Even though digging new borewells was disallowed in many cities, builders were allowed to use borewells for construction. This led to misuse of ground water after cogroundwatermpletion of the structure.

To improve the groundwater levels in the city, the Karnataka Groundwater Authority (KGA)-appointed committee has decided to refuse permission to use borewell water for building construction.

“Builders were giving ‘construction as the reason while seeking permission to dig borewells. In some places, the groundwater is as good as drinking water. We can’t let freshwater be wasted on construction. So, from now on, builders should only use treated water,” a senior BWSSB official told DH.

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Krishan Tyagi a former BBC correspondent elaborates on the issue

Some aspects of Article 370 got diluted over the decades in the fields of judicial system and public administration.

Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions.

Article 35A

As mentioned, Article 35A did not have any parliamentary sanction and was supposed to be temporary too.

The Government of India revoked Article 35A through a Presidential Order and abrogated Article 370 by passing an Act through the Indian Parliament in August 2019.

Written by Krishan Tyagi, Editor, Mirror to Mirror (mirrortomirror.org)

K2-18b is now the only planet orbiting a star outside the Solar System known to have both water and temperatures that could be potentially habitable

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Based on the famous story from the Indian epic, Mahabharata, wherein Arjuna, with his arrow, draws a water fountain from the ground to quench the thirst of his Guru, Bhisham Pitamah, ITV launches its Water Conservation campaign, with a creative cartoon

Mirror To Mirror with Former BBC Correspondent Krishan Tyagi

Pakistan never recognised that Jammu & Kashmir enjoyed a special status in the Union of India through Article 370 and Article 35A in the Constitution of India. Pak government, establishment and media call the Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir “Maqbooza Kashmir” (Occupied Kashmir) using the formal phrase “Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK)”. But the moment the Modi government decided to abandon those provisions, Pakistan decided it is a violation of some agreement with Pakistan! Pakistani establishment claimed the Article 370 could not be removed unilaterally by India.

As the Indian parliament passed the resolutions to abrogate Article 370 (and Article 35A as a consequence) and reorganised the region into two Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladhakh, Pakistan reacted sharply. Pakistan’s national assembly in a joint session condemned India for unilaterally changing the status of Jammu & Kashmir. Pakistan downgraded the diplomatic relations with India by sending the Indian envoy back home; the trade with India has been completely stopped; the train and bus services between the two countries have been stopped; Pakistani air space has again been restricted for Indian planes; and most importantly, Pakistan is taking the matter to the United Nations Security Council and International Court of Justice, if possible. Prime Minister Imran Khan has phoned world leaders and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has visited Beijing seeking China’s support at the UNSC in order to make India withdraw its measure in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.

There has not been much of a reaction from the Indian government to the unilateral measures taken by the Pak government. The only response from the Indian government that we saw during the week was that the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Ravish Kumar asked Pakistan to review its decision to downgrade the ties with India.

However, the Indian media as well as Pak media have been taking great interest in the developments in Pakistan in the field. The Indian media in general dismissed the Imran Khan government’s attempts to garner international support against India as desperate and fruitless efforts. For instance, Palki Sharma Upadhyay at WION News, India’s global news channel, wished Pakistan “Good Luck” in its efforts. On the other hand, as expected Pak media has been very supportive of their government.

Different television channels have joined their government in severely criticising the present Indian government’s measure to absorb “disputed Jammu and Kashmir” into India; condemned “Indian atrocities on Kashmiri people”; and used abusive words for Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

On the Pakistani television news channel 24 News,one of the senior most Pak journalists, Najam Sethi who also believed that India has acted inappropriately, presented a very realistic assessment of the options available to the Pakistan establishment in its opposition to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Indian constitution in relation to Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr Sethi reported that there was no positive response from Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, the US or China to PM Khan’s phone calls and FM Qureshi’s visit to Beijing. These countries at present have very strong trade and investment relations with India, and it is not in their national interest to annoy India. China particularly at this moment is not very happy with Pakistan. Turkey is the only country that has supported Pakistan on the issue. Basically, Pakistan doesn’t have much of international support.

Najam Sethi also talked of the UN Resolutions on Kashmir proposing a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir. Generally the people in Pakistan think the plebiscite was supposed to take place in the Indian region of Jammu & Kashmir only. Because the plebiscite did not take place, Pakistan calls Indian region of Jammu and Kashmir, as mentioned, “Indian Occupied Kashmir” and the area under its own control “Azad Kashmir (Free Kashmir)”. Mr Sethi informed the 24 News viewers that according to the concerned UN Resolutions, the plebiscite was to be held in the whole of Jammu & Kashmir, INCLUDING THE KASHMIR UNDER PAKISTANI CONTROL.

