Zoonotic Diseases Are Rapidly Evolving and Widening Their Realm of Spread

16-31 MAY, 2020 CLICK NOW

DownToEarthSCIENCEFORTNIGHTLY AND ENVIRONMENTON POLITICS OF FORTNIGHTLY DEVELOPMENT, ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH `60.00

COVID-19 HOSTAGE Zoonotic diseases are rapidly evolving and widening their realm of spread

+ Vizag gas leak: the result of ignoring safety protocols P153

Female health workers: invisible, underpaid and stigmatised P583 SCHOOL OF WATER AND WASTE AAETI

ONLINE TRAINING ON ‘BASICS OF DECENTRALIZED WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND LOCAL REUSE’ Course Dates: 01 June – 26 June, 2020 Total Study Hours: 24 hours Commitment: 6 hours a week Language: English Decentralised wastewater treatment is based on the treated wastewater. The course builds awareness about issues important principle – devolving level of the application so that and potential of decentralized wastewater treatment including wastewater can be treated at affordable costs, cutting the successfully implemented case studies of local reuse of treated cost of pumping long distances and promoting local reuse of wastewater.

LEARNING OBJECTIVE: · Acquaintance to web based portal MOUNT – case studies · To understand the existing problems in showing different technologies and cost effectiveness. wastewater management. · Understanding about the enabling frameworks and · Understanding the definition, concept and approach of regulations applicable to decentralized wastewater decentralized wastewater treatment vis a vis centralized treatment including reuse. wastewater treatment and its intervention in urban areas.

TARGET AUDIENCE: · Practitioners from consultancies, community-based · Working professionals and decision makers from organizations, social-welfare organizations, non- government and non-government institutions government organizations · PMU assisting Govt. in mainstreaming water- · Independent researchers and academician working in water wastewater measures and sanitation sector · Urban Planners, Architects, Engineers and Consultants · Representatives of Resident Welfare Association

Registration link is https://www.cseindia.org/online-training-on-dwwt-10050 COURSE FEE `3500/- US$ 100 Indian participants International Participant Top 3 participants will be invited to AAETI, Free 1 year Down to Earth Nimli to attend the subscription after Training Coordinator: Academic Director: knowledge conclave course completion Dr. Mahreen Matto Dr. Suresh Kumar Rohilla “SFD Week” in Programme Manager - Senior Director, CSE October 2020. Water Programme Academic Director, School of Water & +91-11-40616000 (Ext: 257), Waste, AAETI mobile: +91 98680 18045 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] SUNITA NARAIN \EDIT Migrants: Future of work and production

VENTS ARE moving so fast in our world. It was just two weeks ago that I wrote how the economic collapse because of COVID-19 had made the invisible, visible. I wrote about the images of migrant labourers that E haunt us, who made their way from villages to cities for jobs and are now walking back home because of job loss —often dying and collapsing with hunger. Since then, the migrant crisis has made its way into our homes; into our living rooms; and, into our consciousness like never before. We have seen them; we have felt their pain; and, we have wept when we heard how tired migrants sleeping on train tracks were crushed to death by an incoming train. More and more of such cases have come to light—we are all traumatised. I know. But it is also important to note that their pain has not gone unnoticed – government has started trains to bring migrants back home; it has done this knowing there is danger that the contagion might spread to villages. But it knows that there is also anguish to go home. It had to respond. I can say that as yet, all these efforts, including the move to provide free food to the returning people, is still too little—much more needs to be done to take them home with dignity and to provide them with wherewithal to survive in the coming months. However, what we need to discuss now, is not just the returning migrants, but what this will mean for the future of work and the future of production—not just in India, but across the world. So, what happens to work now—workers have returned home; they may come back as things improve or they may not. Already in Indian cities, we are getting news about how essential municipal services are affected without this workforce. We are getting news about the panic of builders—industry is finding that even when lockdowns are lifted, production needs workers. So, the value of their work—the worker who was until now dispensable and cheap—is being felt. These workers were kept in the worst conditions; sleeping and eating in hovels—inside the ‘sweat’ factory that the world has come to know. There is no government housing or transport or any other such facility for industrial areas—factories are supposed to produce and workers are supposed to find whatever means they can to survive. We know that people live cheek-to-jowl with industry – this makes them vulnerable to toxic The opportunity is to re-build the gas leakages or pollution. But have we ever stopped to ask why these informal, illegal local economy habitations are built – because there is no housing provided. But labour needs jobs; and to re-think industry needs labour. But now labour has gone; some say they will never return. production built Work needs to be reimagined. In areas where people will return, this is the great on discounting opportunity to renew rural economies and make them resilient. But this is not going to labour and be easy. Just consider how, in the 1970s, when Maharashtra had the great famine environment looming and it feared massive unrest in its cities because of rural exodus, one man, V S Page, a Gandhian, had come up with the scheme to keep people employed at their place of residence. This was the start of the Employment Guarantee Scheme (egs), which morphed into the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (mnrega) many years later. But what we forget as this programme took the avatar of government rules is that it was a contract—between the rural and urban. Professionals in cities paid a tax, which went into the scheme meant to provide employment at home for villages. It was a win-win for both. What we also forget is the opportunity that this work provides to rebuild nature’s capital—through real and tangible assets of water, forests, grazing lands, horticulture and investment in livelihoods. This is not to say that these words are not there in the government document. All this is said, but there is little understanding of the intent or the opportunity. It is a tired scheme, meant to provide work during distress. We need new direction and leadership. We must stop seeing this as a scheme for breaking stones in the scorch- ing sun. We must see this as the scheme for providing livelihoods for renewal—do all we can to build the rural economy, driven as it is through value addition in agriculture, dairy and forestry. It needs a new blueprint; a new compact between the rural and the urban. But this then brings me to the question of production—India and all other countries of the world are desperate to re-start factories and re-build economies. The fact is that the global economy is built on cheap labour and by discounting environment protection—there is a cost to providing homes for workers; providing adequate living conditions and wages that would give people well-being. There is a cost to ensure that water and air and waste are not dumped, but treated and then disposed of. The rich did not want to pay this cost; they wanted cheap goods for consumption. That’s why production moved to our world. So, what happens now? I will discuss this in my third connected thread of this dialogue next fortnight. DTE @sunitanar

3 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN Down To Earth Founded in 1992 to arm you with knowledge critical to shaping a better world

FOUNDER EDITOR Anil Agarwal EDITOR Sunita Narain MANAGING EDITOR Richard Mahapatra ASSOCIATE EDITORS Vibha Varshney, STORY COVER S S Jeevan, Snigdha Das, Sonalika Sinha, Arnab Pratim Dutta (Multimedia) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ajit Bajaj GRAPHIC EDITOR Sorit Gupto REPORTING TEAM Kundan Pandey, Ishan Kukreti, Akshit Sangomla, Meenakshisushma, Banjot Kaur, Shagun Kapil ASSISTANT EDITORS Aditya Misra, Rajit Sengupta WEB EDITORS Joyjeet Das, Rajat Ghai, Anshika Ravi, Anuj Pant DESIGN TEAM Chaitanya Chandan, Sanjit Kumar, Shri Krishan, Vijayendra Pratap Singh, Ritika Bohra PHOTOGRAPHER Vikas Choudhary PHOTO LIBRARY Anil Kumar PRODUCTION Rakesh Shrivastava, Gundhar Das TECH SUPPORT Rajendra Rawat, Jaidev Sharma MULTIMEDIA Srikant Chaudhary, Sunny Gautam, Adithyan P C INFORMATION AND RESEARCH SUPPORT 32Zoonotic viruses Kiran Pandey, Susan Chacko,Madhumita Paul, are reinventing Sheeja Nair, Lalit Maurya, Dayanidhi Mishra their strategies CONSULTING EDITOR Anumita Roychowdhury to find new hosts, creating fresh reservoirs Vol 29, No 1; Total No of Pages: 64 to expand their Editorial, subscriptions and advertisements: realm of spread. Society for Environmental Communications, Scientists are 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, belatedly New Delhi 110 062, waking up to this never-ending Phone: 91-11- 40616000, 29955124, nightmare 29956110, 29956394, 29956399 Fax: 91-11-29955879. Email: [email protected] 2020 Society for Environmental Communications. All rights reserved throughout the world. Reproduction in any manner is prohibited. Printed and published by Richard Mahapatra on behalf of Society for Environmental Communications. Printed at International Print-o-Pac Limited, B-204, 205, Okhla Industrial Digest Draft electricity bill Area, Phase I, New Delhi-110020, India, and published at 13 23 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi 110 062. States dilute labour laws The Union government To subscribe, sms 'dte Subscribe' to 56070 meant to protect labourers, pushes to shift power from the or visit www.downtoearth.org.in/subscribe and this will hurt the economy states to the private sector FOR ADVERTISEMENTS Jyoti Ghosh [email protected] 15 Vizag gas leak 50 Patently Absurd FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS The imperative to be extra A global initiative to K C R Raja, [email protected] cautious while starting provide access to production after lockdown COVID-19 therapies to all

20 Lockdown impact Civil Lines Yamuna river is cleaner, but 62 Migrants are the new the Ganga continues to untouchables—both remain polluted socially and physically

Cover design: Ajit Bajaj Illustration: Ritika Bohra

Down To Earth does not endorse the content of advertisements printed in the magazine. All disputes are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of competent courts and forums in Delhi/New Delhi only. Contents

26IMD has infrastructure, yet it does not warn farmers about weather disasters

Simply52 planting trees cannot replenish water. On the contrary, they can suck up more water and create scarcity

A magical herb that can boost immunity against diseases like 58 COVID-19 Female health workers bear the 56 brunt of a careless government and remain invisible SUBSCRIBE DownToEarth www.downtoearth.org.in

The planet doesn't have a price tag But, by subscribing to the magazine, you pay a small contribution to reiterate this

To know more and subscribe, please visit the following link and click to the applicable category

Category 1 Individuals, Schools and NGOs https://www.downtoearth.org.in/subscription/pricing/1 Category 2 Colleges, Government, Private and all others Subscribe to Down To Earth with our Annual Issues to get the best deal

If you want to make payment by way of Cheque, please draw in favour of ‘Society for Environmental Communications’, fill up the form and send to Society for Environmental Communications, 41 Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi – 110062

CONTACT DETAILS: Subscriber’s Name: Mr/Ms______Institution:______

Address: Off Res______State:______

Pin Code Phone: Off Res______E-mail: ______

Cheque No.: ______Dated: ______Amount: ______

Write to us if you have any queries, addressed to Ramachandran at: [email protected]

DTE subscription ad.indd 10 23/03/20 6:47 PM Engage

Ensure food for all This is in reference to “COVID-19: One nation, one ration card turns spotlight on 2017 govt report” published online on May 1, 2020. Why does our government always require a direction from the Supreme Court to act on any issue? The National Food Security Act, 2013, calls for food to every citizen of the nation without considering his or her living place. Had access to foodgrains through the public distribution system (PDS) been thought of, the problem

of labourers’ migration would not TO CONTENT BACK have occurred. There should be a single card for every citizen of the country, perhaps in the form of a social security card. Some countries already have such a system. This will have multiple benefits in the long run. Citizens will not have to carry the different types of cards to prove their Start of a new era identity. These things are now possible, This is in reference to “Army cannot discriminate women on physiology: SC “ after the digitisation of all the data, and (1-15 March, 2020). As the apex court’s landmark judgement to maintain must be implemented. In most cases, gender equality on command appointments in army comes as a whiff of state governments play a negative role fresh air to short service commission women officers, it also marks an end to because they believe such services will the 14-year-old litigation for equality fought by the women officers in reduce their say over their residents. defence services. As women already serve in combat in more than a dozen CHAITANYA AGARWAL VIA EMAIL countries, India joining the ranks of those countries is a proud moment for the nation because it is certain to give a fillip to other women combat aspirants waiting to be considered when their turn comes. WHO needs to focus The fact that more and more woman entering the male domain, on virology including defence services, are found to be performing admirably well, This refers to “Is COVID-19 disease X?” proves that they are in no way inferior to men. In the midst of questions (1-15 April, 2020). The article states that raised in certain quarters on whether women are really capable and ready to humankind is still in the dark about the ill serve combat units, the army chief exuding confidence in them and effects of more than 99 per cent of preparing a road map for granting permanent commission to eligible women potential zoonotic viruses. To avoid the officers is a welcome step. It would go a long way in not only lifting their acrimony of claims and counterclaims by spirits but also give them confidence to meet the challenges successfully. countries, it is advisable that the World The historic ruling is a significant step and heralds a new era for women Health Organization (WHO) creates a officers in the army. special fund for research in virology. K R SRINIVASAN The share of contributions can be VIA EMAIL decided by consensus. We can’t undo

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 7 DTE TV New rules for air travel after lockdown? The Airport Authority of India issued post-lockdown guidelines for 100 airports which say that airlines will

operate only to and from state capitals, some Tier-I cities and major Tier-II cities. Both the source and destination of a flight will need to be in areas free of lockdown.

Most epidemics come from animals Though it is yet to be proven that bats gave COVID-19 to humans, it is a fact that most the loss of lives and no monetary compensation can suffice the loss of lives. recent epidemics have come Does the International Court of Justice have jurisdiction to adjudicate on from animals. The extremely such debatable issues? Such matters should be on WHO’s agenda. fatal Ebola of 2014-16 was transmitted either from bats or SHREE KRISHNA PHADNIS MUMBAI. non-human primates; the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic of Government must monitor CSR activities 2002-03 was caused by civet The article “Spending responsibly” (16-29 February 2020) was very cats; and the Middle Eastern informative. It is good that the Union government has formulated Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) guidelines on the subject of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and a came from camels. 60 cent of Companies (Amendment) Bill is also in the pipeline. Still the implementa- human disease-causing tion of CSR, which affects the masses, is mostly left to the whims of pathogens came from animals. companies and business houses.

Pentagon saw UFOs The funds accrued on account of corporate social responsibility need to be monitored and spent judiciously as per the priority of the The US Department of affected populace and area. In fact, there is a need for a special cell Defence has released three videos of “unidentified aerial under the commerce ministry for this purpose. Employment generation, phenomena”. The first video drinking water, health and education are the sectors which should be given was shot by US Navy pilots in priority in CSR funding. Above all environmental concerns should FOR 2004 and the second and MORE, be addressed. CLICK third videos in 2015. L R SHARMA SUNDER NAGAR PHOTOGRAPH: REUTERS Fix responsibility for fall in dolphin DATA CENTRE numbers This is in reference to “Dolphin Over 3.7 mln cases globally population in Odisha’s Gahirma- The number of people infected tha halves: Annual census” with COVID-19 in the world rose to published online on February 25, 3,727,802 in 212 countries and 2020. Despite much good work territories, as of May 6, 2020. done by the government and A total of 258,338 have died of people in the field, it seems that the disease. leaving the management of such important areas like Gahirmatha COVID-19 in India and Chilika solely in the hands of The total number of COVID patients in India was 49,391 on May 6. the government has many There have been over 33,514 active limitations. What’s needed is, perhaps, to improve these sites and the plight of the cases, 14,183 cured/migrated endangered species they are home to. This is better achieved by roping in patients and 1,694 deaths. agencies, private and non-profit, and networking in a way to make authorities a lot more accountable than they presently are. Is anybody going to be answerable to 40% districts COVID-free BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK the fact that the dolphin population has halved in the last couple of years or will Forty per cent of India’s districts we just have another sad story next year too? have no COVID-19 cases, as of April VINAY 22, and the government can lift the VIA EMAIL lockdown from such areas to allow economic activities. Most of these Sell them online are in forested areas, Himalayan This is in reference to “COVID-19: Tribal handicraft worth R100 cr unsold” regions and the Northeast. published online on April 23, 2020. And here I am in the US, looking for cotton washable shopping bags hoping I could support the makers instead of support- Epidemiologists can map ing Amazon. Could some of the products be sold online? COVID-19's spread MEENAL Online databases have been VIA EMAIL collecting SARS-CoV-2 genomic nucleotide sequences since mid- December. When a patient FOR tests positive for the virus, its MORE, Down To Earth welcomes letters, responses and other contributions from readers. CLICK Write to Sunita Narain, Editor, Down To Earth, 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, genome can be sequenced. New Delhi - 110062 or send email to [email protected]

NOTICE BOARD

SHOLAI SCHOOL Highest Organic Located in the campus of the Centre for Learning, Organic Agriculture and Appropriate Technology, tea garden in the World in a beautiful sylvan valley of the Palani Hills, we are a non-conventional, 70 acre residential School Green, White registered with the University of Cambridge International Examinations (IN499). The students Oolong & take IGCSE (Xth standard) and A level exams. Having a teacher : student ratio of 1:6 we are able to Speciality Teas explore learning well beyond the confines of syllabi. For trade enquiries The United Nilgiri Tea Estates Co. Ltd., Comprehension of conditioning and its limiting effect on Chamraj Estate, The Nilgiris - 643 204, India. the mind and reflecting on responsibility and sensitivity Ph: 91-423-2258737, Fax: + 91-423-2258837 in relationships are some of the themes explored e-mail: [email protected] between students and teachers. Send for brochure to: www.unitednilgiritea.com Sholai School, P.O.Box 57, Kodaikanal - 624 101. Shop online at Telephone-04542-230393/297/487 Email: [email protected] Website: sholaicloaat.org www.chamrajtea.in

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 9 A Down To Earth ANNUAL STATE OF INDIA'S ENVIRONMENT 2020 Price Rs. 500/-

Inaugural price this month India's most credible annual statement on Rs. 300/- environment and development.

