DAILY NEWS ANALYSIS

Dams in Indian Territory

• According to a United Nations (UN) research titled "Aging Water Infrastructure: An Emerging Global Risk," over 1,000 big dams in India would be around 50 years old by 2025, and comparable aging embankments around the world constitute an increasing concern.
• According to a United Nations research, around 3,700 dams in India may lose 26% of their entire storage by 2050 owing to sediment deposition, which might jeopardize future water security, irrigation, and power generation.
• The research was carried out by the United Nations University Institute on Water, Environment, and Health (UNU-INWEH), also known as the UN's water think tank.

About the report:

• In terms of large dam construction, India ranks third in the world.
• Approximately 1,100 big dams have already reached 50 years of age, with some dating back more than 120 years.
• By 2050, the number of such dams will have risen to 4,400.
• Sediment has already robbed around 50,000 major dams worldwide of 13 to 19% of their whole initial storage capacity.
• It reveals that the initial global storage of 6,316 billion cubic meters in 47,403 big dams in 150 nations will fall to 4,665 billion cubic meters by 2050, resulting in a 26% storage loss.
• The loss of 1,650 billion cubic meters of storage capacity is about equivalent to India's, China's, Indonesia's, France's, and Canada's combined annual water demand.
• The Asia-Pacific area, the world's most dammed region, is expected to lose 13% of its initial dam storage capacity by 2022.
• By mid-century, it will have lost roughly a quarter (23%) of its initial storage capacity.
• Water storage is critical for sustaining water and food security in the region, which is home to 60% of the world's population.
• Meanwhile, China, the world's most extensively dammed country, has lost around 10% of its storage capacity and will lose another 10% by 2050.

What Problems Do Indian Dams Cause?

Storage Capacity Decreases:

• As dams age, dirt replaces the water in reservoirs. As a result, it is not possible to state that storage capacity is the same as it was in the 1900s and 1950s.
• The storage space in Indian reservoirs is dwindling more quicker than expected.
• Studies have revealed that the architecture of several of India's reservoirs is incorrect.
• Indian reservoirs are created with little knowledge of sedimentation science.
• The designs overestimate the rate of siltation while underestimating the amount of living storage capacity created.

High Rates of Siltation:

• It refers to both the increased concentration of suspended sediments and the increased buildup (temporary or permanent) of fine sediments on unsuitable bottoms.

Built on the Rainfall Pattern:

• Indian dams are quite old and were built on the rainfall pattern of the previous decades. In recent years, erratic rainfall has made them vulnerable.
• However, the government is providing the dams with information systems such as rainfall and flood alarms, as well as emergency action plans, in order to avoid a variety of accidents.
• Climate change has increased variability in water availability and uncertainties about future water availability.

What are the Consequences of Dam Construction?

• Environmental Impacts: Dams can disrupt river flow and alter downstream ecosystem, which can harm plants and animals that rely on the natural flow of the river. Dams can also induce soil erosion, sedimentation, and floods downstream.
• Community Relocation: Dam construction frequently results in the displacement of local communities.
• This can lead to the loss of homes, lands, and livelihoods, which can be especially catastrophic for vulnerable communities like indigenous people, farmers, and fishermen. For example, the backwaters of the Sardar Sarovar Dam displaced and impacted approximately 1,500 people.
• Less Water: When soil replaces water in reservoirs, the supply becomes clogged. As time passes, the cropped area receives less and less water.
• Impact on Groundwater: The net planted water area either declines or becomes dependent on precipitation or overexploited groundwater.
• Affecting Farmers' Income: Farmers' income may be reduced since water, along with financing, crop insurance, and investment, is a critical element in crop output.
• It is vital to highlight that sediment-packed dams will not help with climate change adaptation.
• Cost: Dam construction is an expensive undertaking that can strain both state and federal budgets.
• Transparency: A lack of transparency in decision-making can contribute to public distrust of dams and the institutions that run them.

Way Forward

• In the twenty-first century, the country will be unable to find enough water to feed the growing population by 2050, cultivate abundant crops, build sustainable cities, or ensure growth. As a result, it is critical that all parties work together to remedy this problem as soon as possible.
• A dam failure prevention method is required because no amount of punishment will compensate for the loss of life if a dam breaks.
• The existence of accountability and transparency while taking into account the perspectives of the real stakeholders—the people living downstream from the dams, who are the most at-risk group in the event of a breach—is the most crucial factor in maintaining dam safety.

