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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Business Standard
Electric vehicles: Why change is needed and how to make it happen
By 2030, the penetration of EV sales would be 70 per cent of all new commercial cars, 30 per cent of private cars, 40 per cent of buses, and 80 per cent of two- and three wheelers Sunita Narain Listen to This Article There are three key reasons why countries need to electrify their vehicle fleet. One is climate change. The transport sector guzzles massive amounts of oil (petrol and diesel) and globally contributes roughly 15 per cent of annual carbon dioxide emissions. Zero-emission vehicles, or electric vehicles (EVs), replace oil with electricity, which is ideally generated in renewable-energy plants, and are seen as the solution. The second reason, which is more important for Indian cities, is that replacing petrol and diesel vehicles with zero-emission ones will reduce local pollution. And third: It will save us valuable foreign exchange because oil consumption will
Time of India
6 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
Mixed report card for Bengal environment
Kolkata: Bengal received mixed results in a nationwide assessment of states' performance on environment, sustainability, agriculture, public health, and infrastructure, according to State of India's Environment in Figures 2025, released by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) on the eve of World Environment Day. When it comes to agriculture and land use, Bengal fared better, ranking 6th with a score of 60.5, thanks to improved agricultural input usage and land sustainability. However, it lagged in terms of farmer welfare indicators, like indebtedness and insurance coverage. The report placed Bengal 23rd among 28 states in overall environmental performance, with a score of 50.1 out of 100. It fell behind on key indicators, like solid waste management, sewage treatment, and polluted river stretches, although it had moderate scores in climate-related parameters and forest cover. In terms of public health, Bengal fared poorly, ranking 23rd with a score of 39.4. The state continued to grapple with high rates of undernutrition among children, poor health infrastructure, and low percentages of medically certified deaths. Its performance across health outcomes, such as infant and maternal mortality, life expectancy, and insurance coverage, was also weak. In public infrastructure and human development, Bengal ranked 22nd, with a score of 43 out of 100. The state struggled with issues such as low female workforce participation, high graduate unemployment, and inadequate per capita power availability. CSE director general Sunita Narain emphasised that the data, sourced entirely from official govt statistics, offers a sobering picture. "India's most populous states — Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Bengal, and Madhya Pradesh — home to 49% of the country's population, rank low on nearly every theme. This shows that large segments of the population remain vulnerable and exposed to multiple threats," she said. Narain added: "Numbers usually give us the truth, and what we are unveiling clearly indicates that this is not the time for complacency, nor chest-thumping." No state emerged as a comprehensive leader, with even top-ranking states struggling in key areas. Andhra Pradesh, while leading in forest and biodiversity conservation, struggled with sewage and river pollution; Sikkim excelled in sustainable land use but lagged in farmer welfare; Goa, despite being the best in health and human development, faced bed shortages and low female labour participation.
The Hindu
09-05-2025
- General
- The Hindu
Yamuna cleaning: Faecal sludge to free flow, CSE report charts new course
The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), a Delhi-based research and advocacy group, released a comprehensive report on Thursday that calls for immediate and systemic reforms to revive the heavily polluted Yamuna river. The report titled 'Yamuna: The Agenda for Cleaning the River' emphasises the need to collect and treat all faecal sludge from non-sewered areas. It recommends reworking strategies for the Najafgarh and Shahdara drains, which contribute a staggering 84% of the pollution load into the river. Highlighting inefficiencies in current sewage treatment practices, the CSE criticises the discharge of treated water into drains that are already polluted with untreated waste, rendering the treatment process ineffective. 'Each sewage treatment plant (STP) must plan not just how it will treat, but also how it will discharge treated effluents,' the report notes. It also calls for an increase in river flow to improve the river's ability to assimilate waste. This could involve reducing water intake, enhancing storage, and directly discharging clean, treated water into the river. The report raises concerns about unchecked industrial pollution, particularly from units operating in unauthorised areas beyond regulatory oversight. CSE Director General Sunita Narain stated that despite years of investment and legal pressure, the river shows no sign of improvement. 'The agenda for cleaning the river is critical as a 'dead Yamuna' is not just a matter of shame, it also adds to the burden of providing clean water to Delhi as well as to the cities downstream,' Ms. Narain said. 'We must realise that cleaning the Yamuna will require much more than money. It will need a reworked plan which will guide us towards thinking and acting differently,' she added. Faecal coliform levels, an indicator of sewage contamination, remain alarmingly high, said the report, which likens the river to a 'sewage canal.'
