COVID Testing in Uttarakhand

Number of testing in Uttarakhand

This graph will be updated on a daily basis. It depicts the number of testing done in Uttarakhand.

The starting date is 19th April 2021.

Three weeks analysis:

Is ZLD suitable for semiconductor and textile industry?

Photo: Saltworkstech

The Centre is examining various options of moving forward on the country’s Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) policy to ensure that investment in emerging sectors such as semiconductors is not hampered while the environment continues to be protected. 

ZLD is a closed-loop wastewater management system ensuring that no industrial wastewater is discharged outside the plot boundary of the manufacturing plant or the industrial park in which the plant is situated.

According to the report on BusinessLine, “The Department for Policy on Investments and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has been getting suggestions for removing regulatory compliances such as Zero Liquid Discharge to encourage investments in sectors like semiconductors. Any decision on removing regulatory compliances will be taken only after consulting all sectors.” 

ZLD in semiconductor industries

Despite various policies by successive governments to start semiconductor manufacturing in India, the country is yet to set up a private sector chip fabrication plant (fab) in India.

Semiconductor fabs consist of front-end fab manufacturing and back-end assembly. 

In July, Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal asked the Indian industry to set up a semiconductor fabrication plant in India. Currently, India imports all semiconductor fabs from China and this push by Goyal comes under the Atma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) mission and the growing tensions on the Sino-Indian border. 

A semiconductor industry requires good infrastructure, high technology with good logistics, guaranteed water and power, a central waste-water treatment facility, and on-site availability of speciality and bulk electronic gases and chemicals.

Apart from the lack of infrastructure and skilled labour which creates hurdles in the path of setting up semiconductor fabs in India, environmental regulations like ZLD also affect the growth of fabs.

According to Arun Gandhi, Engineering & Construction Leader specializing in Advanced Manufacturing Facilities, “India’s environmental regulations demand a ‘Zero Liquid Discharge’ (ZLD) for wastewater management. This mandates that there should be no discharge of industrial wastewater outside the site boundary of the manufacturing plant.”

ZLD has a goal to ensure 100% treatment and recycling of water but the requirement of the recycled water to be contained within the boundary of the plant premises is not feasible in the semiconductor industry, he says.

Over the last decade many ambitious semiconductor projects in India have failed to progress from drawing board to reality, says Gandhi. “Apart from factors relating to business and financial incentives package offered, the fact that India-specific environmental regulations are not aligned with global norms have also contributed to the decision to drop these projects,” he adds.

Speaking about how ZLD has affected foreign investment, he says that one of the largest PV manufacturers did not invest in India because of ZLD norms. The foreign company has plants in various other countries with advanced manufacturing hubs where the norms are not as restrictive as India,.

“In India, we frame new tougher laws to compensate for lax implementation of existing laws,” says Gandhi. According to him those companies which are firmly committed to following the norms will find it tough. This will create problems in attracting investment, he adds. Instead, we should review how the global leaders in semiconductor manufacturing are approaching the problem of treatment and discharge of industrial wastewater, while still addressing the environmental concerns 

Since computer chip manufacturing requires large volumes of ultrapure water, to clean silicon wafers at multiple stages of the Fab process, ZLD is not the most suitable for the fabs. 

A report by Byron, mentions that the use of ZLD in the semiconductor industry often results in contamination of the product. Other issues regarding the implementation of ZLD, mentioned in the report are higher capital, engineering concerns and solid brine effluents.

The report also throws light on the advantages of ZLD in the semiconductor industry. “The data shows that although treatment and recycle make use of a greater amount of capital, energy, and consumables, treatment and discharge uses more water and disposal costs,” it says.

Water condition in India

The need for water conservation is one of the most pressing global issues that the world is facing. Throughout the globe, there is an overall shortage of water resulting from the effects of climate change and the rapid increase in world population.

India which has only 4% of freshwater needs to switch to sustainable use of its water resources. With over 1.3 billion population there is a greater demand for natural resources and even greater challenges to deal with increasing environmental problems.

The World-Wide Fund (WWF) in its latest WWF Water Risk filter report said 30 Indian cities will face ‘severe risk’ by 2050 unless immediate actions are taken to curb and mitigate climate change.

