Monthly Archives: August 2017

India is a country with incredible diversity, and this rich diversity results in a large number of different festivities and their celebrations. One such major carnival is the Ganesh chaturthi festival. Every year Ganesh chaturthi is celebrated with great pomp and show. It is usually a 10-day long festival which begins by placing Lord Ganesha’s idols privately at homes and then marking its end by submerging them into water bodies, regarded as holy immersion. These festivities bring people together and are a source of social happiness annually. Unfortunately though, our methods of celebration have a downside, in terms of impact on the planet.

Most of the idols are made from toxic, non-biodegradable materials including plastic, paper, cement, non-natural colors, plaster of Paris etc which do not fully dissolve in water and end up contaminating it. Read more details about the polluting impact.

Ill effects on the environment

1. Whenever these toxic chemicals start dissolving in water bodies, they have a lethal effect on aquatic life killing fish, frogs and other water sustaining organisms.
2. Plaster of paris is a substance which cannot completely dissolve in water, it reduces oxygen level in the water, which again poses a threat to living beings.
3. Sometimes even paper is used to make idols of shree Ganesha and it’s a myth that this is an eco friendly way because little do people know that paper also reduces the oxygen level in the water and generates methane gas. Apart from that, trees are cut down to make paper and even wasting paper itself is not environmentally friendly.
4. The polluted water becomes a factor for many health hazards to humans, like skin infections, breathing problems etc.
5. All these impurities lead to an increase in the acid content in the water.
6. The careless immersion also blocks the natural flow of water, which again leads to the breeding of harmful mosquitoes and pests in water.

In the state of Maharashtra, every year an estimated 190,000 idols are immersed in water, idols that are made up of non-biodegradable material which increases water degradation levels. Fishing communities finds pieces of immersed idols entangled in their fishing nets, even after several days of immersion, which gives us evidence that these pieces do not get fully dissolved. The Central Pollution Control Board reports that annual immersion has significantly increased the amount of iron,copper,lead, mercury, chromium and acid in these water bodies. In 2015 after Ganpati celebrations, dead fish were found in the Milap nagar lake in Dombivli East, Mumbai.

The Ganesh Chaturthi festival is celebrated to pay homage to lord Ganesha and seek his blessings, but this type of devastation in the name of celebration will shun the ideals of Lord Ganesha. We are not only damaging our source of living but also, from a religious point of view, not living up to that particular God’s ideals.

A change needs to happen. Eco friendly means of celebration should be adopted. Instead of the toxic materials currently in use, we can change the contents of idols to mud, rose petals, leaves, herbal colours, coconut tusks, alums, chocolates etc. In 2017, we have seen idols made of cow dung gaining popularity.

True blessings can reach us only when we take good care of our surroundings, and ensure that our forms of worship and celebration do not amount to being a threat to the nature around us.

Written By: Manaswita Sachdeva

Edited By: Anirban Banerjee

As India’s solar capacity is increasing, more subsidy coming in and ever declining installation cost most of the Indian states have upped their renewable energy game. One such state is Madhya Pradesh which will very soon going to have one of the world’s largest solar pv power plant. Mr Shivraj Singh, Chief Minister  of Madhya  Pradesh has approved the proposal for commissioning the world’s largest solar power plant in the Rewa District.

Currently Madhya Pradesh ranks positioned at no 6 in terms of solar power installed capacity and after the completion of this project it will rise to the top position. Once completed, the project is expected to generate about 1.25 billion units of electricity every year, offsetting about 1 million tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Claro Energy is working relentlessly working king towards a cleaner and sustainable environment and uplifting lives with clean-tech solutions. Claro is all set to light up Madhya Pradesh and will install a of 1MW capacity solar rooftop in Central MP Discom areas of Bhopal, Hoshangabad,Gwalior and Jabalpur. This scheme is exclusively for non-profit organisations with a 30% subsidy from Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitran Company Limited (MPMKVVCL).

