Their days of freedom are over. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has rounded up 130-odd dogs from the Games Village in a drive that began on Thursday and continued till Friday. Friendicoes SECA (Society for the Eradication of Cruelty to Animals) said they have temporarily relocated these dogs to a dog sterilization centre at Ghazipur. The civic agency will be carrying out similar drives at all the 17 Games venues.
According to a dog census, there are over 2.8 lakh stray dogs in Delhi. Keeping this in mind, the civic body has decided to permanently deploy 15 dogcatchers inside the Games Village during the Games.
Some MCD officials also said because of the heavy rains, some small snakes were also found inside the Village complex. They are roping in snake catchers now.
More than 75 tonne of construction waste alone was lifted and collected by the MCD staff in the past 48 hours.
The sanitation drive continued on Friday with the workers of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) giving a helping hand to the MCD workers.
To ensure cleanliness was up to the mark, the Village was cleaned thrice — the MCD had deployed 500 sanitation workers and about 50 supervisory officials to co-ordinate the cleanliness works while the NDMC deployed 500 workers.
The MCD was assigned the job of cleaning the outside premises of the Village and the basements. The NDMC's job was to clean the inside area of the residential complexes and 34 tower blocks located in the Village.
The entire cleaning work was divided into three parts wherein one part was dedicated to cleaning the residential towers including the rooms, toilets, corridors and staircases.
"The other group was asked to clean the other surface areas of the residential blocks, the green area, and the third group was assigned the job of clearing construction waste and garbage from the residential blocks," said a senior NDMC official, wishing to remain anonymous.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Can't pump out water from Games Village: Civic bodies (Hindusran Times 25 Sreptember 2010)
The fear of the spread of various vector-borne diseases, just like the water collected at the Games Village, refuses to ebb. And the government isn't doing anything. The Delhi government and civic agencies have abandoned all plans to pump out water from the Commonwealth Games Village. Reason: They have no place to pump out the water.
The government had initially asked the National Disaster Management Authority and explored asking the Army to look for ways to drain out water from the area.
"It didn't work out. There's no question of pumping out water; where do we divert the water towards with the Yamuna already overflowing?" asked Dr V.K. Monga, chairman of the MCD's public health committee.
"We can't pump out water on the roads as it will lead to further waterlogging."
He said digging wells to store water is also not an option, as the ground water level has risen in the last couple of months from about 100 feet to 10 feet below the surface.
Incessant rains over the last couple of months have resulted in accumulation of rainwater within the premises, which at some places is as deep as 30 feet.
The areas on the sides of the stretch starting from Mayur Vihar-I till the Nizamuddin Bridge, the stretch from Akashardham temple towards the metro line and near Gate no.1 of the Village are waterlogged.
Pools of water mean breeding of mosquitoes and health experts fear not just disease-causing mosquitoes, if the situation did not improve, the entire area could turn into a mosquito hub.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be dengue-causing mosquitoes. There's malaria, chikungunya and other vector-borne diseases. Wet surfaces are ideal breeding grounds for all kinds of mosquitoes," said a senior health official in the Delhi government.
Spraying of larvicide is the only possible solution but not an effective one.
"Since the water is flowing, the insecticide sprayed isn't very effective. We are spraying twice a day which requires extra manpower and money," said an MCD official.
The problem will become worse once the water starts receding.
"We will have to start from scratch once the water starts settling. Rains have wrecked havoc this year," said Dr Monga.
The government had initially asked the National Disaster Management Authority and explored asking the Army to look for ways to drain out water from the area.
"It didn't work out. There's no question of pumping out water; where do we divert the water towards with the Yamuna already overflowing?" asked Dr V.K. Monga, chairman of the MCD's public health committee.
"We can't pump out water on the roads as it will lead to further waterlogging."
He said digging wells to store water is also not an option, as the ground water level has risen in the last couple of months from about 100 feet to 10 feet below the surface.
Incessant rains over the last couple of months have resulted in accumulation of rainwater within the premises, which at some places is as deep as 30 feet.
The areas on the sides of the stretch starting from Mayur Vihar-I till the Nizamuddin Bridge, the stretch from Akashardham temple towards the metro line and near Gate no.1 of the Village are waterlogged.
