Wet lands to be recognised and developed in chhattisgarh

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January 17, 2021

Raipur: Forest and Environment Minister Mohammad Akabar has instructed to identify wet lands in state. He said to prepare an action plan for their development in the first meeting of wet land authority on Saturday.

Under the rules of wet land conservation and management, Forest and Environment Minister Akabar has also inspected the power and the duty provided to technical committee, grievance committee and chhattisgarh state wetland authority.

He told that the committee has formed the development of wetland. He gave necessary instructions to the officials to ensure the formation at the state level as well as the district level.

Minister Akbar said that the development of wetland will promote conservation and promotion of biodiversity. He also gave instructions regarding making necessary provisions in the budget for streamlined function of Chhattisgarh State Wetland Authority. He also discussed in detail the task of handing over the duties and responsibilities of the authority to one of the Department of Environment or Forest and Climate Change.

Akbar further said that a proposal for its approval would be put up at the meeting of the Council of Ministers. In these, the concerned departments were instructed to ensure rapid implementation of the action plan for the development of wetlands in the state by mutual coordination.

Pong wetlands, witnessed the death of over 400 migratory birds

By

Rohit Gupta

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December 31, 2020

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By Bharati Kumari

The endangered, bar-headed geese ended it’s life in the Pong Dam, over the past couple days.

On December 30, 2020, according to Indo-Asian News Service (IANS) over 400 migratory birds, in the Shimla wetlands. It is one of the largest man-made wetlands in northern India, Himachal Pradesh.

Tentative findings of their postmortem have excluded toxicity as the cause of their death, they said.

On December 28, an official report quoting the Deputy Chief Conservator (Wildlife) in Hamirpur said that the field staff reported the unexpected death of four bar-headed geese and one common teal in Fatehpur area.

In the wildlife range of Dhameta and Guglara areas of the Nagrota range, the field staff were instructed to implement a search of the absolute area of the sanctuary and 421 bar-headed geese were found dead the next day.

Forest Minister Rakesh Pathania detecting the urgency of the circumstance, said that the Wildlife wing has commenced analysis into the deaths of the migratory birds.

After receiving the reports of the samples sent to different institutions, strict action will be taken against those found guilty, he added.

Pathania guided the senior officials to go to the site and look into the numerous faces of the deaths.

The Deputy Chief Conservator (Wildlife) said the viscera samples of the geese were taken to a veterinary laboratory for testing. The samples have been prepared at the laboratory and sent for further examination.

A team of veterinarians visited the Guglara area for assessment of the ground realities and will send samples to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly, the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar and the Wildlife Institute of India in Dehradun for further examination.

Every winter, the Pong wetlands are home to over 100,000 birds of nearly 114 species. Among them the bar-headed geese, the northern pintail, the Eurasian coot, the common teal, the common pochard, the northern shoveler, the great cormorant, the Eurasian wigeon and the ruddy shelduck are notable.

According to the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), the Pong wetlands are the one migratory site in the globe to hold such a large get-together of bar-headed geese.

Most of the wetlands in India have been regularly getting bar-headed geese every winter. But Pong is the only habitat that holds the major stream of bar-headed geese during every cold wave, a BNHS (Bombay Natural History Society) ornithologist told IANS (Indo-Asian News Service).

One might be able to overlook the unfairness that, humans are the main cause of extinction of these species. It is important to remember to take care of the animals that exist today, and their environment.

The post Pong wetlands, witnessed the death of over 400 migratory birds appeared first on Maverick Times.

Vizag: Another Bhopal?

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Nikita Gupta

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May 7, 2020

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Vizag saw a gas leak on morning of May7, 2020 at LG Polymers Industry.

11 people have died and thousands reported sick after the leak of Styrene gas from the chemical plants in Vishakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

They have been admitted to government hospital and King George Hospital in Gopalapatnam.

This takes you back to the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. Methyl isocyanate (MIC) was leaked from the pesticide plant resulting in a long-term tragedy. The side-effects from that gas leak are still borne by people, who were exposed to it and who continued to live in the area affected.

With the pandemic, COVID-19, on an all time high, this came as another blow for India on a whole. Doctors are doing their best to fight this disaster with the help of NDRF teams. It was reported that 2,000 residents have been affected by the leakage and around 5,000 people have been evacuated to safer places.