According to UNICEF, less than 50% of the population in India has access to safely managed drinking water. It also mentions waterborne diseases have an economic burden of approximately USD 60 million in a year in India. “Two-thirds of India’s 718 districts are affected by extreme water depletion, and the current lack of planning for water safety and security is a major concern.”

Why is ZLD required?

Industries like pharma, pulp and paper, tanneries, textile dyeing, chemical, power plants and many more generate wastewater with high salinity. The conventional treatment method does not remove salinity in the treated effluents which contaminate the groundwater and surface water when discharged.

ZLD was started by the United States to preserve Colorado river from increased salinity due to power plant discharges. 

Tirupur-the first district to implement ZLD

In 2008 Tamil Nadu became the first state to mandate ZLD in the textile factories in Tirupur. The textile industries in Tirupur used to dump all the wastewater in the Noyyal river which resulted in the death of livestock and people developing skin disease.

The farmers’ association has been fighting a legal battle against the dyeing and bleaching units in the district since 2003. The Madras High Court and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board instructed the bleaching and dyeing units in Tirupur to implement effluent treatment plans to meet the ZLD norms in 2006 

In February 2011, the Madras High Court ordered the 700-odd dyeing units in Tirupur to be shut down as they were not complying with the court’s 2006 order to ensure ZLD. 

Tirupur’s journey had a mixed impact on the local communities and the textile industry. According to a study by Jenny Gronwall and Anna C. Jonsson, Tirupur’s journey inspired federal law and policy reform to mainstream ZLD as a standard. 

However, the impact of this journey came at a high price to the businesses whose reconfigurations were dismissed by the court as failing to achieve ZLD. 

“This resulted in closing down of their operations either for periods of time or permanently, and an ensuing loss of income for a very large group of workers,” claims the study. 

Use of ZLD in textile sectors

Textile industry is one of the oldest and economically beneficial sectors of India and it is highly water-intensive. To curb the excessive use of water, its insufficiency, conservation and issues related to water disposal, the government has implemented ZLD in textile units.

In the textile dyeing process, salt is added to enhance the process. The combined effluent from textile plants is highly coloured, having a high content of organic load and extremely high total dissolved solids. 

The Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) generally provides treatment only up to the secondary level due to which the total dissolved solid content does not get completely removed from the discharged treated effluent. Therefore, regulatory bodies made it mandatory for all the textile industries with the effluent discharge of more than 25-meter cube/day to set up a ZLD facility.

According to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board report, 95% of permeate water is recovered from the RO plant in the ZLD system for textile processing industries. 

While ZLD plays an important role in water recycling, there is another side of the coin which needs to be highlighted. 

According to research on Tamil Nadu textile plants at Tirupur, the total carbon footprint of a ZLD treatment plant was observed to 1.36 times the carbon footprint of a conventional treatment facility plant. 

It also generates hazardous solid waste which poses disposal challenges. In some cases, the solids can be used as a fill material if it complies with the state environmental regulations. However, if the solid waste is hazardous it is being sent to landfills resulting in more landfills.

Since most of the textile units in India are small and medium scale, putting up a new ZLD compatible plant requires more land which is very costly. Moreover, the cost of maintaining ZLD is quite high which affects the commercial viability of ZLD for the textile units.

The ZLD system is highly sophisticated and needs skilled and experienced manpower for its efficient operation which increases the overall cost of treatment, operation as well as maintenance.

Many sectors in India are being directed by the State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) to adopt ZLD technology. Since there is no national ZLD policy, the SPCB takes decisions based on specific geographical areas and the amount of waste generated. Owing to a lot of implementation charges, it is creating problems for manufacturers especially those who are short of funding. 

Photo: Saltworkstech

The real ‘Khatron k Khiladi’ needs "little cooperation" from people to tackle human-wildlife conflict in Kashmir

On January 27, a leopard in Parigam village of Pulwama district was killed by the villagers when a group of at least three predators was seen in the village. 

The villagers who were terrified of the last incident again witnessed another group of three leopards in the village.    

