Delhi: Turned into a gas chamber

            Delhi Pollution: A National Health Crisis

When Delhi, the national capital woke up on Saturday morning on November 2, 2019, smog had covered the entire city and even one minute of going out without covering our face felt like breathing poison. On Sunday, the whole nation realised, what kind of disaster we are in since hourly air quality index of most places of NCT of Delhi was 999, the highest pollution meter could record. Doctors warned everyone not to step out without a mask, schools were shut, government declaring a public health emergency and thousands of people wanting to leave the city which had become a ‘Gas Chamber’.

And not just Delhi, most of the northern states faced the same problem.Many parts of Punjab, Bihar, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh also witnessed deterioration in the air quality index, crossing 500 mark coming in the severe plus emergency category. And Chennai, which usually has better air quality also started facing the problems of smog and low visibility.

Why this is a grave issue?

According to WHO, air quality index (AQI) ranging 0-50 is considered as good, 51-100 as satisfactory, 101-200 as moderate, 200-300 as poor, 300-400 as very poor, 400-500 as severe and 500+ as severe plus (an emergency) which means even the healthy people will get affected. And in many parts of Indo-Gangetic plains, AQI has been above 500.

Breathing in Delhi right now is compared to smoking 33 cigarettes in a day. As many as 10,000 people a year may die prematurely in Delhi as a result of air pollution. Poor quality air irreversibly damages the lungs of 2.2 million or 50 percent of all children in the city. When we respire in such a polluted environment, not only our chances of getting asthma, bronchitis or other respiratory disorders increase but also, we can expect to lose about 7 years of life expectancy since air quality fails to meet the WHO standards.

Reasons behind worsening of air quality

The major reasons of severe air pollution at this time of year are stubble burning, bursting crackers, vehicular emissions and road dust. Even the smog we are facing in Delhi right now is because of stubble burning season in neighbouring agrarian states of Punjab and Haryana. In stubble burning, the farmers put fire to remaining straw stubble after harvesting grains, thus causing immense pollution.

Another big reason that played a role in aggravating the problem is bursting of crackers during Diwali. Despite the ban by state government on bursting crackers, in most parts of Delhi, people bought them illegally and no authority punished them. When someone complained, they rudely said since it’s a Hindu festival everyone is complaining, no one complains at New Year or any other celebration. What they fail to understand is that Diwali is the only time when pollution gets all time high in India. Those who deliberately busted crackers knowing that they are going to do harm to environment have no right to complain now. But its very unfortunate that the wise ones who did not burst crackers are also suffering because of misdeeds of such imprudent persons.

On night of Diwali, most pollution meters stopped taking reading of hourly AQI at 999 but there were some meters who even recorded above that. In Gurugram, the AQI was 1785 and in Ghaziabad, AQI was 2507, five times above severe plus emergency!

Institutive action of State Government and Judiciary

Delhi state government began their effort to tackle air pollution by ceasing all construction work and by re-implementing the ‘Odd-Even Scheme’. Ensuring strict implementation, 600 teams of the Delhi Traffic Police have been deployed and violation of the rule calls for heavy penalties.

The Centre also reviewed the situation with the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Punjab and announced that the cabinet secretary would monitor it on a daily basis.

The Supreme Court of India came down heavily on governments of Punjab, Haryana. Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. It questioned the inadequacy of their schemes and passed directions that are to be implemented as soon as possible. These include:

1. Ban on all construction activity in Delhi.
2. Local officials of an area will be held personally liable for a violation.
3. Penalty of Rs 1 lakh on anyone found engaging in construction or demolition in Delhi NCR.
4. Penalty of Rs 5,000 on burning garbage in Delhi NCR. Chief secretaries, district collectors, tehsildars and the entire police machinery to ensure that not even a single incident takes place.
5.  Gram Pradhans will be personally held liable for any more stubble burning.

But these steps are not enough. Government really needs to work upon technological solutions because the sole reason behind stubble burning is that farmers do not have required machines. It is duty of any state government to provide assistance to farmers and thus, they should be held responsible. 

