Volume XI Issue II June, 2011, Kolkata

Welcome... Dr. Sudarsan Ghosh Dastidar, Hon'ble Minister-in-charge, Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal All Board officials gave a warm welcome to Dr. Sudarsan Ghosh Dastidar, the newly appointed Hon'ble Minister-in-Charge of the Department of Environment, Government of INSIDE West Bengal on 26 May 2011 at Paribesh Bhawan, Bidhannagar.

The ex-medicos of R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata, Dr. Ghosh Dastidar, 1 Welcome Note is an internationally renowned expert in the field of infertility treatment and test tube babies. He took his advance training in different aspects of Natural Gas vs Coal in 2 Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) such as andrology and electricity generation : embryology, IVF (In-Vitro Fertilization, commonly called test-tube baby technology), T h e c o n t r o v e r s y ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection), IUI (Intra-Uterine Insemination) from remains over the issue Cornell University/Weill Medical Center, New York and The Albert Einstein Institute in whether benefit of the United States of America. Now he is one of the pioneers in this subject in India as well as involved in research in the same field for last 29 years since 1982. using natural gas in He has also keen interests in various environmental aspects such as plastic waste terms of CO2 reduction management, improvement of the water quality and the surroundings of different water can really overweigh bodies, afforestation and campaign programmes to generate the adverse effect environmental awareness among the common people in West Bengal. r e s u l t i n g f r o m methane emission Shri RPS Kahlon, IAS, Principal Secretary, through use of natural Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal gas Shri RPS Kahlon joined as the Principal Secretary in the Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal on 30 May 2011. Previously, he served as the Board’s Activity Principal Secretary in the Department of Fisheries and Department of Transport, 4 Government of West Bengal.

News Flash 9 Dr. Binay Kanti Dutta, Chairman, West Bengal Pollution Control Board Dr. Binay Kanti Dutta took up the responsibility as the Chairman of West Bengal Pollution Control Board on 20 June 2011 . After joining the Board, Dr. Dutta met all the Board officials and staffs, who gave him a warm welcome on 22 June 2011 at the Auditorium Hall at Paribesh Bhawan, Bidhannagar, Kolkata. June, 2011

Dr. Dutta has a distinguished academic and research career spanning over thirty five years and worked in a number of renowned universities and research laboratories before joining the department of Chemical Engineering in the Petroleum Institute, Abudhabi. He worked in National Institute of Technology, Durgapur; Chemical Engineering Department in University of Calcutta; Academic Staff College; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Boulder, Colorado; Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersy; National Risk Management Research Laboratory, USEPA; University of Alberta, Canada; Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia.

He has authored several books and publications in internationally renowned journals and had been honored by a number of prestigious awards, like, NRC Senior Associateship Award (Washington DC), 1995-96; Best paper award in the technical session, CHEMCON, 1996; Institution of Engineers (India); Gold medal for best research paper (awarded twice); gold medal for International exhibition of inventions, Geneva, 2009. He has also special interests in environmental engineering and pollution control technologies.

Natural Gas vs Coal in electricity generation : The controversy remains over the issue whether benefit of using natural gas in terms of CO2 reduction can really overweigh the adverse effect resulting from methane emission through use of natural gas Use of natural gas instead of Coal and oil in power plants has immense benefits of reducing several gaseous and particulate toxicants being emitted into the atmosphere. Thus natural gas deserves consideration as a prospective environment friendly substitute of the dirtier fuels coal and oil. However, leakage of methane, one of the major constituent of natural gas is a potent greenhouse gas and may pose a threat to the environment. Natural gas, the green choice? by Chris Vernon (The Oil Drum: Europe, Archived Jun 25 2010) pointed out certain aspects which deserve serious consideration . Natural gas is regarded as a relatively environment friendly fuel for generating electricity. Gas burns cleanly without many of the problems associated with coal. Coal is a chemically complex substance and when burnt, releases oxides of sulphur (SOx) and nitrogen (NOx), traces of mercury, selenium and arsenic, as well as particulates, and a non- combustible slag remains after burning. Coal mining is also a dirty and dangerous job.

