Plants to Protect Water Pollution - envis
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Vol. 08, September 2019
Plants to Protect Water Pollution
Rain garden, bioswale to reduce pollution Protect the Western Ghats to tackle
floods
Record Eagle, 02 September 2019 Deccan Chronicle, 23 September 2019
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Floods are now an annual nightmare in many
awarded a $150,000 grant to the village through its parts of southern and western India. Valleys
Sustain Our Great Lakes program. The money will in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and
be spent to install rain gardens and a bioswale to Kerala that weren’t considered flood-prone
reduce both floods in the marina parking lot and until recently are at risk.
pollutants that pour into East Bay. During floods and landslides in August 2019,
“This funding will let us take the first important two villages were completely destroyed kill-
step of designing and installing the first of many ing several people, while a year earlier Ker-
planned green infrastructure projects in the vil- ala saw its worst floods in a century.
lage,” said Sarah U’Ren, program director for the These floods appear to be getting more se-
Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay. vere. Climate change is causing stronger and
Village officials worked with the nonprofit organi- more erratic rainfall with recurrent floods in
zation to create a stormwater action plan adopted low-lying areas while population growth is
last year. This is the first big project. putting more people in risky areas. And an-
“We’ve been discussing potential projects for a other problem comes from deforestation in
number of years and have really just been waiting the mountain range where much of the water
for funding to come through for design and imple- first fell: the Western Ghats.
mentation,” U’Ren said. The Western Ghats run for 1,600km in paral-
A bioswale is a landscape element that removes de- lel with India’s west coast, from Gujarat right
bris and pollution from surface water runoff, as down to Tamil Nadu at the tip of the subcon-
does a rain garden but on a larger scale. They hold tinent. It is – or was – a picturesque land-
onto rainfall runoff for a longer period, allowing scape of serene valleys, steep gorges and vir-
the water to seep into the ground and pass through gin forests. Yet recurring floods and land-
plants’ root structures, rather than quickly draining slides in the mountains, hills and areas down-
off directly into surface water and carrying street stream (between the Ghats and the sea) show
pollutants with it. that India must rethink its environmental law
Such pollutants can include toxins, pathogens, nu- to balance the needs of nature and humans.
trients, sediments and other chemicals, all of which The mountains are teeming with life. Though
impact water quality. Environmental advocates ar- they cover only a small part of India’s total
gue sediments and nutrients are the greatest threats land area, the Ghats are home to more than
to water quality in Grand Traverse Bay, on which 30% of the country’s species of plants, fish,
Elk Rapids sits on its…… Read More... reptiles, birds and…… Read More…
Vol. 08, September 2019
Forest Fire: An Environmental Disaster
Singapore haze reaches worst level in Indonesia forest fire rages creating
three years as Indonesian forest fires post-apocalyptic blood red skies
rage
South China Morning Post, 14 September 2019 ABC, 23 September 2019
Singapore’s air quality deteriorated to Jamaludin, who goes by one name, from the
“unhealthy” levels on Saturday for the first time village of Jebus, said his home has been sur-
in three years, data from the National Environ- rounded by smog for the past three months.
ment Agency (NEA) showed, threatening to But conditions worsened over the weekend
deepen a regional dispute over forest fires. when they sky turned red, a sign of unusually
Every dry season, smoke from fires to clear land high pollutant contents in the air.
for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations in In- "The haze has caused smoke particles and
donesia clouds the skies over much of the region, dust to rain down to the ground and you can
raising concerns about public health and worrying only see between 40 to 50 metres in front of
tourist operators and airlines. you."
The 24-hour Pollution Standards Index, which Haze caused by land clearing fires this year is
Singapore’s NEA uses as a benchmark, was in a among the worst the country has seen, with a
range of 87-106 in the afternoon. A reading above state of emergency declared across at least six
100 is considered unhealthy. This is the first time Indonesian provinces.
the 24-hour benchmark has breached 100 since There have been more than 73,000 fire alerts
August 2016, data shows. across the country since the beginning of
“There has been a deterioration in the haze condi- September alone, causing flight cancellations
tions in Singapore this afternoon,” the NEA said and closures of schools.
in a statement. Jamaludin said it was the first time he had
“This was due to a confluence of winds over the seen the sky become such a dramatic colour,
nearby region that led to more smoke haze from and residents are worried it will continue to
Sumatra being blown toward Singapore.” worsen.
Many Singaporeans chose to stay indoors on Sat- Their village is only 5 kilometres from a
urday as a grey haze shrouded the city. burning peatland.
Singapore, which prides itself on its clean air, ABC meteorologist Nate Byrne said the eerie
passed a cross-border air pollution law in 2014 red light was caused by the same phenome-
that makes those who cause haze both criminally non that makes sunrises and sunsets red,
and civilly liable. called Rayleigh scattering.
Next weekend is the Singapore Formula One "Light from the sun gets scattered when it
Grand Prix road race, a marquee event that draws hits molecules or small particles in the atmos-
the world’s attention to the wealthy tourist desti- phere," he said. When the blue light gets scat-
nation….... Read More… tered away,….. Read More...