When accessibility of medical aids at such time become difficult, again it is our government’s duty ensure our welfare. Distribution of more than 50,000 masks  in government schools across Delhi was a great initiative. So is ‘Odd- Even Scheme’ but exemptions given in this scheme should be logical and well thought, which may not be the case presently.

But the main focus needs to be on the proper implementation of  policies. Sloppy attitude of authorities is the root cause of this crisis. Whether it was the crime of bursting crackers or of stubble burning, if stricter actions would have been taken at right time none of this would have happened.

Measures everyone should take to remain safe and healthy

Even in such scenario, we have to live and our small efforts could really save our lives. Here are a few tips, according to Free Press Journal, to avoid the possibility of illness stemming from air pollution and how to increase immunity.

1.       Wear Anti-pollution Masks: N-95 mask filters up to 95 per cent of particulate matter from 0.3 to 2.5 PM. Masks below this range may not be useful in high pollution of Delhi. The N-99 and N-100 air masks are capable of filtering PM 2.5 airborne particulate matter with up to 99 to 99.97 per cent efficiency.

2.      Get air purifying Indoor Plants: Plants such as Aloe Vera, money plant, spider plant, snake plant, bamboo palm etc. are natural air purifiers and helps in clearing air of harmful particles.

3.      Avoid Outdoor Exercises: Cardiovascular exercises helps in cleaning lungs but its when you are breathing fresh oxygen not smog. So, stay and exercise inside and step out only when its necessary.

4.      Stay hydrated and Eat healthy: Water helps in detoxification of body and eating healthy nutrient rich food builds immunity. Therefore, drink lots of water and eat vitamin C rich food like avla, guava, lemon, oranges etc. This will help to prepare the body better deal with toxins. Vitamin E consumption through sunflower seeds, almonds, avocados, salmon etc is also advised since they are strong antioxidants.

5.      Install Air Purifiers at home: If one can afford, install air purifiers that can cost Rs30,000 ($484) or more for every room of their house. They are especially helpful if you have trouble in breathing or have pets at home.

Hence, we can follow these measures at our own level to deal with this problem and to stay safe and healthy.


CURATED BY: SRISHTI (NET IMPACT MEMBER)

We are all special in our own ways...

       A healthy mind and a healthy soul

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, more unashamed conversation” - Glenn Close

"College is easy. You just need to go with the flow." said no one ever. Even if someone said this, he or she is probably talking about one of those Karan Johar's fantastically imagined colleges, where everyone looks their best every day and is in a jolly mood almost all the time.

While it certainly varies from person to person, there is a common agreement that college does take a toll on one's mental health.

Today, mental health is much openly talked about and people going through mental health issues are not deemed crazy by the general society as was the case not long ago.

The transition to college proves to be quite tough for many; packing bags, waving goodbye to the comforts of home and heading towards an entirely new city. It is as terrifying as it seems to be exciting. Adjusting to the new atmosphere, the food, the weather, the people, can negatively affect the individuals who were recently just toying with different career options and were unsure whether they wanted to take admission in that college in the first place. When it comes to face the reality and they enter the college premises for the first time, that day proves to be a day when they are officially out of their parents’ hands and a ton of other insecurities present in themselves. To knock them out of the park would then seem something desirable and even necessary. But what is less known is that it is totally acceptable to not deal with it at all.

College can be overwhelming with its overly packed schedule, societies, internships and other things. Also seeing other seemingly smarter students, there is always a tendency to compare, which again is unhealthy for obvious reasons. People may not always be kind to you. Nonetheless, among other things, you should always remember to be kind to yourself.  An opportunity to develop a strong personality and keep improving knocks every day at your door, you just need to grab it. College is a place that can break or make people; you have to be wise enough to choose the latter. Make it a place that brings out the best in you. Make new friends and acquaintances. Go out and explore the new city and blend in with the culture if that suits you.

                             

Different people deal with mental health issues in different ways. Here are some ways to cope with college stress-

• Find your stress buster. Do things that make you happy. If it's an elaborate skin care routine or a dance routine, do it once in a while and go back to your roots.

