Fertilizer Plant at Talcher, Odisha to be Revived Based on Gasification of Coal Technology

December 24, 2014, 5:26 am

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The Chemicals & Fertilisers Minister Shri Ananth Kumar has said that he expects the fertilizer plant at Talcher, Odisha will again be re-opened by the Prime Minister by 2019 as being proposed. He was speaking at a function where a Joint Ventures Agreement was signed in the presence Minster of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas (Independent Charge) Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister of State for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) Shri Piyush Goyal, and Shri Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers Hansraj Gangaram Ahir, in New Delhi today. He said that Shri Ahir had proposed that similar coal gasification plants for urea production can also be thought of to be located at Gorakhpur, Sindri, Barauni, Ramagundam and other such places. Shri Kumar hoped that such revival packages should make the country surplus in fertilizers by 2019 and we should be able to export fertilizers.

Today’s Joint Venture fructified after a meeting was held by all the Ministers present in today’s function only a week back on 17th Dec.2014. It was decided at that meeting under the Chairmanship of the Shri Ananth Kumar to immediately go in for this joint venture and work towards opening of this fertilizer plant. Thereafter all the concerned Ministries quickly processed the required documents for signing of today’s joint venture. The plant at Talcher when re-commissioned is expected to produce 1.3 MT of urea and other fertilizers besides giving several industrial by-products.

GAIL, RCF, CIL and FCIL sign JVAs to revive fertilizer plant at Talcher, Odisha

In a significant step towards augmenting the domestic urea capacity, four PSUs – GAIL (India) Limited, Coal India Limited (CIL), Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF) and Fertilizer Corporation of India Limited (FCIL) – today signed Joint Ventures Agreements (JVAs) to set up an Integrated Coal Gasification cum Fertilizer and Ammonium Nitrate complex at Talcher in Odisha.

The JVAs were signed in the presence of Shri Ananth Kumar, Hon’ble Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Union Minster of State for Petroleum & Natural Gas (Independent Charge), Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Power, Coal and New and Renewable Energy (Independent Charge) and Shri HansrajGangaramAhir, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Chemicals & Fertilizers.

GAIL, RCF, CIL and FCIL on 5th September, 2013 signed a Memorandum of Understanding for jointly setting up Fertilizer and Ammonium Nitrate complex at Talcher.JV1, GAIL Coal Gas (India) Limitedshall be led by GAIL and will be primarily responsible for setting up the Upstream Coal Gasification and Gas Purification section for production of Ammonia Syn Gas for downstream fertilizer unit at an estimated investment of Rs 3000 Cr. GAIL had floated an Expression of Interest for Technology selection for coal gasification and shall be finalized by end of January, 2015 which is critical for the success of the project.

JV-2, Talcher Chemicals & Fertilizers Limited,shall be led by RCF and will be primarily responsible for setting up Ammonia-Urea, Nitric Acid-Ammonium Nitrate plants at an estimated investment of Rs 6000 Cr with majority stake held by RCF & CIL. Pre-project activities are also been undertaken by respective RCF and CIL.

The project comprises of 3850 MTPD Urea plant, 2700 MTPD Ammonia plant, 850 MTPD Nitric Acid plant and 1000 MTPD Ammonium Nitrate plant. GAIL will put up the Coal gasification plant and RCF and CIL will put up the other downstream plants of Ammonia, Urea, Nitric Acid and Ammonium Nitrate.

Subsequent to Detailed Feasibility Study, execution of construction activities is likely to start in year 2015-16 and expected to complete by the year 2019.

A suitable coal block for supplying coal to the project in the vicinity of the complex is being identified on priority basis by the Government of India. The process for allocation of the block is being initiated by Ministry of Coal.

The project is of strategic importance for the country as it aims to make breakthrough for an alternative source of feedstock in the form of abundantly available coal from domestic sources. As per the available statistics, the total coal reserves in the country are around 300 billion ton with recoverable reserve of 173 billion ton. Thus the potential exists for converting these reserves into value added products like syn gas for use by fertilizer and power plants at affordable price.

Revival of the Talcher unit will trigger a great economic boom in Odisha and eastern part of the country as it will generate opportunities in the form of direct and indirect employment for the people in the region.Besides, the project will give the much needed urea fertilizer to the farmers of the country.

Success of this project is expected to be a game changer and shall pave a way forward to the production of fertilizer from abundantly available coal resulting in less dependency on imports.

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Mechanism of Quality Check for Fertilizers

December 24, 2014, 5:36 am

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Mechanism of Quality Check for Fertilizers
Fertiliser (Control) Order, 1985 has been promulgated for regulation of quality of fertilisers. Samples of fertilisers are drawn periodically by fertiliser inspectors of State Governments to check their quality as per the parameters prescribed in the said Order. In case of imported fertilisers, the fertiliser inspectors of the Central Government draw samples from ships/containers. There are 78 notified Fertiliser Quality Control Laboratories in the country at present. No person shall manufacture/import for sale, sell, offer for sale, stock or exhibit for sale or distribute any fertiliser which is not notified in the Fertiliser (Control) Order or not of standard prescribed in the said Order. State Governments are empowered under the said Order to take appropriate administrative and legal action against those not complying with the provisions prescribed in the Order.

Government also provides assistance for setting up of new Fertiliser Quality Control Laboratories and strengthening/upgradation of existing State Fertiliser Quality Control Laboratories.

This information was given today by the Minister of State for Agriculture, Shri Mohanbhai Kundaria in the Lok Sabha.

GG: SB:CP : quality (lok) 23.12.2014
(Release ID :113965)

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Cyclone Centres in Various Coastal States

December 24, 2014, 5:48 am

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Cyclone Centres in Various Coastal States
Under the oversight mechanism of Earth System Science Organization (ESSO), an integrated cyclone and associated storm surge warning system is made functional all along the coastal and island regions. Such an effort has resulted into the considerable demonstrated improvement of cyclone forecast in respect of the Phailin cyclone during 08-14 October 2013 and the Hudhud cyclone during 06-14 October 2014.

For effective operational cyclone activities, an appropriate institutional mechanism comprising cyclone warning division at ESSO-India Meteorological Department (ESSO-IMD), New Delhi and three Area Cyclone Warning Centers (ACWCs) at Kolkata, Chennai, Mumbai and Cyclone Warning Centers (CWCs) at Bhubaneswar, Vishakhapatnam and Ahmadabad are made functional on 24X7 basis.

ESSO-IMD operates 24X7 monitoring of satellite based weather monitoring over the potential cyclogenic zones of the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea for detecting the cyclogenesis. Commissioning of the high performance computing (HPC) system has provided opportunity to assimilate satellite radiance, Doppler Weather Radar (DWR), OCEANSAT (scatterometer, total precipitable water content) data etc. of global oceans in to the global (22Km grid scale)/meso-scale (9Km grid scale) forecast systems. The performance evaluation of the updated global/meso-scale forecast systems in continuation with adoption of improved local forecast systems for the past 5-7 years have demonstrated enhanced forecast skill by about 18% quantitatively as far as the track and landfall forecasts of the tropical cyclones are concerned.
As and when the cyclone systems move in to the 500Km surveillance range of DWRs, identification of strong wind zones and pockets of heavy rainfall within the core cyclone area is carried out and their rapid changes are monitored on continuous basis. ESSO-IMD currently operates 5-Doppler Weather Radars (DWR) at Chennai, Machilipatnam, Visakhapatnam, Kolkata, Sriharikota on the east coast, 675 Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) and 1210 Automatic Rain Gauges (ARG) have been commissioned covering all districts of India. With the commissioning of the state-of-the-art observing, monitoring/ early warning and data visualization/information processing and communication technologies, several manual operations have been fully automated.

By leveraging all available modeling and observing systems along with persistent efforts, ESSO-IMD is able to increase the lead time forecast of cyclones upto 5-7 days and to reduce the track and landfall errors of cyclones by about 7% over the last 3-4 years. ESSO continuously guides the expansion, planning and augmentation of land, ocean and satellite based observing systems and implementation of advanced data assimilation forecast systems along with augmentation of high end computing, network, data reception and warning dissemination infrastructure.

This information was given by Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Dr. Harsh Vardhan in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today

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Report of the High Level Committee headed by Shri T.S.R. Subramanian to review various Acts administered by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change

December 24, 2014, 5:53 am

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Report of the High Level Committee headed by Shri T.S.R. Subramanian to review various Acts administered by Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science & Technology, Environment & Forests, headed by Shri Ashwani Kumar, M.P., Rajya Sabha proposed to consider the above cited Report and invited views/suggestions/comments thereon from individuals/experts/Non Governmental Organisation/Stake-holders interested in the subject matter.

Some of the major recommendations of the Committee provide for economic incentives for increased community participation in farm and social forestry by way of promoting and proving statutory safeguards to ‘treelands’ as distinct from ‘forest’; making preparation of Wildlife Management plans mandatory and inserting a provision to this effect in the Wild Life Protection Act; creation of National Environment Management Authority (NEMA) at Central Level and State Environment Management Authority (SEMA) at the State level as full time processing/clearance/monitoring agencies; special treatment for linear projects, power/mining and strategic border projects; incorporation of noise pollution as an offence in Environmental Protection Act, etc. The report is available on the website of Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

Those desirous of submitting their views and suggestions to the Committee may send their written memoranda (either in English or Hindi) to Shri M.K. Khan, Joint Secretary, Rajya Sabha Secretariat, 240, Second Floor, Parliament House Annexe, New Delhi-110001 (Tel.: 23034047) or e-mail at mkhan@sansad.nic.in upto 31st December 2014. Those willing to appear before the Committee for oral evidence, besides sending Memoranda, are requested to indicate so. The Memoranda submitted to the Committee would form part of the records of the Committee and would be treated as confidential. Website:- rajyasabha.nic.in. E-mail: rsc-st@sansad.nic.in.

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Safety of Workers

December 24, 2014, 6:01 am

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Safety of Workers

The Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya has said that as per the available information from Chief Inspectors of Factories of States/UTs through Directorate General Factories Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI) and Mine managements through Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS), the total number of cases of occupational diseases reported State/UT-wise in factories and mines registered under the Factories Act, 1948 and Mines Act, 1952 during the last three years and current year are given at Annexure-I andAnnexure-II respectively.

In a written reply in the Lok Sabha today, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya said that the Ministry of Labour & Employment declared the National Policy on Safety, Health and Environment at Workplace on 20^thFebruary, 2009. The purpose of this National Policy is to establish a preventive safety and health culture in the country through elimination of incidents of work related injuries, diseases, fatalities and disasters and to enhance the well-being of employees in all the sectors of economic activity in the country. The following steps are taken by the Government to create health awareness amongst the workers/labourers:

(i) In order to increase the awareness about safety and health issues amongst the mine workers, safety week/fortnight, rescue and first-aid competitions are organized in the mines every year.

(ii) Safety and health training programmes are organized among Managers and Supervisors for improving safety and health standards in mines and factories.