Please place your order online by visiting us at www.downtoearth.org.in/books or mail your order to us along with a Cheque for the required amount, drawn in favour of `Society for Environmental Communications' and mail to: Society for Environmental Communications, 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110062

TO FIND OUR BOOKS ACROSS INDIA, PLEASE VISIT https://csestore.cse.org.in/store-locations

Write to us if you have any queries, addressed to Ramachandran at: [email protected] DigestWHAT’S INSIDE A Haryana farmer helps villages Seven states have diluted A billion people will be displaced in India's most water-stressed labour laws to restart the for every 1oC increase in global region overcome the woes P12 economy post lockdown P13 temperatures P14

1,000 WORDS VIKAS CHOUDHARY BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

FOR MORE, CLICK Suresh Biswas of West Bengal's Malda district earns a living by cleaning manholes for the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam. Despite being at the frontline in the fight against COVID-19, sanitation worker's associations allege the government has neglected their safety and that they should be provided with personal protective equipment

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 11 Digest/IN FRONT

Rain catcher

MY VILLAGE would remain water-stressed This Haryana farmer initially used personal funds to build the even in the years when we received good check dam but was soon forced to reach rains because of high surface water runoff solved water crisis in out to others for financial support. “People in the region,” says Haji Ibrahim of Haryana’s five villages realised its benefits and readily agreed to Badola village in Nuh district, which is close help. While some gave financial support, to the Aravalli mountain range. The story SHAHNAWAZ ALAM others agreed to work for free,” he recalls. is similar in almost all the villages in the Four months later, Ibrahim and others built district where the rich rely on private water the region’s first check dam, which was 45 tankers and others walk long distances metres tall and half-a-kilometre wide. They to get potable water. Given the situation, spent `2 lakh in the project. government agencies have tried several Close to two decades later, the impact water conservation attempts in the past, but of the check dam can clearly be felt in the none have made much difference. region. In Ghata Shamasabad and four

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK “In 2000, we received bountiful neighbouring villages, water is now available rains, yet we were scrambling for water. just 46 metres below ground level, as per the The situation got me restless,” he says. hydrology division of Haryana Agriculture While most families in his village blamed Department. The groundwater levels in the the administration for the situation, region started to drop in 1974 and reached Ibrahim decided to take charge of 122 metres below ground level in 2000. the situation. He reached out to a The improved groundwater level means

RELATED VIDEO RELATED friend in Delhi who gave him the tubewells, handpumps and wells have idea of setting up a check dam at the water in them throughout the year. foothills of the Aravallis to conserve The scale of the achievement runoff water. Mahant Tiwari, who works becomes clear when one considers that with the National Gandhi Museum, also the forest department announced two helped Ibrahim identify a spot in Ghata check dams in the vicinity in 2006 after Shamasabad village for the check dam. taking cue from Ibrahim's success. Two The steep slope of the Aravallis leads to decades later, the check dams are still under excessive water runoff and a check dam construction. Meanwhile, Ibrahim’s initiative is the logical way to conserve rainwater. has improved the lives of at least Next he reached out to Tarun Bharat Sangh, 4,000 people in the five a grassroots organisation in Rajasthan, to Nuh villages. learn how to make a check dam. Ibrahim QUERY/Digest

States dilute labour laws to excite investors

KUNDAN PANDEY

AS INDIA prepares to lift governments—Uttar the lockdown, state Pradesh, Gujarat, Assam, governments are in a Rajasthan, Punjab and rush to dilute laws meant Himachal Pradesh— to safeguard labourers. followed suit. STORY RELATED The dilutions include In Madhya Pradesh, exemption from labour establishments now laws for up to three years have to abide by only to making 12-hour shifts a few provisions of the legal. Surprisingly, the Factories Act, 1948, such Relations Act 1960 that Welfare Board for the next states justify the dilutions as safety and payments. deals with arbitration 1,000 days. It adds that claiming it will help the The factories, however, between employees and establishments employing labourers in these trying are not legally bound employers and extended a less than 50 workers can TO CONTENT BACK times. The sentiment is to implement sections 1,000-day exemption from be inspected only after the also shared by the Union that ensure labourer’s the Industrial Disputes permission of the Labour Ministry of Labour and health and welfare. Act, 1947 to ensure Commissioner. Uttar Employment that has The state also assures that “establishments Pradesh has exempted assured the industry that investors will get will be able to keep the all industries from relaxations in labour laws. government nod in a single labourers in service as labour laws for the next Madhya Pradesh on May 5 day, which could result in per their convenience”. three years. In Gujarat, amended four Central and clearances without proper New factories also do inventors who can promise three state labour laws. background checks. It has not have to pay `80 per their project will run for Over the next few also repealed the Madhya labourer per year to the over 1,200 days, will enjoy days, six more state Pradesh Industrial Madhya Pradesh Labour a three-year hiatus from labour laws as long as they ensure minimum wages, ‘THIS IS UNDEMOCRATIC AND BAD FOR ECONOMY’ observe safety laws and provide compensation in case of a mishap. The state Political and social activist fought and claimed over government has said the Aruna Roy believes centuries. relaxation will help attract suppressing labour rights Will the move help foreign investment from will lead to dissent and rejuvenate the economy? the US and Japan who disruptions after lockdown I don’t think governments are fed up with China. can lure investment just by Rajasthan has not only States are claiming the diluting labour laws. If they raised the working hours dilutions are being done to are really serious about from eight hours a day to help labourers. Is it true? attracting investment, they 12 hours a day, but also This is a conspiracy hatched have to take care of the amended the Industrial by governments that are not workers. Suppressing labour Disputes Act to increase democratic in true sense. the decision. The dilutions rights is bad for the industry. the threshold for layoffs COVID-19 has, for the first are what corporates have India is a democracy and and retrenchment to 300 time, forced people to stay always pushed for and they people will eventually raise from 100. Companies also indoors and governments are now clearly succeeding. their voices against the need to recognise the trade are misusing this. They In a clean sweep, the wrongs. It will be tough for union only if 30 per cent know people cannot come government is undoing all policymakers to handle the workers are its members. on the road and protest the rights labourers have situation then.

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 13 CROSS HAIRS SORIT GUPTO RELATED STORY RELATED BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

FOR MORE CARTOONS, SCAN 1.2 bln people to live in extreme heat by 2070

FOR EVERY 1oC rise in global temperature, a billion people will either will become almost unlivable in the next 50 years. In the worst case be displaced or forced to live in extreme heat, warns a new study that scenario where emissions continue to rise, places that support a shows the world will see more changes in the next 50 years than in third of the world population will have mean annual temperatures the past 6,000 years. This is likely to trigger mass migration in several as hot as 29 oC, which is currently found in 0.8 per cent of the Earth’s parts of India, Latin America, Africa and Australia. Human populations landmass, mostly concentrated in the Sahara. Even in the most have always lived in regions where the mean annual temperatures optimistic outlook, 1.2 billion people will fall outside the comfortable have remained around 11°C to 15°C, which is ideal for human health “climate niche” in which humans have thrived for at least 6,000 and food production. But climate change is fast shifting the world years, says the report published on May 4 in the Proceedings of the out of the climate niche and in the current scenario, many places National Academy of Sciences.

14 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN DISASTER\INDUSTRY PROTOCOL IGNORED The Visakhapatnam gas leak highlights the need for industries to be extra cautious while starting production after the lockdown SOUNDARAM RAMANATHAN, DIGVIJAY SINGH BISHT and RELATED STORY RELATED NIVIT KUMAR YADAV BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK RELATED VIDEO RELATED

Women outside a mortuary to receive the body of a relative HE TOXIC gas leak incident The previous day, on May 6, another who died after the at Visakhapatnam, Andhra gas leak accident had taken gas leak at the LG Polymers plant Pradesh, in the early place at a paper mill in Raigarh, in Visakhapatnam T on May 8 morning of May 7 was not the only Chhattisgarh, after which seven industrial accident in the country workers were hospitalised. What’s that day. In the evening, two boilers common to the three accidents is exploded at nlc India Limited’s that they happened while the thermal power station at Neyveli, factories were being prepped for

Tamil Nadu, injuring eight people. opening after the covid-19 PHOTOGRAPHS: REUTERS

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 15 INDUSTRY/DISASTER

lockdown. Poor operational and habitat. As per an assessment by styrene was not being stored at the maintenance practices during the Delhi-based non-profit Centre for appropriate temperature, there was lockdown and shortage of skilled Science and Environment (cse), the a pressure build up in the storage staff appear to be the common accident can be attributed to the chamber which caused the valve to thread in all the incidents. company’s negligence and failure to break, says an official with the In its scope and damage, the adhere to the safety protocol. Andhra Pradesh Pollution Control styrene gas leak at Visakhapatnam Board (appcb), requesting anony- was the worst of the three. It left 11 THE ACCIDENT mity. The result was leakage of 3 dead while hundreds had to be The plant uses styrene monomer tonnes of the toxic gas (see ‘What is

hospitalised due to difficulty in (C8H8) to produce expandable styrene and how toxic it is’). Even a breathing, headache, fatigue and plastics. Styrene monomer must be day after the leak, the levels of fainting. On May 8, the National stored at temperatures strictly styrene in the air in the area were Green Tribunal took suo moto below 17oC. There was a temporary 500 times higher than the cognisance and ordered the owner, partial shutdown of the plant owing prescribed limit. Media reports LG Polymers India Pvt Ltd, to to the covid-19 pandemic, excluding said they were more than 2,500 deposit R50 crore with the district maintenance activities, which were parts per billion (ppb), while World BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK magistrate as an interim penalty being carried out in the plant as per Health Organization norms require for the damage caused to life and a predetermined schedule. Since them to be under 5 ppb. The Visakhapatnam facility is spread over 240 hectares (ha), including WHAT IS STYRENE AND HOW TOXIC IS IT the nearby residential areas. There STYRENE IS an organic compound used in the manufacture of polymers/ is also a revenue village nearby, plastic/resins. It is manufactured in petrochemical refineries and is a which resulted in a higher rate likely carcinogen. It can not only enter the body through respiration, but of exposure. also through the skin and eyes. According to India’s Manufacture, Storage and Import of Hazardous Chemical Rules, 1989, styrene is classified as a CIRCUMVENTING RULES “hazardous and toxic chemical”. Short-term exposure to styrene in humans Industries that process petrochemical-based products, such as can result in irritation in the mucous membrane and eye, and gastrointestinal styrene, require two levels of problems. Long-term exposure can impact the central nervous system, clearances—an Environmental leading to headaches, fatigue, weakness, depression, dysfunction, hearing Clearance (EC) from the Union loss and peripheral neuropathy. If the concentration of styrene goes beyond Ministry of Environment, Forest 800 ppm, then the person exposed to it can sink into a coma. Experts say and Climate Change (moefcc) and a that immediately after the leak, the levels could have crossed 1,000 ppm in Consent to Operate (cto) from the nearby areas, which is why people started fainting. State Pollution Control Board The duration of the exposure and its relative concentration will determine (spcb), which needs to be renewed toxicity—we currently know that roughly 3 tonnes of the gas leaked from its every five years.cto documents storage tank and the feeding line. We now need to determine exposure. give production limits on products “Styrene can stay in the air for weeks. It is highly reactive, it can combine that can be manufactured, limits with oxygen to form styrene dioxide which is more lethal. The presence of on treated effluents and ambient other pollutants can also affect the reactivity. Operating one reactor in full air surrounding the factory load suddenly, can also lead to such disasters,” says Thava Palanisami, a compound. LG Polymers India senior research scientist with the University of Newcastle, Australia. has not adhered to rules at both The most important immediate treatment is to give oxygen to the affected these levels. people. The people in the zone also need to be evacuated as long-term As the company has been exposure can be detrimental to their health. Also, as styrene reacts to form operating since the 1960s, much styrene dioxide, the air could remain contaminated for some time. However, before the legislation of the the winds blowing from the sea could also help to disperse the gas. Environmental Impact Assessment Notification of 2006, it was not required to obtain EC unless it

16 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN DISASTERS IN 1 UTTARAKHAND 4 DELHI CONTAMINANTS CONTAMINANTS THE PIPELINE 8 22 India has 128 contaminated hazardous sites and Heavy metals, Cadmium, lead, chromium, 29 chromium 18 copper, nickel, zinc, another 196 “probable” contaminated sites. It has nitrate, arsenic over 1,400 hazardous chemical units HARYANA 3 UTTAR PRADESH CONTAMINATED SITES are created when CONTAMINANTS 19 industrial hazardous wastes are disposed by 14 Chromium, CONTAMINANTS 22 Chromium, lead, occupiers in unscientific manner or in violation of mercury, fluoride, pesticides the rules prescribed. They may include production volatile organic 537 areas, landfills, dumps, waste storage sites, carbons treatment sites, mine tailings sites, spill sites, JHARKHAND chemical waste handler and storage sites 2 CONTAMINANTS located in various land uses 12 2 RAJASTHAN 1 HIMACHAL Asbestos, lead CONTAMINANTS PRADESH 9 Chromium, inorganic 5 CONTAMINANTS GUJARAT 8 107 salts, organics Chromium 27 WEST CONTAMINANTS BENGAL Phenols, cyanide, lead, 15 8 6 PUNJAB CONTAMINANTS chromium, arsenic, 537 CONTAMINANTS Nitrate, phenol, cadmium, mercry, 3 Chromium, zinc, inorganic acids, lead chromium, TO CONTENT BACK zinc, aromatic lead, heavy metals, pesticide aromatic hydrocarbons, volatile residue, phenol hydrocarbons organic carbons

MADHYA PRADESH 6 CONTAMINANTS Zinc, arsenic, lead, sulphate, 15 chlorides, aluminium, iron 71

MAHARASHTRA 2 CONTAMINANTS 1 ASSAM Cyanide, lead, zinc, sulphate, 3 CONTAMINANTS 3 Chromium chromium, cadmium, 347 volatile fatty acids 28

GOA 1 2 CHHATTISGARH CONTAMINANTS CONTAMINANTS Chromium, copper, cobalt, 1 3 Lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, zinc 16 19 polychlorinated biphenyls, cynaide KARNATAKA 5 CONTAMINANTS 1 ANDHRA 23 ODISHA Chromium, heavy metals, 20 PRADESH CONTAMINANTS 2 9 cadmium, lead, mercury, CONTAMINANTS Fluoride, phosphate, arsenic, beryllium 132 Lead, zinc and other 31 chloride, chromium, hearvy metals vanadium, cyanide, KERALA 6 mercury CONTAMINANTS Lead, endosulfan, dicofol, 7 6 TAMIL NADU 2 TELANGANA ammonium sulphate, thorium CONTAMINANTS CONTAMINANTS 38 8 7 oxalate, rare-earth fluoride, Sulphate, manganese, Arsenic, chromium, chloride, thiozoles, chlorine, mercury, cadmium, lead, copper, sulphamides and chromium, petroleum zinc, oil/fuel antioxidants hydrocarbons hydrocarbons Confirmed contaminated hazardous sites Probable contaminated hazardous sites Hazardous chemical units Note: Jammu and Kashmir has 11 hazardous chemical units, Puducherry and Nagaland have 3 each, Meghalaya and Tripura have 2 each. The list of contaminants is not exhaustive; Source: Central Pollution Control Board and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare INDUSTRY/DISASTER

Residents speak with a local politician outside the LG Polymers plant following the gas leak in Visakhapatnam

expanded its production, changed raw material or modernised its units. However, the company has been increasing production and changing raw materials since 2004 and has not obtained EC. In 2004, the expandable polystyrene capacity of the plant was 45 tpd which increased to 65 tpd in 2009, 71.5 tpd in 2012 and 100 tpd in 2014, as per appcb data. Similarly, its polystyrene production capacity increased from 235 tpd in 2014 to 315 tpd in 2017.

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK In 2017, appcb warned the company about the need for an EC, saying it would otherwise not grant cto. After this, the company filed a petition with moefcc seeking an EC. It also gave a proposal to appcb associated with accidental release of leak detection and repair of saying it is importing plastic gra- are more dominant,” he adds. It is pump. LG Polymers did not adhere nules to prepare extended plastic, pertinent to note that appcb has to both these rules. which may not require an EC. It been granting cto to the company, The voc detection system at the succeeded in obtaining consent despite the latter mentioning that plant was defunct, says an appcb from appcb, brushing impact assess- it is changing its raw material and official, and there is no monitoring ments studies. In 2018, it withdrew expanding capacity of finalmechanism to specifically detect its petition for EC from moefcc products without any EC. styrene. Even the container that saying there were typo errors. In 2018, the company also was being used to store styrene “By failing to seek EC, the submitted a R168 crore-proposal to gas was old and not properly plant has violated the norm to moefcc to expand its production maintained, the official says. inform the competent authorities capacity by 250 tonnes per day over two things: one, changing the (tpd)—from the current 415 tpd— STORAGE AND HANDLING product mix and related impacts, but withdrew it later. After the Bhopal gas disaster of and, two, expansion and importing. LG Polymers India has flouted 1984, India enacted a plethora of Expansion means more storage, general cto requirements as well. laws to prevent such accidents importing means risk associated One condition stipulated in cto is and to issue clear guidelines on with transportation, handling in maintaining a suitable system of storage of hazardous chemicals in port related to loading and unloa- leak detection and provisions to plants. The Environment ding and the same in factory immediately repair any instances. (Protection) Act, 1986, is the premises. It is an absolutely new Under Point 11 of the general omnibus Act that gives sweeping dimension,” says D D Basu, conditions of cto, the industry is powers to the Central government advisor, cse. “In fact, fresh appli- required to maintain Volatile to take all measures to protect the cation is required. Renewal cto is Organic Compound (voc) analysers environment. There are clear rules not the only issue. Since the with recording facility and on hazardous chemical storage company has changed product mix maintain records, while Point 19 under the Act. These include and production process, the risks mandates installation of a system Hazardous Waste (Management