• Find an interest. Develop a new skill. This, well, keeps you engaged and also, you never know if you can find your inner calling right there.

• Talk to a friend. It is always a great comfort to have that long deep conversation with your best friend or anyone for that matter.

• Ask for help. There is nothing wrong in seeking help. But it is wrong to hide away your mental health issues for you think it is no one's concern. Let me break this to you, it is everyone's concern - everyone who loves you and cares for you.

• Exercise and Eat healthy. Trust me, it feels good. And it won't hurt to do this much for your body.

Sometimes, in college when things become a little too overbearing, and without your parents' constant nagging for you to go outside, you tend to take shelter under your shell. If it hasn't come to you yet, here is a reminder that only you know what works for you and only you have complete control over your well-being. The best thing you can do is be proactive about your mental health. College is but a sneak peek into the harsher and more competitive world. One has to learn how to cope and find the right balance. We all do. And we will get through it, stronger and better.

CURATED BY: SIMRAN KAUR (NET IMPACT MEMBER)

H

Is India safe?

India: An Unsafe Haven

How many times have you caught someone flashing at you or maybe masturbating at you? How many times have you averted your gaze knowing that nothing can be done about it? How many times have you seen other people watching the same scenario and not doing anything regarding the same?

In a country like ours, masturbation and other sexual acts are frowned upon. Even after multiple heated debates and extensive discussions, topics like sex education are talked about without actually using the words “penis” and “vagina”. It gives rise to issues like public masturbation, which is not given much importance.

 In a world where we are asking the women to use public transports so that they can be tracked; crimes like public masturbation has left no place unaffected whether it is public buses or cabs. Cases of public masturbation can be filed under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with “assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty”, Section 509 which deals with “gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman”, and/or Section 268, which handles cases of public nuisance.

But no particular provision in India makes public masturbation illegal.

A couple of years ago, a case came up of an Uber car driver staring at a woman  and stroking himself while driving her to the airport.Instead of feeling ashamed , he asked her “what was wrong?” as if he didn’t know anything.But what do the perpetrators get from this? According to Rashi Vidyasagar, a criminologist, picking up on strangers makes it easier for these men. She believes that there is some sort of voyeurism working in these cases.

According to Dr.Rajan Bhonsle, Head, Sexual Medicine, KEM Hospital, “A lot of public masturbators may suffer from paraphilia — a condition where one has fetishes towards unusual objects or phenomenon. Voyeurism is just one of them. It’s not a disease as much as it is an uncontrollable fetish. Everyone has fetishes but for public masturbators, their fetish harms the object of their fetish: The difference being; acting on the former is consensual, while the latter isn't.

There is a fair chance that these men perform these acts at places where they know that the victims of this victimless crime would not be able to shout or reach out for help. This is the reason why public places are the best places as no one really calls out to these acts which are not legally, but morally unacceptable.

Countries like the UK and Indonesia have made this illegal, thereby imprisoning the person for 14 and 32 days respectively.

Another huge problem faced today is Revenge Porn. Revenge porn has been defined as “the sharing of private, sexual materials; either photos or videos, of another person without their consent with the purpose of causing embarrassment or distress.” Many times the name and other photographs have also been shared so that the victim can be recognised and be shamed.  The cases of revenge porn have been rising in India with the victims being both men and women. Women are particularly targeted as sexual activity on their part is still thought of as something which defines their 'honour'. This combination can leave a person feeling vulnerable and could possibly put them in danger. At minimum, it is psychologically damaging to the victim. The biggest reason behind this is the feeling of being dejected and the fear and embarrassment caused to the person who is on the receiving end of such emotional turmoil. This is usually done in order to take revenge so that the other person feels guilty about his/her actions.