(iii) National Safety Awards are granted to mine workers and Prime Ministers’ Safety Awards are granted to the factories workers every year.

Annexure-I

Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a) & (b) of Lok Sabha Unstarred question No. 3464 for answer on 15.12.2014.

State wise details of Occupational Diseases reported in the registered factories under the Factories Act, 1948 for the Year 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 (Till 30^th June)

Sl. No.	State / UT	Occupational Diseases	2011	2012	2013	2014 (TILL 30^th JUNE)	Total
1.	Andaman & Nicobar Islands	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
2.	Andhra Pradesh	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
3.	Assam	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
4.	Bihar	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
5.	Chandigarh	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
6.	Chhattisgarh	Noise Induced Hearing Loss	Nil	Nil	Nil	14	14
7.	Daman& Diu and Dadra& Nagar Haveli	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
8.	Delhi	Occupational Dermatitis	Nil	Nil	Nil	NR	2
9.	Goa	Silicosis	Nil	Nil	1	Nil	1
10.	Gujarat	Byssionosis	6	1	1	Nil	24
		Noise Induced Hearing Loss	5	2	Nil	98	120
		Silicosis	2	1	1	Nil	18
		Deafness	7	Nil	Nil	Nil	19
		Nasal Septum Perforation	Nil	Nil	6	Nil	8
		Pneumoconiosis	Nil	Pneumoconiosis (silicosis)-12	Nil	Nil	13
		Asbestosis	Nil	Nil	Nil	1	22
		Dermatitis	Nil	Nil	1	Nil	1
11.	Haryana	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
12.	Himachal Pradesh	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
13.	Jammu & Kashmir	-	Nil	Nil	NR	NR	Nil
14.	Jharkhand	Silicosis	Nil	2	Nil	Nil	2
15.	Kerala	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
16.	Karnataka	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil

17.	Meghalaya	-	Nil	Nil	NR	NR	Nil
18.	Maharashtra	Noise Induced Hearing Loss	5	Nil	Nil	Nil	5
		Asbestosis	Nil	2	Nil	2	4
		Toxic Nephritis	Nil	Nil	4	Nil	4
		Silicosis	Nil	Nil	Nil	4	4
19.	Manipur	-	Nil	NR	NR	NR	Nil
20.	Nagaland	-	Nil	Nil	NR	NR	Nil
21.	Odisha	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
22.	Puducherry	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	NR	Nil
23.	Punjab	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
24.	Rajasthan	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
25.	Tamil Nadu	Silicosis – Pulmonary Fibrosis	Nil	Nil	3	Nil	3
26.	Tripura	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
27.	Uttaranchal	-	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil	Nil
28.	Uttar Pradesh	-	NR	NR	NR	NR	Nil
29.	West Bengal	Byssionosis	Nil	Nil	Nil	NA	5
		Silicosis	34	Nil	Nil	NA	39
		Noise Induced Hearing Loss	297	Nil	55	NA	352
Total			371	35	88	128	726

Note: NR- Data Not Received in DGFASLI. NA- Data Not Available with CIF.

Further the Details of occupational diseases as received from the State of Madhya Pradesh:

Sr. No.	Details	2011	2012	2013	2014
1	Number of workers died due to Silicosis	15	15	16	9
2	Amount given	312555	356001	620200	156600
3	Number of workers given medical assistance	162	149	153	160
4	Amount of Medical assistance	1600000	1623000	2456400	1297500

Annexure-II

Year	State	Name of disease						Total no. of cases
		Silicosis		Coal workers Pneumoconiosis		Noise Induced Hearing Loss
		No. of cases	Occupation of affected person	No. of cases	Occupation of affected person	No. of cases	Occupation of affected person
2011	Odisha	1	Operator cum Technical (Gr. S.9)	4	Driver			5
					EP Fitter
					Shovel Operator
					Mining Sirdar
	Jharkhand			1	Overman			1
2012	Tamilnadu			3	Addl. Chief manager			3
					Tech. III
					Tech. III C
	Odisha			1	Shovel Operator			1
	Chhattisgarh			1	SDL Operator			1
	Maharashtra					2	U/G P.R. Worker	2
							U/G P.R. Worker
2013	Odisha	1	Jack Hammer operator					2
		1	Jack Hammer operator
	Karnataka	2	LDBH Machine Operator					2
			Loader Operator
2014*	Jharkhand	1	Timberman					1
* up to 09.12.2014

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3 Reasons to Calculate Your Environmental Footprint

December 26, 2014, 5:50 am

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3 Reasons to Calculate Your Environmental Footprint Drive business opportunities by understanding your energy and environmental systems and incorporating best practices that increase profitability.
1. Knowing your environmental footprint will Improve Your Bottom Line: Your environmental footprint helps you to reduce utility bills; align your company with current regulatory compliance; minimize risk; cut expenses
on unnecessary waste; and more.
2. Environmental Stewardship: Be Part of the Solution, Not the Problem:Society is pressuring companies to conform. Recent studies indicate:
• U.S. organizations waste $2.8 billion/yr. and emit about 20 million tonsCO2 from PCs that aren’t shut down at night
• Energy use could double by 2050
• In the past 50 years, humans have consumed more resources than in allprevious history
• 55% of assessed river and stream miles are in poor condition
• 127 million people live in areas that exceed air quality standards
• 1.8 billion people will live in regions with fresh water scarcity by 2025
3. Positive Press for Your Company Drives New Business: Companies that understand their environmental impact are more likely to make changes –
driving positive write-ups, new business, increased suppliers, and potential partners.
How Do You Get Started?
Just as a fingerprint is unique to a person, an environmental footprint is unique to a company. Make sure you have the right resources and data to calculate yours.
Step 1: Understand the strategy and goals of your organization.
This is probably the most important step before delving into change.
Step 2: Determine what you want to calculate.
There are numerous footprints linked to environmental efforts that you can calculate. First you’ll want to determine which one is right for you? Examples include: carbon, greenhouse gas, water, energy, and more. Or is it more important for your company to calculate your entire systems environmental impact. By looking at it from a systems perspective, instead of a point solution, you will be able to identify your entire company’s impact and manage your company-wide risks.

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5 Ways to Make Employee Scheduling Easy

December 26, 2014, 7:45 am

≫ Next: Executives and business owners ask me about employee accountability all the time. They want to know how to make employees accountable.

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5 Ways to Make Employee Scheduling Easy

Employee scheduling is an important concern for every business manager. Managers can feel the pressure mounting when there is a lack of an effective scheduling process. Similarly, it hurts employee morale when they do not have a schedule that serves their skills and needs. To make matters worse, often the person in charge of staff scheduling is dealing with piles of timetables, schedules, availability calendars, and employee requests that they must managed manually or on a large spreadsheet. Some schedulers dedicate whole days or even weeks to developing, publishing, and editing employee schedules! There are dozens of schedule-related problems that need the attention of managers and staff alike. A well-managed schedule keeps the organization moving and resolves many complex situations. Let’s take a look at five ways to make the process easier.
1. Know your team
The first step to effective employee scheduling is to create list of staff who are currently working for your business or department. Along with their names and roles, you should also keep contact information handy, as well as any relevant skills and certifications. Additional information can include whether they’re part-time or full-time, as well as any overtime restrictions.
2. Create a process for staff availability
Give employees a chance to communicate their preferred work hours. Giving staff the option to voice their preferences offers managers a way to promote a collaborative environment. Additionally, knowing employee preferences can allow you to place staff in an available work shift that’s convenient for both parties. Availability can be kept in a calendar format or as a form. Employees should be able to pick more than one preferred shift. They should also be aware that they may sometimes have to work others shifts to cover all open business hours.
3. Make the schedule easily accessible
Once you’ve created the schedule, make sure that it is easy for staff members to view and access it. Often times, staff members can forget to look at the schedule if it is not in an easily visible place. Moreover, it’s easy for staff members to lose or misplace paper copies of their individual schedules. If the staff doesn’t have easy access to the schedule, they will often show up late to work (if they show up at all).
4. Plan for the worst
When you design the work schedule, keep the emergency factor in mind. A well designed schedule includes a plan B, so the manager won’t have to panic if any employee doesn’t show up or has to leave for an emergency. Having a well-organized availability chart will help here as well. Managers should also have clearly defined rules about shift trades and absences.
5. Schedule the right person for the job
Use your staff list to ensure that you are scheduling employees according to their talents and skills. Sometimes, especially in understaffed environments, managers are forced to fill the shifts even with staff who do not best suit the jobs. This may get the work done; however, your business will benefit greatly from processes that are perfected versus being just completed. Constantly scheduling staff members in positions that do not suit their preferences or abilities can also have a negative effect on employee morale.
To make employee scheduling easy, you may want to consider replacing the manual management process with a software solution.
Effective scheduling software will offer conflict management to produce error-free schedules and deliver the flexibility to handle your particular needs. However you do your scheduling, covering all your shifts with the right person while making the process more efficient and less stressful should be your ultimate goal.

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Executives and business owners ask me about employee accountability all the time. They want to know how to make employees accountable.

December 26, 2014, 7:56 am

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Executives and business owners ask me about employee accountability all the time. They want to know how to make employees accountable.
I’d like to give you a resounding yes! Yes, you can improve employee accountability! But unfortunately I can’t tell you that.
I don’t believe employee accountability is a lost cause, but so many factors have an impact on the problem that there is not a simple solution. For example: Were the employees raised to accept responsibility and be accountable; in their professional life have they worked for a company where accepting accountability was acknowledged or punished when things went wrong; are you certain they understood your request; did someone or something else get in the way? There are many factors to consider.
The single biggest factor in employee accountability, though, is you as the leader. We often believe we communicate clearly and our requests are understood, and I’m betting that more often than not it isn’t so.
I’m also betting that you assume that because they’re nodding their head, saying okay, or just sitting silently, they understand you and have agreed. Not so.
To improve employee accountability you have to begin with your own communication. Make sure you clearly define your expectations and the conditions of satisfaction (by when, how, who, what, color, etc., etc.). The next step is to confirm that they understood and agreed to complete your request.
Until these are handled well you will never be able to have the level of employee accountability you desire.

About the Author What make companies stellar performers? According to Linda Finkle, CEO of Incedo Group, it is the ability to communicate at all levels of the organization that makes them develop good strategies, work together to carry them out, and improve the bottom line. For over 25 years, she has left people talking, laughing, – and working

Read more: http://articles.bplans.com/employee-accountability-is-it-a-lost-cause/#ixzz3N1IX9j3F

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Arun Shourie on the Environment debate

December 28, 2014, 6:48 am

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Arun Shourie on the Environment debate

Dec 28, 2014

Arun Shourie (File photo)

Arun Shourie, the winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award for journalism in 1982, wrote in his book ‘We must have no price’ about the UPA’s official position on the environment some of which has its relevant even today.

The four propositions on which India’s official position on environment had been articulated at various international fora in the past were :

1. On a per capita basis, emissions from India that harm world climate – CO₂and the rest – are much, much less than those from the developed countries.