Similarly, on April 2, a leopard was killed by villagers in Khud Hanjipora belts Kulgam district of Kashmir. The wild cat attacked the villagers and injured several of them. On the following day, a picture was making rounds on social media where three men were seen skinning the animal.

Reportedly the leopard attacked eight people after which it was killed and skinned by the villager as a sign of retaliation.

In another incident on April 28, seven people were injured by a leopard in Pohrupeth area of Handwara in north Kashmir’s Kupwara. It is alleged that the leopard barged inside a house and attacked the inmates. The neighbors rescued the family members before the arrival of wildlife officials. 

In a similar incident in Goripora Beerwah area in central Kashmir’s Budgam district on May 25, Mohammad Ayoob Parray and Mohammad Shafi Bhat were spraying pesticides on apple trees when they came face to face with the leopard hiding in the orchard. They sustained injuries by the leopard’s attack and were shifted to a hospital. 

The latest case of human-wildlife conflict was reported on November 6 from Ramban district where at least 40 sheep were killed by a wild animal in Kali Masta area of Gool. Reportedly, a group of leopards entered the house and killed sheep and goats.

The human-wildlife conflict is not a new phenomenon. People and wildlife have coexisted for a long time but the alarming situation is the intensity of the conflict which is more frequent and widespread. It has led to a major threat to the survival of humans and wildlife.

According to a study done by researchers from Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences Medical College, the number of cases of death due to the conflict has increased in the time period between 2005-2016. In 2005-2006 Kashmir reported three deaths and 79 people were injured. However, in 2015-2016, 22 deaths were reported with 317 persons injured.

The study also concluded that out of a total of 1067 cases of wild animal injuries, 76% of the injuries were due to beer mauling, 6% were due to leopard attacks and the rest from red fox, monkey, and unknown animals.

The maximum human-wildlife conflict in the valley is because of the proximity of humans with leopard and bear. The carnivores have come down to human settlements in recent years and have attacked the inhabitants, particularly since the armed conflict in the valley in the 1990s.

Reasons for the conflict

According to Census 2011, Jammu & Kashmir has a population of 1.25 crores as compared to a population of 1.01 crore in 2001, leading to an increase in land demand, food, raw materials, and many other resources which are procured at the cost of nature. 

A study done by University of Kashmir found out that the fencing of Line of Control (LOC) has fragmented natural habitat resulting in the hindrance of wild animal movements across the line, consequently, they are heading towards human settlements adjoining areas. 

While there are ample reasons behind the human-wildlife conflict, the onset of the coronavirus pandemic has only increased this conflict. With the lockdown implemented, many cities have seen more movement of wildlife towards human settlements. 

“The human-wildlife conflict intensity was quite high during the lockdown,” said a wildlife official from Sopore on the condition of anonymity, adding, “we have to go to 3-4 places daily to resolve the issues.” Due to cherry bloom and strawberry, many bears were coming down to the farms, added the official.

Mohammad Shafi Bhat who works as a helper in the man-animal conflict control room Beerwah said that the number of cases of human-wildlife conflict has been increasing continuously. 

“The pressure is the same as it was before but many leopards are coming down from higher altitudes in Budgam area,” said Suhail Yousuf Qazi, Range Officer from Hokersar Wetland Reserve.

Little corporation from people

While the wildlife officials work very hard to resolve the conflict most of them felt that there is a very little corporation from people when it comes to rescue operations.

“When the police come with us, the public tend to be disciplined otherwise, they keep on interfering in our work,” said the anonymous official cited above. He complained that instead of reporting the incident to wildlife officials or police, people call their relatives and friends when they spot wildlife, putting their life and other people’s life in danger.

The animals only come in search of food and shelter, said the official. They may lose their way sometimes and but they never intend to kill humans, the official continued.

“The government is helping even during these tough times but people need to understand the problem and cooperate with us.”

The work that could be completed in one hour takes around three hours due to less cooperation from people said Bashir Ahmed who works in the man-animal conflict control room Chadoora. He said, “When we tell people to stay behind, they don’t listen to us,” adding, “I am not afraid of the risk but with people's cooperation, we can do our task more efficiently.”

