A PLATFORM FOR ACTION: World Environment Day is the UN's most important

day for encouraging worldwide awareness and action for the protection of our

environment. Since it began in 1974, it has grown to become a global platform for

public outreach that is widely celebrated in over 100 countries.

THE PEOPLE'S DAY: Above all, World Environment Day is the "people's day" for

doing something to take care of the Earth. That "something" can be focused locally,

nationally or globally; it can be a solo action or involve a crowd. Everyone is free to

choose.

THE THEME: Each World Environment Day is organized around a theme that focuses

attention on a particularly pressing environmental concern. The theme for 2018 is

“BEAT PLASTIC POLLUTION”.

THE HOST: Every World Environment Day has a different global host country, where

the official celebrations take place. The focus on the host country helps highlight the

environmental challenges it faces and supports the effort to address them. This year's

host is INDIA.

5th June 2018

J&K ENVIS Hub DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY, ENVIRONMENT AND REMOTE SENSING

Government of Jammu and Kashmir S.D.A. Colony, Bemina, Srinagar-190006

Paryawarn Bhawan, Gladeni, Narwal, Jammu -180010

J&K ENVIS NEWSLETTER State of Environment & its Related Issues in J&K

April – June 2018 Volume 5 – Issue 2 ISSN 2455 - 8575

ENVIRONMENT DAY SPECIAL

WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY

World Environment Day (WED) is celebrated 5th June every year. Run by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), it is aimed to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth. It has been one of the great annual events for years and is being celebrated worldwide aiming to protect the unique and life nurturing Nature. History World Environment Day has been started celebrating as an annual event on every 5th of June since 1973 in order to raise the global awareness about the importance of the healthy and green environment in the human lives. It is also addressed to solve the environmental issues by implementing positive environmental actions as well as to make awareness among the common public worldwide, that everyone is responsible for saving his environment and only collaborative actions among all the levels of society shall bring about the change. World Environment Day was first established to be celebrated every year by running effective campaigns led by the United Nations General Assembly and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). It was first time celebrated in 1973 with the particular theme “Only one Earth”. Since 1974, the celebration campaign of the world environment day is hosted in different cities of the world. Why World Environment Day is celebrated World environment day annual celebration campaign was started to address the huge environmental issues like wastage and losses of food, deforestation, increasing global warming and so many. Every year celebration is planned according to the particular theme and slogan of the year to bring effectiveness in the campaign all through the world. It is celebrated to successfully get carbon neutrality, focusing on the forest management, reducing greenhouse effects, promoting bio-fuels production by planting on degraded lands, use of hydro-power to enhance electricity production, encourage common public to use solar water heaters, energy production through solar sources, developing new drainage systems, promoting coral reefs and mangroves restoration in order to get prevented from flooding and erosion including other ways of environmental preservation. Some of the objectives of the world environment day campaign are mentioned below:

Encourage common people from different society and communities to actively participate in the celebration as well as become an active agent in developing environmental safety measures.

Let them know that community people are very essential to inhibit negative changes towards the environmental issues.

Encourage people to make their nearby surroundings safe and clean to enjoy safer, cleaner and more prosperous future.

This Year’s World Environment Day Theme and Slogan “BEAT PLASTIC POLLUTION”, the theme for World Environment 2018, urges governments, industry, communities, and individuals to come together and explore sustainable alternatives and urgently reduce the production and excessive use of single-use plastic polluting our oceans, damaging marine life and threatening human health. World Environment Day is a UN Environment-led global event, the single largest celebration of our environment each year, which takes place on June 5 and is celebrated by thousands of communities worldwide. Since it began in 1972, it has grown to become a global platform for public outreach that is widely celebrated across the globe. Most of all, World Environment Day is a day of everyone around the world to take ownership of their environment and to actively engage in the protection of our earth. The Slogan for this year’s theme is “If You Can’t Reuse It, Refuse It.

