Mining in the Nyamgiri hills

Despite many violations, protests, and committee recommendations against mining in the Niyamgiri hills, the region's fate lies in the corridors of power.

The National Environment Appellate Authority (NEAA) on 16-9-2010 has suspended the environmental clearance granted to the Niyamgiri mining project of M/s Orissa Mining Corporation and Vedanta Ltd. This was granted by the MoEF on 28-4-2009. The contention of the Appellant was that the Public hearing was held in 2003 whereas the project was approved on the basis of an EIA prepared in 2005. The law requires that the EIA document should be prepared before the Public Hearing for public comments but no such opportunity was provided to the affected communities. The NEAA is its judgement held that:

 This is an important decision given that Ministry of Environment and Forest had overlooked the crucial issue of public participation. The Appeal is also significant given the fact the MoEF had been found at fault for approving the project without considering the crucial issue of participation of the Dongrai Kondhs who are a vulnerable tribal community.

Water crisis in India

In India, more than 90 per cent of the groundwater is consumed for agriculture. Of this a large percentage of water is used on that land which requires constant irrigation. According to the Ministry of Water Resources, industrial water use in India stands at about 50 billion cubic meters or nearly 6 per cent of total freshwater abstraction. This demand is expected to increase dramatically in the next decade, given the enormous forecasts of 9 per cent growth for 2007 alone. This water is also primarily drawn from the land. However, we Indians are not still ready to accept the reality of depleting groundwater reserves. This condition has caused a major water crisis.

This crisis is not just the disturbance in the demand and supply curve but is also about mismanagement of water resources. India's water crisis is a man-made problem. One of the major problems is water pollution . New Delhi alone produces 3.6 million cubic meters of sewage every day, but due to poor management less than half is effectively treated. The remaining untreated waste is dumped into the Yamuna River. Thus a combination of sewage disposal, industrial effluents, and chemicals from farm runoffs, arsenic and fluoride has rendered India's rivers unfit for drinking, irrigation, and even industrial purposes. Also, the over-usage of ground water due to the unavailability of sufficient water for irrigation has led to a tremendous decrease in the level of ground water. Also, due to global warming, rainfalls have become erratic and unpredictable because of which the agricultural sector has been affected seriously.

We need to take rational steps to manage water in India before it becomes an international crisis, as this will affect the nation's economy and will also lead to various water-borne diseases. There would also be a sharp decline in agricultural production, which will negate all of the previous efforts at food security. India will become a net importer of grain, which will have a huge effect on global food prices, as well as the global supply of food. A rise in food prices will aggravate poverty because people will have to spend larger portions of their income on food.

In addition to devastating the agricultural sector of India's economy, the water crisis will have a big effect on India's industrial sector, possibly stagnating many industries. India has the power to avoid this dark future if people take action immediately: start conserving water, begin to harvest rainwater, treat human, agricultural, and industrial waste effectively, and regulate how much water can be drawn out of the ground.

Climate change?

Ever since the earth came into being there has been a. The climate of a place is the average weather that it experiences over a period of time. The factors that determine the climate at a location are the rainfall, sunshine, wind, humidity, and temperature.

While changes in the weather may occur suddenly and noticeably, changes in the climate take a long time to settle in and are therefore less obvious. Throughout the earth's history there have been changes in the climate. There have been well-marked cold and hot periods and all life forms adapted naturally to this change.

Over the last 150-200 years the change has been taking place too rapidly and certain plant and animal species have found it hard to adapt. Human activities are said to be responsible for the speed at which this change has occurred and it is now a cause of worry to scientists.

The atmosphere surrounding the earth is made up of nitrogen (78%), oxygen (21%) and the remainder, 1%, is made up of trace gases (called so because they are present in very small quantities) that include the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, water vapour, and nitrous oxide. These greenhouse gases act as a blanket and protect it from the harmful ultra violet rays of the sun. They can also be regarded as natural controllers of the earth's temperature system.

Suicides of farmers

Thousands of debt-ridden farmers have committed suicide from 2003 till date, 131 suicides have been recorded officially in the eight districts of south- central Maharashtra. Most of the region falls in the rain shadow area and is dependent on the monsoon for its water needs. In 1980s the bore well became a solution to the water scarcity in the region. When in 1980 they had to dig 45 meters (around 150 feet) to strike water, in the 1990s they had to dig 90 meters (around 300 feet). Now water is available only at around 460 meters (around 1, 500 feet), sometimes not even at the depth.