Coal emits considerably more CO2 than natural gas per unit energy. However, natural gas (CH4) itself is a potent greenhouse gas, and its release to the atmosphere without being burnt can quickly compensate for the CO2 advantage against coal. Table - 1 Generating electricity from fossil fuels typically involves their combustion Carbon Dioxide Emissions in large power stations. Due to the molecular differences of coal, oil and gas, different amounts of carbon dioxide are produced for each Energy Source g/k Wh unit of thermal energy. For example, the coal (anthracite) releases

227 pounds of CO2 per million BTU (or 351 g/kWh thermal), fuel oil or Coal 890 diesel 161 lb/MBTU (249 g/kWh) and natural gas releases 115lb/MBTU (178 g/kWh). This, coupled with the variability in power Natural Gas 360 station thermal efficiency leads to significant variations in the amount of CO2/kWh of electricity emitted. The figures below are for the UK Nuclear 0 electricity grid (Table - 1).

These CO2 emissions are directly related to the fossil fuel combustion Renewables 0 and power station efficiency. Life-cycle emissions are not included, leaving nuclear and renewables at zero, because emissions related to construction, decommissioning, uranium processing etc. are ignored. Other 530 Natural gas is considered the 'greener' fuel as electricity from gas

emits 2.5 times less CO2 than coal, as well dramatically lower CO, NOx Source:http://electricityinfo. and virtually no SOx or particulates. org/co2emissions.php

2 June, 2011

There is an issue of system boundaries here. The figures above only consider the power station and not any upstream supply system. While CH4 may leak from the gas pipelines, there are also CH4 releases from coal mines. For this post, lets consider emissions after the mine mouth or well head, and ignore emissions associated with transporting coal.

For oil and coal, the only significant route into the atmosphere is via combustion. However, besides being burnt, natural gas can be released without combustion as methane, CH4. This becomes interesting when one considers both the impact of atmospheric emissions of CO2 and CH4. Both are greenhouse gases in that they absorb and emit radiation within the thermal infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, however their respective radiative forcing are very different. The radiative forcing measures how much a greenhouse gas (or other factors) alters the balance of incoming and outgoing energy in the Earth-atmosphere system.

The Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center (CDIAC) part of the US Dept. of Energy uses Global Warming Potential (GWP), as it provides a simple measure of the radiative effects of emissions of various greenhouse gases, integrated over a specified time horizon and relative to an equal mass of CO2 emissions. Over a common 100 year time horizon CDIAC state the global warming potential of CH4 as 25 times greater than CO2. The calculation is not trivial, and estimations do vary a little, but for this analysis the factor 25 is sufficient.

We saw above that natural gas emits 2.5 times less CO2 than coal when used to generate electricity. However, when CH4 is released to the atmosphere without first being combusted, the global warming potential is 25 times higher than CO2. It is a more potent greenhouse gas. If only a little natural gas is released without being burnt, it will dominate the radiative forcing and more than compensate for the 2.5- fold advantage gas has over coal. The chart illustrates this effect. Figure - 1

On the left, CO2 emissions per kWh for coal and natural gas. On the right, the global warming potential of leaked CH4 expressed as CO2. If the natural gas leak rate is 3%, the global warming potential of a kilowatt-hour of electricity from gas is equivalent to coal. Leak Rates So what are pipeline leak rates? A 1997 US Environmental Protection Agency report states US methane leak rates were 1.4 +/- 0.5 % in 1992. The largest source of leakage at that time was compressor components used in the processing, transmission, and storage, followed by the distribution network itself, with the small length of old cast iron pipes leaking disproportionately highly. The natural gas production process also contributes through millions of slowly leaking pneumatic control devices. A larger study carried out from 2005 by Brazil's largest gas distributer Comgas suggests cast iron pipe leak rates double the EPA study. 3 June, 2011

A 1990 study for Greenpeace considered the UK distribution network then operated by British Gas. Greenpeace estimated low, medium and high scenario leakage rates of 1.9%, 5.3% and 10.8% respectively.

This was in contrast to the 1% claimed by British Gas at the time. The authors were confident that leakage rates were above 1.9%. These figures are likely obsolete today as there still existed a large amount of pre- 1970 cast iron pipe work, much of it since replaced. In 1990 only 39% of the UK mains and 74% of the service pipes were plastic.

The 1.4% figure is also old, and only refers to the US, but it is a significant magnitude, it represents a 70% increase in global warming potential compared to the CO2 alone and halves the CO2 advantage gas has over coal based on the 360 and 890 g/kWh (Figure - 1) .

Whilst these figures do not tip gas beyond coal, they halve its advantage. They are also only national. For the US this is quite understandable, but for the UK and Europe, the gas system is changing. Could leak rates become important as natural gas supply routes become longer? As Europe increases its reliance on Russia, as previously stranded gas is brought to market through longer pipelines than before, as a larger number of smaller deposits are exploited and as existing infrastructure ages, it seems likely that leak rates will increase. We often hear about struggles in the former Soviet states related to gas - is the leak rate there one percent or five? Is it economically feasible for the pipeline operator to make investments to stem the last percentage point of a system's leaks?

