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Showing posts with label Environmental Management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Environmental Management. Show all posts

Sunday, 7 June 2020

05:59

Taking forward this commitment to ensure environment friendly initiatives-"Take Care of Nature and Nature Will Take Care Of Us"

Taking forward this commitment to ensure environment friendly initiatives-"Take Care of Nature and Nature Will Take Care Of Us"
WR Press Release No 2020/06
06-06-2020
Mumbai
WR INTRODUCED VARIOUS PIONEERING INITIATIVES FOR CONSERVATION OF ENVIORNMENT
ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY, WR'S GM SAID - "TAKE CARE OF NATURE & NATURE WILL TAKE CARE OF US"
WR INTRODUCED VARIOUS PIONEERING INITIATIVESFOR CONSERVATION OF ENVIORNMENT
The 'World Environment Day' was observed by Western Rly o­n 5th June, 2020 with this year’s theme 'Celebrate Biodiversity’ with an aim to spread awareness about conserving our environment. To mark this occasion, Shri Alok Kansal – General Manager of W. Rly administered a pledge to Additional GM, allPrincipal Heads of various Departments, Divisional Rly Managers & other senior railway officers through video conference from his residence in Mumbai, to save plants and took the lead by planting a sapling at his residence. Shri Kansal said o­n this occasion, that he believes in the mantra “We should take care of Nature & Nature will take care of us” and he exhorted the same message while addressing the Video Conference o­n this occasion. GM shri Kansal also planted a sapling in the garden of his residential premises o­n this occasion.
According to a press release issued by Shri Ravinder Bhakar- Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway, various specific efforts and initiatives have been undertaken by Western Railway under the dynamic leadership of General Manager Shri Alok Kansal, for mitigating environmental impacts and reduce Green House Gas emissions, which have resulted in desired outcomes. In view of the prevailing Covid-19 situation, Western Railway observed the World Environment Day digitally through Video conference along with Power point Presentation, which was presided by General Manager Shri Kansal alongwith Additional GM, all PHODs & DRMsand other senior officers. Speaking o­n the occasion of World Environment Day, while addressing the HQ & Divisional officers in a VC, Shri Alok Kansal stressed upon the need to take all possible steps in the day to day working of Railways to conserve environment & find ways to protect Biodiversity. Some of the major issues were discussed included; Reduce Pollution – Solid Waste Disposal Plants, Effluent treatment plants,Conserve resources - Plastic recycling, Conserve Water – rain water harvesting systems, water recycling plants, water audits, Automatic coach washing plants and last but not the least toConserve Energy – Energy audits, HOG, Sky pipe lighting. Taking forward this commitment to ensure environment friendly initiatives, Western Railway is steadfast to guarantee a safer and cleaner environment and is taking all efforts to conserve as well as preserve the beauty of our Mother Earth intact.
On this occasion, W. Rly’s social media platforms have come out with a motivational video which spreads the message in a subtle manner. In this WR story, Baba Vantastic with his vast knowledge of earthly affairs gives the discourse to this disturbed follower that our human nature should be thoughtful & kind to our “NATURE”. Baba Vantastic motivates people to save the environment for a greener future just as W. Rly has contributed in a big way in preserving the environment and has reiterated their commitment towards this cause.
Shri Bhakar further informed that during the last year 2019-20, W.Rly initiated many activities and programmes to achieve & sustain Environmental Goals. WR ran ‘No Plastic’ campaigns from time-to-time to spread awareness about the ill effects of plastic o­n the environment. WR encourages single use plastic ban and hence it has banned the use of plastic cups, glasses, plates etc. Mumbai Central station was accredited with ISO 14001:2015 Certification in May 2019. o­n the similar line, 38 more stations of Mumbai Central division will acquire ISO 14001:2015 certification shortly. An Effluent Treatment Plant commissioned at Surat with a capacity of 60 KLD for Mechanized Laundry Surat o­n “Turn Key Basis". An Effluent Treatment Plant of 1 MLD (million litres per day) already commissioned at Bandra Terminus where waste water is treated and then used for coach washing and other activities. Western Railway has also installed benches made out of recycled plastic bottles at Churchgate station.
Shri Bhakar stated that various activities in this direction were initiated by Mumbai Division of W. Rly, o­n this occasion, even in the times of Covid-19 pandemic. A Webinar was conducted o­n 4th June, 2020 regarding Environment Management in Indian Railways by Mr Amit Thakkar, Scientist at Central Pollution Control Board to sensitize and raise awareness among staff and officers alike.Tree plantation drive of saplings of various indigenous species was organised at 10 separate locations to promote biodiversity o­n the occasion of World Environment Day. Some of the projects by W. Rly in the pipeline are:
The work of recharging and reviving existing dry open wells along with rainwater harvesting facility at Valsad, Bilimora and Udhna is being undertaken.
Solar Energy plant of 1 MW capacity to be installed at Bandra Terminus o­n Power Purchase Agreement with Solar Energy Corporation of India. This will facilitate power procurement at Rs 3.50 per unit as against a much higher rate currently being purchased from various agencies.Installation of Sky pipe day lighting system (182 Nos) at Platforms & PRS of Mumbai Central station.
4.Green Rating Certification & Sun pipe Installation for Valsad Depot.5.Green Rating Certification of Various Establishments of Western Railway, Mumbai.
Read More..



