A River and the Riverfront: Delhi's Yamuna As an In-Between Space
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Health Effects of Air Pollution Among Residents of Delhi: a Systematic Review
International Journal of Health Sciences and Research www.ijhsr.org ISSN: 2249-9571 Review Article Health Effects of Air Pollution among Residents of Delhi: A Systematic Review Palak Balyan1, Chirashree Ghosh2, Arun Kumar Sharma3, B.D. Banerjee4 1Research Scholar, 2Associate Professor, Environmental Pollution Laboratory, Department of Environmental Studies, University of Delhi-110007, India 3Professor, Department of Community Medicine, 4Professor, Department of Biochemistry, University College of Medical Sciences & GTB Hospital, University of Delhi-110095, India Corresponding Author: Palak Balyan ABSTRACT Background: Air pollution is increasingly documented as a threat to public health and recognized as an important and modifiable determinate of respiratory diseases in urban environment. Differences in vulnerability and susceptibility due to different population characteristic, may affect the risk of developing a health effect and its severity. The present study evaluates scientific literature on air pollution, and its health effects on population of Delhi to identify the risk of exposure. This comprehensive review summarizes the limitations and gaps in recent studies and recommends some suggestions for future research. Methodology: PubMed and Google Scholar were rigorously searched for finding out research studies pertaining to air pollution and health effects in Delhi, India. All together, 13 studies from 1998 to 2017 were reviewed to understand the status of air quality and its adverse effect on human health. Findings: Air quality of Delhi was detrimental to human health and kept on deteriorating with time. Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM), Nitrogen oxides (NOX) and various other pollutants were above the recommended standard. Adverse health effects (coughing, wheezing, Hypertension etc.) has shown positive association with air pollutants, specifically with particulate matter. -
The Trajectory of a Struggle
SSHAHRIHAHRI AADHIKARDHIKAR MMANCH:ANCH: BBEGHARONEGHARON KKEE SSAATHAATH ((URBANURBAN RRIGHTSIGHTS FFORUM:ORUM: WWITHITH TTHEHE HHOMELESS)OMELESS) TTHEHE TTRAJECTORYRAJECTORY OOFF A SSTRUGGLETRUGGLE i Published by: Shahri Adhikar Manch: Begharon Ke Saath G-18/1 Nizamuddin West Lower Ground Floor New Delhi – 110 013 +91-11-2435-8492 [email protected] Text: Jaishree Suryanarayan Editing: Shivani Chaudhry and Indu Prakash Singh Design and printing: Aspire Design March 2014, New Delhi Printed on CyclusPrint based on 100% recycled fibres SSHAHRIHAHRI AADHIKARDHIKAR MMANCH:ANCH: BBEGHARONEGHARON KKEE SSAATHAATH ((URBANURBAN RRIGHTSIGHTS FFORUM:ORUM: WWITHITH TTHEHE HHOMELESS)OMELESS) TTHEHE TTRAJECTORYRAJECTORY OOFF A SSTRUGGLETRUGGLE Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Objective and Methodology of this Study 2 2. BACKGROUND 3 2.1 Defi nition and Extent of Homelessness in Delhi 3 2.2 Human Rights Violations Faced by Homeless Persons 5 2.3 Criminalisation of Homelessness 6 2.4 Right to Adequate Housing is a Human Right 7 2.5 Past Initiatives 7 3. FORMATION AND GROWTH OF SHAHRI ADHIKAR MANCH: BEGHARON KE SAATH 10 3.1 Formation of Shahri Adhikar Manch: Begharon Ke Saath (SAM:BKS) 10 3.2 Vision and Mission of SAM:BKS 11 3.3 Functioning of SAM:BKS 12 4. STRATEGIC INTERVENTIONS 14 4.1 Strategies Used by SAM:BKS 14 4.2 Intervention by SAM:BKS in the Suo Moto Case in the High Court of Delhi 16 4.3 Media Advocacy 19 4.4 Campaigns of SAM:BKS for Facilitating Access to Entitlements and Realisation of Human Rights 20 5. THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA AND THE ISSUE OF HOMELESSNESS 22 5.1 Role of the Offi ce of Supreme the Court Commissioners in the ‘Right to Food’ Case 22 6. -
Flood Management Strategy for Ganga Basin Through Storage
Flood Management Strategy for Ganga Basin through Storage by N. K. Mathur, N. N. Rai, P. N. Singh Central Water Commission Introduction The Ganga River basin covers the eleven States of India comprising Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi. The occurrence of floods in one part or the other in Ganga River basin is an annual feature during the monsoon period. About 24.2 million hectare flood prone area Present study has been carried out to understand the flood peak formation phenomenon in river Ganga and to estimate the flood storage requirements in the Ganga basin The annual flood peak data of river Ganga and its tributaries at different G&D sites of Central Water Commission has been utilised to identify the contribution of different rivers for flood peak formations in main stem of river Ganga. Drainage area map of river Ganga Important tributaries of River Ganga Southern tributaries Yamuna (347703 sq.km just before Sangam at Allahabad) Chambal (141948 sq.km), Betwa (43770 sq.km), Ken (28706 sq.km), Sind (27930 sq.km), Gambhir (25685 sq.km) Tauns (17523 sq.km) Sone (67330 sq.km) Northern Tributaries Ghaghra (132114 sq.km) Gandak (41554 sq.km) Kosi (92538 sq.km including Bagmati) Total drainage area at Farakka – 931000 sq.km Total drainage area at Patna - 725000 sq.km Total drainage area of Himalayan Ganga and Ramganga just before Sangam– 93989 sq.km River Slope between Patna and Farakka about 1:20,000 Rainfall patten in Ganga basin -
