NEW DELHI: A look at the list of water bodies in 10 zones uploaded recently by the Delhi government's Parks and Gardens Society points to the deplorable state of baolis and lakes in the city. Most of them have been encroached upon, dried up or concretized. Those that still hold water have sewage flowing into them.
For this report, data from four zones was considered by TOI. Out of 54 water bodies in the east zone, 18 are dry and 21 have been encroached or built up on. In the south zone, 44 out of 120 water bodies have been encroached upon and eight have sewage entering them. Only the central district boasts a high number of water bodies that have been developed and have a permanent flow.
Many water bodies are also "legally built-up", which means their land use has changed over time. For instance, the south zone has 12 such water bodies. The team that inspected these water bodies recommends rainwater harvesting at these sites. However, many have also been "illegally built-up", and the matter is either pending in court or remains in dispute. Over seven water bodies in the east district have been concretized in this way.
Delhi Parks and Gardens Society gathered lists of water bodies under various agencies over two years before holding ground survey for a precise idea of their status. "It was a tough process as we had to gather data from all agencies. But now that we have an overall idea, we can formulate a plan. For instance, those that have run dry need greening around them to rejuvenate them," S D Singh, chief executive officer, Delhi Parks and Gardens Society, said.
Strangely enough, several water bodies in all zones have simply run dry. "This is because of a low water table along with scanty and erratic rainfall. They will come alive once planting in the catchment area beings and they are freed of encroachments. We have also identified the water bodies needing sewage treatment and how many oxbow lakes have been formed," Singh said.
There are about 1,000 baolis and lakes according to the records compiled from different agencies. The northwest zone with 166 water bodies leads the pack, followed by the north at 156 and the south zone which has 120 water bodies.
TOI had earlier reported that 21 lakes had disappeared from Delhi since 1997-98. Most of these lakes, according to Ritu Singh, scientist at Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, disappeared because of encroachment by real estate projects. According to the 1997-98 data, there were 44 lakes and 355 ponds in Delhi.
Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Encroachments-sewage-killing-Delhis-water-bodies/articleshow/27764637.cms
Wednesday, 25 December 2013
Indian waters third worst for pirate attacks
MUMBAI: Merchant navy captain Sunil James may have returned home after five-and-a-half-months in Togo but International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau (London) statistics show how waters around the Indian sub-continent are the most dangerous.
James and two Indian crew members were arrested by the Togo police on July 31 on charges of helping pirates who had attacked and looted their Marshalls Island flag vessel, MT Ocean Centurion, around 45 nautical miles southeast of Togo's coastal capital Lome in the Atlantic Ocean on July 16. James, however, said the court there was unable to prove their roles.
The bureau has reported 199 pirate attacks on vessels in the sub-continent's waters in 2006-12. It warned mariners to be extra cautious when transiting from Southeast Asia and the sub-continent (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malacca Straits, Singapore Straits and South China sea), Africa and Red Sea (Africa, Gulf of Aden/Red Sea, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, The Congo and Egypt), South and Central America and the Caribbean waters (Ecuador) and Rest of the World (Gulf of Oman).
The bureau's 2012 report stated that 2,386 ships from over 97 countries in the merchant shipping business were attacked (2006-12). The seas and oceans around Africa top the chart with 1,228 cases, and Indian waters come third after Southeast Asian waters.
The report said pirates attacked 43 Indian-flag merchant vessels, placing it 11th. Panama topped with 409 ships, Liberia 268 and Singapore 215. There has been an apparent drop in Somali piracy activity, with 297 cases in 2012, after 439 in 2011, and the Gulf of Guinea has replaced the Gulf of Aden as one of the highest-risk zones.
The report warned mariners to be extra cautious while transiting particularly the highly dangerous waters off East and West Africa. "Navies are deterring piracy off Africa's East coast, with pre-emptive strikes and robust action against mother ships of pirates," bureau assistant director Cyrus Mody told TOI in an email on November 15.
