ANNUAL REPORT 2010-2011

Centre for Science and Environment 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi 110062 CONTENTS

I. POLICY RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY … … … … …1-33

Sustainable urban mobility and transport Clean air transportation and training … … … …1-4 City action programme … … … … … … … … …4-6 Training and orientation programme … … … …6-7 Outreach activities … … … … … … … … … … …7-8 Water management programme Urban rainwater harvesting … … … … … … …8-11 Green Building Water Management … … … …11-13 Decentralised wastewater treatment … … … …13-15 Rural Water Management … … … … … … …15-17 Sustainable industrialisation Rating programme … … … … … … … … … … …17 Regulators programme … … … … … … … … … …18 Community Service Centre … … … … … … …18-21 Food safety and toxins Study on antibiotics in honey … … … … … …22-23 Study on phthalates in toys … … … … … … … …23 Networking with civil society … … … … … … … …23 Climate change campaign Documentation and dissemination … … … …23-28 South asia programme Work at the south Asian region … … … … … …29-33

II. AWARENESS CREATION … … … … … … … … …34-37

Communication on environmental sustainability … … … … … … … … … … … …34-37

III. KNOWLEDGE PORTAL … … … … … … … … …38-40

Status of portal activities … … … … … … … … …38 Portal usage … … … … … … … … … … … …38-39 Regular updation of information and documentation 39 Daily news bulletin, green files and audio-visuals …39 Developing in-depth portals … … … … … … … …39 Capacity building activities … … … … … … …39-40

IV. EDUCATION AND TRAINING … … … … … … …41-55

Anil Agarwal Green College … … … … … … …41-45 Environment education … … … … … … … … … … Gobar Times … … … … … … … … … … … … …46 Gobar Times Green Schools Programme … … …46-49 Publications … … … … … … … … … … … …50-51 Media resource centre … … … … … … … …51-55 Media fellowships … … … … … … … … … …51-53 Media briefing workshops … … … … … … … …54-55

V. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT … … … … … …56-57

Human resources development … … … … … … …56 Capacity building … … … … … … … … … … …56 Contributions by volunteer/Intern … … … … …56-57 CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY WORK

1. Policy Research and Advocacy

I. SUSTAINABLE URBAN MOBILITY AND 1.2. Advocacy action to push for pedestrian TRANSPORT guidelines A series of campaign activities were planned 1. CLEAN AIR TRANSPORTATION AND TRAINING with key stakeholders to apply pressure towards finalisation and mandatory 1.1. Policy review, transportation-related implementation of the reformed pedestrian strategy under the Jawaharlal Nehru guidelines. National Urban Renewal Mission Extensive pedestrian infrastructure is This is the key national framework for the needed to support public transport in a city central government’s reform-based such as Delhi, where even today one third of investment for transportation and mobility the populace walk to work. We are now management in Indian cities. The building in the ‘walk to work’ concept into programme seeks to promote safe, our city programmes. We would like to affordable and sustainable transportation influence urban and road planners to focus through integrated land use and transport on the integration of the metro rail, bus and planning, multimodal public transport, pedestrian ways – especially last mile equitable allocation of road space and connectivity. promotion of clean technologies. The Delhi Metro’s Central Secretariat- As it is an ongoing programme with the Qutub link has been selected on a priority second phase of its implementation basis for this purpose. Based on extensive underway, the Centre for Science and field visits (along with key stakeholders – the Environment (CSE) undertook a review of the MCD, NDMC, Traffic Police, etc) key first phase to understand its effectiveness in interchange issues have been identified to meeting the objectives of sustainable provide last mile connectivity and mobility in order to provide policy inputs to convenience to passengers and to ensure the government. pedestrian access on metro lines. This The Union ministry of urban exercise has also been linked with the development (MoUD) announced a stimulus UTTIPEC initiative on development of design package for buses. It made the reform guidelines for interchange integration. agenda conditional to the grant for bus Currently, we are focussing on the purchase. These include bus sector reforms, extended Central Secretariat-Qutub- parking policy as a travel demand Gurgaon metro line and Gurgaon segment. management measure, tax reforms and There are five stations on the line in drawing up an advertisement policy to Gurgaon. It has been decided after the generate funds for public transport. The aim intervention that at all stations will be is to meet the objective of the National Urban provided by the Urban Development Transport Policy and reduce congestion, Authority (HUDA): energy and pollution impacts of • HUDA will provide pedestrian lights at motorisation. stations to facilitate movement, CSE has prepared factsheets compiling • Provide TSR (three-wheeled scooter the emerging issues and challenges facing rickshaw) and cycle rickshaw parking, this reform process in cities like Delhi. • Provide/repair pedestrian way along all We are continuing our review of the roads with a minimum width of 1.7 programme. This will help us to build metres (m), provide cycle/MUV lane on dialogue to influence the policy decisions and the road, implementation strategies under the • Provide bus shelters and crossing on programme. A workshop focussed on this roads to facilitate public transport. programme is being planned. At all stations, the Delhi Metro Rail

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Corporation (DMRC) will undertake the PMO that the BEE will set the standards following: under the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 • Ensure that there is parking facility (in and the Union ministry of surface transport consultation with HUDA) for public will implement this. But this has been intermediary transport (TSR and cycle challenged and opened up once again. rickshaw), CSE continues to push the authorities for • Promote cycle parking at stations, implementation of the fuel economy • Ensure that car parking in the station standards. area is clearly demarcated and no unauthorised parking takes place, 1.4. Campaign on car restraint measures to • Ensure that parking for cars is priced so discourage use of personalised transport that it matches parking prices in the and promote public transport area. This will feed and support the ongoing process at UTTIPEC (unified traffic and 1.3. Campaign for fuel economy regulations transportation infrastructure – planning & for cars engineering – centre of the Delhi The objective of this campaign is to develop Development Authority) and high level task fuel economy and air pollution ranking for force of the Delhi government that is car models in order to influence consumer developing these strategies. choices through wide publicity. Indian cities are beginning to eye CSE is campaigning for mandatory fuel revenue from car tax reforms and economy standards for vehicles. During the congestion-related fiscal measures to meet project period it has raised concerns with the the growing cost of public transport and non- key ministries and the agencies – Union motorised infrastructure. Delhi’s transport ministry of shipping, road transport and department has taken up the matter with the highways, and Bureau of Energy Efficiency finance department. (BEE, under the ministry of power) and also A study undertaken by CSE shows that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). cities the world over are putting a check on In 2009 CSE, through a press note, had their car population to free their road space.

released its assessment of the CO2 emissions Published as a cover story (Unlock the grid – from cars and the implications of the delay in August 31, 2010) in Down To Earth, it gives setting these standards for energy security details of the traffic problems and strategies and climate. In its note, CSE pressed for the implemented to decongest the city. Besides need to set the standard at the earliest. This monitoring the growth of vehicles, the was also communicated to the concerned adoption of public transport is seen as a agencies. critical measure to improve air quality. The The campaign has now reached a cities covered are London, New York, decisive moment as government has Stockholm, Berlin, Singapore, Shanghai, and proceeded on setting up a fuel economy Delhi. labelling programme for car models. Through various activities we are keeping up 1.5. Policy analysis of parking policy to the pressure. CSE has also briefed the Union support the ongoing effort of the Delhi minister of shipping, road transport and government highways on the critical policy issues related As part of this activity, CSE is now pushing to the fuel economy standards as this for these strategies with various government ministry is also involved in the process. bodies such as the Supreme Court-mandated The fuel economy regulations have hit a EPCA [Environmental Pollution (Prevention roadblock largely because of the turf war and Control) Authority], the Delhi between the power ministry and the government and UTTIPEC. The cover story transport ministry. After the initial Unlock the grid on car restraint measures campaign, the deadlock was resolved to an published in Down To Earth also highlights extent, with a decisive directive from the this issue.

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1.6. Policy analysis of Urban Transport proposal on board and based on this a Fund Cabinet note has been prepared. At the same This project aims to develop a model of time the UTTIPEC working group in Delhi urban transport funding for Delhi by Development Authority (DDA) has been evaluating all possible revenue sources that directed to work out the strategies to create can facilitate the formation of this fund. This the dedicated urban transport fund. CSE is will also complement the initiatives of also a member of the working group and has UTTIPEC and Delhi transport department. contributed to the deliberations during this CSE sent a proposal to the Delhi period government to assess ways to implement tax measures towards a dedicated fund for 1.7. Roundtable on air quality and financing public transport such as buses and Commonwealth Games, 2010 also restrain personal vehicles. The This roundtable with air quality regulators, government will have to find new or medical practitioners, sportspersons, additional sources of revenue to create the transport planners was conducted by the fund. Right To Clean Air team of CSE to leverage CSE has offered to study: the games for the longer term air quality and i) Tax measures to reduce the cost of public health benefits. the bus itself so that the capital In the past year, CSE had organised a investments can be lowered. campaign to leverage the Commonwealth ii) Find alternative sources of revenue Games for clean air, public health and to create the dedicated fund for energy efficiency. The campaign was kick- funding of public transport and to started with a public dialogue on ‘Leveraging offset the revenue losses on account Commonwealth Games for Clean Air and of waiving off taxes on buses. These Public Health’ on May 10, 2010 which was tax measures should also attended by about 36 participants (key simultaneously work on the principle regulators, academics, scientists, health of reducing car usage and improving professionals, civil society groups, public transport ridership. international experts) and media. The results Delhi government has taken the CSE of the deliberations were released through a

Public dialogue on ‘Leveraging Commonwealth Games for Clean Air and Public Health’

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press note Clean air before the Games: Are transport strategies to meet the increased we living up to it? demand during the Games: service hours and CSE presented its analysis of air quality frequency of metro and buses would be and brought out how air pollution levels increased on the key routes to enable an were daunting. Cutting these levels during effective shift from personal vehicles. It was the Games would need scale, stringency and decided that pedestrian and bicycle paths a frenetic pace of action to ensure that the would be scaled up and integrated with the public health benefits last beyond the event, metro and bus transport. There would be recognised as the first ever ‘green’ zero tolerance for polluting and smoky Commonwealth Games. CSE said that Delhi vehicles. Public transport linkages with the would have to make a sharp break with its National Capital Region (NCR) would be current car-centric framework, and identify strengthened to reduce the traffic load from ways to leapfrog so that ‘blue sky days’ NCR. There would be stricter control over increase in the city. transit traffic. CSE said that in addition to the ongoing As part of the way ahead, the Delhi implementation of the permanent measures, government has formulated a ‘13-point Delhi would also have to be ready with an agenda’ programme which will be emergency plan for the Games and test it out monitored. before the event. The new monitoring and The environment and science fortnightly forecasting systems that were being put in Down To Earth carried a story(Delhi’s wake place for the Games would have to guide this up call, June 15, 2010) highlighting the air action. It was stressed that planning for the quality challenges for the city, special air Games venues should not be seen in isolation quality monitoring and forecasting that was from the rest of the city. Only the compulsion planned for the Games and the kind of to meet clean air targets can deepen public measures that the Delhi government should understanding of what it takes to protect take to minimise pollution. public health and build public support for aggressive action needed for green Games as 2. CITY ACTION PROGRAMME well as long term sustainability of the city. This event and extensive media The city action programme in selected cities reportage on CSE’s analysis of the air quality is aimed at focused policy awareness and and public health imperatives of the action and this further helps in informing the Commonwealth Games made significant policymaking stakeholders on a nation-wide impact. All the leading newspapers carried scale. the findings and strategies discussed to The objective of the city action achieve clean air during the games. The very programme is to get the key agenda for clean next day, the Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit air implemented in the cities by creating a called a meeting with Sunita Narain, public demand through awareness events Director General and Anumita and dialogues. The key agenda points for city Roychowdhury, Executive Director, research action are: and advocacy, CSE to discuss the roadmap 1) public transport improvement, ahead. The heads of department of all the reforms and augmentation, key concerned agencies were asked to 2) car restraint measures – parking, respond to the concerns raised by CSE’ and taxes etc, also suggest a way ahead. 3) improving walkability and cycling, The Chief Minister’s meeting on May 15, and 2010 reviewed progress of air pollution 4) clean fuel programme – introduction control strategies to meet clean air targets of cleaner fuels and new emission during the Games. At the meeting, the high- norms etc. powered group identified the primary thrust The participation of civil society, areas for time-bound improvement. It academia, policymakers, regulators and proposed to speed up action on public citizens ensures that the city dialogue and

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stakeholder consultations remain relevant to enormous pollution, lead to energy guzzling local challenges. Participation of the media and increased carbon emission as the city ensures regular coverage, especially as the preferences moves away from sustainable fourth estate is able to grasp the issues modes of transport. better. Participation of the media to The team also organised a city dialogue understand the issues helps in follow up. City in Kolkata in partnership with Kolkata regulators and NGOs also participated in the Metropolitan Development Authority orientation programmes organised by the (KMDA). Citizens, policymakers, regulators, team. The orientation programmes truly are civil society were present to discuss the the platforms for experience sharing and roadmap for the city. Around 300 shared learning. stakeholders participated. During 2010-11 the team has continued The team is following up on the the focussed programme of city action discussions with the KMDA to work out assessment and stakeholder consultations. future strategies. Official representatives Simultaneously, new work has been initiated have also shown interest in participating in in two metro cities – Kolkata and Hyderabad. the orientation programme organised by us. The work in Delhi has been accelerated as part of the ongoing programme. 2.2. City dialogue in Hyderabad A round of consultation and a survey was 2.1. City dialogue in Kolkata organised in Hyderabad. In October 2010 The city action team prepared and presented ‘The Hyderabad City Dialogue on air quality a citizens report card on Kolkata’s air quality and transportation challenge: An agenda for and urban mobility based on stakeholder action’ was organised by the consultation and a citizens’ survey. This aims Pollution Control Board (APPCB) and Clean to deepen public and policy understanding of Air and Mobility Programme of CSE. The the growing public health and mobility crisis panelists represented the key stakeholders of in our cities. the city. They included the APPCB, transport Kolkata was selected to represent the department, the Institute of Health Systems, dilemma of the mega cities that are Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, experiencing rapid growth and enormous Bhagyanagar Gas Limited, Citizens for Better challenges in achieving clean air and Public Transport and The Right to Walk mobility targets. If ignored, this can lock up Foundation. The city dialogue was attended

Participants interacting with the panel at the City Dialogue on air quality and transportation challenge: An agenda for action’ held in Hyderabad.