However, as mentioned in the review, even Mr Sethi, a very mature journalist, omitted the extremely important detail of the UNSC Resolution 47, adopted on 21 April 1948, wherein the proposal to hold a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir was made. The Resolution had recommended a three-step processfor the resolution of the dispute between India and Pakistan. In the first step, Pakistan was asked to withdraw all its nationals from Kashmir. In the second step, India was asked to progressively reduce its forces to the minimum level required for law and order. In the third step, India was asked to appoint a plebiscite administrator nominated by the United Nations who would conduct a free and impartial plebiscite. These steps were sequential, meaning the second step was to be taken up on the completion of the first one, and the third step was to be taken up on the completion of the second one. Mr Sethi kept quiet on the fact that the plebiscite did not take place because Pakistan did not fulfil the first condition. It never withdrew its nationals from Kashmir. So, the reality of the UN Resolutions on Kashmir is that they could not be acted upon because Pakistan did not keep its part. The responsibility for the non-implementation of the UN Resolutions lies with Pakistan.

Even more importantly, the fact is that the present state of Pakistan is not the state of Pakistan that was a party against the state of India in the UN Resolutions relating to Kashmir in 1948-1949. THAT STATE OF PAKISTAN NO LONGER EXISTS. More than half of the population of that State of Pakistan transformed itself into another State called Bangladesh in 1971. So, a smaller part of that State cannot claim itself to be the inheritor of the erstwhile State of Pakistan, the party to the dispute with India, even if it calls itself Pakistan. In that Resolution, present day Bangladesh, the then East Pakistan, was a joint claimant as a part of Pakistan. The present day Pakistan can only pursue that claim if Bangladesh joins it in pursuing that claim.

So, all the UN Resolutions relating to Jammu and Kashmir, where the State of India and the then State of Pakistan were the parties to the dispute, are null & void after the transformation of East Pakistan into Bangladesh.

But, no one including Indian political leaders and Indian media has ever told Pakistan.

Courtesy mirrortomirror.com

SOURCES AND CLASSIFICATION OF WATER POLLUTANTS

Dr(Smt) Shanti Vaidya

Senior Research Officer, Chemistry Division,

CW&PRS, Khadakwasla R.S. PUNE, India 411024

WATER is essential for our existence. GOOD and ADEQUATE water is essential for the comfortable and happy living.

The national building code (NBC) as well as the Indian Standards (IS-1172)  assume the requirement of water per person per day to be 135 ltrs. (about 9 buckets) for hygienic living.  The NBC reckons a family to be made up of 5 members on an average. Of this total requirement of 135 ltrs., the quantum needed for cooking and drinking purposes is only about 10 – 15 ltrs.; a substantial portion (about 40 – 45 ltrs.)  goes for flushing the water closets. The rest goes for bathing (30 ltrs.), washing of clothes (15 – 20ltrs), vessels (10 – 15ltrs.), floors (5 ltrs), etc. The portion needed for cooking and drinking at least has to be absolutely free of any pollution.

Of the four Metropolitan cities, viz., New Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta and Madras, only the capital city is able to supply the requisite per captia quantity of treated water. Bombay falls a little short, whereas in Calcutta and Madras, the supply is woefully inadequate, with the Madras Metropolitan Water Supply & Sewerage Board (MMWSSB) itself admitting to a supply of only 78ltrs. per captia which is the smallest quantity supplied in any metropolitan town or city in India.

What is water pollution ?

To pollute is to “make unfit for or harmful to living things, especially by the addition of waste matter”.

1. a) Any Physical or Chemical change in water that can adversely affect humans and organisms.
2. b) Any departure from purity. Better expressed, any  departure from normalcy.
3. c) The addition to water of an excess of material or heat that is harmful to humans, animals, desirable aquatic life or otherwise causes significant  departure   from   normal activities  of various living communities in or near a  water body.

Ever-increasing population and the consequent urbanization and industrialization have mounted serious environmental pressures on these ecosystems and have affected them to such an extent that their benefits have declined significantly. This is particularly grave for water resources. e.g in Bangalore city, studies revealed a nearly 35% decrease in the number of bodies of water during 1973 to 1996. Thus, water the most precious natural resource is the most  USED  and ABUSED resource.