Pools of water mean breeding of mosquitoes and health experts fear not just disease-causing mosquitoes, if the situation did not improve, the entire area could turn into a mosquito hub.
"It doesn't necessarily have to be dengue-causing mosquitoes. There's malaria, chikungunya and other vector-borne diseases. Wet surfaces are ideal breeding grounds for all kinds of mosquitoes," said a senior health official in the Delhi government.
Spraying of larvicide is the only possible solution but not an effective one.
"Since the water is flowing, the insecticide sprayed isn't very effective. We are spraying twice a day which requires extra manpower and money," said an MCD official.
The problem will become worse once the water starts receding.
"We will have to start from scratch once the water starts settling. Rains have wrecked havoc this year," said Dr Monga.
A dam serious problem (Hindustan Times 24 September 2010)
The downstream impact of dams in the Brahmaputra river basin has been a major issue of concern in recent years in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh (AP), even as plans unfold to develop at least 135 large hydropower projects to produce approximately 57,000 MW of electricity in AP alone. The past three months have seen major developments on the issue. Both an Expert Committee of Academics and a House Committee of the Assam Legislative Assembly submitted reports in June and July 2010 respectively, raising serious questions on the viability of upstream mega dams, with the under construction 2000 MW Lower Subansiri project being particularly in focus.
On August 12, the Rajya Sabha saw a lively discussion on the issue in response to a calling attention motion by MP from Assam, Birendra Prasad Baishya. On September 10, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh held a public consultation on the issue in Guwahati as a follow-up to an August meeting with a delegation led by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, a major peasants’ movement in Assam.
Over the past few years, downstream impact concerns raised in the North-east include: loss of fisheries, changes in beel (wetland) ecology in the flood plains, impact on agriculture on the chapories (riverine islands and tracts), disruption of intricate socio-cultural linkages of indigenous communities with the river systems, increased flood vulnerability due to massive boulder extraction from river beds for dam construction and sudden water releases from reservoirs in the monsoons, dam safety and associated risks in this geologically fragile and seismically-active region.
One of the key issues that has come up is the drastic daily variation in river flows, which will take place after these dams are commissioned, particularly in winter. For example, the average winter (lean season) flow in the Subansiri river in its natural state is about 400 cubic metres per second (cumecs). Both the ecology of the downstream areas and peoples’ use of the riverine tracts in winter is adapted to this ‘lean’ but relatively uniform flow of water through the day.
After the commissioning of the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri project, flows in the river in winter will fluctuate drastically on a daily basis from 6 cumecs for around 20 hours (when water is being stored behind the dam) to 2,560 cumecs for around 4 hours when the water is released for power generation at the time of peak power demand in the evening hours. Thus, the river will be starved for 20 hours and then flooded for 4 hours with flows fluctuating between 2 per cent and 600 per cent of normal flows on a daily basis.
The flow during peak load water releases in the Subansiri river in winter will be equivalent to average monsoon flows and will cause a ‘winter flood’, drowning drier riverine tracts that are used by both people and wildlife on a daily basis in winter. The downstream livelihoods and activities likely to be impacted by this unnatural flow fluctuation in the Eastern Himalayan rivers include: fishing, flood-recession agriculture, river transportation and livestock rearing in grasslands for dairy-based livelihoods. But downstream communities are yet to be officially acknowledged as project-affected persons due to upstream dams.
Flow fluctuations in rivers like Lohit, Dibang, Siang and Subansiri will severely impact breeding grounds of critically endangered grassland birds like the Bengal Florican, foraging areas of the endangered wild water buffalo, habitat of the endangered Ganges river dolphin and important national parks like Dibru-Saikhowa and Kaziranga.
The natural flow pattern of a river is like its ‘heart beat’ and alternate starving and flooding of these major rivers on a daily basis is a threat to the ecological and social security of the Brahmaputra floodplains. Comprehensive downstream impact assessment and public consent must be a mandatory part of the process which decides whether to grant or reject clearances to these dams.
Neeraj Vagholikar is a Panos South Asia Media Fellow (2010-11) and a member of the environmental action group, Kalpavriksh
The views expressed by the author are personal
On August 12, the Rajya Sabha saw a lively discussion on the issue in response to a calling attention motion by MP from Assam, Birendra Prasad Baishya. On September 10, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh held a public consultation on the issue in Guwahati as a follow-up to an August meeting with a delegation led by the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti, a major peasants’ movement in Assam.
