Latest news with #StockholmConvention
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Neeri's giant leap with Global South Network for eco sustainability
Nagpur: The CSIR-National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-NEERI) is set to establish a Global South Network to collaborate with institutes across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Middle East on environmental sustainability. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A key focus of this initiative is to address critical challenges affecting these regions. In an exclusive interview with TOI on Wednesday, CSIR-NEERI director Dr S Venkata Mohan, an Abdul Kalam Technology Innovation National Fellow, emphasized the network's goal of tackling region-specific environmental issues. "The Global South faces unique challenges, and this platform will amplify our voice to address them collaboratively," he said. The network aims to create a charter, facilitating annual engagements across member countries to develop tailored solutions. "India represents a significant population, and our contributions will carry substantial weight globally," Dr Venkata Mohan added. NEERI also hosts a regional centre for the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), in partnership with the ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC). The Stockholm Convention targets chemicals that persist in the environment, spread globally, and accumulate in fatty tissues, posing risks to human health and ecosystems. "We are developing methods to monitor and phase out particulate organic carbon (POC) and other POPs," Dr Venkata Mohan said, highlighting NEERI's role as a recognized regional centre. The Global South Network, an independent initiative, will strengthen NEERI's leadership in environmental research, fostering sustainable development across member nations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Also, CSIR-NEERI is in discussion to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) in collaboration with IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute to advance water and wastewater treatment and energy recovery technologies. "A recent Sweden delegation formalized to drive Indo-Swedish sustainability goals," he said. The CoE, to be established at NEERI's Nagpur campus, will serve as a hub for innovative water management solutions, aligning with global circular economy practices. Last year, the Swedish Innovation Agency Vinnova commissioned IVL Swedish Environmental Research Institute to conduct a pre-feasibility study for establishing a Sweden-India Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Sustainable Cities. The study was led by Rupali Deshmukh (Karangale), a native of Nagpur now based in Sweden, who serves as Country Manager for India and CEO of IVL India. IVL has now been tasked with hammering out a detailed feasibility study focusing on water, wastewater, sludge, and energy.
Arab Times
6 days ago
- Science
- Arab Times
Hosting Stockholm Regional Centre enhances Kuwait's environmental leadership: KISR
KUWAIT CITY, May 25: The Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) affirmed on Saturday that hosting the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for West Asia underscores Kuwait's leading role in advancing global environmental initiatives and solidifies its status as a key regional hub for chemical and waste risk management. Dr. Mohammad Al-Otaibi, Coordinator of the Regional Centre and a scientific researcher at KISR, told KUNA that the center provides technical and training services to countries across West Asia. It serves as a vital link between three major environmental agreements—most notably the Stockholm Convention—and the member states, offering technical support, technology transfer, regular updates, and assistance in implementing national action plans and submitting periodic reports. Since its inception, the center has conducted numerous regional training workshops, Al-Otaibi noted. It is now preparing to host an expanded workshop in October 2025 at KISR's headquarters. The event will bring together participants from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, other West Asian nations, and international experts to address recent updates to the convention, including chemicals such as PFAS, UVA-328, and PCBs, as well as the latest testing and reporting mechanisms. He highlighted that the center recently completed an updated national survey of banned chemicals in Kuwait in coordination with relevant agencies, including the Environment Public Authority, which fully supported the effort. A comprehensive report was submitted to the Stockholm Convention Secretariat. The center is now working on a new inventory of newly added substances to be submitted according to the required timeline. Al-Otaibi outlined the center's strategic work plan for 2024–2027, which is built around eight key areas: organizing advanced training workshops, implementing national research projects, updating national implementation plans (NIP), building a regional chemical database, evaluating new chemicals, and facilitating regional coordination and periodic reporting. He stressed that collaboration with donors and international organizations — such as the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) — has strengthened the center's capabilities. These partnerships help facilitate technology transfer, expand regional influence, and enhance Kuwait's environmental commitments while creating valuable opportunities for national capacity-building. Al-Otaibi also emphasized the importance of KISR's participation in the recent Conferences of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, held in Geneva from April 28 to May 9, 2025. Kuwait's involvement, he said, showcased the country's environmental efforts and contributed to key decisions, including the addition of new chemicals to the conventions, updates to technical guidelines, and the launch of joint environmental compliance programs. He added that the regional center provides strategic value for Kuwait, not only as a scientific and training hub but also as an essential mechanism for protecting public health and the environment. The center's success, he noted, has been made possible by the support of the Kuwaiti leadership and collaboration with national partners. Additionally, Al-Otaibi said the center plays a critical role in developing national human resources, proposing scientifically validated alternatives to banned substances, and reducing environmental pollution costs—ultimately supporting Kuwait's economy and promoting sustainable development. Kuwait ratified the Stockholm Convention in March 2006. In May 2009, during the Fourth Conference of the Parties in Geneva, KISR was officially approved as the Regional Centre for Training and Technology Transfer for West Asia, making it the first internationally accredited Arab center of its kind. Since its formal launch in 2011, the center has served as a scientific and technical cornerstone for advancing environmental policy and fostering coordinated regional efforts.