Board’s Activities Celebration of World Environment Day 2011

World Environment Day (WED) is an annual event that is aimed at being the biggest and most widely celebrated global day for positive environmental action. WED activities take place all year round but climax on 5 June every year, involving everyone from everywhere. World Environment Day' 2011 theme- 'Forests: Nature at Your Service' underscores the intrinsic link between quality of life and the health of forests as well as forest ecosystems. The United Nations have declared the year 2011 as the International Year of forests and this year's theme supports and reinforces the global concern for forests and its ecosystem. Most importantly, this year India is hosting the celebrations of World Environment Day which expresses India's strong commitment to work with the global community for sustainable development. Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal and West Bengal Pollution Control Board celebrated the auspicious day on 5 June in a very colorful and meaningful manner. As part of the celebration a rally was organized which started from Deshapriya Park, passed through Sarat Bose Road and finally ended at Nazrul Mancha to mark as well as to give a great start to the occasion. School children, NGO members, environmental activists and other eminent people from various social sectors carried colorful banners, posters, 4 June, 2011 tableau etc. to spread environmental awareness especially the importance of forest conservation among the common people. The rally was followed by a cultural programme at Nazrul Manch. Dr. Sudarsan Ghosh Dastidar, Hon'ble Minister-in-charge, Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal graced the occasion as the chief guest. Shri RPS Kahlon, Principal Secretary, Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal inaugurated the programme with his welcoming speech. Hon'ble Minister-in-charge also gave a warm welcome to all the participants of the rally including all the dignitaries and other audiences present there. During his speech he stressed upon some relevant issues, like genetically modified food, necessity and significance of alternative energy source, i.e., solar, hydro and wind energy and control of environmental pollution (air, water and noise pollution). Among the other dignitaries Shri Sandipan Mukherjee, Member Secretary, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, Shri Sunando Sanyal, Dr. Kalyan Rudra, Sri Sujat Bhadra, Sri Bhaskar Gupta, Smt. Chaitali Dutta, Sri Ashokendu Sengupta and Dr. Debopriyo Mullick remained present on the dais and delivered their valuable speeches during the inaugural session of the programme. After the Inaugural Session, a cultural programme was performed by the students of Vidya Bharati Girls' High School, Alipore and eminent vocalist Smt. Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta, to mark the 150th birth anniverseary of Kabiguru Rabindra Nath Tagore. The programme ended with the vote of thanks from Shri Ashok Bhattacharya, Joint Secretary, Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal. Various Workshop/Conference and Training Programs organized by the Board Annual Conference on 'Efficient Utilization of Fly Ash in the State of West Bengal’ Two Day annual conference on “Efficient utilization of coal based thermal power plant ash in the State of West Bengal” was organized on 25 and 26 March 2011 in collaboration with Jadavpur University with the purpose of identifying through deliberations with stakeholders, problems and issues regarding utilization of fly ash in different sector and also in daily life of human society including agriculture, mining etc. Eminent scientists, academicians, research scholars, industry experts, end users and students attended the conference so as to provide a platform for sharing of technologies and current practices regarding utilization of fly ash in this State as well as in our country. In the technical sessions, eminent resource persons from various fields and the stakeholders made presentations regarding the use of fly ash in concrete and construction sector, cement production, and other value added products such as AAC blocks etc. Representatives from different thermal power plants discussed about their efforts and targets regarding full utilization of thermal power plant ash.