In India, there are no strict laws against revenge porn although more and more people are aware of this. This usually comes under the Information Technology Act, 2000. Cyber safety is very important not only in the case of financial losses but also these things.The issue of public masturbation and revenge porn needs to be talked about at a large scale now. Many people side-line this crime by stating that this does not involve any “physical touch” or any “direct communication” with the victim. We need to acknowledge the fact that the world needs to be aware of the crimes that engulf the people and especially women of this world and work to eradicate them. There need to be stringent laws against such crimes so that the perpetrators dread them and never repeat them.

CURATED BY: KHYATI SHRESTHA (NET IMPACT MEMBER)

One for the paws!

            A Shelter of Love and Care: Animal Shelter

As long as people treat animals as toys, possessions and commodities rather than as individuals with feelings, families and friendships, widespread neglect and abuse are destined to continue.

Animal shelter is a safe haven where stranded, sick, wounded and stray animals are rehabilitated with utmost care and compassion. Its major goal is reuniting owners with lost pets, rehoming unowned animals and providing shelter and care for a vulnerable population.

Without shelters, animals face the same problems that anything else in the ecosystem would. They become completely exposed to their predators, they become completely exposed to the elements of weather that wear on their skins/furs and slow them down heavily from being able to escape prey, and eventually they become vulnerable to attack at all times. Cases of animals being killed by motor vehicles on highways are also not rare. They become exposed to undernutrition and starvation. Animals have a difficult time sustaining themselves in our concrete jungles, so it becomes very important to protect them from their perilous lives on the street. 

CHALLENGES 

Animal overpopulation in the protection shelters is one of the major problems that lead to neglecting animals due to insufficient space for everyone. Sadly, not enough people adopt their pets from shelters to help ease the crowding. It is important to stop breeding purebred animals, because it is a practice that contributes to the animal overpopulation crisis. Approximately 7.6 million animals enter protection shelters nationwide each year. Roughly half of the animals who enter shelters—many of them healthy, young, and adoptable—end up euthanized because of simple math: There are too many animals and not enough worthy adoptive homes. Around 56 percent of animals that enter animal shelters are euthanized annually. 

Moreover raising funds for issues like animal protection is a difficult task, and as a result, there is a need to establish equilibrium between the desire to help as many animals and the need to run economically in order to keep your doors open. Therefore, the animal shelters are bound to take harsh decisions as to how many animals they can accommodate, or how much staff do they have to maintain. And such limited admission policies often refuse animals that are sick, aged, of unsound temperament, or with inappropriate behaviors because they are poor adoption candidates. Although well-intentioned, such a rigid philosophical policy may not contribute to optimizing animal welfare in the long run if there is insufficient space for these animals in other nearby shelters. This may instead contribute to animal abandonment, abuse, neglect, or overcrowding at other facilities that have less restrictive admission policies.

Another problem faced by animal shelters is the lack of awareness, both in handling pets to prevent overpopulation, and in battling preconceived notions about rescue pets. Studies show that approximately 34 percent of animal purchases are from breeders, while only 23 percent are from animal shelters. It is essential to make sure that no animal loses a home due to breed prejudices.

Animal sheltering poses a grave societal challenge because, directly or indirectly, even we are the ones who are affected. Innumerous cases of rabies due to dog bite or death due to elephant attacks are heard of daily. 

WHAT CAN BE DONE

Spaying and neutering of animals in your localities is a simple and a very effective step that we can take. One unspayed female cat and her offspring can create a whopping 420,000 cats in just seven years, and one unneutered male dog can father countless litters. Because the number of animals exceed the demand for them, majority of animals suffer from abandonment, abuse, starvation, etc

Adopting animals from streets or animal shelters is another small initiative that can save an animal’s life. People with the means can make enormous difference by adopting one animal from an animal shelter, or by rescuing one from the streets. There are innumerable species that are found bruised and wounded in garbage bags, or are abandoned by families because of some sickness, who crave for a safe home. 

It is significant to realize that taking care of these genial creatures is not just the responsibility of the government, but is our duty as well. Being a part of the world that we all share, it is important for us to take the initiative of nurturing these beautiful beings who are an integral part of our community. And, the least we can do is visit animal care shelters and devote some time and compassion to the animals there, and make them feel the love they deserve. 

