Dainik Jagran 04 September 2012

K Express 13 September 2012

Express 13 September 2012

Hindustan 11 September 2012

Dainik Jagran 13 September 2012

जल भंडार खत्म होने की चिंता (Dainik Jagran 19 September 2012)

तीन तरीके: योजना आयोग को चाहिए कि पानी की कीमत बढ़ाए, ट्यूबवेल की अधिकतम गहराई निर्धारित करे और क्षेत्र के लिए अनुपयुक्त फसलों के उत्पादन पर प्रतिबंध लगाए

जल के अंधाधुंध दोहन की गंभीर होती समस्या से निपटने के उपायों पर प्रकाश डाल रहे हैं डॉ. भरत झुनझुनवाला
योजना आयोग ने भूमिगत जल के गिरते स्तर को गंभीरता से लिया है। जल के संबंध में स्ट्रेटजी पेपर लिखा जा रहा है, जो कि बारहवीं पंचवर्षीय योजना में जोड़ा जाएगा। विशाल तालाब और नदियों में बरसात का पानी एकत्रित रहता है। ट्यूबवेल का इजाद होने के बाद इस जल को निकालना संभव हो गया है। पानी का यह भंडार बैंक में जमा राशि की तरह होता है। आप जितना पैसा डालते हैं उतना ही निकाल सकते हैं। ज्यादा निकालने का प्रयास करने पर चेक बाउंस हो जाता है। इसी प्रकार भूमिगत जल का जितना पुनर्भरण किया जाता है उतना ही निकाला जा सकता है। पानी अधिक निकालने से भूमिगत जलस्तर गिर रहा है और उसके दुष्परिणाम सामने आ रहे हैं। किसानों के दो वर्ग हैं। एक वर्ग प्रभावी एवं समृद्ध है। दूसरा गरीब एवं कमजोर है। समृद्ध वर्ग गहरे ट्यूबवेल खोदकर भूमिगत तालाबों का पानी खींच लेता है। परिणामस्वरूप पूरे क्षेत्र का भूमिगत पानी नीचे चला जाता है, जैसे टंकी में से पानी निकालने पर उसका जल स्तर गिरने लगता है। आसपास के छोटे किसानों के कुएं सूख जाते हैं। मेरे एक मित्र राजस्थान में कुंओं में ट्यूबवेल लगाते थे। किसी गांव में उन्होंने एक ट्यूबवेल की डिलिंग की। पानी निकला। सब प्रसन्न हुए। अगले दिन सुबह ही पड़ोसी किसान दौड़ा आया। उसने कहा कि उसका कुआं सूख गया है। हुआ यूं कि नए ट्यूबवेल ने संपूर्ण भूमिगत जल सोख लिया। अंतत: मेरे मित्र को दूसरे किसान के कुएं में भी डिलिंग करनी पड़ी। अंतिम परिणाम यह हुआ कि दोनों का पानी ज्यादा गहरा हो गया। पूर्व में संचित पानी के
निकाल लिए जाने के बाद शीघ्र ही दोनों किसान अपनी पुरानी स्थिति में आ गए। निष्कर्ष है कि भूमिगत जल के अति दोहन से लाभ समृद्ध किसान को होता है, जबकि कमजोर किसान पानी से वंचित हो जाता है।
भूमिगत जल के अति दोहन का दूसरा दुष्परिणाम यह है कि धरती के गर्भ में पड़े रसायन ऊपर आ जाते हैं। धरती में तमाम विषैले रसायन होते हैं, जैसे आर्सेनिक एवं फ्लोराइड। ये भूमिगत तालाब के निचले हिस्से में सुप्त पड़े रहते हैं। ऊपर के हिस्से में नए पानी का भरण होता है और निकाल लिया जाता है। गहरे ट्यूबवेल खोदने से गर्भ में पड़े ये रसायन ऊपर आ जाते हैं। देश के बड़े हिस्से में ये रसायन पीने के पानी में प्रवेश कर रहे हैं और रोग बढ़ा रहे हैं। इस तरह समुद्र तट के नजदीक गहरे कुएं खोदने से गुजरात आदि तटीय राज्यों में समुद्र का खारा पानी प्रवेश कर रहा है जो सिंचाई योग्य भी नहीं रह गया है।
