We don't need NO education

A Gurgaon vernacular carried this newsitem: “Children to help for Environment Betterment”. It further goes on to say that TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute which earlier used to be called Tata Energy Research Institute) will take the help of children for betterment of environment. (YAWN!!)

TERI will educate children in vermi-composting and water conservation. For this the institute will tie with various schools. One research associate from TERI announced at a press conference that there will be painting and debate competitions as well as visit to environment-associated places (environment-associated places??).

So what’s new in this?
There is – and that is that this is being done under the YAMUNA ACTION PLAN 2. Money has been given by multilateral funding agencies to the Indian government to clean river Yamuna. What better way to spend this money than to involve the departments of Public Health and Forestry and “EDUCATE CHILDREN”! After all, educating children is an old and time-tested formula which is fail-safe. Nobody gets censured as everybody feels the money is well-spent, everybody is very happy and of course, no work is REALLY done. It is like peeing in your pants where you feel relieved, there is a warm feeling and the mess is rarely seen and when detected it is anyway too late so somebody else is saddled with the clean up and life goes on as normal.

I am sure a huge and reputed institute like TERI can do better than this. And the reason trotted out for going after the age-old social development formula of “Educate the children” is that “children are the future”! So, Present be damned, we will take care of the Future.

Why can’t we educate all the young adults working in BPOs; these young twenty-somethings who work to American or Australian clocks and chill out at late night parties. Why can’t we have environmental painting and debate competitions in BPOs? Simple, because no company or corporate worth its name is interested in environment. Why can’t all corporate executives in any one corporate park be taken on a nature trail along the Najafgarh drain to show them where their excreta ends up? NO, this can’t happen as no corporate (the same corporate that keenly organizes river rafting expeditions in the Himalayas for employee morale) gives time out to its executives nor does it itself organize such an environmentally enlightening nature trail. It has no press value, and therefore, it is not worth bothering about. Anyway who cares for the shit, it is supposed to be done and forgotten about.

Dear people of Public Health Department, Forest Department and all other departments as well as TERI, pollution in river Yamuna will not stop by mere debate and painting competitions or even by educating the students (those poor creatures are anyway going crazy being educated!)

The pollution will stop by finding local solutions for wastewater and sewage. By ensuring that the 34 million cu m of rainwater which flows with the sewage every monsoon is harvested, by ensuring that fresh water is not used in public parks and that each government and group housing society buildings harvests its wastewater. BUT these are difficult to do, as they require vision and hard work. So, until then let’s screw the present and take care of the future by educating the children!

Providing drinking water

On june 18 - The Haryana Chief Minister Mr. Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that Haryana Government had earmarked a sum of Rs. 155 crore during the current financial year under an innovative Indira Gandhi Water supply scheme for providing eight lakh water supply connections free of cost to the families belonging to scheduled castes in the State and out of these 3.82 lakh connections had already been given to the beneficiaries so far. Great job done Mr C.M.
however there is a small catch. we all forget that 80% of the water supplied to households is thrown out of the house as sewage in urban areas and wastewater in rural areas. (urban areas don't understand the concept of wastewater. for urban areas as everything in the house is connected to the sewer line all wastewater ends up as sewage.) rural people are not lucky as they have no sewer lines and 80% defecate outside so water not used or waste water is taken out of the house.

so if haryana govt. spends 155cr for providing water what about wastewater???? it is either the planners or admin people forgot that there is no sewer in the villages or they didn't think wastewater management was imp. rural people are anyway supposed to manage things on their own.

actually this has always been the case with central planning. part of the system is always left blank and somebody is supposed to fill in the blanks. we seriously now need planners and admin people to upgrade not only their knowledge but also skills to come to terms with globalisation happening. this way money can be better utilised and people can enjoy benefits.

