SERI news Vol. 7, No4, December, 2012

The packaging for a microwavable "microwave" dinner is programmed for a shelf

life of maybe six months, a cook time of two minutes and a landfill dead-time of

centuries.

~David Wann, Buzzworm, November 1990 Economic advance is not the same thing as human progress.

~John Clapham, A Concise Economic History of Britain, 1957

Chief Editor Sayali Joshi, CEO

Executive Editor, Design Susmit

Editorial Board Dr. Pramod Salaskar Pallavi Patil Pradnyesh Agre

Advisors Dr. Jayant Mandlik Dr. Suresh Karkhanis Dr. Bikash Aich

Contact: Executive Editor, Shrishti Eco-Research Institute, B-106, Devgiri, Opp. P. L. Deshpande Garden, Near Ganesh Mala, Pune – 411 030. India. Phone: 91-20-24253773 /Telefax: 91-20-66206539

Website: www.seriecotech.com Email: seri_news@yahoo.co.in

Point for discussion this month Benefits of National Investment Board

(For private circulation only) Pl. note that the ownership of views expressed by the author lies with him / her only. SERI’s management does not endorse or own them.

Shrishti Eco-Research Institute, Pune

1

SERI news Vol. 7, No4, December, 2012

National Investment Board – Welcome Move Needs Cautious Approach

- Sandeep Joshi

Investment - domestic or foreign is a key to development to maximize the gains in immediate future. All the financial principles, calculations, methods, terms and conditions demand for shortest ‘Return on Investment (ROI) period’. Gone the concept of breakeven point (BEP)’ now it is time for ROI. In economic profit-loss time calculations, there is no place for social and ecological capitals. Everybody - common man to well-informed chartered accountants - reckons only financial, infrastructure and human capitals and wanted to get discounted by ecology - a common legacy and property. So, a PIE (Permanently Inclined Economy) refuses to recognize cost of ecology it is always said that economic development is unidirectional, i.e. it is irreversible, non cyclic process. So, PIE fails to integrity with the payments for common goods such as clean water (Maintaining integrity and productivity of) bodies, fertile soil, pure air and quality food and so on... Any investment till now has overlooked the ecological costs of common goods. For example, investment in mining considers only the production cost of minerals and price of land. Despite of mandatory cost-benefit analysis in EIA studies for environmental clearance, it fails in economic planning for maintaining the integrity of local geo-spatial –demographic set up. There is no reviewing of the GRAF (Growth Realization of Allocated Funds) in most of the cases including irrigation and mining projects. By overlooking these costs, one may get unrealistic sense of profits; one may get unrealistic sense of profits and governments looks at generating revenue through Pandora’s Box of taxes. Hence, National Investment Board needs to look into these traditional practices of economy and upgrade it to Welfare Economy’ (WE) by integrating ecological accounting in project budget, balance sheets and profit-loss statement. Welfare Economy is an attempt to deflate the mounds, peak of economic wave to convert into equitable progress for all. It’s always a herculean tasks before the governing institutions to balance between exploitation and restoration. It has to being together multifarious threads of exchanges, markets, social, needs and ecological costs leading to harmonious living. It’s a continual process taking many turns and twists. But it’s prudence of economist not to lose control at given any moment. Since independence Indian system is struggling to rein the control over economy, but the results is none other than worsening the situations

Dear Readers, End of the year 2012! One more year has gone as far as the consensus of world leaders to zero on cooperation for maintaining the healthiness of environment and ecosystems. The law of ecoptimum (eco-optimum) should be evolved to bring the ‘exploiters’ and ‘sufferers’ on the same platform for the sustainability of human life on the earth. High rate of wasting may bring ecological disaster one day! Even that time the differences may prevail upon action and economics! Indian Government’s first of its in-stream bioremediation project is moving on. Project implementer Green Infrastructure has completed first phase of work in Nov.2012 as per the ecological restoration designs given by SERI. We hope that the project gets completed with willingly cooperation from all government and non-government stakeholders. Mr. Gaurang Sinha of Green Infrastructure is to be specially mentioned for his relentless efforts in completion of first phase of work. SERI team was involved in monitoring and interpreting the results of sampling and analysis of Buddha stream water. Fast track investment always get priority while fast track ecological restoration operations on rivers and other severely polluted fresh water streams are not even on the cards to control damage done by energy, infrastructure and industrial projects. Sandeep Joshi has discussed NIB and its in restoring the ecological disasters created by fast track investment in projects. Wishing you a very happy prosperous New Year 2013!

