World Bank to fund ecologically safe power projects

KOLKATA: A World Bank economist has said that the lender will fund only those hydropower projects where safeguards are in place to prevent any adverse impact on the environment.

"We are prepared to support only those good hydro-power projects in India which make economic sense as well as take socio-environment safeguards very seriously," Michael Toman, lead economist on climate change in World Bank told PTI here during a visit to the city.

"The impact in terms of environment, relocation of people, and availability of water to farmers should be minimum. We want all these environment and social factors to be taken care of," he said when asked to comment on protests against power projects in states like Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

World Bank lends money to a number of development projects in India, including power projects.

Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on energy security organised by research body CUTS International, he said large grid-connected power projects have the advantage of being cheaper through the economies of scale.

"You also have the benefit of large storage capacity so that electricity is made available throughout the year," Toman, who is also the manager of the Energy and Environment Team of World Bank, said.

Various environmental groups in India have raised concerns over safety of large power projects. Last year's catastrophic flood in Uttarakhand was also blamed on hydro projects for intensifying the magnitude.

Hydropower projects are generally made to generate electricity by making dams and reservoirs to provide hydraulic head and release water through turbines on a schedule that matches energy demands.

It is estimated that there are 79 million households in India that have no access to electricity and the country imports 28 per cent of its net energy consumption.

Toman said off-grid clean energy projects at a home scale level are important to improve energy access.

Praising the government's Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission which aims to create 10,000 MW of clean energy by grid-connected solar power plants during the 12th plan, he said the country going is in the right direction.

"India is making a lot of progress steadily to generate electricity," Toman said.

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Floating solar panel to come up at Rajarghat of Kolkata by November

KOLKATA: The country's first floating solar power panel will come up on a waterbody beside the Eco Park at Rajarhat New Town by November.

Solar power expert and former advisor to the state power department SP Gon Chaudhuri said that a 15KW solar power generating panel would be set up on a waterbody located beside Eco Park in New Town. The project will be implemented under central funding by the Arka Ignou College of Renewable Energy, which is headed by him.

"It will be the country's first floating solar panel to be executed under central government funding of Rs 40 lakh," he said.

The New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA), early next year, will also set up a canal-top solar power panel on a link-up canal flowing near Eco Park that will generate 500KW solar power every day. The canal-top solar panel will be the state's first, followed by only a few other states like Gujarat.

The NKDA has started work of setting up a 500KW canal-top solar power project at an estimated cost of more than Rs 1 crore. An agency has been selected through an e-tender process and approved by a committee headed by the director of West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency (WBREDA) for the purpose.

The canal-top solar project, which is a part of the Union ministry of new and renewable energy's Solar City programme, was prepared by the solar cell of the Indian Institute of Engineering, Science and Technology (formerly known as BESU), Shibpur.

"It is a flagship canal-top solar project," said NKDA chairman Debashis Sen, adding that the project would be fully funded by the development authority.

Another NKDA official said that the project consisted of using sloped steel structure laid across a link canal flowing beside the Eco Park. The panel will generate 500KW power, which will be able to light up the entire Eco Park spreading over 480 acres. The NKDA will lay the most efficient solar panels for the flagship project, which is also a part projects aimed at developing the township as a solar city as declared by the Centre.

The NKDA will use a net metering system in which the power that will be generated and put to the grid every day will be measured. "The advantage of laying the solar panels on top of canals is that not only there will be no requirement for land for the solar power plant, but the canal will also be saved from accumulation of external wastes," said another NKDA official.

SP Gon Chaudhuri had first came up with the idea of laying floating solar panels on the waterbodies of the city. "Similar research on how solar panels could be floated on wetlands is going on in Australia," said Gon Chaudhuri.

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Agra's green cover expands from 9% to 11%

AGRA: Hundreds of saplings were planted on Sunday in Agra, whose green cover has increased from 9 to 11 per cent.

The green buffer around Agra and in patches within have contained air pollution which once posed a threat to the Taj Mahal, according to studies conducted by the Uttar Pradesh government.

The forest department says the green cover in Agra has now touched 11 per cent.

At a function organised on Sunday by the Society for Preservation of Healthy Environment and Heritage of Agra, hundreds of saplings were planted in Dayalbagh area.

Shabd Mishra of the Society told IANS: "We are now planning to stop soil erosion along the Yamuna."

The plantation already done by the forest department along the river bank has proved a major success with almost 100 per cent survival rate.

Across the river, opposite the Taj Mahal, the Archaeological Society of India has developed a beautiful green patch at Mehtab Bagh, a major attraction for film producers.

Scores of groups in Agra are vying with one another to exceed the number of saplings planted this rainy season.

Sportsperson and activist Harvijay Bahia says saplings planted along drains and barren patches three years ago have turned into trees.

