Volume 2010, Issue No.6, Dt 18th June 2010
by
Professor Kotcherlakota Lakshmi Narayana,
{retd.,Prof of Phys, SU}
17-11-10, NarasimhaAshram,Oddicial Colony, Maharanipeta.P.O.
Visakhaptnam-530002
Mobile: 9491902867
kotcherlakota_l_n@hotmail.com
PREAMBLE:
The panic reports about the impact of climate changes on India would not deter its development and GDP growth. The reason being that academicians in India are aware of the measures needed to suit the impact.
Novel ideas are being floated and the educated masses of India would understand the impact.
The discovery by Indian and British scientists that the Earth's strong outer shell -- the 'lithosphere' -- within the central Indian Ocean began to deform and fracture 15.4--13.9 million years ago, much earlier than previously thought, impacts our understanding of the birth of the Himalayas and the strengthening of the Indian-Asian monsoon. (Credit: Image courtesy of National Oceanography Centre, Southampton)
Tamil Nadu
Statutory clearances from Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Tamilnadu State Environment & Forest Department have been obtained by CWDL. The application for clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoE&F), Government of India (GOI), alongwith the recommendation of TNPCB, is under consideration of MoE&F since November 2005.
On 29th November 2005, detailed presentation was made by CWDL to the Re-Constituted Expert Committee of the MoE&F. The Chairman of the Committee, welcomed the proposal and expressed satisfaction of the efforts taken by CWDL in assessing the various possible Environmental Impact that might occur during Construction of the Proposed Plant and whilst Operating the plant. The Committee further observed that there was no anticipated adverse impact on Marine or Terrestrial
Statutory clearances from Tamilnadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB), Tamilnadu State Environment & Forest Department have been obtained by CWDL. The application for clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoE&F), Government of India (GOI), alongwith the recommendation of TNPCB, is under consideration of MoE&F since November 2005.
On 29th November 2005, detailed presentation was made by CWDL to the Re-Constituted Expert Committee of the MoE&F. The Chairman of the Committee, welcomed the proposal and expressed satisfaction of the efforts taken by CWDL in assessing the various possible Environmental Impact that might occur during Construction of the Proposed Plant and whilst Operating the plant. The Committee further observed that there was no anticipated adverse impact on Marine or Terrestrial
MUMBAI:
MUMBAI: Abengoa SA, a Spanish engineering company, expects to start up India’s largest desalination plant in the quarter starting April as nations from Saudi Arabia to Australia invest in water treatment to ease growing shortages. The 91 million euro ($124 million) Minjur plant in Chennai will have the capacity to remove salt from 100,000 cubic meters of water per day, Carlos Bousono Crespo, Abengoa’s director of corporate social responsibility, said in an interview in Mumbai. “This will be enough to supply the needs of half a million people,” Crespo said.
Befesa Infrastructure India Pvt. Ltd., a unit of the Seville-based company, and IVRCL Infrastructures and Projects Ltd., a Hyderabad-based construction company, won the contract from Chennai’s municipal water board in 2005. The completed plant will be India’s biggest, surpassing a 96,000 cubic meter operation in Jamnagar, according to the International Desalination Association. Global spending on water treatment is set to surge as the world’s supply of fresh water shrinks, drawn down by farmers, cities and water-intensive industries such as mining. By 2050, four in every 10 people will lack adequate water as entire regions dry up, the United Nations predicts.
‘Alarming depletion’
“India is the largest user of groundwater in the world,” and its underground aquifers “are being depleted at an alarming rate,” a World Bank report released March 5 said. By 2025, demand for water in the world’s most populous nation after China is expected to equal the amount of available supply, the government said in its 2009 state of the environment report. Seawater desalination is expected to grow from a $10 billion industry to a $16 billion industry by 2020, according to Christopher Gasson, publisher of Global Water Intelligence. Australia and Mexico alone have announced plans to spend a combined $1.4 billion on water purification and infrastructure. Saudi Arabia aims to set up its first solar-powered desalination plant by 2013. Companies making money from new demand for purification services include Suez Environnement Co., Thiess Pty. and Macquarie Group Ltd., which won a A$3.5 billion ($3.2 billion) contract in July to build Australia’s largest desalination plant. Saudi Arabia’s state-owned National Water Co. in January pre- qualified bidders, including France’s Veolia Environnement SA, Acciona SA of Spain and UK companies United Utilities Group Plc and Severn Trent Plc, for a water-treatment project.
