Latest news with #HimanshuThakkar
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
10cm polyp linked to lacquer fumes removed from worker's nose
Rajkot: A 47-year-old factory worker developed a massive nasal polyp, 10 centimetres long, which doctors attribute to his occupational exposure to lacquer fumes. The growth, which caused severe pain and swelling around his left eye, was accompanied by a white fungal infection around it. Medical professionals successfully removed the mass through endoscopic surgery. In the automotive industry, lacquer is sprayed on after paint as a finishing layer. The patient worked in this area for many years and experts say his continual inhalation of these fumes led to the formation of the abnormal growth. His symptoms included left-sided nasal obstruction, breathing difficulties, persistent headaches and intense pain in his left eye. "After a CT scan and endoscopic examination, we discovered a large nasal polyp and fungal infection in the patient's left nasal cavity, which had encroached dangerously on the eye," said Dr Himanshu Thakkar, who led the surgical team. The polyp, which originated in the maxillary sinus, progressed to the ethmoid sinus and down to the palate. Both the growth and fungal elements were removed in a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The patient's diabetes further compromised his ability to fight the fungal infection. "Had there been a delay in treatment, the infection could have spread to the eye and brain, resulting in the loss of the left eye or life-threatening complications," Dr Thakkar said. "Cases involving nasal polyps of this size are extremely rare." Healthcare professionals emphasized the importance of not ignoring persistent cold-like symptoms, as they may indicate more serious underlying conditions affecting the nose, eyes or throat.
Ammon
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Ammon
Can India really stop river water from flowing into Pakistan?
Ammon News - Will India be able to stop the Indus river and two of its tributaries from flowing into Pakistan?That's the question on many minds, after India suspended a major treaty governing water sharing of six rivers in the Indus basin between the two countries, following Tuesday's horrific attack in Indian-administered 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) survived two wars between the nuclear rivals and was seen as an example of trans-boundary water suspension is among several steps India has taken against Pakistan, accusing it of backing cross-border terrorism - a charge Islamabad flatly denies. It has also hit back with reciprocal measures against Delhi, and said stopping water flow "will be considered as an Act of War".The treaty allocated the three eastern rivers – the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – of the Indus basin to India, while 80% of the three western ones – the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – to have flared in the past, with Pakistan objecting to some of India's hydropower and water infrastructure projects, arguing they would reduce river flows and violate the treaty. (More than 80% of Pakistan's agriculture and around a third of its hydropower depend on the Indus basin's water.)India, meanwhile, has been pushing to review and modify the treaty, citing changing needs - from irrigation and drinking water to hydropower - in light of factors like climate the years, Pakistan and India have pursued competing legal avenues under the treaty brokered by the World this is the first time either side has announced a suspension - and notably, it's the upstream country, India, giving it a geographic what does the suspension really mean? Could India hold back or divert the Indus basin's waters, depriving Pakistan of its lifeline? And is it even capable of doing so?Experts say it's nearly impossible for India to hold back tens of billions of cubic metres of water from the western rivers during high-flow periods. It lacks both the massive storage infrastructure and the extensive canals needed to divert such volumes."The infrastructure India has are mostly run-of-the-river hydropower plants that do not need massive storage," said Himanshu Thakkar, a regional water resources expert with the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and hydropower plants use the force of running water to spin turbines and generate electricity, without holding back large volumes of experts say inadequate infrastructure has kept India from fully utilising even its 20% share of the Jhelum, Chenab and Indus waters under the treaty - a key reason they argue for building storage structures, which Pakistan opposes citing treaty say India can now modify existing infrastructure or build new ones to hold back or divert more water without informing Pakistan."Unlike in the past, India will now not be required to share its project documents with Pakistan," said Mr challenges like difficult terrain and protests within India itself over some of its projects have meant that construction of water infrastructure in the Indus basin has not moved fast a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in 2016, Indian water resources ministry officials had told the BBC they would speed up construction of several dams and water storage projects in the Indus there is no official information on the status of such projects, sources say progress has been experts say that if India begins controlling the flow with its existing and potential infrastructure, Pakistan could feel the impact during the dry season, when water availability is already at its lowest."A more pressing concern is what happens in the dry season - when the flows across the basin are lower, storage matters more, and timing becomes more critical," Hassan F Khan, assistant professor of Urban Environmental Policy and Environmental Studies at Tufts University, wrote in the Dawn newspaper."That is where the absence of treaty constraints could start to be felt more acutely."The treaty requires India to share hydrological data with Pakistan - crucial for flood forecasting and planning for irrigation, hydropower and drinking Kumar Saxena, India's former IWT commissioner for over six years, told the Press Trust of India news agency that the country can now stop sharing flood data with PakistanThe region sees damaging floods during the monsoon season, which begins in June and lasts until September. But Pakistani authorities have said India was already sharing very limited hydrological data."India was sharing only around 40% of the data even before it made the latest announcement," Shiraz Memon, Pakistan's former additional commissioner of the Indus Waters Treaty, told BBC issue that comes up each time there is water-related tension in the region is if the upstream country can "weaponise" water against the downstream is often called a "water bomb", where the upstream country can temporarily hold back water and then release it suddenly, without warning, causing massive damage India do that?Experts say India would first risk flooding its own territory as its dams are far from the Pakistan border. However, it could now flush silt from its reservoirs without prior warning - potentially causing damage downstream in rivers like the Indus carry high silt levels, which quickly accumulate in dams and barrages. Sudden flushing of this silt can cause significant downstream a bigger picture: India is downstream of China in the Brahmaputra basin, and the Indus originates in 2016, after India warned that "blood and water cannot flow together" following a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, China blocked a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo - that becomes the Brahmaputra in northeast India - as part of a hydropower building several hydropower plants in Tibet, China has green-lit what will be the world's largest dam on the lower reaches of Yarlung claims minimal environmental impact, but India fears it could give China significant control over the river's flow.*BBC
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Pahalgam attack: Will India suspending Indus Waters Treaty affect Pakistan?
