
The total volume of recycled steel in the country is approximately 30 million tonnes at present, Faggan Singh Kulaste, Union minister of state for steel, told the Rajya Sabha February 6, 2023. Recycled steel is predominately used in construction, automobile and infrastructure sectors, he added.
The list of companies that produce recycled steel in India is not maintained centrally, the minister told the Rajya Sabha. However, most of the steel producers are utilising steel scrap as inputs to produce steel, he added.
Commercial production of steel using green hydrogen has not started in the country, according to Kulaste.
However, two pilot projects on carbon capture, utilisation and storage have been undertaken. One is a five tonnes per day carbon capture plant commissioned by Tata Steel on its Jamshedpur Works premises.
The other is a 100 tonnes per day carbon capture and storage facility implemented by Jindal Steel Works (JSW) at its direct reduced iron plant in Dolvi, Maharashtra.
The captured carbon is to be utilised in the food and beverages industry.
Further, Saarloha (Kalyani Group) has recently pioneered the production of green steel and launched its two green steel brands — KALYANI FeRRESTA and KALYANI FeRRESTA PLUS — with reduced emissions due to usage of 70 per cent scrap and renewable energy in the electric arc furnace, Kulaste said.
Dumping of plastic waste may deteriorate soil and underground water quality due to leaching of additives, colours, stabilisers and fillers present in different categories of plastic products, Bhupender Yadav, Union minister for environment, forest and climate change, told the Lok Sabha. He was referring to the study Impact of Plastic Waste Disposal on Soil and Water Quality at Lucknow dumpsites conducted by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Yadav also cited from the report on plastic life-cycle released by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment released in November 2022, adding that it covered the different stages of plastics from production, consumption, waste generation and management including recycling.
A nation-wide ban imposed on single-use plastic items with effect from July 1, 2022 is among the measures taken to address the challenge. All thirty-six states / Union territories have constituted a special task force for elimination of identified single-use plastic items and effective plastic waste management.
Land subsidence incidents were reported at various places around Joshimath in the Chamoli district of Uttarakhand, said Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union minister of state for environment, forest and climate change, in the Lok Sabha.
Due to land-subsidence, many structures have been reported to have moderate to major damages, the minister noted.
Cracks have been observed in 863 buildings and after taking into consideration the safety of people, 296 families with 995 members have been shifted to safer places, as reported by the state government, he added.
After the incident, all construction activities have been halted by the state government in the entire Joshimath area, including the Tapovan-Vishnugad power project and Helong Marwari by-pass road.
The Centre has no proposal for replacing usage of existing diesel-based generators with gas-based generators across the country, Choubey told the Lok Sabha.
In the wake of adverse air quality in Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) to prevent, control and abate air pollution caused by diesel-based generators in the region, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and adjoining areas has issued regulations / directions for use of power generating sets in Delhi NCR, he added.
India’s tiger population has gone up since 2014, according to the latest quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation Exercise, which assesses the status of tigers, co-predators and prey using robust scientific methodology, done in 2018, said Choubey in the Lok Sabha.
There are an estimated 2,967 (range 2,603-3,346) tigers in the country, compared to the 2014 estimate of 2,226 (range 1,945-2,491), the minister added.
No study has been conducted by the Union Ministry of Home and Urban Affairs on the wastewater generated in Class I cities from 2018-2022, Prahlad Singh Patel, Union minister of state for Jal Shakti (water resources), told the Rajya Sabha.
However, wastewater /sewage generation in the municipal area is considered as 80 per cent of the water supplied, according to the Manual of Central Public Health and Environmental Engineering Organisation, he added.
Over 1.19 million water conservation and rainwater harvesting structures have been constructed during the ‘Catch the Rain 2022’ campaign since March 29, 2022, as on February 2, 2023, said Bishweswar Tudu, Union minister of state for Jal Shakti (water resources), told the Rajya Sabha.
Other achievements include the renovation of 261,818 traditional water bodies and preparation of 264 scientific water conservation plans.
A total of 636,826 community / public toilets have been constructed across the country against the mission target of 507,587 such toilets, Kaushal Kishore, Union minister of state for housing and urban affairs, told the Rajya Sabha.
Under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, launched on October 1, 2021, the focus is on ensuring functionality and maintenance of community / public toilets, he said. A new category of toilets termed as ‘aspirational toilets’ was also introduced under the ongoing phase at historic / tourist places, with high footfall for improved sanitation across the country, the minister added.