Compact fluorescent light bulb- some compact mercury info

i was doing some background check on energy efficient buildings when i came across info on CFL or compact fluorescent light bulb. i had read about CFL earlier and was acutely aware that they are efficient vis a vis tubes and incandescent bulbs. also the fact that indian govt. had passed the Energy act 2001 based on which haryana govt. had made regulations and everybody was composing and singing raginis made on CFL. there were govt. schemes to replace incand. bulbs with cfl's. as i started reading info on cfl there are finer prints which nobody is talking about. got some info on wikipedia n some american sites. collated it. i think we need to do more work in understanding cfl's before blindly pushing it down in the market. this is all the more important as waste management has never been a very strong point with us. for most of us waste is something which needs to be thrown out , so here goes

Mercury poisoning is the ill effects on humans nervous system and other bodily systems due to the over-exposure of mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin, meaning it affects the nervous system. The "mad hatters" of the 19th century suffered from mercury poisoning which caused personality changes, nervousness, trembling, and even dementia. The hatters were exposed to mercury in the felting process, where mercury was rubbed onto cloth to preserve it.
The degree of risk varies depending on the amount of mercury, the form, how often, and the age of the exposed person. Children (and also unborn fetuses) are the most vulnerable the effects of mercury poisoning.

If you are affected by acute mercury poisoning, your symptoms will usually begin with a cough, chest tightness, trouble with breathing, and an upset stomach. Pneumonia can develop, which can be fatal.
If you swallow inorganic mercury compounds, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe kidney damage may occur.

If you are exposed to any form of mercury repeatedly or for an extended period, chronic mercury poisoning can result. Health effects include nervous system effects, kidney damage, and birth defects. There are several symptoms:

Gingivitis: The gums become soft and spongy, the teeth get loose, sores may develop, and there may be increased salivation.
Mood and mental changes: People with chronic mercury poisoning often also have wide mood swings, becoming irritable, frightened, depressed, or excited very quickly for no apparent reason. Such people may become extremely upset at any criticism, lose all self-confidence, and become apathetic. Hallucinations, memory loss, and inability to concentrate can occur.
Nerve damage: It may start with a fine tremor (shaking) of the hand, loss of sensitivity in hands and feet, difficulty in walking, or slurred speech. Tremors may also occur in the tongue and eyelids. Eventually this can progress to trouble balancing and walking. It has even caused paralysis and death in rare cases.

• Besides the above, Mercury can cause kidney damage, which includes increased protein in the urine and may result in kidney failure at high dose exposure.
  Mercury has also been known to affect the development of prenatal life and infants.
  Skin allergies may develop. If this happens, repeated exposure causes rash and itching.
  Exposure to mercury vapor can cause the lens of the eye to discolor.
  Some of the inorganic mercury compounds (mercury two) can cause burns or severe irritation of the skin and eyes on contact.

Now something about CFL. A compact fluorescent lamp (CFL), also known as a compact fluorescent light bulb (or less commonly as a compact fluorescent tube [CFT]) is a type of fluorescent lamp. Many CFLs are designed to replace an incandescent lamp and can fit in the existing light fixtures formerly used for incandescents.

Compared to general service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, CFLs use less power and have a longer rated life, but generally have a higher purchase price. In the United States, a CFL can save over 30 USD in electricity costs over the lamp's lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2000 times its own weight in greenhouse gases. Like all fluorescent lamps, CFLs contain mercury; this complicates the disposal of fluorescent lamps.
Modern CFLs typically have a lifespan of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a lifespan of 750 hours or 1,000 hours. Some incandescent bulbs claim long rated lifespans of 20,000 hours with reduced light output

Broken CFL bulbs release mercury vapors which are harmful to human and ecological health. The EPA ( in USA) has a page dedicated to clean-up of broken CFL Bulbs. Although mercury in these bulbs is a health hazard, special handling upon breakage is currently not printed on the packaging of household CFL bulbs in many countries. It is important to note that the amount of mercury released by one bulb can exceed U.S. federal guidelines for chronic exposure

CFLs, like all fluorescent lamps, contain small amounts of mercury and it is a concern for landfills and waste incinerators where the mercury from lamps is released and contributes to air and water pollution. In the USA, lighting manufacturer members of the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) have voluntarily capped the amount of mercury used in CFLs:
Under the voluntary commitment, effective 15 April 2007, NEMA members will cap the total mercury content in CFLs of less than 25 watts at 5 milligrams (mg) per unit. The total mercury content of CFLs that use 25 to 40 watts of electricity will be capped at 6 mg per unit.

mercury from spent CFLs is not released into air if the bulbs are not broken in transport. Only 3% of CFL bulbs are properly disposed of or recycled. This comparison also only refers to the statistics of a CFL bulb surviving its full rated life.
Some manufacturers such as Philips, GE and Turolight make very low mercury content CFLs. In 2007, Turolight claimed its new Genesis Fusion line contained only 1mg of mercury, making it the lowest EnergyStar approved bulb in North America.

