Community driven forecasting systems initiated to deal with extreme weather events in Kerala
Various voluntary initiatives have been launched across Kerala to establish decentralised, community-driven flood forecasting and early warning systems for communities living in vulnerable valleys and hills, along flood-prone rivers and coastal areas in the south.
For example, after the 2019 landslides in Wayanad’s Puthumala village in Meppadi panchayat, the Hume Centre for Ecology and Wildlife Biology, an NGO working on ecology and biodiversity in Wayanad, has established 200 rain gauges across the hill district in collaboration with local farmers and environmental groups to collect micro-rainfall data and prepare the community for potential rain-related disasters.
For this, Wayanad has been divided into multiple grids, each measuring 25 square kilometres, and at least one rain gauge has been installed in each grid to collect localised data.
In another example, a Community-Sourced Impact-based Flood Forecast and Early Warning System (CoS-it-FloWS) was launched in the Periyar and Chalakudy river basins that had been experiencing multiple flood events since 2018 by Equinoct, a Kochi-based provider of community-sourced modeling solutions, in collaboration with the Community Resource Centre (CRC) in Puthenvelikkara village, Ernakulam district.
This collects daily data from 100 rain gauges operated with community participation across the Periyar and Chalakudy river basins, which will be made available to the Ernakulam District Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for disaster planning.
Emerging community-centric models such as these use local knowledge of the residents and community-based communication channels, such as WhatsApp groups, which enhance coordination between panchayats, civil authorities, and at-risk residents. This ensures that those in danger receive real-time updates, allowing them to evacuate promptly before conditions worsen.
These partnerships not only help in enhancing the accuracy and reliability of disaster predictions, but are also mutually beneficial as authorities gain due to ground level connections while communites gain access to more accurate predictions with proper mentorship (Mongabay, India).
A farmer uses solar dryers to start his dehydrated flowers business
Shivraj Nishad from Shekhpur village in Kanpur now has his own business of cultivating, harvesting, and dehydrating local flowers such as butterfly pea, rose, hibiscus, marigold, tulsi, jasmine, and chamomile. He uses solar driers to dry the flowers while employing over 100 farmers and offering 15 varieties of dried flowers.
Shivraj left his job as a pharma executive as the job involved frequent travel, keeping him away from home for days and returned to farming. However, rather than continuing with traditional crops on the family’s half-acre plot, he chose to grow butterfly pea, which grew well.
He then began his venture with just 10 kg of dehydrated flowers and now sells between 20 and 30 tonnes annually, mostly sourced from Shekhpur and neighbouring villages.
The sale of fresh flowers wasn’t lucrative enough and most of the flowers would either be brought back home or discarded into the river earlier. However, Nishad convinced the farmers to grow different varieties these flowers and sell them to him. Nishad purchases the entire harvests of farmers who no longer have to travel 15 km to the nearest mandi with their produce (The Better India).
Microalgae can help treat wastewater in India, finds a study
A study has found that a combination of algae and bacteria can be greatly useful in treating wastewater sustainably by removing toxic ammonium from wastewater. The method leverages algae’s photosynthesis mechanism to produce oxygen, cutting energy costs by up to 90 percent compared to traditional aeration methods.
According to the 2022 Niti Aayog report, India generates approximately 39,604 million litres per day of wastewater in rural regions, and around 72,368 MLD for the year 2020-’21 in urban areas.
Most of the wastewater includes agricultural runoff, industrial effluents, and sewage, all of which contain various toxic chemicals. One of the most concerning pollutants is ammonium which is a highly toxic nitrogen compound that can exist as nitrate, nitrite, or ammonia. It poses serious risks to living organisms, being lethal to animal cells and harmful to aquatic life. Ammonium can also cause water acidification and contribute to eutrophication, where excessive nutrients in the water lead to harmful algal blooms.
It is crucial to remove ammonium from wastewater to prevent damage to aquatic life and maintain the overall quality of surface and groundwater. Ammonia can harm mammalian cells and human health due to its potential to alter water pH. Drinking water is typically slightly alkaline, and if its pH becomes acidic, it becomes unfit for consumption. Traditional ammonium removal methods involve oxygenation, which is energy-intensive and consumes upto 90 percent of a treatment plant’s energy consumption. This method can potentially save upto 50 to 90 percent in energy costs (The Scroll)
Preserving sacred groves can help India’s climate commitment goals, say experts
The total area occupied by sacred groves in India is an estimated 33,000 hectares and Maharashtra has the highest number of groves, with nearly 3,000 documented. Tribal communities have nurtured deep connections with sacred groves over centuries and they continue to be places of worship among tribal communities and are rich in biodiversity, but continue to be left out in forest conservation plans. Many groves across India are dying due to deforestation, mining and developmental activities
Groves are owned and managed by communities, and thus, have deep-rooted cultural values. This helps preserve forests which ultimately helps in climate change mitigation. Sacred groves harbour smaller forms of rich biodiversity while species like tigers are sustained mainly on extensive government-owned forests, and such schemes are often carried out without including the voice of communities. Moreover, with the emphasis on reserved forests, sacred groves often escape notice, but groves are places where felling of trees are forbidden, and hence, full of oxygen.
In order to meet India’s climate commitment of net zero by 2070, while forest conservation is important, there is a need to protect sacred groves besides government owned forests as these can help mitigate climate change by acting as carbon sinks. If properly managed, climate change can be halted, and people’s close link with nature nurtured, say experts (Down To Earth).
Noted ecologist, Dr Madhav Gadgil awarded the UNEP’s ‘Champions of the Earth’ award for the year 2024
The award statement notes that Madhav Gadgil has spent decades protecting people and the planet through research and community engagement. His work on landmark environmental impact assessments of state and national policies to grassroots environmental engagement has greatly influenced public opinion and official policies on the protection of natural resources. He is renowned for his seminal work in the ecologically fragile Western Ghats region of India, which is a unique global biodiversity hotspot.
The annual Champions of the Earth award, the UN’s highest environmental honour, recognises trailblazers at the forefront of efforts to protect people and planet (Down To Earth).
Fishing community opposes floating solar project in Maharashtra
The government is planning a project to cover around 7,500 hectares of the 350-sq km reservoir near the town of Paithan in Maharashtra with floating photovoltaics as a part of the ambitious push to create 500 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity by 2030.
Floating photovoltaics installation on reservoirs, lakes and offshore waters, is an emerging technology that has been encouraged among countries with limited land resources. However, their impact on nature is a topic of debate, and environmentalists have warned that they may adversely affect people who depend on the water resources for fishing and agriculture.
About 25,000 families earn their living from the reservoir. Earlier this year, hundreds of fishers and their families protested against the planned solar farm, and one group is pursuing a legal challenge to stop construction.
While financial institutions have committed $386 billion to support green projects in India, land-based solar projects in India have been delayed by land acquisition issues that are complicated by unclear records, inflated prices and potential local conflicts.
Government sources say that only a small section of the reservoir will be used for the project, leaving ample space for fishers, and a floating solar farm may help reduce water evaporation in Jayakwadi dam. However, the promise of clean energy is overshadowed by fears of losing their centuries-old way of life among Jayakwadi’s fishing community.
Long before the dam was built, fisherfolk fished the rivers and streams that feed Jayakwadi, one of Asia’s largest earthen dams with 27 gates that regulate the flow of the Godavari River. Jayakwadi is also home to a bird sanctuary visited by migratory birds like flamingos, spoonbills and storks and 67 types of fish, including Indian major carp, a source for aquaculture at Nathsagar (The Scroll).
This is a roundup of important news updates from the 1st December 2024 to 15th December 2024. Also view our policy updates here.