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by more than 100 participants. APPCB has learning from each other’ – was organised in shown interest in joint assessment of an Delhi from September 21-22, 2010 and action plan on air quality for the city. brought together a select group of regulators During the workshop many civil society and change makers from selected cities to groups raised the issues regarding share the experiences and action to combat government’s penchant to go for high-end pollution and congestion. projects and the utter neglect of common The objective of the forum was to capture people’s travel needs and infrastructure like the changes initiated in Delhi in different footpaths, safe crossings, proper lighting, spheres of pollution control and mobility properly designed bus stops etc. This has led management and also an opportunity to to a critical recommendation that public learn from the participants from other cities hearings be organised on key public their unique imperatives and challenges to transport projects in the city. This strengthen the roadmap and build the recommendation has also been included in support for future action in our cities. the official deliberations on the city action A total of 15 senior level participants plan. The APPCB sought information from including two from South Asia participated in CSE on the various tax measures this forum. The orientation programme had implemented in Delhi and Hyderabad with representation from 11 Indian cities (Fazilka, regard to the CNG programme in order to , Kanpur, Kolkata, Guwahati, assess its application in the city. Delhi, Agartala, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore) and also Kathmandu, Nepal. 3. TRAINING AND ORIENTATION PROGRAMME 3.2. Regulators’ Orientation programme In the ongoing series of orientation 3.1 NGO ORIENTATION PROGRAMME ON programmes for policymakers, a three-day CLEAN AIR AND MOBILITY orientation programme on ‘Urban A two-day orientation programme – transportation reforms for clean and liveable ‘Solutions to pollution and mobility crisis: cities’ was organised during November 18-

CSE Executive Director Anumita RoyChowdhury at the orientation programme, 'Solutions to pollution and mobility crisis: learning from each other'

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Participants of the workshop, 'Urban transportation reforms for clean and liveable cities'

20, 2010 in Delhi focusing on mobility global experiences and lessons to control car management and the Jawaharlal Nehru usage was widely disseminated to all the National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) concerned stakeholders from various cities. reform agenda. Lt Governor of Delhi referred that article to A total of 24 senior level regulators from UTTIPEC and the Delhi transport department urban development departments, city for deliberation and action. Taking off from municipal corporations, transport the article, the media highlighted the issue of departments and transport corporations pollution and traffic congestion and from Indian and South Asian cities advocated car restraint measures that Indian participated in this orientation programme. cities are in dire need of. These included regulators from 15 Listed below are some of the articles: Indian cities – Rajkot, Shimla, Dhanbad, • Automobile companies get tighter Gwalior, Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore, Noida, emission norms deferred – Priyanka Lucknow, Tirunelveli, Meenambakkam, Chandola (Web special May 15, 2010) Chennai, Auroville, Ahmedabad, Indore, • Delhi’s wake up call – Priyanka Jaipur. Participants from Kathmandu and Chandola, June 15, 2010 Colombo, Sri Lanka also attended • Unlock the grid – Anumita Roychowdhury, August 31, 2010 4. OUTREACH ACTIVITIES • No parking – Priyanka Chandola, August 31, 2010 4.1. Reportage on air pollution and • Fund crunch hits Mumbai Metro mobility issues in Down To Earth –September 15, 2010 A series of articles have been published in • Suppressed CNG facts – Arushi Down To Earth on these issues. Some of these Mittal, January 15, 2011 articles have been published in other • Retina visuals capture heart – newspapers and also through a feature Priyanka Chandola, January 31, service. Sometime these articles also help 2011 with advocacy. For instance, the cover story • Europe sets fuel-efficiency target – Unlock the Grid that gave a snapshot of the Vivek Chattopadhyaya, January 31,

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2011 • Kolkata City Dialogue on Air Quality and • Remove the perverse incentive – Transportation Challenge: An agenda for Anumita Roychowdhury, February action – March 16, 2011 28, 2011 • CSE analyses recently released six-city • Flawed, but accepted – Arushi Mittal, study on air pollution sources from March 15, 2011 environment ministry, finds flaws in it – February 8, 2011 4.2. Newsletters • Alarm over worsening air quality and In order to disseminate our advocacy issues traffic congestion in South Asian cities, and information on air pollution and ongoing action must gather momentum – mobility, CSE’s air pollution bulletin is sent January 27, 2011 out to a select network of professionals, • Winter pollution is back with a regulators, NGOs and communities that are difference. City now faces the threat of specifically working on air pollution and multiple pollutants going up together – mobility issues. This e-newsletter has about December 13, 2010 5000 direct subscribers. Some of our • CSE supports Jairam Ramesh on information is also posted on the general CSE restraints on SUVs and dieselisation of newsletter that has a direct subscriber list of personal cars – November 17, 2010 2.75 lakh. It is encouraging to see the • City action – Hyderabad: CSE conducts feedback we receive from the readers. city dialogue on air quality and transportation challenges, proposes 4.3. Website agenda for action – October 7, 2010 CSE has created a dedicated website to • Delhi agrees to use Commonwealth disseminate information on air pollution and Games as an opportunity to address air mobility. This widely covers issues related to quality concerns – May 15, 2010 air quality and public health, public • Clean air before the Games: Are we living transport and mobility, energy and transport up to it? – May 10, 2010 and vehicle technology and fuel and so on. Updates on these issues are regularly put up II. WATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME on these sections. The Environment Portal or the IEP (promoted by the National 1. URBAN RAINWATER HARVESTING Knowledge Commission and managed by CSE) also carries a sub-portal on transport, During the year, the team focussed primarily which updates and disseminates information on three activities – capacity building on all air pollution and related issues. through training, research and advocacy, networking and knowledge dissemination. 4.4. Factsheets The following factsheets were prepared by 1.1. Capacity building through training the team during the last year: workshops • For whom the horns blare – September Five training programmes were conducted 2010 for municipal officials, and two trainings • Pollution under control results: Out of were organised for the general public on rain control –September 2010 water harvesting (RWH). The participants • Why clean diesel is a myth in India? were engineers from different states who –November 2010 were trained for the concept, policy and • Diesel hides behind CNG – December implementation of RWH. The Ghaziabad 2010 Development Authority and Rajkot Municipal Corporation showed interest in implementing 4.5. Press releases the projects with CSE’s assistance. The • CSE welcomes Delhi government’s move training helped enhancing knowledge and to make diesel cars dearer – March 23, skills of the participants in augmenting the 2011 water availability and supply in their

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Participants of the training programme on Urban rainwaterharvesting municipality areas. Delhi and C R Garg from Tihar Jail, Dr S K The following training programmes were Sharma, Former Member-Secretary, Central undertaken for municipal engineers: Ground Water Board/Authority (CGWB/A), Several experts interacted with architect Vandana Menon and Mr Parveen participants on the issues related to water from ITC-Welcomgroup’s Maurya-Sheraton management and rainwater harvesting – hotel in New Delhi, Dr A R Shivakumar from Sarvagya Srivastava from Central Public State Council for Science and Works Department, Sanjam Cheema from Technology, Dr S K Jain from CGWB, shared Delhi Jal Board, Prof. P S Datta, Project their experience in the workshop and relevant Director, Nuclear Research Laboratory, case studies on rainwater harvesting. Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New

S. No. Date of training State No of participants 1 May 18-21, 2010 , Delhi, Haryana, , , Punjab, and 24 2 June 15-18, 2010 Delhi, Haryana, , , , and Chandigarh 31 3 August 10-12, 2010 Uttar Pradesh 18 4 November 23-26, 2010 Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, , Karnataka, , and Rajasthan 29 5 February 2-3, 2011 Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, , Punjab, , , , Andhra Pradesh, and Rajasthan 27 6 March 30-April 3, 2010 Delhi 7 7 July 27-31, 2010 Delhi 7

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1.2. Research and Advocacy engineers including the Punjab Science and CSE submitted the city-level RWH plan to the Technology (PST). The PST has requested Union ministry of urban development CSE to provide support and guidance in (MoUD) for Chandigarh. The municipal designing RWH systems for eight Indian commissioner of Chandigarh showed Technical Institutes (ITI) across Punjab. interest in implementing the system and Among technical consultancies invited CSE to make a presentation to the undertaken by CSE on rainwater harvesting senior officials of Municipal Corporation of design proposals are the following buildings, Chandigarh (MCC) in November 2010. A with implementation underway for most of team of senior engineers from MCC and them. Chandigarh administration visited Delhi in • Anil Agarwal Green College, New December 2010 to see similar model projects Delhi designed by CSE and understand the • Science Centre, Marchak, operation & maintenance involved in RWH Sikkim systems. • Chandigarh Golf Club The detailed report submitted, • Sudhinalaya Rescue and ‘Capturing Rainwater- A way to augment Rehabilitation Centre, New Delhi Chandigarh’s water resources’, is available • Bipin Chandra Tripathi, Kumaon on the website (http://www.cseindia.org/ Engineering College, Dwarahat, content/capturing-rainwater) for reference and for outreach and dissemination of • A residence at Jorbagh, New Delhi results. This report has received Apart from this, CSE has given technical appreciation from eminent planners and guidance to Kerala School, Punjab National

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Bank office building complex and residential Corporation (HUDCO) conducted an 8- buildings at New Friends Colony and Saket in week training programme for overseas Delhi. professionals on ‘Managing Cities in Developing Countries – Environment & 1.3. Interviews by media Infrastructure Framework’. An expert The urban water team was interviewed by from CSE’s water team was invited to the following print and electronic media over deliver a lecture on rainwater the year. harvesting. Eighteen participants (architects, civil engineers, architects, 1.4. Lectures/seminars attended by team town planners) from different parts of the members world attended the programme. • Awareness campaign on rainwater • CSE provided inputs to the report of the harvesting in Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh sub-committee on ‘Developing in August, 2010. The meeting was parameters for urban storm water covered by Hindi national dailies – Dainik management’ which is part of National Jagaran and Amar Ujala. Mission for Sustainable Habitat, under • Lecture on RWH for various schools in the MoUD. Agra in September 2010. Eight schools are ready to implement the RWH system 2. GREEN BUILDING WATER MANAGEMENT with CSE’s guidance. • Network meeting for the hosts of CSE’s 2.1. Background paper on efficiency rating model projects organised in December systems for water using fixtures 2010. About 10 participants were The team prepared a background paper on present. People interested to implement efficiency rating systems for water using the project also attended the meeting. fixtures. The paper has been appreciated by Gargi College in New Delhi agreed to the MoUD. The ministry is keen to initiate a implement the system with CSE’s help. rating system for water efficient fixtures in • Human Settlement Management Institute India. Over 100 people from various fields (HSMI), the research and training wing of and organisations have accessed the report Housing and Urban Development from the CSE website. The contents of the

Name TV channels/ Month Topic radio/newspaper Ohm Radio April, 2010 Water scarcity in Delhi DD Urdu TV April, 2010 Yamuna pollution DD National TV April, 2010 Water scarcity DD National TV May, 2010 Water scarcity Pioneer Newspaper May, 2010 Yamuna pollution and Commonwealth Games Hindustan Newspaper May, 2010 Rainwater harvesting The Times of India Newspaper May, 2010 Rainwater harvesting and water scarcity The Times of India Newspaper June, 2010 Rainwater harvesting The Tribune Newspaper June, 2010 Rainwater harvesting Sahara Samay TV June, 2010 Water today Star News TV June, 2010 Rainwater harvesting IBN 7 TV July, 2010 Rainwater harvesting Bloomberg UTV TV August, 2010 Rainwater harvesting P7 TV September, 2010 Yamuna flooding News 24 TV January, 2011 Yamuna pollution

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report were also discussed at the round table of the sub-committee on developing meeting and the report has been able to ‘Parameters for urban storm water generate awareness on the need to initiate management’. This includes suggestions on rating reform amongst the manufacturers, the guiding principles, critical issues, new ministry etc. in a time bound manner. techniques and case studies that could help A document on the road-map to initiate develop preventive, curative and reactive rating system for water efficient fixtures is parameters for urban storm water under preparation and will be submitted to management in urban areas. the MoUD. The document would include the present legal and institutional framework 2.3. Networking and Dissemination with reference to water, existing in India Two stakeholder’s discussions were today. Suggestions with regards to the organised by CSE for evolving a roadmap to policies, institutions and legal options to initiate rating of water efficient fixtures in implement and mainstream the rating India. In the first meeting the issues, status system have been included in the document. and way forward with regards to rating In addition, a detailed rating system for the system for water efficient fixtures was fixtures will also be included as discussed. The meeting was organised at recommendations in the document for CSE’s India Habitat Centre premises with 25 MoUD. participants on September 28, 2010. The second meeting held on December 22, 2010 2.2. Water audit for the CSE building discussed in detail the draft rating system CSE conducted a water audit for its office and the road-map for implementation of the building, essentially aiming at further rating system in India. improving water efficiency and conserving To measure impact – both meetings had every drop of water wherever possible. participation from a wide range of A paper on measures and techniques for stakeholders from sanitaryware water conservation and efficiency manufacturers, the Bureau of India improvements in buildings was prepared to Standards (BIS), Central Public Health & feed into the green building manual. The Environmental Engineering Organisation paper discussed in details processes like (CPHEEO), MoUD, green building councils, water audit, metering, leakage control, plumbing association, academics etc. The efficient amenities, water conservation in first meeting was attended by Joint Secretary landscape and outdoor activities, along with (Urban Development) Government of India. a draft structure of the Green Building Water The background paper on ‘Rating system Manual (GBWM) manual and training. for water efficient fixtures in India – A Way to A strategy paper on linkages between Sustainable Water Management in India’ building and water is under preparation, was uploaded on the CSE website in August which would highlight its current status, 2010 and print copies were submitted to the challenges and issues that are facing the MoUD soon after. The brief on this initiative building sector in India. This paper would along with the meeting proceedings have also contribute towards the green building been included in a press note, which was manual and would be useful in advocacy for widely reported in the media. The brief of the moving towards greener buildings with second meeting has also been uploaded on improved water management. the website. A new web page on the GBWM A research paper is also under was created under the Water Management preparation on the Environment Impact Unit head (http://www.cseindia.org/category Assessment (EIA) process for building and /topics/green-building-water-management). construction projects. The paper would feed into the EIA manual for water and 2.4. Dissemination through Down To Earth wastewater based on current building and website clearances, best practice and technologies. A two page special report titled Watertight The team provided inputs for the report was published in the October 15, 2010 issue

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of Down To Earth. The report also carried the 3.1. Capacity building programmes interview of the head of a leading Five trainings were conducted for engineers sanitaryware manufacturer in India. It is of municipalities from different states. expected that this article would be able to • May 11-14, 2010 (25 participants from generate widespread discussion and Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & awareness on the need for ratings. Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Material on water audit, water efficiency Uttar Pradesh) and conservation in buildings has also been • July 6-9, 2010 (19 participants from uploaded on the web page. In addition, all Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Down To Earth articles, news on the Pradesh. environment portal related to green • September 7-9, 2010 (15 participants buildings and water are linked to this web from Noida, Uttar Pradesh joined the page. A new page for Centre of Excellence training (CoE) has also also created with details of • Nov 9-12, 2010 (17 participants from activities, documents prepared for CoE and Haryana, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar details of trainings organised, amongst Prades, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Madhya others (http://www.cseindia.org/taxonomy/ Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra term/20377/menu). Pradesh. • March 3-4, 2011 3. DECENTRALISED WASTEWATER TREATMENT These municipal officials were trained on (DWWT) the concept, policy and application of decentralised wastewater treatment and The activities during the year focussed on reuse. Engineers from Himachal Pradesh capacity building, research and advocacy, have asked CSE to initiate pilot projects based networking and dissemination. upon modified septic tank design for septage

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management. The trainings helped in of this paper will be used for policy advocacy enhancement of knowledge and skills of the to revise the by-laws as well as guidelines to participants to address their problems in field. town/cities in handling and treating of August 24-28, 2010: This training septage. programme was for the general public in Inputs provided in the report of the sub- which 19 participants attended. The committee to develop ‘Parameters for Urban participants acknowledged that they learnt Storm Water Management’. The report is substantially on the subject in the course of part of various activities undertaken by the the programme. A few participants are also MoUD for implementation of the National in touch with CSE regarding designing of Mission for Sustainable Habitat project and implementation. Mr Samal of Earth Foundation, Orissa has actually 3.2.1. Technical consultancies started consultancy for implementation of The team regularly conducted the fortnightly DEWATS (Decentralised Wastewater technical consultancy meeting (free of cost) Treatment Systems) after attending the with stakeholders to design and implement programme. decentralised wastewater treatment Various resource persons/ external systems. CSE has been approached by faculties/ expert have contributed to the various NGOs and institutions to provide training workshops – M Dhindhayalan, technical guidance for designing and Deputy Advisor (CPHEEO), Paritosh Tyagi, implementation of decentralised wastewater former Chairman (CPCB), Dr Ajit Seshadri, treatment system in their premises. This has Head – Environment (Vigyan Vijay helped in creating wide awareness and Foundation. New Delhi), Manu Bhatnagar strengthening citizen actions on water and Principal Advisor Natural Heritage Division waste management. CSE addressed queries (INTACH), New Delhi), Prof. Padma from practitioners, NGOs, and architects to Vasudevan (IIT Delhi), Prof V M Chariyar (IIT promote DWWT. Seven such meetings have Delhi), Prof Vinod Tare (IIT Delhi), Dr R C been organised to address queries regarding Trivedi, former Additional Director, (CPCB) DWWT implementation. shared their experience with participants. As a part of consultancy, a preliminary survey was conducted at Sadhu Vaswani 3.2. Research and advocacy School in New Delhi by CSE team. During the CSE’s water team was invited by the visit, details about the DWWT Government of Himachal Pradesh to make a implementation, cost estimation of the detailed presentation on ‘Decentralised system were discussed. In another case, Wastewater Treatment – A way to manage technical guidance along with the design septage in Shimla city’ in April 2010. The plan of the DWWT has been given to Tara meeting discussed the plan for Nirman Kendra for the implementation of the implementation of pilot projects identified in system at SOS Youth House in Chennai. Shimla city to showcase good practices in The team initiated the aerobic microbial septage management that hold a promising composting process for solid waste solution to existing sanitation problems in management at the CSE campus in hill towns/cities. As a result, principal Tughlaquabad Institutional Area. This has secretary, urban development & showcased good practices in solid waste environment, Government of Himachal management at building level for Pradesh directed senior officials of Shimla visitors/trainees. Municipal Corporation and HP Urban Development Authority to initiate 3.3 Networking and knowledge implementation of pilot projects in Shimla as dissemination activities well as Baddi-Parwann respectively. As part of scaling up activities, the water The team prepared a policy paper on team strengthened its networking with septage management (abstract submitted to stakeholders and also maintained a regular MoUD, Government of India) and the inputs follow up with participants of the training.