 

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Sunday, 21 July 2019

21:52

Digha Railway Station Certified As Distinction of coveted ISO 14001:2015 For Clean and Green Environment

Digha Railway Station Certified As Distinction of coveted ISO 14001:2015 For Clean and Green Environment
Kolkata, 16th July, 2019:

Digha Railway Station of South Eastern Railway has been certified as distinction of coveted ISO 14001:2015 for the scope of providing passenger amenities in clean and green environment including sanitation throughout the railway station premises o­n 10/07/2019.
The Railway Board has identified 37 major stations across the country to be developed as 'Eco smart' stations and Digha Railway Station is o­ne of them.
The efforts to attain ISO certification were made possible by close coordination of different departments ensuring an Environment Management System was set in place with tasks to make the station premises complaint with international norms completed in swift manner.
Various initiatives included setting up a waste management cell, declaring the premises a 'no plastic' zone, a new mechanised cleaning contract for the premises with waste segregation and disposal with help of municipal authorities, water and energy audits, public meetings for suggestions and awareness, emergency preparedness and mockdrills and a grievance redressal system through the newly launched website of the station.
Further improvements in the pipeline include plantation of trees in an area of 15,000 sq feet with help of forest department next to station area, setting up of new bio-toilets and conversion of existing toilets into eco-friendly o­nes, a Combined Treatment Plant(CTP) for treatment of water among others. These are expected to be completed by the last week of July.

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Saturday, 24 March 2018

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Wednesday, 17 May 2017

08:21

Centre to come out with new Metro Rail policy: Venkaiah Naidu

Centre to come out with new Metro Rail policy: Venkaiah Naidu
NEW DELHI: The Centre will come out with a new Metro Rail policy for future projects, in line with the government-approved National Policy on Transit Oriented Development (TOD), Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu said here today.
“The Centre is formulating a new Metro Rail policy to enable innovative finance such as land value capture, transit- oriented development for new Metro Rail projects,” he said.
Besides the new metro policy, a National Policy on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has been formulated and approved by the Union government, he said.
This will form a mandatory requirement for all new metro projects in the country, Naidu said.
The minister made the remarks after flagging off the first underground Metro Rail service from Tirumangalam to Nehru Park here, in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami.
Naidu said the Centre has standardised critical specifications of rolling stock and signalling systems of Metro Rail for promoting standardisation and indigenisation.He said the government was also planning to roll out a ‘green urban mobility’ scheme, aimed at improving overall travel facilities in cities by providing last mile connectivity through non-motorised transport like pedestrian pathways and bicycle sharing.
Referring to the new metro line here, Naidu said 28 kms of a total length of 45 kms in Phase 1 of the project will now be operational.
“This project was sanctioned by Government of India at a cost of Rs 14,600 crore. The government has so far released about Rs 11,301 crore for the Chennai Metro project,” he said.
With today’s launch of the line, arounhd 341 kms of metro rail has become operational in New Delhi, the National Capital Region including Gurgaon, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Jaipur and Mumbai.
“Around 529 kms are at present under construction in places like Delhi, NCR, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur, Mumbai, Kochi and Ahmedabad,” Naidu said.
Source:Railnews
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Monday, 28 November 2016

23:12

Deep sea corals face threat from climate change, global warming

Deep sea corals face threat from climate change, global warming

New Delhi: As per a new study, deep sea corals which support a variety of sea life are facing immense threat from climate change and global warming, reveals a study.

As per the report, North Atlantic coral populations face this threat and scientists have warned that changing winter weather conditions may upset fragile marine ecosystems.

Corals allow diverse forms of marine life to thrive by building reef structures that provide protection from predators and safe spaces to reproduce.

