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Bihar's #1 web magazine.

About bihardays.com…

Bihardays.com, the largest portal of Bihar is proud to be associated with Dr
Ashok Ghosh as our regular columnist for ‘Ecoscope–Bihar’, a column most
widely followed by our readers in Bihar, India and worldwide. Bihardays has a
daily readership of 40-60,000 individuals from across the globe including the
small towns of Bihar, Indian metros like Delhi and Bangalore as well as global
hubs like London, New York and Sydney, and interestingly also Middle East and
South East Asia. Devoted to news analysis and perspective, bihardays posts
include themes from politics, science, economy, arts and environment. The
singular purpose of bihardays is to raise the level of public discourse in Bihar to
greater intellectual levels through focus on issues of common everyday concerns.

About Dr Ashok K. Ghosh, our columnist for Ecoscope-Bihar…

Dr Ghosh’s contributions to bihardays have now come to be seen by our readers
as significant interventions in the public life of Bihar for several reasons. First, he
has been able to make the point to the common reader that serious and
committed academic research is essential for the development of Bihar, a concern
that bihardays fully shares with Dr Ghosh. Second, Dr Ghosh has been able to
convince many of our readers that Bihar must avoid the so-called shortcuts to
development and give due attention to issues such as afforestation, water quality
and waste management, to quote some of the issues raised by him in our
columns. Third, Dr Ghosh has combined scientific rigour with human concerns in
all his contributions to bihardays, which is fully in tune with our own philosophy.
To make an overall point Dr Ghosh’s writings have been on par with the best
anywhere in the world and his high intellectual standards have inspired
bihardays to sustain a high level of discourse without compromise.

It is thus a pleasure for us to produce a compilation of his articles for informal
circulation. We do hope that the readers will see in our effort the potential for a
full-fledged volume as Dr Ghosh continues to write his Ec0scope-Bihar column
for bihardays every Monday.

Posted by TeamBihardays on Dec 24th, 2010 // No Comment
A new column on environment by Dr Ashok Ghosh
Bihardays, the number one portal of Bihar is proud to announce a column by the
reputed environmentalist Dr Ashok Ghosh starting
Monday, January 3rd 2011. He will be
writing every Mondays.
Dr. Ashok Kumar Ghosh is Professor-in-
Charge in the department of
Environment and Water Management,
A.N.College [Magadh University], Patna,
India. He is engaged in active research in
the area of water quality, especially
arsenic and fluoride contaminations in
groundwater resources. He was the
Principal investigator of UNICEF-
sponsored project on arsenic-affected
groundwater in Bihar and reported many Bihar Days is proud to announce a column by Dr Ashok Ghosh
Arsenic hotspots in four districts of
Bihar(Patna,Bhojpur,Bhagalpur and Vaishali). Dr. Ghosh is one of the
coordinators of European Commission sponsored project “Erasmus Mundus” – a
worldwide cooperation and mobility programme that aims to enhance quality in
higher education and promote intercultural understanding.

Eco-Scope Bihar
When Nature strikes…human beings have no answer…
By Prof. Ashok Kumar Ghosh

I was working in my home (Third Floor) on my computer in the evening on
18th September, 2011 when suddenly the computer screen started shaking. My
home has many rodents, and first I thought that it is mischief by some of them. I
knocked the screen a few times and kept working. But the screen of computer
continued its trembling, and then it came to my mind that it is not a mischief by
rodents, but it is earthquake. I ran for my life downstairs shouting that it is
earthquake. By the time I reached ground floor, it was gone, but almost all of my
neighbours were on road. This was my third encounter with earthquake – the
first was on 21st August, 1988 at Patna, the second was on 22nd December at San
Diego, USA, and third on 18th September, 2011.All the three earthquakes were
mild and by the grace of God the damage was very limited, but we do not know
what the future has in store for us.
Based on the geo-tectonic features, history of past seismic events and potential
hazards from earthquakes, the entire north-eastern and eastern region of India
has been included in the severe seismic Zone V/IV of BIS code. At least a dozen
mega earthquakes of more than 7 in the Richter scale had devastated the region
during the past eleven and half decades and at least two of them – the great
Shillong earthquake of 1897 and the Assam earthquake of 1950, both recorded
8.7 in the Richter scale, are considered among the most severe earthquakes
anywhere in the world. The largest instrumented earthquake in Bihar was
recorded on 15th January 1934 – Location was Bihar- Nepal border and the
magnitude was 8.4 on Richter scale. Close to 10,700 people killed in North Bihar
and Nepal. Heavy damage in the towns of Muzaffarpur, Motihari, Dharbhanga,
and Munger was recorded. Tremors were felt all over the Indian subcontinent, as
far as Mumbai and even Kerala.

Seismo-tectonic analysis of the eastern Himalayan zone has clearly indicated that
many of the transverse strike-slip faults are at present active producing most of
the earthquake events in this zone. The most important of them, from west to

east, are East Patna, Kanchen Dzonga, Yadaon Gulu, Tista, Jamuna, Dudhnoi,
Kulsi, Gyau , Kopili and Bomdila faults . Focal mechanism solutions for well
constrained events occurring along these faults yielded predominantly strike-
solutions but the events occurring along the central Himalayan graben structures
gave normal solutions. It may be mentioned here that the Dudhnoi and Kulsi
faults cutting across the Meghalaya Plateau and Brahmaputra valley also traverse
across the frontal Himalayan fold and thrusts belt.

The state of Bihar lies in the Gangetic Plain. This is a fore-deep, a down warp of
the Himalayan foreland, of variable depth, converted into flat plains by long-
vigorous

sedimentation. This is known as a geosyncline and the Gangetic Plain is the Indo-
Gangetic Geosyncline. This has shown considerable amounts of flexure and
dislocation at the northern end and is bounded on the north by the Himalayan
Frontal Thrust.
The September 18, 2011 Sikkim, India earthquake occurred near the boundary
between the India and Eurasia plates, in the mountainous region of northeast
India near the Nepalese border. Initial analysis suggests the earthquake was
complex, likely a result of two events occurring close together in time at depths of
approximately 20 km beneath the Earth’s surface.
At the latitude of the September 18 earthquake, the India plate converges with
Eurasia at a rate of approximately 46 mm/year towards the north-northeast. The
broad convergence between these two plates has resulted in the uplift of the
Himalayas, the world’s tallest mountain range. The preliminary focal mechanism
of the earthquake suggests strike slip faulting, and thus an intraplate source
within the upper Eurasian plate or the underlying India plate, rather than
occurring on the thrust interface plate boundary between the two. This region has
experienced relatively moderate seismicity in the past, with 18 earthquakes of M
5 or greater over the past 35 years within 100 km of the epicenter of the
September 18 event.
The impact of this earthquake in Bihar was mild, but it should be taken as
warning by nature for future. Earthquake in Bihar came as a nature’s warning
and raised question mark over the congested urban planning. The buildings of all
the cities of Bihar are not built to face the fury of major earthquake. If in future
the earthquake of M6 or greater may be devastating for all the cities of Bihar,
including Patna. Construction of multi-storey buildings in congested urban
locality, which don’t comply with the conditions of earthquake resistant
construction, should be completely prohibited.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Harvesting water, the answer to looming water crisis
By Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh

Demand for water is growing worldwide including India, as everybody on earth
now requires almost double the amount of water needed five years back.With
urban India growing by leaps and bounds and rural India trying to increase
agricultural productivity, we are expected to experience a severe water crisis by
2020, and the per capita availability of water is projected to be less than 1,000
cubic meters.The shortage of water points to a grim situation as it is bound to
adversely affect both economic and agricultural growth.
Irrigated lands, which accounts for almost twenty percent of world, consume
around three quarters of the annual renewable fresh water resources used by
human beings and yield around fortypercent of the world’s food. For this reason,
agricultural specialists are counting on irrigated land to produce most of the
additional food that will be needed worldwide in coming times. However, in
order to achieve this it is well recognized that irrigation efficiency must be greater
and the low-cost irrigation developments must be available for poor farmers.
Meanwhile, it should be remembered that rain fed agriculture still plays ,and will
continue to do so, a critical role in food production as eighty percent of the
agricultural land worldwide is under rain fed agriculture. Among the strategies to
increase agricultural production in rain fed systems, the water harvesting
practices for supplemental irrigation have increasingly been used in an effective
manner in many countries.

Water resource management is of crucial importance for water assessments,
water allocation, design and management of environmental systems. The over
growing population,mainly in developing countries ,and the prospective of
climate change are calling for new approaches for water planning. Considering
the persistently growing pressure on finite fresh water and soil resources, it is
becoming increasingly clear that the challenge of feeding tomorrows population

is to a large extent about improving productivity of water within present land use,
as new arable land is relatively limited.
Water resources are very inefficiently used in both rain fed and irrigated
agricultures.In fact, rain fed agriculture has generally been associated to low yield
levels and high on-farm water loses. It is fundamental that crop output per unit
of water input increase in both irrigated and rain fed systems, as per capita arable
land area is declining even without considering the risk of soil degradation. New
concepts of water resource management in scarcity regions are based on the use
of water harvesting techniques. These techniques were already the basis of
livelihood in arid and semi-arid areas many thousands of years ago, thus allowing
even the establishment of cities in the desert.

During the recent decade the interest in water harvesting has increased and
developing new or adapting old water harvesting techniques, as associated with
the use of modern materials has increasingly been apparently successful in
several countries so that to increase the water availability, either by directly
increasing the spoil water content or by storing it for further application as
supplemental irrigation in order to mitigate water stress periods occurring during
the cropping seasons. Those cases tend to receive the most attention in the
literature. However,the overall success is much less than expected in combining
technical efficiency with low cost and acceptability to potential beneficiaries.
Several national and international have launched programs to investigate the
potential of water harvesting techniques but it is well recognized that much has to
be done in order to clearly identify their real capabilities in several environmental
conditions.