Qazi recalled an incident where a leopard was attacked by stones and rods by people. Instead of calling the police and wildlife officials, people started handling the situation by their own which is very wrong, said the Range Officer.

Dearth of staff

On being asked about the number of staff employed some of them felt that there is a dearth of staff when it comes to the wildlife department. “A place where 15 people are required only 2-3 people are working there,” said Qazi. 

The staff in North Kashmir is very less, complained the anonymous official cited above. “We have so many policemen and army but when it comes to wildlife, we have meagre staff,” said the official, questioning, “Is there any priority for wildlife?”

Speaking about the causes of the human-wildlife conflict in Jammu & Kashmir most of the officials blame habitat fragmentation, change in agricultural practices, unplanned construction, overgrazing and conflict between security forces and militants.

Due to conflict between the army and security forces, many forests are devastated resulting in the destruction of animal habitat, said Qazi. Even setting up of camps by the army creates a disturbance in the habitat of the wildlife, continued the Range Officer.

How to prevent the conflict 

For protection against the attack of wild animals, Bhat stressed that parents should refrain from sending their children in the evening.  “Leopards come out at that time in search of prey and whenever villagers go to their field, they should talk in a high pitch to keep the leopard away from attacking,” he added. 

People should stop throwing garbage in open, said the helper, as garbage attracts dogs which in turn attracts leopards.

To create awareness about human-wildlife conflict Ahmed and his team go to various places distributing posters that contains all the instructions to handle the conflict. “We also distribute crackers every year in highly sensitive areas,” added Ahmed.

When asked about poaching activities, the officials were certain that there was no incident of poaching in the valley. 

The work involved is very risky but most of them enjoy their work. “How can we consider it dangerous when we enjoy what we do,” said Bhat.

Explaining the rescue process the helper explained that people are first rescued from the house, after that the animal is tranquillized and then it is released in the wild where the environmental conditions are favourable for it.

While the human-wildlife conflict is tended to increase in the coming years, people should start cooperating with the officials to help them in the rescue operations instead of taking the situation in their hands. Acting as a mere spectator while the trained people do their job would be beneficial for both parties. 

PS: The report is dated- 3rd June 2020. I have updated some human-wildlife conflict incidents.

Desi embroidery turns videshi in Kashmir

Crewel Embroidery Photo:Credits-Jos&fine Cashmere

When Shameem Ahmad Magray was young he didn’t go to school rather he along with his bunch of friends learned embroidery at his neighbour‘s house. Since then Magray has been working in this field and is a master of all hand-made embroidery techniques.

“You tell me what you want and I will make it,” says the confident artisan who has been in this field for 35 years. “It may take some time but the product will be everlasting,” continues Magray. While he put in a lot of hard work in the work, he only earns about Rs. 500 per day for his 12-hour work.

Kashmir’s embroidery popularly known as Kashida embroidery is one of the most popular needlework from the Indian subcontinent. Be it pashmina shawls with exotic sozni embroidery designs, the crewel embroidered curtain in the houseboats, the embroidered felt rugs or the chain stitch cushions, all these embroideries techniques have been followed by Kashmiri people for a long time.

Tilla embroidery Photo:Jos&fine Cashmere

Kashmir was ruled by foreign rulers for centuries, whose influence can be seen on Kashmiri textiles. According to a study by Deborah Emmet during 1420-70, Zain-Ul-Abidin, the eighth sultan of Kashmir brought shawl and carpet weavers to the valley from Turkestan and Samarkand respectively. It is believed that crewel and chain stitch embroidery was introduced in the valley during his reign. 

“The integrity of handmade products is very different”

Zamir Naqash, the owner of Naqash Design deals with sozni and crewel embroidery techniques. His father started the manufacturing of Kashmir textiles with different embroidery techniques. When he joined the business, he started exporting textiles.

“The integrity of handmade products is very different,” admits Naqash who only works in hand made embroidery. He says that they try to make products that stand out in the market. 

Sozni embroidery is considered to be done by the most skilled embroiderers in the valley. This embroidery technique employs a needle by which identical motifs are made on both sides of the fabric. 