Will India be able to stop the Indus river and two of its tributaries from flowing into Pakistan?That's the question on many minds, after India suspended a major treaty governing water sharing of six rivers in the Indus basin between the two countries, following Tuesday's horrific attack in Indian-administered Kashmir. The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) survived two wars between the nuclear rivals and was seen as an example of trans-boundary water suspension is among several steps India has taken against Pakistan, accusing it of backing cross-border terrorism - a charge Islamabad flatly denies. It has also hit back with reciprocal measures against Delhi, and said stopping water flow "will be considered as an Act of War". The treaty allocated the three eastern rivers – the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej – of the Indus basin to India, while 80% of the three western ones – the Indus, Jhelum and Chenab – to have flared in the past, with Pakistan objecting to some of India's hydropower and water infrastructure projects, arguing they would reduce river flows and violate the treaty. (More than 80% of Pakistan's agriculture and around a third of its hydropower depend on the Indus basin's water.) India, meanwhile, has been pushing to review and modify the treaty, citing changing needs - from irrigation and drinking water to hydropower - in light of factors like climate the years, Pakistan and India have pursued competing legal avenues under the treaty brokered by the World this is the first time either side has announced a suspension - and notably, it's the upstream country, India, giving it a geographic what does the suspension really mean? Could India hold back or divert the Indus basin's waters, depriving Pakistan of its lifeline? And is it even capable of doing so?Experts say it's nearly impossible for India to hold back tens of billions of cubic metres of water from the western rivers during high-flow periods. It lacks both the massive storage infrastructure and the extensive canals needed to divert such volumes."The infrastructure India has are mostly run-of-the-river hydropower plants that do not need massive storage," said Himanshu Thakkar, a regional water resources expert with the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and hydropower plants use the force of running water to spin turbines and generate electricity, without holding back large volumes of experts say inadequate infrastructure has kept India from fully utilising even its 20% share of the Jhelum, Chenab and Indus waters under the treaty - a key reason they argue for building storage structures, which Pakistan opposes citing treaty say India can now modify existing infrastructure or build new ones to hold back or divert more water without informing Pakistan."Unlike in the past, India will now not be required to share its project documents with Pakistan," said Mr Thakkar. But challenges like difficult terrain and protests within India itself over some of its projects have meant that construction of water infrastructure in the Indus basin has not moved fast a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir in 2016, Indian water resources ministry officials had told the BBC they would speed up construction of several dams and water storage projects in the Indus there is no official information on the status of such projects, sources say progress has been experts say that if India begins controlling the flow with its existing and potential infrastructure, Pakistan could feel the impact during the dry season, when water availability is already at its lowest."A more pressing concern is what happens in the dry season - when the flows across the basin are lower, storage matters more, and timing becomes more critical," Hassan F Khan, assistant professor of Urban Environmental Policy and Environmental Studies at Tufts University, wrote in the Dawn newspaper."That is where the absence of treaty constraints could start to be felt more acutely." The treaty requires India to share hydrological data with Pakistan - crucial for flood forecasting and planning for irrigation, hydropower and drinking Kumar Saxena, India's former IWT commissioner for over six years, told the Press Trust of India news agency that the country can now stop sharing flood data with PakistanThe region sees damaging floods during the monsoon season, which begins in June and lasts until September. But Pakistani authorities have said India was already sharing very limited hydrological data."India was sharing only around 40% of the data even before it made the latest announcement," Shiraz Memon, Pakistan's former additional commissioner of the Indus Waters Treaty, told BBC issue that comes up each time there is water-related tension in the region is if the upstream country can "weaponise" water against the downstream is often called a "water bomb", where the upstream country can temporarily hold back water and then release it suddenly, without warning, causing massive damage India do that?Experts say India would first risk flooding its own territory as its dams are far from the Pakistan border. However, it could now flush silt from its reservoirs without prior warning - potentially causing damage downstream in rivers like the Indus carry high silt levels, which quickly accumulate in dams and barrages. Sudden flushing of this silt can cause significant downstream a bigger picture: India is downstream of China in the Brahmaputra basin, and the Indus originates in 2016, after India warned that "blood and water cannot flow together" following a militant attack in Indian-administered Kashmir, China blocked a tributary of the Yarlung Tsangpo - that becomes the Brahmaputra in northeast India - as part of a hydropower building several hydropower plants in Tibet, China has green-lit what will be the world's largest dam on the lower reaches of Yarlung claims minimal environmental impact, but India fears it could give China significant control over the river's flow.