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A new web page on ‘Decentralised water for the last person’ were organised in wastewater treatment and updated data which 533 people were trained. resource centre on best practices and The trainings for the PHED were held in emerging technologies in wastewater Bhopal, Indore and Sagar districts of Madhya management’ was created. This will help Pradesh. Bhopal covered 23 districts, Indore dissemination and outreach of good practices covered 15 districts and Sagar covered 6 across India and internationally to promote districts. The programme was attended by sustainable and affordable decentralised 130 engineers from across the state. wastewater treatment and reuse. Under the trainings for panchayat, CSE The focus has always been knowledge organised 12 workshops - at 4 villages each sharing with practitioners, experts and NGOs of Dhar and Jhabua districts of Madhya working towards sustainable approaches. Pradesh and in 4 villages of Meerut District of Regular visits by NGOs/practitioners Uttar Pradesh. The objective was to create /corporate at CSE to showcase sustainable an understanding of the need to prepare water/wastewater management practices. Village Water Security Plans through water Twenty participants attending budgeting. This was done by linking up with ‘ACCESSanitation’ workshop organised by local NGOs, like Vasudha in MP and Janhit in ICLEI South Asia visited CSE to see the UP. The villages were selected based on decentralised wastewater treatment system physio-graphy, hydro-geology, population and reuse. profile and the willingness of participants to The team maintained regular media attend the programme. interaction and reporting in leading dailies for sustainable water/wastewater Capacity building programmes management towards widespread 3.1. Training programme on ‘Drinking water awareness generation among masses. for the last person’ for Madhya Padesh Public Health Engineering Department held from 4. RURAL WATER MANAGEMENT August – October 2010 The training programmes were designed During the year, the rural water to focus on the key issues of community management team successfully organised a involvement and rainwater harvesting for number of training programmes, undertook source sustainability. It was organised as per research and disseminated information on the following details: sustainable drinking water. Trainings were 1. Bhopal, August 26-28, 2010 – Covered 23 conducted in different parts of Madhya districts of Bhopal and Jabalpur division Pradesh and in Uttar Pradesh in 2. Indore, September 15-17, 2010 - Covered collaboration with the local NGOs. The 15 districts of Indore division objective of the training was to brief and 3. Sagar, October 6-8, 2010 – Covered 6 create an understanding of the need to districts of Sagar division. prepare Village Water Security Plans. There was a total participation of 130 The training programme was divided engineers (Superintendent Engineers into two parts – one for the PHED engineers (SEs); executive Engineers (EEs); Junior and another for panchayats and Engineers (JEs); and, Sub Engineers communities. The main focus of the (SEs)) from across the state. programme for PHED was to demystify some of the aspects of the new guidelines, which Training modules: The three day agenda was aim for universal coverage by March 2012. designed in a way to present various aspects The guidelines cover great many issues in of water management including the policy their broad sweep but the workshops were framework; explaining the provisions of the designed to focus on the key issues of new guidelines; traditional methods of water community involvement and rainwater harvesting and watershed management. The harvesting for source sustainability. A total lectures therefore revolved around case of 15 training programmes on ‘Drinking studies of community involvement and

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rainwater harvesting which were the amount of water that would be available supplemented by technical lectures on the through rainwater harvesting. The group science of hydrogeology and recharging. Key also explored the possibilities for solving the modules covered the following subjects: water crisis in the village. This was based on • management of water supply schemes in the learning gained through the lectures villages through VWSCs; from the experts. • community contribution for operation and maintenance; Resource persons: The speakers were • mitigation of water quality through selected to present diverse initiatives in field dilution and rainwater harvesting; of rural drinking water supply like source • sub-basin level planning for water sustainability, water quality monitoring and security; mitigation, recharge and community • rainwater harvesting for sustaining involvement for developing water security sources at household, village and plans. The idea was to present insights into watershed level; and the main components of the new drinking • watershed management. water supply programme guidelines through The participants were familiarised with case studies where people have carried out these concepts through lectures and similar initiatives in the country with special discussions with the resource persons. In focus on the state of MP. The programme addition to these, there was detailed session also included a field visit to a village where on the science of hydrogeology. It was communities are managing their piped water realised that the engineers would need to supply programme through efforts of understand the concepts of hydrogeology for recharge and water conservation. recharge, quite opposed to the current paradigm of using geology for exploitation 3.2. Training programme on ‘Drinking water purposes only for the last person’ in Dhar district, Madhya Pradesh from December 23 – 30, 2010 Field visits: To demonstrate on-ground CSE collaborated with the local NGO initiatives of some of the concepts outlined in Vasudha Vikas Sansthan, to undertake the the sessions, filed visits were organised to training programmes in the following four villages in all the three programmes. The villages of Dhar district. villages were identified to demonstrate • Khamalia (Sardarpur block) successful initiatives through NGO efforts, • Pipalya Mota (Umarban block) PHED case study on community • Multhan(Badnawar block) management of piped water supply schemes • Sala (Dharampuri block) and convergence with other government programmes. It was meant to showcase Training modules: The trainings in Dhar community led initiatives becoming villages consisted of the following broad successful owing to the nurturing of social elements: capital by mobilising people to come together • Trend analysis to get an understanding of for meeting their own needs. The point of causes for water availability this initiative was to wean the village off state decline/increase in demand; dependence and inculcate a sense of • Prioritising problems according to ownership towards their common resources urgency in finding solutions; and systems. In one of the training • Mapping of water resources; programme, the participants were taken to a • Assessing water demand and availability; problem village, which was facing severe • Identifying actions to ensure water water problems for the past few years and no sustainability. scheme for water supply has proved to be successful here. The participants undertook 3.3. Training programme on ‘Drinking water a water budgeting exercise of the village with for the last person’ in Jhabua dstrict, the help of a simple format and calculated Madhya Pradesh from March 08-11, 2011

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The training programmes were during the year. A paper comprising of an undertaken in the following four villages of introduction to the sector, technology, the district in collaboration with the NGO environmental concerns, etc., has been Vasudha Vikas Sansthan: prepared. In all, 23 units have been • Karadavat, Petlavad Block identified for participation and 11 have • Mohankot, Petlavad Block already agreed to participate. Six • Ramgarh, Petlawad Block companies are participating voluntarily. • Rampuria, Petlawad Block They are the Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd, Vizag; Ispat Industries, JSW Steel, Bellary; Training modules: The training programmes Jai Balaji, Durgapur; Godawari Power and consisted of the following broad elements: Visa Steel. • Trend analysis of the past 30-40 years to A Technical Advisory Panel (TAP) has observe changes in village resources and been identified and formed. The following their causes members are part of the advisory panel: • Mapping of water resources and village 1. Dr R C Gupta FIIM, FIE to spatially contextualise the issues Former Professor in Metallurgy & Head, • Water budgeting to assess water demand Dept of Met Engg, IT-BHU and availability Member, Expert Committee, Union • Identifying actions to ensure water ministry of environment & forest, sustainability New Delhi Expert Member, Orissa Government 3.4. Training programme on ‘Drinking water Pollution Control Board, Bhubaneswar for the last person’ in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh from March 27 – 30, 2011 2. Mr R P Sharma The training programmes were Director General Carbon Advisory undertaken in the following four villages in Services (P) Ltd collaboration with the local NGO, Janhit Former Chief of Environmental Foundation: Management, Tata Steel • Atrara village (Kharkhada block) • Jalaluddinpur Masoodpur Gawri, 3. Dr B Sengupta Rajpura block Former Member Secretary, Central • Khatki, Parikshatgarh block Pollution Control Board • Khwajampur Majra, Rohata block 4. Mr A K Ghosh Training modules: The training programmes Principal Adviser consisted of the following broad elements: National Accreditation Board for • Trend analysis to get an understanding of Education & Training Quality Council of causes for water availability India decline/increase in demand; A questionnaire has been prepared in • Prioritising problems according to consultation with TAP members and has urgency in finding solutions; been sent to the plants. The team is now • Mapping of water resources; gathering extensive secondary information • Assessing water demand and availability; on the plants from the Central Pollution • Identifying actions to ensure water Control Board (CPCB), the state pollution sustainability. control boards (SPCBs), the media and local communities on environmental data and III. SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRIALISATION impact for the last three years – irrespective of whether a plant participates or not. Data 1. RATING PROGRAMME entry of the received questionnaires has already started. Team members have visited The Industry & Environment team worked Tata Steel to acquaint themselves with the on the green rating of iron and steel sectors working of a steel plant.

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2. REGULATORS PROGRAMME A week-long training programme on ‘Action plan for critically polluted areas’ was In September 2010, CSE signed a tripartite held from December 14-18, 2010. Twenty agreement with the Ministry of environment three participants from various SPCBs and and forests (MoEF) and SPCBs to train young the CPCB attended the programme. and middle level officers. These training A week-long training on ‘Compliance, programmes focus on critically polluted monitoring and enforcement of centralised of areas, new approaches in wastewater wastewater treatment plants’ was held in management as well as on a variety of issues January 2011. related to improvement of compliance and enforcement of environmental laws in India. 3. COMMUNITY SERVICE CENTRE During the first six months of the project, CSE trained 65 officers including senior Several grassroots organisations from across officers of SPCBs from across the country. India requested the Industry and It is the first time that the government Environment team for technical evaluation of has authorised anyone outside to train the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) regulators. The incumbent minister for reports. The team helped the communities environment and forests, Jairam Ramesh and evaluated reports. Some of these are as accepted our request and joined the follows: regulators for a face-to-face interaction with 1. CSE’s review of the EIA of the POSCO the officers undergoing training. CSE’s role (port and steel plant) and LAVASA (lake as an organisation will be enhanced since city) requested by National Centre for this training programme provides an Advocacy Studies (NCAS), an NGO based opportunity to work with the enforcers, thus in Maharashtra, brought out the creating a dedicated cadre in the shortcomings of the EIA as well as the government sector well trained in regulatory projects. The results were used by NCAS issues. to file a PIL.

CSE Director General Sunita Narain with officers of the State and Central Pollution Control Board at the regulators’ training programme.

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2. CSE provided the technical feedback to Electricity Generation Company the rejoinder application in the matter of proposed to come up in Maharashtra. Sibaram Naik vs Union of India at the The same was carried out based on a National Environment Appellate request from a lawyer who used the Authority (NEAA). Utkal Alumina analysis to file a case on behalf of the International Ltd is the project proponent local people against the company. of a Bauxite Mining Project in Baphlimali 6. A detailed analysis was carried out for a Hill in Rayagada District of Orissa. The cement plant of Nirma Limited in case was filed challenging the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. The same environmental clearance granted to the was done on a request from the local Baphlimali Bauxite Mining Project. In people in the area. This was published in response to the appeal filed in NEAA, Down To Earth (Nirma whitewash – Respondent no 3, the company has filed a January 28, 2011). detailed counter affidavit. The technical 7. A joint study on illegal coal mining in inputs in preparing the rejoinder to the Meghalaya in collaboration with an NGO counter affidavit of the company were called Samrakshan Trust is now given by CSE. complete and reviewed the report. 3. The public hearing of an asbestos fibre sheet factory at Chainpur in was to The analysis looked at the be held at a distance of about 27 km from ‘resource vs development’ debate in depth the project site. CSE facilitated the for the proposed industrialisation in the change of location to a closer place state. The results were startling: for (about 6 km) by providing the EIA instance, water is being allotted from the notification copy to the local villagers, river Mahanadi way beyond its dependable writing to MoEF and the district flow. Land and minerals will also be greatly magistrate of the area. A CSE researcher exploited resulting in violent protests as visited the location prior to the public already prevalent in some parts of the state. hearing and found that illegal It also recognised the importance of a constructions had already started at the cumulative impact assessment for this pace site without even having obtained a and scale of industrialisation. clearance. The same was reported in Down To Earth (Asbestos unit disturbs 3.1. Research on sponge iron industry Chainpur’s peace – June 16, 2010). A CSE The Industry and Environment team researcher was present at the village for prepared a report on the state of sponge iron the public hearing on June 28, 2010 and industry in the country. The report includes apprised people about the impact of the detailed analyses of four states with sponge project. iron dominance – Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, 4. A detailed analysis of the rapid Orissa and West Bengal. The Right to industrialisation in Chhattisgarh was Information (RTI) has been exercised in carried out. The analysis was published these states to obtain information from the as a cover story in Down To Earth SPCBs on sponge iron units. (Chattisgarh’s industrial jungle – In order to collect information on September 1, 2010). This analysis was industry, CSE researchers visited the states also released in November at a of Karnataka, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh grassroots NGO meeting in Raipur in and interviewed officials of the respective November 2010. An NGO called Ekta state pollution control boards, local doctors, Parishad has used this analysis to villagers, government officials etc., thereby present the matter to the Prime Minister better being able to assess the government’s by submitting a written plea to his office. stand and people’s opinion on the sponge 5. Technical assistance was provided by iron industry. analysing an EIA of a 2,500 MW capacity The report looking at the regulatory thermal power plant of the Hindustan status of the sponge iron industry in India

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has been published in Down To Earth S. No. Place & date No. of (Sponge iron’s dirty growth, January 2011). participants The report was released in (January 2011) and Kolkata (February 2011). The 1 Madhya Pradesh release was attended by different June 8-9, 2010 25 stakeholder groups – NGOs, affected 2 Jharkhand population, government officials, industry June 23-26, 2010 30 representatives, etc., and covered by the 3 New Delhi local media. August 9 - 13, 2010 23 4 New Delhi 3.2. Capacity building on Environmental October 25 -29, 2010 27 Impact Assessment 5 New Delhi A number of training programmes were 7-10, 2010 22 organised on environmental clearance 6 Kerala process during the year. Representatives December 20-22 2010 32 from industry, NGOs, regulators, etc. 7 New Delhi attended the trainings. January 17-21, 2011 24 Meetings/conferences attended by Industry and Environment team members: • Sujit Kumar Singh was invited as a 2010. resource person for a workshop on • Uma Shankar attended the workshop EIA-mining organised by the Madhya on action plan for innovations in Pradesh Pollution Control Board environmental regulation organised (MPPCB) in June 2010. The event by MoEF and CPCB in Delhi in July was attended by 25 participants 2010. including regional and sub-regional • A preliminary meeting on the draft officers of MPPCB. Mines and Minerals Development and • N. Muruganandam, Director, MoEF Regulation (MMDR), 2010 was invited the team to attend and extend organised in Rourkela, Odisha in their views on National Environment January 2011 to discuss the new Protection Authority (NEPA) in May provisions with different stakeholders.