A Study on Delhi's Perception & Accountability on Air Pollution
A Study on Delhi’s Perception & Accountability on Air Pollution Prepared by: URJA and ARK foundation | January, 2019 URJA, the apex body of RWAs in Delhi, was set up in 2005; it gathers, analyzes, disseminates information & aggregates public opinion to demand efficient delivery of civic amenities, health services, security, clean air and water to residents of Delhi through an accountable, efficient and responsive Government. We connect and network with around 2500 RWA apart from several significant NGOs of the city. Camp Office: A-194,Lower Ground Floor, Defence Colony, New Delhi-24. +91-11- 24333927 Email: [email protected] Table of Content : 1. Introduction and Objectives of the Study ............................................... 3 2. Survey .................................................................................................... 4 3. Characteristics of the Respondents in the Survey .................................. 5 4. Awareness about Air Pollution ................................................................ 7 5. RTI application under the RTI Act, 2005 filled by URJA ....................... 17 5.1 Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) ............................................. 17 5.2 Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) ........................................ 18 5.3 Public Works Department-PWD .......................................................... 20 5.4 Environmental Pollution Control Authority (EPCA)..……………………21 5.5 Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) ...................................... -
Estimation of Paleo-Discharge of the Lost Saraswati River, North West India
EGU2020-21212 https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-21212 EGU General Assembly 2020 © Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. Estimation of paleo-discharge of the lost Saraswati River, north west India Zafar Beg, Kumar Gaurav, and Sampat Kumar Tandon Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Bhopal, Earth and Environment Sciences, India ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected] ) The lost Saraswati has been described as a large perennial river which was 'lost' in the desert towards the end of the 'Indus-Saraswati civilisation'. It has been suggested that this paleo river flowed in the Sutlej-Yamuna interfluve, parallel to the present-day Indus River. Today, in this interfluve an ephemeral river- the Ghaggar flows along the abandoned course of the ‘lost’ Saraswati River. We examine the hypothesis given by Yashpal et al. (1980) that two Himalayan-fed rivers Sutlej and Yamuna were the tributaries of the lost Saraswati River, and constituted the bulk of its paleo-discharge. Subsequently, the recognition of the occurrence of thick fluvial sand bodies in the subsurface and the presence of a large number of Harappan sites in the interfluve region have been used to suggest that the Saraswati River was a large perennial river. Further, the wider course of about 4-7 km recognised from satellite imagery of Ghaggar-Hakra belt in between Suratgarh and Anupgarh in the Thar strengthens this hypothesis. In this study, we have developed a methodology to estimate the paleo-discharge and paleo- width of the lost Saraswati River. -
Slum Rehabilitation in Delhi
WHOSE CITY IS IT ANYWAY? KRISHNA RAJ FELLOWSHIP PROJECT Madhulika Khanna, Keshav Maheshwari, Resham Nagpal, Ravideep Sethi, Sandhya Srinivasan August 2011 Delhi School of Economics 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We thank our professor, Dr. Anirban Kar, who gave direction to our research and coherence to our ideas. We would like to express our gratitude towards Mr. Dunu Roy and everyone at the Hazards Centre for their invaluable inputs. We would also like to thank all our respondents for their patience and cooperation. We are grateful to the Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics for facilitating our research. CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 2. POLICY FRAMEWORK ...................................................................................................................... 2 2.1. SLUM POLICY IN DELHI ............................................................................................................ 2 2.2. SLUM REHABILITATION PROCESS ........................................................................................... 4 2.2.1. IN-SITU UP-GRADATION .................................................................................................. 4 2.2.2. RELOCATION.................................................................................................................... 4 3. RIGHTS AND CITIZENSHIP ............................................................................................................... -
The Challenge of “Human” Sustainability for Indian Mega-Cities: Squatter Settlements, Forced Evictions and Resettlement & Rehabilitation Policies in Delhi
