2022 - UDA Digest

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

Freshwater management: Introduction to the domain (A UDA perspective)

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December 9, 2022
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Key Highlights Thoughts on Fresh Water Management, Water Quality Management, Water Resource Management and Sustainability. Issues of Fresh Water Management. Present situation covering persistence of difficulties in Fresh Water Management in India, GW Depletion, Plastic pollutions etc. and their resolution schemes. Brief about UDA framework based on technology, policy, and capacity building. Digital transformations, how it connects and may impact the governance mechanism. Tropical challenges in using Nordic countries equipment and related challenges. Connection to UDA as to how it can solve the recent problems. Way forward Heading The 6th standard science book by NCERT reads “Jal hai to kal hai” i.e., without water, there is no future. It then interestingly puts a fact that only 3% of the water on Earth is fresh water, out of which most of it is frozen in the polar regions as ice caps, and glaciers. There exist a series of early-stage messages in textbooks that have taught us about the importance as well as shortages pf water. “These early-stage messages seldom repeat themselves in more practical sense to the authorities, when literate population of the country practice wastage and overuse of water.” Manufacturing and maintenance of luxurious vehicles, brand new clothes, and various other goods and services leave a huge water footprint i.e., they consume large quantities of valuable fresh water. A lot of research on fresh water use and overuse is available which we need to explore and utilise that would lead to better management. Fresh Water Management deals with sustainably using our fresh water sources with respect to its quality as well as quantity. Source: https://civilsolution.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/the-hydrological-cycle The figure above explains a lot about the movement of water in the atmosphere. A couple of additional facts apart from the regular water circulation in each component has also been highlighted, for e.g., surface runoff and infiltration from the hills and lakes give a multidimensional view of water’s pathway. Ground water has always been important fresh water source, which nowadays has become extremely vulnerable due to rise in demand and climate change. The meeting of surface and ground water outflow with the precipitation in the oceans are also highlighted in the figure. Water Resource and Water quality management are two distinct branches of water sciences when it comes to governance and policy making. Although they both need interlinking, they are also governed by different authorities. This creates a lot of discrepancies as the Ministry of Water Resource and Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change deal with the same issues of River management separately. The impact of anthropogenic activities on the quality and quantity of fresh water have been a critical concern for our society. Water being the most basic requirement for all our needs has faced the maximum deterioration. Water pollution is a subject of concern as it has a varied list of effects on the ecosystem as well as livelihood. Water pollution is defined in the Water (Prevention and control of pollution) Act, 1974 as “Any contamination or undesired substance like sewage trade effluents or any other chemical liquid, solid or gaseous substance into the water body, to such an extent that its carrying-capacity is exceeded and it starts affecting the livelihood and ecosystem.” The list of effects from water pollution can go on as there are numerous factors involved with the increase of undesired substances in water bodies. The whole ecosystem, air, land, marine environments are affected severely and with an interlinking effect. Several compliances are in process based on pollution cases in NGT as well as High Court and Supreme Court which itself defines the history and criticality of the issue. One example is the O.A 1038, which has started the compliances of SPCBs upon the pollution problem that exist in their respected Severely/Critically polluted area. Some of the effects are shown in the table below: Water Scarcity is a complex concept that must be defined based on local parameters. It is often linked with water conflict, legal rights, and availability of water. It has a varied list of definitions across the country. Water scarcity as linked with the concept of Fresh Water Management can be defined as “A situation where the availability of water decreases to an extent where there is not enough water to meet the needs of the increasing population as well as the ecosystem to function properly.” “Tragedy of the commons” as the concept given by Ostrom is also connected to the concept of water scarcity. It rejects the notion that people can manage their own collective resources that are open to everyone. Ostrom argues that water as an open source is being exploited at a faster rate in the history. Ostrom suggests two solutions to it, that is regulating these resources by governing them and the other is privatisation. Here we are trying to understand the concepts rather supporting any one of it. Because, the more we dive into the details of governance and legal rights of water, the more we need to define each concept, including the merits and demerits of the same. Persistence of difficulties in Fresh Water Management in India According to a UNICEF report (2019), 2.2 billion people lack access to safely managed water services. 80 Percent of the waste water flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused. Almost 2 billion people, live in countries experiencing water stress. Around two-third of transboundary rivers lack cooperative management framework, according to Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). India’s agricultural inputs and production techniques have changed considerably in the last decade. Growth of water intensive crops in water scarce areas have led to overuse of ground water, depleting the same drastically. 70% of the global water withdrawal is being done for agriculture according to FAO. A 2019 NITI Aayog report said that India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history, and almost 600 million of its population is water-deprived. The report goes on to add that 21 cities including Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai shall probably exhaust

Blue Economy ESG and Climate Risk

Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA): A road less travelled and fathomed