2. India is affecting perceptible, indeed substantial improvements – in area covered by forests (that is, in sequestering carbon), in energy efficiency (for instance, in energy-intensive industries like cement and steel), in improving the quality of air, etc.

3. Several of the measures and protocols that are being suggested will curb India’s growth rate, and, thereby, perpetuate India’s poverty.

4. And it is poverty which is the greatest pollution, it is also the greatest polluter: hence, India shall continue to strive to eliminate poverty and maximise growth. As they are the principal doers of harm, the developed countries must do their bit first before compelling countries like India into curbing their growth.

Mr. Shourie was of the opinion that the argument that others have problems, that others are exacerbating their problems and ours, is of little consolation: the deterioration that has taken place in India’s environment during the last 30 years because of things happening within India inflicts grave harm on Indians, here and now.
He also added that neither the then government’s draft on environment nor the pattern of development which underlied it were sustainable. According to him if things were to continue as they were, between then and 2050, close to 500 million people will be added to our cities. Mr. Shourie raised the question if India would be able to provide the quality of urban services that the urban resident of 2050 would demand. He added that India would have to do its bit, both for itself and also for the world.
While the amounts of emissions and pollutants that it releases per capital are lower than those of the developed countries, the totals of these are large, and, if Indians were to persist in acquiring consumption levels and adopting production processes of the developed world, these emissions will become fatally large because of the size of India’s population.
The renowned author and politician Arun Shourie, also suggested that India would be well-advised to set up national research missions to develop items such as the following:

» A cheaper and more efficient photovoltaic cell

» Cheaper and more efficient wind turbines

» The entire range of technologies and construction techniques that would enable us to set up off-shore wind farms along our extensive coast

» Technologies to harness tidal power

» An efficient hydrogen fuel cell

» Clean coal processes

» Desalination of sea water using solar and wind energies that are available in virtually endless supply along India’s long coastline

» Fast breeder nuclear reactors

» The thorium cycle for nuclear power

Mr Shourie stated that the entire discourse in India back then revolved around whether we will be growing at 6.7% or 7.6%. Quite apart from the fact that the way our GDP, etc. are estimated, such discourse places a concreteness on these numbers that is just not warranted, obsession with such growth rates obscures what is growing at these rates. Even a little reflection shows that were India to continue to pursue Western consumption patterns and production processes, twenty years hence all the steps taken together would have proven inadequate.
Mr. Shourie concluded by stating that there just aren’t the resources that could sustain that energy-intensive, high consumption, fossil-fuel dependent “growth”. Nor is it evident that higher and higher consumption and production of those commodities and services is what will contribute to what the Bhutanese have correctly identified as the goal towards which societies should strive – Gross Domestic Happiness.

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Informal Workers in Organized Sector

December 28, 2014, 8:27 am

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Informal Workers in Organized Sector

The Minister of State (IC) for Labour and Employment, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya has said that no centralized data in this regard is maintained. Under the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970, Central Government is the “Appropriate Government” in respect of the establishments falling in Central Sphere. The private companies, non-Government sector and unorganized sector come in State sphere. However, in the year 2013-14 the estimated number of contract labourers engaged by licenced contractors in Central Sphere was around 21.12 lakhs.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today, Shri Bandaru Dattatreya said that the Ministry of Labour and Employment has launched a special drive to include contract and construction workers under EPFO pursuant to the initiative to provide Universal Account Number (UAN) to the EPF subscribers. The UAN will help them track their PF benefits across contractors. Hon’ble Prime Minister had launched Shramev Jayate Karyakram on 16^th October, 2014 wherein a Shram Suvidha Portal was launched. This Shram Suvidha Portal currently applies to 4 major organisations under the Ministry viz. Office of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), Employees Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and Directorate General of Mines Safety (DGMS). This Portal, besides allotting a Unique Labour Identification Number to each establishment, will also comprise all details of both regular and contract workers. Till now, Unique Identification Number has been issed to 7,13,624 units. The Government has introduced transparent Labour Inspection Scheme in Central Sphere which will also lead to effective implementation of all the Acts including the Contract Labour Act. Further, Universal Account Number has been allotted to 4,21,000 EPF Subscribers to provide portability.

The Minister said that the interest of labourers in terms of wages and other service conditions are safeguarded under various social welfare legislations. Some of the prominent social welfare legislations are as follows:

Ø Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972

Ø Employees’ Provident Fund & Misc. Provisions Act, 1952

Ø Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995

Ø Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948

Ø Minimum Wages Act, 1948

Ø Payment of Wages Act, 1936

ØMaternity Benefit Act, 1961

ØEqual Remuneration Act, 1976

Ø Payment of Bonus Act, 1965

Ø Workmen Compensation Act, 1923

Ø Mines Act, 1952

ØFactories Act, 1948

ØIndustrial Dispute Act, 1947

Ø Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, 1970.

He said that as far as the security in term of wages to contract labourers is concerned, under Rule 25(2)(v)(a) of the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Central Rules, 1971, the wages of the contract labour shall not be less than the rates prescribed under Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and in cases where the contract workers perform the same or similar kind of work as the workmen directly employed by the principal employer of the establishment, the wage rates, holidays, hours of work and other conditions of service shall be the same as applicable to the workmen directly employed by the principal employer doing the same or similar kind of work. The liability to ensure payment of wages and other benefits is primarily that of the contractor and, in case of default, that of the principal employer.

*****

NSK/NN

(Release ID :113562)

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Paris plans to ban cars from its city center

December 29, 2014, 4:20 am

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Paris plans to ban cars from its city center

By Liz Core on 8 Dec 2014

Paris is surging toward the front of the peloton of European cities racing for more bike- and pedestrian-friendly streets. Mayor Anne Hidalgo recently announced an ambitious plan to transform the historic city center into a “semi-pedestrianized” zone, where walking and biking will be encouraged, and automobile access will be limited to emergency vehicles, residents’ cars, and delivery trucks.
Now, when you finally get around to taking that dream vacation to the City of Love, you can travel via bicyclette— or go retro and rock a penny-farthing — down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées with fewer cars and less lung-choking smog. If Hidalgo gets her way, the ban will start on weekends, and eventually be all week.
Hidalgo wants to double the number of bike lanes in the city by 2020 as part of a $147 million cycling development program. She also hopes to implement an electric-powered bikesharing system, and to eliminate diesel cars by 2020 to curb carbon emissions, according to The Age:

In proposing a raft of anti-pollution measures, Ms. Hidalgo is building on the efforts of her predecessor and mentor, the former Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe.
He championed bike and car rental schemes, expanded bus and bicycle lanes, and reduced speed limits, as he sought to wean Parisians off cars in a bid to make the city more liveable.
Some 84 percent of Paris residents see fighting pollution as a priority and 54 percent supported a diesel ban in the city by 2020, according a poll of 804 people carried out by Ifop for the Journal de Dimanche.

The city enacted a temporary car ban this spring — and the French government even resorted to paying people to bike this summer — in an effort to fight Paris’s infamous smog. This new ban, although partial, is meant to be permanent. The pumped up efforts to encourage biking, walking, and public transportation should help fill the gaps.
Paris is already the host to the largest bikeshare system outside of China — the hugely popular Vélib, which was launched in 2007 and currently circulates about 18,000 bikes around the city. It’s no coincidence that 60 percent of Parisians go carless, up from 40 percent from 2011.
So while Hidalgo’s plan may appear overly ambitious from a U.S. perspective, given the speed at which Parisians are moving toward the car-free lifestyle, it may become a reality très bientôt.
Still, while Paris is surging, the Dutch still own the yellow jersey in the race to become pedestrian and bicycle friendly. (Sorry, Paris, we can talk about this when your bike paths are made of solar panels and your sidewalks glow.)

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Aquaculture Ponds - Understanding Ammonia

December 29, 2014, 7:50 am

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Understanding ammonia and controlling it is critical in aquaculture systems. If allowed to accumulate, ammonia is toxic to fish and can be detrimental to any fish production system. Once ammonia reaches toxic levels, fish are incapable of extracting needed energy from their feed. If the ammonia gets to a high enough quantity, the fish will eventually become slow, lethargic and eventually succumb to these high levels resulting in possible death.
In properly managed aquaculture pond setting, ammonia seldom accumulates to lethal concentrations. However, ammonia can have negative effects that don’t result in death but cause reduced growth rates, poor feed conversion, and reduced disease resistance. So, even though the fish don’t die directly from ammonia toxicity, it can affect the system in other ways and ultimately affect the overall crop.
aquaculture pond

Ammonia Dynamics
A single one-time measurement of ammonia concentration provides only a snapshot in time that the sample is measured. The processes that produce, remove and transform ammonia are complex and can change throughout the year. Sampling at different times and logging that data can provide more detailed, accurate information into the processes that affect your aquaculture system. Pictured right: An overhead view of ponds at an aquaculture facility.
The main source of ammonia is simply through fish excretion. The excrement rate is directly related to the feeding rate and the protein level in the feed being used. As the feed’s protein is broken down in the fish’s body, some of the nitrogen is used to form protein
(muscle), energy, and excreted through the gills as ammonia. The protein in feed is the ultimate source of most ammonia in ponds where fish are fed.
Another main source of ammonia is the diffusion from the ponds sediment itself. Large amounts of organic matter are produced by algae or added to ponds as feed. Fecal solids and dead algae settle to the pond bottom and begin the process of decomposition. This process produces ammonia which diffuses from the sediment bottom into the water column.

Ammonia Sinks
Luckily, there are a couple processes that also result in the loss or transformation of ammonia. The most important process is the loss of ammonia through the uptake by algae and other plants. Plants use the nitrogen as a nutrient for growth. Photosynthesis acts like a sponge for ammonia uptake so overall plant or algae growth in the ponds can help use up ammonia. Of course, excessive plant growth can have an effect on the diurnal cycles of dissolved oxygen levels causing DO to go very low during night time hours.
The other ammonia removal process is the transformation of ammonia through nitrification. Two main types of bacteria, Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacteria, effectively oxidize ammonia in a two-step process. First they convert ammonia to nitrite (NO2-) and then to nitrate (NO3-). Essentially, nitrification is a process of nitrogen compound oxidation (effectively, loss of electrons from the nitrogen atom to the oxygen atoms).
Several factors affect nitrification rates and understanding these and measuring ammonia at various times will provide a much better understanding for clear management decisions. Ammonia concentration, temperature, and dissolved oxygen concentration all play a major role. During summer, ammonia concentration is typically very low and so nitrification rates are also very low along with bacterial populations to handle excess ammonia. During winter, low temperature suppresses microbial activity. However, during the spring and fall, ammonia concentrations and temperature are at levels that favor higher nitrification rates. Spring and fall have common peaks in nitrite concentrations in many fish ponds.

