Environment

Forest minister Ananta Roy said, "I have asked the chief conservator of forests to inquire into it."

"So far we have proof that at least 20 to 25 trees were felled and auctioned," chief conservator of forest Atanu Raha said.

He said that forest department officers were making a detailed inquiry. "We are questioning people and trying to trace the felled trees. We will seize them when they are found."

The matter came to light after environmentalist Subhash Dutta lodged a complaint at the Shibpur police station.

Under the banner of Operation Clear Sky Durgapur, WBPCB scientists have compiled a research study highlighting the deteriorating quality of the air in Durgapur.

Mr Dipak Chakraborty chief scientist of WBPCB said that "In our survey, we found the environment of the Durgapur Municipal area has visible emissions from industries. With the health of more than 500,000 residents at stake, it is important that we take some action to reduce the level of emissions. If the industries fail to stick to the timeline, strict action will be taken against them."

According to the survey, industrial areas in and around the Durgapur Municipal area, especially on the southern side of NH-2 have been major contributors to the rising pollution level of the industrial town. The study pegs the level of respirable particulate matter in Durgapur to be constantly increasing and way above the national standard. The survey says the RPM level at Durgapur stood at 114 mg/m3 in 2007, almost double the normal level of 60 mg/m3.

To make these environment-friendly bags, GECL -- an agency established by the state government -- has used 100 per cent biodegradable tissue papers. According to the corporation, these bags will have carrying capacity of up to 3 kilograms.

S P Gon Chaudhuri, managing director of GECL, said: "These bags are 100 per cent recyclable and since they will be stitched, their production will save electricity. The bag dissolves in water and the mould can be used again to make new bags."

The department has finished creating 1,000 sample pieces and plans to produce in bulk once the bags find acceptance among the consumers.

The anger was straight and direct against people who are destroying greenery in an organized manner. Voices from the audience condemned the general apathy of Kolkatans towards the existing greenery. The panel discussion was supported by Rotary Club of Chowringhee. At the end, there was a collective vow to save greenery.

The words of caution were uttered again and again. "Let's make it clear that we will survive as long as trees guarantee that. Nothing is as suicidal as cutting down a tree," said Mukuta Mukhopadhyay, a die-hard green activist. Mukuta explained how the receding green cover is a great leveller for the urban rich and poor as far as unhealthy living is concerned. "Despite living amidst poverty and malnutrition, residents of the Sunderbans are much healthy than we are," she said.

Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage convener G M Kapur, who moderated the discussion, lamented the sharp decline of greenery in the name of development. "We need to strike a strong balance between development and sustainability of nature."

The state health department officials today held a meeting with the KMC officials at Swasthya Bhavan where the KMC was asked to identify the areas where the diseases were circulating and initiate vector control measures properly. This apart, awareness generation programmes were also given priority to curb the problem.

A senior health department official said it was being noticed that a better liaison between the health department and the KMC was needed to stop the spread of the diseases in the city. According to the figure available with the KMC, 24 people have been afflicted with dengue in the city this year. But the Indian Council of Medical Research's city-based virus unit sent a report to the health department confirming 54 cases in Ward No. 30 over the past one month. The total number of people suffering from dengue, available with the health department, is more than 80.

Similarly, a number of malaria cases were also confirmed in the city. This clearly suggests that better liaison is needed.

Kalabrit, a 12-year-old centre for cultural excellence run by Rajya Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee's daughter Anushila Bose, has launched Parashmoni, a concept that will work especially towards spreading awareness on green issues through its cultural initiatives.

"We began as a cultural conglomeration of individuals who were interested in learning art. Later we realised that appreciating culture is not enough, we should use it for exploring the possibilities of spreading the word on the issue of environmental degradation," said Bose, the main brain behind the concept of Parashmoni.

"We will be performing dance shows reflecting nature and the importance to preserve it along with songs and poetry depicting the different moods of nature to pass the message of going green," she added.