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December 1, 2022
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Key Highlights Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) is an aspect of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) that is focused on the underwater sector and actually includes a wide range of interests and not just the Military. Monitoring the earth’s undersea geo-physical activities provide vital clues and helps minimise the impact of natural disasters and as a result the wellbeing of mankind. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is today strategically important and the vast dynamics in play in this area makes it a worthwhile study. The physical aspect of the littoral waters of the IOR is highlighted by the fact that sonar performance is sub optimal and as a result complicates effective UDA. Undersea areas in the IOR offer vast reserves of minerals and food in multiple forms and therefore have seen an increasing number of stakeholders emerging. Political instability, technological challenges and economic limitations are the major impediment for progress in the IOR. Heading It is said ‘the eye does not see what the mind does not know’ and DH Lawrence famously said, ‘‘What the eye does not see and the mind does not know, does not exist. The field of Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) comes largely in that category but for a few dedicated who aim to bring forth this awareness. And these dedicated UDA experts are bringing forth the wide prospects in the Underwater World, driven by the fact that ‘The heart feels what the eyes cannot see and knows what the mind cannot understand.’ This field is yet not only a road less travelled but also fathomed or understood. To answer what is UDA, simply put Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) is an aspect of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) that is focused on the underwater sector and actually includes a wide range of interests and not just the Military. In more specific terms UDA is the desire to know what is happening in the undersea parts of maritime areas. For those in the security fields, it includes protecting the sea lanes of communication (SLOC), the numerous and varied assets in the maritime areas, coastal waters and essentially anything that limits the freedom of the seas. But the Military field is not the only area that humankind should be interested in, there is a lot of relevance for the general wellbeing of humankind and in fact the earth itself. Monitoring the earth’s undersea geo-physical activities provide vital clues and helps minimise the impact of natural disasters and as a result the wellbeing of mankind. The undersea resources as a huge commercial activity are just beginning to unravel and needs precise inputs to focus the exploitation of the resource; as also for regulatory bodies to manage a sustainable plan. And when there is so much activity; both Commercial and Military there is bound to be an impact on the environment. And its conservation implies a precise estimate of degradation of habitats and vulnerability of species. “And for this precise estimation, the scientific and research community needs to be actively involved and continuously update knowledge of the varied aspects of the undersea world. The underlying requirement therefore is that all stakeholders know the developments in the undersea, understand these and respond effectively and efficiently proactively i.e., before it takes unknown turns.” To achieve this all aspects of the UDA needs to be understood i.e.; firstly, the available resources in terms of infrastructure, technology and the capability and capacity of every stakeholder. And when it concerns the sea, everyone is a stakeholder. The core capability and capacity pertain to acoustics in UDA. The other aspect would be the hierarchy – at the ground level would be knowing what is present in the undersea domain – the resources, activities, and threats. At the next level would be understanding them by way of conservation plans, resources utilisation plans and security strategies and then would the monitory framework and regulations at every level – local to global. Towards this end, the partnership of users, the academia and the industry need to develop and if given the right impetus can address multiple challenges being faced by developing nations. A short analysis of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) will highlight the challenges. The Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is today strategically important and the vast dynamics in play in this area makes it a worthwhile study. The challenges and opportunities in the IOR are unique and needs study under different categories. The IOR has over thirty littoral countries / island states, as also other extra regional powers that play a significant role in the geo- politics of the region. “The countries in the region not only vary in the degree of political stability but also in their economic development, demography, ethnic and sectarian issues, relations with neighbouring countries and many more. All these play a critical role in determining the political stability in the region. The vast asymmetry in the political and economic powers is a challenge compounded further by the actions of the extra regional powers. ” The power struggles in the region, the immense economic potential and presence of economic giants along with lack of regulations in the region throws more challenges including application of non-state actors to resolve disputes as also piracy and maritime terrorism. For synergising efforts to attain a regional governance model and to pool resources it is important to come out of the fragmented regional geopolitics. The physical aspect of the littoral waters of the IOR is highlighted by the fact that sonar performance is sub optimal and as a result complicates effective UDA. The understanding of deep waters and shallow waters would vary for those unaware of the underwater domain and the maritime world. Simply put the edge of the continental shelf that marks the EEZ that is 200 NM out and an approximate depth of 200 m is shallow. Multi path propagations are governed by the depth of the sound axis and these vary from about 50 m at the poles to as deep as 2000 m near the equator and

Blue Economy ESG and Climate Risk

Buzzing Alarm to work towards Marine Sustainability

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November 12, 2022
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Key Highlights Population growth, rapid industrialization, urbanization and an increase in production and consumption are major drivers to exploit oceans and freshwater It is estimated that 4.8-12.7 million tons of plastics enter the ocean every year, highly concentrated around Indian Ocean Rim Countries The impact of microplastics, a bigger threat, is an unexplored area that requires elaborate investigation With ESG in action, companies mitigate lawsuits, minimize footprint, and show greater governance Maritime Research Centre’s UDA framework with its research and industry arm would be grounding stone to decipher the vulnerability of organisms, its implication on the ecosystem and population MRC has designed a UDA framework to understand the exploitation spectrum of underwater Heading Our Blue Planet encompasses oceans covering 71% of Earth’s surface and 99% of living space by volume. It is indeed a gigantic source of biodiversity, resources, climate modulation and livelihoods. However, the ever-increasing appetite of growing population’s energy and mineral demands has exhausted the land resources, consequently shifting gears to use water bodies for economic benefits. Alas, water bodies are in dire crisis owing to aggressive anthropogenic factors such as industrialization, urbanization, population growth coupled with wide scale environmental changes. Water crisis seems to be daunting for the terrestrial ecosystem, political stability, and the future of the planet. Hence, it is essential to judiciously grab the opportunity of conserving our precious heritage before it is too late. Road Blocks to Marine Ecosystem Sustainability: Oceans as well as freshwater ecosystems are a storehouse of services such as regulation of climate change, waste treatment, groundwater recharge, nursery for species, pool of renewable and nonrenewable resources. On economic side, they offer food, minerals, pharmaceuticals, oil and gas, transportation, and livelihoods, while freshwater additionally is source of drinking water, irrigation, and hydropower. Unfortunately, human activities have taken a toll on oceans, a burning threat for current as well as successive generations. Therefore, it is utmost important to mitigate such pressures at the source. For which it is imperative to understand the set of challenges for aquatic ecosystems. Few of major threats to aquatic sustainability have been enlisted as follows: Overfishing: Fishing beyond nature replenishing stocks is termed as overfishing. Indian Ocean has been source of 13% wild caught fishes. Of which 26% were estimated to be caught unsustainabily. Illegal, unreported, and unregulated catches prevail to be a serious threat owing to weak governance and poor surveillance. With water pollution, it leads to further degradation of fish population, thus altering the food chain. But the damage is beyond marine species loss, as millions of people rely on fish industries for their livelihood. As a result, economies have suffered major losses of US$3 billion per year. Overexploitation of resources: Population growth, rapid industrialization, urbanization and an increase in production and consumption are major drivers to exploit oceans and freshwater. This has bolstered the blossoming of industries like deep sea mining, offshore oil and gas, shipping, seafood, and bioprospecting. Among which offshore oil and gas is largest stakeholder in Indian Ocean region. Specifically, such industries are detrimental to marine habitats owing to oil spills that choke aquatic species (microbes, megafauna, and vertebrates) to death besides drilling and decommissioning. Moreover, agriculture accounts for 70% of freshwater withdrawals. With outdated irrigation practices and water hungry crops, a further layer of strain is added, while construction of dams takes a toll on freshwater ecosystems. Climate Change: It is a defining issue in this country. The way we deal with it is going to shape the lives of current and succeeding generations. Global warming leads to elevated temperatures of aquatic ecosystems affecting: distribution pattern of marine species (sensitive to temperature) that migrate to favorable environments. Another disturbing effect is on food chain, with phytoplankton’s in underwater getting knocked off, survival of higher population dependent on them gets affected. Habitat destruction is yet another dramatic effect of climate pressures. Coral bleaching (whitening of coral reefs that results from the loss of coral’s symbiotic algae produced pigment) causes fishes dependent on reefs (food and shelter) to either migrate or die and coastlines vulnerable to erosion. In fact, it has a measurable impact on the timing, distribution, quality of water and precipitation patterns, with floods and runoffs contaminating water. Pollution: Plastics make up 10% of global solid waste. It is estimated that 4.8-12.7 million tons of plastics enter the ocean every year, highly concentrated around Indian Ocean Rim Countries. This could be attributed to improper waste management practices, excessive use of single use plastics and illegal dumping. Owing to the high risk of ingestion and entanglement, subsequent economies, especially fisheries, seems to be affected. Subsequently, impact of microplastics, a bigger threat, is an unexplored area that requires elaborate investigation. “But plastics are not culprits alone, a confluence of factors are responsible for polluting gigantic aquatic ecosystems.” Noises generated from abiotic sources such as: ship traffic, ballast fishing, military sonars, recreational and fishing motor boats, seismic air gun noises from oil and gas exploration sites are aggravating. Depending upon the duration, type and intensity of noise generated, marine life is affected at physiological and behavioral level. Consequently, permanent changes occur in coral reef invertebrates, predator -prey interaction, spatial distribution, resulting in reduced survival. Moreover, the direct discharge of chemical pollutants without treatment from various industries is just the cherry on the top. Pesticide runoffs from agricultural lands, leads to eutrophication (oversupply of nutrients leads to algal overgrowth depleting oxygen) consequently leading to death of marine species and plants. Degradation of ecosystem: An array of interacting factors such as urbanization, population spurt, overexploitation of fisheries, climate change has been driving agents. Oceans being largest carbon sinks absorb 23% of Co2 emissions mitigating major temperature fluctuation, but severe Co2 emissions leads to ocean acidification resulting in increased dead zones. Nonetheless, coral reef bleaching, the result of temperature rise, affects the size of aquatic life dependent on them along with coasts left unshielded to suffer erosion. Lastly, widespread invasion and introduction of exotic species such as poisonous algae, cholera through ballast waters compounds the