Indian Express
09-05-2025
- General
- Indian Express
Cleaning Yamuna will require more than money, it will need a plan: CSE
Lack of data on wastewater generation, direct discharge of faecal sludge from desludging tankers into rivers or drains in several locations, and mixing of treated and untreated sewage in the drains – these are some of key reasons for pollution in Yamuna, Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) stated in an assessment released on Thursday. Sunita Narain, director general of CSE — a research and advocacy organisation — told mediapersons: 'The focus of Yamuna Action Plan 2025 has been to build STPs (sewage treatment plants) so that domestic wastewater is intercepted and treated; improve the quality of treatment; build interceptor sewers to tap drains and divert sewage; lay sewage pipeline in unauthorised colonies and treat industrial waste in common effluent treatment plants…' 'All are good ideas… all needed. Then why is the Yamuna still polluted?' she asked. She went on to say, 'We do not know how much wastewater is generated by Delhi… as there is no clear data on Delhi's population in the absence of a regular census or on the amount of unofficial water (groundwater and water supplied by tankers) that residents use… Without the data on wastewater, we must rework the plan.' The report, titled 'Yamuna: The Agenda for Cleaning the River', noted: '…it is clear that cleaning the river will require more than money. It will need a plan, which recognises the reality that Delhi, like many other cities of India, is a city where the bulk of its people live in unauthorised areas, where sewage is not intercepted and therefore, not treated.' Maintaining that there is a need to intercept the sewage and not release it back into the drains that carry untreated sewage, the report stated that it must also be ensured that the 22 drains opening to Yamuna are releasing only clean water. As per the report, the focus of official actions, while 'commendable', has failed to address the issue of pollution because of concerns like – there is no dissolved oxygen in the river beginning from ISBT; Yamuna becoming polluted at Palla, an area located within a few km of the river entering Delhi; and no visible improvement in the river's quality. On how the Delhi government has been trying to curb pollution in Yamuna, the report noted a few measures – enhancement of sewage treatment capacity and its utilisation, tighter discharge norms, laying of sewage pipelines in unauthorised colonies, and controlling industrial pollution. While the government has 28 'approved' industrial areas – effluents from 17 of these are treated in common effluent treatment plants – the report noted that 'the quality of treatment is a matter of concern'. There is also a lack of clarity on the discharge locations post-treatment of these effluents, it added. The CSE recommended a 5-point action agenda in order of priority: – Ensure all faecal sludge is collected from non-sewered areas and treated. 'The state does not have to invest in building and refurbishing costly sewage pipelines. The strategy for faecal sludge management through tankers is faster and more cost-effective,' Narain said, emphasising the need to ensure that all desludging tankers are registered and their movement monitored. – Ensure that treated water is not discharged into drains, where it gets mixed with untreated wastewater. – Ensure full utilisation of the treated wastewater so that they do not add to the pollution load. At present, only 331-473 MLD is reused, which is between 10-14% of the treated wastewater. – Plan upgrade of the STPs based on the reuse of treated water plan and redesign the effluent standards. – Rework plan for the two major drains — Najafgarh and Shahdara. Stating that these contribute to 84% of the pollution load in Yamuna, the report stressed that the government's interceptor drain plan has not been working.
Time of India
08-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Delhi's Yamuna-cleaning plan needs reset, not just money: Report
A new analysis suggests a revised strategy for cleaning the Yamuna river in Delhi. The report highlights the need to stop mixing treated and untreated water. It also suggests GPS tracking for faecal sludge tankers. The report emphasizes treating water near the river and addressing data gaps. Despite significant spending, the Yamuna remains polluted. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: Amid renewed efforts to clean the Yamuna in Delhi, a new analysis released on Thursday said authorities need to rethink their strategy and stop the mixing of treated and untreated water in drains flowing into the river. The analysis by Delhi-based think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said officials must ensure that tankers collecting faecal sludge from areas without sewer connections do not dump it into drains or the director general Sunita Narain said all such tankers should be fitted with GPS trackers to make sure the sludge is taken to sewage treatment plants (STPs) for proper treatment and added that untreated water from unsewered areas should be treated near the river before being also said that one of the biggest problems in cleaning the Yamuna is the lack of clear data on the city's population, which makes it difficult to know if the current treatment capacity is 22-kilometre stretch of the Yamuna between Wazirabad and Okhla in Delhi, less than 2 per cent of the river's total length, accounts for 80 per cent of its pollution main reasons for the pollution are untreated wastewater from unauthorised colonies and slum clusters and the poor quality of treated water from STPs and common effluent treatment plants (CETPs).According to the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), the city generates 3,600 million litres per day (MLD) of sewage. The 37 STPs in Delhi have a total capacity of 3,474 MLD, about 96 per cent of the sewage these plants are currently operating at only 80 per cent of their capacity, treating just 2,777 MLD. The remaining sewage flows untreated into the the treated water, only around 1,960 MLD meets the required quality standards, that is, the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) levels should be below 10 milligrams per said the Delhi government spent more than Rs 6,856 crore on Yamuna-cleaning projects between 2017 and this, the river remains polluted and dirty. Cleaning the Yamuna will take more than just money. It needs a new and improved plan, she areas not connected to the sewer system, Narain said the government does not need to invest in expensive pipelines, as managing faecal sludge through tankers is quicker and more also said that STP standards should be set with water reuse in mind, as large investments needed to upgrade the plants to meet the stricter discharge standards delays the cleaning report called for a fresh plan for the Najafgarh and Shahdara drains, which together contribute 84 per cent of the river's pollution load in Delhi.
