Biomedical waste bomb ticks

A bomb is ticking on biomedical waste heap in Madhya Pradesh, as at least 22,071 kilograms of hazardous waste are being dumped in the open without treatment in the state every year.

As per Bio-Medical Waste (Management and Handling) Rules, 1998, if not handled properly, this waste is a potent source of life-threatening diseases like AIDS, tuberculosis, hepatitis and other bacterial ailments. Those handling this hazardous dump live in fear of being pricked by syringe needles carrying the illness. Then, there is no record of liquid biomedical waste like blood flowing directly from hospitals into sewage lines that run the risk of polluting potable water source.

As per Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB), 10,714.13 kilograms of medical waste was generated every day in the state in 2015. Out of this, 10,653.66 kilograms was disposed of properly, which means at least 60.47 kilograms of waste was dumped in the open every day and the yearly figure read 22,071 kilograms.

Biomedical waste generated is from 3,031 major hospitals of the state, as told by private agencies involved in its transportation and disposal in Madhya Pradesh.

Officials said these agencies have an idea of the amount of waste generated since they collect it on a regular basis.

There are eight facilities in MP where biomedical waste is disposed of, either by incineration, recycling or deep burial. Three private agencies from outside the state also collect biomedical waste and transport it to their sites for disposal. Incidentally, more than 50 per cent of medical waste in the state is recycled.

However, MPPCB's Bhopal regional officer Pushpendra Bundela said biomedical waste is collected and dumped properly in the city. "There is no reason of taking action against anyone, as there is no complaint. If you have any specific information or complaint against any hospital, we can get it investigated," he said.

MPPCB chief chemist RK Malviya said, "Regional offices of PCB regularly monitor and take action wherever required."
Environmentalist Ajay Dube said, "There is no data on amount of biomedical waste generated by government hospitals, particularly in rural areas. MPPCB is responsible for tracking both government as well as private hospitals, but officials target only private ones. Pollution board's unwillingness to prosecute those at fault is main reason why biomedical waste is not being dumped properly in the state."

It may come as a shocker that no one is generally penalised for dumping untreated bio-medical waste. This despite the fact that Environment Protection Act is in force, that provisions imprisonment up to five years and fine of Rs1 lakh on violators. Officials in Bhopal said no one has been penalised, as they have not received any complaint.

Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) - the agency that has the responsibility to ensure that biomedical waste is properly disposed of in Madhya Pradesh - does not even have a system to know how much medical waste in generated in the state.

Officials pointed that big government hospitals in cities as well as in rural areas are the ones that are guilty of dumping biomedical waste in the open. Further, since government hospitals and Pollution Control Board (PCB) are both government bodies, the regulatory authority avoids taking action against them.

Ankur Sirothia| TNN | Jul 29, 2016, 07.40 AM IST
Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Biomedical-waste-bomb-ticks/articleshow/53443110.cms

Global Tiger Day

We are celebrating Global Tiger Day today and waiting for you to join in. 

This year is especially important in the history of tiger conservation because it marks the halfway point of Tx2 — the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022.

However, tigers still remain an endangered species because of threats such as poaching, wildlife trafficking and habitat loss. This means that your involvement is ever more important.

Click here to see how your support can help save the tiger and its habitat!

                                  
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NDMC signs agreement with NEERI to develop sewage treatment plants

Mayank Manohar| TNN | Jul 21, 2016, 07.46 PM IST

Representative image

NEW DELHI: In a bid to develop green areas and revamp big and small parks under its jurisdiction, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has signed an agreement with National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) to develop 12 sewage treatment plants (STP).

A senior NDMC official said that the council has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the agency that has an expertise in the field and the project will help increase the green cover in NDMC areas and curb dust pollution.

"NEERI has an expertise in this field and the treatment plants will help NDMC to irrigate its parks. At times, we do not undertake any redevelopment project for our parks because of scarcity of water. But these plants, when installed, will help in revamping our big and small parks which will eventually help in increasing the green cover. NEERI is conducting a study on the locations, which will be fit for installing these plants and after they wrap up their research, NDMC will initiate installation of these plants," said a senior NDMC official.

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There are 200 small parks in several colonies under NDMC and five big parks including Lodhi Garden, Nehru Park, and Sanjay Jheel, where the footfall is huge.

"In the first phase, 12 STPs will be installed across our area. Each plant will have a capacity of treating sewage water ranging from 50,000-1 lakh litres. All these plants will be connected to all our parks which will help the horticulture department to maintain the parks. These plants will be installed at schools also and after reviewing the first phase, we will expand it to other areas as well. The agreement that has been signed between the two parties has a clause that NDMC will bear only pumping cost which is economic and NEERI will bear the cost of the project," said the senior official.