Please note the following news items of Sceince & Technological interest.
Climate Change Threatens Food Supply of 60 Million People in Asia
ScienceDaily (June 16, 2010) — According to an article by three Utrecht University researchers published in the journal Science on 11 June, climate change will drastically reduce the discharge of snow and ice meltwater in a region of the Himalayas, threatening the food security of more than 60 million people in Asia in the coming decades. The Indus and Brahmaputra basins are expected to be the most adversely affected, while in the Yellow River basin the availability of irrigation water will actually increase More than one billion people depend on the meltwater supplied by the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Yellow River. The snow and ice reserves situated upstream are important in sustaining the availability of water downstream. Researchers from Utrecht University and FutureWater have calculated the reduction in glacier and snow coverage and forecasted the future river discharge and made predictions about food security in the basins of these five major rivers.
How important is meltwater?
"The role of meltwater in the Indus basin is much more significant than that in other river basins in Asia," according to Walter Immerzeel, hydrologist at Utrecht University and FutureWater. "The downstream sections of the Indus are dry, are home to one of the largest irrigation networks in the world and are completely dependent on meltwater."
Food production
Climate change will ultimately result in declining discharge levels of the major Asian rivers, impacting the volume of irrigation water available. "Our model calculations show that the Brahmaputra and Indus are the most vulnerable. According to our estimates, this will threaten the food security of the approximately 60 million inhabitants of these areas by the year 2050," explains Immerzeel. "However, the opposite is also possible. In the Yellow River basin, an increase in wintertime rainfall is expected, resulting in increased availability of water early in the growing season."
Uncertainty about glaciers
The size and discharge of Himalayan glaciers are experiencing significant decline due to climate change. "However, observed glacial decline varies greatly from region to region, and there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding the speed of decline," says Marc Bierkens, hydrology professor at Utrecht University. "However, the trends identified in the river discharge forecast do not take this uncertainty into account." The researchers based their results on a combination of hydrologic models, climate forecasts from five different climate scenarios, and satellite images depicting snow and ice, rainfall, and changes in the Earth's gravitational field.
How Does Climate Change Affect The Water Cycle?
ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2008) — Climate change is having an impact on the water cycle, raising the issue of whether we should be investing in adapting to these impacts or focusing on more pressing water resource issues, such as providing water and sanitation for increasing populations? If investment in adapting to climate change is a priority, then is it best to invest in protecting natural ecosystems or developing engineered infrastructure?
The traditional way of handling extreme events such as floods and droughts, with engineering works should be complemented with the ecosystems approach which integrates the management of land and water that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way”, says Dr. Max Campos, Review Editor for the Latin American Chapter for IPCC Impacts and Adaptation Report . “Climate change is indeed an important issue, but it needs to be seen in context of the many other global challenges affecting water resources such as population growth, urbanization and land use change. Adaptation is vital – but we need to adapt to the full range of factors that are stressing water resources, and not focus on human-forced climate change to the exclusion of everything else”, says Oliver Brown from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). “It should be a must for vulnerable communities whether in the developed or developing world to ensure that their development ambitions are prepared for climate change. Adaptation should not be limited to the rich”, said Dr. Henk Van Schaik, Deputy Programme Coordinator UNESCO-IHE. He argued that vulnerable communities in the developed world are preparing and investing to protect their societies, economies and environments to the impacts of climate change. This is not so in transition economies nor in developing countries. Going beyond the issue of investment in pressing development issues or adaptation measures, is the question of looking at natural versus engineered solutions. “Conventional approaches to climate change adaptation range from water conservation and efficient use to new operational techonologies”, says Dr Mark Smith, Head of the IUCN Water Programme. “Dams and reservoirs are still considered as the most effective structural means of risk management. But we need to start thinking of the environment as infrastructure for adaptation as well. Health and intact river basins, wetlands and floodplains make us less vulnerable to climate change. Lowering risk is a good reason for investing in watersheds and the environment.”
