:: Delhi Greens ::

Concerned about the inadequacy of the Wild Life (Protection) Act 1972 in reducing the ever increasing instances of wild life crimes across the country, the Ministry of Environment & Forests has put forth a draft Wild Life (Protection) Bill 2010. It has been noticed that the current penalties have failed to act as deterrents with few convictions having taken place since the Act first came into force. Several of these wild life crimes are carried out by international gang of criminals who have a sophisticated network across the country as well as state of the art equipments. At the same time, although illicit wildlife trade ranks only behind the illegal trade in arms and narcotics, there is no financial disincentive whatsoever that prevents poachers and smugglers from carrying out such heinous activities.

This Bill, which is the product of extensive consultations with a wide spectrum of stakeholders, is intended to greatly strengthen the existing provisions for penalties, traps, criminal procedure etc. The key changes suggested in the Bill include enhancing penalties and strengthening officials, greater harmony with the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora (CITES), complete ban on trade in peacock feathers, promoting wild life research and banning the sale, manufacture and use of Leg-hold traps. The Bill also lays greater emphasis on endangered and wild plant conservation and  in overall protection of India’s biodiversity.

Previously, the MoEF had released a draft Mission document for the ‘National Mission for a Green India’, one of the eight missions under the National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC). The Mission will be finalized after a series of nation wide public consultation that have been taking place since 11th June. A Draft Regulatory Framework for Wetlands Conservation has also been put forth after having been prepared by a multi-disciplinary expert group on the subject. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Bill 2009, which envisages the setting up of a national tribunal, a judicial body exclusively to deal with environmental laws and to provide citizens a right to environment was also passed by the Parliament earlier this year. Discussion on the National Environmental Protection Authority are on and it may well be introduced in the forthcoming Parliament session.

While these and more are indeed some path-breaking steps taken by the MoEF to ensure the protection and upkeep of India’s much threatened biodiversity, what will be critical is to note how effectively are the laws being put in place implemented. It would be equally important to see how other Ministries and Departments react and respond to these “call for action” initiatives of the MoEF. That, and that alone has been, and would be the limiting factor in the success (or failure) of these much awaited legal frameworks.

MoEF invites comments on the Draft Wild Life (Protection) Bill 2010 (Click to Read). All comments may be mailed to wpa.amendmentbill@gmail.com by 7th July, 2010.

Image courtesy Dr. Dharmendra Khandal, Tiger Watch

Delhi Greens, with support from the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library (NMML) and Oxfam India, in partnership with the South Asia Network for Social & Agriculture Development (SANSAD), Global Climate Campaign (GCC), North East Center for Environmental Education & Research (NECEER),  India Action Network, Center for Climate Justice & Equity (CCJE), YouthV and several other groups invite you to the Delhi Youth Summit on Climate 2010.

DYSoC 2010 will be a two day event to be held on the 5th and 6th of June, 2010 in the Auditorium of India’s first PM’s residence at Teen Murti House. The place is a stone’s throw from both the residence of the President of India and the Parliament of India. (Nearest Metro Station: Central Secretariat). Delhi, the seat of power of the world’s largest democracy, is a rapidly developing urban center and features in the list of top ten most populated cities in the world. One of the oldest continually inhabited cities, Delhi today is facing the dual pressure of development as well as an ever increasing population.

In the climate constrained world of today, ‘development’ itself is seen as a threat to the environment and it is indeed ‘development’ which attracts the workforce and contributes to the increasing urban population. However, development–in the real sense of the word–is essential for the growth and prosperity of a region and of a nation as a whole. Development should be sustainable and should not discount the needs and requirements of the future generation.

With this as the backdrop, DYSoC 2010 will take place on 5th and 6th of June, 2010 and will also be an ideal platform to mark the World Environment Day. DYSoC 2010 will bring together the youth from across the capital city and attempt to understand the various urban environmental issues in the wake of climate change.