Thank you, Chief Editor

Shrishti Eco-Research Institute, Pune

2

SERI news Vol. 7, No4, December, 2012 So it’s a time to pause, to compose, to breathe evenly and then take off. Example of ecological restoration of Udaipur’s Ahar River is a classic example of harmony between economy and ecology but now, governance needs to evaluate the scenario judiciously to maintain. To maintain the livelihood of fishermen the most victimized community due to decade long water pollution problem. Spearheading for the investments on large scale, there is a need to develop a character with review of ecological costs time to time with feedback and budget for restoring the ecological losses. Udaipur’s river restoration is unique example of how ecological complements economy ecological treatment system reduced use of electricity and chemicals to zero for water purification, actually government departments should have cooperated in plugging the point sources of pollution. Despite of unrestricted waste releases from industries and hotels the system ecological treatment system has succeeded to curb. The fish kills in downstream Udaisagar Lake. All commercial establishments are continuing their subsidy – supported business by putting the onus of treating their waste on society. This pattern of economic exploitation of common ecological goods is common all over India- may it be Ludhiana or Tiruppur, Raigad in Chhattisgarh, etc. metro-cities…… it’s a very long list of parasitic economy eating and itching into ecology. It’s how prioritized task before Indian system to restore the economy on the basis of eco-wise investment not only for infrastructure, financial and human capitals but also for propagation of social and ecological capitals for immediate short term and long term equitable benefits of society and in turn country. Paradigm shift is needed from classical economy to ecological economy by maturing the market principles to exchange principle. Markets are faceless, ruthless inhumane but exchanges are between individuals groups with human face and respect. Such investments will bring long term sustainability in society.

Buddha NEER Project: A Hope for Use of Ecologically Corrected Water for Agriculture

- SESS Experts Team

Background Buddha Nallah – a naturally isolated stream of Satluj. Presently, this old stream – Buddha nallah is traversing through Ludhiana city. It has become dumping yard receiving all liquid and solid waste streams from the urban, peri-urban areas of industrial city of Punjab – Ludhiana. It is just like any other ordinary (including Capital of India) city in India with sloppy, careless attitude towards maintaining the wholesomeness of urban water bodies. But its uniqueness is that the ecological restoration of Buddha stream has started with the advent of Central Pollution Control Board and Chief Minister of Punjab in the end of July 2010 and supported by then Minister for Environment, Government of India. Even the sitting MP of Ludhiana city is ardently interested in the completion of the project. Sustainable management of water bodies is possible when the entire lentic-lotic system is maintained on the basis of ecological technologies, supported by well-stated policies and well-informed institutions, public support and participation, scientific knowledge and uninterrupted finance. (Ref. Dr. Masahisa Nakamura and Dr. Walter Rast, ILBM Platform Development Process, ILEC, Japan). Buddha stream’s restoration project is a unique example in India where all the concerned central, state and local government departments are participating cohesively for the cause with knowledge sharing from well-experienced experts and implementers. It is said that it’s a first of its kind demonstrative R and D bioremediation project by Government of India (Ref. www.envfor.nic.in / Prime Minister’s Facebook page) by delegating Shrishti Eco-Research Institute (SERI) for designing of ecorestoration, Pune and Green Infrastructure (GRIN), Pune as implementing agency (Green Curator). SERI’s expert team has evaluated the present status and trends of pollution in Buddha stream by collecting and testing the samples for the past 2 years and have also evaluated the results of studies conducted by other agencies like CPCB, NEERI, PPCB and scientists of PAU. The findings are summarised as below –

Shrishti Eco-Research Institute, Pune

3

SERI news Vol. 7, No4, December, 2012 1. There is a trend of increase in concentration of suspended solids, oil and grease

which actually affected the transparency & turbidity of surface water body. Suspended solids (SS) in Buddha nallah is >50 mg/L and max. 300 mg/L till the confluence with Satluj River and then reduces considerably.

2. Despite of operational STPs from last few years, there is no improvement in the quality of Buddha nallah water quality till confluence with Satluj River.

3. Colour of Buddha stream water becomes dark when it enters Ludhiana City after receiving industrial and CETP discharges. It becomes denser when it traverses through Ludhiana city receiving sewage from adjacent colonies and densely populated areas. After Ludhiana City colour of the water slightly reduces till the confluence. Satluj River water remains black coloured upto 40 km downstream.

4. Dissolved Oxygen (DO) of Buddha Stream becomes zero when it starts receiving industrial, CETP and domestic discharges while passing through Ludhiana City. It remains <1 till the confluence with Satluj River. There is no aerobic life in the Buddha stream giving rise to proliferation of anaerobicity.

5. There is decreasing trend of COD / BOD in Buddha Nallah downstream of Balloke STP from about 1200 mg/L & 400 mg/L to 391 mg/L & 136 mg/L near the confluence with Satluj river (Distance about 10 – 12 km). Anaerobicity in Buddha stream gives rise to enormous foul odour in the ambience making it nauseating for the villagers.