18 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN People sleep on a pavement after

being evacuated TO CONTENT BACK from their homes following the gas leak at the LG Polymers plant and Handling) Rules, 1989; five-member committee compri- extent of damage and remedial Manufacture, Storage and Import sing B Seshasayana Reddy, former measures initiated within 10 days. of Hazardous Chemicals Rules, judge of the Andhra Pradesh High 1989; and, Chemical Accidents Court; V Ramachandra Murthy, LESSONS FOR OTHERS (Emergency, Planning, Prepared- former vice chancellor of Andhra It remains to be seen whether ngt’s ness and Response) Rules, 1996. University; Pulipati King, head of order on the Visakhapatnam gas That such an accident could chemical engineering department leak will set a precedent to dis- happen despite these laws shows at Andhra University; member courage industrial disasters. But negligence on the part of all secretary of cpcb, and, director of the order should not have been parties. The unit in question is the Council for Scientific and silent on the two other accidents. also an iso-certified facility, which Industrial Research-Indian Ins- The order is also unclear on whether means it has a protocol for titute of Chemical Technology. The the district magistrate can use the everything. What seems to be the committee has to report its initial R50 crore to initiate relief measures. case is that the management, in findings on what went wrong, Though the cognisance of the its haste to restart the plant, Visakhapatanam accident is a ignored the protocol pertaining to welcome move, the court could have maintenance of the plant before THE NATIONAL GREEN widened its scope and directed the resuming operations. TRIBUNAL HAS FORMED government to ask industries to A FIVE MEMBER ensure safety while resuming NGT’S ACTION COMMITTEE TO operations. In case the lockdown In its order, ngt has issued notices INVESTIGATE WHAT WENT continues, these safety precautions to appcb, district magistrate of must not be forgotten. The accidents WRONG, THE EXTENT OF Visakhapatnam, Central Pollution have shown that as the lockdown DAMAGE AND REMEDIAL Control Board (cpcb), moefcc and ends and industries start resuming LG Polymers India Pvt Limited for MEASURES TAKEN. THE activities, there is a need to be extra their response on the accident. COMMITTEE HAS TO FILE cautious. DTE The court has also appointed a ITS REPORT IN 10 DAYS @down2earthindia

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 19 WATER/POLLUTION UNCLEAR VERDICT Lockdown has little impact on the Ganga, but cleans up Yamuna

RELATED STORY RELATED SUSHMITA SENGUPTA

HILE SOCIAL media from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh to that led to suspended solids and platforms are flooded with Howrah in West Bengal. The agen- turbidity in the river. Of the 15 sites Wvideos that suggest the cy also studied samples from 18 where DO levels were recorded lockdown has drastically cleaned sites along the tributaries (9) and throughout the study period, four up the Ganga, the truth is that not drains (9) of the Ganga. The tribu- sites in West Bengal saw a signifi-

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK much has changed. This becomes taries showed a trend similar to cant positive variation in the re- clear in the recently released report that of the main stem of the river, maining three weeks of the by the Central Pollution Control while the wastewater quality in the lockdown, when compared to the Board (cpcb) that analyses the wa- drains remained unchanged during pre-lockdown period. In the 11 sites ter quality in the Ganga before the lockdown. in Uttar Pradesh, non-significant (March 15-21) and during the lock- The findings might be disheart- positive variations were found in down (March 22-April 15). In con- ening, but are on the expected lines. the last three weeks. trast, the water quality in the The 97 towns near the Ganga gen- Ujjwawl Mukherjee, former sen- Yamuna improved substantially erate around 3,500 million litres of ior scientist with the pollution con- during the lockdown, though the wastewater per day (mld) and just trol board, says the high levels of river remained polluted. DO in West Bengal only in- The report on the Gan- dicate eutrophication in the ga, which only shows over- water and should not be all trends and does not UNTREATED WATER FROM confused as cleaner water. share the actual data, DOMESTIC HOUSEHOLDS “cpcb has to check DO levels found that the biological CONTINUED TO CHOKE THE for 24 hours to get the real oxygen demand (bod) and GANGA DURING THE picture,” he adds. West Ben- chemical oxygen demand CORONAVIRUS LOCKDOWN gal cpcb scientists did not (cod) levels of the river re- comment on this claim. mained almost unchanged The overall bod levels of throughout the study period, indi- 9 per cent of it (300 mld) is indus- samples collected from 17 sites re- cating that wastewater flow did not trial effluent. The bigger challenge mained high during the lockdown, drop during the lockdown (see ‘Lit- is that the combined wastewater especially in West Bengal—Beh- tle to show’ on p21). There has been treatment capacity of these towns is rampore, Behrampore downstream marginal increase in dissolved oxy- just 1,100 mld, which means 2,400 and Sirampur. Barring Deoriaghat gen (DO) and decrease in nitrates mld of untreated sewerage is site in Kanpur, where bod levels “due to the absence of industrial pumped into the Ganga every day. peaked to 15 milligrams per litre wastewater discharge, agricultural The report, which has published (mg/l) in the third week of the lock- runoff and increased freshwater week-by-week analysis, shows that down, sites in Uttar Pradesh re- flow,” says the report. cpcb analysed DO levels in the Ganga decreased corded little bod variation before water quality data from 18 real- in the first week of the lockdown and during the lockdown. “bod val- time monitoring stations starting (March 22-28) due to heavy rains ue ranged between 1.13 mg/l and

20 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN Kanpur Behrampore LITTLE TO SHOW 30 30 While dissolved oxygen levels improve marginally, biological and chemical oxygen demands remain unchanged during lockdown 20 20

Kanpur Anupshahar upstream 10 10 30 30

0 0 20 20 Fatehpur Behrampore 30 downstream 30 10 10

20 20 0 0

Bijnor 10 10 30

0 TO CONTENT BACK 0 20 BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

10 Kanpur ghat 40 0 Kannauj Ghazipur 30 30 30

Numbers in mg/I 20 20 Dissolved oxygen 20 Safe limit*: 5 mg/l or more Biological oxygen demand 10 10 10 Safe limit*: 3 mg/l or less Chemical oxygen demand Safe limit*: 10 mg/l or less 0 0 0 Pre-lockdown Lockdown week 1 Lockdown week 2 Lockdown week 3 Lockdown week 4 (March 15-21) (March 22-28) (March 29- April 4) (April 5-11) (April 12-15) *Standards for outdoor bathing Source: Report on impact of lockdown on water quality of river Ganga by Central Pollution Control Board, April 2020

5.56 mg/l during the lockdown pe- higher cod levels than before the “The closing of industrial units riod, more or less similar to pre- lockdown. Ammoniacal Nitrogen improved the DO levels and closing lockdown range of 1.37 mg/l to 5.58 levels also remained high in 11 of of the ghats reduced the organic mg/l,” says the report. the 15 sites, which shows “in- load. As a result, a marked differ- Also, the sites did not record creased discharge of untreated and ence can be seen in the colour of the significant reduction incod levels partially treated sewage into the river in Varanasi,” says Malika Sin- during the lockdown. While some river,” admits the report. The ni- gh, regional officer, Uttar Pradesh of the stations in the upper stretch- trate levels came down (varying state pollution control board at Var- es of the river recorded marginal from 2 to 66 per cent) in most sites anasi. He adds that the two moni- decrease through the four weeks, due to the shutting down of indus- toring sites in the city had cleaner several sites downstream had trial and agricultural activities. water this April over the last year.

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 21 WATER/POLLUTION

Both upstream and downstream VISIBLE CHANGE Varanasi sites recorded 2.2 mg/l increase in DO levels in the past one Despite considerable improvement, the 22-km Delhi stretch of year. A senior scientist at cpcb also the Yamuna remains unfit for bathing claims that the shutting down of Numbers are in mg/I hotels and restaurants has reduced Palla Pre-lockdown (March 4) wastewater flow by 10-15 per cent 30 Lockdown (April 6) during the lockdown. The report, however, does not reflect such a 20 marked reduction. Nizamuddin Okhla U/S bridge CLEAR WATERS 100 100 10 The impact of the lockdown is more palpable in the 22-km stretch 80 80 0 of the Yamuna that flows through 60 60 DO BOD COD Delhi (see ‘Visible change’). A clos- er look, however, suggests that un- 40 40 seasonal rains in the city played a 20 20

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK bigger role in improving the water quality than the lockdown. This is 0 DO BOD COD 0 DO BOD COD understandable because industrial effluent constitute a little more than 1 per cent of the total 3,026.24 Najafgarh wastewater in the river. Addition- drain Shahdara drain 300 500 ally, industrial effluent is com- pletely treated before being 250 400 released in the river. 200 Standards for outdoor bathing 300 The cpcb report on the river an- 150 Dissolved oxygen alysed samples from manual moni- 200 5 mg/l or more 100 toring stations at Palla (Yamuna’s Biological oxygen demand 100 3 mg/l or less entry point in Delhi), Nizamuddin 50 Chemical oxygen demand bridge, Okhla barrage, along with 0 BOD COD 0 BOD COD 10 mg/l or less Najafgarh and Shahdara drains. bod The levels recorded marked im- Source: Report on assessment of impact of lockdown on water quality of river Yamuna—Delhi stretch, provement at Nizamuddin bridge Central Pollution Control Board (90 per cent) and Okhla upstream (77 per cent) between the two sam- normal release, says the report. Prashant Gargava, member secre- ples collected on March 4 (pre-lock- The overall DO levels cannot be tary, cpcb. He adds that “in-depth down) and April 6 (lockdown). Yet compared as data is unavailable for analysis” of the report will bring they remained unfit for outdoor two of the three sites in the pre- out “newer dimensions that should bathing (5 mg/l or more). lockdown period. Palla, however, help in future strategies,” Mukher- “The Wazirabad barrage had to recorded a drop in DO levels from jee adds a word of caution. “The be opened because of the heavy 17.1 mg/l to 8.1 mg/l during the lockdown resulted in the closing showers. The reduced agricultural lockdown. This is surprising as the down of small-scale industries activity also meant lower withdraw- region does not have industries or around the Yamuna and this could als during the lockdown. So the solid waste dumping. “The improve- have decreased 9 to 10 per cent of quality improved because of higher ment at Palla is marginal due to pollution load of the river. Such im- water levels,” he says. The average closure of industries upstream re- provements in the river quality are daily release this April was 152,320 gions like Panipat and non-availa- not sustainable in the post-lock-

cusecs, which is five to six times the bility of enough dilution,” says down period.” DTE @down2earthindia

22 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN GOVERNANCE \ENERGY DISTRESS DRAFT Centre is in a rush to amend power law. The draft bill takes away powers from state governments and gives them to private firms

KUNDAN PANDEY STORY RELATED

T A time when India is fight- would oppose the bill as it takes ing the novel coronavirus away states’ powers. Apandemic, the Union Minis- try of Power has hurriedly started PROBLEM AREAS the process of amending the Elec- As per the existing subsidy and

tricity Act, 2003. On April 17, when cross-subsidy model, the state gov- TO CONTENT BACK the crisis was peaking, the minis- ernment charges more from rich try floated the Draft Electricity power consumers like industrial (Amendment) Bill 2020, inviting units and provides subsidy to weak- suggestions from stakeholders, the er sections. The draft proposes to extended deadline for which ends fix one power tariff for all. The state on June 5. government may later pass on the The draft makes three key pro- subsidy as Direct Benefit Transfer posals: abandon the existing subsi- to the beneficiaries. This means, dy and cross-subsidy model, allow people would have to first pay up private parties in power distribu- WHAT’S and then wait for the subsidy to tion as sub-licensee, and create reach them. “How many farmers Electricity Contract Enforcement DISCONCERTING have the money to give `4,000- Authority (ecea). The intention is Draft Electricity 5,000 in advance?” asks Dubey. clear: centralise power and protect (Amendment) They use electricity for irrigation the interests of private players. and other farming purposes. Bill puts an end “The Centre has been pushing “What if the consumer does not to subsidy and for privatising the power sector for get the subsidy amount on time?” cross-subsidy long. The draft is a step in that di- asks Tejal Kanitkar, associate pro- rection,” says Shailendra Dubey, fessor at the National Institute of Allows private president of the All India Power En- Advanced Studies, Bengaluru. The gineers Federation. The National players in authority may disconnect electrici- Coordination Committee of Elec- electricity ty while the consumer waits for the tricity Employees and Engineers distribution money. Once he gets it, he would has expressed concern over the by sub-licensing again have to go to the authority for rush to float the draft during lock- the restoration of connection. All down. In 2018 and 2019, the opposi- Creates the this would lead to unnecessary cha- tion parties had forcefully rejected Electricity os, she says. the draft. This could well be the Contract Kanitkar says the elimination reason for the Centre’s great hurry. Enforcement of cross-subsidy would put the bur- The Telangana government has not Authority den on the already empty state cof- only criticised the draft but said it fers. “As it is, the states have not got

1-15 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 23 ENERGY/GOVERNANCE BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

their dues from the Centre,” she tion of ecea can disempower not two days to reach Kolkata by road adds. Till March, the Centre owes only the state regulatory commis- or a heavy expense by flight. This is `30,000 crore to the states in gst sions but people engaged in legal why thousands of people do not get compensation alone. The states now battles as well. The power to settle justice in environmental matters. plan to move the Supreme Court to disputes between the generation People may again be deprived of jus- get their money back. and distribution companies would tice in electricity disputes, says The draft introduces the concept vest in ecea, which would have the Saldanha. “I fear the new authority of “distribution sub-licensee”. This status of a civil court. It would be is being brought in with the single gives discoms the power to author- the sole authority to adjudicate purpose of protecting the interests ise another company to distribute conflicts over power purchase and of licensees.” This is to ensure ease electricity in the state without a sale contracts. Its decisions can be of business to the licensees and separate licence. Similarly, the ex- challenged only at the appellate power generators, he adds. isting “distribution franchisee” can tribunal and, finally, at the Su- distribute electricity without sepa- preme Court. REPEATING PAST MISTAKES rate approval from the authorities. This means that the aggrieved Kanitkar says the government is Experts say this is a gradual move- party would no longer have the promoting the failed model of al- ment towards privatisation of dis- right to approach the high courts for lowing private parties in power distribution. It may begin from a public dispute settlement, explains Leo tribution as the distribution sector company like the National Saldanha of Bengaluru-based non- franchisee, refusing to learn from Thermal Power Corporation (ntpc) profit Environment Support Group. the past. On many occasions, the and gradually move towards the “At present, if we are not happy states have expressed reservation private sector. with the regulatory regcommis- over engaging with private players Another big concern is the sion, we can easily access the high in power distribution. On February states losing control over the sec- court. This will not happen. The Na- 13, for instance, Bihar energy min- tor. Kanitkar says the effort to tional Green Tribunal (ngt) is an ister Bijendra Prasad wrote to Un- centralise is unprecedented. While example,” he says. If a person wants ion power minister R K Singh, a central committee would appoint to litigate in Imphal, he or she saying the state does not support even the state regulators, the crea- would have to go to Kolkata. It takes privatisation of the sector as it has

24 DOWN TO EARTH 1-15 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN not had good experience with pri- back in 2007 when the Maharash- of Power Engineers. vate players. In 2013, Bihar had tra State Electricity Distribution Initially, suggestion on the engaged private companies in Company Limited (msedcl) handed draft bill were to be submitted Gaya, Muzaffarpur and Bhagalpur over distribution in the power-loom within 21 days. The government for electricity distribution. town of Bhiwandi to M/s Torrent later extended the deadline to June Bihar is not an isolated case. In Power Ltd. Though the contract 5. All India Federation of Power Di- Madhya Pradesh too, the model with the company was extended up- ploma Engineers, All India Federa- was executed in three cities—Uj- till January 2027, Maharashtra tion of Electricity Employees, jain, Sagar and Gwalior—with Es- has seen the model failing in two Electricity Employees Federation sel Vidyut Vitaran Private Limited other cities. In Aurangabad, msedcl of India, Indian Electricity Work- as the distribution franchisee. Just appointed gtl as the power fran- ers Association and All India Pow- before Simhastha Kumbh 2016, chisee in May 2011, but the contract er Men’s Federation have now held every 12 years in Ujjain, the was terminated in November 2014. demanded that the government government had to terminate its Crompton Greaves was appointed should extend the submission date contract with the company for inad- the franchisee in Jalgaon in May to September 30. equate maintenance work, poor 2011 and ousted in 2015. “There are Be as it may, Dubey nurses no complaint redressal and lack of ad- similar examples in Ranchi and confusion. “The draft bill is highly equate technical manpower. In fact, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand where problematic and the government

the company could not last in any regulatory commissions were com- must withdraw it.” Kanitkar readi- TO CONTENT BACK state for long. pelled by hard evidence of failure to ly concurs. “The only way out now is

Government’s experiment with cancel the franchise,” says K Ashok for the Centre to take it back.” DTE the sub-licensee model started way Rao, patron of All India Federation @kundanpandey158

D O WN T O EAR TH•BOOKS•FILMS•E-DATABASES•T-SHIRTS•B A G S

the new refreshed revitalized csestore @ http://csestore.cse.org.in

CENTRE FOR SCIENCE AND ENVIRONMENT 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi-110062 Ph: 91-11-2995 6110/5124 Fax: 91-11-2995 5879 Email: [email protected] Website: www.cseindia.org

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 1-15 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 25 WEATHER/AGRICULTURE WARNING SIGNAL Why does India fail to caution its farmers of weather changes despite a rich meteorological infrastructure? AKSHIT SANGOMLA and VIVEK MISHRA RELATED STORY RELATED BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

A farmer checks his wheat crop damaged in heavy rain, on the outskirts of Amritsar, Punjab. A large part of India lost ready wheat crop in March and April this year due to unseasonal rainfall PHOTOGRAPH: PTI