Over the past few years, downstream impact concerns raised in the North-east include: loss of fisheries, changes in beel (wetland) ecology in the flood plains, impact on agriculture on the chapories (riverine islands and tracts), disruption of intricate socio-cultural linkages of indigenous communities with the river systems, increased flood vulnerability due to massive boulder extraction from river beds for dam construction and sudden water releases from reservoirs in the monsoons, dam safety and associated risks in this geologically fragile and seismically-active region.
One of the key issues that has come up is the drastic daily variation in river flows, which will take place after these dams are commissioned, particularly in winter. For example, the average winter (lean season) flow in the Subansiri river in its natural state is about 400 cubic metres per second (cumecs). Both the ecology of the downstream areas and peoples’ use of the riverine tracts in winter is adapted to this ‘lean’ but relatively uniform flow of water through the day.
After the commissioning of the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri project, flows in the river in winter will fluctuate drastically on a daily basis from 6 cumecs for around 20 hours (when water is being stored behind the dam) to 2,560 cumecs for around 4 hours when the water is released for power generation at the time of peak power demand in the evening hours. Thus, the river will be starved for 20 hours and then flooded for 4 hours with flows fluctuating between 2 per cent and 600 per cent of normal flows on a daily basis.
The flow during peak load water releases in the Subansiri river in winter will be equivalent to average monsoon flows and will cause a ‘winter flood’, drowning drier riverine tracts that are used by both people and wildlife on a daily basis in winter. The downstream livelihoods and activities likely to be impacted by this unnatural flow fluctuation in the Eastern Himalayan rivers include: fishing, flood-recession agriculture, river transportation and livestock rearing in grasslands for dairy-based livelihoods. But downstream communities are yet to be officially acknowledged as project-affected persons due to upstream dams.
Flow fluctuations in rivers like Lohit, Dibang, Siang and Subansiri will severely impact breeding grounds of critically endangered grassland birds like the Bengal Florican, foraging areas of the endangered wild water buffalo, habitat of the endangered Ganges river dolphin and important national parks like Dibru-Saikhowa and Kaziranga.
The natural flow pattern of a river is like its ‘heart beat’ and alternate starving and flooding of these major rivers on a daily basis is a threat to the ecological and social security of the Brahmaputra floodplains. Comprehensive downstream impact assessment and public consent must be a mandatory part of the process which decides whether to grant or reject clearances to these dams.
Neeraj Vagholikar is a Panos South Asia Media Fellow (2010-11) and a member of the environmental action group, Kalpavriksh
The views expressed by the author are personal
Magsaysay Award winner seeks Games Village demolition (The Pioneer 23 September 2010)
Almost a year after the Supreme Court held that the Commonwealth Games Village was not constructed on Yamuna's riverbed, noted environmentalist and Magsaysay Award winner Rajender Singh has yet again sought a review of the order claiming that the Games Village should be demolished to save Yamuna's ecosystem.While heavy rains in parts of north India have caused Yamuna to flow above the danger mark, this has given Singh a perfect opportunity to click pictures of the Games site to suggest that the Village along with concrete structures were situated on Yamuna's riverbed and flood plain.The Supreme Court order of July 30, 2009 had refused to accept the case of the petitioner (Rajender Singh and others) that the constructions made by Delhi Development Authority and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation should be demolished as it stood on flood plain area. This would adversely affect the recharging of water causing harm to Yamuna's ecosystem, he had said.Finding fault in the SC decision, the review petition filed by advocate Anitha Shenoy stated, "The decision to construct flats in the riverbed/flood plain was illegal, wrong and has damaged the environment. It has created umpteen problems for the people of Delhi, including the water problem."Supporting its claim with the Expert Appraisal Committee report of Union Environment Ministry, the environment impact assessment report prepared by DDA, and the NEERI reports of 1999 and 2005, the petition said, "An exhaustive survey of different zones of the Yamuna found that the site in question falls within riverbed."The petitioner has annexed photographs of the Yamuna in spate to suggest, "It is an established fact that what is encroached upon by CWG Village and DMRC is riverbed/flood plain." Due to the huge embankment, water has entered jhuggies, colonies and villages in low-lying areas in the Capital and surrounding places. It is argued if the 2009 verdict was allowed to stand, "it will justify all constructions on the riverbed and will destroy the river and its rich ecosystems."Seeking permission to list the matter in open court, the petition has further urged the Court to consider sending a team of experts to visit the site and direct appointment of