The artisans make a stencil of the design on the cloth using “engraved wooden blocks dipped in a watery solution of charcoal powder mixed with a type of binder”. Woodworkers called 'Naquash Gurs' engrave the wood blocks with fine details. 

Once the pattern and colours are decided each fabric is given to a craftsman because each handwork is distinct. 

Batin Iqbal, who runs Batin Textiles and Handicrafts has been working on Aari embroidery techniques for a long time.

Manual Embroidery Photo: Batin Iqbal

The thread used for the embroidery is selected according to the aari and fineness of the stitches. The hook is always under the fabric on which embroidery is done and then it moves along the design pattern. The stitch is done from one point and to create an emboss effect on the fabric the stitch rotates around the point.

Crewel designs are larger than other embroideries and the most common patterns are flowers, birds, and paisley. Each flower is given a name by the craftsman, says Iqbal

Most of the aari work is carried out by machines, says Iqbal. But the finish and quality is better in hand made products, he continues. He says that as the demand for production has increased, manual and computerized machines have been employed heavily by manufacturers. 

“In computerized machines,” Iqbal says, “one-man can-do work of 20 men.”

The crisis of in hand-made embroidery market

When Ajaz Tromboo was 22 years old, he wanted to find a job but his father insisted him to join their old family business of embroidery work. As a fresh graduate, Tromboo found the work quite interesting and started expanding the business. “We had many showrooms in Kashmir and outside Kashmir,” says Tromboo. But with machine-made embroidery coming to the market, the handmade embroidery business started facing a crisis, laments the 50-year-old businessman.

Tromboo admits that he also started machine-made embroidery work but he was not satisfied. “I thought I was going away from the rich Kashmiri culture on which my father has spent so much time,” he says, adding, “so I decided to stick to hand-made embroidery.” 

He says the turmoil in the valley has also affected the business badly. He is not able to send materials to his customers on time due to which they are not satisfied with his service and shows a lack of interest.

“We had three stores in Srinagar but as the conditions in the valley deteriorated our stores were shut down,” complains Tromboo.

According to Aaditya Kitroo, co-founder of Jos&fine, when machine-made products came into the market, the hand-made products started showing a decline. In machines, the aari needle fires at a very high speed so the fabric has to be moved quickly and the end-product does not have clean lines unlike in handmade embroidery.

Silk Sozni Border shawl Photo:Jos&fine Cashmere

Kitroo recalls a conversation he had with some elder artisans who told him that in the 90s each day three trucks full of fabric used to go from Srinagar to Anantnag for embroidery and 1000 people used to work on these fabrics.

“If I compare the condition of handmade embroidery products in the early 90s,” Kitroo says, “it is less than 20% of what it was at that time.”

Uncertain future of hand-made embroidery 

Though many artisans are continuing the legacy which their forefathers have started, they are quite uncertain about the future of the legacy. 

Naqash feels that in 30 years Kashmir may lose hand-made embroidery technique. He thinks that the new generation of Kashmir has less respect for the embroidery business and they are not interested in carrying it forward. He hopes that with time Kashmiris may realize that they had “something special” which should be treasured. 

Despite many people preferring machine-made embroidery over handmade embroidery, Kitroo believes that due to coronavirus the market has shifted towards conscious consumption and people are looking at handmade products a bit more. However, people may not buy products like pashmina but economical handmade products like cushion covers, handmade rugs, and bedsheets will be on their list.

The rate of CO2 reduction needs to increase tenfold to meet the Paris Agreement: Study

64 countries cut their fossil CO2 emissions during 2016-2019, but the rate of reduction needs to increase tenfold to meet the Paris Agreement

While countries are making efforts to cut carbon dioxide emission since the commencement of the Paris Agreement, the actions are not “large-scale enough” yet and the emissions are still increasing in many countries, according to a new study. The study is important because it is the first global stocktake by researchers to examine the progress in reducing fossil CO2 emissions since the Paris Agreement.

The study titled ‘Fossil CO2 emissions in the post-COVID era’, was conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), Stanford University and the Global Carbon Project. 