Participants of the EIA training programme

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• Sujit Kumar Singh was invited for a to attend and brainstorm on workshop on mining and industrial corporate social responsibilities, projects organised by Synodical Board governance practices and of Social Services, Church of North sustainable development. India at Jharkhand in June 2010. The • Nivit Kumar Yadav attended the workshop had about 30 participants, working group meeting for the most of them grassroots activists, from construction and real estate sector in different districts of Jharkhand. July 2010. Held in Amsterdam, the • Sugandh Juneja attended the main objective of the meeting was to ‘National consultation on the finalise indicators useful for GRI proposed land acquisition reporting. (amendment) bill and R&R bill • Sanjeev Kumar Kanchan attended a (draft)’ organised by the Delhi Forum conference on blast furnace in New Delhi in September 2010. technology in Kolkata organised by • Sujit Kumar Singh attended the Steel Tech in September 2010. working group meeting for the • Uma Shankar attended a climate development of the airport sector strategies workshop, ‘Perform Achieve supplement of Global Reporting and Trade’ scheme for steel sector on Initiative (GRI) in June 2010. The October 29, 2010 at IIT-Delhi. A meeting organised in Mexico was critique of the scheme was published attended by various stakeholders in Down To Earth (An unsteady first across from the globe. step – December 15, 2010). • The team was invited by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Reportage in Down To Earth:

Issue Article February 28, 2010 Algae with a taste for carbon dioxide: NTPC considering pilot project in Visakhapatnam April 30, 2010 Resource war INDIA after 2020 May 31, 2010 IIM-Lucknow analyses pollution board: Manpower shortage, lack of coordination are main problems June 15, 2010 Garo hills spared of uranium exploration: Atomic energy department wanted to drill inside national park June 15, 2010 Konkan thumbs down nuclear plant: Public hearing for 9,900 MW Jaitapur power project held under protest June 30, 2010 Asbestos unit disturbs Chainpur’s peace: Work started without environmental clearance June 30, 2010 Green Mission: raise forests, sink CO2: Protect biodiversity too, say experts July 15, 2010 Centre proposes control over wetlands: Regulations not enough to conserve marshes and lakes, say experts July 31, 2010 Jindal pays for flouting law: Constructs Chhattisgarh plant without clearance July 31, 2010 GMR jumps the gun: Begins constructing power plant in Chhattisgarh, illegally September 15, 2010 Chhattisgarh’s industrial jungle November 15, 2010 POSCO review body divided: Members differ on steel giant’s compliance with regulations November 30, 2010 Near ready for take off: Environment ministry panel clears Navi Mumbai airport; hotel and golf course put on hold December 14, 2010 Ratnagiri protests clearance to Jaitapur power park: Expert panel gives conditional approval, but environmentalists tout it as a façade December 31, 2010 POSCO’s port halt: South Korean company’s steel plant and port may impact coast, says expert panel January 31, 2011 Sponge iron’s dirty growth February 28, 2011 POSCO gets green signal: Environment ministry goes soft on South Korean steel giant POSCO February 28, 2011 Nirma Whitewash: Detergent company Nirma gave false information to obtain clearance for its cement plant in coastal Saurashtra.

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IV. FOOD SAFETY AND TOXINS honey. The highest level was detected in Khadi Honey of Khadi Gram Udyog Sewa The focus of the campaign during the year Samiti, Madhyapura, Bihar. was to bring about changes in the regulatory Chloramphenicol, banned by the EU was and enforcement framework using found in 25 per cent of the samples, with its laboratory research to generate empirical levels 9 to 15 times higher than the 0.3 g/kg data and undertake policy advocacy on standard fixed by the EIC. The highest level issues of food safety and toxins was detected in Gold Honey of Vardhman Food & Pharmaceuticals. 1. STUDY ON ANTIBIOTICS IN HONEY Ampicillin was found in 67 per cent of the samples at a concentration of 10 to 614 The Pollution Monitoring Laboratory (PML) g/kg. The highest level was detected in team conducted a study on honey. The Nectaflor Natural Blossom Honey of laboratory results showed high levels of Switzerland. There is no standard for antibiotics in honey, from banned ampicillin in honey in any country because it chloramphenicol to broad spectrum is not supposed to be used in beekeeping. It ciprofloxacin. The testing was done after is, therefore, an unauthorised or illegal news of rejection of Indian samples in the substance in honey. Similarly, enrofloxacin, international market began trickling in. ciprofloxacin and erythromycin, which do PML tested 12 branded honey samples not have any standards either, are being for six antibiotics, and found antibiotics in 11 illegally used. samples. The tested samples were bought Dabur Honey had 91.3 g/kg of OTC, randomly from various markets in Delhi in which is nine times the EIC standard. It also July 2009. Of the 12, ten were Indian brands had 26.6 g/kg of ampicillin and 88.7 g/kg and two were imported brands. of enrofloxacin. Essentially, the sample was The six antibiotics that PML looked for found to be non-compliant with the EIC were oxytetracycline, chloramphenicol, standards and would be rejected if placed for ampicillin, erythromycin, eurofloxacin and exports to the EU or the US. ciprofloxacin. Among the domestic brands Of the six antibiotics tested, the highest tested were Dabur Honey of Dabur India Ltd, number – five – were detected in the Swiss which holds over 75 per cent of the market Nectaflor Natural Blossom Honey sample. It share in the branded segment; Himalaya had 112 g/kg of OTC, 11 times the EIC Forest Honey of Himalaya Drug Company, standard. Chloramphenicol was found at a one of India’s oldest Ayurveda drug level of 3.6 g/kg, which is 12 times over the companies; Patanjali Pure Honey of Patanjali EIC standard. It also had highest levels of Ayurved Ltd, Haridwar; and Baidyanath ampicillin and erythromycin. The sample Wild Flower Honey of Shree Baidyanath was found to be non-compliant with the EIC Ayurved Bhavan Pvt Ltd, Kolkata, which has as well as EU regulations. about 10 per cent share in the branded The Capilano Pure & Natural Honey honey market. sample was found to contain three antibiotics The two imported brands were Capilano and was non-compliant with the EIC export Pure & Natural Honey of Capilano Honey Ltd, standards as well as some standards the market leader in Australia, exporting imposed in Australia itself. honey to over 40 countries; and Nectaflor The fact that more than one antibiotic Natural Blossom Honey of Narimpex AG with was found in the samples indicates that the its production site in Biel, Switzerland. prevalent practice is to collect honey from Oxytetracycline or OTC was found in 50 different sources and then blend them before per cent of the samples in the range of 27 to packing and distributing for sale. This brings 250 microgram per kg ( g/kg). This is almost into question the issue of traceability of 3 to 25 times higher than the 10 g/kg honey. But what was shocking was the fact standard fixed by the Indian government’s that though the Indian government was still Export Inspection Council (EIC) for exported careful in what it was exporting, there were

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no regulations for what was being sold to the districts where health impacts similar to that Indian consumers and this was evident in the of Kasaragod have been seen in the last few samples of Australian and Swiss honey which years. Though there was no aerial spraying turned out positive for antibiotics. in these districts, the extensive use of A cover story was published in the Down pesticide is wreaking havoc both on people To Earth magazine (What’s in your honey’ – and the ecology. September 30, 2010) on the findings of the Special reports on the impact of laboratory on antibiotics in honey. A press endosulfan in Kasaragod, Palakkad, Idukki, conference was held to apprise the press and Dakshin Kanada and the latest political the public about the lab findings. The report developments in Kerala on the issue of was widely covered in the print and endosulfan have been reported in five issues electronic media. of Down To Earth. After Kerala, Karnataka The Indian government took cognisance became the second state to ban endosulfan. of our study and the Food Safety and Karnataka has also written to the centre for Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) a nationwide ban. The Indian Council for issued an advisory that no honey should Medical Research has set up a committee to contain antibiotics. A committee under the study the health impact of endosulfan in the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) is studying state. our report and are holding consultations to CSE is tracking the developments within draw standards for antibiotics in honey. the Kerala government. CSE is working The team is tracking the developments in closely with civil society groups working in the BIS which has formed a committee and a Kerala to ensure that the victims of panel to examine the CSE study. Follow up endosulfan in the affected areas get justice. stories are being written by the team for the Down To Earth magazine. V. CLIMATE CHANGE CAMPAIGN

2. STUDY ON PHTHALATES IN TOYS In keeping with the national and global focus on the issue of climate change, CSE As a result of the study on toys conducted by undertook programmes focussing on climate CSE in January 2010 that found high levels of change. CSE actively engaged with toxic phthalates – a chemical used to soften policymakers and negotiators to contribute toys – stringent regulations for toys are to national policymaking and to advocate for expected. CSE is tracking the developments negotiations rooted in principles of equity in the Department of Industrial Policy and and justice at international meetings. Promotion (DIPP). We engaged with the national and South Asian media in a big way through 3. NETWORKING WITH CIVIL SOCIETY briefing workshops and fellowships to catalyse interest and increase reportage on The Food Safety & Toxins team visited the issue in the region and also to Kasaragod district in Kerala and Dakhsin incorporate southern perspectives in the Kanada district in Karnataka to assess the reportage. As in 2009, we sponsored the condition of people’s health and the participation of journalists from the national environmental impact ten years after aerial media in the Cancun climate change summit spraying of endosulfan in the cashew in 2010 and this resulted in extensive and plantations was stopped. high quality reportage of the summit. Aerial spraying in the districts used to CSE also engaged with scientists take place between 1980 and 2000. The working on climate change issues to facilitate impact is still visible and children born after a dialogue between the scientific community 2000 are still bearing the brunt of the and policymakers and also to catalyse and endosulfan spray in the plantations. The speed up the process of setting frameworks team also travelled to Palakkad and Idukki for better research and data collection.

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and international events. 1. DOCUMENTATION AND DISSEMINATION The portal ranks first and is the top-most site on Google for searches on information 1.1. Climate change sub-portal tagged round ‘India plus environment’. The The climate sub-portal ranked amongst the IEP content is being followed and shared top 10 ‘most viewed’ sections of the India through popular social Environment Portal (IEP) according to networking/microblogging sites such as Google Analytics. During the year it provided Twitter and Facebook. Visitors too have latest news, reports, analysis, articles, realised the potential of the IEP and have statistics, events, etc with focus on started contributing studies, reports and developments on climate issues in India and articles. other South Asian countries. The database on the latest reports and studies published 1.2. Climate Change Conference in Bonn, by leading national and international climate June 2010 experts and institutions are also updated CSE staff participated at the United Nations during the period. Framework Convention on Climate Change The IEP is visited by more than 6000 (UNFCCC) held in Bonn from May 31-June surfers everyday. The portal has been 11, 2010. At the end of the conference, the recognised nationally and internationally officials of the UNFCCC claimed that the two and the portal team was invited by Institute weeks of talks made important progress for Development Studies, Brighton, Sussex towards concluding what was left incomplete University for a presentation at its meeting of at the UN Climate Change Conference in the I-K-Mediary (a global network of Copenhagen (CoP 15) in 2009. It was decided organisations that play a knowledge and that the outcome would be presented at the information intermediary role in UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún development) members. This was attended (CoP 16) summit in November-December by NGOs from Switzerland, Kenya, South 2010. Africa, Belize, Egypt, Tanzania, Philippines, CSE disseminated the development and France, Malawi, Bangladesh, Cambodia and different phases of the conference live on UK. Invitations were also received by IEP as Equity Watch section of the website as the a ‘supporting media partner’ for national talks progressed in Bonn (see

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http://www.cseindia.org/equitywatch.asp). devoted prominent place to news, views and commentaries from the CoP. Daily news 1.3. Climate Change Conference held in feeds, specific blogs on negotiations, general Cancun, Mexico blogs on the atmosphere of the talks, links to The 16th Conference of Parties of the news reports emerging from the talks, photo UNFCCC had kicked off in Cancun, Mexico, in features… all these were included as parts of the last week of November. CSE staff the Cancun information package which came travelled to Cancun with some senior Indian up on the websites. The senior journalists journalists to witness and cover the who came along to cover the meet lived up to conference. Besides contributing to several the expectations by continuously providing a blogs from there, CSE also coordinated and stream of reportage on the conference and facilitated the generation of articles, reports, its various sidelights. and commentaries every day from Cancun. The reportage from Cancun was decidedly In 2009, CSE had re-started its initiative well informed. In fact, reports from the of supporting some Indian journalists for a journalists who were supported by CSE turned trip to the venue of the CoP. The aim was, on out some of the most in-depth coverage of the one hand, to supplement CSE’s observations negotiations, and were also notable in on the negotiating process with impartial, correctly reporting and analysing the unbiased, first-hand reportage from writers pronouncements by the Indian environment who are widely read or heard through their minister Jairam Ramesh and all that followed. respective newspapers and television The following journalists were part of the stations. On the other hand, it was also an CSE media delegation to Cancun: exercise to provide more space to climate • Jayanta Basu – The Telegraph, change reporting, and more opportunity to Kolkata climate change reporters. • Nitin Sethi – The Times of India, New We planned our Cancun coverage in a Delhi similar manner. Before the CSE team left for • Chetan Chauhan – Hindustan Times, Cancun, we had put in place a framework for New Delhi dissemination of information on and from • Dinesh Sharma – Mail Today, New Cancun – the CSE websites and the IEP Delhi

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• Siddharth Pandey – NDTV, New Delhi how I suspect it will play out in the • Sudhir Mishra – Dainik Bhaskar, next 48-hours Rajasthan • India stuns all at Cancun by opening • Raju Nayak – Lokmat, up to binding emission commitments • Urmi Goswami – The Economic • Indian ICA proposal finds partial Times, New Delhi support in new drafts on mitigation • Bahar Dutt – Times Now, New Delhi actions • Lectures given by CSE director at 1.4. Equity Watch, daily news feeds, and various forums specific blogs on negotiations on climate • Tech-transfer finds consensus on all change from Cancun but IPR issue CSE produced press releases, blogs, photo • A week of non-results features and provided editorial inputs for all • India rejigs MRV, proposes middle the material generated from Cancun. Daily path on ‘transparency’ news feeds, blogs by other experts, analytical • New European Union report on pieces on major developments etc. were funding commitments fails to meet some of the key activities undertaken at developing countries’ expectations Cancun. CSE also facilitated interviews with • Japan says ‘no’ to Kyoto Protocol subject experts and interacted with a wide second commitment period number of other journalists visiting the conference. Most of the output can be seen 1.5. Beginners guide and the climate on CSE’s website (see www.cseindia.org; change package www.cseindia.org/equitywatch.asp). CSE prepared a detailed background Some of the blogs are: information on the past negotiations related • The Cancun Camouflage to the Conference of Parties on climate • The Last Hurrah, soaked in ‘spirit of change negotiations on the website. This acts compromise’ as a ready-reckoner to understand the • The climate endgame in Cancun and developments that have taken place around

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the various international debates on climate change.

1.6. Dissemination through Down To Earth CSE published several reports and research articles during the year that aimed to promote public awareness through Down To Earth magazine, website and through the climate sub-portal on the IEP on issues of sustainable development including climate change. A brief account of the published reports is as given below: The polluters say they will not pay – January 15, 2010: This story analysed the end result of the climate change summit held in Copenhagen in December 2009. After two The US and us – February 15, 2010: This years of intense negotiations and heightened editorial analyses that the US as a country concerns related to the growing impacts of has very little political will to cut greenhouse climate change, the world was supposed to gas emissions. Policymakers and media be ready to sign a deal to save the planet, but professionals talk about the climate change unfortunately, that never happened. crisis. But any opinion on cutting emissions, Copenhagen according to USA – January based on historical or even current 15, 2010: This story recorded an account of responsibility, is just dismissed. how climate change negotiations unfolded, eDriven – February 15, 2010: This cover broke down, and were saved in Copenhagen. story is about e-vehicles. Electric and hybrid India desertified – January 15, 2010: vehicles are gaining a foothold because they This story records the spreading are cheap and clean. Major automakers have desertification large swathes of India – in the finally looked beyond conventional Eastern Ghats, the Western Ghats and technologies and are going the e-way. E- Western Himalayas. The Indian Space vehicles emit nothing on road. But emissions Research Organisation has developed a from power generation cannot be left ‘degradation status map’, the first of its kind unaccounted. Renewable energy can make in India that hints at the extent of these vehicles near zero emitters. degradation. Himalayas on the move –February 15, Biofuel dreams for wastelands – January 2010: This story tells us that the Indian 31, 2010: This article speaks of the National continental plate is heavy and steadily Biofuel Policy developed by the ministry of sinking under Eurasia. Moving at a speed of a new and renewable energy (MNRE) which little above 18 cm per year, this plate aims to reduce India’s dependence on fossil rammed into the Eurasian trench 50 million fuels. The policy has set a 2017 deadline to years ago. achieve blending 20 per cent home grown Basic distinct – February 28, 2010: This biofuel with petrol and diesel, 70 per cent of report shares with us that there is confusion which is imported at present. still about the future of the Copenhagen Sedimental attraction – January 31, Accord, the deal reached in Copenhagen in 2010: This story published in the science and December 2009. While industrialised technology section tells us that a drowning countries want the accord to be in the basis delta can be rescued by changing the nature of future negotiations, developing countries, of its sediments, according to a new theory. including India and China, are distancing Deltas around the world are either eroding themselves from the accord. or have stopped progressing. Climate A dangerous balance – February 28, change, sea level rise, flood management 2010: The contribution of peatlands to measures take the blame. fluctuation in atmospheric content of carbon