26 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN HAGWAN LAL Nitharwal is its 27 districts. western India,” he adds. a big farmer in Gudaliya A large part of India lost a imd, the country’s only public Bvillage of Chaimu tehsil in substantial amount of ready wheat meteorological organisation, does Jaipur, Rajasthan. This year he crop. Bihar, the worst hit, also lost well in predicting large-scale harvested 300 quintals (1 quintal masur and mustard crops. The weather phenomena like high equals 100 kg) of wheat and barley state grows pulses in 5 lakh ha, of temperatures and heat waves. But each from his 16-hectare (ha) farm. which masur is grown in 1.5 ha. it fails to predict smaller incidents But before he could move the grains This year, masur production may like storms that bring rain, hail, from the farm, a sudden hailstorm drop by 30 to 50 per cent, says J S dust and lightning such as those on April 25 night soaked all his Mishra, head of the Indian Council that occurred in March and April, produce. By the next day, the grains of Agricultural Research, Patna. says Murtugudde. Small wonder, had turned dark. Watermelons he Muzaffarpur’s shahi litchi, known despite India having one of the grew on 1.6 ha also got ruined. for its size, flavour and taste, may world’s best agrometeorological That night, another farmer in also suffer. Litchi is sensitive to advisory systems, the farmers were Chaimu Mool Chand lost most of variations in temperature, rainfall left in the lurch. his green chilly, kakdi, cucumber, and humidity. tomato and bottle gourd he had Bihar has sown corn in 278.437 RICH INFRASTRUCTURE grown on 1.6 ha. “I had spent `2 ha. They are all drooping after the The country has about 13,000

lakh on the crop and could have hailstorm. This will impact produc- automatic weather stations (awss) TO CONTENT BACK brought home `5 lakh,” he says. tion. Honey may also slip by 25 to and 8,000 automatic rain gauges “I have not seen a hailstorm like 40 per cent. During mustard (args), states Delhi-based non- this in my life,” says Ashok Yadav, season, honey boxes that gave 10 kg profit Centre for Science and 30, of Mauli Khas village in Siddharthnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. In the state’s Banda IMD DOES WELL IN PREDICTING LARGE-SCALE district, rabi crop is grown on WEATHER PHENOMENA LIKE HIGH TEMPERATURES 324,000 ha, says A K Singh, deputy AND HEAT WAVES, BUT FAILS TO PREDICT SMALLER director, agriculture department. INCIDENTS LIKE STORMS THAT BRING RAIN AND Of this, black gram is grown on HAIL, SAYS RAGHU MURTUGUDDE, CLIMATE 100,010 ha; the rest is wheat. When SCIENTIST AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND, USA sudden rains came, some of the wheat had been harvested and labourers were still threshing it. per year, are giving only 2 to 6 kg. Environment in its report, Though losses are not huge, it will Experts blame it all on the “Agrometeorological Advisory Ser- affect the grain quality. western disturbances—the extra vices in India—An Assessment”. March and April were bad for tropical storms that originate in A network of observatories farmers of 13 states and Union the Mediterranean and travel to collects data focussing on agricul- territories in northern, central and India bringing sudden rainfall. ture (see ‘Centre’s data collection east-central India. The India “The unusually warm temperature network’ on p30). Five meteoro- Meteorological Department (imd) over Eurasia and the warm-cool logical satellites—Kalpana-1, insat- recorded 77 per cent more than pattern over the Atlantic Ocean 3A, insat-3D, insat-3DR and normal rainfall in the country worked together to favour western Megha-Tropiques—help imd provide between March 1 and March 19. disturbances during pre-monsoon,” countrywide weather warning Bihar received nine times the says Raghu Murtugudde, climate bulletins, with a five-day lead time. usual rainfall, while Jharkhand scientist at the University of This apart, imd uses Global Forecast got eight times more. Uttar Maryland, US. “These would System developed by the US Pradesh and Delhi recorded 698 otherwise bring dust storm but National Centre for Environmental per cent and 621 per cent excess they brought enough moisture to Prediction, which provides forecast rains respectively. Chhattisgarh produce rain and thunderstorm for a minimum 144 sq km area. got excessive rains in 25 of when they met warm air over TURN TO P30

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 27 WEATHER/AGRICULTURE

WHEN CLIMATE AND COVID-19 COLLIDE South Asia has to ready itself for the double whammy BY GIRIRAJ AMARNATH

S IF managing the coronavirus pandemic was not enough, countries in South Asia Anow have to brace for an onslaught of climate disasters. This summer, central and southern India are forecast to heat up faster, making

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK heatwaves more likely. And, normal to above average monsoon rainfall could flood parts of the country from June. Careful planning is needed to escape major damage to crops, homes and infrastructure, all amidst marshalling of resources towards limiting the spread of covid-19. Forecasts indicate that northeast India and Bangladesh are set to experience extremely high rainfall and thunderstorms around May 13-14. A cyclone forecast in the second week of May in southern Bangladesh is likely to have high impact in the coastal cities and inland too. Shirish Ravan, who implements the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response, or un-spider, believes space-based technologies can provide critical information on the extent and scale of impacts ahead of crises. The map showing maturity of crops is an example. This, the coming extreme weather A map created by scientists at the International Water events, and the pandemic present a host of Management Institute and CGIAR Research Program of Water, challenges for governments. In India, north and Land and Ecosystems shows crops planted extensively fall within the path of forecast storms. The dark green areas indicate the northwest states have already struggled to place where crops will ripen after April 23 harvest and sell their wheat, fruit and vegetable crops because of lockdown. If the cyclone hit is relatively low. However, the number is damages ripening crops in eastern parts, high in places where other extreme events are it will place even more pressure on the forecast. Scientists at the International Water agricultural sector. Management Institute (iwmi) compared a map The number of covid-19 cases in the parts of showing the levels of risk from multiple natural India and Bangladesh where the cyclone is set to hazards, such as landslide, cyclone, heatwaves, floods and coastal inundation, drought, iwmi and its partners have prepared 10 earthquake, extreme rainfall and forest fire, recommendations to guide South Asian nations. with the covid-19 cases published by India’s These are: National Disaster Management Authority. They l Integrate multiple-hazard and covid-19 hotspots identified 411 districts in 22 states that have to inform disaster preparedness and response both higher risks from natural hazards and strategies for monsoon planning; elevated covid-19 cases. l Minimise the burden on hospitals by treating Large parts of Maharashtra show a high level covid-19 patients separately; of risk for multiple hazards, including heatwaves. l With the participation of communities, revise As of May 8, as many as 17,974 covid-19 cases the standard operating procedures (sops) for have been confirmed, with 698 deaths. A heatwave managing cyclone shelters. Incorporate social will most likely increase the number of people distancing and provision of Personal Protective needing hospital treatment at a time when Equipment (ppe) in these sops; medical services are already stretched. l Strengthen capacities and resources for Similarly Bihar, India’s most flood-prone preparing for other hazards; state, will need a joint response to covid-19 l Advise disaster response forces on protecting

and flooding. Safely housing people whose homes themselves from covid-19. Establish protocols TO CONTENT BACK are inundated, without risking contracting for their protection and provide personnel with covid-19, and providing financial assistance to appropriate ppe and psycho-social support; smallholder farmers who have lost crops, will l Establish support networks (with social be necessary. distancing) for providing food and financial In Sri Lanka, where iwmi’s headquarters is relief for the most vulnerable; located, monsoon brings rain between May and l Put in place provision for the elderly in disaster- July. It can sometimes unleash extreme events, preparedness mechanisms to eliminate their including flooding and landslides. Where storm exposure to covid-19; water is released into urban canals, the number of l Strengthen hospital preparedness, including mosquito-borne dengue fever cases greatly access to sanitation and quality water, to increases. Worryingly, the western, southern and protect functionality when natural disasters central regions that the monsoon affects are also like cyclones strike; forecast to be the most vulnerable to covid-19. l Establish capability for rapid response map- Anoja Seneviratne, director of Sri Lanka’s Disaster ping, incorporating gis data for hospital and Management Centre, has urged the country to health centre locations, connectivity, schools prepare for the combined impacts of extreme and colleges, and other community facilities; events and the pandemic. l Form multiple-hazard response teams with In the past two decades, more than 750 million wide-ranging expertise and the capacity to people in South Asia have been affected by at respond rapidly to the combined impact of least one natural disaster. Of late, the Disaster covid-19 and natural disasters. Risk Reduction sector has sought to shift disaster- Countries need to get ahead of the coming prone countries’ focus from “response crises by moving quickly and act on these preparedness”, where action plans are simply put recommendations. Only early action, heavy in place to deal with the aftermath of disasters, to allocation of resources and smart planning will “disaster risk reduction”, where a greater level of make sure we can avoid collapse of medical, resilience is built into communities to make them economic and food systems. more able to endure disasters. (The author is research group leader, Water Risks With time running out before new climate and Development Resilience, International extremes arrive and collide with the pandemic, Water Management Institute, Sri Lanka)

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 29 WEATHER/AGRICULTURE

In addition, imd runs models system was not properly calibrated specific to cyclones and hurricanes Agriculture in resulting in lack of good quality that generate forecasts with a lead data. Weather stations are poorly time ranging from hours to days. focus managed and don’t have quality Yet, why does imd falter? The country has a strong control. There is no common platfo- network of observatories that rm for data collection. The problem REASONS APLENTY collects farming-specific data escalates due to poor inspections. The main reason for imd’s failure is In 2017, the Comptroller and the poor density of observatories. Auditor General reviewed the The government contends that the functioning of weather stations and country needs 40,000 awss every 10 found Assam was not monitoring km in the plains and every 5 km in 1,400 700 its stations. The reason it gave was the hills. India has only a third of Automatic Automatic non-receipt of funds. Rajasthan had rain weather this, the report finds. gauge stations a negligible number of stations There is also a drastic difference installed on the ground. In Mahara- in the scale of weather data shtra, some weather stations offi- collection infrastructure across the cially listed as installed, were not states. Kerala, for instance, has one there at all.

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK aws every 87 sq km but Chhattisgarh 219 42 Agromet advisories should has one every 2,703 sq km. Assam Evaporation Evapo- ideally provide weather information, stations transpiration has one aws per 472 sq km, and add value to it through advice stations Karnataka one per 167 sq km, on agricultural best practice. This Odisha one per 281 sq km, Bihar is not always the case. In Assam, one per 313 sq km and Uttar for instance, an advisory regarding Pradesh one every 1,005 sq km. wheat states, “As there is no possibi- * args face a similar problem. Of the 76 25 lities of getting rainfall in the com- 8,000-odd args in the country, Dew fall Doppler ing five days, farmers are advised 6,400 are in Karnataka alone. recording weather to apply second irrigation in wheat stations radars This apart, imd does not provide crop.” Such generalised recommen- micro-level advisories. Its default dations are also visible in Gujarat. scale for forecasts is the district “Weather is clear so harvesting level. This is insufficient with each should be done at early morning,” district spanning hundreds to 43 48** states one. Some advisories are thousands of sq km, and significant Soil moisture Lightning outdated and recommend fertilisers weather variations found within recording sensors# or pesticides that are prohibited, stations short distances. No standard out of production or not available. protocol for awss on data collection “Changing climate has the worsens the situation. “Only a part potential to invalidate centuries of of the aws network collects soil and agricultural knowledge accu- agriculture-specific data,” says the mulated in rural India. A modern cse report. “This lack of 62*** 39**** agromet system is key to building standardisation arises from the Upper air observational resilience against this challenge,” fact that the recent and ongoing network says the cse report. The base for expansion in the aws network has *Currently expanding to 55; such a system has been laid in ** To be expanded to over 65; proceeded with minimal coordina- ***Pilot balloon observation points; India. Focus now has to be on the tion and oversight,” it says. A large **** Radiosonde observation points; integration and coordination of number of awss and args were set # Indian Institute of Tropical technology and human resources, Meteorology up in “project mode”, compromising across fields, levels of government, on quality. The link between Source: Agrometeorological Advisory Services and the private and public sectors, in India—An Assessment, a report by Centre expansion and larger weather data for Science and Environment, Delhi it adds. DTE @down2earthindia

30 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 Advertisement

THE WATER ENGINEERS

Pu & High rity Sy on ste ati m in al s e

e Polishing nsat Sys de tem on C

Ind us rs tria cto l & Municipal Se

ewa Wast ter Tre & atm er e at nt W

D e

s s ig t n n a e nd m Ma uip nufacture of Eq

ENGINEERING WATER TO PERFECTION

WATER PURIFICATION WATER RECYCLING WATER MANAGEMENT WATER ECONOMICS

Global partnerships. Since 80's in the business. Cutting-edge technology. Multi-industry experience. Well respected client base. Innovative, customised solutions. If there's anyone in the country who thoroughly understands the dynamics of water treatment: from purification to recycling and management to economics—it's Triveni. The Water Engineers.

TRIVENI ENGINEERING & INDUSTRIES LTD. WATER BUSINESS GROUP A-44, Hosiery Complex, Phase-II Extension, Noida - 201305, National Capital Region (NCR), India. Phone: +(91)-(120)-4748000. FAX: +(91)-(120)-4243049 Email: [email protected] www.trivenigroup.com

83Triveni ad.indd 83 14/04/20 6:05 PM COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC HAVE WE GIVEN IN? Countries are taking a leap of faith to return to normalcy and get the economy going. India is desperately trying to follow suit. But can it do so without letting its guard down?

BANJOT KAUR

32 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN ILLUSTRATION: AJIT BAJAJ in the country. the in state worst affected third the on is May as 11,deaths Delhi 106 and With 7,998 cases dilution rules. of lockdown the Union the for government urging while atruism as virus” the with “living used also Kejriwal Arvind of Delhi Minister world in days, dubbed biggest Chief the 54 history, to nationwide the Union extended lockdown, government the on as May Earlier 4, virus.” the live with to learn have to we that understand we to need and challenge have agreat workers, we of migrant about return when talking we are about relaxation, when today talking that we are important is including other pathogens, over athousand like novel coronavirus, we this that live have with to consciousness collective our in record spike in in spike record not reported has afew countries, when world, the barring India’s official spokesperson on the on spokesperson India’s official India. including countries, leadership across political of the strategies in reflects also acceptance resigned do so humans’, p spread viruses, ‘Bats (see time to time up from cropping keep and ecosystem our W On May 8, while holding a press briefing, Lav Agarwal, Agarwal, Lav briefing, apress holding while May 8, On despair. There has not been a day since March 8, 8, March not aday since despair. been has There of time this in anthem an somewhat like become words have These virus. the live with to E HAVE hiv , Ebola, cholera and rabies, that are now part of now part cholera, Ebola, rabies, are that and covid -19 cases. Yet, it has become ingrained Yet, cases. ingrained become it has covid

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 38). This mood of mood 38). This -19 crisis, said: “It “It -19 said: crisis, DOWN TO EARTH EARTH TO DOWN MAY 2020 33

BACK TO CONTENT COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC

Looking at states like Kerala, Odisha and even the worst-affected Maharashtra, where activities have been kickstarted to bring the economy back on the rails, it seems we have come to terms with the worst pandemic of the century. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had set the tone for this in his address to the nation as early as on April 14, at the culmination of lockdown 1.0, when he said that “jaan (life)” and “jahaan (economy and livelihood)” both are equally important. By the first week of May, the country was divided into three zones—red, orange and green on the basis of the number of covid-19 cases—and certain economic activities were allowed depending on the colour code. Though the government has not introduced any codified lockdown exit plan yet, the focus is fast shifting from managing the health emergency to reviving the economy. In fact, this is a defining moment for the world. Several countries, despite being ravaged by the pandemic, are getting ready to take a leap of faith to return to normalcy—it’s another matter that no one knows if the pre-December-2019-world-normalcy still exists! And they are doing so wielding the certificate of “flattened curve”, a term that has not only

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK become popular during the pandemic but has also assumed a positive connotation. In a pandemic, flattening the curve means reducing the number of new cases from one day to the next and then stabilising it before it becomes zero. So, since covid-19 cases started appearing outside China, the country of origin, governments have been directing their efforts towards achieving this magical phase. Some efforts include imposing strict curbs on mobility through weeks of lockdowns, aggressive containment and quarantine strategies offering near-imprisonment experience, enforcement of social distancing up to the level of personal habits and aggressive screening regime. So, have these helped achieve the objective? Let’s examine. So far, China and South Korea have been able to flatten the curve of new infections. Several European countries have also claimed to have achieved it, implying that cases are on the sliding path now. Germany began levelling its curve about six weeks into the outbreak, while France started seeing results in seven weeks. In Italy, the curve has not flattened yet but there has been a slowdown in new cases. However, in the UK, experts don’t foresee it in the near future as cases continue to rise. The UK’s initial response to covid-19 was marked by a series of missteps. The government pursued a controversial “herd immunity” strategy before finally ordering an Italy-style lockdown to regain control over the virus’s transmission. In the US, even though New York, the epicentre of coronavirus in the country, has not convincingly proclaimed this status, President Donald Trump on May 6 declared that the country has flattened the curve and is now in the next stage of the battle, which is a “very safe phased and gradual reopening”. In India, as lockdown 3.0 began on May 4, Agarwal, also the joint- secretary at the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said: “The covid-19 curve in India is relatively flat as of now and if work is done collectively, the peak may never come.” That day India recorded the

34 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN lockdown despite an upward march in daily cases in daily march upward an despite lockdown hand, isrelaxing other the on India, curve. the flattened they till time the response astrict to keep managed have pandemic the against better fairing are that Countries STRICTNESS UNDERMINED No data 12, 2020 May per 1,000 people Total COVID-19 tests TEST SCORE 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 100 20 40 60 80

India: Canada: 0 0 Canada 30.36 January 21, 2020 January 21, 2020 0 0 to 100, 100=strictest GOVERNMENT STRINGENCYINDEX DAILY COVID-19 CASES 78,003 Peru 16.14 72,278,562 1 (total confirmed cases)

2 Sources: Oxford University, European Center for DiseaseControl andPrevention

South Korea: 10,991 5 10

Germany: * Germany 32.89 May 3 Updated till

15 case count is going up despite astrict lockdown little is known about the spread. This is the reason the country’s India has one of the lowest testing rates in the world, which means 172,239 20 40

Peru: May 13, 2020 May 13, 2020 76,306 100

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN India 1.27 >150 conveyance inJapan been reported from aninternational information campaigns information and controls public travel international restrictions on internal movement, requirements, home at stay transport, restrictions on gatherings, close public public closing, events, cancel workplace closing, school indicators: nine on based *Government Stringency Response Index is 696 cases 8,394 Oceania cases 1,623,586 Europe cases 1,889,851 America cases 713,740 Asia cases 72,539 Africa

cases and DOWN TO EARTH EARTH TO DOWN MAY 2020 (Updated tillMay13, 2020) South Korea 13.28 7 deaths have deaths have deaths 126 deaths 151,749 deaths 113,827 deaths 23,165 deaths 2,490