Water harvesting means capturing rain where it falls or capturing the run off in
any village or town, andalso taking measures to keep that water clean by not
allowing polluting activities to take place in the catchment. Therefore, water
harvesting can be undertaken through a variety of ways like
• Capturing runoff from rooftops
• Capturing runoff from local catchments
• Capturing seasonal floodwaters from local streams
• Conserving water through watershed management
The harvested water can be used for drinking, irrigation and also to increase
groundwater recharge. In general, water harvesting is the activity of direct collection of
rainwater. The rainwater collected can be stored for direct use or can be recharged into
the groundwater. Rain is the first form of water that we know in the hydrological cycle,
hence is a primary source of water for us. Rivers, lakes and groundwater are all
secondary sources of water. In present times, we depend entirely on such secondary
sources of water. In the process, it is forgotten that rain is the ultimate source that feeds
all these secondary sources and remain ignorant of its value. Water harvesting means to
understand the value of rain, and to make optimum use of the rainwater at the place
where it falls.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Spices for Healthy Life: a ‘Masala’ for good health!


Spices and aromatics constitute integral part of Indian cooking process. They
have been used since ancient times. They were mentioned in the ancient Hindu
scriptures called the Vedas, ancient Egyptian Papyruses and the Old Testament.
Cinnamon, listed biblically as cinnamon, was part of Moses’ sacred anointing oil
for the Tent of Meeting, the Ark of the Testimony, the holy objects, and the high
priests.The history of the spice trade dates back many centuries. Through nearly
four centuries, the major powers raced each other to the Orient and vied for
control of the spice producing lands. The Scriptures contain references to spices
in 1440 Before Christ of Ishmaelite merchants bearing spices on their way to
Egypt.

Ancient Egyptians used herbs and clay around their eyes and lips as a cosmetic as
well as for protection. Cleopatra later refined this practice to an art. Stories were
told of Pharaohs feeding garlic and onion to slaves, who built pyramids, to give
them stamina and energy and to ward off diseases. Many herbs have a turbulent
history of love and passion, but perhaps the most well-known is basil. In Keats
poem “Isabella and the pot of Basil”, Isabella kept the head of her murdered
loverLorenzo’s severed head in a pot of Basil and watered it with her tears!
Although it was not until the Roman conquests that western counties discovered
their culinary possibilities. Spices have always been believed to have healing and
magical qualities. Indian spices offer significant health benefits and contribute
towards an individual’s healthy life. They add flavour and nutrients to dishes
without fat or calories. They come in different colours, red, yellow, green, brown,
black, and brighten up our food palette! They add taste, colour and variety to the
human existence and cause us to cringe in their absence. Just a pinch here or an
extra there, can make a world of difference! Spice up your life with these herbs,
roots, and plants that benefit your health as much as they do your taste buds:

From keeping our heart healthy and our arteries clear to reducing pain and
warding off cancer, these everyday flavours add a healthy punch and zing to our
life.
A recent study published in online in the Journal of Nutrition, titled “A High
Antioxidant Spice Blend Attenuates Postprandial Insulin and Triglyceride
Responses and Increases Some Plasma Measures of Antioxidant Activity in
Healthy, Overweight Men” has confirmed that Spicing up dinner may have
metabolic benefits, particularly when it comes to insulin and triglyceride levels.
Adding a combination of various spices – including turmeric, cinnamon,
rosemary, oregano, garlic powder, and paprika – to a plain meal significantly
reduced postprandial insulin and triglyceride levels.
It has also been found that Antioxidants like spices may be important in reducing
oxidative stress and thus reducing the risk of chronic disease. The study has
confirmed that the addition of spices significantly reduced insulin and
triglyceride responses to the meal, although there were no effects on glucose.
Compared with the plain meal, insulin levels fell 21 percent and triglyceride levels
dropped 31 percent after the spicy meal. It is recommended that incorporating
spices into the daily diet may help normalize postprandial disturbances in
glucose and lipid homeostasis while enhancing antioxidant defence. Here are a
few spices that can be included in our culinary dishes regularly to keep us healthy
and kicking with energy by accelerating our rate of metabolism:

1. Asafoetida (Hing) – also known as devil’s dung. It is a resin taken from a
plant from the parsley family. It is a distinctive and pungent spice. It is
most commonly found in powdered form. When cooked, it has a truffle-like
flavour and a roasted garlic aroma. It is used mainly for its digestive
properties, especially in the cooking of beans and lentils, as it is reputed to
have anti-flatulence properties. Asafoetida was used in 1918 to fight the
Spanish influenza pandemic. Scientists at the Kaohsiung Medical
University in Taiwan report that the roots of Asafoetida produce natural
antiviral drug compounds that kill the swine flu virus, H1N1. An article
published in the “American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural
Products” states that thecompounds from this plant may serve as
promising lead components for new drug development against this type of
flu.

2. Ginger(Adrak) –It is a warming herb and is wonderful for nausea,
indigestion, diarrhoea and upset stomachs. Its warming effects are great
for the immune system and respiratory problems; Ginger stimulates
circulation of the blood, and removes toxins from the body. Ginger is high
in iron, magnesium, potassium and Vitamins C and E. Ginger also contains
very potent anti-inflammatory compounds called gingerols. These
substances are believed to explain why so many people with osteoarthritis

or rheumatoid arthritis experience reduction in their pain levels and
improvements in their mobility when they consume ginger regularly.
Gingererols inhibit the formation of inflammatory cytokines, chemical
messengers of the immune system.

3. Cinnamon (Dalchini) – Cinnamon has a long history as a fragrant spice
and as a medicine. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, cinnamon is known
for its warming qualities which increase circulation. This enhances
cognitive thinking and increases metabolism. Cinnamon contains
antioxidants to boost the immune system and is an anti-blood clotting and
anti-inflammatory food which helps arthritis pain and helps prevent heart
disease, especially high cholesterol. Cinnamon also contains manganese,
fiber, Vitamin C and calcium. Cinnamon’s unique healing abilities come
from three basic components in the essential oil found in its bark. This oil
contains active components called cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl acetate and
cinnamyl alcohol, plus a wide range of other volatile substances.Some of its
reported uses are in cases of arthritis, asthma, cancer, diarrhoea, fever,
heart problems, insomnia, menstrual problems, peptic ulcers, psoriasis,
and spastic muscles.

4. Garlic (Lahsan) – closely related to the onion. It has a powerful pungent or
hot flavour when raw, which mellows when it is cooked. It has very strong
odour. Bulbs, whose segments are usually called “cloves”, are the part of
the plant most commonly eaten. Garlic is used as a condiment and as
flavouring agent. Garlic pickles and freshly ground garlic chutneys are
popular side dishes for rice, snacks and chappathis. Garlic powder is made
from ground dehydrated cloves and is used widely as a substitute for fresh
garlic. There are two main medical ingredients which produce the garlic
health
benefits: Allicin and Diallyl Sulphides. Garlic helps to purify the blood and lower
blood pressure. It is considered as a cure for heart ailments. Modern science has
shown that garlic is a powerful natural antibiotic. The bacteria in the body do not
appear to evolve resistance to the garlic as they do to many modern
pharmaceutical antibiotics. This means that its positive health benefits can
continue over time rather than helping to breed antibiotic resistant “superbugs”.
Studies have also shown that garlic – especially aged garlic – can have a powerful
antioxidant effect. Antioxidants can help to protect the body against damaging
free radicals.

5. Turmeric (Haldi)- Turmeric is another warming spice. Its orange/yellow
gives Indian curries their distinctive colour. Turmeric is also an anti-
inflammatory spice which helps persons with the symptoms of arthritis,
and can help reduce cholesterol by preventing the build-up of plaque in the

arteries. Curcumin, or cumin, is one of the active ingredients in turmeric
and helps break down fats in the body. Turmeric contains iron,
magnesium, potassium and Vitamins B6 and C.Curcumin, turmeric’s
yellow pigment, has demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory activity in
a variety of experimental models. Clinical studies have further
substantiated curcumin’s anti-inflammatory effects in rheumatoid
arthritis. Curcumin helps the body to destroy mutated cancer cells, so that
they cannot spread into the body and cause more harm.
6. Cayenne pepper (Lal Mirch)-Cayenne pepper is a warming herb which
stimulates the system, improving circulation and helping in cholesterol
reduction. It also improves the digestive system. Cayenne pepper is a good
source of vitamin C and A, the complete B complex, calcium and
potassium. For those with arthritis, cayenne pepper is an anti-
inflammatory herb which can help ease pain. Cayenne pepper breaks up
sinus congestion and is good for respiratory illnesses. The intense heat
produced by cayenne pepper is produced by its high concentration of
capsaicin. This compound is well recognized in clinical research as an
effective pain reliever, as a digestive and antiulcer aid and for its
cardiovascular benefits. In addition capsaicin has the ability to lower body
temperature by stimulating the cooling centre of the hypothalamus in the
brain, helping to deal with the intense tropical heat.

A low metabolism is indicated by lack of energy and weight gain. Although there
are no easy ways to lose weight; we can increase our metabolism to insure greater
success. Use of warming ingredients (spices) in our recipes spice up metabolism
and help us in losing weight more easily. Certainly the number one way to
increase metabolism is to exercise and deep breathing, but there are other easy
ultra-metabolism ways through spicing up our recipes. A side benefit of using
these herbs and spices is that they contain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants to
give our body the added nutrition we need during any weight loss program. The
spicy meals are well tolerated with no gastrointestinal effects, if taken in
moderated quantity. Spices are a wonderful gift of nature to human beings to
enjoy their food and also to keep them healthy. So do not be shy about
experimenting with spices – with all the health benefits they have in store for
you. Experiment with your own combinations of spices on the basis of your taste
buds and health conditions, and create your own “Masala”for your healthy life.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Explosive Population Growth – The Time Bomb

It is estimated that the human population will cross seven billion this year—more
than double what it was just 50 years ago. It is further projected that the world
population will be around 10.1 billion at the end of this century,out of which
approximately 8.2 billion will be living in less developed countries. It is also
estimated that in next 39 years there will be some big shifts among the biggest
countries. By 2050, India will surpass China as the world’s largest population,
growing from 1.24 billion to 1.69 billion as China shrinks from 1.35 billion to 1.3
billion. And Africa’s population will likely have more than doubled by then, with
Nigeria slated to catch up to the U.S. numbers. The figures described here has
been published by David E. Bloom of Harvard University, Boston, USA in the
July , 2011 issue of Science (AAAS).