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and methane has long been a matter of six real time air quality monitoring stations, debate. Human activity is degrading the including two mobile stations, in areas with peatlands. They hold billions of tonnes of high vehicular traffic during the methane gas. The hold is gripping. Commonwealth Games. It was also the first High and dry – February 28, 2010: time in the country that a major initiative to Climate scientists have tagged the predict air quality two days in advance would Himalayan glaciers to disappear by the end be set in place during the Games. of this century. The Tibetan glaciers are in a What monsoon means – July 31, 2010: bigger hurry to disappear, apparently. Soot This editorial is an analysis of the monsoon in or black carbon that is increasing the India and advocates relearning the art of sunlight absorption capacity of the show is living with water that falls every year, in the reason for this phenomenon. effect projects the efficacy of rainwater Green buildings: how to redesign – April harvesting. 1-15, 2010: This editorial deals with green US bank uses carbon smokescreen –July buildings. Building green is about optimising 31, 2010: Reliance Power’s 4000 MW ultra on the local ecology, using local material as mega power project in Madhya Pradesh far as possible and most importantly, came close to becoming the first coal-fired building o cut the power, water and material power plant in India to be denied financing requirements. by a developed country on the pretext of Resource war, India after 2020 – April reducing carbon emissions. 16-30, 2010: This cover story reveals that if In ocean’s way – July 16-31, 2010: the developing world today is the locus of People watch helplessly as the sea nibbles climate change mitigation, including the Konkan coast, swallowing groves and reduction in emissions, then there surely beaches, and creeks. The sea level along must exist a picture of how Indian industry Maharashtra coast has gone up by 5-6 cm in performs. Analysis of the six most energy the past 20 years. and emissions intensive sectors of Indian Warning from Leh – September 15, 2010: industry find that after 2020, efficiency will A cloudburst over the arid Himalayan town plateau. Growth also poses formidable of Leh in on August 6 was unusual, challenges to sourcing minerals, water and say scientists, probably indicative of the land. effects of global warming. All is not well: climate negotiations in a Water in a sieve – October 15, 2010: new avatar – May 5, 2010: This editorial Regulating access to genetic resources and shares the concern over the climate change equitable sharing of commercial benefits of negotiations taking place in different stages. biodiversity are among the most contentious After the Copenhagen talks, the negotiators issues under the Convention on Biological met in Bonn in April on the possible Diversity (CBD). A shift in focus from the agreement that could be signed at the meet ecological value of biodiversity to scheduled in December 2010 in Mexico. commercial is a snag in the CBD. No cheap change is possible’ – May 31, Growth might dry up – October 31, 2010: 2010: It is another editorial on the need of The cold wave in 2009 that led to the shutting transition to low carbon economy. CSE’s down of Eurorail and flight delays in Europe report, Challenge of the New Balance and the US indicates an inverse relationship released in May 2010 finds answers which between technological advancement and should force careful re-thinking, not just in vulnerability of natural elements. India but globally, on how emissions will be The endgame at Cancun – December 16- cut in real time in the real world. 31, 2010: This editorial analyses the Delhi’s wake up call – June 15, 2010: The probable outcome of the negotiations at the story talks of the plans of the Central 16th Conference of Parties to the climate Pollution Control Board and the Delhi change convention in Cancun. Pollution Committee to set up an additional

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VI. SOUTH ASIA PROGRAMME These trainings proved popular with regulators, whose abilities to assess the 1. WORK AT THE SOUTH ASIAN REGION environmental project were strengthened; with consultants who prepare EIA reports; CSE’s capacity building trainings, policy and with industry representatives, to help workshops, fellowships and media briefings them implement reliable environmental have attracted 427 persons from south Asian mitigation plans. About 140 stakeholders countries across all programme areas. from the region attended these trainings in Formal partnership agreements were signed Bangladesh and in India. It is evident from with governments, NGOs and universities in participants’ feedback that there is an Sri Lanka, Nepal and Sri Lanka, in addition overwhelming need for additional trainings to existing ones in Bangladesh. In many on EIA in other sectors in Bangladesh and cases, these led to notable progress in elsewhere in the region. Our work with the shaping sustainable environmental Bangladesh government demonstrates to management policies and practices and have other South Asian governments our ability to catalysed the impacts of our regional work. influence sound environmental decision- We found that environmental challenges in making. one country have regional resonance: from common problems of poor environmental Urban Air Quality team: The team initiated governance and weak regulatory capacity to an experience-sharing dialogue to facilitate shared concerns over water, waste, climate inter-regional exchange of ideas and key change, pollution management and urban air strategies to minimize the environmental and quality. public health impacts of motorisation in the Over the year, various CSE programme South Asia. teams traveled extensively to hold meetings The first meeting in January 2011 with and strengthen collaborative work with officials of the Department of Environment, groups and institutions in Bangladesh, Nepal Bangladesh focused on the shared concerns and Sri Lanka. CSE’s country media briefings over improving the quality and performance in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka and experience of the natural gas vehicle programme in sharing workshops on air pollution and Dhaka, using Delhi’s experiences in mobility were well received with wide implementing its CNG programme. The participation from government and civil intense discussions focused on key policy society groups and were extensively covered issues to help Dhaka realise the full potential in local news media. Likewise, our efforts to of such a programme. The forum proposed reach out to regional media got a major fillip initiatives to strengthen gas exploration and with the enthusiastic participation of South imports to secure supply, gas utilisation Asian working journalists in various media measures to rationalise priority areas, briefing workshops and fellowships. together with gas pricing, supply infrastructure, emissions and safety The Industry and Environment team: The team worked with the Department of Environment to strengthen environment clearance mechanisms, including compliance, enforcement and monitoring by drafting the country’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) rules and sector-specific guidelines across key economic sectors, including coal, textiles, cement, and pharmaceuticals. The EIA reports were followed by five training programmes to Experience sharing dialogue on “Improving quality and familiarize key stakeholders around these performance of natural gas vehicle programme in South new rules and guidelines. Asia” held in Dhaka, Bangladesh

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inspection of natural gas vehicles. identify two potential model project sites for The dialogue brought together a wide decentralized wastewater treatment spectrum of stakeholders. Officials and (DWWT), and two additional sites in Dhaka representatives from the Department of (Phulbaria). Environment, Atomic Energy Centre, A series of training workshops on RWH Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and DWWT were conducted in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, About 62 participants selected by WAB, Rupantarita Prakritik Gas Company Limited including municipal engineers, planners, (RPGCL), civil society groups, and architects and consultants attended the Bangladesh University of Engineering and trainings. A large meeting was subsequently Technology (BUET), among others convened by WAB in which the minister of participated in the dialogue. A media water and the minister of urban development workshop organized the next day on urban participated. The ministers pledged to make air quality and mobility and generated much RWH mandatory in Dhaka’s building bylaws. discussion and was covered extensively in Similarly, using CSE data and research local media. A briefing paper on Clean Air outputs, WAB also conducted a workshop on and Mobility’ has been prepared for the sludge management and wastewater second ‘City Dialogue on Urban Air Quality treatment in Khulna city. City authorities and Mobility Management’ that will be held were in turn convinced to construct pilot in Colombo, Sri Lanka in April 2011. projects on DWWT in Khulna.

Urban Water team: The team work with Media Resource Centre team: In 2010 the WaterAid, Bangladesh (WAB), to provide Media Unit reached out to close to 110 technical specifications for five rainwater working journalists, including those who harvesting (RWH) model project sites, attended our briefing workshops in India and including the PWD headquarters, Village outside and those awarded CSE’s prestigious Education Resource Centre, the office of Media Fellowships. Education Engineering Department, The ‘South Asian Media Briefing on Bangladesh University of Engineering and Climate Change for Journalists in South Asia’ Technology, and the Institute of Engineers of was a major event that drew in 102 Bangladesh. The team visited Chittagong to participants, including senior editors and

Participants at a presentation at the training workshop on Rainwater harvesting held in Dhaka in October 2010

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South Asia Media Briefing

journalists from leading newspapers, journalists in Bangladesh, Maldives, Pakistan magazines and TV, of which 26 journalists and Sri Lanka, an eminent jury comprising were from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, senior south Asian media professionals Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Regional journalists awarded nine journalists this prestigious had occasion to closely interact with senior fellowship. The coverage this generated in officials from the Ministry of Environment the regional press was impressive. The and Forests, eminent scientists from climate dozens of published articles ranged from change research institutes; members of the exploring the impacts on coasts from climate Prime Minister’s council on climate change; change and tourism, livelihood challenges of academicians; key climate change experts coping with natural disasters to and NGOs, among others. The event was displacement of coastal communities and organized to allow journalists to better biodiversity impacts on degrading coastal understand and influence national responses eco systems. of governments in the region. Journalists CSE’s Media Fellows deepen our were briefed on the science, policies and relationships with regional media. Five politics of climate change, including national Fellows subsequently participated in a two- and regional responses, international day ‘Regional Media Briefing Workshop on negotiations and adaptation and mitigation Coasts’ in Goa in August. The workshop strategies. included leading activists, eminent Similarly, CSE’s ‘South Asian Media environmentalists including Dr. MS Fellowship on Coastal Concerns’ invited Swaminathan who chaired the drafting regional journalists to travel, investigate and committee of an important CRZ report, along report on the pressures, conflicts, impacts with Aleixo Sequira, Minister of Environment and actions being played out along the and Power, Goa, and Digambar Kamat, Goa’s region’s 12000-km-long coastline. Of the 50 chief minister; in addition to scientists from applications received from working leading research institutions in India

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First Country Media Briefing on “challenge of urban air quality and mobility management” in Dhaka, Bangladesh

CSE launched a series of Country Media journalists and policy makers, attended Briefings this year to familiarize and build workshops, trainings and policy briefings on capacities of regional news media to report air quality and mobility, EIA, information on critical environmental challenges. management, rainwater harvesting, Seventy working journalists from print, decentralized wastewater management, and electronic and digital news media attended CSE’s certificate course for students and the first country media briefing on young professionals. The Fellowships serve ‘Challenge of Urban Air Quality and Mobility as a platform to build long-term relationships Management’ in Dhaka in January. The at the institutional level and have helped take event was well covered in the national news forward our collaborative work in media. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. CSE’s interdisciplinary month-long Anil Agarwal Green College: During the Certificate courses proved popular across the year, 427 south Asians participated in region. About 12 youth, including university training programmes, fellowships or policy students and young development dialogues conducted by CSE in India and professionals from Nepal and Sri Lanka outside, of which close to 100 South Asians attended the course in August and December were awarded the South Asia Fellowship to in New Delhi. Feedback from the course participate in CSE trainings or events in showed the course offered unforgettable India (see appendix 1). The South Asia experiences, perspectives and opportunities Fellowships subsidize the participation of to participants. Course alumni remain in key stakeholders in the region in each of our touch with CSE through Facebook and training programmes in India. Google groups. South Asia Fellows from diverse backgrounds, including regulators, Environment dissemination: The South Asia bureaucrats, NGO representatives, sub-portal was launched in beta mode with

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start-up information services, including news found resonance with the region’s energy bulletins, research reports, directories, crisis. Likewise, another cover story on the announcements, etc. Now nested in the India Hilsa tracked the declining stocks of this Environment Portal, the sub portal popular fish to trans-boundary water comprises 7,500 research reports, news conflicts between India and Bangladesh. features, and government reports, among There were stories that exemplified models others. In 2011 efforts will be made to build a worth emulating in India and the region, community of users around the content such as a special report that traced the rapid through various information services, such spread of decentralised solar home systems as news bulletins, blogs, directory of leading in Bangladesh. DTE also carried in-depth environmental people and institutions, interviews of eminent regional publicizing events, and conference environmentalists such as Syeda Rizwana announcements. We plan to deploy social Hasan, a leading environmental lawyer in media to reach out to a broader audience in Bangladesh, who spoke on the approaches the region. and challenges of environmental advocacy. The portal team conducted two targeted Other published stories include a special training programmes on digital information report on the alarming rate of shrinking management for regional information wetlands in Dhaka due to rapid, unplanned managers to build their capacities to actively urbanization, and an in-depth news tracing contribute information and research on the the context in which the country has recently portal. These trainings attracted 28 declared a state of ‘energy emergency’. In participants from Nepal, Sri Lanka, April, another special report will be Bangladesh and Maldives. These trainings published on the high fertilizer use in Sri helped build capacities of potential portal Lanka, in the context of high inflation and collaborators for wider dissemination of food insecurity in the country. In addition, environmental research and information. several articles, centre spreads and photo- Portal team members participated in a features were published on CSE and DTE meeting organised by D:Net in Bangladesh. websites and in Gobar Times. In 2011, reportage will be followed by meetings with Environmental reportage: The cover story wider participation to debate the substantive on a community-led consumer movement issues raised in the coverage. that demanded the right to energy in Nepal

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II. AWARENESS CREATION

I. COMMUNICATION ON ENVIRONMENTAL production to 22,000 MW by 2022. All SUSTAINABILITY stakeholders see the Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission as their chance to 1. SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTAGE strike gold, but this can happen only by promoting research various components 1.1. Dissemination through Down To Earth including new technology and competition. CSE continued disseminating information on High cost of fodder led milk price hike issues relating to science, environment, published June 30, 2010 tells us that the health and sustainable development through common household is compelled to give up the year in the environment and science on its easy sources of protein. It is found that fortnightly, Down To Earth. rise in fodder prices, not rise in demand, is Carriage of convenience, a cover story on pushing up the cost of milk. the Delhi Metro published in Down To Earth Beyond Bhopal: Incentive for unsafe in April 15, 2010 analyses that though the industries – 15 July, 2010: This article is a metro railway decongests the city’s traffic, revisit to the worst gas tragedy of Bhopal in the lack of integrated planning has reduced the context of the judgement by a Bhopal the benefits of this modern and less polluting court and uncover why liability has not yet mass transport system. been fixed, where the courts and authorities Resource war India after 2020, went wrong and what it will take to remove published in the magazine on April 30, 2010 the toxic waste at the site. The judgement is the outcome of a study to see where large has however galvanised the media and the energy consuming industrial sectors stand government into action. A group of ministers with respect to energy efficiencies against has recommended relief measures, clean-up global best practices and what it would cost of the factory site and asked the government the country to make them more efficient. The to go after Bhopal’s prime culprit, Warren study finds that Indian industries are already Anderson. near the global best practices benchmark Andhra’s groundwater crisis & a trail of and after 2020 there would be little scope for suicides – 31 July, 2010: This article narrates improving efficiencies unless large financial the story of farmers in Andhra Pradesh who and technology inputs are provided. take loans to drill borewells and fail to find When villages plug in, published in the ground water. Farmers repay the loans in same magazine on May 15, 2010 talks about two to five crop seasons, but when how people of villages in Nepal consider groundwater fails, it makes their life difficult electricity as their national good and is and is forced to take extreme steps such as demanding their right to it. This consumer suicide. Choking access to drugs is about how movement is fast reshaping the ways in the increasing cost of essential medicines which electricity is distributed and managed becomes a major barrier to health care in across rural Nepal. IT’s underbelly, India. The story assesses the impact of some published on 31 May 2010 reveals that recent initiatives to promote generic drugs in growing number of electronic waste in India the public health system. is becoming a great challenge. India is a lead Unlock the grid – 31 August 2010: This importer of all kinds of waste including story is an attempt to find out where India hazardous and most of them recycled or stands when cities all over the world are scrapped by the unorganised sector using checking car population to free their road the most rudimentary methods that pollute. space. Chhattisgarh’s industrial jungle points New gold rush – 15 June 2010: This out that forests, agricultural land and tribal article informs us about India’s mission to population of the State will suffer due to the drastically ramp up its solar power growing industrialisation as Chhattisgarh is