Safe disposal requires storing the bulbs unbroken until they can be processed. Consumers should seek advice from local authorities (in the west and not here).

Usually, one can either:
Return used CFLs to where they were purchased, so the store can recycle them correctly; or
Take used CFLs to a local recycling facility.
Broken CFLs are an immediate health hazard due to the evaporation of mercury into the atmosphere. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends that, in the absence of local guideline, fluorescent bulbs be double-bagged in plastic bags before disposal.

The first step of processing CFLs involves crushing the bulbs in a machine that uses negative pressure ventilation and a mercury-absorbing filter or cold trap to contain mercury vapor. Many municipalities are purchasing such machines. The crushed glass and metal is stored in drums, ready for shipping to recycling factories.

According to the Northwest Compact Fluorescent Lamp Recycling Project, because household users have the option of disposing of these products in the same way they dispose of other solid waste, "a large majority of household CFLs are going to municipal solid waste".

What Never to Do with a Mercury Spill
· Never use a vacuum cleaner to clean up mercury (but see the "What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks" section below for more specific instructions about vacuuming broken fluorescent light bulbs). The vacuum will put mercury into the air and increase exposure.
· Never use a broom to clean up mercury. It will break the mercury into smaller droplets and spread them.
· Never pour mercury down a drain. It may lodge in the plumbing and cause future problems during plumbing repairs. If discharged, it can cause pollution of the septic tank or sewage treatment plant.
Never wash clothing or other items that have come in direct contact with mercury in a washing machine, because mercury may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage. Clothing that has come into direct contact with mercury should be discarded. By "direct contact," we mean that mercury was (or has been) spilled directly on the clothing. For example:
if you broke a mercury thermometer and some of elemental mercury beads came in contact with your clothing, or
if you broke a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) so that broken glass and other material from the bulb, including mercury-containing powder, came into contact with your clothing.
You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, like the clothing you happened to be wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
Never walk around if your shoes might be contaminated with mercury. Contaminated clothing can also spread mercury around.

What to Do if a Fluorescent Light Bulb Breaks

Compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) are lighting more homes than ever before, and EPA is encouraging Americans to use and recycle them safely. Carefully recycling CFLs prevents the release of mercury into the environment and allows for the reuse of glass, metals and other materials that make up fluorescent lights.
EPA is continually reviewing its clean-up and disposal recommendations for CFLs to ensure that the Agency presents the most up-to-date information for consumers and businesses.

Before Clean-up: Air Out the Room

Have people and pets leave the room, and don't let anyone walk through the breakage area on their way out.
Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.
Shut off the central forced-air heating/air conditioning system, if you have one.
Clean-Up Steps for Hard Surfaces
Carefully scoop up glass pieces and powder using stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place towels in the glass jar or plastic bag.
Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.
Clean-up Steps for Carpeting or Rug
Carefully pick up glass fragments and place them in a glass jar with metal lid (such as a canning jar) or in a sealed plastic bag.
Use sticky tape, such as duct tape, to pick up any remaining small glass fragments and powder.
If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken.
Remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister), and put the bag or vacuum debris in a sealed plastic bag.
Clean-up Steps for Clothing, Bedding and Other Soft Materials
If clothing or bedding materials come in direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from inside the bulb that may stick to the fabric, the clothing or bedding should be thrown away. Do not wash such clothing or bedding because mercury fragments in the clothing may contaminate the machine and/or pollute sewage.
You can, however, wash clothing or other materials that have been exposed to the mercury vapor from a broken CFL, such as the clothing you are wearing when you cleaned up the broken CFL, as long as that clothing has not come into direct contact with the materials from the broken bulb.
If shoes come into direct contact with broken glass or mercury-containing powder from the bulb, wipe them off with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes. Place the towels or wipes in a glass jar or plastic bag for disposal.

