To register, send a mail to indradhanushya.pune@gmail.com or call Laxmikant Deshpande at 25898447 or 25887009 before 4 June 2009. Seats are limited.

During the training, participants will be oriented about the reasons for climate change, and make smart choices that reduce CO2 contributions through our everyday actions to adapt to climate change. Interactive slide show, case studies presentation and distribution of training kit will be done. After 5th June event, participants are expected to use the acquired knowledge and the training kit to create awareness among their own community; such as eco-clubs in the school, college or neighbourhood.

Programme Venue: Indradhanushya Citizenship and Environment Education Centrre, Opp Sachin Tendulkar Joggers Park, Anant Kanhere Path, Dattawadi, Pune 400 030.

Pringoo.com is e-commerce company which provides people to customize gifts like t-shirts, sweatshirt, mugs, chocolate wrappers, etc. with their own messages and images. With t-shirts, which are obviously worn, they made sure that they use Eco-friendly ink only.

Some green facts of the Eco-solvent ink, that is used for their t-shirt printing:

• Environment friendly
• Has no harmful fumes
• Safe for human health
• Practically Odorless
• Wide Color Gamut and high Optical Density
• Resistance against water and UV
• Outdoor Durability guaranteed for up to 2 years
• Optimized Adhesion and Scratch Resistance with both coated and  non-coated substrates
• High-resolution printing giving exceptional image quality

They are the only company in India using this ink for custom t-shirt printing.

School children have done it though. Following is a press coverage from The Times of India, Pune edition.

TOI/PUNE/19th Feb ‘09: In a bid to spread environmental awareness among students and citizens, 20 schools in Pimpri-Chinchwad will soon be engaged in environment monitoring. The schools will also monitor and make observations about weather on a regular basis.

The decision to involve schools in environmental awareness comes after resolutions were taken at the science congress which was organised last week by the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation, Khagol Vishwa (an organisation for amateur astronomers) the Rotary Club and SNBP school. The theme of the event was ideal city environment’, and the organisers decided to undertake activities which would help create awareness about environment protection and weather changes.

According to Mayuresh Prabhune of Khagol Vishwa, the schools will monitor pollution of the Pavana river and undertake activities to stop pollution with the help of the municipal corporation and other social groups.

In order to monitor environmental pollution, the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board has two monitoring stations, one in Pimpri-Chinchwad’s industrial area and the second in the residential area. Prabhune said that the MPCB would be requested to start more such centres.

The schools will also monitor weather conditions with the help of the India Meteorological Society. At present, the municipal corporation itself monitors the maximum and minimum temperatures and the rainfall. There is also a plan to form a science club which will undertake various activities. Information about the environment and the weather conditions will be collected and analysed, Prabhune said.

The science congress received an overwhelming response from students and citizens alike. Exhibitions, and lectures by eminent experts were organised during the four-day event.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/20-schools-to-take-up-environment-monitoring/articleshow/4152222.cms]

Trees on Varsity Campus Saved from Axe:

On another note, for the campus makeover of University of Pune, the road widening planhas been withdrawn to save trees being axed.

Read the complete coverage here.

Speaking to TOI, municipal commissioner Ashish Sharma said that a detailed project report on water recycling has already been prepared. This report will soon be submitted to the Union government so that the corporation can implement the project under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

According to Sharma, the corporation is looking at providing 120 MLD treated sewage water for industrial use from its various sewage treatment plants including the one at Kasarwadi. “We will be able to provide water at competitive rates. The location of the STP at Kasarwadi is convenient for providing water in the industrial belt of Bhosari and Pimpri,” he said.

The PCMC is also looking at power generation from sewage treatment plants, though the plan is in the initial stage, Sharma said.

As part of the works to be completed under JNNURM, the PCMC has completed the work of construction of four sewage treatment plants at Pimpale Nilakh, Chinchwad, Ravet and Kasarwadi. At Kasarwadi, the corporation already has one plant of 40 MLD capacity which is functional. Another plant of the same capacity is being built there. The other STPs that are functional include Chinchwad (30 MLD), Pimpale Nilakh (20 MLD), and Chikhli (32 MLD). The PCMC proposes to start more STPs at Akurdi (30 MLD), Ravet (20 MLD), Chinchwad (30 MLD) and Charholi (21 MLD).