In the interactive session, the experts highlighted the need to : · Educate farmers for Agricultural applications of fly ash. · Educate manufacturers of fly ash bricks, tiles and other value added products. · Focus on the scope of fly ash utilization in wasteland area development. · Promote utilization of high volume of fly ash from low value to high value added area. · Changing over at the earliest from wet ash handling system to dry ash handling including storage system as because it saves consumptive power, water and ash pond area. · Develop fly ash based industry in the vicinity of the thermal power stations. 5 June, 2011 Workshop on 'Application of coal ash in Agriculture and Forestry’ Annual workshop on “Application of coal ash in Agriculture and Forestry” was held on 30 March 2011 at Auditorium Hall, Paribesh Bhawan, Bidhannagar by the Coal Ash Institute of India (CAII) in association with the West Bengal Pollution Control Board. The participants in the workshop included representatives from various farmer's club, thermal power plants, Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal, West Bengal Bio-diversity Board, NABARD, various academic institutions and research organizations. In a number of investigations on the aspects of utilization of fly ash in agriculture purposes, it has been reported that Fly ash may act as a source of micro-nutrients for agricultural crops. It has the potentialities to be a good soil amendments as well. This workshop is an effort to accelerate the use of coal ash in agriculture sector and to aware all the stakeholders about gainful utilization of coal ash in agricultural activity and forestry. The program was graced by Prof. S.K Sanyal, Vice -Chancellor, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV), Kalyani and Prof. R.N Basu, Former Vice Chancellor, University of Calcutta. This programme was inaugurated by Prof.(Dr.) S.K Sanyal, Vice-chancellor, Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya. Prof. P.N Roy, former Chairman of the Board in his special address appealed to utilize the fly ash in positive manner so that it can not become hazardous to health and environment. Dr. A.K Chatterjee, President, CAII in his key note address discussed about the present studies on utilization of coal ash in agriculture and forestry and the role of CAII in this regard. Technical Session was facilitated by Prof. R.N Basu, former Vice-Chancellor, University of Calcutta and began with a presentation of Prof. Subhendu Chaudhuri, former Director (Research), BCKV. He discussed about the application of fly ash in agriculture and forestry and also about direct applications of fly ash/pond ash on crop growth, yield and soil properties. Dr. Pradip Sen, Department of Agriculture, Government of West Bengal also shared his views regarding the chemical properties of fly ash and gave a brief presentation on the beneficial effect of fly ash on the improvement of soil health and nutritional status. He also emphasized on possible harmful effects of utilization of fly ash in agriculture and forestry. Dr. G.N Chattopadhyay, Professor, Institute of Agriculture, Viswa Bharati University gave a brief presentation on recycling of fly ash by vermi-composting technology. Sri. Saurav Chaudhuri, Conservator, Parks and Gardens, Department of Forest, Government of West Bengal demonstrated case studies regarding successful utilization of fly ash in landscaping. The last speaker was Dr. Saikat Mitra, Professor, Government College of Engineering & Ceramic Technology, who discussed about the fly ash based zeolites for agricultural applications. During the interactive session, the representatives from farmer's club expressed their need for technical and financial support. It was outlined that the thermal power plants have to come up with user friendly policies to make the coal ash easily available for every user . Representative from NABARD discussed about their promotional role in this regard. The workshop concluded with a request to the August gathering to come up with their valuable suggestions and inputs which will definitely chart out a developmental pathway for applications of coal ash in agriculture and forestry in our State. Training Program on Environmental Law The State Board organized a one day training programme on environmental laws and various environmental issues on 21 April, 2011 at the Training Hall of Paribesh Bhawan,Bidhannagar. Board's former Chairman, Professor P.N. Roy inaugurated the program welcoming the participating students of Masters of Environmental Science of Calcutta University. After that, Board officials delivered their lectures to the participants. At the end of the programme the students interacted directly with the Board officials during the discussion session.

6 June, 2011 Meetings on various environmental matters Meeting with Board's enlisted NGOs The State Board gave a warm welcome to Dr. Sudarshan Ghosh Dastidar, the newly appointed Hon'ble Minister-in-charge of Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal on 26 May, 2011 at Paribesh Bhawan- the Head Office of the Board. Sri K.S. Rajendra Kumar, the then Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal, Professor P.N. Roy, former Chairman, WBPCB, Sri Sandipan Mukherjee, Member Secretary, WBPCB and all officials and staffs of WBPCB were present to greet and welcome the Hon'ble Minister-in-charge during his very first visit to this office.

Like previous years, West Bengal Pollution Control Board organized a meeting at the Auditorium Hall of Paribesh Bhawan with the Board's enlisted NGOs to discuss about the various planning regarding celebration of upcoming World Environment Day 2011. Hon'ble Minister-in-charge chaired the meeting, which was also graced by the presence of Smt. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Hon'ble Member of the Parliament, Sri K.S. Rajendra Kumar, the then Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Environment, Government of West Bengal, Professor P.N. Roy, former Chairman, WBPCB, Sri Sandipan Mukherjee, Member Secretary, WBPCB and Sri R.D. Mukhopadhyay, ADG (Pollution Control). About 75 numbers of representative from Board's enlisted NGOs of the districts, like, 24 Parganas (North & South), Howrah, Hooghly, Purba and Paschim Medinipore attended the programme.