Image Credits: The Indian Express

Tourism Industry: A Threat to the Marine Ecosystem

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Sugat Srivastava

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August 9, 2019

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By: Talat Mohsin

India is home to a large number of spectacular marine life which have a habitat in its tropical oceans along with the usual hill stations and various wildlife sanctuaries. With the ever-increasing popularity of beaches as a tourist destination in India, the marine life is now under a threat.

Due to the high demand of tourists in the coastal areas, many changes are being done to them to accommodate more and more people. Many of these activities have adverse effects on our ecosystems. While it generates income that often makes it possible to help improve our environment, the negative impacts are more than positive. Some of these are listed below:

Increase in water and energy consumption
Increase in pollution (air, water, and noise)
Litter, erosion, and fires
Disturbance in the ecosystem
Spoliation of flora and fauna
Increase in wastage
Disruption of the aesthetic appeal of the location

An example of this is the coast of Sindhudurg. In recent times, Sindhudurg has emerged as a very popular tourist destination. But the popularity has resulted in the endangerment of its marine life. Thankfully, it’s mainstreaming project has taken initiatives to increase awareness among the people and promoting biodiversity sensitive practices. Young and trained scuba divers are also taking initiatives to serve as agents of change. They perform rescue and release of animals and also get rid of the major solid pollutants in the water. They even educate people on marine conservation and it’s importance. Often, consumers don’t realize the threats looming on our marine life because of our incessant travels. But as the need for environmental sustainability is growing, more and more public and authoritarian figures are shifting their stance as well. The ecosystem is ours, therefore the responsibility of protecting it falls on our shoulders too.

Used Plastic As School Fee- Assam School Exempts Students From Fee

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Sanghamitra Gogoi

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July 26, 2019

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Every day we see millions of people surviving on plastic in any season of a year. The waste generated from plastics comes with zillion side-effects to the humans and the environment that they live in.

Recently, Akshar school in the state of Assam have replaced school fee with used plastic. For them, plastic is their means to procure free education. The rule is to bring 20 used plastic gathered from their home and local area to school every year.

Parmita Sarma an Assamese started this project with her New Yorker husband Mazin Mukhtar. She said “The use of plastic is rampant across Assam. In order to stop the widespread burning of plastic in these villages, we decided to educate the community on the health hazards of burning plastics”

“In addition, the parents have to make a “pledge” not to burn plastics,” said Sarma. According to local non-government organization Environ, Dispur alone which is home to just under a million people produces 37 tonnes of waste rubbish daily.

“Earlier, we used to burn the plastics and we had no idea that the gas emitted from that was harmful tour health and environment. We also threw these away in the neighborhood. But that would never happen again,” Said Menu Bora, the mother of one pupil.

The school after accumulating the waste plastic recycles it to make “eco-bricks” which can then be used to construct new school buildings, toilets or pathways. The students also receive a basic remuneration for doing this task.

“The parents of most of our school students cannot afford to send them to school. It was tough but we have motivated them back to school.” Says Mukhtar Co-founder of Akshar school.

Facts proving that the climate change is real

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Sugat Srivastava

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June 22, 2019

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By: Amrita Singh

“ONLY WHEN THE LAST TREE HAS BEEN CUT DOWN, THE LAST FISH BEEN CAUGHT AND THE LAST STREAM POISONED , WE WILL REALISE WE CANNOT EAT MONEY.”

Environmental change is real and that’s evident. It’s high time that we realise the need for our actions and take steps to combat the environmental changes.

Repercussions of environmental change is widespread. Recently a starving polar bear has strayed hundreds of kilometres from its natural Arctic habitat into the Russia city of Norlisk in Siberia. It is the first polar bear seen in the city in more than 40 years.

Over the past few years it has been observed that Arctic has been reportedly turning brown. This, reportedly, has been credited to the extreme temperatures the region faces.

When you think of snow the first thing that comes to the mind is a thick white sheet of snow covering the area. However it was reported that this winter due to the pollution in Siberia the snowfall wasn’t white it was black making it toxic.

7 environmental change facts you should know :-

• Sea levels are rising at their fastest rate in 2000 years.

• More greenhouse gases are in our atmosphere than any time in the human history.
• Climate change will lead to a refugee crisis.
• Two-thirds of the Great Barrier Reef has been damaged due to climate change.

• Earth could warm by 6 degrees this century.
• The PH of ocean surface water has decreased by 0.1, which makes them 26 percent more acidic now.
• The Arctic region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040.