2018 is “Beat Plastic Pollution”

2017 was “Connecting People to Nature”

2016 was “Zero tolerance for the illegal trade in wildlife”

2015 was “One World, One Environment”.

2014 was “Small Island Developing States” and “Raise your voice, not the sea level”.

2013 was “Think. Eat. Save.” And slogan was “Reduce Your Foodprint”.

2012 was “Green Economy: Does it include you?”.

2011 was “Forests: Nature at your Service”.

2010 was “Many Species. One Planet. One Future”.

2009 was “Your Planet Needs You – Unite to Combat Climate Change”.

2008 was “CO2, Kick the Habit – Towards a Low Carbon Economy”.

2007 was “Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?”.

2006 was “Deserts and Desertification” and slogan was “Don’t Desert Drylands!.”

2005 was “Green Cities” and slogan was “Plan for the Planet!”.

2004 was “Wanted! Seas and Oceans” and slogan was “Dead or Alive?”.

2003 was “Water” and slogan was “Two Billion People are Dying for It!”.

2002 was “Give Earth a Chance”.

2001 was “Connect with the World Wide Web of Life”.

2000 was “The Environment Millennium” and slogan was “Time to Act”.

1999 was “Our Earth – Our Future” and slogan was “Just Save It!”.

1998 was “For Life on Earth and slogan was “Save Our Seas”.

1997 was “For Life on Earth”.

1996 was “Our Earth, Our Habitat, Our Home”.

1995 was “We the Peoples: United for the Global Environment”.

1994 was “One Earth One Family”.

1993 was “Poverty and the Environment and slogan was “Breaking the Vicious Circle”.

1992 was “Only One Earth, Care and Share”.

1991 was “Climate Change. Need for Global Partnership”.

1990 was “Children and the Environment”.

1989 was “Global Warming; Global Warning”.

1988 was “When People Put the Environment First, Development Will Last”.

1987 was “Environment and Shelter: More Than A Roof”.

1986 was “A Tree for Peace”.

1985 was “Youth: Population and the Environment”.

1984 was “Desertification”.

1983 was “Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy”.

1982 was “Ten Years after Stockholm (Renewal of Environmental Concerns)”.

1981 was “Ground Water; Toxic Chemicals in Human Food Chains”.

1980 was “A New Challenge for the New Decade: Development without Destruction”.

1979 was “Development without Destruction”.

1978 was “Development without Destruction”.

1977 was “Ozone Layer Environmental Concern; Lands Loss and Soil Degradation”.

1976 was “Water: Vital Resource for Life”.

1975 was “Human Settlements”.

1974 was “Only one Earth during Expo ’74”.

KNOW THE THEMES OF WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAYS

1973 was “Only one Earth”.

"Without a healthy environment we cannot end poverty or build prosperity. We all have a role to play

in protecting our only home: we can use less plastics, drive less, waste less food and teach each other

to care." — Secretary-General, António Guterres

FACTS & FIGURES

Whopping Amount of

about 91% of Global Plastic Isn't Recycled

Source: CPCB

Every year the world uses 500 billion plastic bags

Each year, at least 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the oceans, the equivalent of a full garbage truck every minute.

In the last decade, we produced more plastic than in the whole last century.

50 percent of the plastic we use is single-use or disposable

We buy 1 million plastic bottles every minute

Plastic makes up 10% of all the waste we generate.

The continuous growth in the amount of solid waste that humans produce, and the very slow rate at which that waste degrades, are together leading to a gradual increase in the amount litter found at sea, on the seafloor and along coastlines around the world. Human activities on land are the biggest sources of marine pollution. These include the dumping of waste along coastlines, littering on beaches, and the breaking down of ships. Floods and other storm-related events flush this waste into the sea, where it sinks or is carried away by currents. The major sea-based sources of marine pollution include discarded fishing gear, shipping activities, and legal and illegal dumping. All of this pollution causes serious economic losses. Coastal communities are facing increased expenditures on beach cleaning, public health and waste disposal. The shipping industry is impacted by higher costs associated with fouled propellers, damaged engines, and managing waste in harbours. The fishing industry damaged gear and reduced and contaminated catch. Marine pollution also causes biodiversity loss and hampers ecosystem functions and services. Discarded fishing gear can entangle and kill marine life and smother wildlife habitats. Pesticides and other toxins adhere to tiny particles of discarded plastics (microplastics), which can be accidentally ingested by small aquatic life. Once ingested, the toxins biomagnify as they move up the food chain, accumulating in birds, sea life and possibly humans.

