CSTEP Signs Agreement With Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike for Clean Air in Bengaluru

Under the aegis of Prakash Javadekar, Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Institutes of Repute (IoRs), Urban Local Bodies, and State Pollution Control Boards on 26 March 2021 for the efficient implementation of National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) action plans in 120 non-attainment cities.

 

CSTEP, as an Institute of Repute, will work with the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board and the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike for the successful implementation of the NCAP in Bengaluru. 

 

Climate Risk Profile for Power Sector in Karnataka

Power infrastructure, which includes assets for generation, transmission, and distribution of power, is vulnerable to manifestations of climate change. Data from the International Disasters Database shows that during 1998–2017, India experienced an average of 16 extreme weather events resulting in a total economic loss of USD 45 billion, compared to an average of 10 events during 1978–97 with USD 20 billion in losses. Extreme weather events in the last two decades have resulted in loss of lives, decreased agricultural productivity, and infrastructure damage.

India’s race for universal water supply shouldn’t come at cost of water quality

Recent reports about the residents of Chhattisgarh’s Kundru village being compelled to consume drainage water due to the non-availability of hand-pump water shouldn’t shock us. Villagers in other districts of the state have been through similar harrowing experiences for years. In the absence of piped water supply, these villages depend solely on hand-pump water for drinking and other domestic uses.

Climate change: How infrastructure can weather the storm

Riding on its vision of an Atmanirbhar Bharat, the government of India recently announced a slew of projects in the budget to reboot the economy, which went slack because of COVID. These projects, including the National Infrastructure Pipeline to 7,400 projects, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), and Smart Cities Mission, offer an opportunity to mainstream climate risks and nature-based solutions (NbS) into infrastructure.

High‐resolution Climate Change Projection of Northeast Monsoon Rainfall over Peninsular India

In this study, projected changes in mean northeast monsoon (NEM) rainfall and associated extreme rainfall and temperature events, over peninsular India (PI) and its six subdivisions are quantified. High‐resolution dynamically downscaled simulation of Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate model driven by the boundary conditions from Community Climate System Model version 4 (CCSM4) model (WRF‐CCSM4) is compared with statistically downscaled simulations of NASA Earth Exchange Global Daily Downscaled Projections (NEX‐GDDP). 

PM2.5/PM10 ratio characteristics over urban sites of India

• PM2.5/PM10 ratio characteristics over India using multi-site and multi-year data.

• Suppressed PM2.5/PM10 ratio variations compared to that observed in PM concentrations.

• MERRA-2 derived PM2.5/PM10 ratio found to be overestimating during colder months.

• Weak relationship between the PM2.5/PM10 ratio and meteorological parameters.

 

Seamless DBT for Consumers Below Poverty Line

The proposed Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2020, for the Electricity Act, 2003, intends to bring major reforms in the Indian power sector. One of the proposed amendments is in Section 65 of the principal Act.

According to Section 65 of the Act, state governments should pay subsidy to electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) in advance for electricity consumption by domestic consumers who are below poverty line (BPL).