The West Bengal Green Energy Development Corporation (WBGEDC) is all set to introduce bio-degradable carry bags in several city malls to replace conventional plastic carry bags, which pose serious environmental hazards.

Now, you can soon expect to carry your shopping in these green jute and fibre bags. WBGEDC managing director S P Ganchoudhuri said he has already asked some of the city's mall owners to promote these bags. "I have already spoken to some of them and received a positive response from many regarding implementing the plan. We will request mall developers to convince store-owners to use the green bags instead of plastic ones. Once these bags are introduced, it would also help curb the use of conventional energy - such as electricity - which is used to make plastic bags," Ganchoudhuri said.

The WBGEDC managing director said these bags, made of jute and fibre, would be completely bio-degradable. "The bags could also be made from waste paper. Using these bags would be beneficial, as these are environment-friendly. We will send a bunch of sample bags to mall owners. These can carry company names and logos," he said.

A similar sop is being considered for the owners of old taxis who would upgrade their vehicles to meet environment norms.

"The state of transport system reflects the state of affairs. So, we can't afford to sit back. The transport department is planning changes to keep pace with the changing needs," Chakraborty said at the launch of Kolkata Cab, a radio taxi service.

The minister asserted that his department was keen on addressing the demand for a better mass transit system.

"Given the low road space and the density of vehicles, Calcutta is second only to Seoul in terms of speed. Vehicles here move at an average speed of 25 km per hour. Cops are doing a tremendous job managing traffic in our intricate road network. But we plan to increase the road space soon as the demand for space will shoot up once Nano rolls out," the minister said. On the dais was S. Krishnan, one of the vice-presidents of Tata Motors.

The minister said seven international firms have submitted bids for the proposed ring road that will cost around Rs 8,000 crore. "Work on the 50-km, six-lane road will start at the earliest," Chakraborty said.

The department has also decided to buy 1,000 low-floor buses, each to cost around Rs 18-20 lakh.

The panel, headed by chief secretary Amit Kiran Deb, has to start functioning with immediate effect.

"The committee will monitor the functions of different agencies regarding the implementation of the court order," said an environment department notification. The agencies will have to file reports every fortnight.

The committee will also have the power to examine the records of the implementing agencies.

"We will soon forward the names of the members to the advocate-general, who will pass on the information to high court," said environment secretary M.L Meena.

"We have set up bio-medical treatment facilities. But we want to bring it to the notice of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee that the government hospitals are not adhering to the disposal norms," said Basu when speaking at a function to celebrate World Environment Day on Tuesday. Bhattacharjee was also present at the meet.

According to a survey conducted by the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, government hospitals in Kolkata generate between 1,044 gm/bed/day to 1,368 gm/bed/day. It is relatively lower in the districts with only 397 grams/bed/day.

Though all state-run hospitals have a proper bio-medical waste treatment mechanism, no segregation of waste is carried out. This means that both bio-medical and general hospital wastes get mixed up posing serious health hazards.

The Energy and Research Institute (Teri), in collaboration with Green Energy Development Corporation, will start on the green rating of the corporate houses in the city. “Many corporate houses have approached us for green rating of their buildings and on 6 August, a MoU will be signed among the director general, Teri, MD WBGEDC  and principal secretary of urban development and municipal affairs,'' said Mr SP Gon Chowdhury, MD WBGEDC.  

He said that in foreign countries the houses are often rated and the city hotels also went for this rating. Teri has already started rating the corporate houses in Delhi and has agreed to do such ratings in Kolkata with WBGEDC as their regional partners.

“I had a discussion with Dr RK Pachauri, DG, Teri in last week of June and he has agreed in principle to extend support to us,'' Dr Gon Chowdhury said.

“The Kolkata Police is taking the issue seriously. Earlier, even if we tracked down illegal trade in wild animals and birds, we would rarely receive support from the local police station. The detective department has come up with a new wing dedicated to tackling wildlife and environmental offences in the city and it is quite effective too,” said Divisional Forest Officer Rathin Banerjee.