PLASTIC POLLUTION

India delighted to host World Environment Day: PM Modi ANI | Updated: May 27, 2018 13:48 IST New Delhi [India] May 27(ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed his happiness over India officially hosting this year's World Environme nt Day. Addressing the nation on the 44th edition of 'Mann Ki Baat', the Prime Minister said, "On the 5th of June, our nation will officially host the World Environment Day Celebrations. This is a very important achievement for India and also a recognition of India's growing leadership in the direction of tackling climate change." The Prime Minister spoke about this year's theme- 'Beat Plastic Pollution' and appealed to the citizens to not use low-grade polythenes, plastics and try to curb the negative impact of plastic pollution on the environment, wildlife and health. He also urged people to set a target of achieving record plantation of trees with the onset of the rainy season and maintain the saplings till they grow. Speaking about the dust storms that had engulfed the country earlier this month, the Prime Minister said that 'the calamities are basically the result of the change in weather patterns.' India and United Nations signed a document in February this year, declaring India as the Global Host of World Environment Day, 2018.(ANI)

Govt of J&K Sanctions Anti-Polythene Check Post at Lakhanpur STATE TIMES NEWS: May 24, 2018

SRINAGAR: Taking strong note of wanton use of polythene and its uncontrolled import into the State, Forest Minister, Rajiv Jasrotia, today issued directions for renaming Lakhanpur Forest Checkpost as Anti Polythene Checkpost, with the purpose of checking and controlling the entry of polythene into the State. The Check Post shall be manned and monitored by Forest Territorial, Pollution Control Board, and Forest Protection Force. Th e Check Post shall have the staff headed by the Range Officer Forest (Territorial) Lakhanpur under the overall supervision of Divisional Forest Officer Lakhanpur. The team shall work as Rapid Action Force and shall take all the necessary steps to check polythene related matters. Meanwhile, the Government also ordered that the anti-pollution check post-Lakhanpur shall also check smuggling of willow and minor forest produce.

Roads Made of Plastic Waste in India? Yes! Meet the Professor Who Pioneered the Technique.

by Aparna Menon A Government order in November 2015 has made it mandatory for all road developers in the country to use waste plastic, along with bituminous mixes, for road construction. This is to help overcome the growing problem of plastic waste disposal in India. The technology for this was developed by the ‘Plastic Man’ of India, Prof Rajagopalan Vasudevan, Professor of Chemistry at Thiagarajar College of Engineering, Madurai. Laboratory results of mixing waste plastic with heated bitumen and coating the mixture over stone proved positive. He implemented the use of plastic waste on a road constructed inside the premises of his college in 2002. “To date, this stretch of road is still going strong,” he says. In 2006, the Thiagarajar College of Engineering received the patent for this technology. The plastic waste items that can be used for road construction are various items like plastic carry bags, plastic cups, plastic packaging for potato chips, biscuits, chocolates, etc. The entire process is very simple. The plastic waste material is first shredded to a particular size using a shredding machine. The aggregate mix is heated at 165°c and transferred to the mixing chamber, and the bitumen is heated to 160°c to result in good binding. It is important to monitor the temperature during heating. The shredded plastic waste is then added to the aggregate. It gets coated uniformly over the aggregate within 30 to 60 seconds, giving an oily look. The plastic waste coated aggregate is mixed with hot bitumen and the resulting mix is used for road construction. The road laying temperature is between 110°c to 120°c. The roller used has a capacity of 8 tons. “The advantages of using waste plastics for road construction are many. The process is easy and does not need any new machinery. For every kilo of stone, 50 gms of bitumen is used and 1/10th of this is plastic waste; this reduces the amount of bitumen being used. Plastic increases the aggregate impact value and improves the quality of flexible pavements. Wear and tear of the roads has decreased to a large extent,” explains the proud Plastic Man of India. This road construction process is extremely eco-friendly, with no toxic gases being released.