Incidentally, district guardian minister Ajit Pawar had asked the PCMC to undertake water recycling projects on a large scale. His suggestion had come at a function in May last year when he laid the foundation stone for the Rs 400-crore ambitious project of laying a direct pipeline from Pavana dam to Ravet to meet the water supply needs of the twin township. He had pointed out that the Pavana river, from where PCMC draws nearly 340 MLD water for drinking purposes, gets highly polluted from Chinchwad onwards, due to release of domestic and industrial effluents from the twin township.

Meanwhile, welcoming the increased allocation for JNNURM projects in the interim Union budget, Sharma said that the municipal corporation wants to focus on the Pavana river improvement project. Similarly, development of two temples along the Pavana river banks the Moraya Gosavi Samadhi temple in Chinchwadgaon and the Jhulelal temple in Pimpri, as heritage structures, is top priority. The PCMC also wants to start work on stormwater drainage and nullahs, he said.

Regarding works related to BRTS which are to be funded under JNNURM, Sharma said the PCMC has received sanction for four routes. The PCMC, he said, wants to complete the Nashik phata flyover on top priority. The work, which is funded under JNNURM, is estimated to incur an expenditure of over Rs 90 crore. The corporation has already floated tenders for the work, he added.

[source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Pune/PCMC-planning-to-step-up-water-recycling/articleshow/4152204.cms]

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) sustainable transport project was taken up by the Union government last year, for which the city was selected as a demonstration city, along with Ahmedabad, Ajmer, Hyderabad, Indore, Jalandhar, Mysore, Naya Raipur and Thiruvananthapuram to be implemented over a four-year period.

The aim of the project is to achieve a paradigm shift in India’s transport systems and to assist states and cities in preparing and implementing demonstration “Green transport” projects. Pune has been chosen to implement non-motorised transport and pedestrian facilities on the roads connecting two pilot routes of the bus rapid transit system (BRTS). The other GEF projects are integrated land use and transport facilities project, intelligent transport system and city centre traffic and environment improvement.

The report released by the Union urban development ministry observes that in Pune 34% daily emission of Carbon monoxide (CO) is contributed by the increasing number of two-wheelers. It further states that the population of the city has increased four times whereas vehicular population has increased 87 times and the road length has increased by only five times in the last four decades.

“The vehicular composition indicates that 75% of total vehicles are two-wheelers, 13% four-wheelers and 6%. 53% of work trips by city population are performed by two-wheelers and bicycles. The existing public transportation system falls short while catering to the rising demand. Only 15% of the vehicle kilometres travelled in the city is accounted for by public transportation,” the report, which is posted on PMC’s website, notes.

In Pune, the project aims at reconstruction of footpaths, taking pedestrian privatisation measures through traffic signals, pelican lights and road markings, construction of cycle lanes and delineating areas as pedestrian-friendly precincts.

Through the plans in all the cities, including Pune, the Union ministry aims to reduce the CO2 emissions and particulate matter emissions in the project cities. “The greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction benefits thus achieved could be sold to countries with reduction commitments as per the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Thus, these projects are potential clean development mechanisms,” the report said.

Speaking to TOI, additional city engineer (roads) Vivek Kharvadkar said as the project has been approved in principle, the Pune Municipal Corporation has sent a final draft of the detailed project report for final approval from funding agencies. “We will then seek approval of local authorities and go ahead with implementing the project,” Kharvadkar said. He added that the Union report has been put up on PMC’s website as a policy started by municipal commissioner Pravinsinh Pardeshi to keep citizens informed about upcoming projects.

NDTV in collaboration with Toyota has organized the Greenathon. They are accepting donations which shall be used to provide electricity in villages.

Milind Soman is doing a 24 hr run for entire environment effort. Other campaigns include Mumbai Cleanathon, Mumbai Marathon and Save Yamuna. You may visit the campaign at http://green.ndtv.com/greenathon.aspx

The Green Anthem

Hawayein, patte, pani, per, jungle, sabz sona hain…
Hawayein, patte, pani, per, jungle, sabz sona hain..
Agar tum ho to itna hi zaroori inka hona hai

Hawayein maili mat karna ki jab tum saans loge
Ye dum wapas nahin ayega jab tum khaans loge

Hawayein maili mat karna ki jab tum saans loge
Ye dum wapas nahin ayega jab tum khaans loge