Blue Economy Geopolitics and IR

Extreme weather conditions around the world are a result of climate change; How India and others are gearing up?

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October 22, 2022
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Key Highlights Increase in carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases has caused the earth’s temperature to rise Spike in global temperatures has fueled climate disasters India is currently the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases and accounts for only 3% of historical emissions India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 It is imperative to develop internal UDA capacities and capabilities that helps in sustaining life underwater and mitigate events caused due to climate change. Heading When was the last time you experienced winter chills from the month of November? I do not remember getting dressed in winter attire before it was mid-December while living in the national capital city of India, in the past few years. This simple example is a shred of evidence enough to prove that climate change has done enough harm to our environment and has contributed immensely to the extreme weather events that we are witnessing across the globe. Human activities have caused rapid changes to our global climate that are contributing to extreme weather conditions. When fossil fuels are burned to generate electricity, heat, and transportation, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that traps solar radiation, is released into our atmosphere. A massive increase in carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases has caused the earth’s temperature to rise. The spike in global temperatures has fueled climate disasters that, as per the experts, will only get worse unless we act against them. Some experts have presented a caveat stating that we are running out of time to cut pollution to avoid climate catastrophe drastically. Which nations have contributed the most? In the climate change framework, the responsibility falls on those countries that have contributed most of the greenhouse gas emissions since 1850, generally considered to be the beginning of the industrial age. Countries and regions including the United States, the European Union, and the UK account for over 50% of all emissions during this time. If countries like Russia, Canada, Japan, and Australia are included, the combined contributions go beyond 65%, which accounts for almost two-thirds of all emissions. Historical responsibility is a significant parameter to assess who contributed the most because carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere for hundreds of years. As per the experts, it is the cumulative accumulation of this carbon dioxide that causes global warming. If we talk about India, it is currently the third largest emitter and accounts for only 3% of historical emissions. While China, which is the world’s biggest emitter for over 15 years now, has contributed about 11% to the total emissions since 1850. “It is worth noting that while the impact of climate change is global, it is much more severe on the poorer nations because of their geographical locations and weaker capacity to cope.” Extreme weather events in India and how is India coping? India has been witnessing extreme weather patterns in 2022 and the year is almost on the verge of completion. There are heatwaves somewhere and floods in other parts of the country. After suffering intense heatwaves in April, states like Assam, Nagaland, and Bihar received too much rainfall and on the other hand, Jharkhand received almost half of what was due for it. In 2021, some scientists from the Ministry of Earth Sciences revealed a sharp rise in extreme weather events in India in the past 50 years (1970 to 2019). A paper was published in ScienceDirect journal on February 26, 2021, which compared extreme weather events across two 20-year periods—1980-1999 and 2000-2019. The comparison highlighted an increase of 138% in heatwaves, 193% in lightning strikes, 25% in cold waves, 28% in floods, and a decrease of 19% in tropical cyclones. According to the paper, extreme weather events resulted in a mortality rate of 3.86 between 1980 and 1999 (mortalities per year per million population), which reduced to 2.14 between 2000 and 2019. This is due to better disaster management and more accurate weather forecasts, the paper added. But within this, mortality from heat waves and lightning strikes is on the rise. Mortality due to extreme weather events was maximum in the decade 1970-1979 (87.5% of these mortalities were due to floods and tropical cyclones) followed by 1990-1999. These were the decades of the three most destructive tropical cyclones—the Odisha Cyclone in 1971, the Andhra Pradesh Cyclone in 1977, and the Odisha Super Cyclone in 1999. Human-induced warming reached approximately 1°C (likely between 0.8°C and 1.2°C) above pre-industrial levels in 2017, increasing at 0.2°C (likely between 0.1°C and 0.3°C) per decade (high confidence). Warming greater than the global average has already been experienced in many regions, with higher average warming over land than over the ocean. At the previous year’s Conference of Parties (COP- 26) summit which was held in Glasgow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a 5-point agenda for India which would try to keep it on the path of maintaining decorum when it comes to handling climate change. The 5-points have been mentioned below: First- India will take its non-fossil energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030. Second- India will meet 50 percent of its energy requirements from renewable energy by 2030. Third- India will reduce the total projected carbon emissions by one billion tones from now till 2030. Fourth- By 2030, India will reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by less than 45 percent. And fifth- by the year 2070, India will achieve the target of Net Zero. Instances of extreme weather events in other countries I am unaware of any country which has not yet been impacted by the havoc of extreme weather conditions caused due to climate change and other factors. United Kingdoms, for instance, crushed its own record for the highest temperature as a scorching heat wave broiled much of mainland Europe. It experienced its worst drought this year in 70 years and the country had to face issues such as water scarcity and prolonged drought. Spain’s problems began with the arrival in the spring of the earliest heat

