 70% of today’s Arctic infrastructure, will be threatened by thawing permafrost, the report notes.
“The urgency to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement is clearly manifested in the Arctic, because it is one of the most vulnerable and rapidly changing regions in the world,” said the Finnish Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing, Kimmo Tiilikainen. “We need to make substantial near-term cuts in greenhouse gas emissions, black carbon and other so-called short-lived climate pollutants all over the world.”
The impacts globally would also be huge. From 1979 to the present, Arctic sea ice is estimated to have declined by 40%. Climate models predict that, at the current rate of CO₂ emissions, Arctic summers will be ice-free by the 2030s. The melting of the Greenland ice cap and Arctic glaciers contribute to one third of sea level rise worldwide.
Even if the Paris Agreement is met, Arctic permafrost is expected to shrink 45% compared to today. Globally, these frozen soils hold an estimated 1,672 billion metric tonnes of carbon. Increased thawing is expected to contribute significantly to carbon dioxide and methane emissions. The resulting warming will in turn lead to more thawing – an effect known as ‘positive feedback’. This accelerated climate change could even throw the Paris Agreement’s 2°C goal off track, the report underlines.
Ocean acidification and pollution taking their toll
Ocean acidification is disproportionately impacting Arctic marine species. This is because cold water can hold more dissolved CO2, while melting ice spreads the acidity further. Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the world’s ocean has become 30% more acidic. The more acidic the water, the more energy Arctic corals, molluscs, sea urchins and plankton must use to build their shells and skeletons.
Despite its pristine image, the Arctic’s geographical characteristics and cold climate mean the region’s ocean, seafloor and coastline are a sink for contaminants from around the globe. Only 1,000 out of the 150,000 chemical substances in use worldwide are regularly monitored. A global approval system for new chemicals is therefore needed, the report argues. Alternative controls are also seen as necessary for chemicals that fall outside of existing treaties.
On a positive note, the amount of regulated chemicals in humans and animals living in the Arctic was found to be decreasing. These include some Persistent Organic Pollutants regulated under UN Environment’s Stockholm Convention. However, the decrease could be due to changing diets.(Source: UN Environment)


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3-5°C temperature rise is now ‘locked-in’ for the Arctic.