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set to become the largest producer of two-thirds of Indians and the focus is on thermal power, cement and sponge iron. developing hybrid rice. What’s in your honey – 30 September, Cancun clinches deal for polluters 2010: This is a report based on the study on published 15 January 2011 is a report on the the findings of the Pollution Monitoring outcome of climate change Summit held in Laboratory of CSE on antibiotics in honey. It Cancun, Mexico. The new deal erases the says that high levels of antibiotics were found difference between developed and in major brands of honey sold in the market. developing nations. Developed countries no Unravelling the food mess analyses the more have to commit legally to cut emissions different facets of managing the food and developing countries will now have to economy and find that the public distribution take on binding commitments as sharing system could become highly efficient if cleaning up without any financial or innovation and technology are harnessed to technological support from the developed political will, as in the case of Chhattisgarh countries. Sponge iron’s dirty growth and Tamil Nadu. These states offer valuable published 31 January, 2011 talks about the lessons in resolving the problems of status of the sponge iron industry and its procurement, storage and allocation of basic challenges as this industrial sector is poorly food items. regulated and underscores the need for an A fish moves in the west – 31 October action plan to reduce their environmental 2010: This story reports on the hilsa’s impact. shifting home base. How government is Kind to cash published 15 February, subverting forests right act published 2011 finds out how cash transfer plans of the November 15, 2010 looks into the Forests government works and how ready is India for Right Act and its implementation by the shift in the delivery of welfare schemes. travelling through six states of India – Two technologies that shape our future Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, published 28 February 2011 is about the Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Maharashtra evolution of battery and meters, two widely and unravelled the conspiracy to deprive used technologies and analyses what future forest people of their rights. holds for them. Profit from the poor – 30 November, Battle for the internet published 15 2010: This article finds out the growth March 2010 reminds us how internet has trajectory of the microfinance institutions in become the public square and the India, and how a number of farmers fell marketplace of our world and also victims to its high interest rates in Andhra increasingly becoming a contested terrain. Pradesh. These institutions claim they The story also looks at events in the US followed the fabled Grameen Bank model of following the WikiLeaks exposé of its Bangladesh and in reality; they went against diplomatic cables, and in the hot spots of its principles. political turmoil across the world to The goat gamble – 15 December 2010: understand the significance of the Internet in This informs us that forced by declining today’s interconnected world and the threats returns from farming in ecologically fragile it faces and also explains the technology used areas, small farmers have been taking to to block access to the Net. Paan loses flavour, goat rearing and ensure income to five 31 March 2011 reports that the paan, once million households in India. With shrinking referred as green gold and considered ideal land availability and over grazed forests, the cash crop for small farmers has lost its goats might turn from an asset to a liability. demand with the contagious spread of Saving rice – 31 December 2010: This is an chewing tobacco, especially gutkha. analysis of the debate as India prepares to launch the second Green Revolution in the 1.2. Impacts of Down To Earth reportage eastern states. Policymakers and scientists As climate change was the most discussed have drawn up ambitious plans to increase issue last year, there were several reports the productivity of this cereal which feeds covering the impact of climate change, in

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addition to reports on climate change Mal-Malihabad mango belt which had the negotiations. The Japanese Nuclear melt oldest Dashehri mango tree. Down To Earth down, genetically modified crops, disposal of reported how the waste plant can harm the e-waste, food safety, forest right and right mango orchards and how the farmers were over forest products were other topical protesting against the plant (Mango issues that were covered. Resistance – August 15, 2010). Down To Earth collaborated with the Our cover story (How government is Food Safety & Toxins team and the Pollution subverting forest rights act – November 15, Monitoring Laboratory of CSE to bring out a 2010) on the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and the report on antibiotics in honey. The report settlement of community rights over minor was widely covered by the media. The Food forest produce (MFP) has triggered a wide Safety and Standards Authority of India debate. It was a very comprehensive analysis issued an advisory stating that antibiotics in of how government was subverting the rights honey were banned. Major honey brands to MFP. Earlier legislations were unclear including Dabur and Himalaya recalled their about the definition of MFP: the FRA actually honey from supermarket shelves after the is the first act that clearly defines what expose. constitutes MFP. The cover story found that The magazine also carried a major story despite this clarity, the debate over MFP on e-waste which received wide publicity. continued to rage because of opposition from The story delved into how India was slowly various quarters such as teh foresters becoming a dump yard for used electronic community. waste imported from developed countries. A round-table based on the reportage The story also highlighted the apathy of the was attended by senior government officials government to include the unorganised from the ministries of panchayati raj, sector in policy formulation on e-waste environment and forest, home affairs, disposal. The story also caught the country’s besides members of the National Advisory biggest e-waste recycler Attero selling off old Council (NAC) and civil society. The round- computers and peripherals instead of table was used by CSE to push for a MoEF recycling them. After the story came out the clarification to the state governments on license of Attero was not renewed by the accepting the definition of bamboo as a MFP. Central Pollution Control Board and an Finally the clarification, rather a historic inquiry was initiated into their conduct. one, was issued by the MoEF. Many of the recommendations given in the After the story on stevia (a zero calorie article are now a part of the draft rules on natural sweetener), No to natural sweetener handling and disposal of e-waste. in the October 15, 2010 issue, the Food In March, the Ministry of environment Safety and Standards Authority of India sent and forests withdrew its guidelines for a fax saying that they are considering to creating inviolate space for wildlife in the recognise stevia as a sugar substitute. The national parks and sanctuaries. Down To story was also discussed at a recent FICCI Earth had reported (Misguided rules – March meet on stevia. 15, 2011) that the guidelines issued in Down To Earth along with the Climate February did not follow the criteria and Change team of CSE was present at Cancun procedure for declaring Critical Wildlife to cover negotiations on climate change Habitats provided in the Forest Rights Act called COP 16. Even as the world celebrated (FRA) of 2006 and threatened the interests of the out come at Cancun called the ‘Cancun forest dwellers. Agreement’, Down To Earth was perhaps the The UP government dropped its plan to first publication to point out the deficiencies set up a waste disposal plant at the Dashehri of the agreement through a cover story. The village near Lucknow, the birth place of the concerns pointed out by this cover story are Dashehri mango. The project aimed to now slowly emanating at the just concluded dispose off and recycle 1,300 tonnes of climate change meeting in Bangkok. Lucknow’s municipal waste daily near the Lalitpur Baby formula, a story published

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in 15 February, 2011, on declining scientists in the Inter-Academy report on GM breastfeeding among women and market crops there has been a concerted attempt (at politics of infant formula makers also got least half a dozen significant seminars) to wide attention. It again started the push the dominant view of the GM lobby. At discussion on the importance of the same time, these scientists have shown a breastfeeding. Baby Food Network of India keenness to reach out to Down To Earth. (BPNI), Gorakhpur Medical College and DuPont also invited a senior editor of Down UNICEF are talking to other state To Earth as a discussant at their BBC panel governments to upscale the Lalitpur project on food security in India. in other parts of the country. Thanks to our consistent focus on Another story, Victims of vaccination,28 agriculture and related issues in the past February, 2011 which talked about the year, farmers’ organisations, bureaucrats unethical clinical trails, and the lack of and seed companies have shown a new standards of preservatives and adjuvants in willingness to engage with Down To Earth. vaccines got wide publicity in Madhya An article on Rajasthan government Pradesh. Recently a case was also registered collaborating with private companies on in the Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta against agriculture research, led to a public interest the companies and doctors conducting litigation in the Rajasthan High Court against unethical clinical trials in the state. Victims of the state government. The Government in vaccination was one of the few stories which response stated that it would form a were behind the change. committee to look into the matter. The After an interview on the traditional authors of the article have been requested to varieties of rice with Natbar Sarangi, an be part of the committee. Odisa farmer, numerous queries were Another agriculture story on Rajasthan received from different organisations about distribution of poor quality seeds led to wanting to help farmers switch to traditional the parliamentary committee on agriculture rice varieties. All have sought rice from take up the matter. A fall out of this story has Natbar Sarangi. been that now all seed procurement by Following two special reports and a Rajasthan government would be done column on the abdication of their role by through tender.

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III. KNOWLEDGE PORTAL

1. STATUS OF PORTAL ACTIVITIES • Parisar (Pune) • Equations (Bangalore) The India Environment Portal or IEP at • KRAPAVIS (Alwar) http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/ • Dr Pramod Patil, GIB Foundation continues to rank first and is the top-most (Pune) committed to conservation of site on Google when searching for Great Indian Bustard. The reports information on ‘India and the environment’. contributed by him for the portal The IEP content is being followed and shared have got very good responses, the through popular social networking/ recommendations made in his microblogging sites like Twitter and reports are now being followed and Facebook. For the period April 2010 to he has been getting good results. March 2011, the total number of visits to the People have started using the IEP to portal was around 15 lakh and the page report on their regional environmental views were 30 lakh. Some of the leading problems. They have also been using this to national and international libraries of comment and share their concerns on educational institutions such as Delhi government’s reports and policies. All are University, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha posted on the message board at University, New Delhi, Lahti University of http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/section/ Applied Sciences, University of Minnesota, iepcontactus. Educational institutions also USA, the USEPA National Library Network, have realised the potential of the portal as Periyar University and National Institute of source for environmental information and Plant Genome Research, New Delhi have several requests have been received for listed the portal as one of the ‘important working in collaboration with the portal. electronic free resources on environment’. CSE was invited to participate as I-K- The blogs page on the IEP has Mediary Network member in the networking contributed to building of a virtual meeting of the international members community of leading experts on organised by Institute of Development environment and development. Several Studies, Sussex University & D.Net at Savar, eminent environmentalists and experts on Bangladesh. This was attended by civil environmental issues are members of this society organisations from across the world. community and have agreed to post their blogs and share their views/ perspectives 2. PORTAL USAGE with the masses through IEP. The portal has been recognised globally amongst one of the During the year, the IEP was upgraded to largest installations of the powerful open Drupal-6 and several changes were effected source Apache Solr search for free text on the server (upgradation, server location, searching and tag-based (environmental etc.). For example, the portal server was subjects, geographical subjects, author and changed three times by Srijan, the company source as well) filtering of information. hired by us for server hosting and Visitors and organisations have been maintenance. The portal server is located in contributing their reports/studies regularly Delhi since December 2010 and a further for the portal for wider outreach. drop-down in visits has been noticed The team has been successful in subsequently. It was also seen that traffic identifying and building regional partners to from other countries – US and UK, has expand the portal as a “people’s portal” as reduced by almost 40 per cent. This is being conceptualised. Some of the regular partners looked into. Keeping in view of the copyright (individuals and organisations) who have rules and regulations, all ‘news content’, contributed reports/studies regularly are: features and even reports and documents

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were linked to the respective publisher’s development. About 246 visitors from India websites. Hence, the traffic was being and abroad used the audio visual and redirected by the portal to the original reference resources for reference and publishers directly. Since Down To Earth research during the year. The audio-visual website and the archive have now been unit was approached by several national and revamped successfully, the references to international media organisations for Down To Earth content are directed towards photographs and films. the fortnightly’s website. 5. DEVELOPING IN-DEPTH PORTALS 3. REGULAR UPDATION OF INFORMATION AND DOCUMENTATION The IEP has 8 in-depth sections – Mining, Wildlife, Transport and Food Safety, Bhopal Regular online documentation is done to Gas Disaster, Industry and EIAs, Poverty & sustain the information and an effort was Environment & Water Pollution. also made to bring together information from government institutions, academic 6. CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES institutions, civil society, etc. Approximately, 250-300 records have been regularly A total of 22 information and web- uploaded on the IEP and it has over 400,000 professionals benefited from the training records till date. This includes news programme. Besides latest tools/trends in clippings, journal articles, reports & information management, the training also documents and a selection of important book focused on strategic communications using a and the archives of Down To Earth. Each of variety of social networking tools. Many these records has been indexed using the participants felt that this was extremely CSE Thesaurus, a unique relational database useful and beneficial in implementing at that consists of over 8000 tags. This has individual and institutional level. The made possible the retrieval and browsing on response from participants has been very key environmental and developmental positive and participants felt that the course issues, people, organisations and is practical and can be applied in their geographical locations through the portal. institutions with ease. Most of the participants realised the 4. DAILY NEWS BULLETIN, GREEN FILES AND AUDIO- relevance of networking and social VISUALS communication, and were inspired to implement social media techniques for National and international visitors to the information sharing and dissemination. portal found the RSS feeds for ‘Daily News Participants had plans of using tools for Bulletin’ very useful. The visitors to the IEP making website more interactive. They spent maximum time on the blogs page. The decided to further research into blogs and News Clippings Team under the portal forums to see how to the information learnt continued to produce three monthly green on “social online communities” can be used files – the India Green File, the South Asia for benefit of their institutions. Green File and the Corporate Environment The participant of the training Inc. and it continues to reach out to more programme started new initiatives in their than 1200 subscribers across the country. organisations based on what they learnt from These are referred to by researchers as a the training course. “packaged reference tool” for an immediate National Institute of Health and Family glance on the state of India’s environment. Welfare launched an online National Child The utility of these files is further amplified Health Resource Centre that has been built as these have been subscribed to by many using Drupal, the open source content libraries and institutions. CSE’s environment management system after attending this photo-library on the web now has 3000 programme that exposed the participants to selected photographs on environment and a variety of open source tools/systems for

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offline and online information management. management professionals trained by the NGOs and other organisations have Centre. shown interest in employing information

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IV. EDUCATION AND TRAINING

I. ANIL AGARWAL GREEN COLLEGE (AAGC) natural resource base of the country and how this, in turn, impacts the poor. 1. AGENDA FOR SURVIVAL: A ONE MONTH COURSE The course achieves this objective by FOR STUDENTS AND YOUNG PROFESSIONALS focusing on the following: • to provide opportunities to undertake This year, ‘Agenda for Survival’, a month- research, report and then to present long course for students and young the information in an interesting and professionals was conducted from June 1-30, appealing format (skill development) 2010 in New Delhi by the Anil Agarwal Green • to enrich the minds by exposing College (AAGC). Out of 100 applications, 29 them to thoughts and viewpoints of students were selected. thinkers and experts in environment Students came from across the country – and development (imparting Ujjain, Pune, Tuticorin, Thanjavur, Chennai, perspectives). Dhanbad, Allahabad, Katra (Jammu and • To add to their knowledge of Kashmir), Goa, Alwar, Ahmedabad, developmental issues by enabling Jamshedpur and Patna. Students ranged access to information (knowledge from undergraduate to those doing their addition). doctorates to some who were working. There were 19 girls and ten boys who attended the Outcome: How can we gauge what change course. Students came from diverse has been wrought in terms of mind-set backgrounds academically and change. We could only do this through the professionally – engineering, economics, law, feedback session at the end of the course architecture, environmental studies, where students expressed their views, sociology, rural studies, history, design and feelings about the course. The feedback was others. extraordinarily positive and students admitted to the fact that they had had very Aim: The overall aim of the course is to little exposure or understanding of the impart to the young an understanding of the linkages between developmental issues and way that developmental pathways impact the the impact on environmental base. Some students were very touched by their interactions with slum dwellers or forest- based communities. Given below is a selection of their opinion of the course and what they had learned from the course: • Gave me a new dimension to the way to look at environment. I now look through a different lens. My best experience so far. I conditioned my thinking. • Liked the structure – starting from what is development and ending with Global Climate Negotiations and Climate Change • Connect between environment and sociology was never there in my education. But it was established Students of Agenda for Survival at a field trip here.