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh in the UK, focused on a species of cold-water coral - known as Lophelia pertusa - which grows in deep waters, creating elaborate reefs that are hotspots of biodiversity.

These populations are maintained by tiny, fragile coral larvae that drift and swim on ocean currents, travelling hundreds of miles between reefs where they attach and begin to grow.

Researchers used computer models to simulate the migration of larvae across vast stretches of ocean.

They did so to predict the effect weather changes could have on the long-term survival of Lophelia pertusa populations in the North Atlantic.

They found that a shift in average winter conditions in Western Europe - one of the predicted impacts of climate change - could threaten coral populations.

Ocean currents - affected by changing wind patterns - could drive larvae away from key sites in a new network of marine areas established to help safeguard coral populations, said researchers.

The team found Scotland's network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) appears to be weakly connected, making it vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

A coral population on Rosemary Bank seamount, an undersea mountain off Scotland's west coast, is key to maintaining the network.

Corals also thrive on oil and gas platforms in the North Sea and west of Shetland, which may help to bridge a gap in the MPA network between populations in the Atlantic and along the coast of Norway, said researchers.

"We can not track larvae in the ocean, but what we know about their behaviour allows us to simulate their epic journeys, predicting which populations are connected and which are isolated," said Alan Fox, from the University of Edinburgh.

"In less well connected coral networks, populations become isolated and cannot support each other, making survival and recovery from damage more difficult," said Fox.

"Scotland's seabed plays a unique role as a stepping stone for deep-sea Atlantic species," said Murray Roberts from the University of Edinburgh.

Source:ZeeNews

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Monday, 31 October 2016

07:54

Climate change and cities: Green buildings shouldn't be treated as an option anymore

Climate change and cities: Green buildings shouldn't be treated as an option anymore

The first of the two-part series on climate change and cities delved into the migration, erratic urban flooding, and near-absolute neglect of environmental-friendly measures in policy making process of urban planning. The following second part explains the need and plausible solutions on erecting green buildings in urban landscapes.

It’s only a joke to think that cities are being built keeping the environment in mind. Energy-efficient green buildings, at present, account for only five percent of the total stock in India. Surprisingly, of all the cities, which have been selected under the smart city development program, only Bhubaneswar – leading the Smart City list – has shown actual commitment to make its housing infrastructure green. The rest of the cities seem to be ambiguous on this aspect. Moreover, there seem to be no binding on inculcating green building aspects in the construction sector which are presumably most resource-intensive ones. So, what kind of smart cities are we contemplating about?



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Friday, 15 July 2016

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Friday, 8 July 2016

07:16

Environmental clearance must for Railway projects, says NGT

Environmental clearance must for Railway projects, says NGT 

Noida: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has made it mandatory to obtain environmental clearances for Indian Railway projects before any work begins on the ground.

The NGT bench, headed by the tribunal’s chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, delivered the order on Tuesday in response to a petition filed by environmentalist Vikrant Tongad.

In a petition filed on May 3, 2016, Tongad alleged that the Indian Railways project of laying 140km new track from Noida in UP to Rewari in Haryana will affect the ecology of the area because the Hindon River’s 800-metre stretch in Noida is being averted without obtaining environmental clearance (EC).

Indian Railways argued before the tribunal that its projects are exempted from obtaining EC as they are big infrastructure projects of national importance.

“But NGT did not go by Indian Railways counsel’s argument and made it clear that a railway project should obtain EC, like Delhi Metro projects,” Rahul Chaudhary, advocate on behalf of the petitioner, said.

Tongad is all set to file another petition in the NGT demanding a stay order on the work at Hindon River in Noida.

Source:RailNews
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Sunday, 26 June 2016

22:03

Climate Change Poses Urgent Threat to Poor of Coastal Bangladesh

Climate Change Poses Urgent Threat to Poor of Coastal Bangladesh

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Nearly 12 million people live in poverty in the coastal region of Bangladesh.
  • Poor households in coastal Bangladesh will confront increasingly severe challenges from climate change through heightened cyclonic inundation, rising river salinity, and increased soil salinity.
  • The World Bank is working with the Government of Bangladesh to enable poor households to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Nearly 12 million people live in poverty in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. The climate already poses a challenge to the lives and livelihoods of these households, seen vividly in the damage caused by Cyclone Roanu a few weeks ago. New projections published by the World Bank suggest climate change will pose an even more severe challenge over the next three decades.   

“Climate change is a major issue for all of us, but particularly the poor and vulnerable”, said Research Director Asli Demirguc-Kunt, who recently hosted a Policy Research Talk on the issue. “It’s been leading to crop failures, natural disasters, and the spread of water-borne diseases, and it’s an important push factor for migration.”