How Will Climate Change Affect India's Monsoon Season?
ScienceDaily (Mar. 12, 2007) — Scientists at the University of Liverpool are investigating the anticipated effects of climate change on India's monsoon season and the impact that alterations in India's water cycle will have on the country's people, agriculture and wildlife. Changes to India's annual monsoon are expected to result in severe droughts and intense flooding in parts of India. Scientists predict that by the end of the century the country will experience a 3 to 5ÚC temperature increase and a 20% rise in all summer monsoon rainfall.
As part of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), Liverpool and Indian scientists have been awarded £150,000 to develop key research methodologies and scientific monitoring procedures in collaboration to investigate how alterations in water resources may affect human health, agriculture, forests and wildlife. Climate change studies undertaken so far reveal that action is essential in order to prevent long term damage to India's water cycle. The livelihood of a vast population in India depends on agriculture, forestry, wetlands and fisheries and land use in these areas is strongly influenced by water-based ecosystems that depend on monsoon rains. Changes to the water cycle may also cause an increase in water borne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis, as well as diseases carried by insects such as malaria. Scientists, based at the University of Liverpool's Institute for Sustainable Water Integrated Management and Ecosystem Research (SWIMMER) and the School of Biological Sciences, are working in one of the largest river basins in India, the Godavari Basin in Andhra Pradesh, which displays a diversity of ecosystems and provides a good water model for other regions of India. The scientific approaches developed will be used to support local agencies in managing water resources more effectively. Professor Ed Malby, Director of SWIMMER, said: "To maximise expertise and knowledge in this area it is important that UK and Indian scientists meet and exchange ideas and research. Throughout this year we are holding workshops in India with the five project partners to showcase work conducted so far and to develop detailed activities to achieve the project's aims. We are also developing Decision Support Frameworks (DSF) -- computer based models by which scientists and policy makers can compare different climate change scenarios with alternative water and land management strategies. These frameworks will help Indian authorities with strategic decisions related to water management."
Heavy Snowfall Over Himalayas Makes Drought Over India More Likely
ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2010) — Scientists from the Walker Institute at the University of Reading have helped to explain why heavy snowfall over the Himalayas in winter and spring can lead to drought over India, especially in the early part of the summer monsoon. This work forms part of the Climate Programme of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS).
As far back as the 1880s scientists have known that increased snow over the Himalayas can be linked with weaker summer monsoon rains over India. However, the mechanisms explaining this link have never been properly understood. The new research, published this week in Climate Dynamics, studies the mechanisms using the Met Office/Hadley Centre climate model. It shows that greater snowfall reflects more sunlight and produces a cooling over the Himalayas. This in turn means a weakening of the monsoon winds that bring rain to India. The relationship is strongest in the absence of warm (El Nino) or cold (La Nina) conditions in the tropical Pacific, because these are normally the dominant control over Indian rains. Dr Andy Turner, lead author of the research, says "Our work shows how, in the absence of a strong influence from the tropical Pacific, snow conditions over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau could be used to help forecast seasonal monsoon rainfall for India, particularly over northern India during the onset month of June. The onset timing of the monsoon is very important for agriculture; a lack of rainfall early in the growing season can have a devastating impact on crops." Previous studies have also found links between snowfall over a much larger area of northern Eurasia, but this study suggests that the Himalayan region has a stronger influence on Indian rainfall. The monsoon rains over India and the rest of South and East Asia are relied on by more than a third of the world's population. This research is based on a large number of experiments with the Met Office/Hadley Centre climate model which have been used to show robust relationships between the monsoon and winter/spring snow. This study shows in detail the mechanisms linking heavy snowfall over the Himalayas and Tibet in winter and spring with summer monsoon drought, particularly in the early part of the season (June).
