Environment and Forest

The aim of this forum is to enable technical community (researchers, students, professionals) to be aware of problems and resources available to tackle environment pollution challenges in India.

It supports Indian government’s Swach Bharat, Clean Ganga and Digital India initiatives.

Air

1. Call for action – The reason for community
In air, Supreme Court banned usage of diesel-powered public vehicles in 1997-98 and mandated usage of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). This lead to drastic reduction in pollution but the situation has been allowed to inch back.
The pages provides resources to the technical community (researchers, students, professionals) to contribute with their multidisciplinary skills.

2. Sample Problems – Why have this community?
Is it safe to go out of my home for 10 hours in the city without getting a pollution-triggered asthma attack?
What air pollutants are above safe limits at a given location in a city?
What diseases are highly likely due to pollutants at a locations?
What precautions can be taken against diseases linked to water pollution at a place?
What industries or activities, if any, can benefit/ consume from pollutants of a place?
How should public health spending be done at a place based on exposed air pollutants?

3. Available Datasets – What to use from the portal?
Delhi, http://www.dpccairdata.com/dpccairdata/display/index.php
US Embassy, http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov/airqualitydata.html
SAFAR, http://safar.tropmet.res.in/
Data.gov.in, https://data.gov.in/catalog/city-and-location-wise-ambient-air-quality

4. Standards – How to use data in the area?
India, cpcb.nic.in/National_Ambient_Air_Quality_Standards.php
EPA, www.epa.gov/air/criteria.html

5. Indian and international organizations – Which/ Who are the main entities?
CPCB
SAFAR
EPA
WHO

6. FAQs – Important common questions. It may include apps, conferences, etc sought information in the area.
Apps
SAFAR, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sparktg.cloud.mobile.android.airqualityindex&hl=en, Site: http://safar.tropmet.res.in/
Conferences
Children education
Teri’s initiative on environmental education. At: http://edugreen.teri.res.in

Water

1. Call for action – The reason for community

In water, Ganga and Yamuna Action Plans were launched in 1990s, but not much has changed on the ground. There is now a new push to clean Ganga since 2014.
The pages provides resources to the technical community (researchers, students, professionals) to contribute with their multidisciplinary skills.

2. Sample Problems – Why have this community?

Is it safe to take a bath on the banks of a city’s river without getting sick?
What pollutants are above safe limits at a given location in a city?
What diseases are highly likely due to pollutants at a locations?
What precautions can be taken against diseases linked to water pollution at a place?
What industries or activities, if any, can benefit/ consume from pollutants of a place?
How should public health spending be done at a place based on exposed water pollutants?

3. Available Datasets – What to use from the portal?

CPCB, Govt,
Central Pollution Control Board monitors Air and Water pollution in India. Formed in 1974, it has a dedicated Water Quality Monitoring Programme.
http://data.gov.in/sites/default/files/water_quality_2012_river_ganga.csv
CPCB, Govt,
http://cpcb.nic.in/data_statics.php
CPCB, Govt
http://cpcb.nic.in/Data%20Search/water%20quality%20data/Allahabad_Ardh%20Kumbha_Data%202007.pdf
CPCB, Govt
http://cpcb.rtwqms.com/
Central Water Commission, technical organisation in the field of Water resources, comes under the Ministry of Water Resources, Government of India. http://www.cwc.gov.in/main/downloads/for%20website_Ganga%20Basin_mgdIII.pdf
Data.gov.in, Govt, India’s open data portal
https://data.gov.in/catalog/water-quality-data-river-ganga
India Water portal, NGO,
Shares knowledge and builds communitie around water and related issues in India
http://www.indiawaterportal.org/node/17453
Sankat Mochan Foundation, NGO.
An org interested in bathability of Ganga
http://www.sankatmochanfoundationonline.org/water_quality.html
IndiaStat, Private,
A storehouse of secondary level socio-economic statistical information about India,
http://www.indiastat.com/environmentandpollution/11/waterpollution/294/stats.aspx

4. Standards – How to use data in the area?

India, http://www.cpcb.nic.in/Water_Quality_Criteria.php
Noida authority cites Indian standards, http://www.noidaauthorityonline.com/Water-Sewerage.html
EPA’s water quality standards, http://water.epa.gov/scitech/swguidance/standards/
4.1 Data procedures

General description
Wikipedia – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_quality#Sample_collection
India
CPCB guidelines for real-time data. Link – http: www.cpcb.nic.in/FinalGuidelinse.pdf
CPCB’s list of pollutants. Link – http://cpcb.nic.in/list_of_parameters.pdf
USA
US Geological Survey’s site: Link – http://water.usgs.gov/owq/Fieldprocedures.html

5. Indian and international organizations – Which/ Who are the main entities?

CPCB
CWC
EPA
WHO

6. FAQs – Important common questions. It may include apps, conferences, etc sought information in the area.

1. Apps
a. [Bathing water quality in UK; data explorer interface, http://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/explorer/index.html
b. New South Wales; Australia water quality, http://waterinfo.nsw.gov.au/wq/
2. Conferences
3. Children education
a. Teri’s initiative on environmental education. At: http://edugreen.teri.res.in