Science and Technology Skilling India

Skilling in India and beyond – A New Perspective Based on the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework

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October 22, 2022
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Key Highlights The UDA framework, not only caters to the requirement of multiple sectors, but also requires highly specialized domain expertise of acoustics IMO has taken up the URN management as a high priority agenda and asked India to be the lead nation in the tropical waters of the IOR The skilling and knowledge requirement of the UDA framework can be divided into three broad categories: Acoustic Survey, Underwater Bio-Science & Bio-Technology and Underwater Artificial Intelligence & Robotics The undersea resources are another major opportunity that deserves far more focus MRC has generated significant awareness among the stakeholders and policy makers on the UDA framework and its relevance to the ongoing geopolitical and geo-strategic developments Heading The global community is increasingly looking at the maritime domain and the oceans for economic growth and climate stability. The maritime commons are de-facto the most preferred trade routes and carry close to 90% of the global trade. Sustainable and efficient transportation thus, becomes one of the priority areas. The undersea resources are another major opportunity that deserves far more focus. These resources vary from both living and non-living, with significant economic and strategic value. The global challenges of food and energy security could be address with higher focus on the ocean resources. Multiple rare earth elements are abundantly available undersea and have significant strategic potential. Access and control of these element are a major cause of conflict among the global powers, often leading to military interventions. Maritime security, thus assumes significance and more and more nations are maintaining their naval presence in the maritime commons. The freshwater systems are equally important and similar stakes are involved. The sediment management is an important requirement given the heavy siltation in the tropical waters. The effective sediment management is the key requirement for port management, water resource management, navigability of the waterways, flood control & drought relief, sanitation & drainage and more. The freshwater systems in India, particularly in the major Rivers like Brahmaputra, Ganga, Sindhu, Karnaphuli and more, are known habitats for the freshwater Dolphins. These Dolphins are known to be blind and they perceive their environment through sound, referred as Acoustic Vision. The increasing Inland Water Transport is causing severe Acoustic Habitat Degradation for these freshwater Dolphins with critical impact on their population size. Thus, Underwater Radiated Noise (URN), management is an important requirement. “The International Maritime Organization (IMO), has taken up the URN management as a high priority agenda and asked India to be the lead nation in the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the spectrum have a direct link with the Underwater Domain.” The governance mechanism can only be envisaged, if we have an effective situational awareness. The Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) is thus a pre-requisite to build on our understanding and appreciation across applications. The four stakeholders of the UDA are maritime security, blue economy, environment & disaster management, and science & technology. The acoustic survey using sonar, becomes the only tool to generate effective UDA. The tropical waters in the Indo-Pacific region have a unique characteristic, and the sonars suffer significant sub-optimal performance when deployed in these waters. The conventional attempt to import technology and know-how from the west (temperate & polar) has failed miserably in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). Indigenous efforts are required to build on our acoustic capacity & capability to manage the challenges and opportunities in the tropical littoral waters of the IOR. The tropical littoral waters are also known for their abundance in terms of the undersea resources. The involvement of extra-regional powers in the UDA of our waters could have strategic vulnerabilities. The underwater data has significant security relevance and should not be made available to unauthorized entities. The geopolitical interactions have strategically shifted to the tropical littoral waters of the Indo-Pacific region. The extra-regional powers are maintaining their strategic presence in the region with deployment of their military assets and other assets including research vessels to generate effective UDA. The IOR, particularly is extremely vulnerable due to its socio-political and socio-economic characteristics. The security concerns of maritime terrorism and piracy are rampant in these waters. The non-state actors are freely operating in collusion with the local governments. The extra-regional powers are deeply entrenched with the domestic politics of the region and manipulate the governance mechanism at will. The regional maritime framework has very little coherence with the long-term national interest. The IOR region is highly populated with highest rate of growth and low GDP growth, in-spite of having high potential for economic development. The Government of India (GoI) has presented proactive stance in tackling the maritime opportunities. The Security And Growth for All in the Region (SAGAR) vision of the Indian Prime Minister in 2015, is a first of its kind regional declaration with clear focus on a leadership role for India in the IOR. It acknowledges the security concerns and recognizes the blue economic opportunities that exist in the region. The GoI has announced multiple mega projects to complement the SAGAR vision. The Sagarmala, Bharatmala, Gati Shakti, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Start-up India, Skill India, Digital India, and many more to support the SAGAR vision. These mega projects are ambitious initiatives that will require skilled manpower and acoustic capacity & capability building of a different scale. The National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), over the last fifteen years of its existence has come a long way in addressing the skilling landscape of India. The NSDC has been able to put a structure in place to bring the stakeholders together and close the loop across sectors. The institutionalization of the entire skilling ecosystem is probably the biggest achievement and it has been able to standardize the skilling levels to close the demand and supply gap. There are 36 sector skill councils to address the requirements of varied sectors with seamless participation of the industry and the skilling partners. “The NSDC aspires to build skilling capacity and capability in the country of a global standard, not