The study has also predicted that the global life expectancy will rise from age 69
worldwide this year to 76 in 2050. By then, nearly a quarter of the world’s
population is expected to be over 60—which is about double the proportion that
it is today. The speed of migration from rural areas to urban areas will be
accelerated. Currently just over half of the world’s population lives in urban
environments, but by 2050, that figure is expected to be some 69 percent of the
world’s 9.3 billion people.
The recent increase in the world population has been catalysed due to the
following major reasons:
1.The increase in birth rates due to medical improvements
2.The decrease in death rates due to better medical facilities and advancements in
the field of medicine.
3.The increased world’s food production in last ten years in past 10 years by 24
percent.

Is this projected population explosion a boon or a curse? For the European
developed countries like Spain and Italy, where the population is decreasing, this

might be considered as a boon. However, for the developing countries like India,
population explosion is a curse and is damaging to the development of the
country and it’s society. The developing countries already facing a lack in their
resources, and with the rapidly increasing population, the resources available per
person are reduced further, leading to increased poverty, malnutrition, and other
large population-related problems. This population explosion will pose many
direct and indirect challenges in coming years. Some of the direct challenges will
be:
1. Increased Air Pollution Load
2. Increased Water Pollution Load
3. Unemployment and illiteracy
4. Short Supply of Food Resources
5. Pressure on Public Transport System
5. Boom in the price of real state in urban area
There will be many indirect consequences of this population explosion too – most
serious being increased rate of Global warming through anthropogenic activities
of this vast population. As the population will grows exponentially, more and
more forests will be cleared. The two most common reasons for deforestation will
be to make houses for increased number of people to live in, and to use wood as a
fuel in the industries. As the forests are very good sink of greenhouse gases
(GHGs) the declining forest cover will accelerate global warming.

As India is mainly an agrarian country, temperature and climate plays an
important role in the economy of the country. Global warming will affects the
main crops in India in 3 major ways:
1. It is estimated that only a 2O C increase in mean air temperatures will be
enough to decrease the rice yield by 0.75 ton/hectare in high-yield areas like
Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
2. It is also estimated that a drastic increase in greenhouse gases like carbon
dioxide may cause wheat production to fall as much as 68%.
3. Additionally, the changing climatic conditions have the potential to
significantly increase tropical disturbances like cyclones and storms. The rain fall
pattern may change due to global warming disturbing the crop life cycle and
yield.
We’re already way past the carrying capacity of this planet by a very simple
standard. If we allow the population growth like this, and we do not change our
consumption pattern of natural resources, we will require seven earths to sustain
life by the end of this century. Unfortunately till now we have only one earth, and
in near future our scientific community is not in a position to create even one
more earth. So the only choice is to check the population explosion and also
modify our consumption pattern. We will have to work for a gradual decline in
population, and also at the same time for a rapid change in consumption habits.
Action plans and strategies can be developed to increase public understanding of

how rapid population growth limits chances for meeting basic needs. The spirit of
open communication and empowerment of individual women and men will be
key to a successful solution to many population problems. Teachers, parents,
other educators, politicians and other concerned citizens can practice how to
make good decisions in everyday life. Decisions about family size and resource
will affect the future generations. Through community forums, specific issues
about the population growth can be discussed and possible action plans can be
developed. If we do not diffuse this projected” Population Time Bomb”, very soon
it will become a political and social nightmare for planet earth.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Regulation of Ground Water Resource – Need of the hour!

I participated in ‘Consultation meeting on the draft model bill for the protection,
conservation, management and regulation of Groundwater Resources’ last Friday
convened by Planning Commission of India,New Delhi. The objective of the
proposed bill is to safeguard the ground water for our future generations. The bill
is the need of the hour and without implementation of such bill for water
governance, we are going to face severe water scarcity in near future.One of the
main preambles of this bill is the need for protection of ground water from
depletion, deterioration, biological and chemical pollution. It is a commendable
initiative by Planning Commission of India.

Groundwater in India is a critical resource. However, an increasing number of
aquifers are reaching unsustainable levels of exploitation. If current trends
continue, in 20 years about 60% of all India’s aquifers will be in a critical
condition says a World Bank report, Deep Wells and Prudence. This will have
serious implications for the sustainability of agriculture, long-term food security,
livelihoods, and economic growth. It is estimated that over a quarter of the
country’s harvest will be at risk. There is an urgent need to change the status quo.
Non-regulated use of ground water in for agriculture
Effective regulation of ground water requires not only sound legislation but also
the administrative capacity to monitor and enforce rules. This becomes extremely
difficult when there are very large numbers of small users. Today, out of a total of
5723 groundwater blocks in the country, 1615 are classified as semi-critical,
critical or over-exploited, and regulatory directives have been issued by the
Central Ground Water Authority for 108 blocks. However, neither the Authority
nor the state groundwater agencies have the resources or personnel to oversee
the enforcement of these regulations.
Precious ground water –can we utilize it like this forever?
The water sector in different climatic zones of our country has since decades
been exposed to increasing stresses, such as diminishing surface water
resources,depleting aquifers,quality deterioration,inadequate water supplies and

infrastructure and salinization process. According to UNESCO more than 1.1
billion people throughout the world are affected by water shortage and the vast
majority of these people are living in developing countries. India is the largest
user of groundwater in the world, with an estimated use of 230 cubic kilometers
of groundwater every year – more than a quarter of the global total. In fact,
groundwater use has been steadily increasing in India over the last 4-5 decades.
Today, groundwater supports approximately 60 percent of irrigated agriculture
and more than 80 percent of rural and urban water supplies
We have witnessed for decades:
1. Increase in population
2. Expansion in industrialization
3. Improving living condition
4. Development of agriculture and increasing use of chemicals – especially
agrochemicals and detergents.
To satisfy the increasing needs of development non-renewable ground water
resources were developed, not only for municipal use, which can somehow be
justified, but also for irrigation purposes without sound economic analysis, or
provision of substituting these resources or putting investments to enable coming
generations to generate similar resources. The results are depleting ground water
resources and contaminated aquifers.
The degradation in environmental quality is on the increase negatively affecting
surface and ground water resources used for human consumption.The provision
of waste water treatment and reuse, and recycling of solid waste are not adequate
and are expansive to implement. Waste, especially liquid waste ending up in
surface water bodies is causing the major quality problems. The problems are
direct result of human activities and mismanagement by agencies related to water
supply and sanitation.
Overexploitation of fossil ground water for irrigational use is gradually leading to
aquifer depletion even inIndia including our state of Bihar. There is also the
emerging arsenic crisis in Ganga- Meghna- Brahmaputra basins of India. Of the
use sectors which will be most suffering of that depletion is the irrigation sector
with negative impact on society and state .The catastrophes will affect the socio-
economic situation of agriculture depending on these ground water resources.
Industries will be less affected and domestic use has to resort to alternative
sources.
In addition, increasing use of detergent and discharge of untreated municipal
effluent containing phosphate and nitrate to diminish surface water sources, with
high sun illumination and other conditions are gradually leading to increasing
eutrophication problem of major surface water bodies. This is expected to render
these water sources, presently used for drinking purposes, unsuitable for the
same purpose, requiring advance and expensive additional treatment and control
procedures.

The counter actions to reduce the negative impacts of such water quantity and
quality deteriorations are
1. Setting long term strategies for sustainable use of ground water,
2. Introduction of plans and relevant programs in addition to implementation of
remediation measures. These include waste water treatment and reuse scheme,
3. Avoidance of surface water storage of treated water during the dry season and
reducing the use of chemicals.
4. Community management of Ground Water
5. Promoting conjunctive water use in agriculture through micro zone planning
Unless our country takes the necessary proactive measures to alleviate the
problem of over exploitation of ground water anddeterioration in quality of
surface and ground water, we will in the near future face immense water problem
with all the attending socio-economic implications. There is a need to move from
opportunistic exploitation of groundwater resources to more systematic
evaluation of the status of both urban and rural groundwater use and the
contribution it can make to meeting future demand.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Deoghar – a green destination in the month of Shravan

I am back home after spending three days at Deoghar. Deoghar is one of the main
towns of Santhal Parganas in the state of Jharkhand. Deoghar literally means –
the abode of GODS. It is a serene place with a picturesque, natural scenic
location. Lush green forests of Data Jungle form the northern outskirts of this
beautiful little town. Nandan Pahar and Trikutaparbata are two low hills with
forest cover which lie to the north-east and west of Deoghar respectively. Many
small hills also lie along the southern line. Yamunajor and Dharua are two creeks
near the town. The town lies in a hilly tract surrounded by greenery. Deoghar has
one of the 12 famous Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva as well as one of the 51
Shaktipeethas of Goddess Durga lying side by side. The place is called Baidyanath
Dham and it is the only place in India where a Jyotirlinga and
a Shaktipeetha coexist. The Puranas speak of theBaidyanath Jyotirlingam and it
dates back to Treta period.

The temple of Baba Baidyanath dham is situated in a spacious courtyard bounded
by stone walls. In the temple complex there are 22 other temples.
The Baidyanath temple faces east .According to the Shiva Purana, it was in
the TretaYuga that the demon Ravana, king of Lanka brought Shiva Lingam to
Deoghar. The top of the original Shiva Lingam was slightly broken, in keeping
with the legend that it chipped away when Ravana tried to uproot it. The Lingam
has since been rebuilt. Near the temple is the Shivaganga Lake. The
Chandrakoopa well, near the main entrance is said to have been built and
consecrated with water from several pilgrimages by Ravana.