पानी के अति दोहन से हमारी नदियां सूख रही हैं। पूर्व में यमुना का पानी बारह महीने दिल्ली पहुंचता था। अब हरियाणा और उत्तर प्रदेश में नदी के किनारे गहरे ट्यूबवेल लगा दिए गए हैं। हथिनीकुंड बैराज से छोड़े जाने के बाद 20-25 किलोमीटर में ही पानी पूरी तरह भूमि में समा जाता है। यमुना में पलने वाली मछलियां एवं कछुए मर रहे हैं। तीर्थयात्रियों को स्नान करने के लिए जल नहीं मिल रहा है। नदी के तट पर उगने वाले वृक्ष मर रहे हैं। उन पर बसने वाली चिड़ियों के बसेरे समाप्त हो रहे हैं। संपूर्ण क्षेत्र का पर्यावरण नष्ट हो रहा है। इन दुष्प्रभावों से निपटने के लिए सुझाव दिया गया है कि स्प्रिंकलर अथवा डिप विधि से सिंचाई की जाए। सुझाव सही दिशा में है, परंतु किसान इन विधियों को लागू करने में तब ही पैसा लगाएंगे जब पानी का दाम बढ़ाया जाएगा। पानी सस्ता और पर्याप्त मात्र में उपलब्ध होगा तो किसान इन उपकरणों में निवेश नहीं करेंगे। अत: जरूरी है कि किसानों को दी जा रही मुफ्त बिजली को तत्काल समाप्त  किया जाए। इस बढ़ी हुई लागत की भरपाई गेहूं आदि के निर्धारित मूल्य में वृद्धि से की जानी चाहिए। दूसरा सुझाव है कि नए टयूबवेल लगाने के लिए लाइसेंस जारी किए जाएं। समस्या है कि पूर्व में खोदे गए ट्यूबवेलों से पानी का अति दोहन जारी रहेगा। जलस्तर में जो वर्तमान गिरावट हो रही है वह जारी रहेगी। मात्र इस गिरावट की गति में वृद्धि नहीं होगी। यह मूल समस्या का हल नहीं है। दूसरी समस्या सामाजिक न्याय की है। जिन लोगों ने पूर्व में ट्यूबवेल लगा लिए हैं उन्हें भूमिगत जल के अतिदोहन का अवसर मिल जाएगा। जो अब ट्यूबवेल लगाने को सक्षम हुए हैं वे सदा के लिए वंचित रह जाएंगे।
समस्या से दूसरी तरह से निपटा जा सकता है। हर क्षेत्र में अधिकतम गहराई निर्धारित कर दी जानी चाहिए, जैसे 400 फुट तक डिलिंग करने की छूट दे दी जानी चाहिए। पूर्व में जो इससे गहरे ट्यूबवेल खुदे हुए हैं उन्हें निर्धारित गहराई तक भर दिया जाए। ऐसा करने से 400 फुट के ऊपर का ही पानी निकाला जा सकेगा। इससे नीचे पानी का जलस्तर नहीं गिरेगा। किसानों के लिए मेड़बंदी आदि से पुनर्भरण करना लाभप्रद हो जाएगा, क्योंकि उनके द्वारा पुनर्भरण किए गए पानी को दूसरे द्वारा निकालना संभव नहीं होगा।
समस्या का तीसरा हल फसल चक्र के निर्धारण से निकल सकता है। देखा जाता है कि कम पानी के क्षेत्रों में भी पानी की अधिक खपत करने वाली फसलों को उगाया जा रहा है। जोधपुर में मिर्च, गुलबर्गा में अंगूर, कोटा में नहर के हेड पर धान और बरेली में मेंथा और गन्ना उगाया जा रहा है। ये फसलें इन स्थानों के लिए उपयुक्त नहीं हैं। इन फसलों के उत्पादन को तमिलनाडु एवं बंगाल जैसे जल से परिपूर्ण क्षेत्रों के लिए सीमित कर देना चाहिए। हर क्षेत्र में पानी की उपलब्धता को देखते हुए ही फसल को उगाने की छूट देनी चाहिए। इससे पानी की खपत नियंत्रित होगी और भूमिगत जल पर दबाव स्वत: ही समाप्त हो जाएगा। योजना आयोग को चाहिए कि पानी की कीमत बढ़ाए, ट्यूबवेल की अधिकतम गहराई निर्धारित करे और क्षेत्र के लिए अनुपयुक्त फसलों के उत्पादन पर प्रतिबंध लगाए। साथ-साथ किसानों की बढ़ी हुई लागत की भरपाई मूल्य वृद्धि से करे।
(लेखक आर्थिक मामलों के विशेषज्ञ हैं)