Well, talking only about the problems is of no use, what is needed is quick action.

This year, The Deerfield Beach International Fishing Pier in Florida drew 633 divers. The Scuba divers gathered trash from the ocean floor and, in doing so, set a Guinness World Record for the largest underwater cleanup.

For the first time ever, UK uses more reusable energy than fossil fuels.

The school strike for climate (also known variously as Fridays for Future, Youth for Climate and Youth Strike 4 Climate) is an international movement of school students who are deciding not to attend classes and instead take part in demonstrations to demand action to prevent further global warming and climate change.

This shows that people are making efforts to combat environmental changes but more awareness and actions are needed. The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.
So realise the wrong we are doing to the planet before it’s too late !

Friendly reminder:-
EARTH IS THE ONLY HOME WE HAVE !

Fashion brands that revolutionized sustainability

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Sanghamitra Gogoi

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June 8, 2019

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Eons of merely talk-talk sustainability in the homes of many fashion industry, we have brands that unhypocritically talks and puts words into action. Sustainable high-street fashion brands have taken a foot further into recycled and innovative environment-friendly fabrics.

#1

ALTERNATE APPAREL

Their garments come straight from organic and recycled fabrics which are crafted with sustainable materials. The use of low-impact dyes, bio-degradable fabric softeners, and water conserving washes makes it an eco-friendly brand. They use 60 percent of the organic cotton used annually in place of conventional cotton. The brands also take up the responsibility to conserve 2,100 trees, 400 cubic yards of landfill, 860k gallons of water and 120 tons of CO2 annually. Their apparel reaches out to men, women, Unisex, children, and youth.

#2

AMOUR VERT

‘Green Love’ is what AMOUR VERT stands for, for its healthier, versatile fashion and a fast-growing fashion. It believes in conserving the planet for generations to come.

AMOUR believes in creating a sustainable environment by eliminating the waste from their clothing and to reach the highest production standard. 97 percent of their products are made in California. They have many gender biased factories set up in San Francisco and Oakland. Their fabrics are unique in softness, design, and durability with sustainability in mind. ‘Harvested Beechwood is their signature modal fabric which is harvested free of harmful pesticides, biodegradable, and luxuriously soft fabrics.

#3

CONSCIOUS COLLECTION

H & M believes in the vision of recycling used garments in order to renew its brand new. On March 28, 2019 – it celebrates its Conscious Exclusive collection with a launch party in Los Angeles. The Conscious Collection believes in the healing power of nature while also embracing innovation for their up-styled consumers. They introduced three sustainable clothing on their Conscious Collection.

Pinatex- a natural leather alternative made from cellulose fibers extracted from pineapple leaves; BLOOM Foam, a plant-based flexible foam using algae biomass; and Orange Fibre, sustain silk-like fabrics made citrus juice by-products. The collection is inspired by natural beauty and natures importance in surrounding us.

#4

REFORMATION

A brand that believes in recycling at least 100,000 garments through things like Ref Vintage sourcing, thredUP and Rent the Runaway partnerships, and RefRecycling. Their tie-up with Osometex helps them to reduce and recycle the fibers into new yarns and fabrics. This is done in order to reduce the use of virgin materials, also eliminating the use of water content through a mechanical process.

#5

PEOPLE TREE

Technological innovation has never stopped ‘People Tree’ into believing in traditional skills combined with innovative technologies. They use skills such as hand knitting or hand embroidery in order to generate employment in rural areas where work is often scarce. The clothes are produced using low impact dyes and are free from harmful azo chemicals which are used in clothing manufacture. There environment-friendly organic cotton brushed velvet, TENCEL Lyocell silky party wear is few from their new fabric collection.

Fabric toxicity that lurks inside your cupboard

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Sanghamitra Gogoi

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June 7, 2019

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Imagining yourself getting up from the bed and setting yourself up for your usual daily routine. You open your cupboard to grab one attire and all you consume is toxicity- unknowingly. Know how?

We wear clothes and consume them in large quantities because clothes determine once personality and it defines parts of you that you would want to highlight as a matter of public display– an impression we have heard growing up. As Diana Vreeland famously said: “ Fashion must be the most intoxicating release from the banality of the world.”