This time period is very significant for Deogharas pilgrims (Kawarias ) travel
from Sultanganj to Deoghar on foot carrying Ganga Jal to be offered to Lord
Shiva. The Distance is 105 KMs and the scene on the road is like an ongoing fair
for one month. A large number of Kawarias (Dak Bums) cover this distance non-
stop within twenty four hours. The festivities known as Shravani Mela continues

for one month during which this area becomes the centre of Shiva Aradhana . The
devotees offer the holy water to one of the twelveJyotirlingas of Mahadev Shiva.
According to my friends residing at Deoghar approximately one lakh devotees
offer Ganga Jal to Lord Shiva every day throughout this month. It was a great
experience for me to be among the Kanwarias and offer prayers in the temple of
Shiva.Their spirit and endurance to complete this journey is exemplary. The best
part of my entire trip to Deoghar was that despite lakks of devotees visiting this
town every day, it was much cleaner as compared to our stinking city of Patna.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Climate Change knows no national boundaries: the need to change
how we behave towards earth
by Prof Ashok Kumar Ghosh

With ocean temperature hitting record highs, Arctic sea ice dwindling, and
glaciers melting faster than ever, it seems that climate change is knocking on our
doors.The urgency is suddenly hitting home for people all around the planet.The
problems associated with the climate crisis seem to be far from being solved – in
spite of intense International debate that have spurred by scientific studies of the
International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in spite of Al Gore and Angela
Markel, in spite of efforts such as Kyoto protocol, the UN meeting at Copenhagen
in 2009, or efforts on the climate front taken worldwide, and in spite of the fact
that the imminent catastrophe is continuing to send its apostles across.

The events in the first two thirds of 2010 as evidence for the catastrophe: the
winter storm Xynthia in Europe at the end of February,the intense flooding in
central Europe from May to early June that caused the second largest flooding in
Germany, heavy storms and strong wind in the US in mid-May that altogether
caused damages of about 7.1 million Euros, intense monsoon rains in Pakistanin
July and August that endangered more than 15 million people homeless, and at
the same time a large number of wildfires that burnt about 200,000 ha in Russia
after a heat wave that lasted for several weeks. Finally, the north east of China
was troubled by heavy flooding in August. It is estimated that the economic cost
for unabated climate change will be about 900,000 Euros by 2050. While these
are alarming issues that must goad individuals and governments out of slumber,
there is a need to analyze the issues that lie at the root of the problem.
Climate crisis is so complex that the resulting problems can only be solved if
solutions take all the various global challenges and threats in to
account.Population growth, excessive use of resources, emissions, and
asymmetries in the economic system has resulted in four earth crisis. These crises

can be understood as dynamically developing critical processes which seriously
endanger our current way of life.They entail:
1. The consequences of climate change and the closely related question of energy
supply. Climate change has a vast amount of serious effects. Long term
disturbances in life supporting functions of our earth system which include not
only easily noticeable drought and floods, but also substantial changes in the
biosphere, especially in oceans and forests.
2. A reduction in the supply of water and food due to the overuse and pollution of
water and soil. Climate change worsens this crisis, especially through increased
intensity and frequency of drought and floods.
3. Social tension due to increased social injustice. The resultant instability and
threats are magnified by the financial crisis or rather by the fracture in the global
economic system. At the same time the consequences of climate change,
especially the reduced water and food supply, is affecting the poor much
morethan the wealthy, further increasing the tension between social groups.
4. The loss of biodiversity. It is well known that our earth is a” life supporting
and stabilizing system” which – next to many other functions – is able to
keep global temperature between 00C and 200 C.This temperature is
regulated in parts by the large ecosystems of our planet, such as rain
forests,wetlands and marine ecosystems. By now it is generally accepted
that biodiversity is an essential precondition for the stability of the current
earth system.

The earth crisis calls for a better understanding of our earth system and for
sustainable solutions to all sectors- especially the water sector and addressing
issues in the economy and development by everyone responsible person in the
society and polity. The earth crisis demand transformation in our behavior
towards earth. People across the globe need to unite in a bid to combat the
environmental problems. It is not a country specific phenomenon and nature
does not recognize national boundaries. Today there is a need for development of
and education in environmental ethics.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Biomass Energy – Ideal alternative energy source for rural Bihar

Biomass materials have been in use since man’s cave-dwelling days for meeting
various human needs including energy. The main sources of biomass energy are
trees, agricultural products and animal waste. Until the middle of 19th century,
biomass dominated the global energy supply with about seventy percent share.
Biomass remains the primary energy source in the developing countries in Asia
even today. Share of biomass in energy varies – from a very high over 75 in
Nepal, Laos, Bhutan, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Myanmar; nearly 50 percent in
Vietnam, Pakistan and Philippines; nearly 33 percent in India and Indonesia, to a
low 10 percent in China and 7 percent in Malaysia as reported by FAO.

India has a long history of energy planning and programme interventions.
Programmes for promoting biogas and improved cookimg stoves began as early
as 1940’s. Afforestation and rural electrification programmes are being pursued
since 1950’s. A decade before the oil crisis of 1973, India appointed the Energy
Survey Committee. The national biomass policy originated later, in the decade of
1970’s, as a component of rural and renewable energy policies as a response to
rural energy crisis and oil imports.
Among the biomass energy sources, wood fuels are the most prominent. With
rapid increase in fossil fuel use, the share of biomass in total energy declined
steadily through substitution by coal in the nineteenth century and later by
refined oil and gas during the twentieth century. Despite its declining share in
energy, global consumption of wood energy has continued to grow. In coming
times biomass can meet some of this increasing energy demand, particularly in
rural India as agriculture is the major source of livelihood. Biomass is generated
in very huge quantity through agriculture, but it is not being managed properly.
In this context the main questions are:
1. What will be production costs for a specific utilization path in a region?
2. Is it possible to produce the biomass-based energy competitively?
3. How to attract investments in Biomass Energy Sector?
4. What plant sizes should be practical and viable?

5. How many production sites are reasonable in any specific area?
6. What is better, a central plant or a decentralized concept with transportation of
raw material and product?
According to a recent document published by Climate Change Community of
Solution Exchange over 1.5 billion people are dependent on biomass for fulfilling
their energy needs worldwide. India imports fossil fuels worth US $ 100 billion to
meet 70% of its energy requirements. Exploring the potential of renewable energy
is crucial for energy, economic security and also for Climate Change mitigation.
Biomass contributes to around 30% of the total primary energy consumed in
India and has potential of about 78,500 MW.

Agricultural residues can be utilized in India in mass scale for generating
Biomass energy. About 225 million Tons of agricultural residue is burnt in fields
every year. Technologies are available to utilize them as raw material for
generation of Biomass energy, but awareness, technical and financial support is
essential for dissemination. Involvement of Self Help Groups for managing
agricultural residues is very important in adopting this alternative energy source.
Equally important is development of transmission line for biomass energy. There
are many challenges in promotion and popularization of Biomass Energy:
• Restrictive perception of biomass as a traditional fuel for meeting
rural energy needs and focus on the supply-side push.
• Since energy markets are non-existent or weak in rural areas, the
traditional approach did not consider any role for market in
promoting biomass supply or efficient use.
• Limited capacity to assess and adopt technological options.
• Lack of funds for research and development.
• Few incentives for investment in biomass energy sector.
• Limited number of skilled professionals.
• High charges by the distribution company preventing third party
sale.

Husk Power System working in Bihar for supply of Biomass Power is one of great
success stories in this field .This company illuminated the first village from its
first 100% biomass based power plant that uses discarded rice husks to generate
electricity in August 2007, and today it is the leading company to promote
Biomass Energy for Rural India. Beginning with Tamkuha in Bihar, the ‘Husk
Power System’ designed by NRI entrepreneur Gyanesh Pandey has gone on to
dispel darkness in a large number of villages since its inception in India. Husk
Power’s technology is simple by design: It utilizes waste from rice paddies as raw
material and through biomass gasification process a clean fuel is produced to run
a generator. Gasification is a technology that was developed since a century ago.
Gasification technology developed quite well during the Second World War.
However, this technology given up when liquid fuel became easily available at

cheaper rate. Now again this technology is gaining popularity because of
environmental and economic factors. Gasification is basically a thermo chemical
process that converts biomass into gaseous fuel through a gasification medium in
the form of air, moisture or oxygen. Gas products in Gasification are commonly
described as syngas or synthesis gas.
The prestigious Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy recognized Husk Power
Systems last month for its work in rural electrification and empowerment in
Bihar, India. It is estimated that the company has set up 65 rice husk based
power generation plants, which serve over 25,000 households in one of the
poorest regions of India. The company’s mission is ‘Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya’ or
‘From darkness to light’. Husk Power system is leading a revolution in
electrification, helping the low-income people of Bihar out of the oppressive cycle
of poverty by lighting their lives. With some more technological innovations and
adaptations to local conditions the model of Husk Power System may be
replicated on a large scale in rural Bihar and it may be a very significant tool for
poverty alleviation. I Congratulate Mr.Gyanesh Panday and Husk Power system
for their innovation and initiative to provide clean and green energy to rural
Bihar, and also for Ashden Award.
Future of biomass energy in India depends on providing reliable energy services
at competitive cost. India has a Potential of 5000 MW of bagasse based and
16881 MW of agro residue based power production , but only 1338 MW and 861
MW respectively has been achieved till March, 2010.This gap can bridged only
only if biomass energy services can compete on a fair market. Equally important
is establishment of reliable transmission line for uninterrupted power supply.
Policy priorities should be to orient biomass energy services towards market
demand and forces. Most economical option for generation of biomass energy is
utilization of waste materials. However, biomass waste is not sufficient to support
the growing demands for biomass resources. Sustained supply of biomass shall
require production of energy crops and wood plantations for meeting growing
non-energy needs. Land supply, enhanced biomass productivity, economic
operations of plantations and logistics infrastructure are critical areas which will
decide the future of biomass energy in India.

Eco-Scope Bihar
The Kosi confusion: First, understand how Kosi behaves and then
look for solution!