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

Hydropower race and dispute resolution in Indus’ western rivers

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October 13, 2022
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Key Highlights Population growth and climate crisis are the two major factors haunting the future of energy demand Since China is an upper riparian to India in the Indus Basin, India needs to be wary of its neighbor’s actions Pressures on India and Pakistan have increased as rivers run dry and water shortages grow more acute. India and Pakistan can consider the perks of energy transactions and compensations for ecosystem services. To create a viable framework for managing the hydropower development in the Indus Basin, Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) framework can be utilized Heading Among the riparian countries of the Indus basin, India and Pakistan have put rigorous efforts to develop hydropower, particularly on the western rivers of the Indus Basin namely Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab. China for its part has partnered with Pakistan in developing various projects in Pakistan as a part of the China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). India and Pakistan are facing energy crisis which is deemed to get worse with time. Population growth and climate crisis are the two major factors haunting the future of energy demand. In 2016, India set an ambitious goal of reaching 175 GW of renewable energy by 2022, but there has been a target shortage of about 51 GW. Similarly, Pakistan is currently amid an energy crisis. Some 51 million Pakistanis lack access to electricity, while a further 90 million suffer from unreliable power supply and load-shedding daily, which is having a serious impact on the economy. Given this dire situation and increasing stress on the limited conventional sources of energy, both the countries have shifted their focus to hydropower. With the support and backing of international organizations for hydropower, India and Pakistan have gotten into a mission mode to develop the hydropower in their territory. “In Pakistan, funds from the Islamic Development Bank, International Finance Corporation, Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Korea and various other sources have given the impetus for hydro power development. In India, FDI equity inflows from countries such as Mauritius is being utilized for the generation and transmission of electric energy produced in hydroelectric power plants. ” In India the hydropower potential of the Indus River System has been assessed as 33,832 MW out of which only 14439.3 MW (43.72%) in under operation (as per CEA, 2020). In Pakistan, according to Pakistan’s Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), there is 60,000 MW of hydropower potential mostly in Indus River in the provinces of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Jhelum River in the provinces of Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Out of this, they have developed 7,320 MW. Indus basin has large multipurpose projects like Bhakra Project; Pong Dam (360 MW); and Ranjit Sagar (600 MW) project and a few large size Run of the River (ROR) schemes like Dehar (990 MW); Nathpa Jhakri (1500 MW); Salal (690 MW); Dulhasti (390 MW); Baglihar (450 MW) in India. Some of the major projects in Pakistan includes Tarbela (3702 MW), Mangla (1120 MW), Ghazi-Barotha Hydropower Project (1450 MW), Golen Gol (106 MW), Neelum-Jhelum (969 MW), Dasu (4,320 MW) Ranolia (17 MW), Daral Khwar (37 MW) and Machai (2.6 MW), Karot (720 MW), Suki (870 MW) and Kohala (1,124 MW). The development of the Basin has been far from straight forward. Being a transboundary river system governed roughly by the Indus water treaty of 1960, both the governments have had to follow a game of checks and balances. According to the treaty, India is allowed exclusive use of the eastern rivers namely Sutlej, Ravi, and Beas, whereas on the western rivers, India is not allowed to have live storage structures and can develop only run of the river hydropower projects. Also, India is supposed to share the plans of its projects on western rivers with Pakistan in advance to get their approval. This mechanism was put in place to check the dominant riparian position of India. However, this has not only lead to stalling of various important projects for India, but also lead to socio-economic distress in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. If there is any discrepancy in following the treaty, the countries are guided by the dispute resolution mechanism specified in the treaty. In accordance with the treaty, both India and Pakistan have established a permanent post of Commissioner for Indus Waters. The two Commissioners constitute the Permanent Indus Commission (PIC). According to Article IX, any breach of the Treaty shall first be examined by the Commission. If the Commission does not reach an agreement, then the case shall be dealt by a Neutral Expert or by a Court of Arbitration. The Treaty has survived two major wars between India and Pakistan (1965 and 1971) and an undeclared war in 1999. The IWT has managed to survive several military stand-offs (1987, 2001-02, 2008, 2016 and 2019) and several other episodes of political friction between the South Asian nuclear rivals. Various Indian projects have been contested by Pakistan such as the Ratle hydroelectric project and Baglihar HE projects on Chenab River and Kishanganga HE projects on Jhelum River. The verdict in both the cases did not dismiss the projects but suggested a few changes to the project designs. Even after getting the verdict, Pakistan has repeatedly tried to impede the projects. “After the terrorist attack in Pulwama, and Uri districts of Kashmir, India had threatened to cut off water supply to Pakistan as retaliatory action and has alluded to abrogation of the Indus treaty. Such impulsive could have serious cost for India as well. India also needs to be aware of the close relationship between Pakistan and China. Since China is an upper riparian to India in the Indus Basin, India needs to be wary of its neighbor’s actions. ” In Pakistan, the government relies heavily on foreign investment from private investors, foreign governments, and multilateral development banks. This has had serious implication on its sovereignty. Pressures on both countries have increased as rivers run dry and water shortages grow more acute. “Innovative forms of water