Disposal of Clean-up Materials

Immediately place all clean-up materials outdoors in a trash container or protected area for the next normal trash pickup.
Wash your hands after disposing of the jars or plastic bags containing clean-up materials.

Once more on what happens with mercury.

Mercury poisoning is the ill effects on humans nervous system and other bodily systems due to the over-exposure of mercury. Mercury is a neurotoxin, meaning it affects the nervous system. The "mad hatters" of the 19th century suffered from mercury poisoning which caused personality changes, nervousness, trembling, and even dementia. The hatters were exposed to mercury in the felting process, where mercury was rubbed onto cloth to preserve it.
The degree of risk varies depending on the amount of mercury, the form, how often, and the age of the exposed person. Children (and also unborn fetuses) are the most vulnerable the effects of mercury poisoning.
If you are affected by acute mercury poisoning, your symptoms will usually begin with a cough, chest tightness, trouble with breathing, and an upset stomach. Pneumonia can develop, which can be fatal.
If you swallow inorganic mercury compounds, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and severe kidney damage may occur.
If you are exposed to any form of mercury repeatedly or for an extended period, chronic mercury poisoning can result. Health effects include nervous system effects, kidney damage, and birth defects. There are several symptoms:
Gingivitis: The gums become soft and spongy, the teeth get loose, sores may develop, and there may be increased salivation.
Mood and mental changes: People with chronic mercury poisoning often also have wide mood swings, becoming irritable, frightened, depressed, or excited very quickly for no apparent reason. Such people may become extremely upset at any criticism, lose all self-confidence, and become apathetic. Hallucinations, memory loss, and inability to concentrate can occur.
Nerve damage: It may start with a fine tremor (shaking) of the hand, loss of sensitivity in hands and feet, difficulty in walking, or slurred speech. Tremors may also occur in the tongue and eyelids. Eventually this can progress to trouble balancing and walking. It has even caused paralysis and death in rare cases.
Besides the above, Mercury can cause kidney damage, which includes increased protein in the urine and may result in kidney failure at high dose exposure.
Mercury has also been known to affect the development of prenatal life and infants.
Skin allergies may develop. If this happens, repeated exposure causes rash and itching.
Exposure to mercury vapor can cause the lens of the eye to discolor.
Some of the inorganic mercury compounds (mercury two) can cause burns or severe irritation of the skin and eyes on contact.

Wasteful Energy

Here’s 2 items I picked in the Indian express. Way to go about guys. People across the world are doing these things. Environment is Chic.

First Item
As energy-hungry India looks for alternative sources of electricity, a new study says there is a potential of generating 2500 MW of power from urban, municipal and industrial wastes in big cities in the next two to three years.
About 40,000 million tonnes of solid wastes and 5000 million cubic metres of liquid waste is generated every year in the urban areas of the country which can be suitably recycled for power generation, according to the study brought out by leading industry body ASSOCHAM.
According to estimates, about 1500 megawatt of power could be generated from urban and municipal wastes and an additional 1000 megawatt could be secured from industrial wastes in the country by 2010.
'Mitigating Climate Change: The Indian Perspective', suggests that expediting setting up of waste energy projects can partly solve the problem of power shortage.
The cost factor involved could be within the range of around Rs 200 crore, resources for which could be generated through municipalities and local governments with the subsidy element coming from the state governments, it said.
Several studies on Indian power sector reveal the potential for saving of around 20,000 MW through various energy efficiency measures, including renovation and modernisation of old power plants and adoption of cleaner coal technologies.
ASSOCHAM says that India has potential to reduce its projected emissions over next 30 years by nearly one-quarter.
All the energy efficiency measures in the power sector could qualify to gain the carbon credits, it says noting that initiatives by several generating and transmission companies recently towards claiming carbon credits are a positive sign for the sector.
The study also maintains that with the abundant availability of renewable sources like biomass across the country, India has vast potential to replace the current usage of fossil fuels in various industrial and commercial applications.
"This would reduce the dependence of fossil fuels in the industrial system and also reduce the greenhouse gas emissions. This is also expected to increase the economic value of the biomass fuels which in turn is likely to improve the social and economic conditions of the rural areas," the study says.
With the continuous exploration of gas reserves across the country, India is also poised to grow in this field and develop more gas-based power plants and find its usage in various industrial applications, it says.
"The Government of India's steps towards encouragement of private participation in this sector and growing potential for gas-based power plants in India would definitely play a key role in future to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions in power and industrial sector," the study says.