Since this is the Commonwealth Year, DYSoC will not be a stand alone event but will invite the participating delegates in initiating as well getting involved in various green projects (at least 4) for a better Delhi! We therefore urge to participate, learn and get involved and help shape the future of the city, for all of us and for generations to come.

Registration is free, but all interested must fill the Delegate Registration Form. All delegates will receive participation certificate after the successful completion of the summit.

Registration is now close for DYSoC 2010. Thank you for all your interest and enthusiasm.

Come, take the first step, and be the Change: DYSoC 2010

For more information, you can read the FAQs at the summit website here, or contact:

Impuri Shimray
impuri(at)delhigreens.org
Mobile: 9540491079

Aastha Kukreti
aastha(at)delhigreens.org
Mobile: 9873124937

http://delhigreens.org/summits/dysoc-2010

If there is any body which is consistently working hard for the biodiversity in this International Year of Biodiversity, amazingly, it is but the Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF).  And quite appropriately so! The MoEF has now notified the Ganges River Dolphin as the National Aquatic Animal of India. Recognized as ‘highly endangered’ in Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (1972) with an estimated total population of around 2,000, river dolphins primarily occur in the Ganges-Brahmaputra river systems of India and Bangladesh.

The notification that came last week will, according to the Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, will raise public awareness and support for the animals conservation and protection, especially among the younger generation. The Ganges Dolphin is among the four “obligate” freshwater dolphins found in the world – the other three are the ‘baiji’ found in the Yangtze River (China), the ‘bhulan’ of the Indus (Pakistan) and the ‘boto’ of the Amazon River (Latin America). Although there are several species of marine dolphins whose ranges include some freshwater habitats, these four species live only in rivers and lakes. The Chinese River Dolphin was declared functionally extinct by a team of international scientists in 2006.

The Ganges River Dolphin is threatened by river water pollution and siltation, accidental entanglement in fishing nets, and poaching for their oil. In addition, alterations to the rivers in the form of barrages and dams are separating populations. The National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA) setup by the Government of India will spend Rs. 15,000 crores over the next ten years for cleaning River Ganga. This move is expected to increase support for the Government’s efforts to protect this vulnerable species.Previously, the MoEF has asked the Prime Minister to split the Ministry into two separate bodies, one for the Environment another for the Forests.

Previously, the proactive measures of the MoEF in promoting Eco-Tourism as the only means of tourism activity around tiger parks spread the rumour that a complete ban on tiger tourism could come  in a few years. The MoEF, in response to numerous requests from various stakeholders, is in the process of banning the trade of peacock feathers. It has been brought to the Ministry’s attention that the demand for the feathers outsrips the supply leading to the rampant poaching and killing of the birds for the purpose of their feathers. A comprehensive ban on the sale, transfer and trade of peacock feathers is being proposed.

Image Source

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) often ascribed as “urban ore” is a waste type consisting of any broken or unwanted electrical or electronic appliance. It includes includes computers, entertainment electronics, mobile phones and other items that have been discarded by their original users. Presence of chemicals like cadmium, lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium and brominated flame retardants makes e-waste dangerous. Electronic equipments are major contributors of heavy metals and organic pollutants to the waste stream.

The Central Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) of the Government of India now considers it necessary to enable the recovery and/or reuse of useful material from WEEE, thereby reducing the hazardous wastes destined for disposal and to ensure the environmentally sound management of all types of waste electrical and electronic equipment. In this regard, the MoEF has notified the Draft E-Waste Handling & Management Rules on 30th March, 2010.

Draft E-waste (Management & Handling) Rules 2010 Notified on 30.03.2010

The rules may be called the E-waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 2010 and shall apply to every producer(s), dealer(s), collection centre(s), refurbisher(s), dismantler(s), recycler(s), auctioneer(s) consumer(s) or bulk consumer(s) involved in the manufacture, processing, sale, purchase of electrical and electronic equipment or components. To whom the rules shall not apply is clearly listed in the draft notification. The draft defines the responsibilities of each of the handlers of components that will eventually add to the E-waste load.

