NEW DELHI: In another embarrassment for the poll-bound BSP government in Uttar Pradesh, the Union environment ministry has put Ansal's 2,400-acre housing project, Hi-Tech Township City, at Dadri on hold for 'illegally' reclaiming a wetland in the plot.
The ministry has sent a showcause notice to the project developers under the Environment Protection Act, asking them to explain why legal action should not be taken for violating the clearance norms and the project should not be scrapped. The developers have been given 15 days to respond to the notice, and till then the project would remain suspended. While, the Central government has to demarcate the wetland area falling in the project site.
The project abutting Greater Noida area and along the Eastern Periphery Expressway lies at the termination point of the proposed Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor, Boraki.The project was cleared by UP's environmental clearance authority. But questions were raised about the clearance by state forest officials. Then, the Union environment ministry sent a team to inspect th e site.
The team recorded that the project area was swampy, a natural habitat to several bird species and also included a wetland of six-eight hectares. The team found that some of the wetlands had been reclaimed by the company after being purchased from the locals.norms
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Land sharks swallow floodplains (Times of India 07 February 2012)
NOIDA: With the administrative machinery preoccupied with the upcoming Assembly elections, land sharks in Gautam Budh Nagar district are making the most of the situation. Thousands of acres of fertile land in the floodplains of the Hindon are being usurped by the land mafia and sold to "unsuspecting" buyers for constructing houses. Despite repeated complaints from environmentalists, the district administration hasn't taken steps to check the rampant encroachment.
The encroached land is spread over an area of 15 km straddling the floodplains of the river. Located off the Noida-Greater Noida link road near Sector 122 and at a stone's throw away from the Noida Extension-Greater Noida area, illegal structures have mushroomed from Hindon Pushta along NH-24 up to Kulesra in Greater Noida. This entire area falls under the flood zone, where all construction activity is banned.
Unfortunately, no tangible measures are being taken to stop the illegal construction. Sub-divisional district magistrate, Gyanendra Singh confirmed that "all construction in the flood zone is in violation of the existing laws. It obstructs natural river flow, thereby hindering flood-control measures. It also poses a threat to the environment," he said.
Being sold at prices ranging from Rs 7,000 to Rs 15,000 per square metre, the illegal plots are finding many takers. "Local real estate dealers are keeping buyers in the dark regarding the court orders on the floodplains," Singh told TOI. "They assume that once the colonies are built, the administration will not demolish them," he added.
Meanwhile, the administration has promised to formally crackdown on land grabbers. "The floodplains have been witnessing constant encroachment and illegal construction. We periodically issue notices and warnings against all construction activity in the flood zone and have alerted the district police officials about the growing menace. The registrar's office has also been asked to take precautions against registration of plots within 120 sqm as they are too small for agriculture purposes and could be used to build houses," Singh explained.
"We will take immediate action and demolish all unauthorized construction in the area," said Singh.
In April, in an attempt to rid the area of "unauthorized" construction, Noida and Greater Noida authorities had decided to acquire around 25 hectares of the floodplain area along the northern tip of the Hindon river from the state irrigation department and develop it as a green belt. A few months later, Noida Authority floated the idea of allotting the floodplain area on the west side of the river to residents on a 'first come first served basis' for growing flowers. Both these plans are yet to see the light of day.
The encroached land is spread over an area of 15 km straddling the floodplains of the river. Located off the Noida-Greater Noida link road near Sector 122 and at a stone's throw away from the Noida Extension-Greater Noida area, illegal structures have mushroomed from Hindon Pushta along NH-24 up to Kulesra in Greater Noida. This entire area falls under the flood zone, where all construction activity is banned.
Unfortunately, no tangible measures are being taken to stop the illegal construction. Sub-divisional district magistrate, Gyanendra Singh confirmed that "all construction in the flood zone is in violation of the existing laws. It obstructs natural river flow, thereby hindering flood-control measures. It also poses a threat to the environment," he said.
Being sold at prices ranging from Rs 7,000 to Rs 15,000 per square metre, the illegal plots are finding many takers. "Local real estate dealers are keeping buyers in the dark regarding the court orders on the floodplains," Singh told TOI. "They assume that once the colonies are built, the administration will not demolish them," he added.
Meanwhile, the administration has promised to formally crackdown on land grabbers. "The floodplains have been witnessing constant encroachment and illegal construction. We periodically issue notices and warnings against all construction activity in the flood zone and have alerted the district police officials about the growing menace. The registrar's office has also been asked to take precautions against registration of plots within 120 sqm as they are too small for agriculture purposes and could be used to build houses," Singh explained.