River Kosi often described as the “Sorrow of Bihar” exhibits many unique
characteristics. During the past few hundred years Kosi has shifted its course
from east to west to a distanceof 300kms, leaving behind massive devastation
and vast tracts of uncultivable land.The Kosi river system is the only Indian River
whose hydrology is deeply influenced both by the regional geological complexities
and inputs of annual precipitation and Himalayan glacier melts. This antecedent
drainage system is notorious for its migratory trends, resultant flooding, and a
huge detrital load of boulders and sand.

The magnitude of the shifting of Kosi river is comparable to only Yellow river also
known as “Sorrow of China”, which shifted 375 miles north from its1852 position.
Kosi is an antecedent river older than the mighty Himalayas and finds place in
many Hindu mythological texts as a very agile river called “Kausiki”. Kausiki was
a mermaid goddess worshiped by the citizens of “Matsya Pradesh” as described in
the “Vishnu Purana”.
Kosi and its tributaries originating in the northern Tethyan Himalayan zone cut
across the Great Himalayanand Lesser Himalayan Ranges in a number of deep
gorges and ultimately flow into the great alluvial floodplains of the Indo-Gangetic
Plain. The Indo-Gangetic Plain is a deep crustal trough filled with Quaternary
sediments. Its origin and structure are closely related to the rise of the
Himalayas. Changes are still taking place at the bottom of this trough giving rise
to occasional earthquakes in the north Indian plains..Neotectonic movements
affect regional slope bysinking or uplifting a particular block of the crust. A
change of gradient, even if very slow, affects thedirection and rapidity of surface
run-off and river discharge.
The folklore of Bihar’s Mithilanchal, which is among the world’s most
impoverished regions despite its rich culture, has always been interlaced with the
chronicling of the Kosi’s changing course. The first credible mapping of the
meandering river was, however, attempted in 1779 by a British surveyor who

tracked its course since 1731. Over the past 250 years, the river has shifted about
120km from east to west but the .August 18, 2008 breach near Kusaha in Nepal
was among the most devastating because the Kosi moved to the east — taking
over a million people by total shock.Till now, the Kosi has already flowed through
an estimated 15 courses during recorded history and, therefore, it is said that
there is hardly an inch of land in Mithilanchal through which the untamed river
has not passed at some point in time.
Man has lived with floods since the very inception of his existence but the impact
of floods was not felt in the past due to small population. With rapid growth of
population, flood plains are now densely occupied. The wanton destruction of the
forests for reclaiming areas for cultivation and other uses has resulted in an
anomalous situation where floods have shown more destructive trend.
The Kosi floods are predictable ecological event and it has devastated North Bihar
many times, but still our politicians have paid no attention to the science of this
river. The repeated inundations by the waters of the Kosi in Bihar and the
resultant widespread human suffering have been declared a natural disaster. Year
after year the kosi belt is devastated by flood and relief contributions pour in
from national and International agencies. Political leaders keep busy blaming one
another for small political gains. Water recedes ultimately and people start
returning to their original habitat. Life returns to normal schedule, with a feeling
that the natural disaster has been successfully taken care of. Most of money spent
supposed to be spent on flood relief is swindled, and only a small fraction of relief
material reaches the suffering masses.

Our political leadership is not aware of the immense risks associated with this
casual approach to the flooding by this mighty HimalayanRiver. There is a need
for a comprehensive report on the ecological background of the repeated Kosi
tragedy based on interdisciplinary scientific studies.
The problem, in its latest form, began after the Kosi was embanked in 1950.The
jacketing of the river has proved to be disastrous. The river’s flow was controlled
but there was no way to check the resulting siltation. This complicated matters
and new threat is looming again this year as a good monsoon is predicted this
year with heavy rain fall in Kosi catchment area. The position of Kosi after
Kusaha breach in 2008 was the natural drainage position of that time due to
tectonic changes after the formation of embankment. The Government of Bihar
reverted Kosi to the pre 2008 breach, which was wrong step in my opinion. Our
remote sense studies has clearly suggested that the eastern part of Kosi fan is
subsiding and that has been confirmed by recent news coming in through print
and electronic media – Kosi river is flowing deeper near the eastern
embankment. There is high pressure on eastern embankment.
I saw many visuals on TV channels last week with devastating Kosi threatening
the eastern embankment of Kosi. There is urgent need to take precautionary
measures to protect this embankment so that once again we do not face the

situation of 2008 by Kosi floods. There is also a need for in depth study for Geo-
morphological study in Kosi Fan area and tectonic changed going on in this area.
The ecological complexity of the Himalayan rivers is nothing new, but the
knowledge of their hydrology and geomorphology is old, though it has remained
underdeveloped. Owing to unexplained governmental reservations on disclosing
detailed data on these rivers, related river research has not been taken up in the
public domain. It will not be an unfair to say that the management of these rivers
is going on without much contact with the advances in interdisciplinary
knowledge on river systems made in the recent decades.
Time is running out for India to take the difficult but inevitable path of using
ecological sciences, instead of taking the unscientific escape route of describing
extreme but predictable ecological processes as natural disasters. The cost of
delay will be very high, in terms of frequent recurrence of the widespread
devastation and human misery as we have seen in the case of the Kosi. In my
opinion the best solution to solve the Kosi menace will be going back to the
historical experience of living with the flood in the plains, allowing Kosi to follow
its natural position and adjusting livelihoods and infrastructure to the annual
inundation.

Eco-Scope Bihar
26th JUNE, International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug
Trafficking

The United Nations General Assembly in 1987 decided to observe the 26 June as
“The International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Drug Trafficking” as an
expression of its determination to strengthen action and co–operation to achieve
an international society free of drug abuse. Drug abuse is the use of a drug or
other substance for a non-medical use, with the aim of producing some type of
‘mind-altering’ effect in the user. This includes both the use of illegally produced
substances, and the abuse of legal drugs, in a use for which the substance was not
intended. Often this involves use of the substance in excessive quantities to
produce pleasure, to alleviate stress, or to alter or avoid reality.

Alcoholism and drug addiction is among the most prevalent, complex, and
destructive illness in human society, they are found in every segment of society,
regardless of race, religion, and socioeconomic class. Most significant is their
impact on physical and mental health, family relationships and child
development, road safety, criminal justice, and the economy.
Children’s earliest interactions occur within the family and can be positive or
negative. For this reason, factors that affect early development in the family are
probably the most crucial. Children are more likely to experience risk of drug
abuse when there is lack of mutual attachment and nurturing by parents, or
ineffective parenting, or a chaotic home environment.
Most of persons abuse drugs to help them change the way they feel about
themselves and/or some aspect of their lives. They experience some problems
associated with their drug use but use those experiences to set appropriate limits
on how much and how often they use. Seldom, if ever, repeat the drug-related
behaviours that have caused them problems in the past. Drug abusers get
complaints about their using and accept those complaints as expressions of
concern for their well-being.

People who are addicted to drugs experience negative consequences associated
with using but continue to use despite those consequences. They set limits on
how much or how often they will use but unexpectedly exceed those limits. They
promise themselves and/or other people that they will use in moderation but
break those promises. They often feel guilty or remorseful about their using but
still fail to permanently alter the way they use.
There are many signs and symptoms of drug addiction. Addiction to any drug
may include these general characteristics:
• Feeling that one needs the drug on a regular basis to have fun, relax or deal with
their problems.
• Giving up familiar activities such as sports, homework, or hobbies.
• Sudden changes in work or school attendance and quality of work or grades.
• Doing things one normally wouldn’t do to obtain drugs, such as frequently
borrowing money or stealing items from employer, home or school.
• Taking uncharacteristic risks.
• Anger outbursts, acting irresponsibly and overall attitude change .
• Deterioration of physical appearance and grooming.
• Wearing sunglasses and/or long sleeve shirts frequently or at inappropriate
times.
• Not spending time with friends who don’t use drugs and/or associating with
known drug users.
• Engaging in secretive or suspicious behaviours such as frequent trips to storage
rooms, restroom, basement, etc.
• Talking about drugs all the time and pressuring others to use drugs.
• Feeling exhausted, depressed, hopeless, or suicidal.
There are seven categories of commonly abused drugs in our society –
Cannabinoids (e.g., hashish and marijuana) , Stimulants (e.g., amphetamines and
cocaine) , Depressants (e.g., Xanax and Quaaludes) , Narcotics (aka opioids and
morphine derivatives, e.g., heroin, opium, Vicodin) , Hallucinogens (e.g., LSD
and mescaline) , Dissociative anaesthetics (e.g., PCP) and other compounds (e.g.,
steroids and inhalants)
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, USA has published a list of commonly
abused drugs and their street names, along with intoxication effects and adverse
health consequences. All of the drugs pose a high potential for addiction.
Drugs and effects click on link for details
The web portal “Teen-Drug-Abuse” has many suggestions on how to talk to teens
about drug use, which can be practiced by all of us as a part of campaign against
drug abuse. Here are some of them which are simple and practical to follow:
• Educate yourself – Find out about the issues. Check with local schools, agencies
and information services for the resources you will need. Find books at the local
library. The more informed you are, the easier it will be to discuss the issues.
• Be accessible and open-minded – The idea is to open a dialogue. Listen to what
your teens have to say. Ask questions and do not judge.

• Be clear – Your main message should be clearly stated: “don’t use drugs” should
be the core theme of your discussions.
• Keep it relaxed – Avoid the “We have to talk” approach. Relax and talk about it
over supper or when you’re driving to the mall. If you are casual, it will help your
children to be more honest and willing to talk.
• Grab opportunities – Use teachable moments. If you have just seen a TV show
or poster that discusses the issue, use this to allow the discussion to come up
naturally.
• Discuss peer pressure – Talk about ways to say no and how to deal with the
pressures to conform and fit in.
• Practice what you preach – Kids imitate adults. If you abuse drugs yourself, no
matter what you tell your teens, your actions speak louder than words. Avoid
being a hypocrite and perhaps it is time that you examine your own problem first.
Educate, be accessible and open-minded, be clear, keep it relaxed, grab
opportunities, discuss peer pressure, and practice what you preach.
Today I appeal all my readers to pledge that they will never abuse drug, and be
alert all the times so that none of their family members fall into the trap of drug
addiction. I also appeal to break the silence – using the basic facts, talk openly in
the family and community about the reality and danger of drug abuse and HIV &
AIDS.