6. Buddha stream hydrologic system contains solvents, toxic carcinogenic chemicals and heavy metals in excess in surface and ground waters. Radioactive Uranium is found to be 100 times that of prescribed standard limit of 0.003mg/L(USEPA). Concentration of radioactive Uranium is comparatively more in groundwater samples than surface water samples. In both types of samples Uranium is more than permissible limit.

7. Volatile organics and fecal coliforms are noticed not only in surface waters of Buddha nallah and Satluj river but in groundwater samples also.

8. It is a serious cause of concern for health of the villagers. Many of villagers complained about serious water-borne illnesses.

Corrective Measures Thus the water of Buddha stream is not suitable for any use and after the confluence the same defiles the Satluj river to such an extent the water is black coloured upto 40 km and it’s impact is observed on species of Harike Wetland 80 km downstream. As told by Sandeep Joshi, Green Surgeon (expertise of restoring ecological health of water bodies) to Hon. Chief Minister, ecologically corrected water will be suitable

for irrigation purpose after filtering through in-situ green bridge system. The project is named as “Buddha NEER Project” (Buddha Nallah Ecological and Economic Restoration Project). With thorough evaluation of hydrological and physcio-chemical-biological properties of highly polluted Buddha stream, the scheme of “In-Stream Ecological Operation” (ISEO) was finalised in February 2011. Teams from CPCB, PPCB and PWSSB were also involved in measuring the water flow in the Buddha stream. The standard methodologies were followed to chart out the current health status of Buddha’s ecology and the goal to be achieved by careful ISEO. ISEO is a process of ecosystem approach of employing combinations of green plants and bacteria for remediation of Buddha nallah. It’s a zero electricity curative procedure of in-built eco-equilibrium of bio-degradation and bio-absorption process – a grafting of an ecosystem which starts with detritus food chain. The green bridge system is like a porous dam having locally available materials like stone, sand, soil and certain proprietary cultures with locally growing marshy plants, either along the river or across the banks. Ecotechnological horizontal filtration - having different physical and biological filters working in combination removes suspended and dissolved impurities of flowing water. Green bridge filters help in reducing COD/BOD by aerobic degradation, formation of ecological food chain and cycling of material. Objectives of the Buddha NEER Project are enlisted as – - Use of ecosystem approach to reduce chemical toxicity and pathogenicity of the

river water. - Use of ecologically corrected water for agriculture, aquaculture and pisciculture. - Control of odour and mosquitoes 99%, color removal from water to some extent - Infrastructure less, process oriented water treatment system to reduce operational

complexicities. - Consistently operable (24x365) advanced ecological water treatment without

machinery and chemicals. - Use of ecologically corrected water for agriculture, vegetation and plantation

along the river

Shrishti Eco-Research Institute, Pune

4

SERI news Vol. 7, No4, December, 2012 Environomics (Environmental Economics) of Buddha NEER Project This ecological operation project is financially supported by NRCP, MoEF as R & D initiative for the technological assessment in view of application of methodology in Ganga Basin under the auspices of NGRBA. Cost of treating the severely polluted 600 MLD flow like Buddha Stream by conventional bio-mechanistic systems, the capital expenditure is estimated to INR 600 crores with annual operational costs about INR 30 crores. Buddha NEER’s ISEO using green bridge system and maintenance - monitoring of 5 years, the total budget is about INR 22 crores. The focus of ISEO is the process of remedial actions by ecosystem and not the infrastructure. Secondly, the land required for treatment structure is zero being in-stream system and that of conventional system the requirement is at least 200 acres. So, as far as land savings are concerned, there is no match. Infrastructural STP, ETP or CETP having cumbersome civil and mechanical units are considered to be “assets” having resale value. But there is no such “resale-ability” in case of ISEO being only “process” oriented structures built using locally available materials and consumable bacterial cultures. It’s a repulsive notion as far as financial institutions classical theories of economics. But, the kind of restoration ISEO brings to the water body is far more than conventional engineering and ecological practices. If ecological accounting is included in the projects, then the profit and loss statements will change drastically with inclusion of incremental social, ecological capital and exponential continuous benefits. To calculate the benefits of using ecologically corrected water from Buddha NEER Project for agriculture, it is estimated that about 15000 ha land can be irrigated. With previous experiences of Udaipur’s improved agricultural and fish productions, the benefits are far-reaching as it is the lower strata of poverty stricken masses that enjoy it. With the current administrative and technical operating system it becomes hard and difficult to adopt such ecological solution due to lack of information and knowledge. Buddha NEER Project will provide a platform for technological, managemental and governance upgradation for sustainable management of Lentic – Lotic water systems.

---X---

Confluence of Satluj River (left) with Buddha stream (right)

Buddha Stream with tons of solid waste

Shrishti Eco-Research Institute, Pune

5