Animal protection is a crucial issue and needs the often neglected acknowledgement. Organizations like PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), PAWS (Pets Are Wonderful Support), STRAW (Stray Relief And Animal Welfare), etc are working towards the vision of terminating animal cruelty and creating global sustainability. And it is our responsibility to mould the world into one where we value all the lives, irrespective of the species. The world is constantly moving, chaotic maybe, but always heading towards a future that we guide. Hence, it becomes essential to spread awareness and compassion towards all the species that exist in this ecosystem. 

Animals, we'll be there for you! 

WRITTEN BY- FALGUNI PARCHANDA

-NET IMPACT MEMBER.   

Are we facing an economic shutdown ?

 India's economic shutdown: Is it worse than anticipated?

“There are a variety of growth projections from the private sector analysts many of which are perhaps significantly below government projections and I think certainly the slowdown in the economy is something that is very worrisome.”

                                                                                  -Dr. Raghuram G. Rajan

India’s deepening slowdown has left the economy on the verge of stalling. The GDP growth rate has been sliding for the last five quarters from 8% to 7% to 6.6% to 5.8% and now at 5% in the first quarter of the financial year 2019-20;the slowest pace in more than 6 years; led by a dramatic slowdown in the manufacturing sector as well.

Chief Economic Adviser Krishnamurthy Subramanian told that the slowdown was a result of both endogenous and exogenous factors, arising especially from the global headwinds due to deceleration in the developed economies.

  How is this slowdown affecting?

As a result of the slowdown, the real estate sector is also facing a crisis since the number of unsold homes have increased. When the government needed money, even the tax collection wasn’t proper and grew at a mere rate of 1.4%. 
The business sector is also suffering a lot. A slowdown in the business is affecting many aspects of the economy leading to unemployment and increased job losses. The fact that around 2.3 lakh jobs have been lost so far and the unemployment is at 45 year high has already painted a worrisome picture. Things doesn’t stop here. The rupee has also come back in the news following a depreciation in its value versus the dollar in the last month. To some extent, it is also influenced by this slowdown in the economy.

What are the main reasons being cited for this slowdown?

Indian economy is facing a slowdown which is both structural and cyclic in nature. It is being believed that the crisis has been caused by a lack of cash. India has a substantial economy that runs on cash and it was deeply affected by the disappearance of cash from the system at the time of demonetization. But this is not the only reason. Another reason which is being believed for the slowdown is the improper implementation of GST. Hardly had the economy recovered a little from the ill effects of demonetization when the GST was introduced and wasn’t even implemented properly. 
To make the conditions worse came the Liquidity crunch led by the NBFC crisis. As a result of the shortage of liquidity in the Indian market, there started arising decline in the wages due to which there was a slowdown in consumption leading to an economic slowdown. Certain factors like the angel tax and FII’s money withdrawal also played a crucial role to lead the economy on the verge of a great crisis.

The government is also aware of the gravity of the situation and it is evident from their recent pronouncements including changes in the investment norms to draw more attention towards FDI’s and moves to revive the auto sector. 
In order to boost the economy, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has also issued an ordinance to reduce the corporate tax rate to promote more investments. The moves taken by the government to recapitalize the nationalized banks to the extent of 70,000 crores and the big bank merger policy will also play a little role to solve this problem. It’s obvious that any beneficial impact from these policies will take time but time is proving itself to be a luxury which the economy is not able to afford.

Will the Indian economy soon be able to revive and come out of this great crisis?



CURATED BY : ASEEM AGARWAL (Net Impact Member)

Deforestation to Destruction.

From Amazon forest to Aarey forest: The Impact of Deforestation on the world.

100000. This is the number of times the infamous Amazon Forest has experienced fire in this very year. The Amazon Forest of Brazil was caught up in flames from 15 August 2019 to 22 August 2019. But this is not the only forest that was burned to such an extent that it affected the health of the flora fauna and also the neighbors. The Aarey Forest of Mumbai was also almost burned down to ashes last December. Both of these forest are located at the heart of their respective cities and hence are a huge lost to the entire country and hence, the World. 

