Geography and You Rgy Spe a Development and Environment Ma Cial I a Gazine METGEEKS Programme GETTING WEATHER WISE
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G’nY SINCE 2001 VOL. 17, ISSUE 103, 2017 IND COAL POWERED EN GEOGRAPHY and YOU E RGY SP A DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT MA ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT A E CIAL I A GAZINE METGEEKS Programme www.geographyandyou.com GETTING WEATHER WISE Training programme being held at Step by Step (SBS) School, Noida, Delhi NCR. Expert trainers from India Meteorological Society taking classes. Geography and You introduces the METGEEKS programme based on its 16 years of its dedicated research that has made it one of the forefront players for the promotion of science communication in a popular genre. Moreover the changing climate scenario has made it all the more pertinent to be updated about India's meteorological aspects. Scientists have mapped a 44 per cent rise in hydro-meteorological related disasters since 2000, over the 1980s decade. Of all hydro- meteorological disasters, about 89 per cent were due to flooding and storms. Meteorological information is thus vital for preparedness. Opt for training under our METGEEKS Programme in collaboration with Indian Meteorological Society (IMS) for better data collection and analysis of the elements of weather. ❯❯ Presented by Geography and You Dedicated ❯❯ In collaboration with Indian to popularisation of science for 15 years and providing Meteorological Society Working towards myriad platforms to India's developmental concerns. advancement of met sciences. Contact IPPLTD for further details. 707, Bhikaji Cama Bhawan, R. K. Puram, New Delhi Phone: +91-11-26186350, +91-11-46014233, Email: [email protected], Website: geographyandyou.com G’nY SINCE 2001 A DEVELOPMENT AND GEOGRAPHYANDYOU.COM GEOGRAPHY AND YOU ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE VOL. 17 ISSUE 103 JULY-AUGUST 2017 ENERGY ACCESS 32 Coal Fields in India DEVELOPMENT 6 The Multiplier Effect of Staff Reporter ALTERNATIVES Energy Access 62 Natural Gas Hydrate-A Akanksha Chaurey 38 Mining and Environment Future Source of Energy Staff Reporter Jitendra S Sangwai 12 The Energy Mix Conundrum 42 Ecological Restoration of INDIA OUTDOORS Staff Reporter Coal Mine Degraded Lands 68 Changthang Wildlife Subodh kumar Maiti PERSPECTIVES ON COAL Sanctuary D D Misra 18 Coal Quality and Quantity FUELING TRANSPORT in India 48 Petroleum Pricing in India Staff Reporter D Gopalkrishna Murti IN BRIEF 26 Coal in Energy Planning 56 Biofuels for Emission 2 Letters of India Reduction 4 Editor’s Note D N Parsad D K Tuli 75 Book/Website Expert Panel Prithvish Nag B Meenakumari Ajit Tyagi B Sengupta Vice Chancellor, Chairperson, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Former Member Secretary, MG Kashi Vidyapeeth, National Biodiversity Former DG, IMD, Central Pollution Control Varanasi. Authority, Chennai. New Delhi. Board, New Delhi. Rasik Ravindra Sachidanand Sinha Saraswati Raju D Mukhopadhyay Former Director, Professor, CSRD, Professor, CSRD, Director, NCAOR, Goa. Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru Economic Research, University, New Delhi. University, New Delhi. Nielsen, New Delhi. MAY-JUNE 2017 ISSUE: I have gone through the Agri-Tech perspectives issue of GnY. I am really impressed with the way the subject has been treated. Many possible alternatives to GM crops have been GEOGRAPHY AND YOU suggested—very subtly of course. The most appropriate is mutation EDITOR breeding for crop improvement. The article by Dr MC Kharkwal reveals SULAGNA CHATTOPADHYAY that nearly 3250 mutant varieties belonging to about 175 plant species SENIOR ADVISOR have been developed and released world over and India too has SARASWATI RAJU made significant contributions in crop improvement through mutation breeding. There is a need to propogate the use of safe food rather than LEGAL ADVISOR opting for GM foods. —RAMESH CHANDRA, NEW DELHI via email. KRISHNENDU DATTA For more details log on to our website www.geographyandyou.com COVER PHOTO Collage depiCting india’S COAL DRIVEN ENERGY G’nY conducted a facebook discussion, became the fourth largest producer of wind SCENARIO ‘Coal to Solar’, backdrop being the energy in the world and also announced to Indian government setting a target of cancel 14 GW of production by coal plants. PHOTO 175 GW installed capacity for renewable Electric cars will be a reality by 2030. Yes, PRASAD energy - with 100 GW to be sourced I believe that Indians can definitely embark from solar projects by 2022. The idea on a path of ‘Cleaner Greener Mission’ by IRIS PUBLICATION PVT. LTD. was to understand whether as part of its innovating certain techniques and methods. REGISTERED OFFICE affirmation of the Paris Climate Accord, India To add a success story, Netherlands, once 111/9 K G, ARUNA ASAF ALI MARG, NEW DELHI -110070 could reduce its near 60 per cent energy a leader in the use of palm oil as a biofuel, dependency on coal. has suspended all the subsidies for palm CORRESPONDENCE/ The ambitious renewable target is a oil due to scientific evidence that their use EDITORIAL OFFICE tremendous move by the government. causes more environmental harm than fossil 707, BHIKAJI