BACK TO CONTENT COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC

REALITY CHECK highest spike of 3,900 new cases and 200 covid-19 deaths. It, in fact, A DTE analysis shows India broke the previous record spike of 2,293 new cases, documented just two has been adding nearly 5,000 days ago. On March 24, the day the nationwide lockdown was announced, new cases every 2 days India had only 571 cases. By May 13, the country had 78,003 cases, or since April 30 136 times hike in cases. Government officials, however, claim that significant achievements JAN 30: 3 CASES have been made. One of the most significant gains, they say, is cutting APRIL 6 the chain of transmission by achieving a long doubling rate—this rate Days 67 5,000 denotes the number of days in which cases double, indicating a slow spread of infection. On the face of it, this is a prologue to the still elusive objective of “flattened curve”. Agarwal, who holds daily pressers, has APRIL 13 Days 7 10,454 claimed several times over the past month that doubling rate, which was three days when lockdown began, has increased beyond 12 days; on May 10, he lowered the figure to 10. APRIL 18 Days 5 15,725 But several experts do not think that it is a valid indicator. “You have to look at the baseline figure,” T Sundararaman, former head of the Union health ministry’s National Health Systems Resource Centre, tells APRIL 21 Days 3 20,082 Down To Earth (dte). Cases, when in hundreds, would take fewer days to

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK double as compared to cases that are in thousands. Now, saying that the 45,000 cases have taken more than three days to reach the 90,000-mark APRIL 24 and calling it an achievement is nothing but a farce, he says, adding that Days 24,448 3 counting the number of days it takes for every 5,000 or 6,000 new cases to appear would offer a more realistic scenario. APRIL 27 Using 5,000 new cases as the base, dte did an analysis to understand Days 3 29,458 how the pandemic has progressed in the country and found that 5,000 new cases are being reported every two days since April 30 (see 'Reality APRIL 30 check'). This indicates that the spread is far from slowing down. Days 3 34,866 Another tool that epidemiologists often employ for assessing progression of a pandemic involves comparing three-day rolling average, or the MAY 2 average number of new cases reported every three days. Worldometer, a Days 39,826 2 private covid-19 tracker, shows that the three-day average was 76 for India at the beginning of the lockdown; as on May 5, it was 3,060. Worse, MAY 4 when compared with 10 countries that ranked just above India in terms 46,434 Days 2 of higher covid-19 cases that day, all of them had fewer three-day averages, with the exception of Brazil and Russia. MAY 6 Explains T Jacob John, senior clinical virologist and emeritus professor Days 2 52,987 at Christian Medical College, Vellore: there were 571 total covid-19 cases in the country when the lockdown was announced. Forty days later, on MAY 9 May 5, the number of cases increased by 80 times to 45,000. If the 62,808 Days 3 government says the situation is better compared to its fear of a 200-time rise, then this is a manufactured good news, he says. India incidentally MAY 10 remains the only country, as per daily situation updates given by the 67,176 World Health Organization, which does not report community transmission Days 1 despite more than 60,000 cases. All countries that have reached this MAY 12 threshold or have fewer cases have accepted that the infection is spreading Days 2 74,330 in new communities with no clear source of origin. Another indicator of the progression of a pandemic is recovery rate, Source: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; 00: Cumulative cases on that day which according to the Union health ministry’s official briefing on May

36 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN need about half a million tests aday at point,” that tests he tells amillion aboutneed half probably will for treatment. in them India bring to and atwho risk are elderly the identify would to be population purpose the forward, Going of outbreak. the growth observe to and for containment cases individual identify to tested far so has India US. University of Washington, 11 11 covid sars inadequately. 5.7 Only were found positive cent to per people tested others. among number of the covid-19 at tracks University that tests the of Oxford publication World based online Our to an Data, In according India, than better fare Pakistan neighbouring and Zimbabwe Uganda, Senegal, score'. (see like 'Test Mexico Myanmar, Indonesia and Even countries Nepal, Nigeria, Kenya, world, Ethiopia, the in Bolivia, above only to spectrum of testing at the base the now stands India populations, 1,000 per tests 1.27 with And of lockdown. the beginning the in few thousands daysfew from a May samples first of the aday in 60,000 more than to it Union increase did The government which preparation needed. was in fronts one was of most important the upout testing of control. Ramping situation spiral could for when post-lockdown the infection the preparing while infrastructure health no on is limited sudden the there pressure cent. per of rate 30 arecovery has of cases, terms in of India cousin at 27.41 stood 5, aclose average global cent. Peru, 32per is cent. The per It must not let its guard down in the rush to return to normalcy. to return to rush the It in down must not let its guard for its prepare worst months two phase. to around has thus, still India, medRxiv, a preprint server for research papers, that the country’s country’s the papers, that for research server medRxiv, apreprint in write of epidemic the India, who in landscape the studied researchers out. phased is lockdown once the especially cough, and anybodywith fever to be should offered Tests illnesses. influenza-like of symptoms and travel histories with or only contact those test to symptomatic infections, says Laxminarayan, citing citing says Laxminarayan, symptomatic infections, of all half picked up and only far so about 10has infections cent per of all Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics &Policy ( Economics Dynamics, Center for Disease who the heads Laxminarayan, Ramanan epidemiologist economist and says change, to needs strategy the its scope, increase to needs still out on cases. not was government the missing that indicated he claimed, This, testing. in increase despite cent, per an atsame, 4.5 nearly was the proportion the 22, April On 23. presentation on April All public health experts public experts health All Government officials, however, refuse to accept that they were testing however,theythat testing were to accept officials, refuse Government By now, only help say it lockdowns to acliché that is buy that so time The fact is, the pandemic is yet to reach its peak in India. A group of Agroup India. in its peak reach yet is pandemic to the is, fact The Testing has increased significantly in India. While the government While India. in significantly increased has Testing covid - c -19 o v -2 before the lockdown, says C K Mishra, who chairs one of the who chairs says-2 CKMishra, before lockdown, the -19 groups empowered by the Prime Minister’s Office, in a Office, Minister’s -19 empowered by Prime the groups curve is likely to peak around mid-July and early August. early August. and mid-July around peak to likely is curve dte

spoke to agreed that it was inappropriate it that inappropriate was agreed spoke to cddep cddep ’s estimates.

dte @Banjotkaur ) at the . India . India DTE

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN

PREVIOUS EDITIONS CLICK TO DOWNLOADCLICK TO ON COVID-19 DOWN TO EARTH EARTH TO DOWN MAY 2020 DownToEarth DownToEarth SCIENCE ANDENVIRONMENTFORTNIGHTLYFORTNIGHTLY OFDEVELOPMENT, ONPOLITICS ENVIRONMENTANDHEALTH when half the when humanity is is humanity SCIENCE ANDENVIRONMENTFORTNIGHTLYFORTNIGHTLY OFDEVELOPMENT, ONPOLITICS ENVIRONMENTANDHEALTH lockdown put under under put happens What What SIEGE 1-15 2020 APRIL, 16-30 2020 APRIL,

The pandemic pandemic The UNDER India’s rural rural India’s already on economy, rips apart apart rips crutches SPECIAL EDITION GLOBALISATION GOVERNANCE different different ECONOMY IDEOLOGY COVID will be be will COVID-19 world world post

The The PEOPLE V

with epidemics. epidemics. with the pandemic? the Africa has long long has Africa continent fight fight continent Will it help the experiences experiences Subscriber copy, not for resale CELEBRATING EARTHDAY disease surveillance surveillance disease community workers workers community India’s 10.5 million 10.5 million India’s

ensure arobust and treatment treatment and regime ` 60.00 ` 60.00

NOW CLICK 37

BACK TO CONTENT COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC BATS SPREAD VIRUSES, SO DO HUMANS Pathogens that trigger infectious zoonotic diseases are fast learning how to expand their realm. The COVID-19 pandemic is a costly wake-up call for the world to get its act together

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK ISHAN KUKRETI

F VIRUSES were capable of emotion, they would commemorate the day the IWorld Health Organization (who) declared coronavirus 2019 (covid-19) a pandemic, and celebrated each time a country announced a lockdown to contain the spread of the respiratory illness. For what sars-cov-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, has achieved is no mean feat for its family. Yes, there exist hundreds of coronaviruses out there. Till the early 21st century, they were mostly known to circulate among pigs, camels, bats and cats and caused mild forms of common cold in humans. They caught the attention of virologists in 2002, when one member jumped from a horseshoe bat to a human, possibly via a civet cat, and went on to cause severe acute respiratoy syndrome (sars) among 8,500 people and killed 900. Just like covid-19, symptoms included fever, sore throat, shortness of breath and pneumonia. A decade later, another coronavirus, believed to have originated from bats but transmitted to humans via camels, caused a similar outbreak in

Saudi Arabia. It was named the Middle ILLUSTRATIONS: RITIKA BOHRA / CSE East Respiratory Syndrome (mers). Des- Pathogen load pite high fatality rates—9.5 per cent in case the of sars and 34 per cent for mers— Viruses form just 14% of the total human pathogens. But among none of these coronaviruses managed to new and emerging pathogens, they account for 44% cause large-scale outbreaks. While sars- TOTAL PATHOGENS EMERGING PATHOGENS cov appears to have disappeared in 2004, mers-cov causes limited outbreaks. Now, 1,407 177 5% call it a third time lucky or the outcome of 4% 7% 10 an evolutionary strategy, sars-cov-2, 57 20% 14 despite a low fatality rate of 2-5 per cent, 287 12% has emerged as the most devastating 23% 14% 44% 22 pandemic since the 1918 Spanish flu. 317 208 77 The success of sars-cov-2 is no mean 38% 31% achievement, when compared with other 538 54 thousands of pathogens that naturally get transmitted between animals and humans but more often than not fail to establi- Virus Bacteria Fungi Protozoa Helminths sh a disease in human populations, let alo- 00 : pathogens in number and % ne cause epidemics (see 'Pathogen load'). TO CONTENT BACK Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Most of these zoonotic pathogens, be it a virus, bacterium, fungus or parasites EPIDEMIC, a disease ecologist at the Ashoka Trust (protozoa and helminths), are believed to PANDEMIC with the Research in Ecology and the be host-specific. This means they usually PRONE DISEASES Environment (atree), a Bengaluru-based restrict themselves to a limited number of non-profit. This means the pathogen does species, such as bats, pigs, rats and ANTHRAX not get transmitted beyond the infected chimpanzees, and prefer residing in them TYPE person, he adds. by creating a life cycle reservoir. This trait Zoonotic Bacteria There have been instances when the of pathogens is due to species barriers. DEADLINESS* pathogen has managed to hop on to Very High Along with the human body’s resilience humans, but did not cause mortality or system against diseases, species barriers 80% morbidity. Early this year, researchers in help us most of the times lead a life free Vaccine available the Brazilian states of Tocantins and from infections, despite the fact that we Amapa identified one Ambidensovirus in live in a pathogen-filled world. Crossing it patients with symptoms similar to dengue is not easy as these barriers are deter- PLAGUE or Zika. “Viral species in this genus have (pneumonic, mined by the level of human exposure to untreated) been described only in insects, shellfish pathogens—directly through faeces or and other invertebrates; never in TYPE body fluids like saliva, blood and urine, of Zoonotic Bacteria mammals,” the researchers wrote in the an infected animal, or indirectly through DEADLINESS* March issue of journal plos one. They are, areas where they live and roam, or Very high however, not sure if Ambidensovirus is contaminated surfaces—and the ability of 100% responsible for the patients’ morbidity. pathogens to infect a human and cope Spreads from with the new host’s immune response. It human to human THEN WHO AILS AND WHY thus requires the pathogen to undergo The US Centres for Disease Control specific changes through mutation or *Case Fatality Rate and Prevention recognises 1,407 genetic exchanges with the host. human pathogens; 60 per cent of However, these mutations are not them are zoonotic. always successful. Thus, a vast majority of These pathogens have managed to cross animal-to-human spillover most likely species barriers and establish diseases in results in a dead-end for the virus (and human population. However, most of these other pathogens), says Abi Tamim Vanak, pathogens maintain their life cycle

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 39 COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC

Invincible mutant In its journey from a bat to a pangolin or a snake and then to humans, SARS-CoV-2 mutated to iron out any glitches

Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is an But SARS-CoV-2 went through This invisible feature on the enzyme attached to the outer surface of human mutations which has enabled it to bind crown of SARS-CoV- 2 is the cells in the lungs, arteries, heart, kidney, and with ACE2 more efficiently,making reason why it has a death toll of intestines. Both SARS CoV and SARS CoV2 use these it more successful at human-to-human 265,000, compared to 914 by cells as receptors to infect humans transmission its cousin, SARS-CoV

SARS-CoV-2 Cell membrane 1 New SARS- CoV-2 4 5 6 ACE 2 TMPRSS2 Replication 2 RNA complex

Viral proteins Golgi

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK 3 Protein-making machinery

Source: “The spike glycoprotein of the new coronavirus 2019-nCoV contains a furin-like cleavage site absent in CoV of the same clade”, published in Antiviral Research in April, 2020

reservoir in an animal and infect humans EPIDEMIC, never come in contact with poultry. That when they get a chance. For instance, PANDEMIC would result in a catastrophe as h5n1 can avian influenza virus (h5n1) caused the PRONE DISEASES kill 60 per cent of those infected. bird flu outbreaks in humans when people Most human pathogens that have AVIAN came in direct contact with infected INFLUENZA caused epidemics like measles, smallpox, poultry or surfaces and objects tuberculosis, flu and whooping cough have TYPE contaminated by droppings or during Zoonotic virus actually had a low-key beginning like slaughter, de-feathering and butchering. DEADLINESS* h5n1. Initially, they stayed relatively While the World Health Organization High contained by restricting their jumps to (who) maintains that the virus does not 60% humans from animal hosts like cattle, transmit efficiently from person-to-person, pigs, ducks and dogs. Their virulence CONTAGIOUSNESS** experts worry. “Animal-human interfaces 1.2 increased as they eventually created a life where humans frequently get in contact Spreads from cycle reservoir in humans. with wild animals allow viruses to evolve human-to-human; What’s worrying is that more and and jump into humans leading to the vaccine available more zoonotic pathogens are now establ- emergence of a new virus,” says Pranav ishing themselves in human populations. *Case Fatality Rate Pandit, a veterinary epidemiologist at the **Number of people an infected In the past 30 years, they have been person will infect University of California, usa. h5n1 is responsible for 75 per cent of the 177 considered endemic in poultry in six emerging or re-emerging infections that countries and at least 15 countries have the world is now grappling with. In fact, of reported human infections since 2003. It the 23 infectious diseases that who lists as might not be long before the virus mutates “epidemic and pandemic-prone”, as many to establish a life cycle reservoir in as 17 are capable of human-to-human humans and spreads from person to transfer; no treatment or vaccine is person, infecting even those who have available for nine of these diseases.

40 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN global epidemic. epidemic. global a months, it became Within Guinea. in a18-month-old abatpossibly boy to from 2013 when outbreak it over, spilled the during light to of came Ebola ability newfound This human-to-human. from developmutated transmit to to ability the rather It has humans. in reservoir natural a without establishing outbreaks cause to managed has Republic of virus the Congo, Democratic the and 1976 Sudan in in detection its first Since transmission. its capable is ensure of to what avirus however, cent, per ofrate up 90 to shows fever afatality with severe haemorrhagic a which causes virus, Ebola The humans. in cycle reservoir alife established has 1970s. the Subsequently, in meat eating it of aresult bush- as humans to primates It African jump made the from virus. from from which has enabled it to bind with enabled with it bind which has to sequence highly similar to that of that other to similar highly sequence agenome Despite some on this. light By comparision, By comparision, cent mutant'per (see on 'Invincible p of 2-5 fatality reproduction of rate 2and despite alow transmission, human human-to- ensure and aperson infect to more efficiently,it more successful making Both intestines. and kidney heart, arteries, lungs, the in cells of human outerthe surface to attached remains that enzyme crucial 2), enzyme a (angiotensin-converting of of Research Research the the mystery— in shrouded way remains still path- to humans—the finally and snake or a a a pangolin bat to from its journey study, the per As humans. somewhere in infect to receptors as cells these use sars c tion rate of 2.8 and fatality rate of 9.5 per of rate 9.5 per fatality and tion of rate 2.8 their realm. Astudypublishedin realm. their genome expand their to honing constantly o v hiv -2 shows how zoonotic pathogens are -2 shows how zoonotic are pathogens But the ongoing pandemic by pandemic But ongoing the hiv -like coronaviruses, sars sars

1, infections worldwide, is one such such one is worldwide, infections which is responsible which is for amajority - c - c o in April thisyear o v v -2 went through mutations-2 went through

in its interaction with with its interaction in sars sars - - c c o o v sars v

and and had areproduc- had - c o sars v , throws throws , Antiviral Antiviral -2 differs differs -2 - c sars ace ace o 40). 40). v -2 -2 2 2 -

human-to-human human-to-human human-to-human **Number ofpeopleaninfected PRONE DISEASES Zoonotic virus Zoonotic virus CONTAGIOUSNESS** CONTAGIOUSNESS** Spreads from from Spreads Spreads from from Spreads AIDS/HIV PANDEMIC PANDEMIC EPIDEMIC, *Case Fatality Rate person caninfect DEADLINESS* DEADLINESS* EBOLA EBOLA 50 53 High High TYPE TYPE 6.0 1.9 % %

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN led by viruses, particularly particularly led by viruses, coup global largely is This reason. another for worrying are pathogens intelligent 914 killed that over years. two cousin to Mayits olderweek compared of first the just five in till months of over 265,000 enza, Lassa fever, Lassa enza, Ebolavirus, influ- avian Zika, dengue, chikungunya, like some zoonoses of biggest fact, the In study, publishedin says a diseases, infectious of emerging for some account that 37 cent per viruses to humans are, however, are, humans to made by Most of jumps host the cell. a living inside multipleproduce copies of only itself when or replicate can its genetic material, the reason reason the ways, many mutationscent. In these are copic particle, made eithercopic of particle, submicros- probably is this because This bacteria. like microbes including viruses can infect all life forms, anon-living often Considered entity, COUP THE LEAD VIRUSES genetic variation to cause epidemic cause to genetic spread. variation of mechanisms known exploit all can that Emergence of such robust and Emergence of such and robust sars - c o v DOWN TO EARTH EARTH TO DOWN MAY 2020 -2 ilar has had a death toll adeath toll had has