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

Water Quality Management Framework with sectoral approach for India

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October 13, 2022
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Key Highlights Water quality as well as potable water quantity are major areas of concern around the globe It is necessary to investigate the technological interventions which will help keep the pace of sewage being generated and shall reduce the burden on the rivers Poor water quality is studied in order to identify probable solutions to the problems and apply them in the shape of a framework This article aims to provide focus on policy interventions, technological interventions, and capacity building techniques to its stakeholders As responsible and rightful citizens, we must be aware of present and future conditions, and the prediction of future scenario in water quality management Water pollution is something which can be easily dealt with by almost zero compromise with other pillars of sustainable development Heading Water quality as well as potable water quantity are major areas of concern around the globe. Water quality management, water demand management and water as a resource management requires a wholistic approach of looking into the potential measures and steps that may be taken to curb water pollution and manage the resources efficiently. This may include the water demand management and minimising the use of water shall ultimately result in the minimised load on sewers. A lot of studies on Indian rivers by government as well as private organisations have been done to evaluate the deteriorating quality of river water and its impact on the population and uses of water. We must move on to solid interventions of mitigation related to water quality to have a broad and same platform for all the stakeholders to perform accordingly. This article provides a framework for water quality management from already developed models. It also considers requirements of the people at various hotspots. The reason why poor water quality is studied in-depth is in order to identify probable solutions to the problems and apply them in the shape of a framework. It is also necessary to investigate the technological interventions which will help keep the pace of sewage being generated and shall reduce the burden on the rivers. The technology interventions may also include interventions related to outreach of data to different stakeholders. This will ultimately reduce the pollution load and hence improve the quality of rivers eventually. Based on the above, it has been decided to build a model for key stakeholders to have a convincing use of water resources based on effective management of the valuable resource on earth. This article aims to provide focus on policy interventions, technological interventions and capacity building techniques, keeping in mind the various issues and causes of the problems that the country faces. The article lists out some very effective interventions that are known or unknown individually across the world but are not kept along to find a better way to manage water resources of the country. Issues related to the concept : The development of a framework requires the understanding of issues that exist in water quality management and the probable causes of these issues. Listing issues with respect to all the sectors is itself a challenge that needs to be addressed as the first stage of this framework development. A few of the sectoral issues identified are: The other problems faced by different sectors are listed here since water scarcity and management is emerging with new challenges: Ambiguities, inconsistencies, and lack of conceptual clarity among stakeholders; Lack of clear incentive structure for efficient and sustainable water use; Water distribution at Household level; Degradation of Carrying capacity; Inadequate sanitation causing illnesses; Poor functional capacity of Sewage treatment Plants, and lack of distinction between sewage and storm water pipes; Poor cooperative management of transboundary rivers; Poor funding and governance over funds; Rivers converting into drains; Climate change is worsening the situation. Probable causes of the listed issues: Listing of identified probable causes to the problems is quiet an important task to be performed. Identifying correct causes to any issue is the beginning of finding a solution, which will last till the solution is implemented. Our policies based on water lack different directions of making it and having it available to the public. As responsible and rightful citizens, we must be aware of present and future conditions, and the prediction of future scenario. There are many probable causes to the above said problems, which have been investigated from time to time in various parts of the world. Policies are made to stop overexploitation and sustainable use of water, but India still face the problem of non-availability of fresh and potable water to all. In 1992, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit), Agenda 21, called for sustainable development indicators (SDIs) to “provide solid bases for decision-making at all levels and to contribute to a self-regulating sustainability of integrated environment and development system”.(Roy & Pramanick, 2019) SDGs incorporate three pillars of sustainable development i.e., Environment, Economy, and Society. Out of 17 SDG goals, SDG-6 ensures clean water and sanitation facility for all. The goal is linked to other SDGs like No Poverty, zero Hunger, Gender equality, good health and wellbeing, life below water and life on land etc. Each goal has a role to play, considering the present situations, the goals have been worked upon but the efficiency of government to collectively make policies having the SDGs in mind is a doubtful scenario. Incorporating these three pillars in a framework will help understanding the current environmental needs considering society with an optimized use of Economy of the country. A major problem of lakes disappearing is seen in major parts of Bihar, Delhi, Bengaluru, Jaipur, Hyderabad, and the list goes on. “Water bodies being dumped with garbage, lack of cleaning of major sources and poor enforcements have led to lake-destruction in many parts of the country. The trends of Civilisations being set up near water bodies have taken advances and the people now live near drains, which once used to be rivers.” Agriculture consumes most of the ground water

ESG and Climate Risk Science and Technology

Water Quality Management – A New Perspective based on the Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA) Framework

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October 2, 2022
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Key Highlights This article brings to focus the issue of water quality management Limits of water treatment can be obviated by smart water quality management. Reckless mining of resources has also caused contamination of the water bodies Appropriate water quality based on the application is important to ensure optimum utilization of resources and sustainable growth Nuanced policy framework is required to make sure the right quality and quantity is made available to the user The UDA framework is required to comprehensively manage the entire water quality aspect Heading Freshwater is going to be the most critical issue for human survival and wellbeing soon. The lack of it or too much of it, both are making life difficult for us. The urban flooding being seen in the recent times across cities, is a major cause of worry. The dry seasons see acute shortages and it is important to look at long term measures. The double whammy of excess and shortage at the same time, is a direct consequence of poor water resource management. The water resource management is certainly a concern area, however, this article brings to focus, the issue of water quality management. Effective water resource management must have an integral component of water quality management to ensure calibrated usage of water based on the application and specific quality requirement. The conventional system does not have graded water availability across multiple applications. The same water is supplied for domestic, agricultural, industrial, re-creational and many more applications. In the domestic usage there is no difference in the water supplied for drinking and sanitation. The concept of real-time water quality assessment is yet to be introduced. When we analyze the water quality management issue, we need to drive the source-path-receiver model. Source: The sources of water include ground water and surface water. As seen in the hydrological cycle, the multiple other sources like glaciers, rain (precipitation), and many more finally come down to settle in these two sources. The various human and natural activities have caused severe biological and chemical contamination of both the sources. Let us discuss each of these causes to elaborate on the cause and effect: Anthropogenic Impact: The agricultural practices of high use of fertilizers, pesticides, and multiple other chemicals over several decades without any impact assessment has caused massive levels of ground water contamination. The industrial discharges of harmful toxins, without proper treatment has caused severe degradation of the water bodies. The disposal of domestic and industrial waste without proper treatment further causes contamination of the water bodies through direct and indirect means. The reckless mining of resources has also caused contamination of the water bodies. Water bodies are easy dumping ground for waste and other material. Natural Impact: In addition to the anthropogenic causes, the natural phenomenon like climate change, natural disasters and others also impact the water quality management. The climate change is directly impacting the hydrological cycle and thus causing unacceptable levels of contamination due to reduced water levels per unit contaminant. The natural disasters are putting the entire waste management system, out of gear and thus enhancing the contamination levels. Flooding, erosion, and many more natural disasters, cause serious contamination of the surface & ground water sources. Path: The flow of the water from the source to the receiver is another cause of contamination. The massive urbanization has cause concretization thereby reducing the groundwater recharging at a massive scale. The unregulated waste disposal and use of chemicals across stakeholder, further causes massive contamination during this flow. “Stagnation of the flow is also a major cause of biological contamination. Industrialization, natural disasters, and many other causes are a reason for stagnation of the water bodies, causing severe contamination” Receiver: The availability of the appropriate water quality based on the application is important to ensure optimum utilization of resources and sustainable growth. The consumer, must be made accountable for the usage and minimize wastage. The democratization of the water is a very tricky issue and needs a nuanced approach. The governance mechanism needs to be balanced and manage the local site specific socio-economic and socio-political realities. A nuanced policy framework is required to make sure the right quality and quantity is made available to the user. The spatio-temporal real-time water quality monitoring becomes the most critical start point for any water quality management initiative. The data driven policy framework will allow good governance, necessary for any attempt at nuanced water quality management. The digitization of the entire water quality management will allow prediction of the future trends and facilitate well informed interventions. The contamination and the corresponding water quality degradation takes a long time, however once it sets in then it is extremely difficult to reverse. Thus, prediction will be a very critical aspect of the overall management in the long term. The Underwater Domain Awareness (UDA), in the holistic sense is thus, the key to water quality management. “The UDA in the holistic sense translates to transparency in these water bodies with real-time spatio-temporal appreciation of the developments below the water surface. The precise and accurate data gathering on all aspects of water quality and detailed analysis on the past, present, and future will be the most important component of the decision making. The UDA realization must be undertaken in three steps:” To See will mean deployment of sensors at the appropriate location for continuous data gathering with adequate spatio-temporal resolution. The sensors with appropriate specification for comprehensively measuring all the water quality parameters will be required along with the platform to deploy these sensors at the appropriate location. These platforms could be static (buoys) or dynamic (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles) that could be deployed on surface and sub-surface. The ongoing ship borne or manual sample collection using boats is a sub-optimal method and cannot be scaled up to the level of automation required to deal with the present scenario. To Understand: The data collected always has significant distortions due to sensor, medium and ambient noise. The pre-processing is important to make sure