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• If I get into civil services I would like Technologies India (ATI), an organisation to go back to Tolma and help people that has been using local knowledge of the there. Also do something to clean the environmental sciences and simple Yamuna technologies to better life of rural India. The • What I learnt in a month I couldn’t participants stayed in their campus and have been done anywhere else, so experienced some of the livelihood initiatives would definitely recommend it. that the organisation has initiated. These include beekeeping, spinning, weaving etc. Output: The main assignment is the They also visited Makku village which is the magazine that the students produced at the biggest Van Panchayat of Uttarakhand. They end of the course. For this course, the issue interacted with the villagers both young and was titled Eighty/Twenty (24 pages) and old. magazine included real-life reporting, The next day the students visited Reni analysis and opinion pieces. The feedback village the birthplace of modern India’s received showed that students found this environment movement. Here they assignment rewarding; it taught them not interacted with the women and men who led just the journalistic skills of research, the movement. After this the student reporting and writing, but it allowed them to participants proceeded to the Nanda Devi work as a cohesive group – writing shared Biosphere Reserve. In the core zone they stories, editing and even designing the lived in homes of villagers who talked to the magazine. They have also produced an e- participants about the human wildlife magazine and put up pictures on the popular conflict. They lived and interacted with the photo-sharing website Picasa. community. They also saw the eco- restoration work initiated by them, and How the course was structured: The month- reported on it. long course comprised of seven modules. It Students were also taken on several started with the overview – the environment- daylong field trips in Delhi, including a walk development debate; natural resource to the Nizamuddin area to see traditional management: water; natural resource rainwater harvesting structures. To better management: bio-mass economy; understand Delhi’s waste management, they environmental conflicts; accountable were taken on a walk along the banks of the growth; urban water, waste & pollution; Yamuna River to understand how the city climate change. deals with the enormous amounts of The course went beyond class-based wastewater generated each day. They also lectures, and included readings, case study walked the Bus Rapid Transport (BRT) presentations and weekly tutorials. stretch in south Delhi and also experience Participants were provided with extensive the chaotic non-BRT sections to understand reading material, including reports, essays the pros and cons of the debate around the by eminent environmentalists across the BRT. globe, together with relevant Down To Earth magazine stories. Films and documentaries Course faculty: The course faculty was were followed by in-depth discussions. drawn from CSE research and programme As part of the course, participants were teams. In addition, eminent academics, taken on a weeklong field visit to the hills of activists and policymakers were invited to Garhwal Himalaya. They interacted with speak and interact with the course academia at the G B Pant Institute of participants. Eminent external faculty Himalayan Environment & Development. Dr included academics, social activists, R K Maikhuri the director of the institute journalists, senior government officials. To spoke to the students on Garhwal mountain name some, Himanshu Thakkar (Centre for ecology and human-animal conflicts in the Water Policy) spoke about the havoc that all Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve. The students the dams in Himalayas are causing, also saw the work done by Alternate Souparna Lahiri (activist and filmmaker)

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spoke on why people are resisting takeover of Agenda for Survival have worked with us of their land and the consequences it will as reporters for Down To Earth and Gobar have on food security of this country, Shoma Times, researchers with various units, and as Chaudhury (Managing Editor, Tehelka) film editor with the film making unit of CSE. discussed the Maoist movement, Saurabh They write to us seeking academic advice. Yadav (Energy Specialist, South Asia Students have all kept in touch with us Sustainable Development Unit, The World through Facebook groups. Bank) delved upon the energy situation in this country and spoke on green buildings 2. TRAINING PROGRAMME ‘CHALLENGE OF THE and why it is important for India to invest in BALANCE’ FOR ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS such systems. Dr Rajeshwari Raina (Centre for Policy Research) spoke about why India, The AAGC organised a month-long despite producing such a large amount of residential orientation programme, foodgrains is still lagging in nutritional ‘Challenge of the Balance’ for students and security of its people. Sandeep Gandhi young professionals from the world over (TRIPP) said that buses, and not cars were from July 12 to August 12, 2010. what the country needs. Dr Rohan DSouza The aim of the programme is to give (Centre for Studies in Science Policy, School international participants a first-hand of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru experience of Southern perspectives University) discussed the ecological history of concerning the environment-development this region, while Kanchi Kohli (Kalpavriksh) debate. The interdisciplinary coursework and Monali Zeya Hazra (USAID) spoke on allows participants to understand and sustainable industrialisation. critically evaluate issues that lie at the interface of environment and development; Overall impact: The overall course feedback poverty; democracy, equity and justice; and gives us reason to make ‘Agenda for Survival’ culture. an annual event. The students showed a high The programme was in collaboration degree of commitment and interest while with Engineers Without Borders (EWB), doing the course. Many of the issues and the United Kingdom and South Asia. The angle through which the issues were participants were from diverse backgrounds presented were completely new to the who discussed, debated and deliberated on students. environmental challenges concerning the While some felt the field trip was the global South. course highlight, others found the magazine There were 19 members of the UK assignment built their confidence as writers. chapter and eight from the South Asia Most felt that the course allowed them to chapters of EWB. We received a large explore new perspectives and build new number of applications for the course but skills, gave them clarity on the issues dealt. chose a diverse mix of social science, pure Some thought it would help them in their science and engineering participants. There academic pursuits. And others felt the were students from University of Oxford, certificate course was a golden star in their Cardiff, Cambridge, and others in UK, and curriculum vitae. The tutorial presentations the Indian Institute of Technology system, and the discussions later were beneficial for India. internalising the learnings. For most, this was their first exposure to rural life. And Course modules: most felt it changed their perception about 1. Overview of the environment- rural India – about migration, displacement development debate and other issues. 2. Natural resource management: Water AAGC has been doing this course and biomass economy consecutively for three years and it has been 3. Environmental governance a huge success. Throughout the years we get 4. Environmental conflicts queries about this course. The past students 5. Accountable growth

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6. Urban water, waste & pollution • On returning from the field visit the 7. Climate change students heard lectures on accountable growth (urban waste and water The course is divided into three parts: challenges). Here too the students went • The pre-field visit wherein lectures are on field visits within Delhi (to the river geared to give them a basic Yamuna, interact with waste pickers of understanding on the environment / the city, waste dump yards etc. development debate of the global South; natural resource management, Output: At the end of the programme, a environment governance. series of talks on climate change wrapped up • The students were then taken on a field all the issues that they had seen and heard visit of eight days and seven nights. They for the last couple of weeks. The participants visited the hill cities of Simla, Rekang also produced a magazine, Be the Change. Peo, Samdoh, Tabo etc. In Shimla there were a series of lectures on how the hill 3. CHALLENGE OF THE BALANCE – WINTER city is ‘managing’ it’s waste and water. CERTIFICATE COURSE ON ENVIRONMENT Up the mountain they met with MANAGEMENT communities that are struggling to keep the big dams from being built on the A three-weeks orientation programme was fragile ecosystem. From Samdoh they organised from December 20, 2010 to trekked up to Thangkarma a remote January 7, 2011. There were 16 participants flatland up in the hill where one man’s selected for this programme from different effort has made the cold desert green. backgrounds including students and young They interacted with Mr A D Negi and professionals. The aim of the course is to spent the day looking at the work that he impart knowledge on sustainable has done to rejuvenate the barren cold development including climate change desert. issues. Field visits are also planned to both

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rural and urban areas in Rajasthan. Eminent students attended lectures on ‘accountable people on environmental issues will address growth’ (urban waste and water challenges). the participants during the programme. Finally, a series of talks on climate change wrapped up all the issues that they had seen Participant profile: Participants included and heard for the last couple of weeks. one member of the UK chapter of Engineers Without Borders, two from Vietnam. Faculty: Some of the eminent speakers we Students from University of Sheffield, Delhi invited were Kanchi Kohli, writer, teacher, University, Indian Institute of Technology, activist; Romit Sen, senior assistant director, NIT Warangal, ILS Law College Pune. At the water agriculture divison (FICCI); Ritwick end of the course they have kept in touch Dutta, environment lawyer; Sucharita Sen, with each other and with CSE through Centre for Study of Regional Development facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/ Jawaharlal Nehru University; Bhaskar home.php#!/home.php?sk=group_18396782 Goswami, Forum for Biotechnology and Food 4946956&ap=1) and web page Security; Tej Razdan, Jheel Sanghrakshan (http://cseindia.org/challenge_balance/index. Samiti, Udaipur,Rajasthan; Viren Lobo htm) Society for Promotion of Pastelands Development; Himanshu Thakkar, South Field visits: Students were given a basic Asia Network for dams, rivers and people; understanding on the environment / Monali Zeya Hazra USAID India (climate development debate of the global South; team); Shankar Gopalakrishnan, Campaign natural resource management, environment for Survival and Dignity, New Delhi; governance before their field visits. Tanushree Bhowmik, Project Manager – They visited Laporiya, a village in Access to Energy – UNDP and others. Rajasthan, where they saw pastureland rejuvenation. Here they spoke to villagers, Output: During this course they published a understood the chauka system, an unique magazine called Beacon. watershed system developed with local (http://www.cseindia.org/challenge_balance/ knowledge. They also saw how letting beacon_low.pdf). This was inspired by the animals (small ruminants, particularly) and good grassroots initiative that they birds freely move within the field helps encountered during the field visit which we agriculture. From here the group moved to conduct during the course tenure. the city of Pali where the local rain-fed river has been polluted by the dye industry. Land has been polluted by the chemical residue of the dye industry. Participants interacted with the villagers whose land has been destroyed by the percolation of the waste into the land. After interacting with farmers, villagers, CEPT engineers, and local press, the students proceeded to Udaipur, the city of lakes. Here they visited adjacent villages of Barawa and Delwar and saw good community initiatives being undertaken by Seva Mandir, an organisation that has been working in Udaipur and adjacent districts for past many decades. Participants of Challenge of the balance-winter On returning from the field visit the certificate course on environment management.

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II. ENVIRONMENT EDUCATION details of the programme is available at: http://www.cseindia.org/taxonomy/term/200 71 1. GOBAR TIMES 2.1. Translation of Green Schools With the aim of popularising environment Programme manual in regional languages education across various sections of society As a part of the team strategy the Green while try and become part of the regular Schools Programme (GSP) manual was education system in India, Gobar Times translated into Gujarati this year. The GSP continues to be published regularly. The manual is now available in English, Hindi, following issues were produced during the Kannada, Telugu, Gurmukhi, Urdu and year: Gujarati. • April 2010 – Moonrush tracking the lunar lucre 2.2. Launch the National Gobar Times • May 2010 – Waiting for water the real Green Schools Awards programme 2010 – picture 2011 • June 2010 – Eyjafjallajökull erupts GSP’s primary challenge has been to provide • July 2010 – Urban Planning the students an opportunity to learn about • August 2010 – What’s cooking in the environment not by memorising yet another Indian streets text book, but by ‘doing’. So during the past • September 2010 – The economy and years, all those who participated in this politics of solid waste in Delhi programme, came out of the classrooms to • October 2010 – The year of monster do various things – count, weigh, measure, monsoons explore, investigate, and analyse. The track • November 2010 – Fish on the menu record of the GSP shows that most of its • December 2010 – Story of the cinderella participants have opted to repeat the audit cereal process year after year. Clearly, the objective • January 2011 – India eats has been not just to win a contest, but to • February 2011 – The power of the onion gauge if they have been able to improve their and the story of cold storage in India score cards and become better managers of • March 2011 – The war of the Noodles and environment. This is a very significant trend. other ‘Good’, ‘Better’ and ‘Fun’ foods It proves that schools, as a community, can play a tremendously important role in 2. GOBAR TIMES GREEN SCHOOLS PROGRAMME bringing about sweeping changes in the lifestyle and psyche of the people. CSE has been conducting the Gobar Times In the global arena, environment is now Green Schools Programme for the past six on the center-stage. It is playing a crucial years. Under this programme, schools across role in shaping economies, influencing India have carried out a rigorous self audit policies, and deciding the fate of heads of on environmental practices within their own states. Internally, it is a priority issue in the premises, following a set of guidelines agenda of every sector – from industry to outlined in CSE’s Green Schools Manual. agriculture. So it is time that we got the most Students from middle and senior levels have important segment of the population, the rated their schools and given marks on the students, on board in this discourse. It is now basis of this audit. The result is a ‘report imperative to build up skills, and deepen card’ of the schools, prepared by their own their knowledge base in these issues. students. The schools have, very effectively, Programmes like the Green Schools made use of this manual in their Programme provide them the platform to environmental studies programmes and as express their views, as well as an opportunity an activity in the eco-clubs. The aim of the to experiment on the ground. programme is to help more and more schools The various audit indicators set in the practice and teach resource efficiency. More GSP manual under the chapters of water,

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Air, Land, Energy and Waste have now become the way for many schools to measure 2.3. Launch of the Gobar Times Green How green they are? The green schools audit Schools Programme in eight partner states has enabled the schools to identify what and We have forged state level green schools how much they need to do in order to become awards partnerships with Delhi, Andhra green. Most importantly the students have Pradesh, Sikkim, Maharashtra and Himachal learnt the process of bringing environmental Pradesh. City level partnerships were forged change at the school level. They have learnt in Chandigarh and Jamshedpur. Out of the that being green is about consuming wisely, partnerships forged the states of Delhi, saving precious resources like water, energy, Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh have air and land. They have also learnt the constituted the Chief Minister’s Rolling important lesson that waste is resource. The trophy for the top school identified by the school community has realised that the Green Schools Programme. The schools that Green Schools Awards Programme win the awards at the state level will be recognises the efforts they put in to change nominated by the respective state agencies to environmental practices for the better on compete for the National awards organised school campuses. by us at Delhi. This way more schools get The National Green Schools Awards recognised for their work and hence more Programme was launched in July 2010 in schools participate in the programme. about 6594 schools across the country. The • Delhi – 2000 schools (1000 private and schools that were sent information regarding 1000 government) the Gobar Times Green Schools Awards • Chandigarh – 50 schools (90 per cent Programme 2010-2011 were all CBSE government schools) (Central Board of Secondary Education), • Himachal Pradesh – 50 schools (80 per CISCE (Council for the Indian Schools cent rural and semi urban schools) Certificate Examinations) and all other • Jamshedpur – 50 schools (All urban and schools directly trained by us in conducting semi urban schools) the Green Schools Programme to date. The • Sikkim – 80 schools (90 per cent launch covered all centrally administered government, rural and semi urban schools across the country. schools)

The Delhi State awards were given by the honorable Chief Minister of Delhi, Ms. Sheila Dixit

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• Andhra Pradesh – 1000 schools (90 per participants from across India at CSE’s cent government, rural and semi urban Tughlakabad office. Training programmes in schools) Himachal Pradesh were conducted in • Maharashtra – 300 schools (90 per cent collaboration with Department of Science rural schools) and Technology, Himachal Pradesh. Green schools teacher training programme in 2.4. Special environmental education Tatanagar was conducted in collaboration programme for Delhi with Tata Steel. A special partnership with the Directorate of Education, Delhi government has been 2.6. Assessment of Green Schools Reports forged to rope in about 1000 Delhi submitted by schools Government schools into the Green Schools A total 10,124 received information by post Awards Programme. The participation of about the awards programme while the these schools will contribute to the Green remaining schools of our 15,000 Schools Awards Programme being (approximation, would be more) school implemented in Delhi state. network got the information from our website. Out of these schools only 778 2.5. Teacher/student training programmes schools could complete the audit and send a A total of nine two-day training programmes valid green schools report to us as an entry for teachers, educators, development for category of awards announced in the workers and people interested in programme. The information given in these environment education were conducted reports was verified, compiled and analysed during the year. Participants are guided to identify the schools who will awarded the through the different modules of the Green Green Schools trophies and certificates at Schools Programme (GSP) manual, and both the State and National level. The schools trained on how they can implement the being awarded at the state level are short programme in their schools with the help of listed by our state partners. students. The training schedule also included 2.7. National and State level Green School interactive sessions and film presentations. Awards Nine training programmes conducted for State level awards: The geographical and 329 participants of which 249 participants sectoral spread of the schools we engaged in were teachers and 80 participants were the Green Schools Programme was better student who would lead the audit this year. We actually partnered with programme in their respective school. Green National Green Corps state nodal agencies (a schools teacher training programme in Ministry of environment and forests Gangtok was conducted in collaboration with programme) and NGO’s to conduct state- Sikkim ENVIS Centre and Department of level Green Schools Awards. The partnership Science and Technology Sikkim. Open enables us to reach a great number of state training programmes were conducted for education board schools and recognise the

Dates Venue Designation Numbers 29-30 April 2010 CSE Teachers 36 22-23 July 2010 CSE Teachers 27 27-28 July, 2010 Gangtok Teachers 40 12-13 Aug, 2010 Chandigarh Teachers 40 19-20 August 2010 CSE Teachers 26 8-9 November 2010 Solan Teachers/Students 13/26 17-18 November, 2010 Tatanagar Teachers 50 26-27 November, 2010 Pandoh Teachers/Students 13/26 29, 30 November, 10 Palampur Teachers/Students 14/28

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The state award ceremonies are planned State Categories Number of as follows: awards Delhi Top 10 10 National Awards: The awards were given Delhi Best Managers 5 out on July 15, 2011 at the Stein Auditorium, Sikkim Top 5 5 India Habitat Centre, Delhi in three Himachal Pradesh Top 5 5 categories. Top 10 new schools that Himachal Pradesh Best Managers 5 submitted their green school reports for the Andhra Prades Top 20 20 first time and Top 10 change makers, schools Andhra Pradesh Best Managers 5 that managed to change their environmental practices to a considerable extent and efforts made by these schools located in schools that did not do all the chapters but remote corners of India by making the state are best in the chapters they did. Few agencies give them awards and also additional awards like the Biradari nominate them for the National Awards (community) award and the Street Play conducted by us in Delhi. contest awards will also be given out. The partner state agencies followed the entire process of launching the awards, Type of Categories Number of assessing the reports and identifying the awards awards awards winning schools with our help. The National Top 10 (New state awards process not only increased the Schools) 10 number of schools engaged in the National Top 10 programme but it made room for more (Changemakers) 10 schools to be recognised for their work. The National Best Managers 5 partner agencies are also developing a sense Other awards Biradari & 2 of programme ownership due to these Street Plays partnerships.