"We will take immediate action and demolish all unauthorized construction in the area," said Singh.
In April, in an attempt to rid the area of "unauthorized" construction, Noida and Greater Noida authorities had decided to acquire around 25 hectares of the floodplain area along the northern tip of the Hindon river from the state irrigation department and develop it as a green belt. A few months later, Noida Authority floated the idea of allotting the floodplain area on the west side of the river to residents on a 'first come first served basis' for growing flowers. Both these plans are yet to see the light of day.
Birds flatter to deceive, watchers on wings of despair (Times of India 06 February 2012)
NEW DELHI: It was a day that began with much anticipation but ended in disappointment for the city's birdwatchers. The annual Big Bird Day on Sunday recorded just 226 species of the winged visitors unlike last year's 240.
Bikram Grewal, the official score keeper, said it is an ill omen as the drop in count indicates a drop in the number species along the Yamuna. "The two places along the Yamuna where we monitor birds are the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. Both places recorded a fall in the number of species. Okhla went down from 95 species in 2011 to 78 this year while at the Yamuna park, the count dropped from 84 last year to 65 this year," he said.
Once again, the most number of species were spotted at Bhindawas. However, a fall in numbers was seen here, too -151 against last year's count of 179.
"But the situation wasn't uniform everywhere; some places also recorded an increase, so we cannot say that the situation is altogether hopeless. Sultanpur went up from 95 last year to 141 this year. Surajpur, which is being developed by WWF, recorded a total of 101 this time as compared to 79 last year. Both these areas are protected and this shows that with proper management, the bird count can actually go up," Grewal added.
Sunday was slightly cloudy but pleasantly warm - an excellent day for spotting birds. Dr Surya Prakash, who led a team to JNU, Shankar Vihar and Bhatti Mines, was not quite happy with their tally of 115. "It was difficult getting a good number. Shankar Vihar, an area we discovered behind Vasant Kunj last year, has practically dried up. We had trouble spotting some of the commonest birds that we usually see," he said.
The team wound its way through thorny shrubs and a filthy marshland for about 10 minutes to hunt for birds and was thrilled when they managed to add two precious numbers to their existing tally.
Anand Arya, who visited the Dadri wetlands with his team, saw 120 birds and was quite excited at having spotted about 60% of the over 200 that have been recorded by him personally in the area over the years. Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, said that the fall in the number of species this year is not alarming yet and could be attributed to various reasons.
"At the park, the number of wetland birds is the same. The number of Red Crested Pochards is actually higher this year. The tree canopy has become higher because of which it was more difficult to spot terrestrial birds.
Secondly, Rajasthan received good rain last year and there is a possibility that many migratory birds stopped there," he said.
Bikram Grewal, the official score keeper, said it is an ill omen as the drop in count indicates a drop in the number species along the Yamuna. "The two places along the Yamuna where we monitor birds are the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and the Yamuna Biodiversity Park. Both places recorded a fall in the number of species. Okhla went down from 95 species in 2011 to 78 this year while at the Yamuna park, the count dropped from 84 last year to 65 this year," he said.
Once again, the most number of species were spotted at Bhindawas. However, a fall in numbers was seen here, too -151 against last year's count of 179.
"But the situation wasn't uniform everywhere; some places also recorded an increase, so we cannot say that the situation is altogether hopeless. Sultanpur went up from 95 last year to 141 this year. Surajpur, which is being developed by WWF, recorded a total of 101 this time as compared to 79 last year. Both these areas are protected and this shows that with proper management, the bird count can actually go up," Grewal added.
Sunday was slightly cloudy but pleasantly warm - an excellent day for spotting birds. Dr Surya Prakash, who led a team to JNU, Shankar Vihar and Bhatti Mines, was not quite happy with their tally of 115. "It was difficult getting a good number. Shankar Vihar, an area we discovered behind Vasant Kunj last year, has practically dried up. We had trouble spotting some of the commonest birds that we usually see," he said.
The team wound its way through thorny shrubs and a filthy marshland for about 10 minutes to hunt for birds and was thrilled when they managed to add two precious numbers to their existing tally.
Anand Arya, who visited the Dadri wetlands with his team, saw 120 birds and was quite excited at having spotted about 60% of the over 200 that have been recorded by him personally in the area over the years. Faiyaz Khudsar, scientist at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, said that the fall in the number of species this year is not alarming yet and could be attributed to various reasons.
