Maitri Sthal at BumLa, the highest pass to Tibet in Tawang
Delhi Greens wishes its readers a very Happy Republic Day! We dedicate this day to all the soldiers who brave extreme environmental conditions to protect our borders and keep us safe and secure. May peace always be the way forward no matter what the conflict, for after a war, it doesn’t matter what was right…only what is left.
Environmental degradation; habitat destruction; pollution; water scarcity; biodiversity loss; depleting forest cover; dam construction and its social implications; social unrest – are few of the issues demanding immediate attention in the North Eastern (seven sisters +1) states of India. Now, with the threat of climate change looming large, the only option is to come together for sustainable development of the region, before time runs out and moshttp://delhigreens.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=2283t, if not, all is lost.
The degradation of North East India’s environment and ad hoc “developmental” activities taking place in the region will impact the future generations much more severely than it is impacting the present generation. The future of the youth in the North East is at stake and only a path of Sustainable Development can save the region from imminent destruction. But taking this path is a decision that needs to be made. And clearly, the policy makers in the eight North Eastern states (and at the Center) have not been able to take this call so far.
With this backdrop, the North East Environmental Youth Movement (NEEYM) is being setup in the National Capital Region of Delhi to bring together and raise awareness among the youth from North East India and set up a nation wide movement with a similar objective.
Supported by Delhi Greens, NEEYM is participating in the Global Day of (Climate) Action on the 12th of December, 2009 and would be organising events across Imphal, the capital city of Manipur. As part of the Global Day of Action, NEEYM has called for a CITIZEN’s UNITE inviting people from all walks of life to come together in the streets of Imphal. The Plan of Action so far is to make a big mural on environment theme at the front of Nupi Lal Statue and a rally by rickshaw pullers holding a long stretch banner from Thangal Bazar to Bapupara.
Join NEEYM in safeguarding the future of India’s North East…Click here to Sign up for the NEEYM Ning!
For further information and to participate, volunteer – please contact:
Akoijam Surjit Singh (New Delhi-09871546654/ Manipur-9774575952)
Email: surjit@neeym.org
Impuri Shimray
9891477390
Email: impuri@neeym.org
It’s all about water!
Rajender Singh and Delhi citizens come together to initiate the Dilli Jal Biradari (DJB) – the Delhi chapter of Jal Biradari!
The Ladakh Ecological Development Group (LEDeG) in collaboration with Bremen Overseas Research & Development Association (BORDA), Germany has been promoting environmental friendly Decentralised Renewable Energy Systems (DERES) for the past 20 years in the Western Himalayas. So far 72 Community-based Micro Hydro Power Units (CMHPU) have been installed by LEDeG in extreme and isolated mountainous regions.
LEDeG with its partners BORDA and the Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society, India and in collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern (FNHW) Switzerland, is organising a two weeks training programme titled ‘International On-Site Training Programme on Community-Based Micro Hydro Power Units’
The training programme aims to impart basic skill required for planning; implementing and managing community based Micro Hydro Power Projects. The training is scheduled from 21st September to 2nd October, 2009 in Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh.
The participants will have an opportunity to gain first hand exposure and practical skills while implementing a 30 KW community hydro power project at Bartoo Village of Ladakh region. The training team will comprise experts from different national and international reputed organisations representing a good balance between academics and practitioners. On the successful completion of the training course, participants will receive a certificate from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern (FNHW), Switzerland.
The training program is subsidised and full scholarships is available for 3 selected participants.
For further information, please contact:
Stanzin Tsephel
Executive Coordinator
Consortium for DEWATS Dissemination Society
#621, 5th Main Road,
OMBR Layout,
Banaswadi Post,
Bangalore 560 043
Tel Fax: +91-080-25452805 / 25452804
Airtel: 080-41614221
E-mail: bangalore@cddindia.org
Tiger – India’s National animal and a flagship-umbrella species which facilitates the conservation of a large number of other species and that of our forests and wildlife resources. While this may answer the query of some tribal activist and several others on why the big cat should be saved on a priority basis, the larger question is what does it take to save the tiger?
Clearly, Project Tiger has not been able to do much except save raise awareness on the need to save the tiger. Those who believed that the tiger will have to co-exist with the tribal people must be convinced by now that the tiger neither casts a vote nor selects civil society committees and will not abide.
Neither fencing our National Parks (mainly a barrier for the tiger, since usually porous for people), nor installing check posts near the water bodies inside the Parks (makes excellent sighting opportunity for the aged forest guards) has been of any help in maintaining, if not enhancing, the tiger population.
The relatively newly constituted National Tiger Conservation Authority responsible for implementation of Project Tiger Plan to protect endangered tigers is said to be without, for lack of better words, teeth. And amidst all of that, the tiger (perhaps not aware that so much is happening) is losing the battle to survive, and humanity the war to sustain for as long as Mother Earth will tolerate us for.
The question still remains, What in the world, does it take to save the tiger?
Image Courtesy Dr. Dharmendra Khandal (Tiger Watch)
A tree hangs not knowing where to go (and neither able to): an art piece from the 48c Public.Art.Ecology Festival
The summer this year has been unusually–yet predictably–very hot. Hotter than previous Delhi summers in ways more than one: with not just a peak daily hot session but the high heat intensity starting earlier in the day and not giving any real relief until long after dusk. The city has become an ideal case study for the proponents of climate change, and with the monsoon both arriving late and only giving a guest apperance, the impact of global warming has never been so evident to so many.
But is there more to the Delhi summer (heat) of 2009? The city is clearly under construction at present: both under and over ground. Delhi Metro, BRT corridor, Games Village, Malls and what not. And the heat from the large number of drilling machines, construction equipments, ACs needed to make the underground in working conditions etc. surely adds to the city’s heat budget. But that is not all. This ‘development’ also requires and has already removed a large number of trees that provided relevant ecosystem services.
