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This fortnight has been all about the chicken and the antibiotic. A new study by CSE's Pollution Monitoring Laboratory found residues of antibiotics in 40 per cent of the samples of chicken that it tested. These samples were all picked up from markets in Delhi-NCR.
What's more worrying is that fact that antibiotics are used rampantly by the poultry industry, and this might be linked to the growing cases of antibiotic resistance in human beings.
The study was released in a press conference in Delhi on July 30. As expected, the media jumped on the story, and as it continues to run riot over it, there is action brewing elsewhere.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has taken a serious view of the findings: it has recognised what it calls the 'strong links' between antibiotic misuse/overuse in chickens and the growing resistance in humans, and has demanded a ban on antibiotics for growth promotion and mass disease prevention. The Association is meeting again this week to discuss
the issue.
At the official end, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has agreed to review the regulatory gaps, while state food commissioners have consented to begin surveillance to cap the menace. Kerala's joint food safety commissioner has reportedly said that the FSSAI has asked all states to monitor antibiotic residues in chicken following the CSE report.
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HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS FORTNIGHT:
- Editorial by Sunita Narain: How smart is a 'smart' city?
- Cover story and web package: Hatching superbugs -- the chicken and antibiotics saga
- Special Report: Why the NDA's first budget will not bring change -- Down To Earth analyses five key development areas
- Analysis: Corruption in healthcare
- Wildlife: Security threat to the Hornbill
- Comics: Brief history of a line -- On the poverty line
- Special web feature: Cycling and cyclists' right to road space -- the judiciary lends a voice to the cause
- New Fellowships: 19th CSE Media Fellowships on 'Industrial hotspots, environmental pollution and thereafter'
- Event: CSE's annual media briefing on climate change to be held in November
Coming soon: International conference on black carbon in November, publications on right to road space, green buildings and mini-grids,
films on India's textile industry etc
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EDITORIAL: How smart is a smart city
by Sunita Narain
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Smart is as smart does. The NDA government’s proposal to build 100 “smart” cities will work only if it can reinvent the very idea of urban growth in a country like India. Smart thinking will require the government to not only copy the model cities of the already developed Western world, but also find a new measure of liveability that will work for Indian situation, where the cost of growth is unaffordable for most.
The advantage is that there is no agreed definition of smart city. Very loosely it is seen as a settlement where technology is used to bring about efficiency in resource use and improvement in the level of services. All this is needed. But before we can bring in smart technology, we need to know what to do with it. How do we build new cities and repair groaning urban settlements to provide clean water to all, to manage the growing mountains of garbage, to treat sewage before we destroy our rivers and to do something as basic as breathing without inhaling toxins?
It can be done. But only if we have our own dream of a modern Indian city. We cannot turn Ghaziabad, Rajkot, Sholapur, Tumkur or even Gurgaon into Shanghai or Singapore. But we can turn these cities into liveable models for others to emulate.
Take water, sewage, mobility or air pollution. The current model of resource management, developed in rich Western cities, is costly. It cannot be afforded by all. Even these cities cannot rebuild the paraphernalia for providing services to their people. This system was built years ago, when the city had funds and grew gradually with recurring, high investment. Even if we were to build greenfield cities, we cannot wish for such investment. We need a new approach to humane urban growth.
The first principle in this is to accept that we have to renew what already exists. Take water, for example. Our cities have been built to optimise on the available resources. They were smart in building lakes and ponds to harvest every drop of rain. This ensured that the city recharged its water table and did not face floods every time it rained. We need to revive that system. It may not be adequate to meet the growing needs of the city, but will cut costs by reducing the length of the pipeline and bring down distribution losses. Once we do this, we should add the smartest technology for measuring supply and for reducing demand. Flush toilets are antiquated. We need smart appliances to conserve water and smart ways to recycle it.
This then is the next agenda. We know our cities do not have underground sewerage to speak of. A very un-smart thing to do would be to fall into the trap of civil engineers to build sewerage network. Delhi, which has the highest network of sewerage lines (some 5,000 km), needs to build another 10,000 km to meet the need of its current population. Now, knowing that the existing network, built over a century, is already clogged and broken, the task is impossible.
We know our cities used septic tanks or open drains for sewage management. So instead of burying these drains, the aim should be to treat sewage in these channels and to reuse the recycled water. Use the trajectory of the mobile phone; build future solutions by skipping the landline.
We can do this in the case of energy as well. Today, our cities are pampered by subsidy because energy cost is high and supply is squeezed. Why can’t we build a new grid for the city based on solar rooftop generation and super energy-efficient appliances?