CAMA BHAWAN, RK PURAM, NEW DELHI - But we are all aware of the vulnerabilities fuels. Similarly, I believe that if Indians are 110066 associated with renewable energy. made aware of the toxic effects of carbon PHONE: +91-11-46014233; Through the day and through the year, emissions, then surely the day is not far +91-11-26186350 FOR NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS, there is variability in the renewable energy away when India will be tagged as a ‘carbon RENEWALS, ENQUIRIES produced. Without proper management, it emission neutral ‘ country. So let’s dream PLEASE CONTACT will be tough to let go of a reliable source big because when we dream big, aspirations CIRCULATION MANAGER E-MAIL: info@ of energy like coal, even if it is severely turns into realities. —MOUMITA CHAKRABORTY geographyandyou.com polluting. The Indian government is coming PLEASE VISIT OUR SITE AT www.geographyandyou.com up with renewable energy management OPTIMISTICALLY IT IS possible, though the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. centres (REMCs), in every state, which will timeline is stringent. It is about India’s schedule energy production based on the commitment towards green energy. There ©IRIS PUBLICATION PVT. variability aspect of renewables. Our aim are immense challenges, with solar power LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED should be to install as much renewables as needing to be reliable and infrastructure THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. possible and integrate it with the grid so that needing to be put in place for smart grids. We REPRODUCTION IN ANY there is a significant reduction in pollution might need to build bigger storage capacities MANNER, PART OR WHOLE, IS PROHIBITED. PRINTED, levels. —ShIKHAR NEMA too. Until we have economical storage PUBLISHED AND OWNED BY capacities for solar power we would not be SULAGNA CHATTOPADHYAY. INDIA HAS ACCEPTED the Paris Agreement able to fully utilise the capacity. However, in a becoming the 62nd nation to join the growing technological era we can surely hope PRINTED AT INDIA GRAPHIC SYSTEMS deal. Since the past few years, India to fulfil our vision by 2022. —NIDHI PVT. LTD. F-23, OKHLA has displayed immense credentials, INDUSTRIAL AREA, PHASE-I, commitment, and leadership by taking SOLAR IS AGENDA driven, you exchange one NEW DELHI - 110020. affirmative action in reducing carbon problem for another. Water and wind turbines PUBLISHED AT emissions. The year 2017 has seen a record produce more electricity at a fraction of the IRIS PUBLICATION PVT. drop in solar power prices. India recently footprint. —CLINT GREEN LTD. GEOGRAPHY AND YOU DOES NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR WRITE Editorial Office: Geography and You, 707, Bhikaji Cama Bhawan, R K Puram, New Delhi - 110066. Letters may be edited for clarity and RETURNING UNSOLICITED length. Include name, address and telephone. PHONE 011-46014233, 26186350 EMAIL [email protected] PUBLICATION MATERIAL. FACEBOOK http://goo.gl/eIeaH, LINKEDIN http://in.linkedin.com/pub/geography-and-you/5a/b32/b24 WEBSITE www.geographyandyou.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS For institutional subscriptions of print copies you may write to [email protected] TO CONTRIBUTE AN ARTICLE: Kindly send the abstract of your article in not more than 200 words to [email protected]. ALL DISPUTES ARE SUBJECTED TO The abstract will be reviewed by our guest panelists. Once selected we shall respond for the procurement of full article. The length of the final THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF article may range from 1000 to 1500 words. Please also mention if you can contribute relevant high resolution photographs. COMPETENT COURTS AND FORUMS The Editorial Advisor. IN DELHI/NEW DELHI ONLY. 2 JULy-AUGUST 2017 . GEOGRAPHY AND YOU 103 ISSUE Bhumika Saint Visit : www.geographiaias.com to watch demo video’s & online purchase GEOGRAPHY (OPTIONAL) Main’s Test Series (online/offline) Available Download our free mobile app “Geographia IAS by Ajay Raj Singh” EDITORIAL New paths to India’s energy security India continues to tread a cautious developmental path. It is presently not possible to ignore or downsize coal driven energy security. However, despite the odds, the nation needs to strive towards a path of clean and green energy. Nuclear is a cleaner option if emission is considered. Production of nuclear energy in fact requires only a minute fraction of the land to generate multiple times the energy solar or for that matter, wind energy projects can. Should nuclear be an option that India can opt for—keeping in mind the reducing per capita land availability of its populace and the ever increasing burden of CO2 emissions from coal fired plants? Maybe. Moving away from coal would lead India to policy crossroads. With India’s plans to expand its energy outreach taking wing— renewable and nuclear seem to stand out as clear choices. A swift analysis of data backed by field work by the G’nY team, findings of which will be reported in the upcoming issue, have found near nil ground penetration as far as household solar is concerned. Energy from renewables, especially solar needs to be demand driven in order to succeed.