The fires might be in two different countries which share an opposite culture, food habits etc but one thing is common between them: the ambiguous nature of the occurrence of fire. Many experts and even the indigenous people claim them to be nothing but a conspiracy of the governments. They contend that both the Governments want to burn and destroy these forests so that they can be sold to the pompous industrialists and can be used for setting up of new Residential Projects and Industries.

Mining and drilling are one of the major causes of deforestation. Cutting down or burning down an entire forest kills the flora and fauna of that place and also causes chronic respiratory problems to the nearby people. Soil erosion also becomes prominent in those areas and it increases the chances on flood in the area. The spread of carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and aerosols also lead to various health problems. 

These fires could turn rainforests into deserts.

The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation talks about relocating the plants and trees that need to be shed for the building up of Metro but according to the statistics, 48% of the transferred plants have already died. When it comes to the Amazon Forest, the one which is a home to 40,000 species of plants, 1,300 species of birds, 430 mammals and 400-500 indigenous communities, the Government are not seriously investing in it. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro criticized French President Emmanuel Macron’s actions of announcing aid to Brazil after unleashing unreasonable attacks on Amazon. He also thanked President Donald Trump for his support. 

Many people have come out against the forest fire in Mumbai and Brazil. From 400 people on the Marine drive to actors and actresses like Shraddha Kapoor, all of them are condemning this act of intentionally destroying the environment for their inhumane purposes. In Brazil, more than 30 protests have taken place with thousands of people protesting at Ipanema Beach. 

Thus, forest fires are not just a huge threat to one specific country but to the entire world. Amazon Forest consists of about 20% of our planet’s oxygen and losing it would mean a drastic loss to our balance of ecosystem. These forests need to be protected by individuals as well as by the Government. People visiting these forests should not through half lit matchsticks or unextinguished bonfires while leaving. The natural fires cannot be dealt with but the officials must estimate the approximate time of the year when these are most prominent and must be extra cautious at that time. 

This is a global issue as being careless now would harm the entire ecosystem and hasten the process of Global Warming. Remember, only Mumbai or Brazil are not on fire; THE WORLD IS ON FIRE. 

CURATED BY:KHYATI SHRESTA (NET IMPACT MEMBER)

 Eat To Live, Not Live To Eat

Food waste, not in good taste!

Food waste, the discarded or lost food, is one of the major problems faced in the world today. Food waste is caused due to a lot of reasons and it mainly occurs at the stages of production, processing, retailing or consumption.
Definitions of food waste vary, among other things, in what food waste consists of, how it is produced, and where or what it is discarded from or generated by.
According to the UN, food waste is any removal of food from the food supply chain which is or was at some point fit for human consumption.

Global food waste amounts to be between one-third and half of all food produced. Wastage occurs at all stages of the food supply chain. In low income countries, most loss occurs during production, while in developed countries, about 100KGs of food is wasted at the consumption stage. According to the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO), food waste is responsible for 8% of global man-made greenhouse gas emissions. The FAO concludes that nearly 30% of all agricultural land in the world is wasted in production of uneaten food.

FOOD WASTE OCCURS AT ALL STAGES OF FOOD SUPPLY CHAIN

One way of dealing with food waste is to reduce its creation. Consumers can reduce spoilage by planning their food shopping. Widespread educational campaigns have proven to be an effective way to reduce food waste. In areas where the waste collection is a public function, food waste is usually managed by the same government organizations as other waste collection and have the advantage that the food waste can be disposed of in ways not applicable to other wastes. As everything gets covered up with time, there are many NGOs today such as 'Feeding India' that work on the problem of food wastage. Their main aim is to make better use of food for someone else, which might be waste for another.

Food waste has serious social and environmental implications, but many of us not even think about it. Widespread knowledge and awareness about the prevalent problem is required to reduce hunger in this world and to encourage everyone to do their bit in order to make a differnce.


WRITTEN BY- RAHUL
                      ( NET IMPACT MEMBER) 

CURATED BY- POOJAN SEHGAL