expert committee to submit report on the "true scientific assessment" of the river, its riverbed and flood plain, and the damage caused to it due to the constructions. BJP wants PM to step inPNS New Delhi: Charging the Organising Committee, the Central and the Delhi Governments with adopting a 'casual and careless approach' to the CWG Games, the BJP on Wednesday demanded Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take a 'personal interest' in hosting the Games successfully. "The GoM, the Government of India and the Delhi Government cannot escape from their failures and accountability. The Prime Minister should step in and assure the nation that everything will be done timely," senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu said, while addressing the media.He said the BJP wanted the Games to be a success and was against playing politics over CWG, the biddings for which were won after much effort during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee regime.Expressing concern over the collapse of an under-construction overbridge at the JLN stadium, Jama Masjid firing incident, complaints of CWG Federation president Michael Fennel, collapse of the false ceiling of a weightlifting arena, Naidu said that such events were sending a "wrong signal to the international community".All loopholes will be plugged: CongPNS New Delhi: Embarrassed over the controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games, the Congress on Wednesday said all possible steps would be taken to plug the lacunae and hold the Games successfully."We are deeply concerned. Unfortunate things have happened," admitted Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi when asked about the collapse of an under-construction foot-overbridge, a false ceiling falling apart at a Games venue and criticism over cleanliness at the Games Village."If there is culpability and allegations, it will be looked into. But now, we have to show to the world that India can hold a successful Commonwealth Games as national honour, pride and prestige is at stake," he said.He, however, parried questions regarding responsibility of PM Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Delhi CM Sheila Dikshit for holding the Games successfully as the party has been in power in Delhi for over a decade and at the Centre for the last over six years.
River-linking project won't be allowed through tiger reserve, says Jairam (Hindu 04 October 2010)
“24 km of proposed link canal between Teesta and Sankosh rivers runs through Buxa Tiger Reserve”
The linking of two major rivers in north Bengal – as part of the National River Linking Project – would not be allowed through the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), said Union Minster of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh on Sunday.
Environmental concerns related to the project – particularly the splitting of the elephant corridor into two parts and the cutting down of trees to make way for the canal – were raised by State's Forest Department officials during Mr. Ramesh's visit to north Bengal on October 1.
“I will take up the matter. The project will not be allowed if Buxa is submerged,” Mr. Ramesh told The Hindu over telephone, adding that an alternative must be sought.
Of the 137 km of the proposed link canal between the Teesta and Sankosh rivers, 24 km runs through the BTR and another nearly 35 km through other forest areas, said R. P. Saini, BTR's field director.
Important component
According to information provided by the Water Resources System Division of the National Institute of Hydrology, this link is an important component in the planned link between Manas, Sankosh, Teesta and the Ganga that will connect the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Dams are proposed at Manas and Sankosh as a part of the project.
The link passes through parts of north Bengal that shares a border with Bangladesh thus raising security concerns as well.
“If executed, the project would cause a major disturbance in the forest areas. Firstly, it would split the elephant corridor, which was already fragmented towards the south of the reserve by a Railway line, into two zones,” said Dr. Saini.
Secondly, to construct a canal that is eight to ten metres broad would mean lakhs of trees have to be chopped. It would also affect tiger and rhino conservation efforts and cause irreparable damage to herbs, shrubs, soil and other things that constitute the biodiversity of these forest areas, he added.
In 2009, the National Water Commission has suggested an alternative route between Jagihopa and Faraka through the Teesta which passes through a forest free zone. However, this may require a greater investment because of an unfavourable gradient in some places, Dr. Saini said.
“Despite the expense, we must press for the alternative channel to be used because the environmental cost that the project demands is huge,” he added.
The linking of two major rivers in north Bengal – as part of the National River Linking Project – would not be allowed through the Buxa Tiger Reserve (BTR), said Union Minster of Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh on Sunday.
Environmental concerns related to the project – particularly the splitting of the elephant corridor into two parts and the cutting down of trees to make way for the canal – were raised by State's Forest Department officials during Mr. Ramesh's visit to north Bengal on October 1.