Sri K.S. Rajendra Kumar welcomed the NGO representatives and introduced them to the Hon'ble Minister-in- charge as well as the other dignitaries present on the dais. He explained the purpose of the meeting to the representatives of NGOs. Hon'ble Minister-in-charge, in his speech emphasized on awareness cum implementation program on restriction of plastic carry bags in the state and narrated his vision as well as invited suggestions and proposals from the NGOs present in the meeting for celebration of the forthcoming World Environment Day in the state in a befitting manner. He also expressed the views of the Government about the conservation and protection of the nature and environment in the state. He suggested some of the tentative program schedule of the State Government on 5 June 2011, like, organizing a rally followed by a cultural program based on Kabiguru Rabindra Nath Tagore’s theme. He appealed all the NGOs present to join whole heartedly in the Environment Day rally by bringing posters, banners etc. prepared by them. All these could be displayed at the venue for awareness generation among the common people. As asked for NGO representatives suggested and shared their views regarding World Environment Day Celebration. The meeting ended with vote of thanks to the chair. 7 June, 2011

Awareness Campaign programmes Heritage/Tourist site inspection in connection with plastic ban Plastic waste is one of the major problem of present time. Being a non biodegradable substance, plastic pollutes earth and results degradation of the environment in numerous ways. Plastic products create litter, hurt marine life, and have threaten the basis of life on earth. “Stop the Plastic Pollution, Be Part of the Solution" . To save the environment inside the premises of the important heritage or tourist sites of West Bengal the State Board declared such sites totally plastic free zone in March 2006. To implement the order properly the Board instructed the concerned authorities of all those heritage sites to place Notice Boards as prescribed by the State Board at the entrance and inside the premises of the sites and impose restriction on the visitors while entering those areas with any kind of plastic carry bags. To inspect and review the conditions of some of the heritage/tourist sites the Board officials made surprise visits to some of the sites in March, April and May 2011.

New Digha Swabhumi Science City Pariyatan Kendra

chuti Nicco Park BelurMath Amsument Park

Bandel Nalbon GandhiGhat Church

During the visits the Board officials observed that the respective authorities of Nalban, Belur Math, Gandhi Ghat, New Digha Paryatan Kendra, Chhuti Amusement Park and Bandel Church are not maintaining their premises plastic free by erecting notice board as prescribed by the State Board. The authorities were also found to be reluctant regarding restriction on plastic carry bags being carried by the visitors while entering the premises. The State Board also has future programmes to visit other such heritage/tourist sites in order to monitor the conditions for ensuring a better environment in those sites.

8 June, 2011

News Flash For a Cleaner Victoria Class XI student Janak Punjabi does not mind waking up early once each fortnight. After all, it is for a good, clean cause. On those days, Janak heads straight for Victoria Memorial from his Entally home. Thanks to his efforts, one of the city's biggest landmarks – Victoria Memorial – is a lot cleaner. Hands sheathed in gloves and armed with bins, Janak and other students at Apeejay School, Park Street (from classes IX and XI) pick up litter and plastic waste from the monument's garden and pathways. Spearheaded by La Martiniere for boys and girls, more and more city schools are joining the “Go Green Project”, under the aegis of the NGO PUBLIC. Forty-odd students of the Part Street branch of Apeejay have joined the project since November last year. “For now, it's Victoria Memorial,” said Janardan Ghosh, the cultural coordinator of Apeejay School, Park Street. “Then, the children plan to move on to other landmarks. In the past, the students have also cleaned up many 'adopted' villages and public urinals.” Dikshay Thawani, a Class XII students at La Martinere for Boys, visits Victoria Memorial twice each week. “We often confiscate plastic bags from visitors and given them paper or jute ones instead. But the enforcement of environment-friendly habits depends to a great extent on the police and the security at the gate,” said Dikshay. Being part of the project has also made the students very conscious and environment-friendly themselves “The campuses of the La Martiniere schools are no-plastic zones now,” said Bonani Kakkar of PUBLIC. Institutions like Pratt Memorial, Modern High School for Girls, Birla High School for boys and girls have also joined in the clean-up drive on certain occasions. Impressed with the students' effort, the authorities at Victoria Memorial feel that change has finally set in. “The beginning has been great. This drive should be taken up as a long-term project’’, said Chittaranjan Panda, the secretary and curator of Victoria. Often, people feel ashamed to litter the monument grounds after seeing the kids at work.” The students sometimes feel disheartened, too – especially when they see their efforts go waste. But they take it in their stride. “Sometimes, visitors dirty the place right after we have cleaned it. It's as if our efforts amount to nothing. We are thinking of staging street plays to spread more awareness among visitors,” said Janak. [Source: The Telegraph, 01.04.2011] Refuse can be of use too Junk can be useful and trash can be creatively recycled. That was the message at Nature Park, at 4 Loudon Street, on April19. Sitting under trees, about 70 school children tried to make the “Best Use of Waste,” to commemorate Earth Day at an event organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), in association with American Centre. In the end, the five-member teams from various city schools came up with beautiful products made from used cardboard, twigs, dry leaves and thermocol. “We had collected waste over a period of time and this was used by the children to make useful things. Through this exercise, the students will realize the amount of waste generated regularly,” said Scott E. Hartmann, the deputy director of American Centre. The participating schools included Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan; Future Foundation School; Mahadevi Birla Girls' Higher Secondary School; Loreto Day School, Sealdah, Elliot Road and Dharamtala branches; The Heritage School; St. Stephen's, Budge Budge; Aditya Academy, Barasat, and Khalsa Model Senior Secondary School. The first prize went to Loreto Elliot Road for creating a writing desk from trash. “I would love to have something like this in my house,” said an impressed Hartmann, also a judge at the event. “We wanted to make something that will come in handy in our daily lives,” Said Class VII student Sonali Mondal, part of the winning team. Their desk was made of cardboard, with a notepad on top for students to scribble on. Water bottle and umbrella holders on its sides kept it steady. A pinball game was also attached to the desk. “We often get bored while studying, so why not have something for entertainment as well? I wish the furniture companies would replicate our model,” said Class VII student Cherie Stephen.