Look what they’ve done to our rivers (The Hindu 16 September 2012)

The Hindu Sand mining being done using machies at Amaravathi sand reach File photo T. Vijaya Kumar

Reckless sand mining from river banks in Rajasthan’s Mewal region is causing drying up of wells, damaging agriculture and thwarting the future of the Jaisamand Lake

At a time when in a situation of escalating water crisis in Rajasthan the topmost priority is supposed to be accorded to water conservation, hundreds of wells, four rivers and a huge lake are all threatened by reckless mining. This is happening in Mewal area of Udaipur district, right in the catchment area of one of the region's most important lakes — Jaisamand.

Till some time back, nearly 100 villages of the Mewal region (including parts of four tehsils — Lasadia, Girva, Vallabhnagar and Salumbar) were known for prosperous agriculture and flourishing animal husbandry.

These livelihoods were fed by water from four rivers and hundreds of riverside wells. The water of the seasonal rivers filtered down to wells helping to maintain year-round good water level that watered the abundant crops.

All this changed with the advent of large scale sand mining in the rivers and later, the introduction of heavy machinery for this purpose. As huge quantities of sand were lifted from river-beds day after day, the recharge of river water in wells was severely affected. Several wells dried up fully, while water level in others was lowered drastically.

Agriculture spread over a vast area is now denied irrigation. In addition, several riverside fields were eroded and trees have withered.

Other than these visible damages, the long term implications are more harmful.

As public interest lawyer Mannaram Dangi, who has studied this issue closely, says, “In the longer term, this large scale mining also poses a bigger risk in the form of denial of water to Jaisamand Lake. The catchment area of such an important lake should have been well protected; but earlier rampant tree felling was carried out and now indiscriminate mining has caused even more damage to this catchment area.”

After studying the fast changing situation in these villages, the people's forum for environment and human development (PFEHD) — Paryavaran Evam Manav Vikas Lok Manch — has concluded that the base of sustainable livelihoods including agriculture and animal husbandry has eroded very rapidly after the advent of large scale mining.

With the sharp decline of irrigation and farm production, forced migration in search of livelihood options has several folds.

If mining goes on unchecked, all these disturbing trends will be accelerated in the near future, the Jaisamand Lake will be threatened and the entire region will become more drought-prone.

Drawing attention to these various problems, the PFEHD has demanded in a memorandum submitted to the State’s Mining Department as well as other authorities that sand mining in Gomti, Kharka, Jamri, Makrari, Ruparel rivers and other smaller rivulets should be stopped immediately, keeping in view the large scale damage already done.

In addition, the organisation has demanded that an experts’ panel should be constituted to assess the damage caused by excessive sand mining and suggest appropriate measures for repairing it and protecting water sources.

Millennium depot to stay if govt alters master plan (Times of India 14 September 2012)

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Thursday granted six months' time to the Delhi government to amend the Delhi Master Plan, 2021, to convert the temporary bus depot at Yamuna Bank opposite the Millennium Park into a permanent one.

While disposing of petitions that claimed that constructing a permanent bus depot on the river bank is in violation of the Master Plan and DDA's zonal plan, and raises environmental concerns, a bench of acting chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw, said if the government fails to amend the Plan in the given time, the bus depot will have to be relocated.

The court also asked the petitioners to present ecological objections when the government begins the amendment process. "There is a specific procedure for effecting the change in the Master Plan which includes issuing a notice to the public and inviting objections. Once the procedure is complete, it is up to the petitioners to file their objections and raise environmental issues which will have to be considered," the court said.

The court order said, "Six months have been granted to the (Delhi government) to make changes in the Master Plan; to change the land use if possible, and bring it in conformity with the present use. In case the Master Plan is amended in this manner, the bus depot would continue to operate from the given site."

If the amendment fails then DTC will have to ask DDA "to allot an alternative site. Feasibility of the site at Mayur Vihar can also be considered at that stage".

The court accepted Delhi government's standing counsel Najmi Waziri's submission that the government was planning to modify the Master Plan. "As per MPD 2021, the land use of the site is river/ water body. Admittedly, any construction has to be in conformity with the Master Plan. May be for this reason, when the land was allotted to DTC before the Commonwealth Games, it was for the purpose of 'temporary' parking, that too, in view of the security threat perceptions prevailing in the region," the court said.