Eco-Scope Bihar
World Environment Day – 5th June, 2011: save forests and save our
future

Editor’s note: Since today is the World Environment Day, Prof Ashok Ghosh’s
column is appearing today instead of Monday.

Today is The World Environment Day. I started my day with newspapers and a
cup of tea .Almost all the newspapers were splashed with substantive coverage of
world environment day (WED)-2011.It is good to seethat thelevel of awareness
towards our responsibility to mother earth, and proactive role of media is
increasing. The theme for this year’s WED is: Forests: Nature At Your
Service.The theme is very timely and relevant, as the forests are the biggest
protector for life on earth. They are being devastated by increasing pollution load
at global level through anthropogenic activities.

As per UNEP statement “Forests cover one third of the earth’s land mass,
performing vital functions and services around the world which make our planet
alive with possibilities. In fact, 1.6 billion people depend on forests for their
livelihoods. They play a key role in our battle against climate change, releasing
oxygen into the atmosphere while storing carbon dioxide. “The forest is also
considered as green lungs of mother earth which provides oxygen for survival of
all seven million human beings on earth.
Forests are also feeder for many of our rivers and are essential to supplying the
water for nearly 50% of our largest cities on earth. They create and maintain soil
fertility; they help to regulate the often devastating impact of storms, floods and
fires. The forests are also rich reservoirs of biodiversity.The forests contain about
50% of nature’s biodiversity.It is estimated that there are about 1700 tree species,
over 1200 species of birds, and thousands of microbes in forest ecosystem. 95
species of different ants have been found on a single tree of Amazon forest in
North America.Scientists estimate that only 10 % of species of forests are known,
may be less if we include microbial biodiversity.

The forest and tree cover of India as per the State of Forest Report 2009,prepared
by Forest Survey of India ( based on satellite data) is 78.37 million ha
in2007,which is 23.87 % of the total geographical area of country. In contrast the
forest cover of Bihar is only 6,804 km 2, which is 7.23% of the state’s
geographical area. Bihar has 231km2 very dense forest, 3,248 km2 moderately
dense forest and 3,325 km2open forest.Comparison of the current forest cover
(Satellite data of Oct 2006- Feb, 2006) with previous assessment(Satellite Data
Oct- Dec, 2004 – Jan,2005) shows a loss of 3 km 2 of forest cover in Bihar.
Bihar is left with very little forest cover after creation of separate state of
Jharkhand. There is urgent need for rapid forestation in Bihar to protect its
environment and climate.All of us will have to join hands and contribute towards
this mission. I appeal to readers of my column to take the following pledge to
celebrate WED 2011:
1. At least plant one tree every year – there is no upper limit.
2.Say no to plastic bags – use cotton or jute carry bags
3.Conserve water – recycle grey water
4. Avoid use of CFC containing sprays and appliances to protect ozone
layer.
5. Use properly maintained fuel efficient vehicles to cut down emission of
toxic gases.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Is Patna preparing or refusing to prepare for Monsoon: the state and
status of our garbage!

Our state capital is one of those cities where we have become accustomed to
seeing mountains of garbage on roads. It is a dreamland for industries related to
solid waste disposal and generation of energy from waste. Patna High Court on
April 26, 2010 in reply to a PIL, issued a directive to Patna Municipal
Corporation to get sewer lines, drains and manholes cleaned. A division bench
comprising Chief Justice Dipak Mishra and Justice Mihir Kumar also directed the
civic agency to put dustbins across the city for collection of garbage. The bench
asked PMC to take action against those found throwing garbage and polythene
bags on the road.

More than a year has elapsed since this judgement, and despite the court order
nothing has changed. A tour to different localities of Patna, even the so called
“posh colonies” will give you an idea how seriously we take the court order. A few
dustbins may be seen here and there but they are so over filled or mis-utilized
that they are no more dustbin but monstrous stink bombs with foul smell,
compelling you to run fast.
The pre-monsoon cleaning of canals, the de-clogging of drains and the removal of
silt from Canals in all the Divisions of the Corporation is progressing fast already.
Majority of the city drains have been de-clogged. However all the solid waste
extracted from open canals have been left on the road. There was a
thundershower on 20th May, due to which half of the waste has already fed into
the canals again. The remaining waste will go back to its origin at the onset of
monsoon, leading to clogged drains.

The narrow roads have become narrower due to random disposal of the waste
removed from the clogged canals. My residence is located in Professors Colony
located near Mohanpur pump house, PunaiChak. I clicked a few photographs
today to show the readers of my column the outcome of cleaning of the drainage
in my locality.

A large number of drains have been constructed in Patna with a view to create
efficient drainage system in the city, but the drains and manholes have proved to
be a cause of concern for the residents of many localities of Patna due to their
poor upkeep. At many places the manholes are located above the road. According
to a rough estimate there are about a thousand manholes in the municipal limits
of Patna. While the old city areas falling under the Patna City and Bankipore
circles have less number of manholes, the new areas falling under the
Kankerbagh and NutanRajdhani circles have majority of them. Many of the
manholes are without cover, very risky for old persons walking through roads
with open manholes. In many new colonies of Patna there is no systematic
drainage system. There is the problem of temporary septic tanks through which
ground water used for drinking is being contaminated. Kankerbagh, Patna City,
Rajendra Nagar, Mithapur and MussalapurHaat, Khashmahal, Chitkohra and
many more small colonies remain as dirty as ever. There are open drains, waste
from households find their way directly to roads, meat is sold openly in places
like Boring Road and Raja Bazar and defecation/urination in public is regular
civic eyesores. The stench is sickening and repulsive.

There is a huge cow dung dump behind my house created by unauthorized
persons keeping their cows in temporary hutments. Crows and dogs add to our
woes by rummaging this waste. My seven year old grandson from Hyderabad
came here to spent a few days, as his school was closed. Everyday in the morning
during his stay, he used to stand on the balcony staring the cows and the heaps of
cow dung at the back of my house. When he went back to Hyderabad, his friends
asked him – what did you see in Patna? His innocent and spontaneous answer
was cowdung and cowdung and more cowdung!
That is the summary of the pre-monsoon status of our city – Patna.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Is Eucalyptus Tree Friend or Foe? Recent research shows no basis for
bias!

Eucalyptus tree is one of the exotic trees grown in many parts of world, including
India. Tailapatra, Sugandhapatra, Tailaprana, and NilgiriTaila are the other
common names used for the Eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is a tall evergreen tree. It
attains the height of more than 300 feet. Leaves of the tree on juvenile shoots are
opposite, sessile

cordate-ovate and covered with a bluish white bloom. The adult leaves are
alternate, lanceolate and are 6-12 inches long and 1-2 inches broad. It flowers are
cream in colour. The appearance of its bark varies with the age of the tree. Its
bark consists of long fibers and can be pulled off in long pieces.
It was Baron Ferdinand von Müller, the German botanist and explorer (from
1857 to 1873 Director of the Botanical Gardens in Melbourne), who made the
qualities of this Eucalyptus known all over the world, and so led to its
introduction into Europe, North and South Africa, California and the non-
tropical districts of South America. He was the first to suggest that the perfume of
the leaves resembling that of Cajaputoil might be of use as a disinfectant in fever
districts, a suggestion which has been justified by the results of the careful
examination to which the Eucalyptus has been subjected since its use was
initiated in medicine.
Today, Eucalyptus is used worldwide in pharmaceutical products such as pills,
liquids, inhalers, salves, ointments and even in sweets. It helps relieve symptoms
of colds, flu, chest congestion, sore throats, bronchitis and much more.
Eucalyptus is known for its use either as an essential oil or leaf tea for its ability
to relieve congestion and ease breathing in colds. It oil is also used as the pain
reliever foe sore and overextended muscles. The essential oil of Eucalyptus
contains cineole, a potent antiseptic that helps in killing the bacteria and fungi. It
helps in increasing cardiac action. It is taken in all types of fever. It helps in

purifying the blood. It lowers the blood sugar. It brings relief to the patients of
Asthma and bronchitis. It is the excellent topical remedy for aching joints and
rheumatism. It helps in improving the blood circulation. Eucalyptus is also used
as the pulpwood in the manufacture of the paper as well as raw material. It is
used as the poles for the construction of huts and houses. It is used in making
plywood, doors and windows.

There is a myth that Eucalyptus trees absorb huge quantity of water and may
deplete ground water. Despite the enthusiasm with which eucalyptus has been
received and promoted by policy makers and forest department officials alike, its
large-scale establishment in India since the early 1980’s has invoked passionate
criticism from environmentalists, social activists and some NGO’s. There are
many arguments against this plant:
1. Eucalyptus is water intensive, and reduces water available for other species,
effectively out-competing them. In arid areas, the consequent suppression of
other plant life, coupled with a high water demand, reduces soil moisture,
preventing the recharge of groundwater, and can reduce local water tables. This is
exacerbated by a high transpiration rate indicative of the inefficient use of water.
2. Eucalyptus is nutrient intensive, which creates deficits for other plant life, a
process that is exacerbated by its low returns in leaf litter to the soil. Thus it does
not promote the building of humus, and by implication, does not contribute to
the long-term fertility of the soil, as other species might resulting in an overall
nutrient impoverishment of the soil.
3. Eucalyptus is toxic, due to allelopathic properties, which serve to reduce not
only other plant life, including crops, by restricting germination of other species,
but is also detrimental to soil micro and macrofauna.
However, recent studies on water consumption of Eucalyptus contradictthis
myth. A forestry investment body in Minas Gerais, a region of Brazil, has recently
conducted a series of studies into the consumption of water in eucalyptus
plantations. The data showed that, from an annual precipitation rate of 1299.0
mm, 57.1% (741.0 mm) was taken up by eucalyptus trees in the process of
transpiration , 9.8% of the total rainfall (128, 0 mm) was evaporated (evaporation
is the direct transfer of water from the surface of plants and soil to the
atmosphere). Between 0.5 to 1.3% (16.9 mm) were taken directly from the soil
surface and 31.8% (414.0 mm) infiltrated the soil and replenish the water course.