Greatest Likelihood of Ammonia Problems
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established three kinds of criteria (one acute and two chronic) for ammonia (nitrogen), based on the duration of exposure. The acute criterion is a 1-hour average exposure concentration and is a function of pH. One chronic criterion is the 30-day average concentration and is a function of pH and temperature. The other chronic criterion is the highest 4-day average within the 30-day period and is calculated as 2.5 times the 30-day chronic criterion. The EPA criteria help determine when ammonia might be a problem.
Ammonia levels are heavily affected by changes in pH and temperature. Free ammonia is the toxic part of the Total Ammonia Nitrogen (TAN). Above pH of 8.0 the toxicity of the TAN rapidly rises. Source downloaded from www.aquaworldaquarium.com
ammonia graph

Contrary to common assumptions, ammonia concentration tends to be greater during the winter (2.5-4.0 mg/L or higher) than during summer (~0.5 mg/L). The 30-day chronic criterion for ammonia (nitrogen) in winter ranges from about 1.5-3.0 mg/L, depending on pH. Ammonia concentrations may exceed these concentrations during the winter months during a time when fish immune systems are suppressed due to lower temperatures.
Another concern for ammonia problems occurs after a crash in the algae community. Rapid decomposition of dead algae reduces the DO concentration and pH and increases ammonia and carbon dioxide concentrations. After an algae crash, ammonia concentrations can
increase to 6-8 mg/L and the pH can decline to 7.8-8.0. The 4-day chronic criterion ranges from about 2.0 mg/L at 8.0 pH to about 3.0 mg/L at 7.8 pH. Therefore, ammonia concentration after the crash of an algae bloom may exceed the 4-day chronic criterion.
Daily variation in the concentration of toxic, unionized ammonia depends on changes in pH from photosynthesis and, to a much lesser extent, temperature. In the late summer or early fall, ammonia concentration begins to increase but daily changes in pH remain large. In these situations, fish may be exposed to ammonia concentrations that exceed the acute criterion for a few hours each day. If late afternoon pH is about 9.0, the acute criterion is about 1.5-2.0 mg/L total ammonia-nitrogen. These concentrations during the summer are typically less than 0.5 mg/L, so fish are unlikely to be stressed if the late afternoon pH is less than 9.0.

Ammonia Management
Even though practical ammonia management actions may be limited in a large pond aquaculture setting there may be some ways to reduce ammonia levels but others may exacerbate the situation - no method is a complete long-term solution in and of itself.
Reduce feeding rates - since excess feed and fish excretion are the main culprits of ammonia build up it seems reasonable to feed only what the fish need. This is not a short term fix but better managed over time to help keep ammonia levels reasonable. Using instrumentation
such as the YSI 5200A (www.ysi.com.5200A) or 5400 (www.ysi.com/5400) continuous monitors with built in Feed SmartTM software can easily manage feed delivery rates based on user input.
Increase aeration - aeration can be ineffective at reducing overall pond ammonia concentrations due to the relatively small area of the pond being aerated. However, it does increase DO levels causing fish to be less stressed. Avoid vigorous aeration to prevent stirring bottom sediment which can actually increase ammonia concentrations.
Lime - using lime agents such as hydrated lime or quick lime could mchalkappln

actually make a potentially bad situation much worse by causing an abrupt and large increase in pH. Increasing pH will shift ammonia
toward the form that is toxic to fish. In addition, the calcium in lime can react with soluble phosphorus, removing it from water and making it unavailable to algae.
Pictured Right: Adding lime to control ammonia levels is not an effective long-term strategy.

Many fish ponds have sufficient alkalinity so increasing it above 20
mg/L as CaCO3 will not provide additional benefit. It only shifts the
distribution of ammonia from the toxic to the non-toxic form by moderating high pH in the afternoon without addressing the root causes of the high ammonia concentration.
Fertilize with phosphorus - Under normal pond conditions, algae blooms are very dense and the rate of algae growth is limited by the availability of light, not nutrients such as phosphorus or nitrogen. Adding phosphorus does little to reduce ammonia concentrations because algae are already growing as fast as possible under the natural conditions in the pond.
Adding bacterial amendments - Common aquatic bacteria are an essential part of the constant cycling of ammonia in pond ecosystems. Typical pond management creates very favorable conditions for bacterial growth. This growth and activity is limited more by the availability of oxygen and by temperature than by the number of bacterial cells. In most amendments, the most abundant bacteria are responsible for the decomposition of organic matter. Therefore, if bacterial amendments accelerate the decomposition of organic matter, the opposite deleterious effect could occur and ammonia levels could actually increase!
Measuring Ammonia
Research has indicated that brief daily exposure to ammonia concentrations far higher than those measured in commercial ponds does not affect fish growth. However, there are circumstances when it is definitely worthwhile to monitor ammonia levels.
Taking ammonia readings with an instrument like the YSI Professional Plus (ysi.com/proplus) and saving the data and viewing trends with Data Manager desktop software can provide valuable information in managing your aquaculture operation, stocking rates, issues with overfeeding and more.
In the South, for instance, ammonia concentrations in most ponds usually start increasing in September and reach a peak around mid-October generally 5-6 weeks after the last period of high feeding rates. About 2-4 weeks later nitrite concentrations will also peak. This is a generalized pattern and doesn’t occur in every pond. Ammonia or nitrite problems can occur with variable intensity at any time, especially between September and March and measuring will help indicate this pattern.
Ammonia should be measured after the crash of an algae bloom and at least weekly in cooler months of the year to help identify trends and potential problems not only with ammonia but also nitrite.
In summary, ammonia levels are difficult to correct quickly and effectively, especially in large ponds, so measuring and understanding your ponds natural ability to correct for high ammonia and nitrite levels can alleviate high concentrations. After seeing the difficulty in correcting high ammonia levels, measuring for ammonia can give a good indication of high nitrite levels and allow operators to effectively use salt to help protect fish against nitrite toxicosis. Extra vigilance after an algae crash is also warranted. Ammonia levels will typically fall back to “normal” levels again once the algae becomes re-established.
The primary key to proper ammonia management is to use fish culture practices that minimize the likelihood of such problems. This means stocking fish at a reasonable density, harvesting as often as practical to keep the standing crop from being too large, and using good feeding practices that maximize the proportion of feed consumed by the fish to help eliminate excess.
Measuring for ammonia and recognizing trends and levels for your operation is the easiest way to understand good operational decisions for your facility. Correcting ammonia problems can be difficult so maintaining a proactive sampling program can help prevent large ammonia and nitrite concentrations.
Some ammonia test kits can be time consuming if measuring many ponds or tanks and may only give an indication or an ammonia range. Handheld instruments with pH and ammonia sensors can give a much faster, accurate method for understanding your system’s ammonia issues and leading to faster operational decisions increasing facility efficiencies.

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ORP Management in Wastewater as an Indicator of Process Efficiency

December 29, 2014, 8:00 am

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ORP Management in Wastewater as an Indicator of Process Efficiency

Posted by Patrick Higgins on Aug 22, 2013 2:02:00 PM

Oxidation-reduction potential, or ORP, has been used for many years in facilities that process wastewater generated by metal finishing plants, but recently it has become prominent in municipal wastewater treatment plants. When using a typical ORP device, an operator inserts a probe directly into a plant’s tank or waste stream. The probe contains a sensor that measures electrical charges from particles, called ions, and these charges are converted to millivolts (mV) that can be either negatively or positively charged. Unlike “wet Chemistry” analysis that can be time-consuming and complex, ORP readings are instantaneous and easy to perform. And like all sampling measurements taken by operators, they are snapshots in time that can indicate process efficiency and identify treatment problems before they affect effluent quality. When using continuous monitoring and control instrumentation, this snapshot can become a real-time indicator. ORP Values Chart

When used in wastewater treatment systems, oxidation-reduction potential is a measurement of the ability or potential of wastewater to permit the occurrence of specific biological (oxidation-reduction) reactions. Important oxidation-reduction reactions in wastewater treatment systems include nitrification, denitrification, biological phosphorus removal, biological malodor production, and the removal of cBOD (carbon- and hydrogen- containing compounds). These reactions involve carbon (C), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and nitrogen (N) and their change from oxidized states (containing oxygen) such as nitrate (NO3-) and sulfate (SO2-4) and reduced states (containing hydrogen) such as ammonia (NH3) and sulfides (H2S).
ORP is measured in millivolts (mV) and on the ORP scale, the presence of an oxidizing agent such as oxygen increases the ORP value, while the presence of a reducing agent such as substrate or cBOD decreases the ORP value.
By monitoring the ORP of wastewater, an operator can determine what biological reaction is occurring and if operational conditions should be changed to promote or prevent that reaction. For example, an operator doesn’t want denitrification or “clumping” to occur in a secondary clarifier; the operator, therefore, must maintain an ORP value of more than +50 mV to prevent clumping. Similarly, an operator doesn’t want malodor production to occur in the sewer system. So, the operator must maintain an ORP value of more than -50 mV to prevent sulfide formation and an ORP value of more than -100 mV to prevent volatile acid formation.
Let’s take a look at each of these reactions and their relation to ORP values in greater detail.

Nitrification

To satisfy discharge limits for total nitrogen or ammonia, wastewater treatment plants must nitrify. Nitrification is the oxidation of ionized ammonia (NH4+) to nitrate (NO3-) and is performed by nitrifying bacteria when the ORP of the wastewater is +100 to +350 mV.

Denitrification

Denitrification is performed to satisfy total nitrogen discharge limits or destroy undesired filamentous organism growth. Denitrification is the reduction of nitrate (NO3-) to molecular nitrogen (N2) and is performed by denitrifying bacteria with ORP of the wastewater is +50 to -50 mV.

Biological Phosphorus Removal

Wastewater plants conduct biological phosphorus removal to meet total phosphorus discharge limits. The process consists of two treatment steps - first, biological phosphorus release and, second, biological phosphorus removal. In biological phosphorus release, fermentative bacteria produce fatty acids in an anaerobic tank having an ORP range of -100 to -225 mV. When the acids are absorbed by phosphorus-accumulating bacteria, the bacteria release phosphorus to the bulk solution.
In the second step - biological phosphorus removal - the phosphorus-accumulating bacteria degrade the absorbed acids in an aerobic tank and store the energy that was obtained from the degraded acids in phosphorus granules. This storage of energy requires the removal of large quantities of phosphorus from the bulk solution. The storage of phosphorus granules or biological phosphorus removal occurs when the ORP of the aerobic tank is +25 to +250 mV.

