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INSIDE:
- Floods:
Mumbai will be normal soon
- Editorial: Oil prices - A joke we've played on ourselves
- CSE Media Fellows: Mining, Environment and People's Protests
- Last call: Training on Wastewater Recycling; Information Management
- News/Features: Climate change in Europe; Women's rights to agricultural
land; First river interlinking agreement
- Publications: Waste Water Recycling Manual
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Latest
in Down To Earth magazine
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Cover
Story: Mumbai Floods
The flood
was foretold. The disaster, in all it's dimension - perhaps not the
scale - was already mapped. For years now, Mumbai's politicians - of
all hues - have ignored the signs : the crumbling drainage system, the
built-over natural drainage; the poisonous landfills where garbage stands
8-10 metres high, exuding poison; the untreated sewage, shamelessly
dumped into the Arabian Sea.
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Editorial
: A joke we've played on ourselves
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The charade
over the oil price hike has been played out. On the one hand, the government
pleads helplessness given the spiraling oil prices globally, on the
other hand, the opposition - right and left - frets and fumes about
increased price of diesel and petrol. They want the government to cut
taxes and ask the public sector oil companies to take a further hit
in their profits. In this interesting partnership of the right and the
left parties, the overriding interests are that of middle-class Indians,
couched in the name of the poor.
But all
this is completely short sighted and meaningless, because no party --
or the government -- has even once cared to explain what needs to be
done to make us less vulnerable to oil shocks and protect economic growth.
The fact is that the international price of oil has sky-rocketed over
the past year or so. The fact also is that the worst is yet to come.
Prices are expected to reach us $ 100 per barrel, up from us $35 a barrel,
not so long ago. In all this, we know India is highly dependent on oil
imports, and increasingly so.
It is
also a fact that the sensex has touched a new high this week: everyone
remains bullish about India's economic growth. But is it really the
case that we will, therefore, escape the impact of the oil shock, that
is beginning to hit other Asian economies? Is it really the case we
can get out of this mess, by quibbling about prices and who will pay
for it?
No. This
is a completely blinkered view of the situation. The fact is that the
price of oil dictates the pace of growth in any economy. Also, investment
is required in mitigating the impact of that growth which benefits only
a few, not all. We need resources to pay for environmental and social
programmes. So, let us be clear, the price of oil will hit us where
it hurts the most. We will not be able to invest in services for all,
and not just the rich who can pay.
It is,
therefore, essential we look beyond the price hike. We need to do the
following: One, increase the efficiency of the oil used -- stretch its
use -- so that we can do more with less. Two, find alternatives to the
use of oil products, wherever possible, but as quickly as possible.
Three, spend money in development carefully, so that the choices we
make stretch the spending as much as possible and reaches the poor.
We can no longer afford bad government spending.
Let us
take up the challenge of efficiency. The Union ministry of petroleum
and natural gas has, on its website, information about fuel consumption
in the country, who uses what and how much. Putting this information
together, it is clear that the transport sector is the single biggest
user - roughly 30 per cent of the total oil annually used. In contrast,
the cooking energy consumption - liquid petroleum gas (LPG), and kerosene
(a billion-odd Indians survive on it) - is less, roughly 20 per cent
of the total. The power and industrial sectors, together, equal the
transport sector, with 30 per cent consumption. The rest -- 20 per cent
-- comprises miscellaneous users: the much-abused farmers use just 19
per cent of diesel in their pump-sets for growing crops.
The issue
then is to maximise use in all sectors. Clearly, the first target should
be the transport sector, growing madly - and disastrously, so far as
pollution, congestion and energy security are concerned. Roughly seven
per cent of our consumption of oil products is for petrol - mainly used
in private vehicles, use that will grow as our cities maintain the car
rush. The fact is that government does not even set guidelines or regulate
fuel efficiency of cars, so that we can get more mileage per drop of
petrol.
In addition,
we need to plan for mobility without cars, for the sake of energy and
environmental security. This is the time to implement programmes for
public transport - buses, rail-based transport. Can we seize the moment?
No. India
likes to do the exact opposite. The finance minister, struggling to
balance the books with the latest increase in oil prices, recently told
a gallery of automobile manufacturers he is planning to cut taxes on
small cars to increase affordability. What is revealing is that, till
date, in most cities, passengers who ride in buses - dirty and crowded
as they may be - pay more road tax than one who drives a car. The problem
is that while manufacturers of cars and scooters are powerful and aggressive
there is no active and equally vocal lobby for public transportation.
As a result, we continue to encourage cars, use more petrol, be inefficient
and quibble about prices. In all this, with the cost of oil increasing
and less money for investment, there will be even less resources to
invest into public systems.
The same
is the case for the so-called fuel of the poor, diesel. The price hike
will lead to increases in the price of everything - from mirchi to milk,
say our leaders. But nobody says this is because we chose to transport
everything by road-based vehicles, which run on diesel. Nobody says
we need a national mission for railways because it can transport much
more, using much less energy. Instead, as I said, we do the opposite.
The railway system is compromised today, emasculated and dismembered.
Our dependence on truck-based transportation grows, and grows.
In all
this, we speak in the name of the poor. So, prices of diesel are kept
low by not using it to cross-subsidise other fuels like kerosene. But
we act for the rich. The same diesel, which is reserved for the poor,
is used by the rich in their cars. And nobody objects. It does not matter.
It is
cruel charade, as usual. Only this time, the joke is on us.
- Sunita
Narain
Write
to the editor: editor@downtoearth.org.in
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CSE Media
Fellows
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What has
the rapid growth of the mining sector in India really meant for the
environment and people? How has it impacted livelihoods and socio-cultural
systems? What has been the nature of environmental impact assessments
(EIAs) and public protests related to mining? Have EIAs ever impacted
operations in this sector in a positive manner?
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Also in
Down To Earth magazine
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Climate
Change in Europe: While torrential rains and swollen rivers cause chaos
across central and eastern Europe, a massive heat wave in Southern Europe
helped reduce the Portuguese woodland to tinder. Scientists debate climate
change link.
-------------------------
Land rights
for women: Lok Sabha amendment guarantees 400 million Hindu women equal
rights over agricultural land and joint property.
-------------------------
Ken Betwa,
India's first river interlinking: The MoU on India's controversial river
interlinking program was signed by Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and
Union ministry of water resources.
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Nutritious
'weeds': In Wayanad, Kerala, wild plants hold the key to survival of
the poorest
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CSE publications
-------------------------------------------------
Manuals
on Wastewater Treatment and Rainwater Harvesting
These
practical guides explain the methods and techniques of Wastewater Treatment
and Rainwater Harvesting (RWH). Include real-life case studies, along
with illustrations and working drawings. The RWH manual is also in five
regional languages.
Order online at < http://csestore.cse.org.in
>
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