Ugaao zindagi aur yaad rakho dil ko bona hai
Hawayein, patte, pani, per, jungle, sabz sona hain

Per ugaao, chanon hawayein, saaf karo
Apni zameen se itna to insaaf karo

Per ugaao, chanon hawayein, saaf karo
Apni zameen se itna to insaaf karo

Ugaao zindagi aur yaad rakho dil ko bona hai
Hawaayein, patte, pani, per, jungle, sabz sona hain

Ugaao zindagi aur yaad rakho dil ko bona hai
Hawaayein, patte, pani, per, jungle, sabz sona hain

Pune can cheer about its growing green cover but faces rising noise pollution, huge disparity in water supply and worsening traffic and transportation situation.

The Environment Survey Report (ESR) 2008 for Pune city tabled by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) administration has found noise levels to have reached unacceptable levels, half the city receiving an excessive water supply and the other reeling under a severe shortage. The report finds the city growing in green cover (2,500 acres of land available for plantation) but concludes that increasing vehicular traffic, improper water and solid waste management was undoing the ecological balance the growing number of trees were trying to restore.

The 74th amendment of the Constitution requires all civic bodies to table their ESR before the general body latest by July 31 of every year. The ESR had listed eight parameters – development, demography, water, wastewater, traffic and transportation, environment, garden and solid water – to survey the city but the 53-page report miserably fails in giving any face to the huge pile of data that it collected on these parameters throughout the last one year.

Some of the findings on development, demography, water supply, traffic and transport and environment are as follows:

1. Development: The report evaluates development on the indices of electricity, tax dues, storm line and household density. Bhavanipeth and Vishrambaugh have been found to be overdeveloped, while Warje, Sangamwadi and Dhankawadi were found to be comparatively lesser developed. The report recommends urgent need to out-migrate resources to the lesser developed areas.
2. Demography: Population density and ward population ratio were the two criteria on which the ESR evaluated the demography of the wards.Most densely populated areas are Bhavanipeth and Sahakar Nagar. In Bhavanipeth, the slums are contributing most to high density, a problem that the PMC will need to address immediately, the report says.
3. Water: Water distribution is not uniform. Fifty per cent of the wards are oversupplied. Fifty per cent short supplied. Eastern side over supplied. Over supply of water supply is in Dhankawadi, Dhole Patil, Yerwada, Bibvewadi and Sahakarnagar Moderate water supply is in Sangamwadi, Warje, Karve Road, Hadapsar. Intervention needed to improve supply in Aundh, Tilak Road, Ghole Road. Water supply situation cause of concern in Vishrambaugh.
4. Traffic and Transportation: Indicators – a) Vehicle to road length, b) footpath to road ratio. The criteria adopted to evaluate traffic and transportation is that more the vehicles per km, worse is the resulting traffic chaos in the area. Better-placed wards are those that have a good footpath to road ratio. So, Bhavani Peth, Karve Road, Dhankawadi are the better ones with more than adequate footpaths and comparatively lesser vehicles.Hadapsar, Ghole Road and Vishrambaugh have about 60 per cent of footpath in comparision to road length that cross their area. Dhole Patil, Bibewadi and Tilak road are the worst with less than 20 per cent area covered by footpath. The report recommends immediate investments in these areas for construction of footpath.
5. Environment: The quality of environment in each of the wards has been evaluated on the basis of (a) air quality, (b) noise levels and (c) gardens in the area.
6. Air quality: Measured in respirable particulate matter (RPM), it is three times of acceptable levels. While the standard recommended RPM is 50 Ug/m3, it was recorded to be consistently around 150 or more throughout the previous year, the only exception being the monsoon when it came down to 55 Ug/m3.
7. Noise levels: Major cause for concern in all the wards. On an average, 70,000 vehicles pass around each ward every day.Noise levels in all the wards are unacceptably high, except in Sangamwadi, but the report states it is unable to pinpoint any particular reason why Sangawadi has been lucky in this aspect.
8. Gardens: Most deficit area: Warje Asamgamwadi, wards covered with rich green cover is Sahakar Nagar which has double than the recommended green cover of 0.2 ha/1000 individuals. The report estimates that PMC has about 2,500 acres of land available for plantation.

[source: http://20twentytwo.blogspot.com/2008/08/punes-environment-survey-report-2008.html]

[image courtesy: http://flickr.com/photos/joezach/66497895/sizes/m/]