V. Dupont Do not quote without the author’s permission Paper presented to: XXVII IUSSP International Population Conference Busan, Corea, 26-31 August 2013 Session 282: The sustainability of mega-cities The challenge of “human” sustainability for Indian mega-cities: Squatter settlements, forced evictions and resettlement & rehabilitation policies in Delhi Véronique Dupont Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (Institute of Research for Development) Email: [email protected] Abstract This paper deals with the “human” dimension of sustainability in Indian mega-cities, specially the issue of social equity approached through the housing requirements of the urban poor. Indian mega-cities are faced with an acute shortage in adequate housing, which has resulted in the growth of illegal slums or squatter settlements. Since the 1990s, the implementation of urban renewal projects, infrastructure expansion and “beautification” drives, in line with the requirements of globalising cities, have resulted in many slum demolitions, which increased the numbers of homeless people. Delhi exemplifies such trends. This paper’s main objective is to appraise the adequacy of slum clearance and resettlement and rehabilitation policies implemented in Delhi in order to address the challenge of slums. Do such policies alleviate the problem of lack of decent housing for the urban poor, or to what extent do they also aggravate their situation? It combines two approaches: firstly, a statistical assessment of squatters’ relocation and slum demolition without resettlement over the last two decades, completed by an analysis of the conditions of implementation of the resettlement policy; and, secondly, a qualitative and critical analysis of the recently launched strategy of in-situ rehabilitation under public- private partnership. -
Conceptual Model for the Vulnerability Assessment of Springs in the Indian Himalayas
climate Article Conceptual Model for the Vulnerability Assessment of Springs in the Indian Himalayas Denzil Daniel 1 , Aavudai Anandhi 2 and Sumit Sen 1,3,* 1 Centre of Excellence in Disaster Mitigation and Management, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India; [email protected] 2 Biological Systems Engineering Program, College of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA; [email protected] 3 Department of Hydrology, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, India * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +91-1332-284754 Abstract: The Indian Himalayan Region is home to nearly 50 million people, more than 50% of whom are dependent on springs for their sustenance. Sustainable management of the nearly 3 million springs in the region requires a framework to identify the springs most vulnerable to change agents which can be biophysical or socio-economic, internal or external. In this study, we conceptualize vulnerability in the Indian Himalayan springs. By way of a systematic review of the published literature and synthesis of research findings, a scheme of identifying and quantifying these change agents (stressors) is presented. The stressors are then causally linked to the characteristics of the springs using indicators, and the resulting impact and responses are discussed. These components, viz., stressors, state, impact, and response, and the linkages are used in the conceptual framework to assess the vulnerability of springs. A case study adopting the proposed conceptual model is discussed Citation: Daniel, D.; Anandhi, A.; for Mathamali spring in the Western Himalayas. The conceptual model encourages quantification Sen, S. -
Public Interest Litigation and Political Society in Post-Emergency India
View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Columbia University Academic Commons Competing Populisms: Public Interest Litigation and Political Society in Post-Emergency India Anuj Bhuwania Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Columbia University 2013 © 2013 Anuj Bhuwania All rights reserved ABSTRACT Competing Populisms: Public Interest Litigation and Political Society in Post-Emergency India Anuj Bhuwania This dissertation studies the politics of ‘Public Interest Litigation’ (PIL) in contemporary India. PIL is a unique jurisdiction initiated by the Indian Supreme Court in the aftermath of the Emergency of 1975-1977. Why did the Court’s response to the crisis of the Emergency period have to take the form of PIL? I locate the history of PIL in India’s postcolonial predicament, arguing that a Constitutional framework that mandated a statist agenda of social transformation provided the conditions of possibility for PIL to emerge. The post-Emergency era was the heyday of a new form of everyday politics that Partha Chatterjee has called ‘political society’. I argue that PIL in its initial phase emerged as its judicial counterpart, and was even characterized as ‘judicial populism’. However, PIL in its 21 st century avatar has emerged as a bulwark against the operations of political society, often used as a powerful weapon against the same subaltern classes whose interests were so loudly championed by the initial cases of PIL. In the last decade, for instance, PIL has enabled the Indian appellate courts to function as a slum demolition machine, and a most effective one at that – even more successful than the Emergency regime. -
Current Condition of the Yamuna River - an Overview of Flow, Pollution Load and Human Use