"At the park, the number of wetland birds is the same. The number of Red Crested Pochards is actually higher this year. The tree canopy has become higher because of which it was more difficult to spot terrestrial birds.
Secondly, Rajasthan received good rain last year and there is a possibility that many migratory birds stopped there," he said.
Dwindling habitat reason for falling numbers (Times of India 06 February 2012)
NEW DELHI: There is a difference of opinion on whether there is a decrease in bird species in Delhi ; but birdwatchers are unanimous on one count -the total number of birds has come down. During Sunday's marathon bird watching session, most teams were disappointed with what they saw, or rather what they did not see.
"Some of the most common species were spotted with great difficulty. We discovered the Shankar Vihar wetlands last year; but today we found most of it dried up and children playing cricket in the area that was flush with waders last year," said Major Sangwan, a birdwatcher.
Dr Surya Prakash, who has been tracking Delhi's birds for several years, said that loss of habitat is a major reason why it has become so difficult to see some birds. "The city government has taken on a great project to develop forests but they need to keep in mind that terrestrial birds are equally important and they need grasslands. This is very important for birds like Larks, Pipits and many resident and non-resident waders," he said.
He added that a good solution to the problem is man-managed ecosystems like the Yamuna Biodiversity Park and Aravali Biodiversity Park. "However , monkeys, stray cattle, pigs and dogs are posing a serious threat to areas like the Bhatti Mines and Sultanpur National Park. The Indian Eagle Owl has not nested at these places this year as the habitat has been encroached by monkeys," he added.
Birdwatchers say that for wetlands, it is extremely essential to maintain the right level of water and adequate reed patches for the birds. Anand Arya, a resident of Noida, points out that at Dadri his team could have recorded a much higher number but for the degraded condition of the wetland. Okhla Bird Sanctuary, points out Faiyaz Khudsar, a scientist at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, has too much water this year and not proper reed management.
"Some of the most common species were spotted with great difficulty. We discovered the Shankar Vihar wetlands last year; but today we found most of it dried up and children playing cricket in the area that was flush with waders last year," said Major Sangwan, a birdwatcher.
Dr Surya Prakash, who has been tracking Delhi's birds for several years, said that loss of habitat is a major reason why it has become so difficult to see some birds. "The city government has taken on a great project to develop forests but they need to keep in mind that terrestrial birds are equally important and they need grasslands. This is very important for birds like Larks, Pipits and many resident and non-resident waders," he said.
He added that a good solution to the problem is man-managed ecosystems like the Yamuna Biodiversity Park and Aravali Biodiversity Park. "However , monkeys, stray cattle, pigs and dogs are posing a serious threat to areas like the Bhatti Mines and Sultanpur National Park. The Indian Eagle Owl has not nested at these places this year as the habitat has been encroached by monkeys," he added.
Birdwatchers say that for wetlands, it is extremely essential to maintain the right level of water and adequate reed patches for the birds. Anand Arya, a resident of Noida, points out that at Dadri his team could have recorded a much higher number but for the degraded condition of the wetland. Okhla Bird Sanctuary, points out Faiyaz Khudsar, a scientist at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park, has too much water this year and not proper reed management.
Winged guests by-passing the Yamuna (Hindu 06 February 2012)
With just six species of water birds being spotted on the Wazirabad Barrage-Nizamuddin Bridge stretch of the Yamuna in Delhi this year, the Asian Waterbird Census (AWC) 2012 has raised serious concerns about the degradation of natural habitat for the birds due to a variety of reasons.
AWC's Delhi State Coordinator T. K. Roy, who led a team of volunteers to conduct the census from January 14 to 29 with the help of forest staff of Okhla Bird Sanctuary, says some of the findings are very disturbing.
For one, the arrival of water birds along the Wazirabad Barrage-Nizamuddin Bridge stretch of the Yamuna has diminished sharply over the past five years. While in 2008, as many as 20 species of migratory birds were spotted along this stretch, the number has dropped to just six this year.
Even among these six species, only a pair each of common sandpiper, red wattled lapwing and grey wagtail were spotted. “Due to various levels of threats in the river, the bird habitat in Delhi, the resident bird species have almost disappeared and regular migratory water bird species too have abandoned the river habitat,” says Mr. Roy.
He says this year hardly any winter migratory species has been spotted except small flocks of black-headed gulls, brown-headed gulls and black-winged stilts.
These birds too were seen more towards the beginning of winter when they came in search of food.