Mint
23-05-2025
- Health
- Mint
Govt to direct makers of lice lotion lindane on safe use, disposal labelling
New Delhi: The Centre is set to direct manufacturers of lindane, an insecticide used to treat scabies and lice infestations, to put clear labels on the containers to educate consumers about the drug use and its safe disposal, a government official said. The Drug Controller General of India's (DCGI) move follows concerns about lindane misuse in humans. To be sure, lindane is not prohibited in India, and is allowed to be sold as lotion and shampoo for human use. With a domestic production capacity of 1,300 tonnes per annum, India is a major exporter of the drug. Also read: New check for old drugs as Centre reviews safety In January this year, the Union health ministry received a communication from the ministry of environment, forest & climate change regarding lindane, highlighting that Stockholm Convention is a global environmental treaty that aims to protect human health and the environment from persistent organic pollutants (POPs). India is a signatory to the convention. Lindane is listed under the Stockholm Convention on persistent organic pollutants. PoPs are toxic chemicals persist in the environment for long periods, resisting degradation through natural processes. They can remain in the soil, water, and air for years or even decades. They accumulate in living organisms and pose risks to human health and ecosystems. Also read: An influencer gained followers as she documented her weight loss. Then she revealed she was on a GLP-1 The matter was taken up at the Drugs Technical Advisory Board meeting in April chaired by the Director General of Health Services (DGHS). The minutes of the meeting, reviewed by Mint, stated that the board also observed that topical preparation of lindane is used as a second-line treatment for scabies and lice infestations and Stockholm Convention also permits such use. Scabies is a contagious skin condition caused by tiny mites that burrow under the skin, causing intense itching and a rash. Queries sent to the health ministry remained unanswered till press time. In India, lindane formulations are registered for use in pharmaceutical products for control of head lice and scabies on people and sold under different brand names. Also read: Why America has not passed a law to treat addiction better 'Lindane is an affordable and effective drug for the treatment of scabies and lice infestations and recommended for continued marketing of drugs. So, the plan is to issue the guidance note for the manufacturer for safe disposal of the drug at all levels including instruction on the label," said the official aware of the matter. According to the official, unsafe disposal of leftover lindane has led to several cases of accidental misuse in homes.
Scroll.in
19-05-2025
- Health
- Scroll.in
Why farmers are at risk as India pushes back against global curbs on deadly insecticide
For over two years, Rajeshwar Madankar has struggled with constant body pain and headaches. It began when the 27-year-old farmer from Maharashtra's Yavatmal district sprayed the insecticide, chlorpyrifos, on his cotton farm one morning. He made the mistake of not covering his face. 'That day it was windy, and I accidentally inhaled some of the insecticide,' he said. By the evening, he had a headache. In a few days, he was vomiting almost every evening. Chlorpyrifos is used on a variety of food crops to control soil-borne insects, mosquitoes and roundworms. Eating, inhaling or touching the insecticide can lead to nerve and muscle damage. The World Health Organisation lists it as 'moderately hazardous'. Studies link it to possible a cancer risk and growth concerns in newborns, apart from neurotoxicity. 'We usually mix 20 ml to 30 ml of the insecticide in a bucket, he may have used more,' said Aakash Suresh Masram, another farmer in Yerad village. At the Yavatmal district hospital, the staff ran blood tests. 'The doctor told me that the insecticide led to poisoning,' Madankar told Scroll. Other farmers suspect that the insecticide has been damaging their health too, Masram said. 'Several farmers in our village have stopped using chlorpyrifos insecticide after Madankar's illness,' he said. The farmers' fears have been vindicated at a global meet of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants in Geneva that ended on May 9. The convention is an international environmental treaty that aims to reduce the impact of pollutants on human health by encouraging countries to limit or stop their use. The organisation has decided to eliminate the use of chlorpyrifos in a phased manner. But Indian farmers may not benefit from the decision. India, along with seven other countries, has sought an exemption from the decision, raising concerns among experts of continued health risk to farmers from the insecticide. Several countries including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Uruguay and Iraq, along with the European Union, last fortnight supported the inclusion of the insecticide in Annex A of Stockholm Convention. This document mandates the gradual elimination of the insecticide. India opposed its complete elimination because it says that there is a lack of alternatives to chlorpyrifos, which, it says, is need to ensure the country's food security. It said it will continue to use chlorpyrifos for the next five years for at least 12 crops – wheat, rice, gram, beans, sugarcane, barley, apple, groundnut, onion, cotton, mustard and brinjal. However, AD Dileep, chief executive officer of Pesticide Action Network in India, argued that there are easily available chemical and non-chemical alternatives to chlorpyrifos. 