For a suitable restoration action plan, recycling, reuse, recharge are the key words. The knowledge about the characterization of the type and source of pollutants entering the ecosystem can help us device a good restoration plan.  Investigation of the physico-chemical and biological parameters in this regard helps in assessing the status, which is required for evolving appropriate restoration methods towards conservation and management.

Water pollution : How ?  From where i.e. Sources:

Many natural processes like sedimentation, growth of pathogenic organisms, leaching cause water pollution. An  excess of natural processes like tsunami left near-coast lands saline. But the most effective and continuous phenomenon are human activities that cause pollution of all types of waterbodies like  rivers,  lakes,  marshes,  ground  water  and  coastal waters. Pollution then becomes an issue of intensity, the quantity and quality of the pollutant being more important than whether it was generated by natural processes or industrial processes.  Discharging various  wastes in and near a waterbody  causes  pollution of  that waterbody. Wastes   from   following operations cause pollution.

• Domestic waste
• Sewage
• Mining
• Agriculture : This sector uses 70% of total water use in India.
• Stock Breeding
• Fisheries
• Forestry
• Urban human activities
• Construction works
• Industries : This sector uses 8% to 50% of total water use.

Which water is pure water ?

Varied beneficial uses of water require different levels  of  minimum  purity.  Water is suitable for  certain  designated use  if it complies certain crieteria.  Classes A to E are defined by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) in 1991.

Tolerance Limits For Inland Surface Water

Class A : For Domestic  Supply  After   Disinfection

Class  B : For Outdoor  Bathing

Class  C : For Domestic Supply After Conventional Treatment  And Disinfection

Class D : For Wild Life And Fisheries

Class  E : For Irrigation, Industrial Cooling,  Controlled  Waste  Disposal

Water Quality Parameters

Which substances can be called pollutant ?

As  per definitions above, any excess of material or heat,  thus  following are some such pollutants:

• Gases CO₂, O₂, N₂
• Dust suspension
• Metals
• Bacteria
• Heat
• Organic substances
• Inorganic substances

A report of CPCB study conducted in 1984 concluded that 75%  pollution  of  rivers is caused  by  discharge  of  UNTREATED  MUNICIPAL  WASTE/SEWAGE  from  large  and  medium towns.  Remaining 25% is due to discharge of partly treated  or untreated EFFLUENTS from INDUSTRY. This certainly is not very encouraging.

Classification of water pollutants

1) Depending on nature of polluting activity:

1. a) Natural surface water run off.
2. b) Dissolved chemical that percolates through soil, causes ground water pollution –
3. c) Human sources like agriculture,  mining,  construction, industry, homes and business – all cause water pollution –

2) Depending upon the pattern of entry :

1. a) Point source which is identifiable and hence comparatively easy to control. e.g. Sewage, storm-water, Industrial effluent, animal feed-lots.
2. b) Non-point source which is widely spread out, diffused and hence difficult to identify and to control. e.g. agricultural run-off, Sediment run offs from natural or human caused forest fire, construction, logging, drainage of acids, minerals, sediments from   active/abandoned mines, oil-spills or spills of other hazardous material.

3) Depending upon the degradability or reactivity:

1. a) Biodegradable: Degraded by microbes in reasonable time say up to 1 month. These pollutants become a problem when added to the environment faster than they can decompose.

Biodegradable pollutants are of two types, rapidly degradable and slowly degradable. Rapidly degradable pollutants are ‘natural’, we put them somewhere until they degrade to non-toxic levels. Slowly degradable pollutants are materials that either do not decompose or decompose slowly in the natural environment. Once contamination occurs, it is difficult or impossible to remove these pollutants from the environment. E.g. synthetic compounds which resemble nothing natural, such as dichloro diphenyl trichloro ethane (DDT), dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and radioactive materials. They can reach dangerous levels of accumulation as they are passed, up the food chain into the bodies of progressively larger animals, e.g., molecules of toxic compounds may collect on the surface of aquatic plants without doing much damage to the plants. A small fish that grazes on these plants accumulates a high concentration of the toxin. Larger fish or other carnivores that eat the small fish will accumulate even greater, and possibly life-threatening, concentrations of the compound. This process is known as bioaccumulation. Such very slowly degradable pollutants are more problematic; we try to put them some place forever, because they will not degrade to non-toxic levels in a reasonable period of time.  Ultimately they seep back into the environment and create much havoc. Some special measures like advance oxidation systems are required to remove slowly degradable pollutants from wastewater. They are often difficult and expensive.