The Independent
24-04-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
What is Indus Water Treaty and why is it so critical for India and Pakistan?
India has announced the suspension of a decades-old river-sharing treaty with Pakistan following an attack in Kashmir that killed 26 people, a move that could mark a turning point in the management of a crucial transboundary water system. New Delhi has blamed Pakistan for Tuesday's attack on tourists in Pahalgam. It has, in fact, long accused the neighbour of supporting terrorism across the border, particularly in Kashmir, where an armed insurgency against Indian rule has raged since the late 1980s. Islamabad has repeatedly denied the accusations. In the wake of the attack, Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced the suspension of the 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, along with the downgrading of diplomatic ties and closure of land borders. The decision is significant because the treaty has survived wars, border conflicts, and prolonged diplomatic freezes between the rival neighbours. Indeed, water has been one of the few stable elements in their strained relationship. But not anymore, it seems. What is the Indus Water Treaty? The treaty, brokered by the World Bank, divided the six rivers of the Indus basin between the two countries. The three western rivers – Indus, Jhelum, Chenab – went to Pakistan and the three eastern rivers – Ravi, Beas, Sutlej – to India. It allowed India limited use of the western rivers for non-consumptive purposes like hydropower generation but prohibited it from altering their flows in a way that could harm Pakistan's access. In spite of this, New Delhi declared that it would stop participation in the treaty 'until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism'. Why 'suspension' is contentious There is no legal provision in the treaty for suspension, making India's announcement unprecedented. Experts say while India's move may not translate into an immediate disruption of river flows, it erodes the predictability the deal ensured, which in turn could unsettle Pakistan's already fragile water systems. 'There is no provision for suspension in the treaty, so we are entering into a grey area,' Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator of the South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People, told The Independent. 'If India stops participating in the mechanisms such as data-sharing and project reviews, it could still have implications for how downstream flows are managed.' According to the treaty, India is required to allow 43 million acre-feet of water to flow into Pakistan annually. That makes up roughly 80 per cent of Pakistan's total surface water, a crucial lifeline for its agriculture, cities, and hydropower generation. Pakistan's growing concerns Pakistani officials strongly condemned the decision. Energy minister Awais Leghari described the suspension as 'an act of water warfare; a cowardly, illegal move'. 'Every drop is ours by right and we will defend it with full force, legally, politically, and globally,' he said. Environmental experts in Pakistan say the bigger threat lies not in India cutting off water flows, which is hydrologically and politically difficult, but in the slow degradation of river systems and the loss of predictability. Muhammad Abdullah Deol, a water scientist with Green Planet Consultant Netherlands, said this moment could be an opportunity for renegotiation of the treaty to reflect the realities of the 21st century. 'Everything changes with time. It was in the 1960s. If we look at the geography, the science, technology, and population, I think it would be good if both countries can just negotiate, renegotiate,' he told The Independent. Mr Deol pointed out that both countries were using outdated irrigation techniques that ended up wasting vast quantities of water – something that could no longer be afforded as populations grew and climate impacts worsened. 'We need to work on our agriculture, and we need to renegotiate because, like I said, with the changing world everything is changing,' he said. 'So I think for the peace and prosperity of both people at the end of the day, it's 13 per cent of the human population, and we should sit together and we should use water for peace and not for power.' Mr Deol also raised environmental concerns. There could be damage to coastal ecosystems due to less freshwater reaching the Indus Delta, for instance. 'Running water itself is a form of protection,' he said. 'When the river reaches the ocean, it carries sediments that maintain the coastline. Without that, the ocean rises and eats away land – and Pakistan is already losing land to the sea.' He said some Pakistani policymakers believed the treaty, in its current form, failed to account for issues such as wastewater discharge from India and the cumulative ecological impacts downstream. Other regional experts agree that the treaty no longer reflects the environmental and political landscape of today. Ambika Vishwanath, founder director of the Kubernein Initiative, said while the treaty was 'technocratic and engineering-led', it did not anticipate the extreme climate patterns now seen across South Asia. 'The treaty didn't take into account climate change – because that science didn't exist then. But the kind of flooding, glacier melt and droughts we're seeing now were never part of the design,' she said. 'That's why this suspension, even if temporary, opens a window to revisit how the treaty works.' Still, experts warn that India's decision to step away from its treaty obligations could set a damaging precedent for future transboundary water negotiations – not just in South Asia but globally. India itself is a lower riparian in other international river basins, such as the Brahmaputra, where it insists on the sanctity of flow-sharing principles. The Indus Water Treaty may not be perfect, but it is a rare example of enduring cooperation between two rival nations. Its suspension – even without immediate consequences – marks a shift towards uncertainty, with water again at the centre of geopolitical risk in the region.