This should also be the approach for designing mobility. Our cities have been built to be car-free. We are now desperately shoving, pushing and parking vehicles down the narrow lanes. Think smart. Change the idea of mobility itself—build for walking, cycling, bus and metro.
So we can only build smart cities if we are smart. Really smart.
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MORE FROM DOWN TO EARTH PRINT
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Cover Story: Hatching superbugs
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
Special Report: Budget can't bring change
The finance minister fails to bring change where it was most needed
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
Special Report: Beetles high on coffee
Erratic weather is fuelling the growth of a pest which destroys Arabica coffee. In the absence of effective pest management, India's coffee production is at stake
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
Features: How to cure corruption in healthcare
Rx: Only an effective governing body, which includes medical and non-medical members, can stop the culture of kickbacks
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
Features: Bead's eye view
Glass beads reveal ancient Indian Ocean trade networks
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
Comics/Classroom: Brief history of a line
The official definition of poverty keeps changing. A look at how the concept evolved
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
Opinion/Feature on wildlife: Security threat to the hornbill
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
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ON THE WEB
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Courting the cycle
- Are lawyers game for cycling to court? The remark by the Chief Justice of India, R M Lodha, that lawyers should start cycling to work has
created a flutter in the legal circles.
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
New Blogs
- US plays dirty on tar sands, by Latha Jishnu
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
- Changing mobility patterns, rising chronic diseases, by Ashok Bhattacharjee
http://www.downtoearth.org.in/
....and many more
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INDIA ENVIRONMENT PORTAL
http://www.
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Must see...
- Interactives/infographics on a wide range of issues
- India Environment Portal Weekly Newsletter: Brings you the top environment developments, studies, reports, conflicts
- Editor's pick: Latest key reports, analysis and statistics
- Sign-up and get connected with the India Environment Portal. Subscribe for alerts and services.
Follow the India Environment Portal
- On Facebook http://on.fb.me/1jxAdYQ
- On Twitter http://bit.ly/1hNlYi6
- On Youtube http://bit.ly/18NF2Xg
For more details or any assistance, contact Kiran Pandey at
kiran@cseindia.org, kirandwi@gmail.com
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UPDATES FROM OUR PROGRAMME UNITS
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CSE's Annual Media Briefing on Climate Change
Place: New Delhi, India
Date: November 6-7, 2014
CSE invites applications from journalists to attend its Annual Media Briefing on Climate Change. The briefing is open to journalists from countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
To register, please click on http://www.cseindia.org/node/
For more details about the previous briefings, please visit http://www.cseindia.org/node/
or Papia Samajdar at papia@cseindia.org
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19th CSE Media Fellowships 2014: Industrial hotspots, environmental pollution and thereafter
Date: September-November 2014
CSE invites applications from Indian journalists for its 19th Media Fellowships on the subject of India's industrial pollution hotspots. For details, please visit
http://www.cseindia.org/
or get in touch with Sheeba Madan at 08860659190/sheeba@cseindia.
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LEARNING WITH CSE
Courses offered by Anil Agarwal Green College
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Orientation Programme on Managing Urban Air Quality: Focus on Clean Vehicle Technology, Fuels and Mobility Management
Date: August 6-8, 2014
Information available on: http://cseindia.org/node/5456
Course content:
- Pollution challenge of urbanisation
- Air pollution sources and contribution to ambient air pollution
- Understanding air quality, trends and monitoring in cities
- Why vehicles are a special challenge?
- Meeting national ambient air quality standards
- Strategies to better urban air quality
- Vehicle technology and clean fuel roadmap
- Gaseous fuel programme – emissions and safety management
- Challenges of in-use vehicles and transit traffic
- Vehicle inspection system in India and ways to improve it
- Mobility management
Course contact: Priyanka Chandola
Right To Clean Air Campaign
CSE, 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area
New Delhi – 110062
Phones: +91-11-29955124, +91-9810414938 (mobile)
Fax: +91-11-29955879
Email: priyanka@cseindia.org
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Understanding EIA: From screening to decision making
Date: August 25-29, 2014
Information available on: http://cseindia.org/content/
Course content:
- Exposure to all aspects of EIA, from its theory to the practical – such as better understanding regarding
- Better understanding of the EIA process – from screening, scoping, data collection to impact assessment as well as the role of public consultation
- Better understanding of the environmental and social impacts of the industrial and developmental projects
- Better ability to review EIA reports and identify its strengths and weaknesses
- Increased ability to play active role in post-EIA monitoring.