Blue Economy ESG and Climate Risk

The Brahmaputra’s silent riparian: the silent biodiversity of the river

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September 29, 2022
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Key Highlights Brahmaputra region is home to unique flora and fauna Ensuring adequate conservation of natural capital along the Brahmaputra River has become one of the most essential prioritises Efforts should be made in the Brahmaputra basin for its sustainable development Species and their habitat must be protected to ensure the survival of all living things Heading The Brahmaputra basin is home to diverse ecosystems ranging from the Himalayan Mountains to the fertile plains of Assam and West Bengal. Due to the basin’s capacity to absorb floods, it also includes the flood plains of Assam and Bangladesh, which results in an incredible variety of ecosystems, forest/vegetation, wildlife, and all biotic and non-biotic components of nature. Almost 75 protected areas exist in the region of Northeast India, which explains its biodiversity. North-east India’s Brahmaputra basin belongs to the Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot, one of the 25 mega biodiversity hotspots recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. In India, it is the richest reservoir of biodiversity due to its unique physiographic and climatic characteristics. With 59% forest cover in the north-eastern region of India, this region is the most forested in the country. The region supports a wide variety of vegetation types including cultivated plains grasslands, meadows, marshes, swamps, and forests (scrub, mixed deciduous, humid evergreen, temperate, and even alpine). The region is home to unique flora and fauna. Forest growth is supported by its effects in downstream areas. There are many valuable timber trees growing in Assam, as well as the lac insect that produces resin for the manufacture of shellac and bamboo thickets is commonly found in Assam and Bangladesh. Mangrove swamps in the delta region are home to many halophytic plants including Nipa palms. Some of the key biodiversity species are mentioned below: KEY FAUNA Tiger (Panthera tigris), clouded leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa), capped langur, (Semnopithecus pileatus), gaur (Bos gaurus), barasingha deer (Cervus duvaucelii), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), wild water buffalo (Bubalus arnee), India’s largest population of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) and the world’s largest population of Indian rhinoceros, and Asian black bears, along with pygmy hog, hispid hare, or the Malayan sun bear, pig-tailed macaque, golden langur, stump-tailed macaque, western hoolock gibbon. KEY FLORA Evergreen Syzygium, Cinnamomum and Magnoliaceae along with deciduous Terminalia myriocarpa, Terminalia citrina, Terminalia tomentosa, Tetrameles species. Understory trees and shrubs include the laurels Phoebe, Machilus, and Actinodaphne, Polyalthias, Aphanamixis, and cultivated Mesua ferrea and species of mahogany, cashews, nutmegs, and magnolias, with bamboos such as Bambusa arundinaria and Melocanna bambusoides. BIRDLIFE 370 species of birds with two endemic (the Manipur bush quail (Perdicula manipurensis) and the marsh babbler (Pellorneum palustre)) It is a place of rich flora and fauna Diverse tributaries sustain a diverse ecoregion that facilitates the growth of various forest types and is home to endangered and threatened species including the Great One-horned Rhinoceros, Wild Water Buffalo, Royal Bengal Tiger, and Indian Elephant, as well as the critically endangered Ganges dolphin, which lives on the Red River. The Indian government contributes additional funds to developing infrastructure under its ‘Act East Policy’, which enhances the tourism industry as a whole. Kaziranga, Orang, Dibru-Saikhowa, Manas and Nameri are among the five national parks in Assam covered by the Center’s ‘Swadesh Darshan.’ “In addition, ensuring adequate conservation of natural capital along the Brahmaputra River has become one of the most essential prioritises according to the global agendas of the sustainable development goals and the climate change and biodiversity commitments of India. ” However, the Brahmaputra River basin which harbours a rich and unique biodiversity is now facing an enormous threat due to various factors such as flooding and erosion, water resource development, climate change, and oil exploration. In the north east region, about 600 plant species are endangered, threatened, or rare; there are almost 800 orchids and 67 species at risk (32 mammals, 28 birds, 6 reptiles and 1 amphibian). In order to develop the Brahmaputra basin in a systematic manner, the issues discussed above need to be addressed carefully. “Even though the government has always made efforts to develop the basin, conserve biodiversity, protect ecosystems, etc., the studies indicate that more work still needs to be done in these areas. ” Although the Brahmaputra River is one of the largest river systems on the planet, it is also one of the most under-studied, underdeveloped, and under-explored ones. In order to address key issues such as floods, sedimentation, water quality, aquatic biodiversity, etc., efforts should be made in the Brahmaputra basin for its sustainable development. As the population of the Brahmaputra River basin continues to grow, it is undergoing rapid industrial, agricultural, and economic development. “As a result, the government should also devote more financial and physical resources to developing more rigorous scientific research for the basin. As it forms a unique river system, specific policies and action plans should also be developed to address these challenges.” A diverse range of spiritual, cultural, aesthetic, and recreational values are associated with biodiversity, which contributes to the maintenance of ecological balance and evolutionary processes in natural resources, and human survival and well-being are heavily dependent on these natural resources. As a matter of fact, biological resources play a crucial role in human livelihoods and have assets that families generally depend on to survive. They indicate a wide range and abundance of species and their habitats, which must be protected to ensure the survival of all living things. Ananya Malik About Author Ananya Malik is an associate at MRC. Her research involves geopolitical, social, and ecological analysis of transboundary waters particularly Brahmaputra River. She is an alumnus of TERI where she did her masters in water science and governance. Her other research areas include climate risk, water security and carbon finance.