Vol. 08, September 2019
Movement to Save Trees
Red Tape Movement: People’s Move- No Tree Will Be Felled in Aarey till
ment For Trees, Biodiversity And Cli- September 30 for Metro Car Shed,
mate Action Rules Bombay High Court
Youth Ki Awaaz, 17 September 2019 News 18, 20 September 2019
Mexico’s Earth is under the grip of climate The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said
change which, in turn, is the result of increasing Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd
level of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse (MMRCL) shall not fell trees in the Aarey Col-
gases (GHGs)—due to deforestation, urbaniza- ony area here to make way for a Metro car
tion, industrialization, pollution and increasing shed till September 30.
human population. Melting of polar ice caps, oce- The court will hear a petition challenging pro-
anic acidification, increasing global temperature, posed felling of over 2,600 trees in this area in
flood, drought, increasing sea level, and depleting north Mumbai from September 30, said a divi-
biodiversity are important impacts of “Climate sion bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog
Change”. Anthropogenic activities are raising the and Justice Bharati Dangre.
level of CO2 by about two parts per million a Activist Zoru Bathena has filed a petition chal-
year in the atmosphere. lenging the approval granted by the Brihan-
According to the Centre For Research On The mumbai Municipal Corporation's Tree Author-
Epidemiology Of Disaster (CRED) & UNISDR, ity on August 29 to cut trees for the Metro car
people exposed to natural hazards in low-income shed.
countries are seven times more prone to deaths, When the bench said it would commence hear-
and six times more prone to injuries or displace- ing on Bathena's petition on September 30, his
ment compared to equivalent populations in high- counsel Janak Dwarkadas said that on Septem-
income countries. ber 13 the tree authority issued final permission
According to the IPCC 2014 report, the damage letter to MMRCL for felling or transplanting
caused by climate change will increase as tem- 2,646 trees.
peratures rise, and it will affect vulnerable popu- However, no trees can be cut for the next 15
lations through food insecurity, higher food days, because under the Maharashtra (Urban
prices, income losses, lost livelihood opportuni- Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees
ties, adverse health impacts, and population dis- Act, 1975, this much period has to be granted
placements. to citizens to raise objections, Dwarkadas said.
Climate change threatens to create a vicious cycle "The 15-day period gets over on September 28.
for the world’s poor, as further warming pushes We would like MMRCL to make a statement
more people into poverty , increasing their vul- that it would not start cutting trees till Septem-
nerability to climate impacts……. Read More... ber 30," he said....… Read More...
Vol. 08, September 2019
Green Space
Green Spaces These Indoor Plants Will Make Your
Space Healthier—and They're Hard to
Kill
Psychiatric Times, 19 September 2019 Yahoo Life Style, 19 September 2019
William Blake was onto something in his It's really hard to deny that plants are pretty
“Laughing Song” poem. We need green spaces. Not much everywhere these days. You might see
only are they pleasant to look at, but these spaces them all over your Instagram feed. You might
are also healing. Almost anyone who has spent sub- find yourself in conversations with your friends
stantial time in a forest, up a mountain, or along a about the various stages of "plant parenthood."
river recognizes that this is healing. You even might have read various think pieces
Nature provides both physical and psychological about why millennials love plants, like this one
benefits. Studies have shown improved healing in or this one. Even though plants have been
hospitals with green spaces outside windows rather around since the beginning of time, their popu-
than brick walls and decreased anxiety and in- larity is off the charts these days.
creased workplace satisfaction in offices with plants We're not complaining, though. Plants add so
and/or views of nature. much to a space. It's a great way to refresh a
How does this healing through exposure to nature room's look without spending a fortune on a
occur? A variety of possible mechanisms have been new piece of furniture. For those new to the
proposed, from improved air quality to increased #adulting scene, they also give you some re-
physical activity and enhanced social integration. sponsibility—consider it baby steps on the road
Ming Kuo, PhD, has studied how green spaces af- to being a pet parent or a real parent. And they
fect humans and has postulated that there may be at also have some health benefits, too.
least one common pathway toward wellness acting We've written about how plants could reduce
through the immune system. anxiety and stress, help you focus, and help
The immune system has been implicated in depres- you breathe easier (by recycling the carbon di-
sive and anxiety disorders, as well as other mental oxide we exhale back into oxygen thanks to
and physical health problems. Certainly, reduced air photosynthesis). Some studies have shown that
pollution, increased physical activity, and improved plants in the workspace can increase productiv-
social ties may all occur with an increase in green ity, too. And research from NASA found that
spaces and are associated with improved function- plants can improve the air quality in indoor
ing of the immune system. In addition, plants pro- spaces and remove toxins.
duce antimicrobial organic compounds called phy- "Biophobia is becoming more relevant as peo-
toncides that change autonomic function and in- ple are raised within urban settings, and sur-
crease immune functioning. Walks in the forest de- rounded by technology rather than nature and
crease inflammatory cytokine…… Read More... other living things....… Read More…You can also read
