Water, sanitation and hygiene must be looked at holistically
March 21, 2019
| The Hindu Business Line
Estimates show that around 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that are faecally contaminated, and some 2.4 billion people lack access to basic sanitation sources such as toilets or latrines. In India, 163 million people lack access to safe water and 210 million people are without access to improved sanitation (2017). Hygiene poses another challenge; safe drinking water and sanitation in the absence of hygienic habits will not prevent feco-oral infections.
Efficient management of waste disposal sites can curb air pollution
November 14, 2018
| Hindustan Times
The practical way to deal with legacy dumpsites, which are a source of local air pollution and fire accidents, is to stabilise the slopes. We must start recovering the landfill gas and then either flaring or harvesting it to be used as a potential fuel. Once these dumps have been stabilised and most of the landfill gas recovered, the dumps can be opened, and their content mined into compostable, combustibles and inerts. The combustibles can be further processed into refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and used as a source of energy, either in industries or cement kilns.
E-waste processing: A problem of scale
July 18, 2018
| The Financial Express
E-waste in India, as in other countries, is the fastest-growing waste stream. Though the current generation of e-waste is not as high as other waste streams like municipal solid waste, industrial waste or construction and demolition debris, its current state of management is causing environment pollution while recovery and recycling of value from it in informal sector remains a cause of concern. It is crucial to look at the present capacity created for e-waste processing, with respect to their locations vis-à-vis hot spots for e-waste generation.
The Plastic Trap
June 20, 2018 |
June 20, 2018
The Hindu Business Line
A discussion paper prepared by TERI titled, 'Opportunities and Challenges of Plastics Waste Management' was released by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The Ministry and TERI have entered into an MoU to set up a Government cell that would provide a platform to include resource efficiency in all future public policies. Plastic waste would be one of the targets. According to TERI's paper, the average per capita plastic consumption in India is about 11 kg, and though it is much lower than the global average of 28 kg, only 60 per cent of it gets recycled.
World Environment Day: To counter single-use plastic, realistic 'extended producer responsibility' targets must be set
June 6, 2018 |
June 6, 2018
First Post
In a paper titled "Challenges and Opportunities: Plastic Waste Management in India", published by TERI, the clause of 'extended producers responsibility' (EPR) has been deconstructed. It talks about a need for a real-time assessment and a state-wise mapping of producers and plastic demand and supply in order to formulate realistic EPR targets. Furthermore, it recommends that pilot EPR models for low-hanging fruits such as the completely recyclable PET must be explored.
Heatwaves are health and economic risks
June 5, 2018
| Ms Vidhu Gupta
| Mint
Recognizing the adverse health impact and potential decline in economic productivity, several states such as Gujarat, Odisha and Telangana have formulated action plans to address the adaptation to heatwaves. In response to the extreme heatwave event of 2010, the city of Ahmedabad was the first in Asia to develop a Heat Action Plan which laid the foundation for similar initiatives in other cities. While many city and state-led initiatives are now past the design stage, several key gaps are emerging as far as implementation of the heat action plans is concerned.