Science and Technology

Advanced approaches and advancements in range predictions for Passive Sonar

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September 18, 2022
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Key Highlights Even though there are many internal and external criticisms, IWT has managed to survive several wars and military standoffs between India and Pakistan. By hindering economic growth, the IWT has increased the domestic dispute over Kashmir. Kashmiris have grievances against the pact since it forbids India from using the western rivers for cultivation, hydroelectric generation, or navigation. The scientific community in India emphasizes the need for additional research and evaluations as a basis for debates on transboundary water management in the country. The treaty offers outdated technical guidance that is unable to address the ongoing technological disputes with Indus. The IWT is a permanent agreement that has no expiration date, in contrast to treaties like the 1964 Columbia River Treaty between the US and Canada, which allows either of its signatories to choose to renegotiate it after 50 years. Overview Passive sonar is a method for detecting acoustic signals in an underwater environment, usually the ocean. From a historical perspective, the main impetus for the research and development of passive sonar has been its military applications, particularly the acoustic detection of submarines. Passive sonar is a mature technology in the sense that improvements are expected to be incremental. Although the inexorable advancement of electronics continues to open new vistas for system improvement, progress is restrained by difficulty in algorithm development. For instance, many functions within current sonar systems would be highly advantageous to automate. Still, progress in algorithm development for automation has been slow to date, which drives us towards the industrialization and development of new and efficient algorithms for passive sonar simulation design and development. Sonar Detection Range and Its Benefits Sonar detection range is one of the most important indexes to investigate the performance of sonar equipment. The prediction of sonar action range plays a vital role in mastering sonar detection performance and improving the probability of target detection. The primary function of passive sonar is to detect a target in the context of ambient noise in the background and transmission loss related to underwater sound propagation. The sonar performance model quantifies sonar performance in effective detection by careful and detailed analysis of terms associated with the passive sonar equation. Representation of transmission loss curve, low-frequency environment noise mapping curve solution,3D mapping of radiated noise, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) using complex mathematical calculations Models are essential for effective use of sonar and help us visualize and solve real-world problems. With support receiver operating characteristics (ROC) for different values of SNR (signal to noise ratio), detection threshold (DT), and studying existing models and techniques for path loss, the effective range can be calculated. The detected range can therefore be used to search or monitor any area of interest in the ocean and provide theoretical support for the effective use of sonar equipment. Range in terms of passive sonar states that according to detection probability and false alarm probability, how efficiently passive sonar can work and how much area can it cover given the detection probability and false alarm probability. The Probability of Detection (PD) is the probability of making a correct ‘signal present’ decision. It is the probability of saying that a “1” event is true, given that a “1” event occurred. The probability of False Alarm (Pfa) is the probability of making an incorrect ‘signal present’ decision. It is the probability of saying that event “1” is true given that event “0” occurred. “We are solving a problem that can play a significant role in developing passive sonar simulation, which can help the government and corporate sector and can help develop all the maritime domains. The detection range against a submarine is a crucial parameter in the planning and executing a strategy and tactics of anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations, and precise information about the performance characteristics of submarines, such as the amount of noise they produce, is not available in unclassified sources.” This can be a key benefit because it certainly increases the effective search area, and it can work efficiently at better locations. The deployment certainly depends upon the range of passive sonar so that we can easily cover our reason of interest and give valuable insights. Passive Sonar: Passive sonar is a method for detecting acoustic signals in an underwater environment, usually the ocean. The difference between passive and active sonar is that a passive solar system emits no signals; instead, its purpose is to detect the acoustic signals emanating from external sources. From an historical perspective, the main impetus for the research and development of passive sonar has been its military applications the acoustic detection of submarines. The pace of military research has abated in recent years, as the introduction of increasingly quiet submarines into service has shifted the focus to active sonar. However, new applications of passive sonar continue to appear; for example, a heightened awareness of environmental issues has spurred the development of passive techniques for detecting whales. Unlike active sonar, only one-way propagation is involved. Because of the different signal processing used, the minimal detectable signal-to-noise ratio will be different. The equation for determining the performance of a passive sonar is: SL − TL = NL − AG + DT Here, the SL is the source level, PL is the propagation loss, NL is the noise level, AG is the array gain and DT is the detection threshold. The figure of merit of a passive sonar is FOM = SL + AG − (NL + DT). New High-End Technologies and Advancements in the field Advancements in signal processing and oceanographic modelling Work towards increasing sophisticated sonar performance prediction models predicting the fluctuations in the signal and background waveforms along with oceanographic features that cause them. Increasingly sophisticated sonar hardware and processing software, leading to a need for increasingly detailed modelling of linear or non-linear pressure and particle velocity fields; increasingly sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the oceanographic features responsible for fluctuations in both signal and background (surface waves, internal waves, multiscale seabed roughness, etc.); increasingly powerful computing facilities,