E-WASTE In India

• India is now considering a switch to two standard chargers for all mobile phone brands and portable electrical gadgets, which will aid in the fight against e-waste.
• Similarly, the European Union (EU) has mandated that the USB-C port be standard on all devices by mid-2024, including Apple's iPhone, which now utilizes its own standard.
• Consumers in the European Union would no longer need to buy new charging devices and cables every time they bought a new phone under the new rule.

What is E-Waste?

• E-Waste is an abbreviation for Electronic-Waste, and it refers to old, obsolete, or abandoned electronic appliances. It comprises their parts, consumables, and spares.
• It is divided into 21 types, which are divided into two basic categories: information technology and communication equipment.
• Electronics and electrical appliances for the general public.
• Since 2011, India has had e-waste management laws in place that require only authorized dismantlers and recyclers to collect e-waste. In 2017, the E-waste (Management) Rules, 2016 were enacted.
• In Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India's first e-waste clinic for trash segregation, processing, and disposal from households and business units has been established.
• Initially, the Basel Convention (1992) made no mention of e-waste, but it eventually addressed the issue in (COP8), 2006.

More Information and facts:

• Only 22.7% of the total 10, 14,961.21 tonnes of e-waste created in India in 2019-20 was collected, deconstructed, recycled, or disposed of.
• According to the UN Global E-Waste Monitor Report, India is the world's third largest generator of e-waste, trailing only China and the United States.
• Maharashtra produces the most e-waste of any Indian state.
• The states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana have the greatest capacity to disassemble and recycle e-waste.
• Because e-waste is not frequently included in the list of municipal solid garbage, cities are not required to collect, transport, and handle it.

About E-waste (Management) rules 2022:

• It will apply to any manufacturer, producer, refurbisher, dismantler, or recycler involved in the production, sale, transfer, or purchase of e-waste or electrical and electronic equipment, as well as the refurbishing, dismantling, recycling, and processing of such equipment.
• The rule covers all electrical devices and radiotherapy equipment, nuclear medical equipment and accessories, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), electric toys, air conditioners, microwaves, tablets, washing machines, refrigerators, and iPads, among other things.
• Following the deaths caused by radioactive material exposure, the government has limited the use of hazardous substances in the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE).
• It requires the use of less lead, mercury, and cadmium in the manufacture of electrical equipment, among other things.
• Manufacturers must employ technology or procedures to make the end product recyclable, and they must ensure that components or parts made by various manufacturers are compatible with one another in order to decrease the amount of e-waste.
• Strict monitoring: The Central Pollution Control Board is required to undertake random sampling of electrical and electronic equipment placed on the market in order to monitor and verify compliance with hazardous substance reduction rules.
• Extended Producer Responsibility Certificates: The proposed laws aim to incentivize registered electronic waste recyclers by adopting EPR certificates, or Extended Producer Responsibility certificates (which was not part of 2016 Rules).

About E-Waste Management Rules, 2016:

• The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change issued the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016, which replaced the E-Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011.
• Over 21 products (Schedule-I) were included in the rule's scope. It includes Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs) and other mercury-containing lamps, as well as other equipment of the same type.
• For the first time, the rules imposed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) on producers, along with targets. Producers are now responsible for the collection and exchange of E-waste.
• Various producers can form their own Producer Responsibility Organization (PRO) to ensure the collection and disposal of E-waste in an environmentally responsible manner.
• As an additional economic instrument, the Deposit Refund Scheme has been introduced, in which the producer charges an additional amount as a deposit at the time of sale of the electrical and electronic equipment and returns it to the consumer along with interest when the end-of-life electrical and electronic equipment is returned.
• State governments have also been tasked with ensuring the safety, health, and skill development of workers involved in dismantling and recycling activities.
• A mechanism for a penalty for rule violations has also been added.

What are the Issues Concerning E-Waste Management in India?

People are less involved:

• One major reason for used electrical equipment not being recycled was that consumers did not recycle them.
• However, in recent years, countries all around the world have attempted to enact effective 'right to repair' legislation.