Course contact: Sadia Sohail
CSE, 41, Tughlakabad Institutional Area,
New Delhi-110062
Phones: +91-11-29955124, +91-9953661993 (mobile)
Fax: +91-11-29955879
Email: sadia@cseindia.org
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Training programme on Septage management: Towards city-wide sanitation
Date: September 8-10, 2014
Information available on: http://cseindia.org/content/
The management of septage has been largely neglected in India and is not a priority due to the lack of awareness of its
heavy contribution to environmental degradation, poor sanitation and ill-effects to health. CSE is organising a training
in order to raise awareness and knowledge, and most importantly capacity of local bodies to address this issue.
Course contacts:
- Suresh Kumar Rohilla, Email: srohilla@cseindia.org
- Uday Bhonde, Email: uday@cseindia.org
- Mahreen Matto, Email: mahreen@cseindia.org
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Training programme on Social Impact Assessment
Date: September 8-12, 2014
The programme is designed based on the new Act, 'The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013', and will be relevant and effective for SIA practitioners, officials from state land departments, municipalities, district collectors, sub-divisional magistrates, developers, academicians, students, NGOs etc.
Course content:
- Land conflicts, land classification, land rights and governance
- Better understanding of SIA
- Filling the socio-economic survey questionnaire
- Asset evaluation
- Preparation of entitlement matrix
- Review of SIA reports
- CSR framework, its reporting and case studies
- Post monitoring.
Course contact: Swati Singh Sambyal
Email: swati@cseindia.org
Mobile: 91 9910496283
Ph: 91-11-2995 5124 / 6110 (Ext. 251);
Fax: 91-11-2995 5879
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The CSE Store
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New publications:
- Ganga: The river, its pollution and what we can do to clean it
- Junk food targeted at children
Special discount on five books releated to renewable energy
http://csestore.cse.org.in/
For more details of CSE's publications and films, or for placing an order, please visit us at: http://csestore.cse.org.in/
or contact Ramachandran at 9810641996/rchandran@cseindia.
Dear Colleagues, Professional Friends and Research Scholars,
Call for Papers from double blind Referred & Reviewed Journals
Academic Journals Online (AJO) is a peer-reviewed International Journals Publishers that publishes manuscripts monthly in different Journals via our website and hard copy is published bi-annually. AJO invites the submission of Manuscripts that meet the general criteria of excellence and relevance in their subjects The Submission includes: Original articles in basic and applied research, case studies and reviews, surveys, opinions.
- International Journal of Trends in Business Administration
- International Journal of Trends in Marketing Management
- International Journal of Trends in Entrepreneurship
- International Journal of Trends in Human Resource Management
- International Journal of Trends in International Business
- International Journal of Trends in Supply Chain Management
- International Journal of Trends in Retail Management
- International Journal of Trends in Finance
- International Journal of Trends in Commerce and Economics
- International Journal of Trends in Production and Operation Management
- International Journal of Trends in Agricultural Sciences
- International Journal of Trends in Physical Sciences
- International Journal of Trends in Life Sciences
- International Journal of Trends in Mathematics and Statistics
- International Journal of Trends in Multi-Disciplinary Engineering
- International Journal of Trends in Civil Engineering and Research
- International Journal of Trends in Mechanical Engineering and Research
- International Journal of Trends in Electrical Engineering and Research
- International Journal of Trends in Electronics Engineering
- International Journal of Trends in Computer Systems Engineering
- International Journal of Trends in Computer Science
- International Journal of Trends in Banking Industry
- International Journal of Trends in Insurance Industry
- International Journal of Trends in Library and Information Science
- International Journal of Trends in Humanities and Social Science
- International Journal of Trends in Art and Education
- International Journal of Trends in Medical Science
- International Journal of Trends in Microbiology and Biotechnology
- International Journal of Trends in Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- International Journal of Trends in Tourism Management
- International Journal of Trends in Hospitality Management
- International Journal of Trends in Jurisprudence
- International Journal of Trends in Interdisciplinary Studies
- International Journal of Trends in Journalism and Mass Communication
- International Journal of Trends in Information and Telecommunication Technology
Please visit our website mentioned below to see the Authors guidelines and download copyright form. We welcome you to submit your manuscript(s) on our website or email us.
Important Dates
Publication: Last date of every month
Author Notification Within one week of paper submitted
Author Notification Within one week of paper submitted
With Regards
Editorial Team
Academic Journals Online
Website: www.academicjournalsonline.co.
Voice No. 011-22540057/8