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
Climate Change Threatens Food Supply of 60 Million People in Asia
ScienceDaily (June 16, 2010) — According to an article by three Utrecht University researchers published in the journal Science on 11 June, climate change will drastically reduce the discharge of snow and ice meltwater in a region of the Himalayas, threatening the food security of more than 60 million people in Asia in the coming decades. The Indus and Brahmaputra basins are expected to be the most adversely affected, while in the Yellow River basin the availability of irrigation water will actually increase More than one billion people depend on the meltwater supplied by the Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Yangtze and Yellow River. The snow and ice reserves situated upstream are important in sustaining the availability of water downstream. Researchers from Utrecht University and FutureWater have calculated the reduction in glacier and snow coverage and forecasted the future river discharge and made predictions about food security in the basins of these five major rivers.
How important is meltwater?
"The role of meltwater in the Indus basin is much more significant than that in other river basins in Asia," according to Walter Immerzeel, hydrologist at Utrecht University and FutureWater. "The downstream sections of the Indus are dry, are home to one of the largest irrigation networks in the world and are completely dependent on meltwater."
Food production
Climate change will ultimately result in declining discharge levels of the major Asian rivers, impacting the volume of irrigation water available. "Our model calculations show that the Brahmaputra and Indus are the most vulnerable. According to our estimates, this will threaten the food security of the approximately 60 million inhabitants of these areas by the year 2050," explains Immerzeel. "However, the opposite is also possible. In the Yellow River basin, an increase in wintertime rainfall is expected, resulting in increased availability of water early in the growing season."
Uncertainty about glaciers
The size and discharge of Himalayan glaciers are experiencing significant decline due to climate change. "However, observed glacial decline varies greatly from region to region, and there is a high degree of uncertainty regarding the speed of decline," says Marc Bierkens, hydrology professor at Utrecht University. "However, the trends identified in the river discharge forecast do not take this uncertainty into account." The researchers based their results on a combination of hydrologic models, climate forecasts from five different climate scenarios, and satellite images depicting snow and ice, rainfall, and changes in the Earth's gravitational field.
How Does Climate Change Affect The Water Cycle?
ScienceDaily (Oct. 27, 2008) — Climate change is having an impact on the water cycle, raising the issue of whether we should be investing in adapting to these impacts or focusing on more pressing water resource issues, such as providing water and sanitation for increasing populations? If investment in adapting to climate change is a priority, then is it best to invest in protecting natural ecosystems or developing engineered infrastructure?
The traditional way of handling extreme events such as floods and droughts, with engineering works should be complemented with the ecosystems approach which integrates the management of land and water that promotes conservation and sustainable use in an equitable way”, says Dr. Max Campos, Review Editor for the Latin American Chapter for IPCC Impacts and Adaptation Report . “Climate change is indeed an important issue, but it needs to be seen in context of the many other global challenges affecting water resources such as population growth, urbanization and land use change. Adaptation is vital – but we need to adapt to the full range of factors that are stressing water resources, and not focus on human-forced climate change to the exclusion of everything else”, says Oliver Brown from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). “It should be a must for vulnerable communities whether in the developed or developing world to ensure that their development ambitions are prepared for climate change. Adaptation should not be limited to the rich”, said Dr. Henk Van Schaik, Deputy Programme Coordinator UNESCO-IHE. He argued that vulnerable communities in the developed world are preparing and investing to protect their societies, economies and environments to the impacts of climate change. This is not so in transition economies nor in developing countries. Going beyond the issue of investment in pressing development issues or adaptation measures, is the question of looking at natural versus engineered solutions. “Conventional approaches to climate change adaptation range from water conservation and efficient use to new operational techonologies”, says Dr Mark Smith, Head of the IUCN Water Programme. “Dams and reservoirs are still considered as the most effective structural means of risk management. But we need to start thinking of the environment as infrastructure for adaptation as well. Health and intact river basins, wetlands and floodplains make us less vulnerable to climate change. Lowering risk is a good reason for investing in watersheds and the environment.”