Sulfide Formation and Fermentation (Biological Malodor Production)

Biological malodor production occurs through two major biochemical reactions, sulfide (-SH) formation and acid formation (fermentation). Hydrogen sulfide is produced in large quantity when sulfate-reducing bacteria degrade substrate using sulfate (SO2-4). Sulfate is found in groundwater and urine and when reduced through bacterial activity, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is formed. Sulfide formation, which occurs when the ORP is between -50 to -250 mV, is a critical event in an anaerobic digester, where the sulfide serves as a sulfur nutrient for facultative anaerobic and anaerobic bacteria including the methane-producing bacteria.
During the equally critical event of fermentation, acid-forming or fermentative bacteria produce a large variety of volatile acids, nitrogen-containing compounds, and sulfur-containing compounds. Many of these volatile compounds are malodorous. Acid formation or fermentation occurs when the ORP is between -100 and -225 mV. Fermentation is particularly crucial in biological phosphorus removal systems where the production of fatty acids is required for phosphorus release. Fermentation is also important in anaerobic digesters where many of the acids and alcohols produced through fermentation are used by methane-forming bacteria to produce methane.
However, these reactions must be appropriately confined. Septic conditions that permit sulfide formation and the discharge of sulfide into an activated sludge process should be corrected. The presence of sulfide promotes the growth of undesirable sulfide-loving filamentous organisms such as Beggiatoa spp., Thiothrix spp., and type 021N.

cBOD Degradation with Free Molecular Oxygen

Removal or degradation of cBOD with free molecular oxygen (O2) occurs when the ORP in the reaction tank or aeration tank is between +50 to +250 mV. The degradation is performed by cBOD-removing bacteria. The bacteria are aerobes (using only free molecular oxygen) or facultative anaerobes (using free molecular oxygen or another molecule such as nitrate).

Methane Production

Methane (CH4) production is highly desired in an anaerobic digester and undesired in a sewer system. Methane production is performed by methane-forming bacteria and occurs over a large range of ORP values, from -175 to -400 mV.

Knowing the ORP values associated with specific reactions has allowed operators to use ORP probes, and the information gleaned from them, in a variety of helpful ways. Within a sewer system, for example, an ORP value less than -100 mV indicates the production of malodors due to sulfide formation and fatty acid production. By adding sodium nitrate (Na2NO3) to a manhole, it’s possible to increase the ORP value above -50 mV and prevent biological malodor production.
In another example, the transfer of thickener sludge that is heavily laden with nitrate to an anaerobic digester may be regulated by monitoring the ORP of the digester sludge. As the ORP increases from -400 mV, the transfer of thickener sludge may be terminated at a value less than -300 mV to prevent the loss of significant methane production.
Consider too that the absence of denitrification within a denitrification tank may be detected with the use ORP and hydraulic retention time of the tank or cBOD feed (methanol or acetate) to the tank may be adjusted to promote denitrification. Likewise, the occurrence of biological phosphorus release may be monitored in a fermentative tank and if needed, hydraulic retention time may be increased in order to remove residual free molecular oxygen and nitrate that contribute to ORP values of more than -100 mV.
ORP probes are extremely versatile measurement systems for monitoring biological reactions within sewer systems and wastewater treatment plants, and for indicating to operators if acceptable or unacceptable biological activity is occurring. Increasingly, they are a tool that wastewater treatment plants must have and that operators must know how to use.
Let us know your thoughts or ask Dr. Rob Smith your wastewater questions: rsmith@ysi.com.

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INDUSTRIAL MIXED BED DEIONISER

December 21, 2014, 6:18 am

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INDUSTRIAL MIXED BED DEIONISER
Product Description

INDION Industrial Mixed Bed Deionisers are designed to produce high purity treated water required by the pharmaceuticals and electronic industries. These deionisers can be used as polishing units after two bed deionisers or directly to obtain high purity water. Mixed Bed Deionisers are single column units, filled with strongly acidic cation and strongly basic anion exchange resins mixed together evenly. Dissolved solids in the water are thus removed, producing water of very high quality - confirming to IP specifications of purified water. The treated water, however is not free from bacteria and pyrogen.

Working principle
There are four distinct stages in the operation of an industrial mixed-bed deioniser:

Service/exhaustion
Backwashing
Regeneration
Rinse/remix

Service/exhaustion

Backwashing

Once the resins are exhausted, the bed is backwashed. Backwashing is initiated by introducing a uniform upward flow of water through the resin bed. The backwash step serves two important functions:

Firstly, it expands the resin bed releasing any entrapped particulate matter and resin fines.

Secondly, the backwash flow separates the denser cation resin from the lighter anion resin, forming two distinct layers in the vessel.

Regeneration

The first stage in the process of regeneration involves passing a dilute solution of acid, usually hydrochloric, through the cation bed. After the cation resin has been regenerated,the anion resin is regenerated by passing a dilute solution of caustic (sodium hydroxide) through the anion resin bed. As a result, the cation resin is reconverted to the hydrogen form and the anion resin to the hydroxyl form.

In-situ Regeneration

Rinse / Remix

The final stage of regeneration is to rinse the resins of excess regenerant and then remix with air.

Advantages

Easy to install

Simple to operate

Complete with regeneration equipment and control

Produces deionised water of very high purity, confirming to IP specifications.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate 102 Indian Science Congress in Mumbai

January 3, 2015, 4:45 am

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate 102 Indian Science Congress in Mumbai

Mumbai, Dec 24: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the 102nd Indian Science Congress here on January 3, it was officially announced here today. Preparations are in full swing at the University of Mumbai’s Kalina Campus to host the 102nd Indian Science Congress from January 3 to January 7, 2015. Around 12,000 delegates are expected to attend this mega event which would also see the presence of seven Nobel laureates and four Nobel-equivalent prize winning scientists.

The theme for this year’s Indian Science Congress is ‘Science and Technology for Human Development’. Modi would inaugurate the Indian Science Congress 2015 on January 3 morning, in the presence of Governor of Maharashtra Vidyasagar Rao, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadanvis, Union Minister for Science and Technology Harshvardhan and Union Human Resources Minister Smriti Irani, Vice Chancellor of University of Mumbai Rajan Welukar told reporters here today.

“The Indian Science Congress is returning to Mumbai after 45 years. The last time the event was held here was in 1969. By bringing the Indian Science Congress to Mumbai, we want to showcase Mumbai as a science city as well, besides India’s financial capital,” Welukar said. Mumbai is home to world renowned institutes like the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Indian Institute of Technology and Tata Memorial Centre among others, he said. All these institutes would actively participate in the Indian Science Congress, he said.

Besides the main sessions and symposia, a Children?s Science Congress, a Women’s Science Congress and a Science Communicators’ Meet would also be held as parallel events. The Children’s Science Congress would be inaugurated by former President of India, A P J Abdul Kalam. A science exhibition would be organised at the MMRDA. Grounds in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, to showcase various science and technology innovations by Indian firms and organisations.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) would also participate in the mega exhibition. The Congress sessions would bring together eminent scientists as well as research scholars to popularise science and foster a scientific temperament. The sessions would cover a wide variety of topics like agriculture and forestry, veterinary sciences, earth science, environment, engineering, information and communication, computer sciences, mathematics, medicine, biology, physics and plant sciences, among others.

Other themes of interest include science and technology in SAARC countries, biodiversity conservation, space application, genetically modified crops, use of modern biotechnology in agriculture as well as clean energy systems for the future. A session would be dedicated to ‘Innovation and Make In India’ initiative, while another on ‘Ancient Indian sciences’ would be attended by Union Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar.

2001 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine Paul Nurse from London, 2002 Chemistry Nobel Prize winner Kurt Wuthrich from Switzerland, 2009 Chemistry Nobel laureate Ada E Yonath from Israel, 2013 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, Randy Schekman of University of California, Berkeley, are among the guests expected to attend.

2014 Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh would also be present. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K Radhakrishnan, Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India, 2013 Nobel Prize winner in Medicine, Randy Schekman of University of California, Berkeley, DG, Indian Council of Medical Research, V M Katoch, eminent nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar are some of the other big names scheduled to attend the Indian Science Congress 2015.

University of Mumbai has made arrangements to webcast some of the key sessions of the Indian Science Congress, Welukar said. A daily web bulletin covering various aspects of the Indian Science Congress would be compiled and published by students of the varsity’s Mass Communication Department.

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PM’s remarks at the 102nd Indian Science Congress AND Congratulation to Prof S.P. Trivedi Sir

January 3, 2015, 4:56 am

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The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, has called for efforts to ensure that science, technology and innovation reach the poorest, the remotest and the most vulnerable person. He said that for a prosperous future for India, we need to put science, technology and innovation at the top of national priorities. In his address to the 102nd Indian Science Congress in Mumbai today, the Prime Minister said more resilient agriculture, appropriate and affordable technologies for rural areas, improving healthcare, making clean technology affordable, and making India a leading manufacturing nation and a hub for knowledge and technology-intensive industries, were some of the key objectives before Indian scientists.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfmTktspO_E

The Prime Minister said a nation`s progress and its human development are linked to science and technology. He added that China`s emergence as the second biggest global economy is in parallel to its rise to the second place in science and technology activities.

The Prime Minister said, that a discussion on science and human development, cannot be divorced from the questions of political decisions; social choices; and of equity, ethics and access. He said human development has been the larger purpose and the driving force of India`s scientific pursuits, and science has helped shape modern India.

The Prime Minister appreciated Indian scientists for rising to the occasion “whenever the world shut its door on us.” He said that when the world sought our collaboration, they reached out with the openness that is inherent in our society. He also lauded Indian scientists for putting Mangalyaan in the Mars orbit in the first attempt, and saving thousands of lives through their accurate prediction of Cyclone Hudhud.

The Prime Minister said that when he speaks of ease of doing business in India, he also wants to pay equal attention to the ease of doing research and development in India. He said funding proposals must not take too long to clear, and scientific departments must have flexibility of funding decisions based on the uncertainties inherent in research activities. He also called for clear regulatory policies for research and development in areas like biotechnology, nanoscience, agriculture and clinical research.

The Prime Minister said each government department should have an officer focusing on science and technology relating to its area of work; and, allocate a percentage of its budget for such activities. “We have to place the university system at the cutting edge of the research and development activities in the country,” he added. He said universities must be freed from the clutches of excessive regulation and cumbersome procedures.

The Prime Minister called upon Indian industry to step up investments in science and technology in its own interest. He said India`s own pharmaceutical industry has carved out a place for itself in the world, because it invests significantly in research.

He welcomed the initiatives of Department of Science and Technology for involving thousands of children and youth in science and technology.

The Prime Minister said India must “restore the pride and prestige of science and scientists in our nation; revive the romance for science in society; rekindle the love for it in our children; and, encourage our scientists – to dream, imagine and explore.”

The Prime Minister began his address by paying homage to eminent scientist Vasant Gowarikar, who passed away recently.

Text of PM Shri Narendra Modi’s address at the 102nd Indian Science Congress

January 3, 2015 Author: admin

मैं अपनी बात शुरू करने से पहले, सबसे पहले श्री वसंत गोवारिकर जो हमारे देश के गणमान्य वैज्ञानिक थे और आज ही हमारे बीच नहीं रहे। मैं इसी धरती की संतान और भारत को विज्ञान जगत में आगे बढ़ाने में जिन्होंने बहुत अहम भूमिका निभाई थी ऐसे श्रीमान वसंत गोवारिकर जो को हृदय अंतःकरण पूर्वक श्रृद्धांजलि देता हूं।

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour to participate in the Indian Science Congress. I thank University of Mumbai for hosting this Congress.