The world of fashion is manifold and the unbridled production of high-Street brands and their demand for their growing profitability – thus blurring a thin line between sustainability and need. In one of the TEDx talks interview, Clara Vuletich a researcher, a designer, and an educator talk about the careful consumption of clothes according to our needs and necessities. She says – “Globally we are buying so many clothes then we were and according to global statistics globally the number of clothes that we buy individually per year has gone up from 7 kilos to 10 kilos in ten years. As a result, there are more amount of clothes that are produced and then discarded into landfills. There is, therefore, a huge increase in waste.”

The concern for the environment should be the need of the hour and clothing industry being the host and a giver- is creating a matter of concern for many researchers. The landfills are getting polluted due to everyday disposing of clothes that embody damaging fabrics that scarcely gets decomposed. With chemical advances in the 1940s, man-made fibres were introduced thus giving options to the consumer to gradually shift from cotton to cheap fabrics. Polyester is a textile that dominates the industry due to its cheap price tags and recyclable quality- but recycling polyester would mean consuming more polyester. “Polyester is one fabric that takes much longer years to decomposed- which would be few 100 years,” says Vuletich. On the other hand, woollen clothes emit harmful methane and ammonia into the air thus harmful for consumers as well as the environment.

A study conducted by Greenpeace states that around 400 billion square meters of textiles are produced every year of which 60 billion meters are left as waste on the cutting room floor. Rajni Jacques, fashion director, Teen Vogue, and Allure says, “ The purpose of fashion can be simple: You need clothing to maneuver in the world. Forget fashion as a trend, think fashion and clothing as a necessity. You need a pair of pants, a shirt, shoes to go on that interview, to the grocery store, your cousins’ wedding. It’s how we present ourselves to live”.

The fast fashion is creating a threat for our endangered planet- going to be extinct one day if the trend of consuming synthetic fabric or fabrics containing toxic chemicals continues, thus ignoring the sustainability tag. You must know what goes into the product that you are consuming before disbursing your hard-fought money into something that needs to be discarded one day.

This Birthday, Wish something for Earth as well

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Sugat Srivastava

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May 25, 2019

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The temperature is increasing, glaciers are melting, sea-level rising, and the earth is crying. The green land is turning into grey with concrete, blue sky is becoming black with smoke. The worst part is, we know everything and doesn’t want to act. Here is the birthday wish of Divya Singh Raghuvanshi. She wants everyone to stand for our mother earth and start contributing.

She is not alone in this campaign. Lil Dicky, with the help of many celebrities, asked people to act and come together in order to save the planet.

Raftaar joined the Climate Change wagon a long time ago. In 2014, he released a video titled ‘Mother Nature – Global Warming’, elevating the issue of climate change.

Let your selfless wish for Mother Earth be heard by the multitude. I request our sincere readers to come together for this great and global cause.
Editor

World Water Day: Leave no one Behind

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Sugat Srivastava

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March 22, 2019

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22nd March is observed as World Water Day. The day is observed for introspecting the crisis world is facing due to the scarcity of clean drinking water. When we talk about accessibility to the resource, a lot of people are left behind due to a variety of factors. That’s why the theme of the year 2019’s world water day is “Leaving no one behind”.

The theme closely relates to the idea of sustainable development which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water for all by 2030. By definition, this means leaving no one behind. Today, billions of people don’t have access to water. Sometimes, they are discriminated based on their caste, age, sex, race, class, etc. It is the bitter truth that marginalized groups are the worst affected in the era of water scarcity.

Here are some facts about water scarcity which the whole world is facing right now:

2.1 billion people live without safe water at home.
More than 700 children under five years of age die every day from diarrhea linked to unsafe water and poor sanitation.
Globally, 80% of the people who have to use unsafe and unprotected water sources live in rural areas.
Around four billion people — that is, nearly two-thirds of the world’s population — experience severe water scarcity during at least one month of the year.
700 million people worldwide could be displaced by intense water scarcity by 2030.
For the 68.5 million people who have been forced to flee their homes, accessing safe water services is highly problematic.
Around 159 million people collect their drinking water from surface water, such as ponds and streams.
One in four primary schools has no drinking water service, with pupils using unprotected sources or going thirsty.

Source: https://www.worldwaterday.org/theme/

In 2019, marginalized sections had no access to water. They might have access 10-20 years ago but not today. The area swept by the acute water scarcity might reach you sooner than you can fathom. So, get involved and save water before its too late.

Tag: environment

7 environmental change facts you should know :-