But later, they sheltered in the much upper stretch of Yamuna near Hindon and in the smaller floodplain wetlands adjacent to the Yamuna due to habitat shrinkage and shortage of food, primarily fish, he adds.
Part of the largest and longest running internationally coordinated faunal monitoring programme in the world for many years now, Mr. Roy says the census has also narrowed down on the reasons for the decline in the arrival of water birds.
Reasons
The main reason for their staying away from the Wazirabad Barrage-Nizamuddin Bridge stretch of the Yamuna has been fishing, cutting and clearance of vegetation, vegetable cultivation and human disturbance, presence of open crematorium, dumping of non-biodegradable waste, concrete urban developments on riverbed and water pollution caused by flow of sewage and industrial effluents.
As for the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Mr. Roy says this year 13 species of major migratory water birds (ducks, geese, coots), 11 species of waders, four species of gulls, three species of storks, three species of ibises, three of wagtails and 25 of resident water birds have been recorded.
AWC's Delhi State Coordinator T. K. Roy, who led a team of volunteers to conduct the census from January 14 to 29 with the help of forest staff of Okhla Bird Sanctuary, says some of the findings are very disturbing.
For one, the arrival of water birds along the Wazirabad Barrage-Nizamuddin Bridge stretch of the Yamuna has diminished sharply over the past five years. While in 2008, as many as 20 species of migratory birds were spotted along this stretch, the number has dropped to just six this year.
Even among these six species, only a pair each of common sandpiper, red wattled lapwing and grey wagtail were spotted. “Due to various levels of threats in the river, the bird habitat in Delhi, the resident bird species have almost disappeared and regular migratory water bird species too have abandoned the river habitat,” says Mr. Roy.
He says this year hardly any winter migratory species has been spotted except small flocks of black-headed gulls, brown-headed gulls and black-winged stilts.
These birds too were seen more towards the beginning of winter when they came in search of food.
But later, they sheltered in the much upper stretch of Yamuna near Hindon and in the smaller floodplain wetlands adjacent to the Yamuna due to habitat shrinkage and shortage of food, primarily fish, he adds.
Part of the largest and longest running internationally coordinated faunal monitoring programme in the world for many years now, Mr. Roy says the census has also narrowed down on the reasons for the decline in the arrival of water birds.
Reasons
The main reason for their staying away from the Wazirabad Barrage-Nizamuddin Bridge stretch of the Yamuna has been fishing, cutting and clearance of vegetation, vegetable cultivation and human disturbance, presence of open crematorium, dumping of non-biodegradable waste, concrete urban developments on riverbed and water pollution caused by flow of sewage and industrial effluents.
As for the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Mr. Roy says this year 13 species of major migratory water birds (ducks, geese, coots), 11 species of waders, four species of gulls, three species of storks, three species of ibises, three of wagtails and 25 of resident water birds have been recorded.
Singapore to help Delhi on ‘new water' concept (Hindu 05 February 2012)
Growing mismatch between demand and supply has forced the authorities in Delhi to consider using treated sewage water, popularly known as “new water”. With limited sources of water for its growing millions, Delhi is looking at Singapore to help introduce the concept in the city and also lend help with the know-how.
Singapore is considered the most successful example of “new water” usage and will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with Delhi to pave way for the treatment of sewage water to make new water.
“New water is the brand name that has been given to reclaimed water produced in Singapore. It is waste water that has been treated and purified using dual-membrane, microfiltration and reverse osmosis and ultraviolet technologies. The water is treated to make it potable and fit for drinking needs,” said a senior official of the Delhi Government.
Referring to the introduction of the concept in Delhi, the official said: “The Government of Singapore will fund the technical feasibility study and pay 70 per cent of the consultation fee. Since they already have the system in place, they will be able to offer technical support as well.”
Initially about four to five per cent of the treated new water will be released back into the river Yamuna, where through the natural cleansing processes it will be turned into raw water. “We will then use this raw water to produce treated water for potable use. In Singapore they use about 10 per cent of new water, but in the initial stages we will limit to just about 5 per cent,” the official explained.
Once the MoU is signed, the consultancy will start in the next six months and the entire project will be ready to take off in a year, the official said.
On the need for switching to new water, the official said: “Delhi has to seriously consider means of saving water and also making the best use of the limited resources at hand. As on date we already have to fight with the other States for drinking water needs, and this struggle to secure more water will only intensify in the future. If such concepts are not considered, we will be left with a huge disparity in demand-supply.”
Singapore is considered the most successful example of “new water” usage and will soon sign a memorandum of understanding with Delhi to pave way for the treatment of sewage water to make new water.