INDIAN INSTITUTE OF PETROLEUM DEVELOPES FUEL FROM PLASTIC

Avoid Fast Food. Dine In

IMPORTANT NGT DIRECTIONS DATED 22ND DECEMBER, 2016 There shall be complete prohibition on open burning of waste on lands, including at landfill sites. For

each such incident, defaulter shall be liable to pay environmental compensation of ` 5,000 in case of simple burning, while ` 25,000/- in case of bulk waste burning. Environmental compensation shall be recovered as arrears of land revenue by competent authority in accordance with law.

The State Government to ensure ban on short life PVC and chlorinated plastics before six months from date of pronouncement of this judgement.

WASTE MINIMISATION RESULTS IN SAVINGS India’s urban population of 429 million citizens produce a whopping 62 million tonnes of garbage every year. Out of this, 5.6 million tonnes is the plastic waste, 0.17 million tonnes is the biomedical waste, 7.90 million tonnes is hazardous waste and 15 lakh tonnes is e-waste. A staggering figure of forty-three million tonnes of Solid Waste is collected annually, out of which only 11.9 million, that is 22-28% is treated, while about 31 million tonnes of waste is left untreated and dumped at the landfill sites. This waste, at an average cost of `.1,000 per tonne, is approximately `.10.7 cr per day.

MSW- A GROWING CHALLENGE India produced 1.43 lakh MT of MSW during 2014-15 (Manual on SWM, 2016) Per capita waste generation is approx. 0.11 kilogram (kg)/capita/day. Of the total MSW, approximately 1.17 lakh MT (80%) was collected, while only 0.32 lakh MT (22%) was

processed or treated. Waste generation rate in Indian cities ranges between 200 - 870 grams/day, depending upon the region’s

lifestyle and the size of the city. The average per capita waste generation in India is 370 grams/day. The per capita waste generation is increasing by about 1.3% per year in India MSW generation in J&K has been estimated to be app. 1634.5 TPD for 2015-16. Management becomes a challenge in the absence of proper segregation, collection and processing

Besides enforcing a full ban on plastic carry bags, the Himachal Pradesh State Government has also enforced a ban on non-biodegradable packaging for 25 kinds of edible foodstuff, forcing perishable food manufacturers to adopt biodegradable packaging.

DECENTRALIZED WASTE MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE IN KOCHI BY COCHIN MUNICIPAL CORPORATION FOR

APARTMENTS ON TRIAL BASIS. Government of Kerala issued an order in 2012 making it mandatory for all apartments, through the building associations or firms, to manage waste within the apartment complexes using different technologies for composting and for sale of recyclable material.

Hazardous burning of waste

Risk to Livestock

Human Health Hazard

Unscientific dumping of waste in Wetlands Unscientific dumping of waste at Tourist Resorts

