DP-Index-mar08-infocus-page
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A section of
DOCPOST which is an
extract, executive
summary, index
rolled into one.
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NATURE
VERSES INFRASTRUCTURE
Ravished
River
.
Illegal
sand mining in Betwa river by the sand mafia has been causing
irreparable damage to the ecology of the region in general and to the
river in particular. The river appears to be dead by the time it
reaches Hamirpur district. Hamirpur is the place where Betwa river
joins Yamuna river. There is a confluence of Yamuna, Betwa and Ken in
Hamirpur. The Betwa riv6r originates from Madan Sagar near Mandideep
industrial area outside Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh.
The
flow of the river is blocked at several places and the river has
virtually turned into a pond. "In the 1990s, around 314 trucks
of sand used to be excavated from the four mines in the river. In
2001, it has gone upto 1100 trucks and 13 mines and at present 2324
trucks of sand are being excavated on paper," says Akhilesh
Shukla, a green activist in Hamirpur.
by
Vinod K Shukla, Shara Time, 01/03/2008
Govt
considered using explosives though project okay specified 'no
blasting'
.
A report by
a government-appointed committee on the
Sethusamudram project says adequate research has been done to
understand the underwater geology and marine environment off India’s
southern coast, including one study to examine the “controlled
blasting” of the Adam’s Bridge and after-effects.
Independent
environmental organizations counter that the studies have
been a sham, while fishermen in Rameshwaram, where the India side of
the walkway rests, already point to disappearing fish and conch species.
The
report by the “committee of eminent persons”, the Supreme
Court-mandated group convened to study the controversial project,
mentions an undated study by the Indian School of Mines to examine “the
feasibility of underwater drilling and controlled blasting in the
channel”.
The
reference essentially confirms that the government has considered
using explosives in the fragile marine biosphere to blast the Adam’s
Bridge, also known as the Ram Sethu.
by
Priyanka P. Narain, Mint, 14/03/2008
Commercialism
versus greenery
.
In
the last two decades individual houses are being replaced by
apartment blocks. But with every
bungalow demolished, go the trees, a mindless cleaning of vegetation
that stands in the way of a plan with virtually no attempt to
incorporate or accommodate an existing tree or two. I realised that
architects rarely plan with trees in mind; at least, not anymore. All
grounds are square, rectangular and flat and the first step is to mow
down anything that breaks the monotony of their notso- level and
certainly notso- creative playing fields. Our frantic run-around has
come up with a ludicrous finding - trees under hundred years do not
qualify for protection! If anything, it should be the other way
round. The Indian tradition worships trees. We animate, humanise,
communicate with, and even marry trees off to one another - this
last, particularly in Karnataka.
by
Lakshmi Lal, The Deccan Herald, 15/03/2008
.
151
trees on death row for uncertain redvpt project
.
"They
are public trees, on the road, and cannot be touched for a private
project. Besides, these are all old trees, planted by
environmentalists over 40 years ago. How can the Tree Authority, a
body which has been set up to protect trees, proceed without even
checking on the status of the project?"
by
Radha Rajadhyaksha, The Times of India, 15/03/2008
Assault
on urban green cover
It
seems Indian towns and cities are late starters in this area. Large
living spaces - lush gardens and parks and trees - that once
abounded residential areas are being replaced by hi-rises,
multiplexes, and gigantic shopping malls. Urban development is most
often taking place at the cost of vital green spaces. The verdant
haven - long celebrated in our scriptures - is diminishing with
each passing generation, and we are hurtling towards a tree-less
urban life. A long time ago, visionaries such as M Vishveshwaraya, K
Sheshadri Iyer, Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, and Mirza Ismail
emphasised the importance of trees, parks and green recreational
spaces beyond their visual contribution in a cityscape. But in our
hurry to "modernise" through rapid economic growth, urban
aesthetics and environmental upkeep and enhancement are being
sidelined.
by Janardhan Roye, The Deccan
Herald,
27/03/2008
How
Yamuna-bed plans got green light
.
The
Union government appears to have made sure that construction of the
Commonwealth Games Village on the ecologically sensitive Yamuna
riverbed will continue, despite at least two scientific studies
concluding that no permanent structures should come up in that area
in order to protect the flood plain. Documents in a 13-year saga
reviewed by Mint show
that while initially the ministry of environment
and forests (MoEF) agreed that no permanent structures, such as
housing and hotels, should be built on the proposed site as part of a
2006 environmental clearance report, later the same appraisal
committee said that permanent structures "may" come up, but only
after groundwater recharge studies are done.
by
Padmaparna Ghosh, MINT, 24/03/2008