Child Labor:

• In India, around 4.5 lakh child laborers between the ages of 10 and 14 are spotted working in various E-waste yards and recycling businesses without proper protection and safeguards.

Health concerns:

• Mercury, lead, cadmium, polybrominated flame retardants, barium, and lithium are all metals found in e-waste that is detrimental to human health.
• Toxins' negative health effects on humans include brain, heart, liver, kidney, and skeletal system damage.

The ecosystem on a global scale:

• Improper e-waste disposal endangers the global ecosystem.
• E-waste created in volume: India ranks third in e-waste generation, producing approximately 1.7 lakh metric tonnes per year.

Lack of infrastructure:

• There is a significant gap between current recycling and collecting facilities and the amount of E-waste created.

Incentives are lacking:

• There are no clear norms for the unorganized sector to treat E-waste. Furthermore, no incentives are specified to entice those involved in E-waste management to follow a formal career.

What are the E-waste Regulations in India?

• India has a defined set of laws for electronic waste management, which were initially released in 2016 and modified in 2018.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Climate Change recently published a draught notification for Electronic Waste Management.
• The Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change issued the E-Waste Management Rules, 2016, which replaced the E-Waste (Management & Handling) Rules, 2011.
• Urban Local Bodies (Municipal Committee/Council/Corporation) have been tasked with collecting orphan products and directing them to authorized dismantlers or recyclers.
• Provision of adequate space for present and future industrial units for e-waste breakdown and recycling.

Suggestions for the next steps:

• Recycling: To limit the hazardous effects of e-waste, it is vital to successfully e-cycle goods so that they can be recycled, refurbished, resold, or repurposed.
• Domestic legal framework to solve these loopholes in E-Waste import.
• Domestic garbage disposal must be addressed safely.
• Encourage investment in this industry.
• Connect the activities of the informal and formal sectors.
• Encourage the use of appropriate ESM recycling methods.
• Better Policies and Implementation: In India, several entrepreneurs and businesses have begun to collect and recycle electronic garbage. We require improved implementation procedures and inclusion policies that allow and validate the informal sector to step up and assist us to accomplish our recycling targets in an environmentally responsible manner.

Kala-azar Disease

• Between 2007 and 2022, the number of Kala-azar cases in India fell by 98.7%, from 44,533 to 834, with 632 endemic blocks (99.8%) in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, and West Bengal receiving eradication status (less than one case per 10,000).
• Littipara in the Jharkhand district of Pakur is the sole remaining endemic block (1.23 cases per 10,000 population).

About:

• It is a slow-moving indigenous disease caused by a protozoan parasite from the genus Leishmania.
• Kala-azar, also known as leishmaniases, is one of the most deadly neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) that is endemic in 76 countries and threatens roughly 200 million people.

Forms:

• There are three types of leishmaniasis: visceral (also known as kala-azar, the most severe form of the disease), cutaneous (the most common, affecting the skin), and mucocutaneous.
• It is a fatal parasitic disease caused by the protozoa parasite Leishmania that primarily affects humans in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
  • If left untreated, the condition can be fatal.

Global and National Status:

• According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Kala-azar is the world's second-deadliest parasitic disease, with approximately 89% of global cases reported from eight countries as of November 2022: Brazil, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan.
• India accounts for approximately 11.5% of all Kala-azar cases reported globally.
• Over 90% of kala-azar cases in India are reported from Bihar and Jharkhand, while Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have met their block-level elimination targets.
• It is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected female phlebotomine sandfly.
• Fever, weight loss, anemia, and liver and spleen enlargement are all symptoms.
• Kala-azar prevention entails actions to eliminate sandfly breeding areas and to protect humans from sandfly bites.
• This can be accomplished by utilizing pesticides, bed nets, and repellents, as well as improving living conditions and providing access to clean water and sanitation.
• In locations where the disease is endemic, the WHO also recommends Mass Drug Administration (MDA).

Treatment:

• Kala-azar is treated with medications such as sodium stibogluconate and meglumine antimoniate.

Impacts:

• Malnutrition, population dislocation, poor housing, a weakened immune system, and a lack of financial resources are all related with the disease.
• Environmental changes such as deforestation, dam construction, irrigation systems, and urbanisation have also been related to leishmaniasis.