Second Item
Marking the biggest and first of its kind tie-up in the private sector, Real Estate major K Raheja Corp is working with former US president Bill Clinton-led Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) to retrofit their buildings across the country to cut Green House Gases. “Climate change is a global problem that requires local action,” Bill Clinton had said on May 17 last year, while announcing the Energy Efficiency Building Retrofit Program that looks at retrofitting the larger buildings in sixteen of the world’s largest cities.
Mumbai is one of the cities listed from India, where K Raheja Corp has started work on Inorbit Mall in Malad and a hotel in Powai, first in their list of 20 odd buildings to be retrofitted.
While the concept of constructing green buildings is fairly established, retrofitting existing new buildings is comparatively a new concept. And the real estate group, which plans to retrofit all its properties, is not only looking at cuts in energy bills but also at a savvy international image.
“We have signed a first-ever project development under the Clinton Climate Initiative and are working on the energy audit with Johnsons Control, one of the companies introduced as the leading energy efficiency provider by the CCI,” says Shabbir Kanchwala, associate vice president, K Raheja Corp.
And it’s not just about energy saving, he says. “Not only will we cut our energy expenditure by 20 to 25 per cent, but will also save up to 20 per cent water. Moreover, this is also building for the future as don’t sell any of our properties. Instead, we lease them out to world renowned companies like Microsoft, which like to work in savvy, eco-friendly buildings. We are the first ones to retrofit our buildings, but we are also the first to gain this competitive edge,” says Kanchwala.
Work has started in Mumbai and Hyderabad, and according to the company, 50 lakh square feet of built space (in over 20 odd buildings) will be retrofitted. For the process, smarter glass varieties (which let in light, not heat) and better suited air-conditioning systems are used. Sewage treatment is also done to conserve and recycle water. While some government buildings have been retrofitted for cutting carbon emissions, the concept is still picking up in the private sector. “Many government buildings under the CPWD have been retrofitted, like the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The concept is catching up now in the private sector as retrofitting to cut emissions is a win-win situation,” says Sanjay Seth, Energy Economist, Bureau of Energy Efficiency.

Aravali Mountains to become green again, and again and again

• A small news item in the vernacular daily amar ujala caught my eye. The gist of the item goes as follows
  
  =Forest department to plant 23 lac saplings
  This is double the number of saplings which were planted last year (i.e. last year they planted 12.5lac saplings)
  =Selected 200 villages where along with gram panchayat’s plantation will be done.(wonder in how many villages it was done last year, did the gram panchayat get involved last year or not?)
  =This 23 lacs will be spread over districts of gurgon, rewari,mewat,mahendergarh and faridabad.
  =Out of 325 villages, 200 have been choosen(wonder what the selection criterion was?)
  =The department will plant 23 lacs saplings while another 35 lacs saplings will be given out free.
  
  Breakup of the plantations is as follows
  
  Gurgaon 1lac 76thousand
  Faridabad 3lac 80thousand
  Mewat 4lacs
  Mehendrgarh 7lac 85 thousand
  Rewari 5lac 91thousand
  
  Reading this some questions came to my mind
  
  =Is there any idea of the 12.5 lacs saplings planted last year what was the survival rate?
  =If we assume that before the aravali project started there was 0% forest cover on the aravali, the project would have increased that forest cover to say x%. these annual plantation exercises should thus incrementally increase that forest cover. Has it happened ? (in mewat where I travel regularly I can say absolutely not, in Gurgaon I see a lot of kikkar. Locals tell me forest department spread kikkar seeds . u see kikkar if not managed grows as a weed and overpowers native species.)
  =How will the free supply be done? (Obviously when saplings have been made it has incurred costs. So mode of free supply important. 35lacs saplings are a lot of saplings to be given free. It can’t be one to one, it has to be through retail outlets, which ones and how? )
  =Which species of plants will be selected? Not kikkar. Kikkar overruns most native species and ruins a forest. I also did a background check on kikkar here are the results
  