“I will take up the matter. The project will not be allowed if Buxa is submerged,” Mr. Ramesh told The Hindu over telephone, adding that an alternative must be sought.
Of the 137 km of the proposed link canal between the Teesta and Sankosh rivers, 24 km runs through the BTR and another nearly 35 km through other forest areas, said R. P. Saini, BTR's field director.
Important component
According to information provided by the Water Resources System Division of the National Institute of Hydrology, this link is an important component in the planned link between Manas, Sankosh, Teesta and the Ganga that will connect the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. Dams are proposed at Manas and Sankosh as a part of the project.
The link passes through parts of north Bengal that shares a border with Bangladesh thus raising security concerns as well.
“If executed, the project would cause a major disturbance in the forest areas. Firstly, it would split the elephant corridor, which was already fragmented towards the south of the reserve by a Railway line, into two zones,” said Dr. Saini.
Secondly, to construct a canal that is eight to ten metres broad would mean lakhs of trees have to be chopped. It would also affect tiger and rhino conservation efforts and cause irreparable damage to herbs, shrubs, soil and other things that constitute the biodiversity of these forest areas, he added.
In 2009, the National Water Commission has suggested an alternative route between Jagihopa and Faraka through the Teesta which passes through a forest free zone. However, this may require a greater investment because of an unfavourable gradient in some places, Dr. Saini said.
“Despite the expense, we must press for the alternative channel to be used because the environmental cost that the project demands is huge,” he added.
Rising Yamuna threatens to flood Games Village (Hindustan Times 23 September 2010)
The swelling Yamuna river has added to the woes of the authorities who are already battling allegations of “shoddy” arrangement in the Commonwealth Games Village. The rising water of the river on Wednesday reached the doorsteps of the Games Village. At 207.05 metres, the rise in the water level has broken a 32-year-old record. While the flood situation in the city intensifies, only an embankment lies between the river and the Games Village, which is built on the river bank.
The area surrounding the Games Village was inundated earlier as well. However, the authorities maintained that there was no need to panic. “The embankment along the village has kept the water out of the Village.
The chances of river water entering the site are minimal,” said Ish Kumar, chief engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Department. The stagnant water is likely to raise more problems for the authorities, who are also fighting an outbreak of dengue in the city.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people living in the low-lying areas have been shifted to relief camps near the CWG Village and Akshardham Temple. The incessant rainfall in the city has also intensified the city's woes.
The rains have left the roads near the Village waterlogged with a large number of construction workers falling victim to dengue and malaria. The weatherman has predicted a cloudy sky with rain and thundershowers for Thursday as well. Delhi has seen one of its wettest monsoons this year with the city receiving over 1,000 mm of rains.
The area surrounding the Games Village was inundated earlier as well. However, the authorities maintained that there was no need to panic. “The embankment along the village has kept the water out of the Village.
The chances of river water entering the site are minimal,” said Ish Kumar, chief engineer, Irrigation and Flood Control Department. The stagnant water is likely to raise more problems for the authorities, who are also fighting an outbreak of dengue in the city.
Meanwhile, hundreds of people living in the low-lying areas have been shifted to relief camps near the CWG Village and Akshardham Temple. The incessant rainfall in the city has also intensified the city's woes.
The rains have left the roads near the Village waterlogged with a large number of construction workers falling victim to dengue and malaria. The weatherman has predicted a cloudy sky with rain and thundershowers for Thursday as well. Delhi has seen one of its wettest monsoons this year with the city receiving over 1,000 mm of rains.
70 evacuated from flooded Noida village (Hinduatan Times 23 September 2010)
Seventy people were evacuated on Wednesday by the rescue team from Gulavli village which got flooded. Another five were being evacuated till late evening. District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal said, “Three villages have been affected by floods. These are Motipur, Momnathan and Gulavli. Residents of these villages have been evacuated by the rescue team.
Today, seventy people were evacuated by rescue team from Gulavli village. Five persons were still stranded in the village and a rescue team had sent a boat to evacuate them."
Schools in the Khadar area have also been directed to remain closed
Today, seventy people were evacuated by rescue team from Gulavli village. Five persons were still stranded in the village and a rescue team had sent a boat to evacuate them."
Schools in the Khadar area have also been directed to remain closed
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