He further said that barren lands that have no use under NDMC areas will be developed into green areas under the same project. "We will identify barren lands across our jurisdiction and we will develop them into green areas. Dust pollution is a menace across the capital and developing green area is important to ensure we are able to curb dust pollution," said the senior official.

NDMC has already taken up a plantation drive during a period of six weeks and has set a target of planting 2 lakh trees across their area. A senior official said that around 60,000 trees have been planted after the initiation of the drive.

WHO Approves World’s First-Ever Dengue Vaccine

The painful and sometimes deadly mosquito-borne disease is on the rise, but a new vaccine could help the most vulnerable populations

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday endorsed the world’s first-ever vaccine for dengue fever, a potentially deadly mosquito-borne virus that threatens to infect close to half of the world’s population.

Unlike malaria, there is no established cure for dengue fever, which can cause severe nausea, bone pain, headaches, rashes, bleeding and even death. The virus can last for up to 10 days. About 390 million people are infected by dengue each year in some 120 countries, particularly in Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.

Known as Dengvaxia, the vaccine is the product of two decades of research by French-based Sanofi Pasteur. Four countries—Mexico, Brazil, El Salvador and the Philippines—have already licensed Dengvaxia, but Friday’s recommendation will likely spur a host of other developing nations to follow suit at a time when climate change and urbanization is putting increasing numbers of people at risk from the mosquito-borne disease. “In countries where dengue is endemic, it’s one of the most feared diseases,” says Dr. In-Kyu Yoon, director of the Dengue Vaccine Initiative, an international consortium that has partnered with Sanofi. “The trajectory globally is increasing—at this point it’s essentially a pandemic.”

The vaccine is given in three injections spaced out over one year. It is designed for those over the age of nine who have been previously exposed to the virus and is best suited for people living in endemic areas, as opposed to short-term travellers, according to Dr. Alain Bouckanooge, associate vice president of clinical research and development at Sanofi’s division in Thailand. Throughout the past few years the company conducted clinical trials in tens of thousands of children in Southeast Asia and Latin America that revealed the vaccine to be 70 percent effective for those with pre-exposure to dengue and 90-95 percent effective against severe hospitalization.

Scientists have been unable to develop a vaccine for dengue in part because the virus is so complicated. It has four strains, more than other deadly diseases such as polio and smallpox. If a person gets infected with more than one type of dengue, there is a greater chance of the virus of causing hospitalization or death. Yoon said there have historically only been a few places where more than one serotype of dengue circulates at any given time, but urbanization has made it more common to have multiple serotypes in the same area.

Another challenge in testing the vaccine has been the need for expensive and time-consuming human trials. Bouckanooge says there is no good animal model that can be used as a predictor. “For dengue vaccine you don’t have that. Human dengue is quite unique.”

Even a successful vaccine won’t eliminate dengue overnight. Sanofi’s production capacity is limited, Yoon says. He estimates that the company could manufacture about 100 million doses of the vaccine annually, compared to an estimated demand of about one billion doses over five years. “So there are potentially some supply and demand issues,” he says. “Clearly there is a need for more than one vaccine and more than one vaccine manufacturer.” Dengvaxia’s side effects include systemic headaches, fatigue and light-grade fevers. No direct fatalities have been reported.

The decision whether or not to implement the vaccine will be the up to individual governments. While WHO does offer information resources to aid countries, setting up a vaccination program will provide its own set of challenges, according to Joachim Hombach, the senior advisor in WHO’s Initiative for Vaccine Research. “You need to buy the vaccine and it costs a lot money,” he says. “And you are in the business for many years — it’s essentially an open-ended commitment. You don’t want to be in a situation where you introduce a vaccine and then two years later you say, oops, sorry, we are running out of money and we have to stop this program.”

http://time.com/4296193/who-dengue-vaccine/

CSE workshop on “Development through data: how to benefit from data in the digital age” July 26-28, 2016, New Delhi

Final call to nominate for CSE workshop on “Development through data: how to benefit from data in the digital age” July 26-28, 2016, New Delhi