  Current name: Prosopis chilensis
  Family: Fabaceae - Mimosoideae
  Prosopis chilensis is a small to medium sized tree up to 12 m in height and 1 m in diameter; bark brown, fissured; spines a pair, stout, yellow, glabrous; root system reportedly shallow and spreading. The leaves are compound, each with numerous leaflets along several pairs of pinnae. P. chilensis has 10-29 leaflets per pinnae and no more than two pairs of pinnae per leaf. The leaflets are about 1 cm apart. The flowers are greenish-white to yellow, abundant and occur in spike-like racemes. The pods are beige to off-white, about 15 cm long and 15 mm wide. The pods have a tendency to be rolled up along the axis. Seeds many, bean-shaped, oblong, 6-7 mm long, flattened, brown, each in 4-angled case.
  
  History of cultivation In South Africa and South West Africa (Namibia), P. chilensis was introduced in 1912 by Dinter (a botanist), who distributed it widely as a fodder and shade tree over the next few years. In other countries such as the Sudan, it has been introduced by foresters to combat desertification and is now a widespread weed in most areas of western and central parts of the country.Natural HabitatP. chilensis is found in the arid and semi-arid regions with ground water of between 3 and 10 m below the surface, such as drainage channels along ground water sinks. It has been observed to grow in seawater salinity. It is a common ruderal weed, coming up singly and in groups along roadsides, round habitations, on refuse dumps and in other disturbed habitats.

Geographic distribution Native : Argentina, Chile, Peru, UruguayExotic : Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, India, Kenya, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, United States of America

Lead in toys

here's something i picked up from the net. this metal leads to a whole lot of stuff including cancers. parents BEWARE.
abhay

Toxic toy story
By Nitin Jugran Bahuguna, 15/11/2007 Source: The Hindu Business Line
When global toy manufacturer Mattel recalled millions of popular children's toys sold under its Fisher-Price brand in mid-August and September this year, as they were found to contain dangerous levels of toxic elements, concerns were raised for the first time in India about the toxicity of toys.A study on the toxic elements present in toys sold in Indian markets has revealed shockingly high levels of lead and cadmium — in varying concentrations — in all of the 111 toys collected from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai last year. The study was conducted by Delhi-based NGO Toxics Link. According to Dr Abhay Kumar of Toxics Link and a co-author of the study, lead and cadmium act as stabilisers in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toys. Manufacturers also use PVC to add bright colours to the toys in order to attract children. He emphasises that when chewed or sucked by children, these toys put them at great risk.Health riskIndia has more than 130 million children below the age of six — an age when children chew and even swallow substances. This makes a large section of the population prone to lead and cadmium poisoning from toys. A large amount of these metals in the bloodstream could lead to complications such as brittleness of bones, mental disorders and even cancer, states Kumar.According to Prof Veena Kalra, Head of the Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), exposure to lead toxicity in children could pose several health hazards such as impaired hearing and growth, affect the child’s IQ, lead to nerve disorders, anaemia and even cause death.The government has confirmed that several Chinese toys sold in the market contain high levels of cadmium and lead. The issue was discussed in the Rajya Sabha recently when Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi confirmed newspaper reports about toxic toys from China.Observing that most toys in Chennai and Mumbai were being imported from China, the Minister stated that lead is a known neuro and haematological toxin that can lead to delayed development and lower IQ in children, while cadmium primarily affects the kidneys.Lack of enforceable standardWith regard to safety guidelines for toys, the Minister said the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has published three standards. But, India does not have an enforceable standard for toys and it is doubtful if toy manufacturers have bothered to apply for the ISI mark. According to the Toxics Link study, Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai have big toy markets. In fact, Mumbai is the regional hub for plastic toys. Most of the soft toys found there are made of PVC, and Chinese toys dominate. Unbranded toys have a huge demand among lower income groups.At upmarket shops, mostly branded toys are sold. Following the international outcry, Mattel withdrew 2,000 toys in its Batman series from the Indian market.But as the bulk of toys circulating in the cities come from the unorganised industry with no regulatory control, the crisis is far from over. Over 1,000 units are in the small-sector and a larger number in the cottage sector. The use of cheap recycled plastic is a cause for grave concern. Given that the toy industry volume is estimated at $1 billion in the organised sector and about $1.5 billion in the unorganised sector, it is alarming that toy manufacturers have not yet registered with the BIS.Cost of safetyBut manufacturers have their own explanation. “The BIS guidelines with regard to toy production are that it is self-regulatory and not mandatory. Also, toy manufacturers don’t register for the ISI mark for their products because it is an expensive procedure,” says Paresh Chawala, President, Toy Association of India.The association consists of 600 members, 250 wholesalers and 350 distributors. Chawala, however, agrees that in view of the ongoing controversy, the industry would need to take a more proactive approach, keeping in mind consumer concerns. “We held a meeting recently and decided to get all the information relating to the BIS rules so we can start the process for getting the ISI mark,” he says.

