Latest news with #WaterWarriors
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Demand for tree preservation Act grows as Punjab loses 1.13% forest and 0.28% tree cover in 22 years
BATHINDA: With decrease of over 1.4% geographical area under forest and tree cover in Punjab in the last over two decades, the voices for corrective measures have started rising to arrest the trend rather to increase the forest and tree cover in the state, which is one of the lowest in the country on the count. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Pro-environment organisations 'Vatrukh foundation' and 'Water warriors Punjab' have launched an email campaign urging Punjab government to enact an independent tree preservation act for Punjab. Emails have been sent to the Chief Minister, Assembly Speaker, Leader of opposition and the MLAs. The organisations have demanded to incorporate various sections in the proposed act including appointment of tree officer/s, restrictions on felling of trees, planting and preservation, penalty and compensation and provisions to revise the sections in the act. The organisations have demanded to promote large-scale tree plantation and maintenance, especially in urban and newly developed areas; Protect heritage and ecologically important trees; Establish tree protection committees for participatory governance. 'We support environmental conservation efforts and sustainable urban development. Roadside plantation obligation with developers of highways or canals must plant and maintain a 1:15 tree ratio along project lengths (15 trees per tree felled), with a 5-year survival guarantee in the proposed act', said Vatrukh foundation representative Samita Kaur and Manjit Singh from Water Warriors. They also demanded promotion of Agroforestry expansion by integrating trees with farming. Promote tree plantations on agricultural lands, Agroforestry promoting trees of high commercial value like Aquiliaria trees, Sandalwood plantation, Moringa Trees. Encourage fruit trees, timber species, and nitrogen-fixing trees. It also demanded sharing carbon credits with farmers adopting agroforestry. Sending monetary compensation of carbon credits directly to farmers' bank accounts. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Making enrollment easy to carbon credits. Formalize the carbon credit scheme with a state-level registry, ensuring farmers receive 80% of credit revenue directly, surpassing current voluntary models. Punjab has lost 1.13 percent of the geographical area under forest cover and 0.28 percent of the geographical area under tree cover in the last 22 years. The forest cover, which was 4.80 percent of the geographical area in 2001, decreased to 3.67% of the geographical area in 2023, while the tree cover, which was 3.20% of the geographical area in 2001, decreased to 2.92% of the geographical area in 2023. Combined together the forest and tree cover deceased to 6.59% of the geographical area in 2023 from 8% in 2001 as per the Indian state of forest report (ISFR 2023). Punjab' Principal Chief Conservator of forests (HoFF) Dharminder Sharma recently laid out the data in an affidavit before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in a petition arising out of a news item 'India lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover since 2000: Global Forest Watch' appeared in a section of press on April 13, 2024. As per the affidavit, the forest cover was recorded as 2432 square km in 2001 which was recorded at 1846.09 sq km in 2023 while tree cover which was recorded at 1634 sq km in 2001 was recorded at 1475.15 sq km in 2023. The decrease was recorded as 1.13 per centage of the geographical area in forest cover and 0.28 per cent in tree cover. In the meanwhile, pro-environment groups Public Action Committee (PAC) Mattewara Jungles, River Satluj and Buddha Darya, have decided to devote a week from July 1 to 7 for plantation drive turning it into 'People's movement for a greener, sustainable Punjab'. The event has been called a movement to reawaken bonds with nature, renew the vow to protect Punjab's ecological heritage with heart, hands, and hope with this not just about planting trees it is about cultivating a sustainable future for all. The aim has been put at plantation of 3,000–5,000 native saplings over 7 days, rejuvenation of the eco-sensitive floodplains of river Satluj, conservation of biodiversity and promotion of eco-tourism, awareness campaigns to ignite ecological consciousness among youth community-based responsibility for climate and environmental action, said PAC member Col (retd) CM Lakhanpal. He added the PAC is collaborating with government departments, panchayats and civil society as meetings have been held with DFO and range officers, reconnaissance site surveys have been conducted with selection of native species, area clearing and pit digging, mass mobilization through social media and public outreach. The campaign will include NGOs and civil society groups, students from school, colleges, environment enthusiasts and volunteers with the hope that every stakeholder to plant at least 100 saplings to help build mini forests for tomorrow.
Daily Maverick
25-06-2025
- Health
- Daily Maverick
School children discover that more than 40% of school water samples they tested are unsafe
The Department of Basic Education has expressed 'concern' about the test results from seven provinces. Citizen science tests by children and teachers in seven provinces suggest that roughly 40% of the school water samples they collected are not safe to drink because of stomach bug bacteria and other water contaminants. While the informal testing project was based on a very small sample of schools – mainly in townships and rural areas – they nevertheless closely mirror the findings of the government's last official Blue Drop report, which found that 'it was not microbiologically safe to drink the water in almost half (46%) of our drinking water systems at times during 2022 when the Blue Drop audit was done'. The Blue Drop report also stated that the poor tap water quality found in many smaller municipalities increases the risk of life-threatening water-borne diseases such as cholera and chronic diarrhoea. In the latest Water Warriors test programme, children and teachers at 95 schools nationwide collected and analysed samples during a series of World Water Day events in March. Subsequent analysis showed that 43% of samples were classified as unsafe for human consumption due to unacceptable levels of bacterial contamination. Large plastic water storage containers (JoJo and similar tanks) showed the highest levels of contamination (73%) while 66% of river-collected water and 23% of municipal tap water samples were also contaminated with E. coli and other intestinal bugs. Dr Ferrial Adam, executive director of WaterCAN, a national civil society organisation which helped to initiate the project, said the results would be shared with all the schools involved and the Department of Basic Education. 'When schools lack clean water, the consequences are profound. Children fall ill. Teachers struggle to create safe learning environments. Families are forced to buy bottled water with money meant for food or transport. These are not isolated incidents – they are symptoms of systemic neglect,' she said. Increasingly, many schools across the country were operating with intermittent or no piped water supply, relying instead on boreholes, rainwater harvesting or water tank deliveries. These sources were often unreliable, poorly maintained or contaminated. Adam acknowledged that: 'This project was a snapshot, not a full picture. With 95 schools participating, this represents only a tiny fraction of the more than 24,000 schools in South Africa.' But the fact that more than 40% of the tested water samples were unsafe for drinking was 'alarming', and suggested that many more schools could be facing similar or worse conditions without knowing it. 'While we cannot generalise about the water quality status of all schools, the findings do highlight systemic concerns that likely apply nationwide.' Department of Basic Education spokesperson Elijah Mhlanga has also expressed 'concern' about the test results, noting that the National School Nutrition Programme – which provides meals to 9.6 million children daily – also depends on the water supply available in the areas where the schools are located. 'Any risk to which the learners are exposed poses a serious threat to the entire value chain thus placing the health of millions of children at risk. The report therefore raises critical matters that have an impact on schooling in the country.' 'Schools are beneficiaries of services rendered by municipalities and other organs of state, so they depend on those organisations established specifically to provide services that are needed for education to take place in a conducive environment.' The testing, under the umbrella of the Water Warriors Collective, was initiated by WaterCAN, with support from Adopt-a-River, the Wildlife and Environment Society, Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo, the Cape Town Science Centre, the Nelson Mandela Bay Science Centre, Makhanda River Rescue and the Leap Institute. The testing kits were supplied by the i-lab group which designed portable kits for non-scientific field operatives to do a basic water quality screening on chemicals (nitrates, nitrites, phosphates, chlorine, alkalinity, pH and hardness) and microbiological contamination (total coliform, E. coli) to determine the water's safety for human consumption. DM