1. b) Non degradable pollutants are bacteria, virus, salts of metals, sediment fractions, heavy metals and the last PLASTICS. They are conservative like heat, a form of energy but certainly a pollutant.

4) Depending upon the effect intensity:

1. a) Acute : Such pollutants have an immediate and intense effect on the consumer.
2. b) Chronic or Long term : Such pollutants have slow but long term effects on consumers.

5) To Systematise more, the water pollutants are classified into nine categories:

1. Oxygen-demanding wastes
2. Disease causing agents
3. Plant nutrients
4. Synthetic organic compounds.
5. Oil
6. Inorganic chemicals and mineral substances
7. Sediments
8. Radioactive material
9. Heat (Thermal pollution)

1. Oxygen-demanding wastes: They are degradable by bacterial activity or strong acids/chemicals. Hence, cause depletion of dissolved oxygen. Most of them,  primarily   organic materials  hence,  get oxidized to CO₂ & H₂O. If degraded in anaerobic condition, give out foul odour and decrease  the usable  & recreational value of waterbodies. This process may cause fish kills & danger to other aquatic life, also affect colour, odour, taste of water.

Typically such pollutants come from sewage (domestic and animal), and industrial wastes.  The amount of such substances is estimated in water by quantity called Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD).

2. Disease causing agents: 75% – 80% infant deaths are caused by water borne diseases. Water has been a potential carrier of pathogens hence, causing epidemics of typhoid, para-typhoid, dysentery, cholera. Water also transmits diseases like polio and hepatitis. Modern disinfection and treatment plants have greatly reduced this danger in cities. Sewage and such discharge make the waterbody infected with such pathogens and that acts as source of this category of pollutants.

3. Plant Nutrients: For plant growth, nutrients are limiting factor. N  & P enter freshwater and lead to plant growth. When in excess, they cause eutrophication. They tend to accumulate in ground water. Excess concentration also renders water unsuitable for certain uses as they cause high BOD and disagreeable odours. Nutrient enrichment is a natural process (e.g. peat and muck soils or coal and oil deposits). Human activities hasten this leading to aging of lakes in shorter time.

N-P-K fertilizers applied in agriculture get into run off. Run off coefficient is a function of solubility of fertilizer, rate of absorption by plant, rate of decomposition. In the process excess nutrients flow to water and cause eutrophication.

4. Organic chemicals: Detergents (surfactant), pesticides, various industrial products, decomposition products. Some of them are toxic to fish at very low concentration, such as 1 ppm (phenol). Many are not biodegradable or very slowly degradable. Agrochemicals are some special chemicals which may be toxic to biota, human, extremely stable like DDT or have tendency to accumulate in animal and human body.

5. Oil : Production, distribution and use of huge quantities, result is contamination of water with oils. Some are accidental and some operational.

6. Inorganic chemical and mineral substances: Mineral acids, inorganic salts, metal compounds, which come through, smelting, metallurgical, chemical industries, mine drainage etc.. They may injure or kill fish and other aquatic life, may concentrate in food chain, e.g. Mercury. Inorganic mercury may be converted to methyl mercury CH₃Hg⁺ by certain anaerobic bacteria. This causes mercury poisoning.

Water draining to pyrite containing coal mines cause formation of acid (H₂SO₄).  This affects long stretches of streams, turns them acidic cause fish kills, corrosion of plumbing systems, boats, piers, related  structures  and  agricultural crop damage.

7. Sediments: There are soil and mineral particles, washed from land to waters, from croplands, unprotected forest soils, overgrazed pastures, strip mines roads and bulldozed urban areas. Sediments are able to:

• fill stream, channels and reservoirs.
• erode power turbines and pumping equipment
• cause turbidity hence perturb sunlight
• plug water filters
• blanket fish nests, spawn, food supplies to fish and shell fish.

Natural process of erosion causes sediments and its extent is a function of type of soil, geology, topography, precipitation and vegetation cover.

8. Radioactive materials: Wastes of Uranium and Thorium²³⁰ and Radium²²⁶ mining, refining from nuclear power plants, industrial, medical and scientific utlisation of radioactive material  cause  the   pollution. The  effects are lethal or mutagenic. Nuclear weapon tests also cause radio isotopes to come to air & soil and then in water.