The Ministry now invites comments, objections or suggestions to the proposal contained in the draft notification by affected parties, civil society, expert groups and general public within sixty days from the date of notification (to be sent by 30th May, 2010). The same may be addressed and sent to the Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Paryavaran Bhawan, Central Government Offices (CGO) Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi-110003 or be sent electronically at the following e-mail address: secy-moef(at)nic.in

Image Source

Also Read:

• Of Things We Don’t Know: Formal Notes from an ‘Informal’ Sector
• 3 R’s for E-Waste
• Finally, Delhi Administration Talks of E-Waste!

A place comes into existence when humans give meaning to a part of the larger, undifferentiated space. Any time a location is identified or given a name, it is separated from the undefined space that surrounds it.” – Yi- Fu Tuan

Certain places have a sense of place due to a strong character and identity that is deeply felt by people who inhabit them and to those who visit such places. The character may be due to natural or cultural features or both. LA, Journal of Landscape Architecture announces an Essay Writing Competition 2010 themed on ‘Sense of Place’ for college and university students across India.

The essay may communicate the tangible physical aspects of such place as well as the intangible experiential dimensions and how these can contribute to unique experiences and memories of that place. It’s about a place which you have experienced. LA invites you to share that experience in words.

Eligibility: Students studying in Indian Universities and all individuals residing in India, interested in spatial design disciplines and other creative fields. Please note that only single author entries will be accepted.

For further information, contact:

Editorial Office
LA! Journal of Landscape Architecture
C-589, Vikas Puri,
New Delhi 110018
Tel: 91-11- 25527652
Email: lajournalindia@gmail.com

20 years of building: The time it took for completing this bridge over River Siang at Passighat in Arunachal Pradesh

“When was it ever on the media map?” is how Subir Bhaumik, BBC Eastern India Correspondent and Author of “Troubled Periphery” began the Media Dialogue on North East: Fallen off the Media Map? at the Nehru Memorial Museum & Library in New Delhi. The dialogue was called upon to address the query that does the media, described as mainstream, give little space to the North East out of an assumption that readers are not interested?  Or because their marketing departments tell them advertisers are not interested?

After him, the series of invited panelists from various media houses including Dibang, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, stressed upon facts and issues such as how there are not many reporters posted in the north east regions, the stringers hired our often not trained, their posted stories put on hold forever, the region being too far and too scattered, and how not many sexy stories are coming out of the region. Several of these facts were countered by the audience which largely included individuals from the North East region and media students and advisers.

The issue of reporters getting caught between the militants and the government forces while reporting in these regions, in their effort to practice their profession was also elaborately discussed by the panel. However, the fact that the conflicts in the North East are much less reported than those in the North West also surfaced from time to time in the course of the discussions. The point to ponder here was does Indian civil society show as much concern over the militarization of the region comprising Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Nagaland  as it does over the militarization of Kashmir?

Nation Building: a hitherto unknown and pending exercise in the NE

An important conclusion that came out of the panel discussion and counter questioning from the audience was that although the national, rather the metropolitan, media has taken to pushing news based on television audience measurement (TAM) systems and a struggle is on for fitting news in the papers–the media is forgetting the key role it must play in the nation building excercise.

Perhaps the media, as is the delusion of several other agencies, thinks that nation building for the over 60 years old Indian Republic is now a thing of the past. That we have already crossed the stage where media can, to a great extent, overlook its this responsibility and keep others agenda viz. beating the competition, as its main focus. However, for the north east region, nothing can be further from truth than this. The region is struggling on the road to development, which is broken and full of potholes.

And at a time when India really needs to get its Look East policy right, it becomes absolutely essential that the Indian Government first looks East a little closer home before it should take that giant leap. The media thus has an even greater responsibility and should rework its own internal policies to champion this cause for national integration yet to be achieved.

Bottom Image courtesty Liyi Marli Noshi

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!

August 30th, 2009:

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.

• Download Application Form
• LEDeG Brochure on the Training

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