The court order came on two two petitions that alleged that building such a depot near the Nizamuddin Bridge would also pose an environmental threat as it is located on an active flood plain and water recharging area. One of the petitioners, Anand Arya, claimed he had obtained the information through an RTI application and alleged that the depot was constructed in contradiction with the opinion of Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC). He said the Commission had suggested that a permanent structure cannot be constructed on the river bank. DTC, however, has built Asia's largest bus terminal on the 60 acres of land.

In the second PIL, environmentalist Vinod Jain contended that the depot was constructed temporarily for the Commonwealth Games after which it should have been dismantled.

HC gives nod to make millennium depot permanent (Hindustan Times 14 September 2012)

In a major blow to environmentalists, the Delhi high court on Thursday allowed the state government to make the DTC millennium bus depot on the banks of the Yamuna a permanent structure.

A bench headed by acting chief justice AK Sikri gave the government six months to amend the master plan to alter the land use from recreational to transport and bring it in conformity with the present use.

  The court said that in case if the government did not amend the master plan, there would be no option but to re-locate the depot.
The court gave the judgment on PILs filed by environmentalists Manoj Mishra and Vinod Jain demanding demolition of the depot on the grounds that construction was against the master plan and zonal plan for the river.
It said that such concretisation will badly affect the water recharge capacity of the area and will prove harmful for the river.
The depot was temporarily constructed by the DTC for the Commonwealth Games.
"The reality is that as per Master Plan Delhi 2021, land use is river water body. So any construction has to be in conformity with the master plan and therefore let it be amended to change the land use," the court said.
The government's standing counsel Najmi Waziri told the court that lieutenant-governor Tejinder Khanna had on January 31 this year allowed the DDA to change the land use of the depot and since it had become a policy decision, there was not much scope for the court to intervene.
The court also took on record Waziri's contention that the site when acquired for the bus depot was not a riverbed but a fly ash dumping ground since 1960. 
The court made it clear to the government that proper procedures like issuing notice to the public at large and inviting objections from the public should be followed while amending the master plan.

DMRC cleans roads with Groundwater (Hindustan Times 05 September 2012)

Delhi Metro has drawn flak for allegedly extracting groundwater, without any permission, and even using
it for cleaning the roads around the construction site near Mandi House. Experts suggest that recycled water should be used. Lot of earth is dug out for the construction of another underground station. It is transported to different locations in trucks at night Jitender Tyagi, DMRC's director (works) said.

In the morning, water from same source is used for cleaning the roads around the construction site and the area around the Mandi House round about. Saying that the bore well is necessary, Tyagi said, "The bore well will be removed once the construction is over." He claims that the bore well is useful to de-water the area. De-watering being the process of removing groundwater from the soil or sub-surface to ensure that the underground construction activity remains dry.
New Delhi Municipal Council's (NDMC) spokesperson said the civic body had not given any permission for digging the bore well. "Ultimately we need to use this water somewhere," Tyagi added.
Pointing out that this is a clear violation of the laws, environmentalist Manoj Misra said, "That the bore well is needed for de-watering or that it is temporary, is no excuse. Also, clean ground water can be and needs to be used for drinking purposes only and not for cleaning the roads. The roads can be cleaned after the water has been treated at a plant,"Misra added.
When Tyagi was questioned as to why DMRC was not using re-cycled water for cleaning the roads, Tyagi said, "We will consider this suggestion for the future."

Over-stretching limited resources (Hindu 03 September 2012)

The Hindu One the colonies in Dabri which were regularized among the 917 unauthorized colonies in Delhi. Photo: V.V. Krishnan

In 2010, a major pipeline that carried water from the Wazirabad treatment plant in the city developed several breaches. Residents were left parched and the civic authorities had to deal with water-logged roads. The Delhi Jal Board that is responsible for the maintenance of this pipeline spent days looking for the origin of the leakage. The water utility could not locate the fault because “illegal constructions”, read houses, had come up on the pipeline itself. And because these illegal constructions could not be razed, the DJB was forced to change the alignment of this three-decade-old pipeline.

The Government-owned power utility, the Delhi Transco Limited, has been for years complaining about houses in unauthorised colonies having come up dangerously close to vital installations including high-voltage overhead lines.

