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Lucknow: The School of Management Sciences (SMS), Lucknow, organised a two-day national conference focusing on sustainable business approaches for a collective future.
At the collaborative event with the Indian Society for Training & Development (ISTD) and the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) , institute director Ashish Bhatnagar said, "Sustainability is not an option, it is a necessity."
Speakers, including former chief secretary of Uttar Pradesh R Ramani, former director of IIM Kozhikode Krishna Kumar, and TERI SAS New Delhi Associate Professor, Shruti Sharma Rana, led discussions on sustainable finance, circular economy, and ESG practices. TNN
Read MoreProminent environmental experts have challenged the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) report declaring Triveni Sangam water unfit for bathing during the Mahakumbh. The experts argue CPCB report is incomplete citing missing data on nitrates and phosphates.
New Delhi: Prominent environment experts have countered Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report claiming poor quality of water at Mahakumbh. The CPCB report said that Triveni Sangam water is not fit for bathing. The CPCB cites high levels of biological oxygen demand (BOD) in the water.
Prof Umesh Kumar Singh, who teaches at Centre of Environmental Science at the University of Allahabad, said that water at Sangam is fit for taking a bath keeping in view the current set of data.
‘CPCB needs to work more’
“A few days back, the Centre Pollution Control Board (CPCB) report stated increased levels of faecal coliform (bacteria) in the water. I believe that the CPCB needs to work more on the report because their data is not complete,” Professor Singh said. “The level of nitrates and phosphates are missing from the report. The level of dissolved oxygen in the water, as shown in the report, is good. And on the basis of the current data, I can say that the water at Triveni Sangam is fit for taking a bath,” Professor Umesh Singh told ANI.
“Report very inconsistent”
Similarly, another professor RK Ranjan termed CPCB report “very inconsistent”. According to RK Ranjan, who is Associate Professor Central University of South Bihar, the Central Pollution Control Board data is very inconsistent and to conclude that water is unsafe to bathe in would be to say things in haste.
He added, “There is not enough data to conclude that the waters in Prayagraj are not safe to bathe in. Similar data can be seen from Garhmukteshwar, Gazipur, Buxar and Patna. There could be many reasons for this to happen. Among others one reason behind this is when a large number of people bathe in the same waters. It also matters from where and when the sample of water is taken.”
“Coliform bacteria is nothing new”
Dr. Amit Kumar Mishra, another environmental scientist from JNU, also holds the same opinion. Mishra says the presence of coliform bacteria is nothing new and called for new data set.
I would say we need more data sets, we need more measurements. There is a huge number of population which is taking bath at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. If you talk about the coliform bacteria, it is nothing new. If you see the data of the Shashi Snan peaks, you will see that the E.Coli bacteria peaks at that time. So, I would say that we need more data sets, we need more parameters, we need more monitoring stations, especially down the stream,” Amit Kumar Mishra said.
Prof. Chander Kumar Singh of TERI School of Advanced Studies also said that many parameters are not present in the CPBC report.
“In the CPCB report available, many parameters are not present. I believe better information can be given if more data and facts come out,” Prof. Chander argued.
https://x.com/ANI/status/1892903056926486548
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Delhi could soon follow Mumbai-based water conservationist Aabid Surti’s model to save water. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, while accepting a proposal floated by Somnath Bharti, AAP MLA from Malviya Nagar, to emulate Surti’s model in his constituency, said it would be treated as a pilot project.
The model involves teams of volunteers on door-to-door visits, asking residents to check for leakages in pipelines. If any fault is found, a plumber, who accompanies the team, would immediately repair it.
“Somnath Bharti’s proposal to form teams and go door to door in Malviya Nagar to follow Surtiji’s model of water conservation will be treated as a pilot project. The result and lessons learnt will help us decide better how the project can be implemented across Delhi,” Kejriwal said on Monday, while addressing a programme on water leakage, according to a release issued by the government.
Octogenarian Surti, a painter, author and cartoonist who runs an NGO in Mumbai, has been visiting every household in his locality since 2007 with a volunteer and a plumber, fixing taps and saving a few million litres of water to date, reports said. He is sometimes referred to as the ‘Water Warrior’ of Mumbai.
“This is an important step. However, in Delhi, as large areas still receive water for only a few hours in a day, people usually tend to repair their pipelines so that they don’t face scarcity. Hence, cases of water leakage at the household level would be less. This model could be effective in those areas where there is 24-hour water supply and chances of misuse are more. Overflowing overhead tanks are a major problem,” said Arun Kansal, head of the regional water studies department at the TERI School of Advanced Studies.
Though studies and reports have warned that some cities, including Delhi, could face a water crisis due to the depleting groundwater table, Kejriwal said all residents would get round-the-clock water in the next five years.
“I believe water is going to be a major challenge in the coming days. This city will not face any alarming situation on the water front due to the kind of steps the government is taking. On the contrary, in the coming four-five years, we will be able to provide residents 24-hour water supply,” he said.
The Delhi government has taken up two ambitious projects to conserve water. One aims to store rainwater in reservoirs on the Yamuna floodplains. In the other project, waste water would be treated and reused.
“This is a good initiative. But the government should also look into the water loss because of leakage in its distribution and supply pipelines,” said Vikrant Tongad, activist, who has filed at least five PILs in the NGT on water conservation in Delhi-NCR.