Lead Environmental Economist Susmita Dasgupta, the main speaker at the event, presented the results of a seven-year body of research projecting the likely impact of climate change in coastal Bangladesh through 2050. Dasgupta’s projections highlight three current and growing risks with severe consequences for the poor: cyclonic inundation, river salinity, and soil salinity.

Perhaps the most visible of all threats, cyclones destroy lives and livelihoods with alarming regularity in coastal Bangladesh: severe cyclones strike every three years on average. Rising sea levels—a direct result of climate change—will increase the land surface exposed to high levels of cyclonic inundation by more than 50 percent.

Rising river salinity presents a less visible but equally damaging threat. River salinity increases health risks, causes a scarcity of drinking water and water for irrigation, and reduces the number of fish species—a critical source of protein for many households. Dasgupta projects a more than doubling of the number of poor exposed to saline rivers.

Increases in soil salinity will challenge a country where 48 percent of the labor force works in the agricultural sector. Dasgupta projects that soil salinity levels will exceed a critical threshold resulting in large yield losses in at least 24 sub-districts of Bangladesh by 2050, a pattern that is already evident in some sub-districts.          

The World Bank has been working closely with the Government of Bangladesh and other development partners on critical measures to enable poor households in coastal Bangladesh to adapt to the impacts of climate change. These include strengthening coastal embankments, construction of multipurpose emergency shelters, and improving early warning and evacuation systems.

But based on this new body of research, Dasgupta warned that more needs to be done. Many working-age adults have already been migrating out of threatened areas, and Dasgupta called for more efforts to provide vocational training and assistance to cope with the process of out-migration.

Another option is investment in roads outside the critical biodiverse areas of the UNESCO World Heritage Sundarbans. Those who remain in threatened areas will be able to take advantage of better connections to market centers.

“Bangladeshi households are in the forefront of climate change. Their behavior and their path to adaptation can help us understand how millions of households around the world will behave in the future,” said Dagupta. “Climate change is going to create severe poverty traps. Unless we address the climate change problem now, sustainable poverty reduction will remain a dream.”

Stéphane Hallegatte, a Senior Economist in the Climate Change Group of the World Bank, added that “if you can find a solution that works in coastal Bangladesh, it will be very useful for other coastal regions where the challenge is not as severe.”

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Sunday, 14 February 2016

15:37

The National Green Tribunal slams Railways over human defecation, other waste on tracks

The National Green Tribunal slams Railways over human defecation, other waste on tracks

The tribunal directed Delhi government to expeditiously construct toilets near slums on the sites which have already been approved by the Railways.

The National Green Tribunal has slammed Railways over human defecation and other waste on tracks and also directed authorities in Delhi to expeditiously decide on rehabilitation of slum clusters located near railway tracks.

Coming down heavily on Railways, it asked the PSU behemoth to impose fine of Rs 5,000 on those defecating and throwing waste on tracks and act against them effectively.
“You can’t keep even 15 km of railway stretch in the capital clean. If you claim the tracks to be clean, how can garbage be there?… We direct all the authorities including the corporations to fully cooperate and ensure that the railway tracks are kept clean, free from municipal solid waste and other waste and dirty water not be collected near the tracks. Let status report be submitted before the tribunalbefore March 30, the next date of hearing,” it said.

The bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar directed the Delhi government and the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to expeditiously decide rehabilitation of slum clusters located near railway tracks and directed them to submit complete action plan regarding their relocation.
“The Delhi Development Authority, NCT of Delhi, Railways along with DUSIB shall hold a meeting within two weeks from today and would submit complete action plan to the tribunal in regard to shifting of jhuggis from or adjacent to the tracks by providing alternative accommodation either by way of flats which are stated to be ready or by providing piece of land where NCT of Delhi can construct flats,” the bench said.

It asked the Delhi government to utilise the amount of Rs 11 crore, which is lying with it since 2003, with interest for the rehabilitation of jhuggis.
The tribunal directed Delhi government to expeditiously construct toilets near slums on the sites which have already been approved by the Railways.
Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Railways, told the bench that it was making all possible efforts to keep railway tracks clean in the capital.
She further submitted that photographs placed before the tribunal show the efforts made by the Railways and it will continue and further efforts would be made to plant trees at the end of the railway tracks and/or railway land.

The counsel appearing for Delhi government submitted that in order to stop any human defecation on the railway tracks they are constructing toilets and they have finalised around 14 or 15 sites approximately out of which 7 fall on railway land.