Numerous instances of blackouts and even deaths by electrocution have not prevented houses from arching towards overhead transmission lines.

Water and power utilities are not the only ones complaining, land meant for forests and green areas has been turned into an unplanned, urban jungle. Haphazardly constructed buildings stand worryingly close to monuments and buildings of heritage value. And while heritage conservation experts worry about the message that is being sent out by the regularisation of the unauthorised buildings, the Government insists it will wage a legal battle, but ensure there are no demolitions.

There are approximately 47 colonies that stand on land that is owned by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and 15 in the regulated zone. “Unauthorised neighbourhoods in the vicinity of heritage sites such as the Qutub Minar or Tughlaqabad Fort will disfigure the landscape of the sites. However, implementation of heritage regulations has never been the priority for the agencies concerned,” said Ratish Nanda, conservation architect and expert on heritage preservation.

In the city where providing infrastructure is often preceded by occupation, there is a growing concern about the Government’s decision to regularise all that came up in contravention of the laws. “There is a perception among people that even if they squat on public land, after some years the Government will eventually legitimise it. Irrespective of who is in power, the dependence on vote bank politics has led to growing lawlessness,” complained noted environment lawyer M.C. Mehta.

Mr. Mehta recalled an instance when the Delhi Government informed the Supreme Court that they could not build any more sewage treatment plants, because there was “no land available”. “They don’t have land for essential installations like STPs, but there is land for thousands of illegal constructions, how bizarre is that,” he questioned.

The Government is eulogising its efforts to regularise 1,600 unauthorised colonies of which 917 have been made legit, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has assured that even those colonies that have come up on land owned by the forest department will be regularised.

“Our worry is that encroachers will be emboldened by the Government’s mood. They will allow colonies on land owned by forest and the ASI today, it will be the Zone ‘O’ (river bed/ river front) tomorrow. There is no scope for allowing illegal constructions anywhere, whether it is the rich in the Sainik Farms or the poor in other parts of the city. The regularisation order over-stretches our limited resources,” said Manoj Misra, convenor of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan, a non-government organisation that has been fighting for the preservation of the Yamuna and its flood plains.

Officials of the DJB are tight-lipped about the strain that the regularisation order will put on the system, but they are quick to point out that the Government will have to push for more allocation of raw water if it wants equitable distribution. “As on date we have laid the pipeline network in 823 colonies, of which 735 receive water supply. In some colonies we supply water once every two days; in others the duration is longer. But if we have to supply water to our existing 18 million consumers and the 4 million that are in these regularised colonies then the Government must ensure that we get an additional 80 Million Gallons a Day with immediate effect from Haryana and in the future more water from Bhakra Beas and other sources,” said an official, requesting anonymity.

Power discoms have already been supplying electricity in these unauthorised colonies, but they face the challenge of keeping their installations safe. Pilferage is another issue that the companies have to deal with.

“Sometimes when we try to talk to people about the hazards of living near a power carrying line, they snap at us and tell us its their life that is in danger and they will deal with it,” said a discom official.

Has the Government failed the people, has it abdicated its duty to provide habitable housing for the poor, has it overlooked transgression of law by allowing the unregulated growth of farmhouses?

A.K. Jain, a former Delhi Development Authority official, said: “Planned development is an idealistic situation. We aspire for it, but have to realise that planned and unplanned development go side by side. While there is regularisation of these unplanned areas, we need to focus on the critical aspects as well. The Government must turn attention to in-field development, which means large properties or vacant spaces can be used for building group housing societies, where there will be proper infrastructure, roads, and sewers. The Master Plan also identifies that there should be 15 per cent housing developed through in-field development.”

Opinion in favour of regularisation is pivoted around human rights and allowing residents a chance to live with dignity. Attention is drawn to the unhygienic, unhealthy living conditions in these colonies, some of which are marked by mounds of garbage, broken roads, water-clogged streets and no civic amenities.

“I would not like to comment whether the unauthorised colonies and slums should have come up at the first place. The fact is that 50 per cent of Delhi is now living in unauthorised colonies and slums, and at this stage the most important issue and challenge is how to improve their habitation,” said Raj Rewal, chairperson of the Delhi Urban Art Commission.

The DUAC has offered to take up suo motu studies to improve the living conditions for unauthorised colonies.