Winners receiving the award from CSE Director General Sunita Narain

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3. PUBLICATIONS sections of climate change and natural resources. The natural resources section is The following publications are in further divided into five sub-sections. The preparation. introductions for these sections are being written and the layout of the activity book is 3.1. Ecological footprint manual: With in progress simultaneously. The activity book environment gaining mileage as a has been printed and the design is in the mainstream subject in the national market. curriculum, there is a huge demand for innovative and interesting activities, 3.3. Climate change reader: Climate change programmes and do-it-yourself handbooks as an issue is the core of the environment among students, teachers and parents. This syllabus for every class in both CBSE as well manual will be structured to plug this gap. It as ICSE boards. The textbooks cover the will help the students to understand the subject but do not provide a wide, narrative impact that the daily lifestyle of a person background, or answer the deluge of queries living in a typical Indian settlement (village, that the teachers face from students who town, city) has on natural resources like want to know how this phenomenon is linked water, climate, energy, land and waste. The to their lives. This reader, using accessible, manual will be based on the Our Ecological everyday language will explain the basics as Footprint Manual published by CSE in 2000, well the details. It will be designed in the but with fresh, upgraded information. The following pattern: audit methodology used in the Green Schools 1. What is Climate Change; Its linkage with Manual will be incorporated here, to make human emissions the manual more easily adaptable in schools. 2. The basic science of Climate Change, Its The target group will be students of Classes Impact IX to XII. 3. Which section of the population is most It was decided indicators for water, affected? climate, land, energy and waste would be 4. The Politics of Climate Change consolidated under three major heads of 5. What can be done to counter the crisis? water, land and energy. The indicators for Mitigation/Adaptation manual are developed and at present we are 6. A brief account of the history of the working on refashioning the indicators to fit negotiations and the updates. in a web of activities. The draft of the manual The climate change reader will be is almost ready. The design is being finalised. brought out as a reference book.

3.2. Students’ activity book: The activity 3.4. Green Schools Programme in other sheets produced by the team (one every countries month) will be categorised into five major heads like water, air, climate, land, energy, Green schools programme, Abu Dhabi: The waste and produced in booklet form with GSP manual was customised for the special introduction to each heads. The book environment awareness sector, environment will be a four coloured and would be used by agency, Government of United Arab Emirates students to meet their environment related (UAE). A teachers training programme for work requirement at school. The booklet will teachers from 27 pilot schools was conducted address the curriculum change recently in Abu Dhabi. ‘Green schools awards affected by the boards as per the NCERT programme, Abu Dhabi’, the grand finale of directive. Teachers would use this book to work done by these pilot schools took place engage students in environment related in Abu Dhabi on May 27, 2010. The activity and evaluate them as per the norms environment awareness sector, environment set by different boards. agency, Abu Dhabi, UAE has already asked The content for the students’ activity us to develop a Green Campus Programme book has been compiled into two main for their colleges.

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The Reader on Climate Change was released at the function

Green schools programme, Ethiopia: First cities and the government’s JNNURM round of discussions and presentations to programme, and the other on the Forest customise the Green Schools Manual for the Rights Act (FRA). Of these, work on the Ethiopian government has been completed in JNNURM fellowship has been completed, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A six member while the FRA fellowship is ongoing. delegation representing Ethiopian government and UNICEF Ethiopia visited 1.1. Media fellowship on JNNURM: Under India in 2010 to see implementation of Green the JNNURM fellowships, 11 media persons Schools Programme in India. The report from across India researched and reported submitted by the delegation was very on how cities were coping with their favourable. We are waiting to hear from the transport, water and sewerage management Ethiopian government / UNICEF Ethiopia keeping in mind JNNURM and the work done about customising the green schools under it. Reports appeared in many leading programme manual. dailies and weeklies – Dainik Hindustan, The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Pioneer, III. MEDIA RESOURCE CENTRE Deccan Herald, Chitralekha, The New Indian Express and Nai Dunia. During the year, the Media Resource Centre The JNNURM was launched by the team scaled up its activities and its level of Government of India in December 2005 to interaction with media through media improve the quality of life in Indian cities. fellowships, briefings and press conferences. The seven-year scheme had a whopping Rs This interaction helped extend CSE’s reach 100,000 crore in its kitty to develop and voice and has provided an immense infrastructure and services – water supply, impetus towards building capacity of sanitation and sewerage, urban transport journalists. and integrated slum development – in 63 cities. The idea was to provide incentives to 1. Media fellowships state governments and city administrations Under this programme, CSE closed the ninth to carry out urban reforms. But has the media fellowships (on coastal issues) earlier scheme really benefited cities? What is the in the year, and followed it up by launching current status of implementation of the two more fellowships over the year – one on projects proposed under JNNURM? Have

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there really been any long- or short-term • Impacts and benefits reforms in the way India’s cities are We received 45 applications from across growing? The Planning Commission’s half- the country. A fellowship jury comprising of term review of the scheme is due this year. some eminent journalists and urban experts What is the review most likely to find? selected 11 fellows who have now begun This fellowship offers journalists to their work. study, investigate and report on JNNURM in The jury comprised of: our cities – with respect to two key 1. Mr S K Lohia, joint secretary, urban components: transport and water supply, transport, Union ministry of urban sanitation and sewerage. It is a unique development opportunity for the fellows to travel to 2. Mr Chetan Bhagat, director, National JNNURM cities to look at the issues and Institute of Urban Affairs concerns at close range and to write and 3. Mr Pratap Somvanshi, resident comment on them. Suggested areas of editor, Hindustan research proposals must focus on transport 4. Mr Ravish Kumar, senior anchor, or water supply, sanitation and sewerage, or NDTV both in JNNURM cities only. Under either 5. Mr Vipul Mudgal, senior journalist head, applicants can opt to investigate a and editor wide range of issues: 6. Ms Sunita Narain, director general, • State of infrastructure CSE • Proposals and projects 7. Ms Anumita Roychowdhury, • State of implementation executive director – research and • Economics: the money trail advocacy, CSE • Corruption, controversies and conflicts Selected Fellows:

Name Subject of study Designation and media Place organisation Anil Kumar Sanitation and transport in Principal Correspondent, Lucknow, Dwivedi ‘Ankur’ Lucknow and Kanpur Hindustan (Hindi) Uttar Pradesh Biswajeet JNNURM implementation in Bureau Chief, The Pioneer Lucknow, Banerjee Lucknow and Kanpur (English) Uttar Pradesh Biswendu JNNURM projects in Agartala Contributor, Far East Focus Agartala, Bhattacharjee (English) Jayanta Basu JNNURM projects in Kolkata Columnist, The Telegraph Kolkata, Metropolitan Area (English) West Bengal Ketan Trivedi Transport in Ahmedabad and Senior Reporter, Chitralekha Ahmedabad, urban housing and sanitation (Gujarati) Gujarat in Surat Kumar Manish Ahmedabad and Surat – Senior Correspondent, Ahmedabad, transport, urban water etc The Times of India (English) Gujarat Radheshyam Progress of JNNURM projects Principal Correspondent, Pune, Jadhav in four cities in the state The Times of India (English) Maharashtra G T Satish Water and wastewater and Senior Reporter, Deccan Bangalore, transport management in Herald (English) Karnataka Bangalore Shibu B S Progress of JNNURM projects Reporter, The New Indian Kochi, Kerala in Kochi Express (English) Veena Sablok Water and public transport Freelancer, Nai Dunia Bhopal, Pathak management in Bhopal (Hindi) Madhya Pradesh Urvashi Rawal Water and public transport Bureau Chief, The Jaipur, management in Jaipur Hindustan Times (English) Rajasthan

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1.2. Media fellowship on Forest Rights Act initiative. The jury was requested to finalise The FRA fellowships were initiated in late the selection of journalists for the fellowship, 2010, and have been awarded to 12 enrich proposed story ideas with fresh journalists. This select group, which perspectives and suggest ways to make combines experience with youthful future fellowships more challenging and enthusiasm, will be studying, investigating meaningful. and reporting on the implementation, The jury members were: violation and drawbacks of the act and its • Mr Sanjay Upadhyay: managing fallout on the forest dwelling communities. partner, Enviro Legal Defense Firm, This select group, which combines NOIDA experience with youthful enthusiasm, will be • Mr Manoj Mitta: senior editor-legal, studying, investigating and reporting on the The Times of India, Delhi implementation, violation and drawbacks of • Mr Pankaj Pachauri: senior desk the act and its fallout on the forest dwelling editor (Hindi) – NDTV, Delhi communities. • Ms Sunita Narain: director general, A jury comprising of legal experts and CSE senior media professionals was constituted • Ms Lata Jishnu, senior editor, Down to select the fellows. The parameters for To Earth assessing the candidates included originality • Mr Richard Mahapatra, senior editor, of ideas; grasp of issues covered; relevance of Down To Earth the issues covered; range of the issues covered; analytical skills; writing skills; and The selected fellows were:

S No Name Designation and media organisation Place 1 Abhijeet Anand Deputy Chief Reporter, The Statesman New Delhi 2 Aloka Freelance Journalist Nai Dunia Ranchi, Jharkhand 3 Anil S Senior Reporter The New Indian Express Kochi, Kerala 4 Atul Kumar Singh Sr Sub Editor Hindustan New Delhi 5 Baba Mayaram Freelance Reporter Daily Chattisgarh Madhya Pradesh 6 G Srinivas Freelance Journalist Dhimsa Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh 7 Jupinderjit Singh Bureau Chief The Tribune Jammu, Jammu & Kashmir 8 Rajnish Gambhir Freelance Journalist Chauthi Duniya Uttar Pradesh 9 Rajkumar Robindro Production Assistant Doordarshan Kendra Imphal Manipur 10 Reshma S Jathar Freelance Reporter Lokprabha Mumbai, Maharashtra 11 Shalini Singh Senior Reporter The Hindustan Times New Delhi 12 Soma Basu Staff Reporter The Statesman Kolkata, West Bengal

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2. MEDIA BRIEFING WORKSHOPS organised a field trip for the participating journalists to enable them to understand the 2.1. Fellowship briefing workshop in Goa CRZ violations happening along Goa’s In August 2010, the media unit organised a coastline. two-day media workshop on ‘Coasts, Coastal The workshop got extensive media Populations and their Concerns’ in Panaji. coverage in Goan newspapers, as also in The workshop was organised to bring into other regional newspapers in the coastal focus the various threats facing the Indian states. It also provided a platform for coasts. Not only are the coastal communities activists and resource persons to come reeling under the pressure of developmental together and exchange ideas. projects such as ports, harbours, SEZ etc, but nature also lashes out its fury on the 2.2. Briefings for Delhi journalists unprotected and vulnerable. Journalists The media team at CSE kept the NCR-based mainly from the seven coastal states and national media updated by regularly from Delhi attended, along with activists who organising short briefings and press are actively involved in working along the conferences and issuing press releases on coasts. issues of contemporary interest. Held in Goa University, the meet was For example, an over hour-long press attended by 55 journalists from the print and conference followed the release of CSE’s the electronic media, including five South laboratory study on honey. Media interest in Asian media fellows of CSE (those who were the subject was huge, and it forced the doing the coastal concerns fellowship). general public and regulatory agencies to sit Resource persons included M S up and take notice. In association with Down Swaminathan, Aleixo Sequira, Goa’s To Earth, the team also organised a Round minister of environment and Digambar Table and media briefing on the subject of Kamat, chief minister of Goa, besides minor forest produce (MFP) and the rights to scientists from the National Institute of MFP granted by the various acts and laws in Oceanography and others. The team also the country.

Media briefing workshop for journalists held in Goa in August 2010

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and the rest from other parts of the country – 2.3. Regional media briefing workshops came together to be addressed by some of Two regional media briefings were organised the leading experts and activists working on in Hyderabad and Kolkata on the issue of forests and forest rights. The team also urban mobility, as part of the air pollution organised a field trip for these journalists to control team’s larger ‘City Dialogue’ Koska village in Nayagarh district; the village programme. A number of local journalists has been managing its own forests for from the respective cities participated in both several years now, and the coming of the the workshops, and reported on them. MRC FRA has confronted it with new challenges organised a third very important meet – in Feature service: The media team Bhubaneswar on the subject of FRA. This continued sending out its regular Feature was billed as another Fellowship Media Service in English and Hindi to a subscriber Briefing, as we concentrated on getting base of about 350 journalists and editors together all our FRA fellows along with other across South Asia. The team also updated the journalists writing on the subject. About 60 CSE website and managed the CSE journalists – 35 of whom were from Odisha fortnightly newsletter.

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V. INSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

I. HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT scope to expand and explore new areas such as liaising with other organisations, 1. DESIGNATION CHANGE AND ORGANISATIONAL government and non-government bodies to STRUCTURE explore facts and figures, push for change This year, CSE’s organogram underwent a and implement necessary policies that CSE change, with change in nomenclature of has strived for and is known for. senior designations. In CSE, a unit head so far was termed as a ‘Coordinator’, which in 3. CONTRIBUTIONS BY VOLUNTEER/INTERN most other organisations means only a facilitator, as against the seniority and their The year 2010-11 a total of 91 candidates role in CSE. It has been observed that people joined us of which 22 were volunteers and 59 outside have been misinterpreting the interns from various Institutions and position and role of CSE Coordinators, to the Universities from India and Abroad. Their extent that it was getting difficult to get an contribution in terms of human days has appointment for meeting officials, especially paralleled contribution made by CSE in government offices. Having realised this, researchers. There were 12 candidates from we conducted a survey on how to change the foreign universities. The key Indian and nomenclature of senior designations so that foreign universities from where the students it spoke about the position and role one plays came have been listed below. in the organisation. The CSE organogram From India we have had students from and programme charts are attached as Delhi College of Engineering, Delhi, Centre Annexure A & B for reference. for Media Studies Academy of The Director will now be termed as Communication and Convergence Studies, Director General and we have introduced a Delhi, TERI University, Delhi, Indira Gandhi new position, Deputy Director General, who Institute of Technology, Delhi, Delhi can oversee and represent CSE in the University, Ambedkar University, Delhi, absence of the Director General and has Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, multiple and several emerging programmes Bangalore, School Of Law, Christ University, under him. Coordinator has been given a Bangalore, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, new nomenclature – Programme Director – Mumbai, Government Law College, Mumbai, staff who will handle a complete programme B.D. Somani International School, Mumbai, or area of work independently. Executive Symbiosis Law School, Pune, Centre for Directors are staff who will handle more than Environment Planning and Technology, one area of work. Ahmedabad, School of Planning and Architecture, Ahmedabad, National Law 2. CAPACITY BUILDING University, Orissa, National Law University, Gujarat, Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia National In terms of capacity building, CSE has taken Law Institute University, Lucknow, Shri Ram care to build the second rung of leaders in School, Gurgaon, Sri Jayachamrajendra every programme, who can lead College of Engineering, Mysore. independent projects with a team with least Volunteers have also come from supervision. This will allow the Executive numerous foreign universities in the plan Directors and Programme Directors the year 2010-11. Here is a list:

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Name of Intern/Volunteer Name of university/ college Place Tanu Singh University of Leeds UK Jesper Svensson University of Gothenburg Sweden Max Friedrich University of Tuebingen Germany Anh Hoang Mount Holyoke College USA Camilla Andreasson University of Oslo Norway Shanu University of Sydney Australia Jonas Hamberg University of Uppsala Sweden Stefan Drews University of Kiel Germany Tiphaine Burban Lille Institute France Aditi Mishra University of Michigan USA Smitha Ramakrishna Harvard University USA Setika Singh University of Warwick Coventry, UK

Besides providing support to various incentive papers for pollution control, programmes our interns have contributed in factsheets, social and political factors a big way for preparing, layout and enabling implementation of BRT projects and uploading Activity Sheets on Environment related case studies, designing and planning Education website, organising South Asian rainwater harvesting in Kumaon Media briefing workshop on Climate Change, Engineering College and contribution made prepare indicator analysis for Green Rating to the science and environment fortnightly Project of Iron and Steel sector, fiscal Down To Earth.

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