To this, the ASG said that three sites have already been issued No Objection Certificate and the matter regarding other sites was under consideration.


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Saturday, 18 July 2015

20:05

Prabhu urges people to participate in development, digitisation of Railways

Prabhu urges people to participate in development, digitisation of Railways

Saturday, July 18, 2015, Pune: Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu today urged the people to participate in the development and digitisation process of Indian Railways, while sharing their views for the better prospects and development of the country.

Addressing the students as the Chief Guest for the centenary celebrations of Sir Parshuram College, Mr Prabhu said the PM Modi govt had acquired the largest investments for Railways and the business magazine of UK ‘Economist’ had also praised their development programme.

The lack of a proper development model in the past years had created many problems for the passengers. He also said that he will try to bring more investments to the Railways and focus on increasing the tracks, whose length has not been increased in the past years.

Education is important and it will be more important in future, he stressed.

Mr Prabhu further said that they have concentrated on making a strong foundation to build a better future for the nation, adding that 67 announcements made by him in the Railway Budget have been fulfilled till date.

Speaking on the Railways, Mr Prabhu appealed to the citizens to help maintain the cleanliness of the railway stations. The Modi government has taken a major programme to develop 400 railway stations in every aspect.

They will also be working for the environment, by planting lakhs of trees on both sides of the railway tracks; for saving power, they will be installing solar power plants; and there will be an audit for water usage to help preserve it.

Mr Prabhu pointed out that RO Water Filtration Plants will be installed for safe drinking water; and with E-Catering, which has been started, commuters can enjoy their choice of food.  – UNI

 Source :DayandNightNews
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Wednesday, 10 June 2015

20:33

Indian Railways joins national carbon cutting programme

Indian Railways joins national carbon cutting programme 

World’s largest rail network consumes more electricity than Sri Lanka, but is taking new steps to cut power use

In perhaps the proudest moment for me as a professional, the Indian Railways has passed a resolution to formally join the India Greenhouse Gas programme.  

As a boy, I have fond memories of travelling by train and discovering the countryside around me.

Now I know that very child, every citizen of this country can be more confident that his or her journey is helping to create a more healthy and secure future for the country.

The railways consume an enormous amount of energy.

In 2013 alone, the Indian Railways consumed more than 17.5 billion KWh of electricity, that’s about 1.7 times of power consumed in the whole of Sri Lanka.

In addition, it also consumed fuel equivalent to about 24.4 million tonnes of coal in the same period to support its traction and non-traction needs.

Report: India, China urge rich nations to cut carbon deeper 

Despite the vast size of the Indian Railways, which touches the lives of 23 million passengers a day, it has one of the lowest specific energy consumptions in the world.

This is quite commendable. For instance, India has just 10-12 grams of CO2e per capita per annum, compared to about 30 gms of CO2e per capita, per annum.

In fact, the railways ‘Vision 2020’ strategy aims at sourcing 10% of its energy use from renewable sources by the year 2020.

This was later enhanced to 20% with a shift in focus to solar energy as compared to wind in the earlier version.

The enhancement plan is to install 500MW of solar power from roof-top solar installations on railway stations, administrative buildings and vacant land.

Report: India’s green record shames West, says economic chief 

Building internal capacity to address key challenges has always been an important feature of the transition that Railways is making toward a greener future.

The newly formed Environmental Management Cell that closely works with the Rail Ministry and the Railways Board stands testimony to this.

Now, the Indian Railways will be undertaking a slew of new actions to continue on this low- carbon, sustainable growth pattern.

These include new capacity additions, improvements in traction, energy efficiency, and efficient lighting and stations among others.

Analysis: India considers twin-track climate plans towards UN deal 

The India GHG programme, whose partnerships span across the private and public sectors, will help the railways to track and reduce emissions across their operations.

The programme will build institutional capacity for greenhouse gas management through training programmes, tools, benchmarking and best practices, policy briefings and more.

Indian Railways also participates in the programme’s advisory board chaired by Mr Jamshyd Godrej; along with other eminent businesses and public sector undertakings like NTPC Limited, Indian Oil and GAIL.

As a part of its initial engagement, the railways is leading the work on standardizing carbon emission calculations arising out of rail transport in India.

Given its mammoth scale of operations, I believe that it has an unparalleled ability to influence and bring change.

Its large appetite for energy, if appropriately met, could drive an important chapter in India’s low carbon growth story.

Vivek Adhia is head of business engagement at the World Resources Institute, India 

Source: RTCC NEWS


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