Case Study - River Thames Cleanup

[zen]

How the Thames was brought back from the dead

 

^ From being declared biologically dead to one of the cleanest rivers 

 

Applying this to Ind, there is a lot of work Ind needs to do to improve its river (and therefore) systems. Because of lack of resources, the people of Ind will need to be more aware about what pollutes their environment 

 

And it appears as if the idea of cleanup of Thames had to fight these type of people too:

 

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In another Guardian article from 1959, a member of the House of Lords was reported as saying purifying the river was unnecessary: rivers were "natural channels for the disposal of waste," and letting them break up organic waste gave them "something to do."

 

Link

 

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It was near this spot in 1878 that more than 600 passengers on the steamship Princess Alice died when the pleasure boat sank in a collision. As they swam towards the safety of the shore, the passengers were overcome by the noxious cocktail of pollution in the water. In 1957, the pollution levels became so bad that the River Thames was declared biologically dead. The amount of oxygen in the water fell so low that no life could survive and the mud reeked of rotten eggs.

 

[Tibarn]

With the Ganga, they need to focus on reforestation. The natural filtration system has been severely damaged. This would be a decades long project.  

[zen]

Ind is at the juncture (if not already late) where it has to take a firm stand on pollution and protection of natural resources. The dumping of plastic will add to the problem.

 

Schools need to focus on educating on anti pollution measures, cleanliness and non littering, responsibility of every citizen towards the planet, etc. 

Edited October 15, 2016 by zen

[Tibarn]

3 hours ago, zen said:

Ind is at the juncture (if not already late) where it has to take a firm stand on pollution and protection of natural resources. The dumping of plastic will add to the problem.

 

Schools need to focus on educating on anti pollution measures, cleanliness and non littering, responsibility of every citizen towards the planet, etc. 

The climate change figures are already alarming. Basically, humanity has already pumped way too much Carbon into the atmosphere, and the biggest producers, US and China, have shown no signs of slowing down.

[zen]

http://m.timesofindia.com/india/Seeing-pollution-over-China-India-from-space-shocks-US-astronaut/articleshow/54993493.cms

 

Seeing pollution over China, India from space shocks US astronaut

[zen]

http://m.timesofindia.com/city/mumbai/Mumbaikars-lung-function-35-lower-than-in-westerners/articleshow/55004503.cms

 

Air pollution impacts Mumbaikars 

[Tibarn]

China is on another level of pollution than anywhere in India, although we need to act hard and fast.

 

There are cities where Chinese citizens have to wear masks to prevent inhalation of toxins. 

[sandeep]

For all the TV and social media BS spouted on "Swacch Bharat", how many waste-water treatment plants have been built?  Trash incinerators, or something more environmentally friendly?  Its one thing to make popular statements, but Cleanliness will not magically happen by sweeping the streets - you have to put in place a system of trash collection and disposal - lots of hard work and little details away from the spotlight needs to happen.  I don't mind the BJP and Modi's marketing emphasis - but please do the associated hard work also.  People are too quick to loinize them just for saying the right things.  

 

 

[zen]

Ind would need a multi-dimensional approach to solve its pollution (including over population, which can be seen as a type of pollution) problems. Taking rivers as an example,  we can't have, on one hand, govt building the infrastructure to clean water, and, on the other hand, citizens and institutions continue to pollute the rivers.

 

Say a water treatment plant pumps out clean water every 6 hours. Process starts at 12 am and clean water is available at 6 am. At 8 am, the manufacturing plants pump pollutants in to the water and within a few hours, water is polluted again. 

 

The multi-dimensional approach should target:

• Government
• Institutions including education to implement environmental awareness programs
• Corporates
• Citizens 

 

All of the above should work together to eliminate pollution 

 

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by zen

[sandeep]

19 hours ago, zen said:

Ind would need a multi-dimensional approach to solve its pollution (including over population, which can be seen as a type of pollution) problems. Taking rivers as an example,  we can't have, on one hand, govt building the infrastructure to clean water, and, on the other hand, citizens and institutions continue to pollute the rivers.

 

Say a water treatment plant pumps out clean water every 6 hours. Process starts at 12 am and clean water is available at 6 am. At 8 am, the manufacturing plants pump pollutants in to the water and within a few hours, water is polluted again. 

 

The multi-dimensional approach should target:

• Government
• Institutions including education to implement environmental awareness programs
• Corporates
• Citizens 

 

All of the above should work together to eliminate pollution 

 

 

So how to prevent "manufacturing plants from pumping pollutants in the water"?   Not by education campaigns.  But by law enforcement, and in a lot of cases, you don't even need to enact new laws.  Companies are shamelessly violating existing laws, simply because the government enforcement doesn't exist in reality, or is paid off to look the other way.  

 

What progress does the current administration have to show in 3 years on river pollution by corporations?  How many polluting factories have been shut down, or even fined on the banks of the Ganga?   But no, let's shut down butcher shops instead because somehow that's a higher priority.   

 

Talking about educating citizens to prevent pollution is like drinking Patanjali Amla juice and to cure stage 2 cancer.  It aint going to do jack.  

[zen]

7 hours ago, sandeep said:

So how to prevent "manufacturing plants from pumping pollutants in the water"?   Not by education campaigns.  But by law enforcement, and in a lot of cases, you don't even need to enact new laws.  Companies are shamelessly violating existing laws, simply because the government enforcement doesn't exist in reality, or is paid off to look the other way.  

 

What progress does the current administration have to show in 3 years on river pollution by corporations?  How many polluting factories have been shut down, or even fined on the banks of the Ganga?   But no, let's shut down butcher shops instead because somehow that's a higher priority.   

 

Talking about educating citizens to prevent pollution is like drinking Patanjali Amla juice and to cure stage 2 cancer.  It aint going to do jack.  