Control and prevention:

• Leishmaniasis prevention and control necessitate a variety of intervention measures.
• It is a treatable and curable condition that "needs an immunocompetent system because treatments will not remove the parasite from the body, increasing the likelihood of relapse" if immunosuppression occurs.
• Effective disease surveillance is critical for monitoring and responding quickly during epidemics and circumstances with high case fatality rates under treatment.

Initiatives that are related:

• Global: The World Health Organization's New Roadmap for 2021-2030: By 2030, a group of 20 diseases known as neglected tropical diseases must be prevented, controlled, eliminated, or eradicated.
• The WHO has also developed the Global Programme for the Elimination of Lymphatic Filariasis (GPELF), which seeks to eliminate MDA-caused lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, and Kala-azar.
• The GPELF aim of eliminating these diseases globally by 2020, set in 2000, was not met. Despite difficulties caused by Covid-19, WHO will ramp up efforts to meet this aim by 2030.

Indian Government effort:

• To attain its goal of removing kala-azar from India by 2023, the central government has taken many efforts, including building pucca dwellings through the PM-AWAS yojana, rural electrification, testing, treatment, periodic high-level review, and award distribution.

National Kala-azar Elimination Program

• The National Health Policy 2002 set the objective of eliminating Kala-azar in India by 2010, which was later changed to 2015.
• India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Bangladesh and Nepal to eradicate Kala-azar from the South-East Asia region (SEAR).
• Currently, all programmatic activities are carried out through the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP), which serves as an umbrella program and is part of the National Health Mission (NHM).

Vishwa Hindi Diwas

• Every year on January 10th, Vishwa Hindi Diwas (VHD) or World Hindi Day (WHD) is observed to promote the Hindi language throughout the world.
• Whereas Hindi Diwas is observed annually on September 14th and focuses primarily on the recognition of the Hindi language in India.

What is Vishwa Hindi Diwas?

• It was established in 2006 to mark the 10th anniversary of the inaugural World Hindi Conference, which was held in Nagpur on January 10, 1975.
• It commemorates the first time Hindi was spoken at the United Nations General Assembly in 1949. It is also observed by Indian embassies situated around the world.
• In 2018, the World Hindi Secretariat building in Port Louis, Mauritius, was dedicated.

Significance:

• The goal of this day is to raise awareness about the Indian language and promote it as a universal language all over the world.
• It is also utilized to raise awareness about the use of the Indian language, as well as the concerns that still exist regarding the use and promotion of the Hindi language.
• National Hindi Day is observed every year on September 14 to commemorate the adoption of Hindi as the official language of India by the Constituent Assembly of India in 1949.
• Important contributions were made by Kaka Kalelkar, Maithili Sharan Gupta, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, and Seth Govindadas in making Hindi the official language.
• Hindi is also on the eighth schedule of the Constitution of India.
• Article 351 is a directive for the development of the Hindi language.
• Government Initiatives to Promote Hindi: In 1960, the Government of India formed the Central Hindi Directorate under the Ministry of Education.
• The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has established "Hindi Chairs" in a number of overseas universities and institutions.
• LILA-Rajbhasha (Learn Indian Languages Using Artificial Intelligence) is an intelligent self-tutoring multimedia application for learning Hindi.
• The Department of Official Language's E-Saral Hindi Vakya Kosh and E-Mahashabdkosh Mobile Apps both aim to use information technology to help the growth of Hindi.
• Rajbhasha Gaurav Puraskar and Rajbhasha Kirti Puraskar honor contributions to the Hindi language.

About The Hindi Language:

• The Persian word Hind, which means "country of the Indus River," inspired the name Hindi.
• In the early 11th century, Turk conquerors dubbed the region's language Hindi, which means 'language of the Indus River'.
• It is one of India's two official languages, the other being English.
• Outside of India, Hindi is spoken in Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Nepal.
• Hindi in its current form evolved through several stages, during which it was known by various names. Apabhramsa was the earliest form of old Hindi. In 400 AD, Kalidas authored Vikramorvashiyam, a romance play in Apabhramsa.
• The present Devanagari script first appeared in the 11th century.