Aravallis – one of the two lifelines of Delhi city have been in the news almost for a major part of this year. Their manmade denudation, especially in the southern, south-western part of the city sells excellently as construction material for developing Delhi. The remaining land returns excellent real estate capital. However, the denudation is only the first self-alert sign of Delhi’s climate changing from semi-arid to completely arid, and the warning of a desert like situation in the near future.
The sale and use of Air Conditioners (AC) in the city this year has been at an all time high. A shift from Coolers to the AC has more to do with survival than inflation and this is further adding more to the heat budget – a vicious cycle of no return that I am afraid we’ve entered 2009 summer onwards.
This year’s theme for World Environment Day (WED) is Your Planet Needs You! UNite to Combat Climate Change.
But too often we are presented with environmental problems without being given the tools to act. WED is about taking action to be a part of the solution. And the 30 Daily do something Tips below are a great start.
We can all do our part to protect the planet by using less and acting more. Going green is not as difficult as you might think. Here we walk you through 30 easy ways to green your daily routine, from the moment you hit snooze on your solar-powered alarm clock to the point when you crawl into your eco-washed, organic cotton sheets.
Make your WED commitment today. But don’t stop at today and don’t stop here. Try to incorporate all of these into your life as a matter of routine. Get others to do so the same. And get involved!
Environment Day Thought:
Only when the last tree has died
Only when the last river has been poisoned
Only when the last fish been caught
Only then will mankind realize that we cannot eat money.
IN GENERAL:
DAILY ROUTINE:
AT HOME…
Some of most of the majestic trees in Delhi are all 70-80 (maybe more) years old and form a part of the natural heritage of the city. Each time there is a thunderstorm that brings with it strong winds (of which there have been plenty lately), some of these trees get damaged and even uprooted. It seems (and so would ’some’ tell us) that it was age that got these trees down. But closer observation reveals a story much more depressing than that.
As Delhi develops into the world class city that ‘many’ are working hard to make it, concretization is the key word. And the concerete does not seem to be seeing an electric pole apart from a tree. And even as much is being said to protect and increase the green cover in the city, the existing greens seem to be choking to death. Most trees are being surrounded by concrete to such an extent that it leaves no breathing space for the tree thus reducing their capacity to keep themself upright.
And all this, even when there exist guidelines from the Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation dated July 21, 2000, which specify that an area of six foot by six foot should be left “uncemented” around each tree to ensure that it gets enough breathing space. Add to that, is a court order that came out on December 19, 2007 after a petition was made to the High Court and taken up by Advocate Ritwick Dutta and Rahul Choudhary as an attempt to reinforce this guideline.
The above was enough for Padmavati Dwivedi and her friends in her GK-I colony to persuade the Government, MCD and related authorities to follow the rules, uphold the law and remove the concrete cement from around all trees in their part of the colony.
The shocking condition of the trees in the GK-I colony had been moving and painful for several of GK-I residents including Padmavati. The latter decided to do something about it and began her phone/fax camapaign by writing to the Chief Minister, and related officers. Before long, she heard from the CM’s office and on 29th April 2009 , workers from the MCD began their work to free the trees in GK-I.
The de-concretization did see some opposition from some residents, especially those who had gotten it done themselves, but the enthusiasm for conserving nature and perserving natural heritage and the court order ensured that the work has been continuing and over 60 trees have been freed till date. What is now needed is a citywide initiative to take this campaign to every colony and complex in Delhi.
Tucked away in the Northern part of Delhi is a colony that attracts a determined set of youth from across India. The aim is to study and prepare, the target: to crack the prestigious Civil Services examination conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) in the middle of May each year. This very resourceful Dr. Mukherjee Nagar colony has it all for that–rooms and hostels to stay, well over 300 IAS coaching centers, food courts of all kinds, book stores and what not.
The proximity of the University of Delhi has only helped in turning this place into a student hub and perhaps the reason why this locality got chosen to be the one point stop for civil services preparation. Such is the situation today that the economy of this colony would perhaps collapse if all the students are removed in one go.
Yesterday, was the big day here! Yesterday was when the civil services preliminary test was conducted in centers across Delhi (and India). And yesterday was when–in the morning hours–one could see a majority of the youth here on the street, walking to the nearest bus stand or the Metro station. This has become an annual affair and more and more candidates have been applying each year.
For the struggle to make it to the corridors of power attracts so many, it only adds to the already existing community! But fewer make it through the entrance and even fewer clear the interview to be able to join any of the IAS or the allied service academies. And amidst all that, Mukherjee Nagar only gains more popularity and an increasing number of student influx.
Image Courtesy Aastha Kukreti
Toxics Link and India International Centre (IIC) invite all to the “Quotes from the Earth”, a biannual environmental film festival.
The festival, held since 2004, would showcase 20 exemplary works on celluloid, by some of country’s most renowned environmental filmmakers, that portray the global struggle against climate change, hunger, unclean water, polluted urban scapes and difficult survival.
Categorized under 5 subheads namely Climate change and Energy Efficiency, Survival, Hunger, Urban Scapes and Water, the film festival would also host expert panel discussion on burning issues like Sustainability and Globalisation.
Date: 19th and 20th December, 2008
Venue: Auditorium, Main Building, India International Centre(IIC) 40 Max Mueller Marg, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003
The Festival will be inaugurated by Dr. R.K.Pachauri, Director General of TERI.
Screening Partner: PSBT
Film Event Partner: 48c Public.Art.Ecology
|
Send your social media/ press releases to |
|
|