How Rise in Population is Leading to Water Scarcity

 

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Water is one of the most important natural resources on Earth, a key element of life for every living being on this planet. While the sources of water may seem to be in abundance (consider the oceans and seas), only less than one percent of the world’s water is actually usable for basic human needs. This relatively minuscule amount has to be shared by many competing users. This usable water is freshwater, found not in our oceans, but in our rivers, lakes, under the ground, and in rainwater. With so many beings vying for its availability, the resultant stress on freshwater is leading to water scarcity in almost all corners of the world. The World Wide Fund for Nature said that almost two-thirds of the world’s population could suffer from water shortage by 2025 . While the reasons for this imminent catastrophe vary from altered weather patterns to increased pollution, what is cited as perhaps the most important factor influencing this is the uncontrolled expansion in the population of the human species.

 

 

For thousands of years, human population grew only slowly, gradually – at a rate that was not yet weighing on nature’s resources – but in recent centuries this rate has jumped dramatically. This exponential rise has led to a population explosion in the last two hundred years. This uncontrolled rise in population has inordinately increased the demand for water and mounted pressure on the already finite and scarce resources of the planet. The demand for water for domestic, industrial, agricultural and municipal needs and also evacuation for waste materials – these have skyrocketed in the past few decades. Certain geographies have been more affected than others.

 

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The most water-scarce areas are typically those with fewer water resources, a relatively high existing population density, and an even higher population growth rate. It is certain that population growth will further impact water availability.

Measurement of water scarcity

The sources of water may seem to be in abundance, but only less that one percent of the world’s water can be used for basic human needs. This little amount has to be shared by many competing users. Stress on freshwater due to rising demand is already leading to water scarcity in many places. Water in many cases is even a major cause for political tensions between nations.

 

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In light of these issues, the extent of water scarcity needs to be measured in order to understand the magnitude of the development work necessary. There are various ways to measure water scarcity, one such is by determining per capita availability and percentage of water used within a certain national boundary.

As a general benchmark, countries can be classified as water scarce if there are fewer than 1,000 cubic meters of renewable fresh water available per person per year, and as water stressed if there are between 1,000 and 1,667 cubic meters available per person per year.2 Approximately 2 billion people are currently living in areas faced with water stress or scarcity. Water scarcity affects all social and economic sectors and threatens the health of ecosystems.

 

 

Larger the population, higher the (water) tension

The rise in population leads to higher demand for water for domestic, industrial, agricultural and municipal needs and also evacuation for waste materials. The most water scarce areas are typically those with few water resources, high population, and even higher population growth rates. E.g most of the world’s water scarce areas is from MENA (The Middle East and North Africa) regions, where they are currently unable to meet their basic water demand. 7 of the world’s top 10 water scarce countries are from the MENA region.

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With per capita water availability projected to fall by half by 2050, the situation is likely to be dire in the coming years. 5 Projections show that by 2035, 3.6 billion people will be living in areas with water stress or scarcity, as population growth causes more countries and regions to become water scarce.

 

 

If we were to try and trace the reasons for overpopulation, there a broad few that we can circle out. The rise in birth rate either due to bad family planning or illiteracy is a big cause for population growth in India. An estimated 215 million women in developing countries want to avoid pregnancy but are not using modern contraception. 

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To repress this accelerated loss of natural resources, serious measures need be taken in order to slow down the rate of population growth. This can lead to more people accessing clean and safe water universally, in the years to come. Though the challenge of a rapidly growing population, on the efforts to provide adequate and clean water to every citizen, has been acknowledged in various policies and planning documents, there is still an urgent need for effective policies to be drafted and implemented to combat population growth. Increasing access to voluntary family planning services can help slow population growth, and complement ongoing efforts to ensure adequate and clean water for all.

 

Written by: Prakriti Sharma & Priyanka Pandey

Edited by: Anirban Banerjee