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World Bank to fund ecologically safe power projects

KOLKATA: A World Bank economist has said that the lender will fund only those hydropower projects where safeguards are in place to prevent any adverse impact on the environment.

"We are prepared to support only those good hydro-power projects in India which make economic sense as well as take socio-environment safeguards very seriously," Michael Toman, lead economist on climate change in World Bank told PTI here during a visit to the city.

"The impact in terms of environment, relocation of people, and availability of water to farmers should be minimum. We want all these environment and social factors to be taken care of," he said when asked to comment on protests against power projects in states like Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

World Bank lends money to a number of development projects in India, including power projects.

Speaking on the sidelines of a seminar on energy security organised by research body CUTS International, he said large grid-connected power projects have the advantage of being cheaper through the economies of scale.

"You also have the benefit of large storage capacity so that electricity is made available throughout the year," Toman, who is also the manager of the Energy and Environment Team of World Bank, said.

Various environmental groups in India have raised concerns over safety of large power projects. Last year's catastrophic flood in Uttarakhand was also blamed on hydro projects for intensifying the magnitude.

Hydropower projects are generally made to generate electricity by making dams and reservoirs to provide hydraulic head and release water through turbines on a schedule that matches energy demands.

It is estimated that there are 79 million households in India that have no access to electricity and the country imports 28 per cent of its net energy consumption.

Toman said off-grid clean energy projects at a home scale level are important to improve energy access.

Praising the government's Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission which aims to create 10,000 MW of clean energy by grid-connected solar power plants during the 12th plan, he said the country going is in the right direction.

"India is making a lot of progress steadily to generate electricity," Toman said.

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Florican spotted in Sokhaliya region of Ajmer

AJMER: Monsoon is a joyful time for scientists and bird watchers with many rare bird species being spotted. This time, they spotted the Lesser Florican bird in the grasslands of Sokhaliya and nearby areas of Nasirabad block. This mysterious bird is only sighted during the monsoon and they vanish from this place after October which is still a mystery for science.

The Bird Conservation Society was waiting for this bird to appear since July and this week Florican has been sighted in Loharwada, Sanod, Ramsar, Bhagsuri and Piproli villages. "Even Bird Life International and Zoology Society London have put this bird in the list of endangered species and they say that it is still a mystery where the bird vanishes after October," said Mahendra Vikram Singh, president of Bird Conservation Society.

He said that florican is a beautiful bird and one can easily distinguish between a male and female bird. The bird belongs to the Great Indian Bustard family. Bird watchers eagerly wait for the bird to appear and they are usually seen in the remote region of Sokhaliya.

To solve the mystery, Rajasthan government permitted a team of scientists of Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, to tag transmitters on two birds for survey with the aid of satellite. The team will visit the state in coming days to watch and observe this bird and to track it down his migration or disappearance after October month.

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NGT seeks govt reply on green zone depletion in NCR

New Delhi/NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the Centre on depletion of natural conservation zones like forests, water bodies and wastelands in the National Capital Region.

It was hearing a petition by senior advocate Raj Panjwani against "illegal diversion" of land that was a part of these natural conservation zones (NCZ) over the years.

Panjwani, who was appearing for the Legal Aid Committee, National Green Tribunal Bar Association, quoted news reports that stated NCZs were depleting at an alarming rate. Urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu stated in Lok Sabha that, according to an analysis by the National Capital Region Planning Board along with National Remote Sensing Centre, there is a decline in the area of NCZs.

The appeal sought a stay on more diversion of NCZ land, restoration of degraded and diverted tracts of such land and quantification of damages caused by such diversion.

The NCT also issued notices to the government of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and the NCR Planning Board. The maximum depletion of NCZs was in Gautam Budh Nagar, which lost 55% of its green cover.

Gaurav Kumar Bansal, a member of the NGT Bar association and a part of the application committee of the petition, said, "The major natural features identified as environmentally sensitive areas are the Aravalli range in Rajasthan and Haryana sub-regions and its extension as the ridge in NCT-Delhi. There also forest areas, rivers and tributaries of Yamuna, Ganga, Kali, Hindon and Sahibi, sanctuaries, major lakes and water bodies such as Badkal lake, Suraj Kund and Damdama in Haryana and Siliserh lake in Rajasthan. These areas have been demarcated as NCZs in the regional plans."

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BASIC nations vow to take united stand against rich nations over climate change negotiations

NEW DELHI: The BASIC nations — Brazil, South Africa, India and China — are expected to come out with a joint statement this afternoon, reflecting their common stand during future climate change negotiations.

Idea is to ensure that the differentiation between developed and developing countries finds its place in the 2015 global climate deal so that the onus lies on rich nations to contribute substantially towards taking mitigations steps for handling the menace of climate change.

These nations are also expected to make a strong pitch for early capitalisation of the Green Climate Fund so that poor nations can use the money for their adaptation and mitigation efforts to deal with climate change.