The dust and debris of radioactive materials do not settle quickly after explosion hence, can contaminate air for long time. Hence, there is a proposal of Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). Accidental explosion of Chernobyl nuclear power plant caused such pollution.

Strontium⁹⁰ (Sr) (half life 28 years) is chemically similar to calcium. Hence, absorbed by plants and  passed  to  animals,  deposited  in  bones.  This may cause anemia or serious disorders. Cesium¹³⁷ (CS) is chemically similar to K. Hence, its contamination with leafy vegetable, grains cause disorders.

Type of pollutants caused by nuclear power generating plants:

1. Low level radioactive liquid wastes.
2. Heat.
3. Liquids and gaseous wastes from fuel.
4. Fission products within 1-3 years.
5. Heat :

Cooling water from power plants is released in river which  cause  risk  to fish life and other biota. This leads to starvation of newly spawned population, decreased density and viscosity of water, increase settling rate of suspended sediments, evaporation hence higher salinity and less DO. Today  70%  water  used in industries  is  used  as  cooling medium.

An additional threat  to aquatic life is  created  by  the common practice of chlorinating coolant water prior to use.  This is done to prevent bacterial growth that clog pipes.

What can we as individuals do?

1. a) We, as consumers, need to realise the value of water in the city and put in our whole hearted efforts to conserve and utilise available water very carefully.
2. b) We also need to avoid as much as possible the paving of the open areas around our flats to help percolation of rain water into the ground and replenishment of the water table.

CHENNAI: While homeowners and residents associations across the city are busy squabbling and haggling with water suppliers, ever since an acute shortage in supply began this summer, those living in an apartment complex in Kazhipattur have been able to keep away from this these troubles.

The 160 families residing at Akshaya Adora have not bought water in the last two years. Instead, they put together a robust water harvesting and recycling system that takes care of all their needs. Water drawn from borewells and an open well at their premises is recycled, eliminating the question of shortage.

Close to 1.5 lakh litres of water used by the residents on daily basis gets treated and harvested.

Read more….

http://www.newindianexpress.com/good-news/2019/jul/20/how-one-apartment-in-chennai-beat-water-crisis-2006540.html

Prasar Bharati Chairman, Surya Prakash

As reported by Hindu, Prasar Bharati Chairman Dr. A. Surya Prakash said that Vinod K. Jose, Executive Editor of The Caravan magazine, made a “blatant” anti-India presentation during a session on ‘Religion and the Media’ at the Global Conference for Media Freedom, calling many of his statements “false” and “inaccurate”.

What was really shocking were many a blatant lies by Mr. Jose. Believe it or not he said that “a hundred Christians were murdered in India” and “the RSS engineered the pogrom against the Sikhs in 1984”.

After Jose’s presentation, when the discussion was thrown open to the floor, Mr. Prakash rose to the occasion and said many of the statements made by The Caravan editor were “false” and that there were “inaccuracies” in the presentation.

India was not only the world’s largest democracy, but also the most vibrant. It was also the most diverse society in the world, he added.

Explaining his intervention, Dr. Surya Prakash said that if the audience left the hall believing Mr. Jose, democracy across the world would be in jeopardy. The video below, which documents his intervention is a must watch

Ambitious dreams have now become a reality as the Ocean Cleanup deploys its $20 million system designed to clean up the 1.8 trillion pieces of trash floating in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Check out another Forbes piece on how Ocean Cleanup aims to reuse and recycle the ocean plastic.

Read on…

https://www.forbes.com/sites/trevornace/2018/09/10/the-worlds-largest-ocean-cleanup-has-officially-begun/

Prof. Manohar Khushalani appeared live in a program anchored by the charming Gargi Rawat, on the NDTV series, WE THE PEOPLE. with Co-panelists Raghav Chadha and VK Madhavan. There were also Videocons with Medha Patkar an Other from Chennai.

On We The People we talked about an an issue that concerns everyone – India’s impending water emergency. The crisis is all around us. Chennai is facing the worst water crisis it has ever seen. With lakhs of people depending on private water tankers as taps go dry, establishments have had to be shut down, children are skipping school and lining up for water. And while Chennai is the largest city facing a water crisis right now, there’s a drought like situation in almost half the country. Parts of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh too are reeling under the crisis. On this show, panelists talked about steps we can take to prevent an impending water emergency.

If you are really worried about the Water Crisis in India don’t miss this program. Click on the link below. It was telecast at 6pm Saturday, 29th June, 2019