“New water is the brand name that has been given to reclaimed water produced in Singapore. It is waste water that has been treated and purified using dual-membrane, microfiltration and reverse osmosis and ultraviolet technologies. The water is treated to make it potable and fit for drinking needs,” said a senior official of the Delhi Government.
Referring to the introduction of the concept in Delhi, the official said: “The Government of Singapore will fund the technical feasibility study and pay 70 per cent of the consultation fee. Since they already have the system in place, they will be able to offer technical support as well.”
Initially about four to five per cent of the treated new water will be released back into the river Yamuna, where through the natural cleansing processes it will be turned into raw water. “We will then use this raw water to produce treated water for potable use. In Singapore they use about 10 per cent of new water, but in the initial stages we will limit to just about 5 per cent,” the official explained.
Once the MoU is signed, the consultancy will start in the next six months and the entire project will be ready to take off in a year, the official said.
On the need for switching to new water, the official said: “Delhi has to seriously consider means of saving water and also making the best use of the limited resources at hand. As on date we already have to fight with the other States for drinking water needs, and this struggle to secure more water will only intensify in the future. If such concepts are not considered, we will be left with a huge disparity in demand-supply.”
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Pollution: Fewer feathered guests arrive this year (Hindustan Times 02 February 2012)
The high pollution level in the Yamuna, continuous destruction of natural habitat and inconsistent winter have made many migratory birds — 21 of the 27 major species —skip the city this year.
Endangered species like painted storks, black-headed ibis and ferruginous pochards have come in few numbers, says the Asian Water birds Census (AWC).
Of the various stretches of the Yamuna between Wazirabad barrage and the point where it leaves the Capital, the Okhla Bird Sanctuary has fared better with 58 of the 75 local and migratory species being sighted there.
Those who did not show up include temminck’s stint, Indian cormorant, greater flamingo and great white pelican. Also, the numbers of several species of ducks and storks – bar-headed geese, northern shoveler, northern pintail and red-wattled lapwing – have witnessed a sharp decline at Okhla, the census said. From the other stretches of Yamuna, the species that have missed the city include red-crested pochard, common coot, spot-billed duck and little cormorant.
Besides water pollution and loss of habitat, the inconsistent winter has played a spoilsport, said TK Roy, conservationist and AWC Delhi state coordinator. “Usually, birds start arriving in the city by October-end or the beginning of November. This time in 2011, Delhi lacked the chill, so many species flew past the area,” he said.
Sajit P Mohanan of Delhi Birds Group said it is not exactly that birds are “missing” but certain species may have chosen some other locations. For instance, construction activity along Dwarka Expressway has affected the arrival of birds at Najafgarh jheel.
Manoj Mishra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan said some birds survive in polluted water, but many need clear water and these species avoid polluted stretches. “With polluted stretches, we find that the diversity of bird life comes down drastically. The difference can be seen at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park and upstream of Wazirabad compared with areas downstream of it,” he said.
Endangered species like painted storks, black-headed ibis and ferruginous pochards have come in few numbers, says the Asian Water birds Census (AWC).
Of the various stretches of the Yamuna between Wazirabad barrage and the point where it leaves the Capital, the Okhla Bird Sanctuary has fared better with 58 of the 75 local and migratory species being sighted there.
Those who did not show up include temminck’s stint, Indian cormorant, greater flamingo and great white pelican. Also, the numbers of several species of ducks and storks – bar-headed geese, northern shoveler, northern pintail and red-wattled lapwing – have witnessed a sharp decline at Okhla, the census said. From the other stretches of Yamuna, the species that have missed the city include red-crested pochard, common coot, spot-billed duck and little cormorant.
Besides water pollution and loss of habitat, the inconsistent winter has played a spoilsport, said TK Roy, conservationist and AWC Delhi state coordinator. “Usually, birds start arriving in the city by October-end or the beginning of November. This time in 2011, Delhi lacked the chill, so many species flew past the area,” he said.
Sajit P Mohanan of Delhi Birds Group said it is not exactly that birds are “missing” but certain species may have chosen some other locations. For instance, construction activity along Dwarka Expressway has affected the arrival of birds at Najafgarh jheel.
Manoj Mishra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan said some birds survive in polluted water, but many need clear water and these species avoid polluted stretches. “With polluted stretches, we find that the diversity of bird life comes down drastically. The difference can be seen at the Yamuna Biodiversity Park and upstream of Wazirabad compared with areas downstream of it,” he said.
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