I had the opportunity to participate in the Congress as Chief Minister of Gujarat. I am delighted to return here after ten years.

I greatly admire the rich history of this hundred-year old institution.

I feel humbled by the work that scientists do. And, I find science and technology an invaluable ally in governance and development.

Human civilization has advanced because of the basic human spirit of enquiry and quest for understanding our universe and world.

It is a search driven by the belief in what our Vedas described as, Satye Sarvam Pratisthanam – Everything is established in Truth.

Science may be the product of human brain. But, it is also driven by the compassion of human heart – the desire to make human life better.

We have here with us Nobel Laureates, whose work in science has given new hope against dreaded diseases.

We also have one whose own understanding of social science gave the poorest a life of hope, opportunity and dignity.

Science and technology has helped reduce poverty and advance prosperity; fight hunger and improve nutrition; conquer diseases, improve health and give a child a better chance to survive; connect us to our loved ones and the world; spread education and awareness; and, given us clean energy that can make our habitat more sustainable.

A nation`s progress and its human development are linked to science and technology. In more recent times, China`s emergence as the second biggest global economy is in parallel to its rise to the second place in science and technology activities.

Science and technology can also remove national barriers, unify the world and advance peace. It can bring nations, rich and poor, in a shared effort to address global challenges.

But, we also know that it can increase inequality, make wars more lethal and damage our environment. Sometimes, we learn about their consequences later, as we did on climate change; sometimes, these are the result of our own choices.

For example, information technology was meant to increase efficiency and productivity; sometimes, however, its various distractions can easily overpower us! How often do we sit in meetings and cannot resist the temptation to catch up on our messages!

So, when we speak of science and human development, we cannot divorce it from the questions of political decisions; social choices; and of equity, ethics and access.

Human development has been the larger purpose and the driving force of Indian scientific pursuits. And, science has helped shape modern India.

At the dawn of freedom, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru placed science and technology at the heart of national development. Our scientists launched pioneering research and built outstanding institutions with modest resources that continue to serve us well.

Since then, our scientists have placed us at the forefront of the world in many areas.

Whenever the world shut its door on us, our scientists responded with the zeal of a national mission. When the world sought our collaboration, they reached out with the openness that is inherent in our society.

They have alleviated some of our most acute and pressing challenges of human development. They helped us overcome dependence on others for such basic needs as food. They have secured our borders; supported industrial progress; and, given our people a life of opportunities and dignity.

Our scientists put Mangalyaan in the Mars orbit in the first attempt – I must congratulate Radhakrishnan`s team – and their accurate prediction of Cyclone Hudhud saved thousands of lives; our nuclear scientists work for our energy security, and they have also placed India at the Asian forefront in cancer research and treatment.

Our achievements give us pride, but they do not blind us to the enormous challenges that we face in India.

We are at yet another moment of expectation and excitement, as we were at the birth of independent India.

There is a mood of optimism for change in the country; the energy to pursue it; and, confidence to achieve it.

But, the dreams we all share for India will depend as much on science and technology as it will on policy and resources -

To make our agriculture more resilient and yield more; to develop appropriate and affordable technologies for rural areas;

To do more from every drop of water; and, explore the potential of marine resources

To preserve our biodiversity; and keep our environment clean

To improve healthcare and develop medicines and medical devices that is within the reach of poorest;

To make clean energy affordable and its use more efficient;

To use technology to realize our dream of housing and sanitation for all;

To find our own solutions to make our cities cleaner and more habitable

To turn waste into wealth and resources for sustainable infrastructure of the future;

To use internet to improve human development

To make India a leading manufacturing nation; and a hub for knowledge and technology-intensive industries.

To me, the arms of science, technology and innovation must reach the poorest, the remotest and the most vulnerable person.

This is an enterprise of national importance in which each of us – Government, Industry, National Laboratories, Universities and research institutions – have to work together.

Too often, a discussion on science and technology is reduced to a question of budgets. It is important; and I am confident that it will continue to grow.

But, our own achievements have shown that very often a need and vision and passion are more important than resource for success.

And, it is how we use resources that will determine how effective we are in making science and technology work for us.

Our development challenges will naturally shape our strategic priorities in science and technology.

Even as we focus on some key areas, we should not confine research and development to a few pre-determined paths.

And, it is as important to focus on basic research as on research and development and innovation.

We should also recognize that science is universal, but technology can be local.

If we incorporate traditional and local knowledge, systems and technologies, we may develop more appropriate, effective, affordable and sustainable solutions that contribute immensely to human development and progress.

As the major source of science and technology efforts in the country, Government must do its part.

When I speak of ease of doing business in India, I also want to pay equal attention to the ease of doing research and development in India.

Funding proposals must not take too long to clear; meeting application requirement should not become more complex than research; approval process should not become a deterrent for international conference; and, our scientific departments must have flexibility of funding decisions based on the uncertainties inherent in research activities.

We want our scientists and researchers to explore the mysteries of science, not of government procedures.

We want them to consider publications, not government approvals, to be the epitome of their success.

We must also have clear regulatory policies for research and development in areas like biotechnology, Nano-Science, agriculture and clinical research.

We should ensure that our strong intellectual property regime continues to work effectively and provides the right balance between private incentives and social good.

Further, not just scientific departments, but every other department in the Government should see how to apply science and technology and promote research to improve their work. Each should have an officer focusing on science and technology relating to its area of work; and, allocate a percentage of its budget for such activities. We have begun this experience with Space technology.

Investments in science and technology activities should also become part of the expenditure on corporate social responsibility – to be funded directly or through an autonomous fund.

We also need to foster a strong culture of collaboration between institutions and across disciplines to take advantage of developments, innovations and expertise in diverse areas. My impression is that this is far from the ideal in India

I will ask our ministries to make collaborations a critical requirement for their institutions and for supporting funding requests for research.

We have to place the university system at the cutting edge of the research and development activities in the country. Our investments in science and technology are far too concentrated in the agencies of the Central Government and must become more broad-based.

Our universities must be freed from the clutches of excessive regulation and cumbersome procedures. They must have a higher degree of academic freedom and autonomy; and, there should be as much emphasis on research as on teaching.

In turn, the universities must also subscribe to the highest academic and research standards and accountability. This includes thorough peer review.

We have to rapidly expand our higher education sector; yet, our existing institutions face shortage of faculty.

We have a large pool of outstanding scientists and engineers working in central institutions and agencies. I want them to spend some time each year, teaching and guiding Ph.D students at a university.

Our industry must also step up investments in science and technology in its own interest.

India`s own pharmaceutical industry has carved out a place for itself in the world, because it invests significantly in research.

Indeed, our long term global competitiveness will depend not on replicating what others have done, but through a process of sustained development and innovation.

There is a growing trend of international collaboration in research and development, not just among business enterprises, but equally among researchers and scholars at universities and laboratories. We should take full advantage of this.

For this reason, I have placed science and technology at the forefront of our diplomatic engagement. As I have travelled abroad, I have personally sought out scientists to explore collaborations in areas like clean energy, agriculture, biotechnology, medicine and healthcare.

We have built excellent partnerships with all leading nations to address the grand challenges of the world today. I have also offered our expertise to our neighbours and other developing countries.

I have often spoken of skill development for our youth.

Our future will be secure and our global leadership possible, if we also prepare the next generation of world class scientists, technologists and innovators.

School education in science and mathematics should become more creative and stimulating.

Let us also use Internet to bring the best of our scientists in direct contact with our children and our youth.

Digital connectivity should become as much a basic right as access to school.

I welcome the initiatives of Department of Science and Technology for involving thousands of children and youth in science and technology.

It is not surprising that our young minds are winning international competitions and 12 of them have minor comets named after them!

Our children should seek role model in scientists as much as in sportsmen. Their parents should feel as much pride in their children seeking a future in science as in business or civil service.

For this, we need to communicate the power and possibilities of science better.

Let us, for example, make science and technology the theme of Republic Day parade in the near future.

We need to celebrate our scientific achievements as much as we rejoice in our success in other areas.

We should give young participants and winners in science fairs maximum public recognition and sustained support of the government.

I would personally love to meet the best of our young scientists.

In conclusion, let me say for a safe, sustainable, prosperous future for India; or global leadership in a knowledge and technology intensive world, we need to put science, technology and innovation at the top of national priorities.

I am confident that we can do it.

We in India are the inheritors of a thriving tradition of Indian science and technology since ancient times. Mathematics and medicine; metallurgy and mining; calculus and textiles; architecture and astronomy – the contribution the Indian civilization to human knowledge and advancement has been rich and varied.

We can draw inspiration and confidence from our numerous successes over the past six decades in difficult circumstances; the strength of our many institutions; and, India`s rich talent in science, reflected in the five distinguished Indian scientists, whom we have just honoured.

Above all, we must restore the pride and prestige of science and scientists in our nation; revive the romance for science in society; rekindle the love for it in our children; and, encourage our scientists – to dream, imagine and explore.

You will have no better supporter than me. In turn, I seek your help in transforming India.

Thank you very much, wish you all the best.

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Why India needs a conservation act

January 3, 2015, 6:17 pm

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Why India needs a conservation act

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WAY TO GO: A herd of elephants passing through a tea garden in Gohpur in Sonitpur district of Assam. Photo: Ritu Raj Konwar

India should reject its protection philosophy, embrace conservation and bridge gaps between people and officials

I have just returned from an extended tour of our jungles where, as usual, much is being spoken; little is being done to conserve our wilderness. While camping near the Corbett National Park, our cook, also the village leader, was called in every night to help with the elephant menace in his hamlet. He narrated numerous stories of tigers killing humans. Most kills were recent. The so-called man-animal conflict was at its worst and even the forests where I work in southern India we were seeing a spate of escalating conflicts between local people and officials. This got me thinking. Was something seriously amiss with our wilderness policies? On further thought, the answer dawned on me. India does not have its own standalone conservation act. We have the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972; why did we choose not to have the Wildlife (Conservation) Act of 1972 instead?

The first thing that comes to mind is that in conservation one needs to be in constant dialogue with all the players, and certainly our forest officials want no such thing. Dialogue makes one answerable, vulnerable and transparent, actions alien if not loathsome to officials.

Conservation is solely achieved through building trust and respect with all parties concerned. Though transparent dialogue is a crucial part of that trust-building process, the people living near our protected forests are not in dialogue with the officials. This has led to a severe conflict.

‘Protection’ has a very minor but essential part in effective ‘Conservation’. ‘Conservation’ comes first, followed by ‘Protection’. Wherever conservation fails, protection is supposed to kick in. That’s the way it is the world over, except India. When the African countries can have their own conservation laws, why in heavens name doesn’t India have one which stands on its own two feet? Instead of a Wildlife Conservation Act, we have a National Tiger Conservation Authority tucked away, hidden deep in the recess of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. But it has only a handful of pages that make a veiled attempt to address the term ‘conservation’.