The conclusions drawn were that transpiration of 741.0 mm per year or 2.3 mm
per day is similar to other forest species and perennial crop species and therefore,
the information generated suggests that groves of eucalyptus trees do not
consume excessive quantities of water. The nutrients in soil around Eucalyptus
were also quantified, and it was observed that the effect of this plant is almost
same as any other normal tree. Considering the benefits we get from Eucalyptus,
we should promote growth of this plant without any bias.

Eco-Scope Bihar
An Eco-spiritual experience – A day at Bakhorapur

Last week was hectic for me with a combination of scientific activities and
spiritualism. Two scientists Prof. J. Bruining and Dr. M.E. Donselaar, Erasmus
Mundus academicians from Technical University, Delft, The Netherlands were
with us for a collaborative research related to arsenic contaminated aquifers of
Bihar. The study area for this project is Bakhorapur. I often saw many tempos
and trucks in Patna carrying the slogan - ‘jai ma bakhorapur wali’, my arsenic
research project gave me an opportunity to see this place and seek blessings
from Ma Kali Bakorapurwali on last Tuesday.

Bakhorapur is village situated in BhojpurDistrict. This village is located at a
distance of 65 kms from Patna, the capital of Bihar. Here is a famous temple
dedicated to Goddess Kali. This temple was constructed in 1862. It was renovated
in 2003 and construction work is still going on. The Temple committee is
planning to put a huge idol of Ma Kali with a height of 105 feet. This temple is
now attracting devotees and tourist from distant places. Majority of them are
coming here to attain the blessings of Goddess Kali. Other than offering Prayers
to Maa Kali, the Temple also helps thousands of poor people; achieve their
dreams by providing free Sewing Machines, Tri-Cycles, sticks for blinds, and by
arranging free marriage functions of girls from poor families. When we visited
this temple many marriages were going on. It was good to see the rituals,
colourful dresses, and also co-operation between different marriage groups. The
best part of the marriage here was cost cutting and time management, suited to
our rural economy.

The temple is renovated on very large scale and now it is a specimen of art and
architecture. It is a beautiful temple which charms both devotees and scientific
community. The temple committee provided help to our researchers working in
Bakhorapur under very harsh and hot climatic conditions. A room was provided
for night stay for them ,and food was also arranged by a small sweet shop run
near Mandir. Without the help of Temple Committee and blessings of Ma Kali

our research work going on since last two months would not have materialized.
Through this column, I convey my most sincere thanks to Ma Kali Mandir Trust
of Bakhorapur.
Ganga flows very near to Bakhorapur and the water of Ganga is pure and pristine
here despite lots of pollution load from cities located westward to Bakhorapur.
We are yet to test the water samples collected from Ganga,but visual observation
indicates that water is good for bath and if filtered by ordinary sand filter ,even it
can be used for drinking. We took a boat ride in Ganga with temperature at
410 C. It was very hot on the riverbank, but got cool breeze in between the two
banks. The banks of river ganga at Bakhorapur is sedimentologists paradise with
very good natural sedimentation layers ,very much intact and preserved due to
limited anthropogenic activities.

Bakhorapur is important for another reason- ground water in this area is heavily
contaminated by arsenic. We have detected arsenic level in ground water of
Bhojpur up to 1861 ppb against the permissible WHO and BSI limit 0f 10 ppb for
safe drinking water. More than six thousand drinking water sources of Bhojpur
have been tested for arsenic content by my research group. Approximately 45% of
tested drinking water sources had arsenic content of more tha 10 ppb. Many
persons with visible symptom of arsenic poison have been identified by us. Our
research group with visiting scientists are working on the sedimentology of the
Ganga Basin and trying to formulate a predictive model for arsenic distribution in
ground water of Bihar. For the first time, in scientific collaboration with the
arsenic research group in A.N.College, two 50 meter bore wells have been drilled
with complete core recovery. In addition, petro-chemical logs have been obtained
in order to understand the distribution of permeability in the subsurface of the
study area near Bakhorapur. Significant data has been generated for arsenic
mobilization in the Gangetic Plains of Bihar. The initial findings indicate that the
subsurface architecture in Bihar is different from other arsenic affected areas in
the Bengal Delta Plain. The results will have a huge impact in current thinking of
arsenic mobilization in fluvial environments.

It was also sad to see the local population of Bakhorapur drinking arsenic laced
water despite ourreport related to arsenic contamination in Bhojpur District
submitted to GoB and Unicef way back in 2006. There was no mitigation
initiative in the villages I visited in this trip. I have advised the local population to
revive the open dug wells in this area for arsenic safe water and alternatively
drink Ganga water after filtering it by sand filter, till Government of Bihar makes
alternative arrangement.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Gangetic Dolphins face threat of extinction: a call for immediate
intervention

We do not know exactly that how many species there are in the world .We also do
not know how fast they are disappearing. Less than two million have been
catalogued and estimates of the total vary wildly, ranging from seven million to as
many as eighty million. The currently accepted working estimate is fourteen
million.
Looking at on a geological timescale, the planet’s biodiversity has always been
faced with threats of one form or another. Mass extinctions have a history almost
as long as biodiversity. There are five known cataclysmic extinctions in the
Earth’s history. The biggest, at the end of the Permian era 250 million years ago,
which eliminated between 75 and 95 percent of all species, while the best known,
65 million years ago, saw the extinction of dinosaurs. The extinctions appear to
have been caused by massive climatic disruptions, some at least due to
anthropogenic activities.

Fresh water dolphin (Platanistagangetica) is one of the species facing the threat
of extinction which requires immediate intervention by both scientific
community and government. It has many common names like Ganges river
dolphin, blind dolphin, Ganges dolphin, Ganges susu, Gangetic dolphin, hihu,
side-swimming dolphin, Plataniste du Gange(Fr) and Delfín del Ganges(Sp) .It is
the largest aquatic mammal in river systems with approximate Length of 2.70
meter for mature male and 2.12 meter for mature female.
Ganges River Dolphins prefer deep waters, in and around the confluence of two
or more rivers. They share their habitat with crocodiles, fresh water turtles and
wetland birds. Being a mammal, the Ganges River dolphin cannot breathe in the
water and must surface every 30-120 seconds. Because of the sound it produces
when breathing, the animal is popularly referred to as the ‘Susu.’ The Ganges
River dolphin is found in the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Karnaphuli and Meghna

River systems, from the foot of the Himalayas downstream to the upper limits of
the tidal zone.
The presence of dolphin in a river system signals a healthy ecosystem. Since the
river dolphin is at the apex of the aquatic food chain, its presence in adequate
numbers symbolizes greater biodiversity in the river system and helps keep the
ecosystem in balance. Earlier this species was quite abundant, but there is
evidence that populations have severely declined more or less throughout its
range. A recent survey conducted by WWF-India and its partners in the entire
distribution range in the Ganga and Brahamaputra river system – around 3,700
miles – identified fewer than 2,000 individuals in India.

Ganga, our most revered river is unable to sustain the population of freshwater
dolphins found in our country. The dolphins living a pathetic life in the Ganga are
fighting a losing battle for their survival due to high level of pollution and
poaching for their precious oil. The water levels and flow patterns in rivers also
greatly determine the spread and the migration of the dolphins. They are known
to collect in deeper parts of the rivers with a preference for areas with eddies in
the dry periods from October to April, and migrate to other stretches in the
monsoons when the water levels rise. The health of the river, then, is crucial to
the long-term well-being of the dolphin.
Their life is threatened by local fishingcommunity, ecologically insensitive
irrigation practices, and disposal of municipal waste into Ganga without any
treatment. Polluted water flowing into the river from a number of tributaries is
severely straining the habitat of these shy mammals. Adding more to its miseries
is fast depletion of water in Ganga due to construction of more than 50 dams for
short term gain. Heavy siltation is also leading to decreased depth of river
Ganga.The population of the district of Patna is 5.77 million, with a density of
1803 per km2, as of the 2011 census of India.The majority of this population has
habitations on or near the banks of Ganges.The sewerage generated by this huge
population goes mostly without any treatment into Ganga.
As per the information available from CPCB, about 250 million litres/day of
sewerage is generated from Patna town alone, whereas total installed capacity of
the three treatment plants located at Saidpur, Beur and Pahari is only 105 million
litres/day.Even if we assume that the three treatment plants are running to its
full capacity, there is a gap of about 145 litres/day ofsewerage going into Ganga
untreated every day. The fact is that most of time these treatment plants do not
run due to power shortage, or mechanical defects, or both. The impact of this
huge pollution load on Gangetic Dolphin can be imagined by anybody without
any scientific research.
I have visited Vikramshila Ganges River Dolphin Sanctuary near Bhagalpur many
times in last seven years. The dolphins receive very little protection along the
course of the Ganga. The fishermen flout norms to carry out large-scale fishing in
the protected areas.Despite being an endangered species, little research has gone

into understanding the behaviour, migration and precise population size of
dolphins in Ganga. There is no proper scientific census on their population and
migration. There is a need for year-round surveillance of dolphins to protect this
endangered species. There is a need of intensive awareness program to protect
the Gangetic dolphins. Following initiativesare required for the long-term
conservation of the Gangeticdolphins.
• Micro dolphin monitoring units should be formed in association with local
communities in the identified important dolphin habitats. These units must be
equipped with modern sophisticated instruments to monitor the dolphin
population and their behaviour in Ganga.All the units should be networked to a
central authorityto create a scientific database of dolphins in Ganga,Meghna and
Brahamputra rivers.
• Fishing community should be educated to identify the dolphins and protect
them.Stringent legal action must be taken against any person responsible for
poaching of dolphins.
• During the rainy season, dolphins usually migrate through the tributaries of
river Ganga. Steps should be taken to protect these seasonally migrating
dolphins. All the tributary mouths must be treated as important dolphin habitats
and fishing controlled in these tributary mouths.
• A detailed scientific study should be undertaken on the ecology, behaviour,
biology and genetics of the Gangetic dolphin, which will help in the long term
conservation of dolphins.