9 June, 2011

News Flash The projects were judged on the basis of their theme, clarity, utility, innovation and punctuality by a three-member team of judges. “It's important to make children more conscious of the environment. They, in turn, can sensitise others, including their families,” said another judge, Guuen Robbins Schug, an archaeologist on a Fulbright grant. The second prize went to Loreto Sealdah and the third to Akshar. “We would love to replicate the models made by others,” said Nilufer Khatoon of Loreto Sealdah. After a decade of conducting the event, the students seemed to have become more conscious. “Earlier, after the programme, we had to ask the children to clear the place. Now they do it themselves. They have realized they should not litter the place,” said Saswati Sen, the director of WWF, West Bengal, after the event. [Source: The Telegraph, 22.04.2011] ChargeY our Mobile from Solar Purse Washington : Danish design studio DIFFUS has created a solar handbag that provides its carriers to charge their electronic devices. The stylish Solar Handbag has 100 silicon solar cells woven into conductive embroidery, that collect sunlight and generate 2 Watts of usable energy stored on a lithium-ion battery, reports the Discovery News. Power from the battery is used not only to charge mobile devices, but also light up optical fibres inside of the bag. These turn on automatically when the bag is open. They have also designed a Climate Dress, a garment that has sensors and more than a hundred LED lights. The sensors detect CO2 in the air. Depending on the concentrations of the gas, the lights pulse in varying patterns. [Source: The Times of India, 31.05.2011] Antarctic ozone hole on the road to recovery London : Researchers in Australia have claimed that the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica is on the road to recovery, 22 years after the Montreal Protocol to ban chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and related ozone-destroying chemicals came into force. The term is the first to defect a recovery in baseline average springtime ozone levels in the region. “This is the first convincing observationally-derived evidence of the ozone rebound,” the Nature quoted Adrian McDonald, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, as saying. The results of Murry Salby, an environmental scientist at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, revealed a fast decline in ozone levels until the late 1990s, then a slow rebound that closely matches what theoretical calculations had predicted. Sylby's data reveals that average springtime Antarctic ozone levels have already recovered by 15% since the late 1990s. [Source: The Times of India , 19.05.2011]

Published by : Member Secretary, West Bengal Pollution Control Board, Paribesh Bhaban, Bldg 10A, Block LA, Sector III Bidhannagar, Kolkata-700098 West Bengal, India, Phone : +91 33 2335 9088/3913, Fax : +91 33 2335 6730/2813, E-mail : [email protected], Website : www.wbpcb.gov.in Design &Printed By : Dalhousie Printers, Tangra Industrial Estate Shed No D-5,25 & 27 Canal South Road, M:+91 9830504824, E-mail : [email protected], Kolkata - 700015

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