Journal Journal rna rna mers

or or

in 2017. viruses viruses dna

and and rna

41 as as

BACK TO CONTENT COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC

SOME DANGEROUS NEXUS sars are all caused by rna viruses (see 'Some dangerous nexus'). Of the 23 infectious diseases WHO lists as “epidemic and These rna viruses are considered pandemic-prone”, 17 can spread from human to humans recent evolutionary origins. Their muta- Natural tion rate can be 100,000 times higher Virus host Vector than dna viruses. “rna viruses show remarkable ability to adapt to new envi- Civet ronments and confront different selective SARS CoV cats/ pressures they encounter. This not only pigs include the host’s immune system and Bats Disease SARS defense mechanisms, but also the current artificial challenges devised by the biomedical community,” notes the ilar Journal study. This high rate of mutation MERS CoV Dromedaries of a rna virus is because of the way it Wild bird species Disease MERS replicates. In dna viruses, several proteins like ducks, geese, correct themselves if there is any faulty and swans, gulls, terns, and genome replication. But rna viruses

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK shorebirds replicate without this proofreading SARS CoV2 Pangolin/ process and this increases their mutation snake rates. But this has a downside too: any Disease COVID19 undesirable mutation can negatively impact the fitness of the virus. Pigs Among the rna virus group, coronavi- H5N1 avian ruses have been found to have overcome influenza Poultry this tradeoff between mutation rate and Disease Bird flu incorrect replication. A study published in plos Pathogens in May 2010 says sars-cov No certainty but possibly bats, had mutated to produce an enzyme that H1N1 and nonhuman diminishes the number of mutations. swine primates “The viruses might switch the proofrea- influenza Pigs (chimpanzees, ding mechanisms on or off depending on apes, monkeys) Disease Swine flu the context, allowing them to rapidly adapt to new environments without losing Ebola, Apes, replicative fidelity,” the study says. Sudan, Taï monkeys, Forest, bats and duikers Bundibugyo Disease OUR TRANSGRESSION flying Ebola virus Ulimately, it’s about humans foxes and their interactions with other species, whether in the wild or in farming. Nipah virus Bats, infected pigs It’s also about how we transgress into the Disease habitat of wild species or “manufacture” monkeys, Nipah virus domestic sheep, food from domesticated animals. For goats, horses, instance, villages in the eastern foothills cows, ducks, of the Western Ghats in India regularly Zika virus rodents, bats, experience outbreaks of the Kyasanur orangutans, and Mosquitoes carabaos Disease forest disease (kfd), a viral haemorrhagic Zika virus fever similar to Ebola and dengue that Source: World Health Organization is spread by ticks (Hemaphysalis

Infected human spinigera) living on monkeys. Here, DIPHTHERIA oil industries had also prompted slash- people mostly depend on forests for a TYPE and-burn of forests for setting up living (see ‘Forest fever’ on p47). sars and Non zoonotic industrial plantations. While deforesta- covid-19 outbreaks have also been linked bacteria tion destroyed the bat’s habitat, the haze to exposure to the viruses in Chinese wet DEADLINESS* reduced flowering and fruiting of forest markets. Interconnectedness of the world Low trees. Reduced rainfall caused by the has only made the spread massive and 11.3 % severe 1997-1998 El Niño conditions instantaneous. CONTAGIOUSNESS** exacerbated the situation, resulting in It’s not just the interface with wildlife, 2.5 mass migration of pteropid bats to livestock also plays a role. In the case of Spreads from Malaysia, which was experiencing an Spanish flu, it is widely held that the human-to-human upsurge of large-scale piggeries with fruit avian influenza virus jumped from a pig orchards on their edges. A combination of on a military farm in Kansas, usa, to the factors led to the spillover of a novel virus first known human case. Though there POLIOMYELITIS from the bat to the domestic pig and then are other theories about where the “jump” TYPE to pig farmers. took place, from Europe to China, what’s Non zoonotic The scope and scale of deforestation bacteria clear is that the virus mutated from and the opening of new interfaces with DEADLINESS* animals and was taken across the world Low forests and wildlife increase the chances by the movement of soldiers during the of spillovers, says Prashanth N S, public TO CONTENT BACK World War I. Ultimately, the Spanish flu 11.3 % health expert at the Institute of Public killed more people than the war. CONTAGIOUSNESS** Health, Bengaluru, adding, “The way in 2.5 So, it is a combination of factors— which we interact with our environment Vaccine available movement of people, living conditions, has increased the exposure to newer population density and, of course, eating pathogens that would have otherwise not habits—that makes the virus more deadly come into contact with large populations.” MENINGITIS in its new host. Ebola, for instance, was TYPE not new to parts of Africa even though Zoonotic Bacteria INDUSTRIAL CHURNING outbreaks were reported way back in DEADLINESS* Even as subsistence farmers and 1976. What changed between then and Low herders coped with zoonoses, the the outbreaks of 2013-14 was the very nature of industrial food demography in the affected countries, 11.5 % business has exacerbated the issue. CONTAGIOUSNESS** says Sanath Muliya, a scientist with the The influenza a(h1n1) virus—swine flu — 1.3 Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Spreads from is not transmitted from human to humans Between the 1960s and early 2010s, human-to-human, by eating pork, and that remains its population density increased by 223 per vaccine available saving grace. Today, it is widely accepted cent in Guinea, 178 per cent in Sierra that swine flu was first found in human Leone and by 275 per cent in Liberia, beings in La Gloria, a little town in particularly in the urban parts that MERS Mexico. It is known that a young boy experienced high rural-to-urban TYPE suffering from fever in March 2009 migration. All major outbreaks occurred Zoonotic virus became the first confirmed victim of the in such urbanised set-ups with high DEADLINESS* outbreak, which then spread from country human densities, says Muliya. Low to country. But then, when the disease A similar devlopment in Indonesia in 35% broke out, what was quickly lost in this 1998-1999 led to the first outbreak of CONTAGIOUSNESS** tragedy was the location of the ill-fated the Nipah virus infection, but in 0.5 town—right next to one of Mexico’s neighbouring Malaysia. The virus is Spreads from biggest hog factories, owned by the world’s naturally harboured by pteropid fruit human-to-human largest pig processor Smithfield Foods. bats. But in the months before the *Case Fatality Rate What was also not reported that people **Number of people an infected outbreak, large-scale deforestation was person can infect in the town had repeatedly protested going on in Indonesia for pulpwood. Palm about water pollution, terrible stench and

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 43 COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

waste against the food giant. While this EPIDEMIC, viruses—that spread across pig herds of fact was never followed up or uncovered, PANDEMIC the integrated world. Then it mutated what was reported was that food majors PRONE DISEASES further. Today, it is believed that the wanted who to change the name of the PLAGUE common flu virus infecting humans has contagion so that pork eating would not (bubonic) got mixed with this hybrid, creating an be affected. Virologists at the US cdc, TYPE altogether a new human-animal virus. however, based on genetic fingerprinting Zoonotic Bacteria In 1997, when the world first caught found that the strain of this swine flu is DEADLINESS* avian flu (h5n1), wild migratory birds the same as first identified on industrial Low that are the natural carriers of the virus, pig farms in North Carolina, the hub of 15% had been widely indicted for the spread, industrial pig farms in usa. CONTAGIOUSNESS** but with little evidence. It was easier to The h1n1 strain is high on the 3.5 blame wild birds with no defenders in evolutionary ladder. In 1998, when there Vaccine available agribusiness, than birds produced in was an outbreak of swine flu among pig *Case Fatality Rate poultry factory farms. The problem herds in North Carolina, it was a triple **Number of people an infected stemmed from the model of growing person can infect hybrid—containing gene segments from chicken in an environment that is highly human, bird and classical swine influenza conducive for the virus. The birds are

44 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN ociation, says, unlike the old diseases like like old the diseases says,ociation, unlike Ass- Commonwealth Veterinary director, executive Rahman, ssion S Abdul routes. transmi- additional susceptible and hosts new via ever-expanding and adapting ever- are show how viruses also Studies becoming unpredictable. pathogens are ever-increasing and prudent manner as zoonotioc marginal farmers. marginal and of small livelihoods the destroyed and its practices and industry very the of flu the ended containment up promoting industry, the poultry the of reforming do. But farmers instead poultry backyard just way the traditional diseases, against immunity their raise and birds improve of genetic the to needed stock not does grow. and business not breed The does virus the that so chicken growing of processes industrial the regulate to style methods. factory- convert to to farms asking and markets on live poultry aban impose to 2005 April in prompted Vietnam this Worldwatch based that reports Institute, at Washington- sector this researches who Nierenberg, Danielle possible. is where surveillance farms move larger to should production animal recommended where outdoors. forage It flocks production systems backyard such as enterprises, do it non-commercial to in it would impossible be farms, poultry cial commer- biosafety in tighten possible to it while that wouldgovernments be It INEVITABLE THE ( Organization Agriculture and hits. when ducks sitting adisease literally almost genetictheir they are uniformity, of because have loweredalso immunity birds the such conditions. Since in fast, spread and spread, can matter. Diseases faecal blood and chemicals, to exposure regular with enclosures ventilated poorly often tightly confined, in raised ’ s time the worlds time planned in a This is when, the need of the hour was when, is was of hour the need the This But after avian flu hit Asia, the Asia, Food hit flu avian But after fao ) told told

human-to-human; human-to-human; human-to-human; human-to-human; vaccine available vaccine available human-to-human human-to-human **Number ofpeopleaninfected YELLOW FEVER FEVER YELLOW 0.00003 Zoonotic Virus Zoonotic Virus Zoonotic virus CONTAGIOUSNESS** CONTAGIOUSNESS** CONTAGIOUSNESS** CONTAGIOUSNESS** Spreads fromSpreads Spreads fromSpreads Spreads fromSpreads Spreads fromSpreads Non zoonotic ZIKA VIRUSZIKA CHOLERA *Case Fatality Rate person caninfect DEADLINESS* DEADLINESS* DEADLINESS* DEADLINESS* Very Low Very Very Low Very Low Very bacteria 3.2 5.5 9.6 SARS Low TYPE TYPE TYPE TYPE 4.2 4.3 2.8 9.5 % % %

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN respiratory droplets are heavy, droplets are they respiratory Since sneezes. and coughs through body the from on droplets, expelled rides only hitching still is virus the that Ebola, Ebola, like viruses, Many transmission. species it capable makes of inter- also hosts rapidly to new adapt to avirus equips which evolutionary the process because is order. only This one found in animal those to transmit from human-to-human than more likely times 12 orders, are biological 10 to belonging animals present in host plasticity”says pathogens, that properties ofzoonoticviruseswithhigh 2015, titled “ study published in study in published mutation, no is doubt there and about it. A next for their genome preparing and R0 of Zika is 4.2; R0 of R0 4.2; is of Zika R0 the of 9.5. By R0 comparison, high very a has disease, zoonotic bacterial borne of epidemic spread. Cholera, awater- level the to level the from of transmission apathogen responsible for taking are asusceptible away,in population. In they would one produce case cases secondary reproduction (R0) or number of rate the through iousness, measured which is contag- their for determining crucial are for routes zoonotic pathogens. These transmission of disease routes primary five the have been vectors fomite and dispersals. effective and for route easier, transmission faster right from from evident is as not we prepared, are and health human to threat single-biggest the as emerging are zoonoses change, climate like factors “With unpredictable. highly are diseases these with, deal how to whichcholera we pneumonia, know and jumps made have by been wonder,they jump. made the Small most conditions were met, all When animals. only to were limited humans to jumping But the pathogens are honing their their honing But are pathogens the So far, oral, aerosols, direct contact, contact, far, direct aerosols, So oral, the would step finding be next The A reasons for this low R0 of low R0 for this A reasons covid sars -19 pandemic,” he says. - c o Spillover and pandemic Spillover andpandemic v and and DOWN TO EARTH EARTH TO DOWN MAY 2020 Nature Nature covid mers rna -19 - c

in October viruses. o covid v is 2. is , before -19 45 is is

BACK TO CONTENT COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

cannot travel more than 1 metre. At least, EPIDEMIC, with the help of particulate matter in the that’s what who believes as of now. PANDEMIC air. Then enough viable infectious dose However, with studies finding that PRONE DISEASES has to remain in the air for a significant sars-cov-2 can travel up to 8 metres, time so that either wind or air currents SWINE FLU several virologists seem to disagree that transmit it to other places where it can TYPE it is not airborne. Zoonotic Virus infect another susceptible person. As the jury is still out on how sars- Once in the air, the success of the DEADLINESS* cov-2 travels, the fact remains that Very Low virus to remain infections depends both airborne transmission is the most lethal on the virus and the particle. Environm- of all routes that can make a virus most 0.2% ental factors like temperature, ultraviolet contagious. Pandit says multiple factors CONTAGIOUSNESS** radiation, relative and absolute humidity, 1.5 determine if a pathogen is able to trans- Spreads from and air movement are important drivers mit with airborne droplets. First, an human-to-human influencing virus viability. Factors like infectious person should be able to create *Case Fatality Rate temperature and humidity also impact droplets that are of appropriate size so **Number of people an infected the size of droplets which, in turn, affect person can infect that they can become aerosolised droplets the viability of virus.

46 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN So far, Q fever among animals like FOREST FEVER goat, sheep and cattle, caused by zoonotic KFD is India’s endemic zoonotic disease bacteria Coxiella burnetii is believed to be the only disease that is transmitted BETWEEN AN enemy of unknown prowess and a familiar foe, through airborne dispersal. While it constantly perfecting its assault techniques, it’s difficult to tell remains to be seen as to how long other who is more dangerous. Yet Karnataka recently found itself pathogens can resist this temptation to go grappling with such a dilemma. Over the past few months, as airborne, a study published in the Cell in it engaged in a desperate battle against the novel coronavirus 2014 found evidence of airborne (COVID-19), the worst infectious-disease emergency since transmission of avian influenza among ferrets. The researchers discovered that the Spanish flu of 1918, another infection that it had thought the ability to go airborne only took five to have thwarted to an extent, made people sick across the substitutions in the virus. Western Ghats. The Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD), as the tick-borne viral infection is known because of its origin in DON'T PANIC, PREVENT the Kyasanur forest, spreads through monkeys, causing The threats zoonoses pose to the haemorrhagic fever among some and killing about 10 per cent public health, global economy, food of those who get infected. To contain KFD, health authorities security and geopolitics are well had conducted a door-to-door vaccination last year. But some

established. 12 per cent of those who were vaccinated against the disease TO CONTENT BACK In what may sound like prophesy now, a have contracted the infection again. The per centage of 2014 study published by the Bank of children in the total number of positive cases is also high at 8.6 American Merrill Lynch, after extrapol- per cent this year, compared to the usual 2 per cent. ating historic examples, estimated that, “a severe and prolonged global pandemic could kill 180-360 million and hit global gdp by as much as 5-10 per cent in the COVID 19 and Hydrology. In 2000, who estimated first year, with most industry sectors TYPE that more than a billion people are at adversely affected.” Zoonotic Virus the risk of scrub typhus and over one Pandemics aside, between 1997 and DEADLINESS* million cases occur annually. Since then, 2009, the economic cost of six major Very Low South-Asian countries with good surve- zoonoses outbreaks was estimated to be 0.2% illance have shown a rising incidence of about US $80 billion by the World Bank, CONTAGIOUSNESS** scrub typhus. report People, Pathogens and our Planet: 2 Muliya says zoonoses kill the most The Economics of One Health, 2012. The Spreads from number of people, second only to non- cost would have been much higher had human-to-human communicable diseases. In terms of these outbreaks metamorphosed into years lost due to premature death or to pandemics. A 2011 report by the disability for living with the health Organisation for Economic Co-operation condition or its consequences, they are and Development showed that pandemics TYPHOID second to none. are a prime global catastrophic threat. DEADLINESS* Unfortunately, though most of the Potential losses resulting from a severe Very Low major disease outbreaks have been influenza pandemic, for instance, can be 1% caused by zoonotic viruses, Pandit says about 71 million human fatalities and CONTAGIOUSNESS** viral infections, in general, are difficult $3 trillion, or 4.8 per cent of global gdp. 1.2 to treat. Very few antiviral drugs are Zoonoses such as leptospirosis cause an Spreads from effective against them, unlike antibiotics human-to-human, estimated 1.03 million human infections vaccine available which we use against bacterial infections and 60,000 deaths annually across 34 as they are broadly effective. Besides, countries, for which there is adequate since emerging viruses are novel, *Case Fatality Rate surveillance data, says Bethan Purse, an **Number of people an infected developing vaccines or antibodies related ecologist at the UK Centre for Ecology person can infect treatments take a lot of time, he adds.

