Governance

As told to Parliament (December 2, 2021): 30 Indian cities will face increasing water risks in the next few decades

All that was discussed in the House through the day

 
By DTE Staff
Published: Thursday 02 December 2021

Thirty Indian cities will face increasing water risks in the next few decades, Kaushal Kishore, Union minister of state in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs told the Lok Sabha, December 12, 2021.

Waste management 

The Government of India was not aware about any matter regarding more than 25,000 tonnes of waste having entered the oceans during the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, leading to threats to human life, Kaushal Kishore told the Lok Sabha.

Kishore added that Rs 10,168 crore had been allocated to states / Union territories under the solid waste management component of the Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0, launched October 1, 2021. 

Ken-Betwa link

The Detailed Project Report of the Ken-Betwa link project (KBLP) had been completed, Union Minister of Jal Shakti (water resources) Gajendra Singh Shekhawat told the Lok Sabha.

The total annual irrigation under the KBLP was 1.06 million hectares (ha), comprising 0.81 million ha in Madhya Pradesh and 0.25 million ha in Uttar Pradesh, Shekhawat added.

Telangana water contamination 

Telangana authoritries tested 174,725 water samples tested during the year 2021-22. Some 411 of these were found to be contaminated, the Telangana State on Water Quality Management Information System reported, Prahlad Singh Patel, Union minister of state for Jal Shakti told the Lok Sabha.

Compressed biogas

Compressed Bio Gas (CBG) supply was initiated from 16 CBG plants set up under the Sustainable Alternative Towards Affordable Transportation (SATAT) initiative between October 2018 and November 2021, Rameswar Teli, Union minister of state in The Ministry Of Petroleum And Natural Gas told the Lok Sabha.

Oil and gas marketing companies participating in SATAT have procured about 3,511 ton CBG from entrepreneurs till now, Teli added.

Sewage treatment

An estimated 72,368 million litres per day (mld) of sewage is generated from urban areas in India. Sewage treatment capacity of 31,841 mld was available in class-I cities and class-II (tier-2) towns against this, Bishweswar Tudu, Union minister of state for Jal Shakti told the Lok Sabha.

Tiger count

The National Tiger Conservation Authority, in collaboration with Wildlife Institute of India, had developed the ‘M-STrIPES’ (Monitoring System for Tigers’ Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) application for assistance in the All India Tiger Estimation-2022 Cycle, Ashwini Kr Choubey, Union minister of state in The Ministry Of Environment, Forest And Climate Change told the Rajya Sabha.  

Sulphur and chlorine 

The government had not carried out any study specific to Delhi and the National Capital region on sulphur, amines and chlorine levels triggering formation of ‘acid aerosols’.

However, the burning of fuel in factories having high sulphur content without pollution control devices may lead to high emissions of sulphur dioxide,  contributing to air pollution, Choubey told the Rajya Sabha.

Global Methane Pledge

India was not a signatory to the Global Methane Pledge. The Pledge was proposed by the European Union and the United States at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate September 17, 2021.

It aimed a 30 per cent reduction in global methane emissions from 2020 levels by 2030, Union Minister For Environment, Forest And Climate Change Bhupender Yadav told the Rajya Sabha.

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