Environment Day celebrations, June 5

heck no! another environment day. so what would we see. poster making competition, cycle rallies, tree(sapling) plantation and a whole lot of government babus and netas extolling the virtues of saving environment and telling everybody that we should save the planet for our children blah! blah! blah!.

all these babus and netas and the junta they address would come to designated venues of various functions in air conditioned cars, buses, two wheelers etc.

oh my gosh! nobody seemed to notice that vehicles run on petrol/diesel, burning which releases carbon dioxide. the amount of Co2 which a vehicle emits to reach a function would be far greater than what the sapling will consume which has been planted(assuming it stays to grow into a tree) but why would anybody notice that when what people are noticing is their names and photos coming in the nextday newspaper and a sense of having achieved something by doing their moral duty.
poster making/painting competitions are done on paper which is thrown right after the competition. tea/coffee/water is served in plastic/thermocol cups, sancks are served in plastic plates etc, which will then be made into a nice heap and burnt after the event is over. All these emit Co2. :(
Well in Haryana this the practice and if anybody proves me wrong then i am ready to rewrite the whole script.

So why does everybody make the right noises and does nothing. i feel it is because we don't CARE a damn for environment. and why don't we care? it is because we were never sensitised by our parents, teachers and society when we were young. we feel our job towards environment is when we can make the right noises and at best plant a sapling in some public function.

i think the best way for states to celebrate this day is to ban all functions. we will be doing more for environment this way then when we organise functions.

at an individual level we can start garbage segregation at our households, we can start carrying a cloth bag to the market, we can switch off all our electricty for 1 hour every week..........

what we can do are divided into countless possibilities. what we need is a will. when the WILL is not there at the individual level how do we expect it at the state level and thus we end up make the right noises and doing nothing.

Washing cars

There was a news item in the indian express that people in gurgaon who wud be caught washing cars on public roads would be put behind bars(jail bars and not pub bars as most ggn'ites wd like ) this has been done as some intelligent people felt that washing cars was the biggest culprit to road damage. (hmmm :-)

interesting news and throws up a few questions

1. who wd catch these people?
2 who wd authenticate the same?
3. suppose i have my car parked inside the house i.e. away from the public road and i wash my car is it ok then?
4. how wd it be proved that the water from the car wash led to road damage and not inferior material used.
5. what about washing verandas which is a favourite hobby of most middle class homes. they feel washing verandas a sure shot way of keeping the house clean. the verandas in most household links o the driveway which is cemented and extends all the way to the road. so every morning there are countless bais washing with great gusto and the memsahibs supervising to see if any sq cm area does not get left.
6 and what about the garbage burning on the roadside by households. the heat from the burning loosens the tar on the road and lead to potholes.

well so many questions are flooding my mind but then i a mere mortal. most of us want somebody outside the regulate our social behaviour and those trying to regulate us try to do their best with results just a lot of smoke and little fire.

wish it said all those who wash their cars will be taken behind beer bars and will be made to drink silly and will then be allowed to find their way home. the fear of getting runover will be higher than threatning people that fir's will be lodged against them . Amen