India has long been insisting that the Global Climate Fund should also be used to procure intellectual property right (IPR) of high cost clean technology which can be given to poor nations free of cost.

India's point was articulated by the country's environment and climate change minister Prakash Javadekar in the meeting this morning.

This bloc of four countries is quite powerful in terms of thwarting any attempt's by rich nations to unreasonably impose their wish at the cost of developing nations during any negotiations on climate change issues under the UN convention.

The two-day 18th BASIC ministerial meeting, started in Thursday, worked on enhancing coordination on various issues and arrived at a common position.

Issues related to early capitalization of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and broadening the base of REDD plus (afforestation) programmes in developing countries came up for discussion during the meet.

The BASIC ministers have been meeting regularly since Conference of Parties (COP) Copenhagen to exchange views and evolve a coordinated approach on important negotiating points.

The 17th BASIC ministerial meeting on climate change was held in Hangzhou, China in October last year. The meetings are hosted by rotation in member countries.

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BASIC nations vow to take united stand against rich nations over climate change negotiations

NEW DELHI: The BASIC nations — Brazil, South Africa, India and China — are expected to come out with a joint statement this afternoon, reflecting their common stand during future climate change negotiations.

Idea is to ensure that the differentiation between developed and developing countries finds its place in the 2015 global climate deal so that the onus lies on rich nations to contribute substantially towards taking mitigations steps for handling the menace of climate change.

These nations are also expected to make a strong pitch for early capitalisation of the Green Climate Fund so that poor nations can use the money for their adaptation and mitigation efforts to deal with climate change.

India has long been insisting that the Global Climate Fund should also be used to procure intellectual property right (IPR) of high cost clean technology which can be given to poor nations free of cost.

India's point was articulated by the country's environment and climate change minister Prakash Javadekar in the meeting this morning.

This bloc of four countries is quite powerful in terms of thwarting any attempt's by rich nations to unreasonably impose their wish at the cost of developing nations during any negotiations on climate change issues under the UN convention.

The two-day 18th BASIC ministerial meeting, started in Thursday, worked on enhancing coordination on various issues and arrived at a common position.

Issues related to early capitalization of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and broadening the base of REDD plus (afforestation) programmes in developing countries came up for discussion during the meet.

The BASIC ministers have been meeting regularly since Conference of Parties (COP) Copenhagen to exchange views and evolve a coordinated approach on important negotiating points.

The 17th BASIC ministerial meeting on climate change was held in Hangzhou, China in October last year. The meetings are hosted by rotation in member countries.

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India's first jellyfish lake discovered

KOLKATA: Marine biologists have discovered a jellyfish lake in Gujarat, probably the first such in India.

"This is probably the first jellyfish lake to have been found in India. The concentration and density of jellyfish is very high here. You can even see them from outside during low tide and when the water is clear," wildlife scientist B C Choudhury said.

Led by him, a team of researchers from the Wildlife Trust of India have recently stumbled on the jellyfish habitat during a routine field visit to a small town named Armabada in Gujarat.

A couple of WTI marine biologists in snorkeling kits and armed with an underwater camera found that the bottom of the lake, spread over 5—6 hectares, was carpeted with a type of jellyfish known as 'upside down jellyfish'.

They are called so because they are found swimming upside down unlike others.

"They position themselves on their bottom side to receive maximum sunlight as they harbour photosynthetic algae called Zooxanthellae, which have a symbiotic relationship with jellyfish similar to corals," explained marine biologist S Goutham.

Another unique feature of the lake is that these jellyfish are present all around the year unlike other places where they are reported to be seasonal.

According to experts, the big bloom of jellyfish in the lake might be attributed to low predation.

Jellyfish are found in different parts of coastal India but are seen rarely in lakes.

The world renowned jellyfish lake is located on Eil Malk Island in Palau.

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Efforts on to increase India's forest cover: Govt

NEW DELHI: Efforts are on to increase India's forest cover to one-third of the land area, environment and forests minister Prakash Javadekar informed Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

"Green cover is increasing and government's intention is to take it to 33 per cent (of the total land area)," he said during Question Hour.

Stressing on the need for people's participation in the afforestation drive, he said, "we are going to make it people's movement" and awareness would be created using advertisements and social media.

"To spread public awareness regarding conservation of forests and environment in the country, Information Education and Communication (IEC) activities through modes of mass communication — print media, radio and TV — are taken up in National Afforestation and Eco Development Board Scheme," he said.

Outlining the seriousness of the government in this regard, the Minister said that for the first time allocation has been made in the budget for afforestation.

Replying to another question related to women workers in Chhattisgarh, minister of housing and urban poverty alleviation M Venkaiah Naidu said three project proposals of 'Sangwari' were received from the state government under SJSRY for socio-economic uplift of 2,900 domestic women workers through skill up-gradation.

He said the state was suggested to undertake those projects under the regular skill training component of Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojna (SJSRY).

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