Current condition of the Yamuna River - an overview of flow, pollution load and human use Deepshikha Sharma and Arun Kansal, TERI University Introduction Yamuna is the sub-basin of the Ganga river system. Out of the total catchment’s area of 861404 sq km of the Ganga basin, the Yamuna River and its catchment together contribute to a total of 345848 sq. km area which 40.14% of total Ganga River Basin (CPCB, 1980-81; CPCB, 1982-83). It is a large basin covering seven Indian states. The river water is used for both abstractive and in stream uses like irrigation, domestic water supply, industrial etc. It has been subjected to over exploitation, both in quantity and quality. Given that a large population is dependent on the river, it is of significance to preserve its water quality. The river is polluted by both point and non-point sources, where National Capital Territory (NCT) – Delhi is the major contributor, followed by Agra and Mathura. Approximately, 85% of the total pollution is from domestic source. The condition deteriorates further due to significant water abstraction which reduces the dilution capacity of the river. The stretch between Wazirabad barrage and Chambal river confluence is critically polluted and 22km of Delhi stretch is the maximum polluted amongst all. In order to restore the quality of river, the Government of India (GoI) initiated the Yamuna Action Plan (YAP) in the1993and later YAPII in the year 2004 (CPCB, 2006-07). Yamuna river basin River Yamuna (Figure 1) is the largest tributary of the River Ganga. The main stream of the river Yamuna originates from the Yamunotri glacier near Bandar Punch (38o 59' N 78o 27' E) in the Mussourie range of the lower Himalayas at an elevation of about 6320 meter above mean sea level in the district Uttarkashi (Uttranchal). -
Air Pollution in Delhi Is Worse During Winter, International Research Study Shows 5 December 2014
Air pollution in Delhi is worse during winter, international research study shows 5 December 2014 As the cold weather sets in, a quantitative analysis irreversible damage. on particulate matter (PM) in Delhi has highlighted that residents are exposed to significantly higher Several harmful components, including lead, zinc levels of air pollutants in the Indian capital during and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were found winter than in summer. to be present in very high concentrations in winter. These particles are associated with respiratory Air pollution continues to be one of the key global diseases such as asthma and bronchitis, and they environmental challenges and is widespread in can also cause inflammation and exacerbate India, with Delhi, most notably, experiencing major cardiovascular diseases. Earlier in 2014, ambient air quality problems. The largest public health air pollution was identified as one of the top 10 impact from air pollution is due to exposure to health risks for India. particulate matter – very fine dust floating in the air. These dust particles are so small that they can get The quantitative analysis shows that sources for in to the lungs, potentially causing series health particulate matter include soil, road dust and problems. tailpipe emissions from vehicles, as well as wood, coal and waste burning. Road dust and soil levels Researchers from the University of Birmingham in the air increase in summer when temperatures (UK), the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IIT are high and rainfall is low. However, in winter, Delhi), the Central Road Research Institute (India) when a lot of people use wood and other and the Desert Research Institute (USA) have substances for heating, lower temperatures, been collaborating to provide key scientific accompanied with little or no wind, can lead to a evidence in this area. -
Immersion Emergence
immersion emergence ISBN 81-7525-751-2 ravi agarwal immersion emergence the shroud : self-portrait ravi agarwal April 27, 2006 Copyright © 2006 by Ravi Agarwal All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy- ing, recording, or by any form of information storage and retireval system, without permission in writing fromt e publisher. Published by Ravi Agarwal, New Delhi, India. E-mail [email protected] to order copies. Price: Rs 300 (India) / USD 25 (international); postage at actuals Printed in India by Ajanta Offset & Packagings Limited ISBN xxx To my parents Acknowledgements To the river waters, who let me in. To those who live on and around it. To my friends, family and colleagues, who were there at my asking, some all the while, some who joined along the way, or had to leave, even as I came and went. Nanni, Bharat, Aniruddha and Anjali, Salil and Monika, Amit, Jeebesh, Sveta, Monica, Rana, Shuddha, Dorothea, Sonia, Gauri, Gayatri, Bina, Sharda, Alka, Reena. To Ritika and to Anand, who directly participated in and helped deepen my explorations. To Geeti Sen for my first river writing. To my colleagues and friends at Toxics Link who accepted me on my own terms. To Cdr. Siddeshwar Sinha and Dunu Roy, who graciously shared their knowledge about the river. To Jeebesh for forever unfailingly showing my mind a light. To Naintara for patiently shooting me in “The Shroud”. To Aniruddha and Salil for lovingly designing and producing this. To my elusive inseparable Varda.