Achan Waste Dumping Site – Hazard for environment Choking of Waterways

Burning of waste has become a common practice

STUDENT EXHIBITS AT SKICC

Students showcase models for reusing plastic waste at SKICC SRINAGAR: Students from thirty schools showcased models on utilizing litter for production activities like power generation, construction of plastic roads at a solid waste management event organized by Eco Peace Resource Management Foundation at SKICC in Srinagar, supported by Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC). The students also participated in a painting competition on the theme ‘How beauty of Kashmir is destroyed by solid waste.’ Here is the glimpse of the event which was aimed at inculcating a pattern of thinking meant among children to have in them sustained habit for cleaning the environment. “The purpose of getting them together is to bring in them an idea of solid waste management since early childhood. The models exhibit how solid waste can be effectively used by practical examples. We believe doing these activities since childhood remains attached to them for life,” Taham Mubashir, the co-founder of Eco Peace Resource Management Foundation told Kashmir Reader. “We will continue work on them in future too to enhance their capacity building,” Among the methods demonstrated was generation of electricity and fertilizer from litter. prepared by Kamil Muzaffar and Aadiv Rath, class 9 students of Burnhall School. Their class fellows, Abeet Paul and Haider Jeelani, displayed a model for using plastic in road laying along with a chemical bitumen. Scholars, Al Huda, Lawyerence Vidya Bavan, Woodland, Oasis, St Paul, Spring Field were among the participants.

Microplastics: the most widespread and persistent hazards of plastic

A QUICK LOOK INTO THE MICROPLASTICS • Microplastics are synthetic or semi-synthetic, solid, water insoluble, high polymer plastic particles of

a size range below 5 mm. • They are both used as a raw material for a number of products and produced from degradation of

any plastic product. • Their small size allows them to pass through wastewater treatment plants and reach the oceans

through surface waterbodies and rivers. • Microplastics are non-biodegradable and persistent in marine and freshwater.

Nanoplastics: Plastic particles generally of size below 1μm are called nanoplastics. They pose higher risk to the environment because of their reduced size which is 1000 times smaller than an algal cell. WHY MICROPLASTICS ARE OF MUCH BIGGER RISK? • Microplastics undergo various processes of physical, enzymatic and microbial degradation in nature,

but do not get completely broken down. • About 5 to 14 million tons of plastic waste enter into the ocean every year. Average annual global

release of primary microplastics into the ocean is estimated to be around 1.5 million tons. • Microplastics can absorb extremely harmful hydrophobic organic pollutants. • Removal of microplastics from aquatic environment is extremely difficult as that could lead to the

elimination of all plankton size organisms. • Microplastics exist in air as airborne pollutants originating from the plastic textile fiber production.

MICROPLASTIC IN DRINKING WATER Analysis of 259 bottled drinking water of 11 different brands, from 19 locations in nine countries found an average of 325 plastic particles for every litre of water being sold. In one bottle, concentrations were as high as 10,000 plastic pieces per litre of water. Of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 were free of plastics, according to the study. There are no regulatory limits on the levels of microplastics in bottled water. IMPACTS OF MICROPLASTICS Environment: Considered as global pollutants, microplastics pollute the water environment; change the ecosystem, affects biodiversity by reducing species diversity and act as vectors for spreading toxic chemical additives. Wildlife: Microplastics are ingested by zooplanktons, like, daphnia, as well as several other higher aquatic species and bio-accumulates in the food chain. Ingestion of microplastics causes digestive tract blockage and stomach lining damage leading to starvation of the organism, digestion impairment and reduced and delayed reproductive ability, resulting into a lifespan reduction. Socio-economic: severely affected by marine plastic pollution owing to the reduced fish population, loss of income from tourism, damage to coastal agriculture, etc. Direct socio-economic impacts of microplastics need to be researched in depth. Human health: Humans can be exposed to microplastics either directly through contaminated water and cosmetics or indirectly from seafood consumption. It can lead to bacterial infections in the gum, skin or injure the cornea by sticking in the eye. Microbeads in facial products can cause tiny skin rips and further infection. Suspended microplastics in the air can be directly inhaled and affect the lungs. Occurrence of microplastic across food-chain ensures their presence in human food increasing the direct exposure of associated toxic chemicals to humans which again come with their own sets of fateful impacts.

REFERENCES: The material, information, photographs contained in this newsletter have been collected from internet and other

literature/resources and are acknowledged.

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Promote waste management

by adopting R Principle, i.e.,

REDUCE REUSE

RECYCLE RENT

REPAIR REFUSE

RECLAIM