Environment India

In recent years, India has witnessed a rapid surge in economic growth and urban development, resulting in a distressing deterioration of environmental conditions. This trend is especially prevalent in densely populated urban areas like Delhi, where the adverse effects of this expansion are manifested through heightened pollution levels, water contamination, and the alarming loss of natural habitats and biodiversity. Amidst these pressing environmental challenges, urban green spaces (UGSs) have emerged as crucial assets for mitigating these issues and enhancing the overall quality of life within cities. UGSs, encompassing parks, gardens, and other green areas nestled in urban landscapes, offer a diverse range of benefits known as ecosystem services. A  recent study  by Anand & Prodyut Bhattacharya (2023) conducted in Delhi aimed to explore the perceptions and interactions of residents with the ecosystem services provided by UGSs. This study had multiple key objectives. Firs...

  Chennai airport turning into hub for star tortoise smuggling Chennai international airport seems to be turning into south India's hub for the smuggling of star tortoises, and two back-to-back seizures from there of the animals have sent the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) on high alert. Air intelligence at Chennai airport had, in the past couple of months, seized several star tortoises that were bound for South Eastern countries and Gulf countries. Air intelligence sources told that in a seizure that was executed in the first week of April following a tip-off, 3,600 live star tortoises were recovered. 👉 Daijiworld Forest area surrounding Tirupati engulfed in flames As summer has started and the temperature is soaring, the Seshachalam forest area, which surrounds the hill shrine of Tirumala Tirupati, was engulfed in flames on Tuesday evening. Representative pic Fires spread rapidly in the forest area near Elephant Arch on the First Ghat Road ...

  Vultures in Assam die by pesticide poisoning targeting stray dogs On March 17, carcasses of 100 Himalayan griffon vultures and one steppe eagle were found in Assam’s Chaygaon. Pesticide poisoning is suspected to be the cause of death. The intended target for the poisoning was not the raptors but the stray dogs which have been attacking village livestock. The incident at Chaygaon is not an isolated incident of vultures dying after consuming contaminated carrion. A fortnight before the Chaygaon incident, 30 vultures died after feeding on a poisoned carcass in Dibrugarh and earlier in January this year, 23 vultures died under similar circumstances. Even three years ago, 19 and 39 vultures had died in two separate incidents in Sivasagar district. However with increasing awareness about the role of vultures in the ecosystem and the impact of pesticides along with the forest department’s efforts in vulture conservation, there seems to be hope in protecting the birds an...

SALINITY, RECHARGE ISSUES AND EXTRACTION HAVE SPELT DOOM In Gothra and Khanpur Khurd: HARYANA Gothra village is located in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana’s newest district on the state’s border with Rajasthan. It looks like any other dusty village in north India. Except that it is suffering extreme water shortages which, if not controlled, will soon make the village a desert. The village has fallen prey to excessive salinity in its groundwater, caused by lack of recharge due to decreasing rainfall and consequent extreme groundwater extraction. All this has led to the village being caught in a vicious cycle which is now so bad that it neither has potable drinking water nor water for its crops .Gothra is in the ‘over-exploited’ category as far as groundwater is concerned, according to the Central Ground Water Authority. This means that more groundwater is being drained out than necessary. The groundwater in Gothra continues to fall, according to the Haryana Water Resources (conservation, regulat...

  Birds, animals killed in Paschim Medinipur hunting festival: W.Bengal A traditional hunting festival in Paschim Medinipur district killed several birds and animals on Monday, alleged animal activists who accused the forest department and police of inaction. A Calcutta High Court order in 2019 put a complete embargo on ritual hunting in various districts of south-west Bengal. In another order dated March 21, 2021, the court iterated its earlier order, saying that all such illegal activities have to be completely stopped by the state by exercising police power, if needed. Animal lovers fear a rerun of the massacre of a range of wildlife on several upcoming dates of ritual hunting in the southwestern districts of Bengal — Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Jhargram and Purulia. The kills included wild boars and birds like orange-headed thrush, said members of HEAL (Human and Environment Alliance League), who were in Paschim Medinipur to track the alleged hunters. "The...

Reduce air pollution to avoid land conflicts due to solar projects, recommends study Due to high air pollution, India is witnessing an estimated loss of US$ 245-835 million every year. Improvement in air quality will in turn improve the performance of the solar power projects, says a study. Soiling Effect According to the researchers who conducted the study, cleaner air and better performance of solar power projects would also mean that India could save a crucial resource like land by which conflicts with communities and the environment could also be avoided. According to the study, aerosols in the atmosphere attenuate incoming solar radiation through scattering and absorption and this is known as the “atmospheric attenuation effect.” In addition, aerosols often get deposited over panel surfaces and affect their PV performances. High air pollution translates into low efficiency of solar power projects which leads to higher auxiliary power consumption (use of robots for cle...

  Indian coastal cities need to design and build with nature Panaji, the capital city of Goa, was hit by floods in July 2021. Historically, this is not the first time that the city has been flooded since it is built on the marshlands on the floodplains of river Mandovi. A community art project, titled “Mangrave (En)circling the Loss” by The Earthivist Collective highlights the plight of this important ecosystem on the outskirts of Panaji Urbanisation, driven by a rapid increase of Goa’s urban population, has spilled over to Panaji’s neighboring rural areas to accommodate real estate pressures. According to estimations by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Goa’s urban population is expected to grow to 88% in 2036 from the current 62.5%. Unsurprisingly, this sprawl has diminished the city’s green cover as repurposed Khazan farmlands at the fringes of the city have transformed into a concrete jungle along primary arterial roads leading to the city. Recent construction and urba...

  Haryana government killing the Aravallis and people: Mining Five people were killed in a landslide at a mining site in the Bhiwani district of Haryana in January 2022. The site, according to reports submitted in the National Green Tribunal, was illegal and unscientific but had still got a go-ahead for mining after a penalty was paid. According to the official  documents , nearly three reserved forests and three protected forests falls within a 10-kilometre radius of the mine lease area. It is alleged that the miners are drawing water from the ground below the permissible limits and extending their mining activities beyond the designated area to the protected areas in Aravallis. In the last 8 years, Gurugram’s Aravallis lost more than 10,000 acres of the Natural Conversation Zone (NCZ), which is considered to be the greenest area of the city’s forest cover, a recent report submitted to the NGT showed. According to a report, 3,676 square kilometres and 776...

  Sloth bear, dhole, tiger most affected among apex predators globally due to road development: Study The sloth bear, tiger and dhole are among 36 apex predators worldwide affected the most due to road construction in their native habitats, a study published February 21, 2022, in the journal Nature, has stated. The sloth bear was the most affected predator as its habitat was in the Indian subcontinent, “where roadless areas are almost non-existent,” the study said. Some 97% of its area of distribution was covered by roads, which led to several instances of roadkills, or deaths due to collisions with vehicles. The sloth bear is followed by the dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog, which is, in turn, followed by the tiger, Asiatic black bear, clouded leopard, sun bear and Sunda clouded leopard. The researchers said Asiatic predators, especially in south Asia, were more exposed to roads. Roads are especially harmful for apex predators because their home ranges are large and thei...