Fossil CO2 emissions in 5 years post the Paris Agreement

The study revealed that 64 countries cut their CO2 emissions during 2016-19 but the rate of reduction needs to increase tenfold to meet the Paris Agreement.

It said that the annual cuts of 0.16 billion tonnes of CO2 are only 10% of the 1-2 billion tonnes of CO2 cuts that are needed globally every year to fight climate change. 

Change in fossil CO2 emissions in the five years since the adoption of Paris Agreement| Photo: Study

Of the 36 high-income countries, 25 saw their emissions decrease during 2016-19 compared to 2011-15. Emissions decreased even when accounting for the carbon footprint of imported goods produced in other countries.

According to the study, 99 upper-middle economies were responsible for 51% of global emissions in 2019 with China alone contributing 28% of the global total. 

Of the 99 countries, 30 have shown a decline in the emissions during 2016-19 compared to 2011-15, suggesting that efforts are in motion by countries to cut emissions, the study said.

The credit for curbing emission goes to the growing number of climate change laws and policies in place in the past five years pre-COVID-19. There are now more than 2000 climate laws and policies worldwide, it said.

 

In the lower middle and low economy group of 79 countries, the emissions originating are much lower than in the other two groups. The study pointed out that CO2  emissions in this group has grown by 0.18 million tonnes on average each year with no significant slowdown at the group level.

 2020 is a ‘pause button’ that cannot realistically continue

Global CO2 emissions Photo: Study

According to the study, during COVID-19 lockdown the global emissions of CO2 decreased by 2.6 million tonnes. The largest share of the decrease owes to the decline in transport emissions, it said.

It pointed out that in most countries emissions decreased by an average of 27% at the peak of the country’s confinement. Even by the end of 2020, lockdown implemented by governments in various countries led to a decrease in daily emissions by 7% below 2019 levels. 

The researchers said that 2020 is a ‘pause button’ that could not continue practically while the world is totally dependent on fossil fuels and unsustainable policies.

The road ahead

The study noted that while measures taken to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic would cut emissions by about 7% in 2020, they would not, on their own, be responsible for causing lasting decreases in emissions. These temporary measures have little influence on the fossil fuel-based infrastructure that sustains the world economy

Researchers pointed out that a full bounce-back in 2021 to the previous CO2 emissions level appears unlikely. They suggested that unless COVID-19 recovery directs investments towards green infrastructure, emissions would likely start rocketing again within a few years.

The study revealed that in most countries investment post-COVID is majorly dominated by fossil fuels in contradiction with climate commitments. Only few countries- the European Union, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland, have so far implemented substantial green stimulus packages with limited investments in fossil-based activities.

Prof Rob Jackson of Stanford University co-author of the study said, “Commitments alone aren’t enough. Countries need to align post-COVID incentives with climate targets this decade, based on sound science and credible implementation plans.”

Reduction in aerosol emission during lockdown, temporarily raised Earth’s temperature: Study

Credits: Aerosol Pollution on Twitter

While we saw the clear sky and breathed clean air during COVID, there is another aspect of COVID which resulted in slightly warming of the planet for several months last year. According to a recent study by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, changes in the emissions of aerosols during lockdown affected the global surface temperature.

The study titled, ‘Climate Impacts of COVID‐19 Induced Emission Changes’ funded by the National Science Foundation is co-authored by scientists at Oxford University, Imperial College, and the University of Leeds.

According to the study, warming effect was strongest in the mid and upper latitudes of Northern Hemisphere whereas the effect was mixed in the tropics. However, a few effects were seen in Southern Hemisphere where aerosol is not as pervasive.

The study notes that during the lockdown emission of anthropogenic aerosols like black carbon and sulfate (SO4) decreased as transport was impacted. Black carbon and SO4 not only plays a crucial role in scattering and absorption of radiation but also they have an indirect effect on the cloud.

The aerosol changes are the largest contribution to radiative forcing and temperature changes as a result of COVID‐19 affected emissions, larger than ozone, CO2 and contrail effects, the study says. Radiative forcing is the difference between the absorbed and reflected the sun’s radiation.