'No consultation was held by the government with experts before it sought an exemption,' Narasimha Reddy Donthi, an international campaigner on climate change, told Scroll. 'The decision seems to be industry driven. We fail to see any apparent reason for the continued use of such a harmful chemical,' he added. Having reviewed proposals to list three pesticides under the #RotterdamConvention, delegates at #BRSCOPs could not agree to list any That includes chlorpyrifos—a pesticide just listed last week by Stockholm Convention as a persistent organic pollutant ➡️ — Earth Negotiations Bulletin (@IISD_ENB) May 5, 2025 In 2023-24, 1416.22 metric tonnes of chlorpyrifos were consumed in the country. Currently, India and China are the largest producers of this insecticide. The Indian government's stand is surprising given that its own panel had recommended a ban on the insecticide. In 2018, a sub-committee formed by the Union agriculture department reviewed the use of 27 pesticides and insecticides, including chlorpyrifos, and concluded that all 27 may be banned in India. In 2023, however, the central government banned only four out of the 27 pesticides. Health concerns It is difficult to establish a direct link between the insecticide and its health impact due to the paucity of adequate scientific studies to prove the adverse effects. 'But it is well established that chlorpyrifos is highly toxic, especially for farmers, children and workers in the field,' said Kumar, from the Pesticide Action Network. 'There is no safe level of exposure to it.' In 2024, Punjab banned 10 pesticides used for paddy cultivation due to high residues in the harvested crop. One of the insecticides was chlorpyrifos, which was found beyond permissible limits in basmati rice, leading to export rejections. Another 2013 study in ScienceDirect found chlorpyrifos residues in breast milk in Punjab, raising concerns over pesticide exposure in breastfed infants. Lack of government monitoring Donthi, the campaigner who works with Pesticide Action Network, said in a field survey report in 2022, they found rampant use of chlorpyrifos by farmers on various crops. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India also raised an alert on chlorpyrifos' use in an advisory to all states in 2019. The letter stated that tests carried out on multiple vegetables found that 'residues of chlorpyrifos were exceeding the maximum residual limit' set by the authority. Another study in 2024 found chlorpyrifos residues in 33% of food samples tested. Pranav Rawat, an apple grower from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh said he is aware of the long-term impacts of spraying the insecticide. Despite that, he said that apple farmers continue to heavily rely on chlorpyrifos in the state. 'It's easily available in the market and the government gives it on subsidy,' he claimed. 'It's also very effective in killing the insects. But that itself should be an indicator about why it is very harmful to human health as well.' He added that usually farmers are more interested in its immediate ability to kill insects, rather than thinking about the long-term health impacts. Rawat stopped the use of chlorpyrifos in 2023. He now uses neem oil which he has found to be less harmful on pollinators like bees. He also explained that farmers tend to exceed the maximum permissible quantity of the insecticide. 'If for example the recommended level is to mix 200 ml of chlorpyrifos per 200 liters of water, farmers use 400 ml or even 600 ml. No one is there to check and regulate farmers on the ground.' Aashesh Mehta, an apple cultivator in Himachal Pradesh, however said that awareness amongst farmers is rising. "Not everyone uses this insecticide," he said. "I have never used it."
Qatar Tribune
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar nominated to represent Asia-Pacific region in Bureau of Conference of Parties to Stockholm Convention
DOHA: The Asia-Pacific Group, within the Conference of the Parties on Chemicals and Hazardous Waste Management, has nominated the State of Qatar as its representative in the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants. The nomination came during the Conference of the Parties to the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions, held in Geneva. This nomination reflects the active role played by the State of Qatar on the international stage in protecting the environment and promoting the sustainable management of chemicals and waste. It also embodies its firm commitment to implementing the provisions of international environmental agreements and its active participation in their implementation mechanisms. This achievement is a qualitative addition to Qatar's journey in international environmental work, enhances its position in global environmental forums, and confirms the international community's confidence in its competence and ability to effectively contribute to achieving the objectives of the Stockholm Convention and supporting global efforts to achieve sustainable development.