How Will Climate Change Affect India's Monsoon Season?
ScienceDaily (Mar. 12, 2007) — Scientists at the University of Liverpool are investigating the anticipated effects of climate change on India's monsoon season and the impact that alterations in India's water cycle will have on the country's people, agriculture and wildlife. Changes to India's annual monsoon are expected to result in severe droughts and intense flooding in parts of India. Scientists predict that by the end of the century the country will experience a 3 to 5ÚC temperature increase and a 20% rise in all summer monsoon rainfall.
As part of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI), Liverpool and Indian scientists have been awarded £150,000 to develop key research methodologies and scientific monitoring procedures in collaboration to investigate how alterations in water resources may affect human health, agriculture, forests and wildlife. Climate change studies undertaken so far reveal that action is essential in order to prevent long term damage to India's water cycle. The livelihood of a vast population in India depends on agriculture, forestry, wetlands and fisheries and land use in these areas is strongly influenced by water-based ecosystems that depend on monsoon rains. Changes to the water cycle may also cause an increase in water borne diseases such as cholera and hepatitis, as well as diseases carried by insects such as malaria. Scientists, based at the University of Liverpool's Institute for Sustainable Water Integrated Management and Ecosystem Research (SWIMMER) and the School of Biological Sciences, are working in one of the largest river basins in India, the Godavari Basin in Andhra Pradesh, which displays a diversity of ecosystems and provides a good water model for other regions of India. The scientific approaches developed will be used to support local agencies in managing water resources more effectively. Professor Ed Malby, Director of SWIMMER, said: "To maximise expertise and knowledge in this area it is important that UK and Indian scientists meet and exchange ideas and research. Throughout this year we are holding workshops in India with the five project partners to showcase work conducted so far and to develop detailed activities to achieve the project's aims. We are also developing Decision Support Frameworks (DSF) -- computer based models by which scientists and policy makers can compare different climate change scenarios with alternative water and land management strategies. These frameworks will help Indian authorities with strategic decisions related to water management."
Heavy Snowfall Over Himalayas Makes Drought Over India More Likely
ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2010) — Scientists from the Walker Institute at the University of Reading have helped to explain why heavy snowfall over the Himalayas in winter and spring can lead to drought over India, especially in the early part of the summer monsoon. This work forms part of the Climate Programme of the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS).
As far back as the 1880s scientists have known that increased snow over the Himalayas can be linked with weaker summer monsoon rains over India. However, the mechanisms explaining this link have never been properly understood. The new research, published this week in Climate Dynamics, studies the mechanisms using the Met Office/Hadley Centre climate model. It shows that greater snowfall reflects more sunlight and produces a cooling over the Himalayas. This in turn means a weakening of the monsoon winds that bring rain to India. The relationship is strongest in the absence of warm (El Nino) or cold (La Nina) conditions in the tropical Pacific, because these are normally the dominant control over Indian rains. Dr Andy Turner, lead author of the research, says "Our work shows how, in the absence of a strong influence from the tropical Pacific, snow conditions over the Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau could be used to help forecast seasonal monsoon rainfall for India, particularly over northern India during the onset month of June. The onset timing of the monsoon is very important for agriculture; a lack of rainfall early in the growing season can have a devastating impact on crops." Previous studies have also found links between snowfall over a much larger area of northern Eurasia, but this study suggests that the Himalayan region has a stronger influence on Indian rainfall. The monsoon rains over India and the rest of South and East Asia are relied on by more than a third of the world's population. This research is based on a large number of experiments with the Met Office/Hadley Centre climate model which have been used to show robust relationships between the monsoon and winter/spring snow. This study shows in detail the mechanisms linking heavy snowfall over the Himalayas and Tibet in winter and spring with summer monsoon drought, particularly in the early part of the season (June).
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
I am very thankful to all the sources quoted in the above text. The items of today's interest are from Google.com search Engine.
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