Temperatures on the earth’s land surface last spring were about 0.1-0.3 degree Celsius- warmer than it would have been expected with lockdown in place, the study claims. The decrease in aerosol resulted in more absorption of incoming sunlight especially in heavily industrialized nations like the United States and Russia.

“There was a big decline in emissions from the most polluting industries, and that had immediate, short-term effects on temperatures,” said NCAR scientist Andrew Gettelman, the study’s lead author in a statement. “Pollution cools the planet, so it makes sense that pollution reductions would warm the planet.”

Light Pollution may result in preterm birth increase: Study

Photo by Masaaki Komori on Unsplash

Light pollution due to skyglow may result in reduced birth weight, shortened gestational length and preterm births, according to a study. Skyglow is an artificial brightening of the night sky in a built-up area, such as a city.

The study is conducted by a team of researchers from Lehigh University, Lafayette College and the University of Colorado Denver in the US. The findings have been published in an article in Southern Economic Journal called, "Light pollution, sleep deprivation, and infant health at birth." It is the first study of its kind to examine the impact of skyglow on fetal health.

To determine a causal effect, the researchers have applied Walker’s Law, which provides a scientific basis to estimate skyglow. They also obtained a direct measure of the skyglow from the Loss of the Night (LON) project in which users collect data and submit to the LON website.

Preterm birth increases by 12.8%

According to the study, the likelihood of preterm birth rises by about 1.47 percentage point (12.8%) due to an increase in nighttime brightness.

Nighttime brightness is “characterized by being able to see only one-third to one-fourth of the stars that are visible in the absence of artificial light.”

The study also notes that a brighter night sky results in greater sleep loss.

Regarding the gestational period, it states that light pollution effects preterm and gestational length more in mothers who are black than those who are white. The study says that the difference between the two racial groups may be explained by inflammation, which is a potential biological mechanism underlying the link between sleep deprivation and preterm birth.

The researchers cite another study by Blaire (2015) which shows that African-American women exhibit greater inflammation in response to sleep disturbance than European-American women, and these effects correspond with length of gestation.

Suggestions

The study suggests using shielding LED streetlights to minimize the contribution of LED to skyglow. The researchers quote another study which states that cities in the United States use many times more artificial lighting at night per capita than cities in Germany. The comparison between the two developed countries shows that “light pollution does not have to be the “price” that always must be paid for economic development.”

Being essential to modern society, artificial light at night (ALAN) can disrupt a human body’s circadian rhythm and therefore become a “pollutant.” According to the researchers, though ALAN may help in increasing economic activity, it may be offset by ALAN’s negative externalities such as adverse health effects.

South Asia has the highest burden of dengue: Lancet Study

Picture Credit: CDC

South Asian countries have the highest burden of dengue followed by Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, according to a recent paper published in the Lancet. Amongst the South Asian nations, India reported the highest number of cases (4072.925) and Nepal the least (0.170336) in 2017.

 

The paper presents the most up-to-date estimates of the incidence, mortality, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) for dengue in 195 countries and territories from 1990 to 2017, using data from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2017.

Incidence

According to the study, in 2017 an estimated 10,47,71,911 individuals had dengue worldwide compared with 2.32,83,274 in 1990. 

“An estimated 100 million dengue infections occurred across more than 110 countries and territories in 2017, increasing from 23 million dengue infections in 1990, with potential for further spread.”

The study shows that the age-standardized incidence rate has increased in the time period 1990 to 2017. At the country level, the age-standardized (ASR) incidence rate per 1 lakh population for dengue was highest in Barbados, followed by Dominica, Indonesia and India.

81 and territories had no dengue data in 2017

Among all regions, dengue was most prominent in South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Caribbean.

  

Mortality

According to the research the number of deaths in 1990 due to dengue was approximately 16,957 and in 2017 was 40,467- an increase of around 24,000 deaths. Region-wise, deaths attributable to dengue per 1 lakh people were most frequent in the Southeast Asia super-region (1.97 deaths) and South Asia super-region (1.46 deaths) in 2017.

The highest age-standardised death rate in 2017 was found among individuals aged 0-1 years and >80 years, it says.