Somali pirate attacks cover a vast area, which includes the Gulf of Aden, southern Red Sea, off Yemen, off Oman/ Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, off Somalia, off Kenya, off Tanzania, off Seychelles, off Madagascar, Indian Ocean, off West and South India and off Maldives west coast, the report said. "Even though there is a welcome drop in Somali piracy, the IMB piracy reporting centre continues to monitor the situation and advises vessels to remain vigilant and adhere to latest best management practices, especially as the threat and risk of an attack remains real," the report said.
Piracy is a crime on the high seas against a ship and is for personal gain. Some of these crimes would need a degree of organization. "The apparent drop in Somali piracy activity has shifted the focus to the Gulf of Guinea, which has also been a very high risk area for many years. In the recent past, we have seen an increase in low-level opportunistic attacks at Indonesian ports," said Mody.
The world's only manned centre, which receives and disseminates reports of piracy and armed robbery 24 hours a day, urged all shipmasters and owners to report all actual, attempted and suspicious piracy and armed robbery incidents.
The directorate-general of shipping, Mumbai, in a July 7 training circular, decided to include the seafarers' piracy awareness module in the 'security training for seafarers with designated security duties' course. "The training programme will focus on seafarers getting trained on recognition of security risks and threats, knowledge of techniques used to circumvent security measures, including those used by pirates and armed robbers and handling security-related information and communications," the circular said.
Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-waters-third-worst-for-pirate-attacks/articleshow/27761370.cms
James and two Indian crew members were arrested by the Togo police on July 31 on charges of helping pirates who had attacked and looted their Marshalls Island flag vessel, MT Ocean Centurion, around 45 nautical miles southeast of Togo's coastal capital Lome in the Atlantic Ocean on July 16. James, however, said the court there was unable to prove their roles.
The bureau has reported 199 pirate attacks on vessels in the sub-continent's waters in 2006-12. It warned mariners to be extra cautious when transiting from Southeast Asia and the sub-continent (Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malacca Straits, Singapore Straits and South China sea), Africa and Red Sea (Africa, Gulf of Aden/Red Sea, Somalia, Ivory Coast, Guinea, The Congo and Egypt), South and Central America and the Caribbean waters (Ecuador) and Rest of the World (Gulf of Oman).
The bureau's 2012 report stated that 2,386 ships from over 97 countries in the merchant shipping business were attacked (2006-12). The seas and oceans around Africa top the chart with 1,228 cases, and Indian waters come third after Southeast Asian waters.
The report said pirates attacked 43 Indian-flag merchant vessels, placing it 11th. Panama topped with 409 ships, Liberia 268 and Singapore 215. There has been an apparent drop in Somali piracy activity, with 297 cases in 2012, after 439 in 2011, and the Gulf of Guinea has replaced the Gulf of Aden as one of the highest-risk zones.
The report warned mariners to be extra cautious while transiting particularly the highly dangerous waters off East and West Africa. "Navies are deterring piracy off Africa's East coast, with pre-emptive strikes and robust action against mother ships of pirates," bureau assistant director Cyrus Mody told TOI in an email on November 15.
Somali pirate attacks cover a vast area, which includes the Gulf of Aden, southern Red Sea, off Yemen, off Oman/ Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, off Somalia, off Kenya, off Tanzania, off Seychelles, off Madagascar, Indian Ocean, off West and South India and off Maldives west coast, the report said. "Even though there is a welcome drop in Somali piracy, the IMB piracy reporting centre continues to monitor the situation and advises vessels to remain vigilant and adhere to latest best management practices, especially as the threat and risk of an attack remains real," the report said.
Piracy is a crime on the high seas against a ship and is for personal gain. Some of these crimes would need a degree of organization. "The apparent drop in Somali piracy activity has shifted the focus to the Gulf of Guinea, which has also been a very high risk area for many years. In the recent past, we have seen an increase in low-level opportunistic attacks at Indonesian ports," said Mody.
The world's only manned centre, which receives and disseminates reports of piracy and armed robbery 24 hours a day, urged all shipmasters and owners to report all actual, attempted and suspicious piracy and armed robbery incidents.
The directorate-general of shipping, Mumbai, in a July 7 training circular, decided to include the seafarers' piracy awareness module in the 'security training for seafarers with designated security duties' course. "The training programme will focus on seafarers getting trained on recognition of security risks and threats, knowledge of techniques used to circumvent security measures, including those used by pirates and armed robbers and handling security-related information and communications," the circular said.
Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Indian-waters-third-worst-for-pirate-attacks/articleshow/27761370.cms
Sunday, 15 December 2013
India among high risk nations in water stress survey
NEW DELHI: India ranks 41 among 181 countries so far as water stress is concerned and its in the bracket of second high risk nations. The first-ever global water stress rankings by World Resource Institute (WRI) reveals that 37% countries assessed by it experience high to extremely high baseline water stress.
The baseline water stress measures how much water is withdrawn every year from rivers, streams, and shallow aquifers for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses. Scores above 4 on a scale of 0-5 indicate that, for the average water user, more than 80% of the water available is withdrawn annually. The report says 37 countries including Singapore, Kuwait, Oman and Israel face "extremely high" levels of water stress.
India's baseline water stress is assessed at 3.6, which means the country uses between 40% and 80% of the water available annually. However, when it comes to seasonal variability between months of the year, the situation is worse. For example, during summer season many parts of the country overexploit both surface and ground water due to scarcity and high demand. The average score in this case is 4.2, which is in the high risk zone.
The report indicates how the water usage is very high against the availability during some months across all sectors - agriculture, domestic and industry.
The report says that stable supplies are increasingly hard to come by in many countries, as water-related risks increase. For example, recent droughts threatened GDP growth in the United States and monsoon floods killed hundreds and displaced thousands in India. In China, the increased competition for water may impact energy production, the global institute said.
WRI says that in the case of countries scoring 3-5; companies, farms, and residents are highly dependent on limited amounts of water and vulnerable to even the slightest change in supply. Such situations severely threaten national water security and economic growth - especially if a country does not have adequate water-management plans in place.
However, it says that even extremely high water stress can be managed. The report mentions that though Singapore has the highest water stress ranking of 5 and has no freshwater lakes or aquifers, it has consistently held up as an exceptional water manager. Singapore invests heavily in technology, international agreements, and responsible management, allowing it to meet its freshwater needs. Advanced rainwater capture systems contribute 20% of Singapore's water supply, 40% is imported from Malaysia, grey water reuse adds 30%, and desalination produces the remaining 10% of the supply to meet the country's total demand.
Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-among-high-risk-nations-in-water-stress-survey/articleshow/27341315.cms
The baseline water stress measures how much water is withdrawn every year from rivers, streams, and shallow aquifers for domestic, agricultural, and industrial uses. Scores above 4 on a scale of 0-5 indicate that, for the average water user, more than 80% of the water available is withdrawn annually. The report says 37 countries including Singapore, Kuwait, Oman and Israel face "extremely high" levels of water stress.
India's baseline water stress is assessed at 3.6, which means the country uses between 40% and 80% of the water available annually. However, when it comes to seasonal variability between months of the year, the situation is worse. For example, during summer season many parts of the country overexploit both surface and ground water due to scarcity and high demand. The average score in this case is 4.2, which is in the high risk zone.
The report indicates how the water usage is very high against the availability during some months across all sectors - agriculture, domestic and industry.
The report says that stable supplies are increasingly hard to come by in many countries, as water-related risks increase. For example, recent droughts threatened GDP growth in the United States and monsoon floods killed hundreds and displaced thousands in India. In China, the increased competition for water may impact energy production, the global institute said.
WRI says that in the case of countries scoring 3-5; companies, farms, and residents are highly dependent on limited amounts of water and vulnerable to even the slightest change in supply. Such situations severely threaten national water security and economic growth - especially if a country does not have adequate water-management plans in place.
However, it says that even extremely high water stress can be managed. The report mentions that though Singapore has the highest water stress ranking of 5 and has no freshwater lakes or aquifers, it has consistently held up as an exceptional water manager. Singapore invests heavily in technology, international agreements, and responsible management, allowing it to meet its freshwater needs. Advanced rainwater capture systems contribute 20% of Singapore's water supply, 40% is imported from Malaysia, grey water reuse adds 30%, and desalination produces the remaining 10% of the supply to meet the country's total demand.
Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/India-among-high-risk-nations-in-water-stress-survey/articleshow/27341315.cms
Officials, builders sensitised on RWH, grey water recycling
MADURAI: A one-day workshop on rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling was organized for the municipal officials and builders in the city on Friday.
The objective behind holding the workshop was to sensitise the officials and builders in promoting rainwater harvesting methods and grey water recycling methods in the town planning since the ground water level is depleting at an alarming level. Harnessing the ground water as the complete source of water is a wrong concept and deep bore wells will pump out the unfit water, experts said.
The rainwater will percolate only up to shallow water table but the bore wells are sunk to deep water table which will exhaust after some time. The shallow water table has to be harnessed and recharged with the rain water for which the open well system will be very useful, Sekhar Raghavan, director of Rain Centre, Chennai advocated. The open well system is superior to rainfall pits since the latter will get silted in two years time and could not be de-silted easily. "We are promoting to maintain the open wells and not to abandon such wells which were the important source of water once. The open wells will be beneficial to recharge the shallow water table as well," he said.
J Kanagavalli of DHAN foundation said that there is an urgent need to harness the rainwater for the drinking water needs of the city. Madurai city, once rich with temple tanks and village tanks is fast losing its water bodies and efforts should be taken to sensitise the public and officials on rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling, she said.
The workshop was held at DHAN foundation and 36 participated and most of them were the town planning officials from Madurai region that consists of various municipalities like Sivaganga, Bodi, Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Rameswaram. Representatives from Builders Association of India also participated.
V Ramachandran, former president of the association said that the rainwater harvesting should be established in letter and spirit. "Most of the establishments and buildings are provided rainwater harvesting facilities for namesake. We are taking efforts to sensitise our customers but there should be large scale public awareness measures in this regard," he said.
The workshop was organized by ARGHYAM, a Bangalore-based NGO working on water and sanitation projects. The organization has sponsored 15 workshops across the state and six such workshops were held in Chennai itself. Coimbatore, Trichy and Madurai were planned with three workshops each and they are holding the second workshop in Madurai itself, said Raghavan.
Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Officials-builders-sensitised-on-RWH-grey-water-recycling/articleshow/27317676.cms
The objective behind holding the workshop was to sensitise the officials and builders in promoting rainwater harvesting methods and grey water recycling methods in the town planning since the ground water level is depleting at an alarming level. Harnessing the ground water as the complete source of water is a wrong concept and deep bore wells will pump out the unfit water, experts said.
The rainwater will percolate only up to shallow water table but the bore wells are sunk to deep water table which will exhaust after some time. The shallow water table has to be harnessed and recharged with the rain water for which the open well system will be very useful, Sekhar Raghavan, director of Rain Centre, Chennai advocated. The open well system is superior to rainfall pits since the latter will get silted in two years time and could not be de-silted easily. "We are promoting to maintain the open wells and not to abandon such wells which were the important source of water once. The open wells will be beneficial to recharge the shallow water table as well," he said.
J Kanagavalli of DHAN foundation said that there is an urgent need to harness the rainwater for the drinking water needs of the city. Madurai city, once rich with temple tanks and village tanks is fast losing its water bodies and efforts should be taken to sensitise the public and officials on rainwater harvesting and grey water recycling, she said.
The workshop was held at DHAN foundation and 36 participated and most of them were the town planning officials from Madurai region that consists of various municipalities like Sivaganga, Bodi, Theni, Dindigul, Ramanathapuram, Rameswaram. Representatives from Builders Association of India also participated.
V Ramachandran, former president of the association said that the rainwater harvesting should be established in letter and spirit. "Most of the establishments and buildings are provided rainwater harvesting facilities for namesake. We are taking efforts to sensitise our customers but there should be large scale public awareness measures in this regard," he said.
The workshop was organized by ARGHYAM, a Bangalore-based NGO working on water and sanitation projects. The organization has sponsored 15 workshops across the state and six such workshops were held in Chennai itself. Coimbatore, Trichy and Madurai were planned with three workshops each and they are holding the second workshop in Madurai itself, said Raghavan.
Source - TOI - timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/madurai/Officials-builders-sensitised-on-RWH-grey-water-recycling/articleshow/27317676.cms
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