DC (DD) Jawed Shamim, however, said that the wing had been there but became fully operational recently. “It got an impetus only recently. Since March, we have been taking initiative and conducting raids on our own. At least two cases are being registered each month,” he said. The wing consists of one officer-in-charge, three sub-inspectors and three constables.

Colonel Shakti Banerjee, Honorary Director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, has been appointed as the Honorary Wildlife Warden.

“The post had been there, but perhaps it is the first time a 'formal' appointment is being made. He has also been entrusted to build a team of 12 volunteers to help us conduct raids at the various fairs during the rath yatra,” said Banerjee.

The 10-teraflop supercomputer being built by the National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) will be 10 times more powerful than the USbuilt Cray supercomputer in use at the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), based in the Delhi suburb of Noida.

A teraflop machine does one trillion calculations per second.

The machine is expected to be ready by 2009. "It is more versatile, (will provide) better accuracy and modelling (of weather data)," said A.R.

Upadhya, director of NAL.

A scientist at the NCMRWF , who did not want to be named, said a country as large as India that experiences complex weather patterns because of monsoon vagaries needs more powerful machines and also trained personnel to use the machines.

"For (building) new models, you need people who understand them (supercomputers)," he said.

The new supercomputer, which is to be linked with the proposed integrated Indian weather forecasting system, could help in both long-range forecasts and short-range predictions of extreme weather events such as the early monsoon being witnessed in parts of India.

The country is also launching new remote-sensing satellites such as Megha Tropiques and Oceansat to understand cloud patterns around the tropics, crucial to provide accurate weather forecasts.

The State of Environment in Indian Cities survey attempts to assess what average Indians living in big cities think about India's environment, and to gauge their levels of awareness, attitudes, perception and concerns. The findings are based on interviews among 1,732 respondents spread across 36 locations in six cities--Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Calcutta, Bangalore and Hyderabad--chosen to adequately represent both genders, different age and income groups, and localities in each city.

Highlights

• 77% of urban Indians consider environmental pollution the most serious problem of urban life, second only to inflation 82%.

• Air pollution is considered the biggest problem 34% followed by lack of green cover 21%, water pollution 17%, noise pollution 14% and garbage disposal 11%.

• 77% want the government to tackle river pollution but there is widespread unawareness of what causes the problem. Only 5% of people are aware that household sewage flows into the river.

• While 94% of people favour a law banning the use of polythene bags, 17% still use them for shopping.

• 10% of people dispose of their garbage in the nearest ditch or on the road, only 13% regularly separate recyclable waste from garbage

• 86% favour a law banning use of diesel engines in private vehicles

• Among upper income groups, 30% had solar heaters, 42% had power-saving devices and 30% had set up means of rainwater harvesting. In contrast, only 11% of people in lower-income groups had solar heaters and 14% had power-saving devices or set up rainwater harvesting devices.

• Most people believe that pollution will increase over the next five years, with 77% believing that air pollution will increase, 71% that noise pollution will rise, and 55% that water pollution will increase.

Development work under the first phase of the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project is being carried out in several added areas including Behala. A sum of Rs 1800 crore is already being spent in the first phase of the project.

"The second phase will concentrate on those areas which have not been covered in the first phase of the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project. We will soon submit a detailed report of the work that we intend to undertake in these areas," mayor, Mr Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said. A detailed design of the expected work will be submitted by December 2008.

At present 60 per cent of the work on the first phase of the Kolkata Environment Improvement Project has already been completed. While work on the first phase will end by 2010, work on the second phase is expected to begin by 2009, Mr Bhattacharyya said.

Meanwhile, referring to the civic body's preparation to discharge rainwater during the monsoon, the mayor said this year an arrangement has also been reached with the fishermen of the Bantala Bheri whereby it has been decided that the lock-gates are kept open so the city's rainwater can be discharged directly in the Kulti Gang river without any hindrance.

Every year a problem arises with the fisherman of the area refusing to open the lock-gates of the bheri as a result of which rainwater is unable to pass.