 

DALYs

The disability-adjusted life year is a measure of overall disease burden expressed as the number of years lost due to ill-health, disability or early death.

In 2017, there were more than 29 lakh DALYs due to dengue globally compared to 14,07,571 in 1990, showing an increase of 107.6%. At the regional level, the age-standardised DALY rate of dengue per 1 lakh population was found to be highest in Southeast Asia (154.24), South Asia (89.93) and the Caribbean (41.02) in 2017.

Cause of Dengue

The study says that dengue incidence is influenced by both climate and non-climate drivers. According to the study, the local climate and the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are potentially responsible for the interannual variability in dengue fever transmission. 

The linkage of ENSO to dengue is based on “the connections between ENSO and local climate anomalies in certain regions of the world as well as the influence of climate on the dengue mosquito vector and virus,” it says.

The study also highlights non-climate factors and other social-ecological drivers influencing vector populations and human exposure which may be the potential determinants of dengue incidence variability.

 

Himachal's Tirthan wildlife sanctuary and GNHP are the best performers in the MEE report

Picture Credit: 10Pointer.com

The Ministry for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has released Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of 146 national parks and wildlife sanctuaries (NP&WLS) in the country. It was released by MoEF&CC minister Prakash Javedkar.

India has a network of 903 Protected Areas covering about 5 per cent of its total geographic area of the country.

Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuary and Great Himalayan National Park (GNHP) in Himachal Pradesh have performed the best among the 146 surveyed protected areas.

Speaking at the event, Javadekar said, “70% of the global tiger population, 70% of Asiatic lions and more than 60% of leopard population in India is a certificate of India’s thriving biodiversity as these big cats sit at the top of the food chain and their growing numbers shows the well-being of the whole ecosystem.”

MEE of Protected Areas (includes NP&WLS) has emerged as a key tool that is increasingly being used by governments and international bodies to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the protected area management systems.

The assessment process of India’s National Park and Wildlife Sanctuaries adopted from IUCN's World Commission on Protected Areas framework of MEE.

MEE is defined as the assessment of how well NP&WLS are being managed—primarily, whether they are protecting their values and achieving the goals and objectives agreed upon.

Highlights of the report:
1. The results of the present assessment are encouraging with an overall mean MEE score of 62.01% which is higher than the global mean of 56%.


2. The eastern region of India presents the highest overall mean MEE Score of 66.12% and the Northern region represents the lowest mean MEE Score of 56%.


3. Tirthan Wildlife Sanctuary and Great Himalayan National Park (GNHP) in Himachal Pradesh have performed the best among the surveyed protected areas (Total -146).


4. The Turtle Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh was the worst performer in the survey.

96% of lightning victims are rural people - Mid-Monsoon 2019 Lightning Report

Photo by Liliya Grek on Unsplash

A majority of lightning victims (96%) belongs to rural India, according to the Mid-Monsoon 2019 Lightning Report prepared by Climate Resilient Observing Systems Promotion Council (CROPC) using the Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Lightning forecasts. Farmers, women and children in rural areas are found to be vulnerable because of working in open.

The report is an effort to prepare a Lightning risk map of India and identify Lightning hotspots.

 

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The report also highlights that 71% of people struck by lightning were standing under tree during rains, thunderstorm or lightning. It says that awareness drive needs to be up-scaled. 

"The message of not to stand under a tree during rains, thunderstorms and lightning can save more than 2000 deaths."

According to the report from 1st April 2019 to 31 July 2019, Odisha tops with 9 lakh lightning strikes which is 15% of total strikes. Maharashtra, Karnataka, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh together account for more than 50% lightning strikes of India.

The report also throws light on the extinction of few tribal communities in the Chotanagpur Plateau region as they are more lightning prone.

"There is a severe and fast extinction of a few tribal communities like Birhor, Pahadiya , Ho, Hmar who needs to be given lightning protection to prevent their extinction."

The most number of deaths (224) due to lightning is reported from Uttar Pradesh followed by Bihar. Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh. Although Odisha has the most lightning counts, the number of deaths reported in the state (129) is less than UP.