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 47 COVER STORY/THE PANDEMIC

“Dealing with zoonoses is tricky THE GREATEST RESERVOIRS OF VIRUSES because they keep mutating, forcing us to restart the effort to control it anew,” A RECENT study identifies domesticated species, says Muliya. This also makes it difficult primates and bats, to be harbouring more zoonotic to promote a permanent cure. viruses than other species. Three mammalian orders Another reason for the difficulty in (rodents, bats and primates) have together been treatment is that many zoonotic implicated as hosts for the majority (75.8 per cent) outbreaks are underreported. Zoonoses of the zoonotic viruses, while about 88 per cent of mostly infect people living under poverty the mammal species have not been recorded with with little access to healthcare. who’s a zoonotic virus, says the study published in the report on neglected diseases also notes a Proceedings of the Royal Society Biological Sciences correlation between living in proximity in April this year. Species listed as endangered on IUCN with livestock and the emergence of due to exploitation of habitat have also been found zoonoses. “Although one or more of these to share more viruses with humans than others. Yet diseases can be found in almost every more than any other species, bats have always been livestock-keeping community in the implicated in the emergence of most zoonotic diseases. developing world, they are often simply There’s a reason. Bats are hosts to more zoonotic forgotten,” acknowledges a 2015 report

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK viruses per species than any other species, particularly titled “The control of neglected zoonotic those causing Ebola, SARS and now COVID-19. “Bats diseases”, prepared by who, have a very good immune system and for their size, they Since these diseases are neglected, live long, for around 30 years. They live in large colonies adequate efforts have not been made to and are long distance migrants, which make it easy curb them. Consider Ebola and Zika. for the virus to spread,” says Sanath Krishna Muliya, Before they caught the global attention a project scientist with the Wildlife Institute of India, with outbreaks in 2013 and 2015, these Dehradun. Many bat species are gregarious and some diseases were, for a long time, considered live in dense aggregations. Some Mexican free-tailed bat tropical neglected diseases. But despite the attention, vaccines have not been colonies can reach densities of 3,000 bats per square developed for them so far. Ironically, metre, in populations of up to a million individuals per before the outbreak, two promising roost. “Roosting sites can house diverse assemblages of candidates, the adenovirus-vectored multiple bat species. High intra- and interspecific contact (Ad5-GP) and the vesicular stomatitis rates can facilitate rapid transmission of pathogens and virus-vectored (vsvag/ebovgp) were large population sizes could sustain acute-immunising tested on non-human primates in 2003 infections,” says a study published in Proceedings of and 2005. Although the trials produced Royal Society Biological Sciences in April 2013. It says positive immunogenicity and safety data, since bats are ancient mammals in evolutionary terms, Ad5-GP was not investigated further. they might have co-evolved with pathogens to become immune to them. PLAN AND PREPARE Another study has focused on the feeding habit Experts had been warning about a of bats as a reason for the spread of viruses. “Bats’ COVID-19-like pandemic for a long feeding habits are constrained by the aerodynamics time. Yet, no one could say when it of flight, so they can’t ingest huge amounts of food. Yet was going to strike. many bats are frugivorous— that is, they meet their The potential for future pandemics is energy requirements by ingesting fruits. But they merely vast. As many as 1.7 million unidentified chew them to extract the sugars and higher energy viruses of the type known to infect people components, and then spit out the partially digested are believed to still exist in mammals fruits. Other animal species ingest these fruit remnants and water birds. Any one of these could and may consequently become infected with virus be the next “Disease X”, and it could be particles in residual bat saliva,” says a study published in potentially more disruptive and lethal Science in 2005. than covid-19. Since such pandemics are Neglected, even in funding a direct consequence of irresponsible human activity, we need to act now, when While funding for HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria has increased since we are in the middle of a pandemic, 20014-15, funding for neglected infectious diseases caused by a zoonosis. has remained flat for almost a decade Rampant deforestation, uncontrolled 3,000 expansion of agriculture, mining and infrastructure development as well as 2,500 unregulated trade in wild animals have created a “perfect storm” for the spillover 2,000 of diseases from wildlife to people. Unfortunately, communities who live on 1,500 the fringes of forests are most vulnerable to such infectious diseases and pay the US$ (in millions) 1,000 price of resulting outbreaks. Experts at the Intergovernmental 500 Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (ipbes), an 0

independent intergovernmental body, in TO CONTENT BACK a recent article thus suggest to ensure 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 that the actions being taken to reduce HIV/AIDS, TB & malaria All other funding WHO NTDs the impacts of the current pandemic are Source: “Neglected Disease Research and Development: Uneven Progress” by G-FINDER in 2019 not themselves amplifying the risks of future outbreaks and crises. First, ensure the strengthening and enforce- together to achieve better public health ment of environmental regulations and outcomes. Purse says, “We need to first deploy only those stimulus packages understand how people come into contact that offer incentives for more sustainable with zoonotic infections as they use and nature-positive activities. Second, ecosystems for their livelihoods, what recognise the complex interconnections are their priorities and means of coping among the health of people, animals, with diseases. Only by taking this joined plants and our shared environment. up approach, can we understand what Third, fund health systems and changes in policy, behaviour or systems incentivise behavioural change on the might be required to reduce risks of frontlines of pandemic risk. It may be infection and mitigate impacts.” politically expedient at this time to relax There is also a need to pump in more environmental standards and to prop funds for neglected tropical diseases, up industries such as intensive agri- which include zoonoses (see 'Neglected culture and fossil-fuel-dependent energy even in funding'). As part of pandemic sectors, but doing so without requiring preparedness, surveillance programmes urgent and fundamental change, need to be initiated of species like bats essentially subsidises the emergence of that are known sources of zoonotic future pandemics, say the ipbes experts. pathogens (see 'The greatest...', p48) and who has already floated a globally studies need to be done to understand recognised response framework for "zombie" viruses and microbes that are dealing with zoonoses. According to who, being released as the Arctic thaws. “One Health” is an approach to design covid-19 pandemic has offered us a and implement programmes, policies, opportunity to prepare for much bigger legislation and research in which threats that are yet to come. Let’s not multiple sectors communicate and work waste it. DTE @ikukreti

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 49 PATENTLY ABSURD/LATHA JISHNU A promise World Bank in what could be termed of equitable an unusual venture. For who chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus who has been under attack from the US, it was a access to all validation with act Accelerator getting global backing, notably from the HERE DOES not appear to be any European Union, which has also pledged a

RELATED STORY RELATED evidence that intellectual property (IP) substantial funding of Euro 7.5 billion. Tis a barrier to access to vital medical Will it be able to end the shortages, preventive measures, such as vaccines, or to high prices, and curb the tendency of treatments or cures. The problem is, rather, rich nations to corner medicines and that there is, as yet, no vaccine or equipment as they have done so far? scientifically proven and approved We can hope so. Should the choice of treatment or cures to have access to.” Thus former Nigerian Minister of Finance Ngozi stated Francis Gurry, director-general of Okono-Iweala who is a board member

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK the World Intellectual Property of gavi, the Global Vaccine Alliance, Organization (wipo), towards the end of and Andrew Witty, former ceo of April when anxious questions were being GlaxoSmithKline, as special envoys to raised worldwide about equitable access to advance the act equipment, treatment and cures for the WHO, pharma Accelerator be sars-CoV-2 pandemic. giants and reassuring? We Gurry could not be faulted for the governments have think so. latter part of his statement. There are come together to But Gurry’s no proven drugs to treat covid-19, the provide access to focus is only on disease caused by the sars-CoV-2 virus. all on COVID-19 “supporting A vaccine is still a long way off. But therapies. But will science and surely, was Gurry also aware that desperate WIPO allow this to innovation that governments have used and plan to use happen? will produce patented drugs, such as Gilead’s remdesivir a vaccine, and Fujifilm Toyama Chemical Co’s treatments or cures” while ignoring favipiravir to treat covid-19 patients? He the IP barriers to access. He lists must also be aware that patents on these other obstacles: lack of manufacturing drugs are blocking generic companies from capacity, impediments to the movement mass producing these drugs at affordable of supplies and lack of medical prices for the poorest countries. Gurry’s facilities and health workers. These statement was perfectly in character since are, indeed, valid issues and who does the wipo’s brief is to promote IP globally. not demur. But it struck a jarring note when other UN However, it maintains “that alongside organisations were focused on a ‘landmark public health measures, innovative collaboration’ to provide equitable global covid-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and access to innovative tools for covid-19. vaccines are needed—in record time Put together by a beleaguered who, the and at record scale and access—to save initiative—called Access to covid-19 Tools millions of lives and countless trillions Accelerator, or act Accelerator—brings of dollars, and to return the world to a together the pharma industry, big ticket sense of ‘normalcy’”. Why is Gurry being

donors such as the Wellcome Trust and the so obdurate? DTE Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the @down2earthindia

50 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN PaletteWHAT’S INSIDE

An ancient herb to Female health workers remain Migrants are the new combat coronavirus P56 invisible and stigmatised P58 untouchables P62

RECOMMENDATIONS: PANDEMICS

FILM

The first full-length feature film on the pandemic,Corona

follows six unlikely neighbours stranded in their building’s TO CONTENT BACK elevator. They suspect a seventh neighbour—a Chinese who also boards the elevator—of having the virus and likely to infect them. Fear and racism spread faster than the virus. “The film was shot handheld in one take to bring out the realism,” says director Mostafa Keshvari.

BOOKS

Economics in the Age of COVID-19 by Joshua Gans was written, As concerns are being raised in India about confidentiality and edited and peer-reviewed in just over a month. Published privacy while using the Aarogya Setu app, a new book, Too Smart, by MIT press, the book traces the various phases of the explores how digital capitalism is extracting data, controlling pandemic economy—from containment to reset, recovery and our lives and taking over the world. Data has become a new enhancement—and presents some interesting choices. “We form of capital. “Smart technology in hands, homes and cities happily shut down most economies each Christmas and no will measure, monitor, manage and monetise all aspects of our one screams depression. So the easiest way is to just delay bill lives,” says author Jathan Sadowski. The book cites examples payments, provide loan guarantees, wage subsidies, straight-out of how personal details are sent to various entities, including cash and moratoriums on evictions or foreclosures,” he says. manufacturers and even insurance companies.

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 51 Palette/CONSERVATION

ATURE-BASED solutions like planting of trees and restoration ROOTS OF N of forests are often touted as the panacea for water conservation. This is

RELATED STORY RELATED because forested watersheds—lands covered by forests which drain all the WATER water flowing through them into waterbodies like rivers or lakes—provide a whopping 75 per cent of the world’s SCARCITY accessible freshwater resources. But many organisations implementing this CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, crucial nature-based solution have been unable to differentiate between BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK AFFORESTATION PROGRAMMES THAT restoration of forests and planting trees. BLINDLY PLANT TREES IN THE HOPE OF For instance, in India, afforestation was one of the interventions of the Union CONSERVING WATER ONLY END UP government’s Jal Shakti Abhiyan, CONSUMING MORE WATER launched in July 2019, to make the country’s most water-stressed districts AKSHIT SANGOMLA water secure. Under this programme, RELATED VIDEO RELATED

Fast-growing species such as eucalyptus consume more water as compared to needle- leaved species such as casuarina and pines PHOTOGRAPH: REUTERS district administra- SIMPLY PLANTING TREES WILL NOT CONSERVE WATER. tions were encouraged to under- TRESS CAN SUCK UP WATER AND RELEASE IT take planting of trees in a big way. The enthusiastic local authorities THROUGH EVAPOTRANSPIRATION—WATER LOST BY reported a staggering number of TREES TO THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH OPENINGS ON afforestation activities which THE UNDERSIDE OF LEAVES KNOWN AS STOMATA turned out to be fudged data, as admitted by district officials as second aspect is what kind of tree long time ago. “Misplaced tree well as a senior official in the Jal species must be planted for water plantations began when some trees Shakti ministry. Even if these conservation. Invariably, fast- like the eucalyptus were used for numbers were real, simply growing broad leaved species such draining swamps in the Nilgiri planting trees will not conserve as eucalyptus and poplar consume hills of Tamil Nadu, especially water. In fact, trees can suck up more water as compared to needle- near Ooty. This was done in the water and release it through leaved species, such as casuarina middle of the 19th century by the evapotranspiration—water lost by and pines. The third aspect is that British,” says M D Subhash trees to the atmosphere through of site characteristics. Areas with Chandran, a senior scientist with tiny openings on the underside of varying geology, soil and patterns the Centre for Ecological Sciences their leaves known as stomata. of precipitation have different of the Indian Institute of Science, responses to large-scale plantati- Bengaluru. The British saw these

INCORRECT ASSUMPTION ons. For instance, a study carried areas as health risks as these were TO CONTENT BACK “Studies conducted in various out for 30 years till 2011 in China mosquito habitats which could parts of the globe, especially in shows that different regions cause malaria. Moreover, most of semi-arid and arid regions have experienced varying changes in the tribes who lived in the area shown that blind afforestation does precipitation and soil moisture also practiced slash-and-burn not increase water supply,” says with increasing number of trees. cultivation, which changed the Gopal Singh Rawat, former dean of In north and southeast China, character of vegetation, from the Wildlife Institute of India, enhanced precipitation resulting primary to secondary. In later Dehradun. “When sparsely from increased tree cover was able years, the British harvested teak vegetated land is converted into to cancel out water loss due to trees for timber from secondary forest, there is a reduction in blue evapotranspiration leading to no forests. “The British faced water (available for human use) changes in the regions’ soil significant problems as sometimes and increase in green water (part moisture levels. In southwest the old evergreen trees would grow of water available for plant use). China, during the same period, the back in these secondary forests as Trees can consume more water researchers observed a significant well. They shifted to large-scale than other shorter vegetation. decrease in soil moisture, while tree plantations which introduced According to the mass balance there was also a weakening of the monocultures to India for the first principle, if more water is used by summer monsoon season. In time,” explains Chandran. trees, less water will flow into northeast China—the only region Post-Independence, rivers and lakes or recharge the where a decrease in forest cover governments have pursued the groundwater that people can was observed—soil moisture went same strategy, sometimes even directly use,” he says. down drastically because of an more vigorously. “Eco-restoration There are three aspects to be anomalous anti-cyclone (high of degraded natural terrestrial considered while planting trees for pressure area that disrupts the ecosystems would be better as water conservation. First is that of formation of rain bringing low compared to blind afforestation,” scale. In general, forest expansion pressure areas) formation during says Rawat. of 2 sq km or more can increase the summer. A study published in plos possibility of rainfall. Trees One in August 2016 found that soil MODEL OF SUCCESSION transport water to the air, and moisture in the topmost layer of Natural ecosystems, especially water vapour moves to another soil decreased after afforestation evergreen systems found along the location, which can be far from the and this decrease was different for catchments of rivers in the afforested area. “On a global scale, different species of trees and Western Ghats, are much better at afforestation can bring benefits to varied with regions. conserving water as they have the water cycle,” says Rawat. The In India, the problem began a complex root systems, which can

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 53 Palette/CONSERVATION BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK

Plantations can lead to soil and water erosion as compared to natural ecosystems whose complex root systems hold soil and water

hold large amounts of soil together with tree plantation exercises to restore secondary forests and and that can, in turn, hold large being carried out in India, even by plantations back to primary quantities of water in place. They forest departments. “Forest forests, he says. also slow down the flow of water departments generally use tree “At least in Uttara Kannada streams through them which species which can give good district of Karnataka, I have helps the soil absorb and hold results, which in this case means observed that wherever teak more water. survival,” says Chandran. So they plantations have come up, water in “Plantations, on the other have very few choices of tree the surrounding areas have dried hand, lead to soil erosion and species that are fire-resistant and up. If water flows of natural greater water flow,” says consume less water. This criterion ecosystems and randomly Chandran. Moreover, secondary for the choice of tree species to be planted systems are compared forests can also be restored back planted needs to change if we have during the monsoon season, the to primary forests scientifically. former are far more consistent “This can be done using the model than the latter,” adds Chandran. of succession. You cannot plant IT IS ILLOGICAL TO PLANT Areas where trees are randomly sensitive species of an ecosystem SENSITIVE SPECIES IN planted are also prone to in the open areas as they will be OPEN AREAS AS THEY landslides, forest fires and weed scorched in sunlight. There are WILL BE SCORCHED IN infestation. This is what happened certain transitional species that SUNLIGHT. THERE ARE in the case of bushfires in need to be planted first. Then, the Australia and forest fires in ecosystem needs should be TRANSITIONAL SPECIES California. “Fire hazard will be far allowed to grow around them, THAT NEED TO BE FIRST less in the restoration model. The with sensitive species being PLANTED, AND THEN plantation policy of the country introduced at a later stage,” says ALLOW THE ECOSYSTEM needs to be redesigned,” adds Chandran. GROW AROUND THEM Chandran. DTE There are myriad problems @down2earthindia

54 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN Advertisement

E-76, South Extension, Part I, New Delhi - 110 049 Tel. 011-24621790 E-mail: [email protected]

Plot No. 18x, 19x, Near Rly. Resv. Centre, Karkardooma, Delhi-110092 Tel. 011-22106500 E-mail: [email protected]

71Arya Vaidya Sala Advt 01.indd 71 14/04/20 6:00 PM RELATED VIDEO BACK TO CONTENT RELATED STORY SANGEETA KHANNA SANGEETA ITSFOR PROPERTIES TO BOOST IMMUNITY STAGING IS AN ANCIENT HERB ACOMEBACK Palette 56 corona! Immune to

an aphrodisiac as used also is plant The DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 EARTH TO DOWN / MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN MAY 2020 FOOD

T mouth for But afew minutes. Ihad the numbing palate, the across sensation it that sends tingling sharp the bite it experience and to pluckwould to have aflower been reflex my times, first usual In Akarkara plant as the I recognised ground. the close to creeping stems leaves brown and green dark with the sidewalk on flowersscattered of yellow bunch alarge was There much more exciting. something Iwould find expecting least of season, the vegetables fruits and some fresh vendors expecting neighbourhood the to I walked vegetables Ineeded recently,When BY CHANCE AKARKARA Ethnic medicine offers some offers hope. medicine Ethnic aholisticshould approach. be of immunity-boosting course immunity, therefore, new the and compromise also stress and psychosis Fear new infection. this with deal to equipped is body our that so times these in immunity spectrum or broad generic the apuzzle.physiology still is on human of virus the impact exact the idea because far-fetched a is Cure novel the virus. against immunity about specific the no is study there as medicine, of forms Siddha and Ayurveda of chests treasure the from decoctions being are unearthed and nity. teas herbal Several immu boost can herbs that and people still are for searching foods distrust, and of fear environment an is there While skyrocketed. has of Chyawanprash price The foods. looking for immunity-boosting everything. Most people are about uncertainty and insecurity Yet improve our to it vital is world. of asense is There over the all life disrupted has outbreak COVID-19 HE -