Eco-Scope Bihar
Har Har Gange…

I go for Gangasnan every year twice – once on Satuani and second
on Mahalya for Tarpan to our family members who are no more in this physical
world. This ritual is going on continuously since my father expired. Earlier I felt
very fresh after Gangasnan, but during past few years, I do not feel as good
before because of the clash between the scientist and a follower of Hindu religion
within me.

River Ganga sustains the agro-based economy of the Indian Plains, and also has
religious and cultural connotations for the teeming millions residing along its
banks. River Ganga is held in high esteem since time immemorial and Hindus
from all over the world cherish the idea of a holy dip in the river under the faith
that by doing so they will get rid of their sins of life.

More than 400 million people live along the Ganges River. An estimated
2,000,000 persons ritually bathe daily in the river. To millions of people it is
sustainer of life through multitude of canal system and irrigation of the wasting
load. The current environmental changes induced by anthropogenic activities are
increasingly affecting the unique physico-chemical properties of this great river
water. Simultaneously, glacial recession in the Himalayan source region of the
Ganga due to current global warming, is affecting the flow of the Ganga river
system. Construction of a large number of dams on Ganga between Gangotri and
our city Patna is further aggravating the situation.
Our study has revealed that there has been a rapid decrease in glacial cover in the
Himalayan source region of the Ganga. The reduced volume of river water is
leading to ecological disaster in Bihar in the form of truncated channel flows, and
increasing sedimentation. A rapid shift in the river meander occurred in western
part of Bihar state within past few years, which also may be attributed to active
neotectonics, as revealed in the basins of the Bagmati and Kosi rivers- tributaries
of the Ganga. This, along with pollution load, has aggravated aquatic life, as
revealed in large-scale herniation in the zooplanktons.

Our study has confirmed that pollution and climate change is altering the ecology
of the Ganga Basin in the state of Bihar. As per the BSI standard, while the level
of coliform present in water should be less than 500, present level of coliform at
all the Bathing Ghats of Ganga at Patna has recorded more than 500. It is
estimated that about Rs.350 Crores were spent through Ganga Action Plan to
clean Ganga; the outcome was 75% pollution load increase. In Patna alone there
are twenty nine Nallas disposing untreated sewage into Ganga. Loss of natural
vegetation of Diaraland is also adding to siltation. The depth of Ganga has
decreased from thirty five ft to fifteen ft since 1985 due to heavy siltation.

Millions of liters of sewage is daily disposed into Ganga from the municipal towns
located at the bank of river Ganga. Apart from sewage, disposal of half-burnt
human bodies in Ganga and hazardous medical waste from the hospitals due to
lack of an incinerator are also adding to pollution levels in the Ganga. There is no
land for disposal of dead body at Patna. There is no budget in Patna Municipal
Corporation for disposal of dead bodies. The irony is the fact that we, the Hindus
address Ganga as mother and we are the top polluters of Ganga. Everyday tons of
garbage in plastic bags are dumped in Ganga as the outcome of religious rituals
by us.

I interviewed many persons on Ganga Ghats of Patna, and found that there is lack
of awareness among masses about the effect this waste on Ganga. There is a need
for concerted effort by general public, media and NGOs. And Government bodies
to keep Ganga healthy and clean so that we make take bath with Har Har
Gange coming from our heart.

Electronic Waste (e-waste): Hazard of Modern Life

There was a news published in Telegraph on 7th March 2011 which stated that
Kolkata is generating much more electronic waste than a few years back and very
little of it is being recycled, increasing the risk of an environment disaster. Time
has come to take notice of such news as e waste is going to be another manmade
disaster on earth very soon.
The electronic industry is the world’s largest and fastest growing manufacturing
industry of modern age. During the last decade, it has assumed the role of
providing a forceful leverage to the socio – economic and technological growth of
a developing society. The consequence of its consumer oriented growth combined
with rapid product obsolescence and technological advances are a new
environmental challenge – the growing menace of Electronics Waste or e-waste.
Electronic waste or e-waste is made of those electronic equipment/ products that
connect with power plug, batteries which have become obsolete due to
advancement in technology, changes in fashion, style and status and nearing the
end of their useful life.
Today every house in urban area including slums has one or more electronic
equipment. It has become a daily life requirement, business necessity, and also
status symbol .More than 40-50 million tons of e-waste is produced worldwide
per year, out of which Asia generates about 12 million tons/ year.50-80% e-waste
collected in US and other developed countries exported to third world countries
including India.

Today E-waste has become the fastest growing component of municipal waste.
India alone generates more than 3million tons of e-waste, out of which 12.6% is
recycled. The annual growth of this hazardous waste is growing at the rate of
about 30% per year. Approximately 20 to 24 million computers and televisions
are added to storage each year. About 400 million units of computers and
televisions are expected to be scrapped by end of current decade.
There are some disturbing statistics related to e-waste:

1.20 million electronic household appliances including TV, washing machines,
PCs etc, and 70 million cell phones reach end-of-life every year worldwide. The
recent study predicts e-waste generation will shoot up nearly six times within a
decade.
2. About 70% of the heavy metals (mercury and cadmium) and 40% lead, in
landfills in India come from e-waste.
3.22% of the yearly world consumption of mercury is used in electronics
manufacture.
4. More of acid content of e-waste flow into the land contaminating the soil and
land.
5. About 70 %, of heavy metals in India landfills comes from e-Waste.
6.One of the most threatening substances is lead, of which only 5 % is recycled in
India.
7.Indians upgrade or exchange their cell phones every eighteen months, meaning
there are approximately sixteen million unused mobile phones stashed away at
home or in the office.
8.Average working life of a mobile phone is seven years but worldwide the
average consumer changes their mobile every eleven months
9.Indians purchased sixty million mobile phones in past five years.
10. Approximately seven hundred million obsolete phoneswere discarded in 2005
contained an estimated 560,000 kg of lead in the form of solder.
It is an emerging problem as well as a business opportunity of increasing
significance, given the volumes of e-waste being generated and the content of
both toxic and valuable materials in them. The fraction including iron, copper,
aluminium, gold and other metals in e-waste is over 60%, while plastics account
for about 30% and the hazardous pollutants comprise only about 2.70%.Solid
waste management, which is already a mammoth task in India, is becoming more
complicated by the invasion of e-waste, particularly computer waste. E-waste
from developed countries find an easy way into developing countries in the name
of free trade is further complicating the problems associated with waste
management. The composition of toxic chemicals in an average 32 Kg of e- waste
generated through computers is: Plastic -7.24 Kg, Lead -1.98 Kg, Mercury –
0.603 g, Arsenic – 0.4095 g, Cadmium – 2.961 g, Chromium – 1.98 g, Barium –
9.92 g, and Beryllium – 4.94 g.The reasons for this alarming increase in quantity
of e waste are :Rapid globalization, high obsolescence rate, inability of technology
to support up-gradation, cheap components used in the electronic equipment,
low cost of electronic products pushed by China in Indian market and increasing
purchasing power of middle class.The most common process of disposal of e
waste is Incineration – a process of destroying waste through burning. Because of
the variety of substances found in e-waste, incineration is associated with a major
risk of generating and dispersing contaminants and toxic substances. The gases
released during the burning and the residue ash is often toxic and this happens as
there is no prior treatment nor sophisticated flue gas purification. Studies have

shown that copper, which is present in printed circuit boards and cables, acts a
catalyst for dioxin formation when flame-retardants are incinerated. These
brominated flame retardants when exposed to low temperature (600-800°C) can
lead to the generation of extremely toxic polybrominated dioxins (PBDDs) and
furans (PBDFs). PVC, which can be found in e-waste in significant amounts, is
highly corrosive when burnt and also induces the formation of dioxins.
Incineration also leads to the loss valuable of trace elements which could have
been recovered had they been sorted and processed separately.
There are many adverse health impact of crude disposal of e waste, such as:
1.Reproduction: damage to both male and female reproductive systems, including
interfering with development of the testes; reduction in semen production and
quality; abnormal morphology of sperm; low egg hatchability; and reduced
fertility rates.
2.DNA: damage in lymphocytes, fetal and developmental toxicity; growth
retardation; abnormal brain development, which can result in intellectual
impairment; and possible long-term impacts on memory, learning and
behaviour.
3.Nervous System: damage to the central nervous system (CNS) and blood
system, including CNS depression and neurotoxicity; immune system
suppression, including inhibition of a key blood cell enzyme.
4.Organs : damage to the brain, including swelling; liver, including liver necrosis;
kidney, including renal toxicity; thyroid; pancreas; lymph nodes; spleen; and
bone, including bone toxicity.
5.Skin : contact dermatitis; skin lesions; carcinogenic, including tumour
promotion and lung cancer; anaemia; CBD (a currently-incurable, debilitating
disease that can sometimes be fatal); and mortality.
6.Hormonal System : disruption to endocrine systems including the oestrogen,
androgen, thyroid hormone, retinoid and corticosteroid systems; inhibition of
human androgen hormone reception; and ability to mimic natural oestrogen
hormones, leading to altered sexual development in some organisms.
7.Others: hypertension (high blood pressure); cardiovascular and heart disease;
respiratory tract irritation, including irritation of the nose, mouth and eyes.
There are a few recommendations which may check the growing menace of e-
waste: Promote recycling units to ease process and to encourage generators to
have proper e-waste disposal, impart training to generators on e-waste handling,
undertake awareness program on recycling, fix duties and responsibilities to
recyclers, provide tax incentives for scrap dealers, reward and reprimand
schemes for performance and non-compliance of e-waste management,
Government should subsidize recycling and disposal industry, incentive schemes
for garbage collectors, general public and impose disposal fee from
manufacturers and consumers.

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