Let's not be naive enough to believe that things that have been going on for 70+ years will stop in 3 years!

 

Ind would need dictatorship to make that happen. There are also folks (idiots) who are like plants cannot be shut down for environmentall causes. They need to be put out of equation too

 

Shutting butcher shop down and cleaning rivers are mutually exclusive. Doing one does not mean the other cannot be done  or is not being done. Each case would have its own action plan

 

I m surprised that a Herculean task of cleaning a river that is being polluted for 100s of years is being compared with butcher shops!

 

On one of the threads, you had posted pictures (something to that order) of  some garbage collecting wheel on a river in US. I was surprised that you could compare action plan of a relatively clean river where quality maintenance is ongoing with the highly polluted Ganga

 

I would suggest that you look at cleaning Ganga project as something which requires Herculean effort and proper planning

 

 

[sandeep]

2 hours ago, zen said:

Let's not be naive enough to believe that things that have been going on for 70+ years will stop in 3 years!

For the nth time - I'm not asking for everything to be done in 3 years - I'm asking for something to be done in 3 years.  Are you saying its too cumbersome to expect a government to enforce existing laws on the banks of the Holy Ganga, after making such a big fanfare about the "Namaami Gange" project?   Are you saying that its too much to ask, to expect that some of the known and notorious offending factories be penalized at a minimum, if not shut down?   Or are they still busy "planning" and creating fancy powerpoints that would be out-dated 10 years ago?   

 

2 hours ago, zen said:

I m surprised that a Herculean task of cleaning a river that is being polluted for 100s of years is being compared with butcher shops!

Butcher shops are an example of this adminstration making things happen when they are motivated to do so.  Why not the same level of motivation on the river clean-up?  

 

2 hours ago, zen said:

On one of the threads, you had posted pictures (something to that order) of  some garbage collecting wheel on a river in US. I was surprised that you could compare action plan of a relatively clean river where quality maintenance is ongoing with the highly polluted Ganga

 

I would suggest that you look at cleaning Ganga project as something which requires Herculean effort and proper planning

 

Precisely because cleaning the river is such a herculean task - it needs a basket of solutions, not just one.   And its going to be an iterative process that will take decades, not years to really get to the level of clean that we would want for the Ganga.   And that solar-powered robot wheel is an example of an innovative solution - the types of which should be being discussed loudly and publicly - to keep the public focused on the "herculean" task, and get them to buy in.  But no.   You seem to be happy with Bhakt Babus "planning" and building powerpoints in some backroom, after which they may well award "tenders" to the highest bribe- giver.  And heck, even that's not happening at the moment.  I don't even mind a bit of corruption and wheel greasing, if the clean-up gets underway - let the private sector make a bit of profit, but let's get systems and processes in place.  Because we need a shitload of work to be done, for a number of years - before we can tell our elders to safely go ahead and fill that Lota of Gangajal and put faith in it.   

 

 Banjo, kuch to karo!  Bas Namaami Gange bol diya, ab baith ke hilao.    I'm not saying this after 100 days of this administration or even 1 or 2 years - I'm saying this after 3 years.   Stop being in denial and accept that this administration could really have done better on this issue.   Your universe won't collapse in on itself if you accept this.  

[zen]

43 minutes ago, sandeep said:

For the nth time - I'm not asking for everything to be done in 3 years - I'm asking for something to be done in 3 years.  Are you saying its too cumbersome to expect a government to enforce existing laws on the banks of the Holy Ganga, after making such a big fanfare about the "Namaami Gange" project?   Are you saying that its too much to ask, to expect that some of the known and notorious offending factories be penalized at a minimum, if not shut down?   Or are they still busy "planning" and creating fancy powerpoints that would be out-dated 10 years ago?   

 

Butcher shops are an example of this adminstration making things happen when they are motivated to do so.  Why not the same level of motivation on the river clean-up?  

 

Precisely because cleaning the river is such a herculean task - it needs a basket of solutions, not just one.   And its going to be an iterative process that will take decades, not years to really get to the level of clean that we would want for the Ganga.   And that solar-powered robot wheel is an example of an innovative solution - the types of which should be being discussed loudly and publicly - to keep the public focused on the "herculean" task, and get them to buy in.  But no.   You seem to be happy with Bhakt Babus "planning" and building powerpoints in some backroom, after which they may well award "tenders" to the highest bribe- giver.  And heck, even that's not happening at the moment.  I don't even mind a bit of corruption and wheel greasing, if the clean-up gets underway - let the private sector make a bit of profit, but let's get systems and processes in place.  Because we need a shitload of work to be done, for a number of years - before we can tell our elders to safely go ahead and fill that Lota of Gangajal and put faith in it.   

 

 Banjo, kuch to karo!  Bas Namaami Gange bol diya, ab baith ke hilao.    I'm not saying this after 100 days of this administration or even 1 or 2 years - I'm saying this after 3 years.   Stop being in denial and accept that this administration could really have done better on this issue.   Your universe won't collapse in on itself if you accept this.  

For a project like this one, I hope they plan it well. We don't want a situation where a few ghats are great but the river as a whole is still highly polluted 

 

I understand your example on butcher shops. The point was that Maggie noodles can be made in 2 mins. A 7 course meal would take a much longer time. Because someone is making Maggie in 2 mins, it does not imply that 7 course meal, which requires extensive preparation, would be made in that way too .... Different horses 

 

The cleaning of Ganga is one of the most difficult projects. As discussed, for it to be successful a variety of stakeholders need to take part, while approaching the problem for different angles 

 

Since I put planet first, I want more to be done anyways especially to create green economy and sustainable solutions.  This is where Ind should work to try to acquire a leadership position in the world