PHOTOGRAPH: SANGEETA KHANNA to restrict myself from putting steamed leaves. People in Kokra- RECIPE marsang chutney something straight into the jhar, Assam, cook a chicken soup \ mouth—the reflexes now being with it, adding just ginger and salt INGREDIENTS readjusted to not touch anything to boost immunity. Handful of Akarkara leaves and tender and never reaching the face when stems (about one cup) outside. Nevertheless, I could not ANCIENT WISDOM 2 tbsp: chopped fermented bamboo shoots suppress my urge to uproot a few For generations, Akarkara (Anacy- 5-7: dry red chillies branches and bring it back for my clus pyrethrus) has been used for 3 tbsp: black sesame seeds own garden. The life force of the toothache relief, treating oral Salt to taste creeper kicked in quickly, and infections, nerve-related conditions it is now a flourishing bunch of like headaches, epilepsy, facial METHOD tiny branches. I could taste the palsy and stammering, apart from Rinse and clean Akarkara leaves, new flowers. being used as a muscle relaxant parboil them in minimal water. Now Something more interesting and for its anti-rheumatic proper- dry roast the chillies in a pan or over happened later when I shared a ties. Akarkara has also been open flame till it becomes aromatic picture of the plant on Instagram. categorised in Ayurvedic and and smoky. Toast sesame seeds Someone from Arunachal Pradesh Unani medicine as one of the and powder. Now pound everything together and serve with meals like rice replied that this therapeutic herb aphrodisiac herbs owing to its and dal, khichdi or congee. is called Marsangin in her state, inherent properties to enhance and a chutney is made out of the testosterone levels coupled with TO CONTENT BACK leaves. That spurred my interest improved nerve functioning. and I immediately made a tiny Since Akarkara is rich in almost like natural camphor amount of the chutney using about pyrethrums, like many Chrysan- paired with schezuan pepper and it 10 leaves. It turned out to be an themum species plants, it has been causes tingling along palate for explosion of flavours in my mouth. trusted to be a potent insect some time. The root decoction is Only tribal recipes—where repellent, anti-microbial, anti-bac- also used to treat foul breath and minimal native ingredients are terial and has been shown to kill pyorrhoea, an inflammatory used for greater impact, both on intestinal worms. condition of the gum. the taste buds as well as on Sialagogue action (increased There are a number of chemical health—have such quality. I have secretion of saliva) of Akarkara has constituents in Akarkara. The to thank Yapi Gongo for this recipe also been used by some ethnic photochemical screening of roots, that’s going to be a regular in my groups across the country. In some stems, leaves and flowers have revealed the presence of alkaloids, AKARKARA HAS BEEN USED BY SOME ETHNIC reducing agents and catechism GROUPS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. IN SOME tannins. The flavonoids, total phenol and ployphenol contents PLACES, TODDLERS ARE ASKED TO LICK A PASTE are highest in flowers, compared to OF ITS FLOWERS TO GENERATE APPETITE leaves and roots. The roots are rich in alkaloids, while the aerial kitchen (see recipe). Another person places when toddlers don’t eat solid parts are rich in tannins and from the Northeast, Jacqueline T food, they are made to lick a paste flavonoids. Dried roots of this Misra, messaged me that when the of its flowers to generate appetite. I plant are sold by herb dealers tribal heads in her state prayed for was told by a family friend, across India, but it is mostly used the safety of people after the Biranchi Sarang, that people in his as an aphrodisiac. The aphrodisiac covid-19 outbreak, they got the hometown in Gaya, Bihar, mixed action is due to the presence of a vision of this herb. They shared its flowers with chewing tobacco to bioactive compound N-alkylamides the prophecy through a scripture increase salivation and their (pellitorine). With such a wide from the Bible, urging everyone to testosterone levels. spectrum of medicinal properties, stay behind shut doors. A friend The saliva-inducing and Akarkara may well be the magic from Manipur, Rina Akoijam, told anti-microbial action makes herb in times of covid-19. DTE me they call it Yahidak and make Akarkara a great aid for gum and (The author is a food and Kangshoo, a spicy salad with dental hygiene. In fact, the taste is nutrition consultant)

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 57 Palette/BOOK EXCERPTS Untold labour of care POLITICS OF PRECARITY BY PANCHALI RAY IS AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY THAT INVESTIGATES HOW HIERARCHIES IN THE NURSING SECTOR INTERSECT WITH SOCIAL IDENTITIES TO PRODUCE A DIFFERENTIATED WORKFORCE. THE BOOK’S RELEVANCE IN TIMES OF COVID-19—WHERE

RELATED STORY RELATED THESE INVISIBLE HEALTH WARRIORS ARE PERFORMING YEOMAN’S SERVICE—CANNOT BE MISSED. IN THESE EXCERPTS, THE AUTHOR EXPLORES THE QUESTION OF NURSING ETHICS

HE URGENCY to label Politics of Precarity: nursing labour as “care labour” Gendered Subjects and BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK could arise from nursing ethics, the Health Care Industry T which has a history of accommodating in Contemporary Kolkata care ethics in its methodology. Nursing By Panchali Ray overlaps strongly with domestic work. Publisher: Oxford The distinctions between affective University Press labour that calls for “taking care”, Pages: 280; Price: `1,060 “responding to needs” of the recipient of care, and menial/manual labour oriented towards cleaning rather than caring, is at best fuzzy. The domestic worker, nurse, or governess fulfils a role that is crucial in reproducing life in its most crude and biological form. What exactly comes under nursing care, and under what other domestic services? The difficulty in disentangling nursing from other kinds of domestic labour often leads to a conflation between the two, thus extending the stigma associated with the former to the latter. In fact, the struggles of the nursing profession have been to disassociate itself from domestic work and establish itself as skilled, trained labour, often leading to compartmentalization. While nursing within the domestic sphere overlaps with other kinds of reproductive labour, it is assumed that the professionalization of nursing would have countered such trends.

Nursing labour is essential for ILLUSTRATION: RITIKA BOHRA / CSE

58 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN reproduction of life: cleaning the unskilled domestic work to highly Western health care system that sick body, tending to bed sores, specialized medical tasks. presumes that doctors are the sole feeding, aiding in daily ablution, The increasing commodification repositories of specialized fanning and sponging, uttering of women’s reproductive labour knowledge, and patients are soothing words to calm patients raises newer questions on ethics. constructed as passive recipients enough to administer medicine or The tension between acknowledging and beneficiaries. The questioning keeping the environment clean, the relational and the emotional of such traditional views of making the bed, disinfecting and component of feminine affective knowledge has highlighted the role sterilizing instruments, watching labour and the difficulty in of patients and other health care over patients for symptoms that measuring and adapting it to providers as equal participants in help in diagnosis—a range of market values informs most of the knowledge production. activities that include menial, debates on paid care work. The This challenge to traditional manual, and affective labour which demand for valorizing reproductive ways of knowing has opened up requires varied skills. For example, labour as skilled work so as to be debates on nursing ethics that changing soiled sheets without able to ascribe a market value to perceive nurses as equal making the sick person get up from emotional/affective labour is in participants in the healing process, bed requires not just skill, but also direct tension with understanding but distinguishes them from that of strength and dexterity. It goes “care” as a distinct feminine quality a physician. Nursing ethics without saying that diagnosis and that escapes masculine market highlights the “caring” role of administering medicine is one transactions. It would be fruitful to nurses as relational and context- TO CONTENT BACK component of healing; regular care, look at the intersection of feminist specific interventions that stress on cleaning, and vigilance over the debates on care ethics with newer affective bonds as against medical sick body and the environment concerns of renaming paid approaches. However, traditional forms the backbone of the nursing ethics are healing process. Not just hardly feminist; reproduction of life, THE CLASSIFICATION OF NURSING deploying gender- nursing—like domestic POSES A PROBLEM GIVEN THE oppressive norms and work in middle-class MULTIPLE TASKS, WHICH RANGE FROM stereotypes, it promotes households—is also UNSKILLED DOMESTIC WORK TO nursing as secondary to status-producing work; it other forms of medical is bound with repro- HIGHLY SPECIALIZED MEDICAL TASKS interventions. duction of lifestyles. The association of Nurses have the responsibility of reproductive labour as care women’s work with care implied ensuring that both the sick person work, particularly in the context that historically doctors distanced and his/her environment are not of nursing. themselves from such roles, carving dirty, infected, and contaminating. Carol Gilligan’s In a Different out a professional function that had They are the keepers of the Voice (1982) sparked the debate on no linkages with affective/emotional boundaries between sickness and care ethics, where she argued that labour. In later periods, when health, ill-being and well-being, feminine morality and conception of nursing education was modified to contamination and purity. the self as relational, incorporate scientific and medical Thus a nurse is not just interdependent, and located in a components, it occasioned debates responsible for ensuring that there complex web of social relations gave regarding the suitable role of a are no open festering wounds, rise to an “ethics of care” as against nurse. This sexual division of infected equipment, dirty and soiled the masculine “ethics of morality”. labour within health care services bandages/clothes, but also for This context-bound character of reflects wider hierarchical binaries maintaining a clean, sanitized, and care ethics informed much of later of objective/subjective, reason/ cheerful sick room essential for theorization on work ethics, emotion, masculine/feminine reproducing social order. The particularly for health service whereby male doctors practiced classification of nursing labour thus providers; nursing ethics, for medicine and female nurses healed poses a problem given the multiple instance, is far more hospitable to through affective labour, both tasks that fall under its ambit, care ethics than others. Feminists inhabiting normative gender roles. which range from purportedly have critiqued the traditional FOR INTERVIEW TURN TO P60

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 59 Palette/INTERVIEW “We worship people when

RELATED STORY RELATED it is convenient for us, and then go on to discriminate when they are no longer BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK needed”

PANCHALI RAY SPENT THREE YEARS IN HOSPITALS RELATED VIDEO RELATED AND NURSING HOMES TO STUDY THE WORKING CONDITIONS OF FEMALE HEALTH WORKERS, AND FOUND A WORKFORCE DIVIDED BY CLASS, CASTE AND SEXUALITIES. SHE SAYS THEIR STATUS WILL NOT CHANGE EVEN AS WE LIVE THROUGH A PANDEMIC. RAY SPEAKS TO MEENAKSHISUSHMA Could you explain the title of chical and structured. They often they are also being physically at- the book Politics of Precarity? find themselves working in less tacked. This is a classic trick in the Precarity is a term often used by prestigious hospitals, with low pay book of discrimination—we cele- researchers to understand the con- and exploitative working condi- brate women, yet we devalue and temporary labour market, which is tions, doing jobs that local nurses look down on feminine labour. It is characterised by the spread of con- refuse. However, it is still better just a ploy to brush away the fact tingent work and insecure employ- than the way we treat nurses in In- that they continue to work in ex- ment. It is not just economic mar- dia. The potential for economic and traordinary situations without ginalisation of nurses—lack of job social mobility is so much that minimum support. security, less than minimum wag- women who work as nurses abroad es, little access to mechanisms of are considered prize catches in the How do you explain the huge collective bargaining and no social marriage market. We see this in increase in people opting for security—but also the diminishing Kerala, where women have migrat- jobs in healthcare services? social and political networks, which ed only to be followed by their hus- For the last few decades, there has are making their lives vulnerable bands and families. However, inter- been masculinisation of the labour and unlivable. secting inequalities constituted by market; women have been pushed race, gender and class place mi- out from agriculture, industry and Will the ongoing pandemic grant nurses at the lowest end of manufacturing. While some mid- change the status of nurses? the hierarchy. This discrimination dle-class women continue to gain

It is almost impossible. Evidence reflects in the former’s access to in- employment, for most working class TO CONTENT BACK suggests that even today most bed- stitutionalised forms of recognition women it is domestic work or the side care has been dele- lower end of healthcare gated to ancillary nurs- service. Health services ing staff, employed in “THE PANDEMIC HAS UNMASKED THE are seen as one of the few large numbers, and in an RISK AND UNCERTAINITY THAT MARKS sectors that has been em- ad hoc manner. More- THE LABOUR OF HEALTH WORKERS” ploying women, but there over, most private estab- has been no significant lishments submit dubi- increase in the number of ous data to the government to hide and infrastructure, which further nurses in the past decades. So one the fact that a majority of their constitutes their responses to ha- would assume that the increase has nursing staff are women with no rassment and discrimination, been either at the level of the doctor registration and have minimum whether it is sexual or racial abuse. (middle-class women), or the lowest training. The invisibility of unreg- end—the precariously located istered nurses, nursing aides and Health workers are being healthcare givers. attendants means that those who “worshipped” for their role give most of the nursing care are during the pandemic. In the What will be the position of not counted in the official statistics. long-run, will this bring healthcare labourers once So in a pandemic, like the one we them dignity? the lockdown is lifted? are facing now, any recognition or I don’t think there will be much dif- This is a tricky question. We are all access to infrastructure is denied to ference. This is the hallmark of neo- vulnerable. How do we respond to them because of their sheer invisi- liberal society that is morally bank- this vulnerability depends on the bility. The pandemic has unmasked rupt. We worship people when it is ethical and moral ethos of the coun- the risk and uncertainty that convenient for us, and then go on to try and as a race. Can we go back to marks their lives and labour. discriminate when they are no lon- our usual ways of devaluing and ger needed. In fact, instead of the stigmatising those who ensure the What are the differences in semiotics of worship, what we need reproduction and continuity of life? the employment condition of is a language of justice, recognition Or shall this moment of vulnerabil- nurses working in India and and rights. Worshipping and label- ity make us rethink our fundamen- those who have migrated? ling them as ‘warriors’ out to ‘save’ tals of how we view society, life and Migrant nurses often find them- humanity takes away the fact that labour. I think this is the moment of selves in a labour market in a for- they are not being provided mini- reckoning. DTE eign country that is deeply hierar- mum protective gear; in some cases @down2earthindia

DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWN TO EARTH 61 Civil Lines/RICHARD MAHAPATRA Migrants socially and economically disadvantaged groups are the new have always been kept out of the developmental bonanza. They have the least landholding; they have the least access to irrigation; and they have untouchables the least level of education. Now, having lost their livelihoods in urban areas, they are re-

RELATED STORY RELATED HILE REPORTING distress migration entering the old regressive system that from rural areas, I have often come perpetuated inequality. Some may argue that W across many migrants making a the massive relief efforts announced by secular powerful statement: “We faced distress in cities, governments could halt caste distances. but escaped the social regression of the caste But past pandemics have demonstrated that system in our villages.” It is not that villages only inequality widened in such crises. To begin with, practice the great Indian genetic caste hierarchy. pandemics have always impacted the already But the poor who belong to the lower hierarchy poor and marginalised the most. Though some

BACK TO TO CONTENT BACK suffer the most in villages, where they are taught say that the pandemic of 1918 was “social to inculcate “social distancing” right from their neutral”, but in reality, scientific examinations childhood. When they move to cities/towns in showed that those who shared rooms/apartments search of better livelihoods, they become “the in higher density migrants”. Here, they continue to remain poor, Past pandemics suffered the most, but somehow the caste barrier feels “distant”. have demonstrated or died the most. As they now return to their villages due to that inequality Who are these loss of jobs in cities, a new and equally widens during people who had to discriminatory type of social distancing awaits such crises share apartments/ them: they are assumed to be carriers of the rooms? Invariably, virus that causes covid-19, thus, must be kept in they were the migrant workers belonging to the that medically prescribed “quarantine”. And this lower economic strata. period is being increased—in Odisha, one has to The current pandemic is no different. A spend 28 days in quarantine. In the last few recent research paper by imf’s Davide Furceri, weeks, there have been widespread reports of Prakash Loungani and Jonathan D Ostry, and, villages not allowing their own migrant Pietro Pizzuto of Italy’s University of Palermo residents. Even migrants walking to their shows that “the shares of incomes going to the villages are being vilified on the way, as many top deciles increases and that to the bottom villages have stopped them from crossing their deciles falls after a pandemic event”. According geographical area. In Odisha, some people even to their research based on the last five went to the High Court, which ruled that only pandemics, “the share of income going to the top covid-19-free migrants would be allowed into the two deciles is 46% on average, while the share state. Fortunately, the Supreme Court stayed going to the bottom two deciles is only 6%—a this order. But in popular imagination, migrants gap of 40 percentage points.” After five years of a continue to be perceived as carriers of this pandemic, this gap in inequality in distribution contagious virus. They are the new of income increased by 2.5 percentage points. untouchables; the new pariahs. And it is no A poor’s person’s economy depends a lot on longer a clinical “disease distancing” they have interactions with society. The poorer one gets, to suffer from, but that of being pronounced a the more is the dependence on others. So, social long-term outcast—both physical and social. distancing is the highest order of economic Worse, the caste distancing is going to punishment—those living on the margins will, become even more pronounced. This is because sadly, fall first. DTE @richiemaha

62 DOWN TO EARTH 16-31 MAY 2020 DOWNTOEARTH.ORG.IN A web-based tool for preparing city sanitation plans

https://www.cseindia.org/sanikit/index.html

For queries contact [email protected] kindly visit cseindia.org or scan the QR code

MOUNT is an online aggregator platform disseminating knowledge on sustainable technologies and good practices for wastewater and faecal sludge management.

Share your technology or case study on https://www.cseindia.org/mount/home [email protected]

Explore on www.cseindia.ord/mount/home or scan the QR code R.N.I. NO. 53588/92 POSTAL REGN. NO. DL(S)-17/3109/2018-2020 ISSN 0971-8079. Licensed to Post without Pre-payment U(SE)-44/2018-2020 at Lodhi Road HO, New Delhi-110003. Published on 1st of every month. POSTED ON: 16-17 of the same fortnight, Total pages: 64 TOOLKIT FOR SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT (5 new books, in an attractive Box Set)

AUTHORS: Dr. Suresh Kumar Rohilla et al

1. Urban Water Sustainability

2. Water Sensitive Urban Design & Planning

3. Green Infrastructure

4. Water Efficiency & Conservation

5. Septage Management

WHO WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS 5-BOOK TOOLKIT? Key practitioners from the Centre and States, ULBs, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Jal Nigams and Water Supply & Sewerage Boards, town planners, architects, academicians/ research institutions, international donor agencies, OFFER FOR LIMITED PERIOD ONLY. practicing consultants, Engineers, Resident Welfare COMBO PACKAGE: Associations, NGOs Rs. 1,000/- and Libraries.

Please place your order online immediately by visiting us at https://bit.ly/2Kf7M5d or mail your order to us along with a Cheque for the required amount, drawn in favour of 'Centre for Science and Environment' addressed to Centre for Science and Environment, 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110062

Please write to Ramachandran if you have any queries at - [email protected] We are updating our Mailing list of DTE readers. Please send an email confirming your preferred emailing address to: [email protected]. Thanks a lot.