India is regarded as one of the most corrupt countries. Add to this the fact that our parks and sanctuaries have extensive boundaries, which, in most places remain porous. We have large sensitive forested regions of great value that cannot be effectively patrolled or protected. We have neither the funds nor the political will or the manpower to protect these expansive areas. These areas need to be conserved.

Further, protection is an exclusionary form of management that pushes people away. After more than six decades of Independence, it’s clear that we need to embrace the people living around our protected forests and convert them from being a liability to an asset. Only conservation can do that, not protection. Since 1947, officials and locals have drifted apart at an alarming rate and today a chasm exists between them. This has led to severe conflict. There being no effective dialogue between them, locals in general believe officials to be corrupt and officials on their part think most locals to be smugglers and poachers. This further escalates the conflict.

The officials have lived in denial of such conflicts and over time, instead of calling such a conflict the local man-authority conflict, have evolved a unique term for their failures and called it the man-animal conflict. How could they be answerable for the actions of animals, they would ask whenever the need arose.

It is clear that unless India rejects its protection philosophy and embraces conservation and bridges this gap between people living on the fringes of its forests and the officials and converts these people into assets by including them in the management of her sensitive regions, we can kiss our wilderness goodbye.

We have arrived at this alarming situation because it takes 10 to 15 years, if not a couple of generations, to start the dialogue process leading to effective conservation. Our officers hold their posts for but a couple of years, and fail to share the larger vision. Also because the process of dialogue and trust-building that feeds conservation at most times remains intangible, most funding towards wildlife management gets funnelled into protection. Efforts in any protection activity are tangible and can be measured for the disbursement of funds — examples are anti-poaching camps, vehicles, arms, fences, trenches, roads, fire lines, staff quarters and so on.

Conservation acts suffer because they cannot be measured thus. Conservation can best be described as the ‘human’s ethical pursuit of letting things be in nature’. This natural balance is difficult to maintain as man interferes with nature without truly understanding the consequences. Sadly, whenever man plays god he destroys without having the power to recreate. The writing is on the wall. Forest officials must stop hiding behind the so-called man-animal conflict and the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. If we are to conserve our wilderness, we need a hard-hitting yet sensitive conservation act that also addresses, as an integral part of conservation, the local people-authority conflict upfront.

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Microorganisms, Bacteria and Viruses

January 4, 2015, 12:15 am

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Microorganisms, Bacteria and Viruses

Microbiological contamination of water has long been a concern to the public. From the 1920's-1960's, the bacillus which causes typhoid fever was considered a major problem in the water supply (1). Once it was eradicated, new microbes were present to take its place. In parts of the United States, concern is inreasing due to outbreaks of coliform bacteria, giardiasis, cryptosporidiosis, and hepatitis A (1,2,3). Some of these are bacteria, while others are virusesor protozoa. If you are on a public water supply system, and you are concerned about the possibility of microbial contamination, contact your water company. If you use a private water supply, have your water tested by a reputable lab. Treatments do exist for microbial contamination, but, it is important to know what is present before treatment is begun.
Coliform Bacteria
Coliform bacteria live in soil or vegetation and in the gastrointestinal tract of animals. Coliforms enter water supplies from the direct disposal of waste into streams or lakes, or from runoff from wooded areas, pastures, feedlots, septic tanks, and sewage plants into streams or groundwater. In addition, coliforms can enter an individual house via backflow of water from a contaminated source, carbon filters, or leaking well caps that allow dirt and dead organisms to fall into the water (2).
Coliforms are not a single type of bacteria, but a grouping of bacteria that includes many strains, such as E. coli. They are ubiquitous in nature, and many types are harmless. Therefore, it is not definitive that coliform bacteria will cause sickness. Many variables such as the specific type of bacteria present, and your own immune system's effectiveness will determine if you will get sick. In fact, many people become immune to bacteria that is present in their own water (2). Guests on the other hand, may not have developed an immunity to the water and may experience some gastrointestinal distress such as diarrhea or gastroenteritis (2).Total coliforms are the standard by which microbial contamination is measured. Coliforms will be one of the first bacteria present in the water should contamination occur, and they will be in much larger quantities than some pathogenic microbes that may be present. Therefore, coliforms act as indicators of possible contamination. The presence of coliform bacteria does not necessarily mean that pathogenic microbes are also present. However, if large coliform quantities are detected, the presence of other microbes should be checked for. If you are a private water consumer and concerned about your water supply, you can obtain more information about protecting your private water supply from the EPA. Generally, testing is done once a year. However it may also be wise to test the water for the following reasons:

A new well or pump has been installed
An old well or pipe has been repaired or replaced
Family or guests are have reoccurring gastrointestinal distress
An infant is living in the home
A new home is being purchased, and the quality of water needs to be determined
The effectiveness of a water treatment system needs to be tested
The water has had a change in taste, color or odor (2)

Testing of your water can be done by a local testing laboratory, or by a county or state health laboratory.
If your water is found to be contaminated, the best treatment is generally disinfectionor filtration. Other options involve UV irradiation and ozonation. A water professional can help you select the best treatment (2).
If you would like to learn more about coliform bacteria, The National Groundwater Association is a good place to start.
Giardia Lamblia
Giardia has become more prevalent in the past few years as a waterborne disease, and a few large outbreaks that have occurred in the U.S. (3). Giardia are flagellated protozoa that are parasitic in the intestines of humans and animals (4). They have two stages, one of which is a cyst form that can be ingested from contaminated water. Once the cyst enters the stomach, the organism is released into the gastrointestinal tract where it will adhere to the intestinal wall. Eventually the protozoa will move into the large intestine where they encyst again and are excreted in the feces and back into the environment (4).
Once in the body, the giardia causes giardiasis, a disease characterized by symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal cramps, nausea, weight loss, and general gastrointestinal distress. These symptoms last for about a week, however some people can undergo a more chronic infection with similar symptoms and an even greater degree of weight loss (3). Giardiasis is rarely fatal (6), and can be treated medicinally by quinacrine, metronidazole, and furazolidone (3).
Giardia enters the water supply via contamination by fecal material. The fecal material can enter the water from:

Sewage discharged into the water via cross contamination of sewage and water lines
Sewage directly discharged from small sewage plants into lakes or streams
Sewage discharged into lakes or streams from cabin toilets
Animals carrying the cysts, depositing their fecal material directly into the water
Rainfall moving the cysts deposited from animals on the soil into a body of water (3).

Once in these water bodies, unsuspecting hikers or campers may drink infected water, exposing themselves to the cysts. Water from these lakes or streams may also be transported to municipal water supplies. If the municipal system uses sand filtration in addition to chlorination, the cysts should be removed. If chlorinationis used without filtration, the chance for a giardia infection increases (4). It is estimated that 20-65 million Americans are at risk due to this lack of filtration of surface water (3,5). It has been suggested that 40-45% of giardia cases are associated with exposure to unfiltered water (4). Other sources of exposure include unsanitary conditions at day care facilities, exposure while traveling in developing countries, hikers or campers drinking infected surface water, and sexual practices involving fecal exposure (4).
If water is contaminated with giardia, it is possible to kill the cysts by simply boiling the water. If you are on a public water system, a notice will be sent out should coliform and giardia be present at unsafe levels. People on private water systems should not be concerned as most giardia is from untreated surface water; however there is a possibility that sewage lines from a septic tank may infect your water. Contamination from livestock waste may also be of some concern. If you are in doubt, it is possible to have your well water tested for bacteria and protozoa by laboratories in your area (2).
Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite that causes cryptosporidiosis, which has gained notoriety in the past five years. In 1993, over 400,000 people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin became ill with it after drinking contaminated water (6). Since this outbreak, there has been a greater impetus to remove the cryptosporidium from municipal water supplies.
Cryptosporidium is spread by the transmission of oocysts via drinking water which has been contaminated with infected fecal material. Oocysts from humans are infective to humans and many other mammals, and many animals act as reservoirs of oocysts which can infect humans. Once inside of its host, the oocyst breaks, releasing four movable spores that attach to the walls of the gastrointestinal tract, and eventually form oocysts again that can be excreted (4). Symptoms occur 2 to 10 days after infection (6). These symptoms include diarrhea, headache, abdominal cramps, nausea, vomiting, and a low fever. There is no treatment against the protozoa, although it is possible to treat the symptoms. After about 1-2 weeks, the symptoms subside as the immune system stops the infection. However, for persons with a compromised immune system such as infants, seniors, those with AIDS, or transplantees, cryptosporidiosis may become life threatening (4,6).
Cryptosporidium infected fecal material enters the water supply either from cross contamination of sewage lines with water lines, or surface water infected with contaminated animal waste. Water treatment processes that utilize coagulation, sedimentation, filtrationand chlorinationmay remove it. However, due to its small size and its resistance to chlorination, these treatments may not work (4). If cryptosporidium is a concern in your area, boiling your water for at least one minute is an effective way to kill it (6).
As with giardia, if you are on a public system you should receive a notice if cryptosporidium levels have increased. However, if you are on a private system using a well, contamination may occur from a leaking or improperly placed septic tank, or animal waste, so it may be a good idea to test for total coliforms. If the amount of coliforms are low, then more than likely cryptosporidium is not a problem (2).
If you would like to obtain more information about cryptosporidium, including how to prevent it, the website at the Centers for Disease Control will be able to help you out.
Hepatitis A:
Hepatitis A is an enteric virus that is very small. It can be transferred through contaminated water, causing outbreaks (5). The virus is excreted by a person carrying it, and if the sewage contaminates the water supply, then the virus is carried in the water until it is consumed by a host. Symptoms such as an inflamed liver, accompanied by lassitude, anorexia, weakness, nausea, fever and jaundice are common. A mild case may only require a week or two of rest, while a severe case can result in liver damage and possible death (4). Generally, water systems utilize chlorination, preceded by coagulation, flocculation, settling and filtrationto remove the virus (5). Boiling your water will also inactivate the virus (3,6). Should you be using a private water system, you may want to check your well water for coliform bacteria. If there is a large amount of bacteria present, there is most likely contamination from sewage, and the water needs to be treated (2).
Helminths:
Helminths are parasitic worms that grow and multiply in sewage and wet soil (5). They enter the body by burrowing through the skin, or by ingestion of the worm in one of its many lifecycle phases (7). The eggs as well as the adult and larval forms of the worms are large enough to be trapped during conventional water treatments, so they tend not be a problem in water systems (7). In addition, most of these helminths are not waterborne, so chances of infection are minimized (4). Drinking water is usually not tested for these, as they are not considered to be much of an issue in the United States; they are more prevalent in developing countries (4).

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10 Microorganisms You Can Find in Drinking Water

January 4, 2015, 12:32 am

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10 Microorganisms You Can Find in Drinking Water

Warning: This list is not for the faint of heart. There are invisible monsters living in your tap water, creatures that swim and multiply by the billions inside every drop of brisk, refreshing water you slurp down your gullet, tiny demons that…well, okay, they’re actually not all that bad. All water has bacteria and protozoans to some extent, most of them completely harmless. But once you see what they look like up close and personal, you might never get the image out of your head. Here are 10 microorganisms that could be living in your drinking water right now.