Dear Sir/ Madam, The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) invites you to register and nominate professionals for attending the workshop “Development through data: how to benefit from data in the digital age” scheduled from July 26-28, 2016 at New Delhi. The saying “what gets measured, gets managed” is more true today than ever. We are now in a time when data is overflowing; information is available from so many sources and so fast that sometimes we end up not making any sense of the happenings. And unanalysed data is as good as data not collected. So, processing data and information is the new way to communicate. Hence, this three-day hands-on workshop is being organised to build skills required to access data, analyse and present it in a coherent and lucid format. It will be conducted by Down to Earth (DTE) and Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the environment think tank with 35 years of experience in knowledge-based activism, campaigns, communication and policy research.  What participants will learn After attending this workshop conducted by data specialists and top communication experts, the participants will learn: How and where to look for relevant raw data How to analyse, interpret and clean raw data How to process, visualize and present data Who can benefit Government officials working at district, state and national level Development communicators Project and programme managers with national and international organisations Statisticians, researchers and students Data managers NGOs and consultants Web/ information managers Corporate social responsibility (CSR) /public relation professionals in industries Methodology Lectures/interactive classroom sessions, practical sessions, assignments and project work Medium of Instruction The workshop will be conducted in English. Functional proficiency in English is expected. Course fee Rs 9,900/- only per participant.  50% discount to NGOs. Participation fees is payable in advance and includes instructional course fee, reading materials, lunch and refreshments. Accommodation can be arranged on payment basis. CERTIFICATE OF PARTICIPATION will be awarded to all participants. When and where   Date: July 26-28, 2016 Time: 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM Venue: CSE, 41, Tughlaqabad Institutional Area, New Delhi-10062 Nominations and enquiries Nominations and enquiries should be sent to kiran@cseindia.org Nominations are accepted online too http://www.cseindia.org/node/4634 For more information, kindly refer to programme details on the following web link http://www.cseindia.org/content/how-benefit-data-digital-age ALUMNI Association Participants will become members of the CSE Alumni Association on completion of the programme. The alumni enjoy certain benefits with regard to the Centre’s publications and activities. We look forward to receiving your nominations and hearing from you. Thanking you, Yours cordially Kiran Pandey Director –Information Management Centre for Science and Environment New Delhi, India Ph +91 9871215338

Air pollution causes wrinkles and premature ageing, new research shows

Toxic fumes may be the primary cause of skin ageing in polluted cities such as London, New York and Beijing, scientists say

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Van Mahotsav - Plant Memories for Life

                                   JOIN THE WWF-INDIA ADOPT A TREE CAMPAIGN! 

                         STARTING TODAY YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS CAN TAKE 

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Call for applications to fill up two contractual posts of Project Associates under GEF-UNDP-GoI

http://www.moef.nic.in/sites/default/files/Advertisemnt_08_July_2016.pdf

Call for applications to fill up two contractual posts of Project Associates under GEF-UNDP-GoI project entitled'Enabling Activities for the Preparation of India's Third National Communication and Other New Information to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (NATCOM)'

More Details and Application Form

Job opening for the post of Senior Program Officer - Communications

Organization: Toxics Link

Position:  Senior Program Officer - Communications

Location:New Delhi

Last Date:  16th July 2016
More Details

Toxics Link is an environmental NGO, dedicated to bringing toxics related information into the public domain, both relating to struggles and problems at the grassroots as well as global information to the local levels. We work with other groups around the country as well as internationally in an understanding that this will help bring the experience of the ground to the fore, and lead to a more meaningful articulation of issues. Toxics Link also engages in on-the ground work especially in areas of hazardous and medical waste management, food safety  and  chemicals among others. Working in networks, utilising community outreach and education, policy analysis, research, training and program development. We are also involved in a wider range of environmental issues in Delhi and outside as part of a coalition of non-governmental organizations.

Responsibilities

Toxics Link is looking for a Senior Program Officer – Communications to take forward its communications program, and significantly enhance the impact of its communication and information dissemination activities. As an information clearing house on toxics and waste issues, as well as  matters related to environmental justice, the organization depends for it success on high-quality communications. Are you the one who can make that success happen?

As Senior Program Officer-Communications, you will be responsible for, among other things:

• Developing, implementing, and streamlining the communications plans of the organisation.
• Developing systems and mechanisms to maximise dissemination of information.
• In collaboration with Program teams, converting available information into knowledge-based products, and ensuring their effective distribution.
• Planning and managing events to increase awareness and sensitivity among various stakeholders on subject of environmental sustainability
• Build strong relationship with media to promote organizational goals

You would be expected to have:

·         Knowledge and experience of handling development communications.

·         Experience in developing and implementing strategy would be useful.

·         Contacts within the press and the publishing world, especially of the kind inclined towards social and developmental topics.

·         Excellent command  and  skill levels with written and spoken English, skills in editing and designing will be desirable.

·         Experience of 3 years in similar work profile will be an advantage

·         Previous experience on information dissemination and development of IEC materials desirable.

If interested, send in your CV   to:

· snigdha@toxicslink.org, by E mail and hard copy  to Snigdha Sinha ,

      Toxics Link, H2 (Ground Floor), Jungpura Extension, New Delhi 110 014.

Mark the envelope or the e-mail with the subject line: ‘Application for post of  “Senior Program Officer-Communications”