Cryptosporidium

When cities pump water out to their residents, they put the water through a series of filtration and disinfection steps first. This is obviously beneficial because when you pull water from lakes and rivers it’s most likely going to be filled with bacteria. Filter it, and you can get most of that bacteria out. The important word there is “most,” because even the most advanced filtration techniques are not infallible. And for many people, that means drinking tiny doses of cryptosporidium every day.
Cryptosporisium is what’s known as a protozoan—a single-celled organism—and is most famous for giving people bouts of crippling diarrhea, a condition affectionately referred to as cryptosporidiosis. The protozoa works like a parasite, latching onto the intestines and laying eggs in a person’s fecal matter—and that’s how it spreads: when drinking water becomes contaminated with infected fecal matter, crypto moves on to new hosts. We have safeguards in place to stop it from happening, but on a good day it only stops 99 percent of the cryptosporidium. In 1998 a crypto bloom broke out in Sydney, Australia. Officials noticed the rise, but didn’t act for a few days because the levels were still “within acceptable health limits.” That means that there are acceptable levels for a diarrhea-inducing parasite that comes from poop in your water.

Anabaena sp.

This pleasant looking slinky is Anabaena circinalis, a cyanobacteria that lives in freshwater reservoirs around the world, notably Australia, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and North America. Cyanobacteria like this are believed to be some of the first multicellular organisms on earth, and as such have evolved to do some very curious things. In the case of Anabaena spp., those things are the production of neurotoxins. The discovery of Anatoxin-a was one of the first cases of a neurotoxin being produced by cyanobacteria, and we found out in a big way: An outbreak in the 1950′s got into the drinking water supply and was responsible for a series of mass die-offs at cattle farms across the U.S.
In Australia, freshwater Anabaena bacteria have been found producing saxitoxins, a type of neurotoxin that causes respiratory arrest, followed by death. The military has even gone so far as to classify saxitoxins as Schedule 1 substances with “no practical use outside of weapons manufacture.” Fortunately, cyanobacteria are one of the easier microorganisms to filter out of drinking water. For now.

8 Rotifers

Rotifers are a relatively common microorganism that can be found pretty much everywhere in the world. And they’re also one of the most common drinking water contaminants, despite growing as large as 1mm at times (which is hardly microscopic—you can see that with your naked eye). Some of them swim, others crawl around with an inchworm motion, but none of them are known to be harmful to humans. And that’s good, because they show up in tap water fairly often.
What’s not good is that the presence of rotifers in a municipal water supply usually means that there is a problem with the filtration system—organisms that large should not be able to make it through. And rotifers are also known to act as hosts to protozoans (like cryptosporidium) and bacteria. That leads to a mirrored benefit, of sorts: rotifers can be used as a warning system to let officials know that there’s something wrong with their systems, but by the time they’re seen, there could be other things that got through as well.

7Copepods

The link in the previous entry pointed to a Connecticut public health bulletin meant to advise residents who might find tiny bugs swimming around in their tap water. It addresses two types of near-microscopic invertebrates: rotifers, and copepods. Of the two, copepods are larger, and possibly even more common. They can grow up to 2mm (double the size of rotifers), and they’re actually a type of crustacean, sort of like miniature shrimp. And they’re everywhere.
In the Connecticut incident, which happened in 2009, residents began finding thousands of them in small samples of water. One resident compared them to “tiny polliwogs,” and stated, “It was completely disgusting. We were drinking them, washing out clothes in them, and it was just completely nasty.” But if anything, copepods are beneficial because they often feed on toxins. Again though, the fact that they can make it through the filtration system means plenty of smaller bacteria can too.

6E. Coli

We all know about E. coli, or Escherichia coli, a bacteria that lives in, on, and around fecal matter. It’s been publicized more times than you can shake a stick at, until by now it’s practically a legend of the bacteria world. From food to water to even more food, it’s hard to get away from. Which is why it’s sort of disconcerting to find out that all drinking water invariably has E. coli in it; it’s just kept down to levels that are considered “safe.”
Here’s the data sheet on drinking water contaminants from the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, of the United States. According to that sheet, E. coli is acceptable as long as it doesn’t appear in more than 5 percent of the water samples collected in a given month. So if the municipality tests their water 100 times in a month, 5 of those samples can be infected with E. coli, but the water will still be permitted to go out to the city’s residents. And once you get down to decimal places of hundredths or thousandths of a percent, you are pretty much always guaranteed to find some E. coli swimming and playing in your water.

5Rhizopus stolonifer

In the world at large, the more colorful something is, the more fun you can probably have with it. And based on that logic, these mycotoxic mold spores are just a big barrel of laughs. Until they start showing up in drinking water; then you have problems. Rhizopus stolonifer is more commonly known as black bread mold; leave a piece of bread out in the open, and this will be just one of the molds that take over it.
Widely considered the most common fungus in the world, it’s not surprising that this mold shows up in tap water as well. Fungi reproduce with spores which, much like flower pollen, float through the air until they find a suitable place to land and grow. In 2006, a study looked at the concentrations of mold spores in tap water, and found that Rhizopus stolonifer appeared 2.9 percent of the time, which, arguably, is fairly low in the realm of contaminants (remember, E. coli can legally show up nearly twice as often). It’s believed to release toxins that are harmful to humans, although they’re only dangerous in higher concentrations.

4Naegleria fowleri

This organism doesn’t look as terrifying as some of the other creatures on this list—really it just looks like a few mold splotches. It’s actually an amoeba, though, and it eats brains. To be scientific about it, the amoeba attacks a person’s nervous system by entering through their nasal cavities, killing 98 percent of its victims.
N. fowleri infections are rare, mostly because it isn’t effective if it’s consumed orally. But in 2011, two Louisiana residents died from meningoencephalitis (the disease caused by Naegleria) after making a nasal flush out of salt and tap water. When the deaths were investigated, the brain eating amoeba was found on the bathtub, shower heads, and sink faucets—the house was literally covered in it. Despite this case, most infections aren’t caused by tap water infected with N. fowleri. No, usually people get it by swimming in lakes and rivers. Have you ever accidentally sucked water up your nose while swimming?

3Legionella Pneumophila

With a name like Legionella, this bacteria already sounds dangerous. And since it was named after an American Legion convention in 1976 where it was responsible for 34 deaths and a total of 221 infections, that might be a fair assumption. The condition caused by L. pneumophila is now called Legionnaires’ disease, and it sends 18,000 people to the hospital every year. And it comes from, you guessed it, contaminated water. Symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease include confusion, fevers of up to 107 F (41.5 C), loss of coordination, vomiting, diarrhea, and muscle aches. It shows up sporadically; in 2001, more than 700 people in Spain were infected in one centralized area.
As if L. pneumophila wasn’t already dangerous enough, the U.S. military decided to take a crack at weaponizing it, leading to a genetically modified version with a 100 percent kill rate. But even if you’re not on a government hit list, you would do well to stay away from water in general.

2Chaetomium sp.

Here’s another type of mold, and one that looks slightly more terrifying than the psychedelic funhouse in number five. Like black bread mold, Chaetomium species are fairly common in everyday life, usually floating through the air in moist locations, which can encompass everything from a swamp to your bathroom ceilings. This appears in tap water fairly rarely, but when it is there it usually makes the water taste and smell slightly “off”—normal signs to stop drinking a glass of water in any case.
Chaetomium sp. spores aren’t particularly dangerous, although in some cases they can cause an infection known as phaeohyphomycosis, which is something you definitely do not want to Google. They can also present a hazard to people who are allergic to the spores, and even that typically only happens with chronic exposure.

1Salmonella Enterica

One of the first things we learn as children is that you always cook chicken, and if you handle it raw you better scrub those hands nice and good. The reason, of course, is salmonella, which has such a long history of infection it’s not even possible to link to them all here. Usually salmonella shows up on food such as beef, spinach, and of course, chicken (hedgehogs too, surprisingly). Less commonly, salmonella causes outbreaks through none other than our friendly neighborhood drinking water.
In 2008, Colorado tap water was responsible for 79 cases of salmonella poisoning, which caused fevers and vomiting. People with weak immune systems, like the elderly, are especially susceptible to salmonella. Another study looked at the water supply of Togo, Africa, and found 26 cases of salmonella contamination, suggesting that developing countries are at a greater risk for bacterial infections from drinking water. It’s sort of common sense, but it’s beneficial to have figures to see what exactly is causing illnesses in these areas.
As Benjamin Franklin once said, “In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” We’ll take the wine.

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What Color is Water?

January 4, 2015, 1:18 am

≫ Next: Why is the ocean blue?

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That cool, refreshing glass of water on a hot day may appear colorless, but water is actually a faint blue color. The blue color becomes visible when we look down into, or through, a large volume of water.
We see water in a variety of ways. It may be colored by particles, the presence of bacteria, or by reflecting the world above its surface. Ice and snow may reveal a vivid internal blue. Water itself has an intrinsic blue color that is a result of its molecular structure and its behavior.

Rivers and streams

There are other factors that can affect our perception of the color of water. For example, particles in water can absorb light, scatter light, and reflect light. Light may be absorbed by particles and solutes, as evidenced by the darker color of tea or coffee. Green algae in rivers and streams often lends a blue-green color to the water. Some mountain lakes and streams that contain finely ground rock, such as glacial flour, are turquoise. The surface of water can also reflect skylight.

Marble Canyon viewed from the Navajo Bridge over the Colorado River. The green color of the Colorado River is caused by the algae bloom in the spring snowmelt, while the Red Sea may get its name from the occasional bloom of red Trichodesmium erythraeum algae

Particles in water can scatter light. The Colorado River is often a muddy red color because of suspended reddish silt in the water.

Large bodies of water

It is often easier to appreciate water’s intrinsic blue when looking at large bodies of water, such as lakes, seas and oceans, when we are able to observe how sunlight changes color as it travels through a significant depth of water. When circumstances eliminate the reflection of blue skylight, it may be possible to observe that water is not entirely colorless.

Banff National Park’s Moraine Lake is turquoise because finely ground rock is present. We are able to observe the blue light produced by the water’s absorption, because light is scattered by suspended matter and so returns to the surface. Such scattering can also shift the spectrum of the emerging photons toward the green, a color often seen in water laden with suspended particles.	The surface of seas and lakes often reflect blue skylight, making them appear bluer. The relative contribution of reflected skylight and the light scattered back from the depths depends strongly on the observation angle. In this view of Crater Lake (Oregon, USA), the far side of the lake reflects the sky more, and the near side shows mostly the actual water.

The blueness of water is very apparent when diving. As one goes deeper, lower energy wavelengths penetrate the water less, eventually leaving only blue light from the higher energy end of the spectrum. Even when using an artificial light source, such as a flash, the objects close to the observer appear as their real color, whereas the objects further away appear to be blue.

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