DEBATE : OVER UP GOVERNMENT DRAFT --POPULATION(CONTROL, STABILISATION AND WELFARE ) BILL, 2021

 UTTAR PRADESH GOVERNMENT DRAFT --POPULATION(CONTROL, STABILISATION AND WELFARE ) BILL, 2021

On World Population Day (11th July), Uttar Pradesh government announced a new population policy for 2021-2030.

• The new policy has provisions to give incentives to those who help in population control.
• THE UTTAR PRADESH GOVERNMENT'S DRAFT LEGISLATION-THE POPULATION (CONTROL,STABILISATION AND WELFARE) BILL, 2021-- INTRODUCING A MANDATORY TWO CHILD NORM.

 

Highlights of the draft bill on population control:

The new policy aims at:

1. Decreasing the total fertility rate from 2.7 to 2.1 by 2026 and 1.7 by 2030.
2. Increase modern contraceptive prevalence rate from 31.7% to 45% by 2026 and 52% by 2030.
3. Increase male methods of contraception use from 10.8% to 15.1% by 2026 and 16.4% by 2030.
4. Decrease maternal mortality rate from 197 to 150 to 98, and infant mortality rate from 43 to 32 to 22, and under 5 infant mortality rate from 47 to 35 to 25.

 

Focus areas:

1. To increase the accessibility of contraceptive measures issued under the Family Planning Programme and provide a proper system for safe abortion.
2. To reduce the newborns’ and maternal mortality rate.
3. To provide for care of the elderly, and better management of education, health, and nutrition of adolescents between 11 to 19 years.

 

Incentives:

1. Promotions, increments, concessions in housing schemes and others perks to employees who adhere to population control norms, and have two or less children.
2. Public servants who adopt the two-child norm will get two additional increments during the entire service, maternity or as the case may be, paternity leave of 12 months, with full salary and allowances and three percent increase in the employer’s contribution fund under the National Pension Scheme.
3. For those who are not government employees and still contribute towards keeping the population in check, will get benefits in like rebates in taxes on water, housing, home loans etc.
4. If the parent of a child opts for vasectomy, he/she will be eligible for free medical facilities till the age of 20.

The Uttar Pradesh government plans to set up a state population fund to implement the measures.

 

Awareness creation:

• The draft bill also asks the state government to introduce population control as compulsory subject in all secondary schools.

 

Applicability:

1. The provision of this legislation shall apply to a married couple where the boy is not less than 21 years of age and the girl is not less than 18.
2. The policy will be voluntary – it will not be enforced upon anyone.

 

Need for these measures:

Overpopulation exerts strain on resources. It is therefore necessary and urgent that the provision of basic necessities of human life including affordable food, safe drinking water, decent housing, access to quality education, economic/livelihood opportunities, power/electricity for domestic consumption, and a secure living is accessible to all citizens.

 

Issues and concerns associated with the Bill:

1. Experts have advised caution against any population policy that puts women’s health and well being at risk.
2. Given that the burden of contraception and family planning disproportionately falls on women, it is likely that female sterilisation will increase further.
3. Stringent population control measures can potentially lead to an increase in these practices and unsafe abortions given the strong son-preference in India, as has been witnessed in a few states in the past. 
4. State already undergoing a declining fertility rate (TFR), which already halved from 4.82 in 1993 to 2.7 in 2016. it is estimated that the state will achieve the replacement level of TFR(2.1) by 2025.
5. Women organisations termed it unconstitution, for violating the rights to equality as it enforces compulsion, attempts to control womens bodily rigts and fertility, will expose them to domestic violence and abusive relationships.
6. The empirical studies reiterated that socio-economic empowerment of families is far more effective way in limiting the family size, enabling women to opt for reduced fertility rates as rational choices.
7. political parties dubbed the UP bill an 'election propaganda' to attack muslim communities

Arsenic contamination of groundwater India case study

     

ARSENIC CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER IN INDIA :---->

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STUDIES CARRIED BY NATIONAL RURAL DRINKING WATER PROGRAMME (NRDWP)---2018, PUBLIC HEALTH ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT (PHED) DATA--2016 , LATEST REPORT OF THE CENTRAL GROUND WATER BOARD (CGWB)--2019 ALL SAYS THAT ARSENIC CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER IS ONE OF THE CRIPPLING ISSUES IN THE DRINKING WATER SCENARIO OF INDIA BUT THE RESULT OF ARSENIC(As) CONTAMINATION VARIES.

THE STATES ALONG THE GANAGA-BRAHMAPUTRA-MEGHANA RIVER BASINS SUCH AS  UTTAR PRADESH, BIHAR, JHARKHAND, WEST BENGAL AND ASSAM ARE WORST AFFECTED BY THIS HUMAN-AMPLIFIED GEOGENIC OCCURANCE. DUE TO LACK OF TESTING AND STUDIES WE HAVE UNDERESTIMATED DATA BUT DISTRICT AFFECTED BY "As" IS GROWING, THE INCONSISTENT DATA CAN BE TERMED AS "MISSED DISTRKICT". 

RANKWISE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF ARSENIC AFFECTED AREAS IN INDIA ARE :

RANK 1: ASSAM--17 DISTRICT AFFECTED

RANK 2 : WEST BENGAL --

RANK 3 : BIHAR

RANK 4 : U.P.

RANK 5 : JHARKHAND

RANK 6: CHHATTISGARH

OTHERS ARE : KARNATAKA, PUNJAB AND HARYANA

ACCORDING TO NRDWP-2018 REPORT, 46 DISTRICT HAS ARSENIC LEVEL LIES BETWEEN 0.01-0.05mg/L AND 17 DISTRICTS WHERE ARSENIC LEVEL IS BEYOND 0.05mg/L. THESE DISTRICTS HAVE ARSENIC LEVEL ABOVE THE BUREAU OF INDIAN STANDARD (BIS) PERMISSIBLE LIMIT FOR SAFE DRINKING WATER IS BELOW 0.01mg/L.

in the world arsenic contamination are given in world map ..

WHY WE CONCERN ABOUT ARSENIC CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER ?

 ARSENIC CONTAMINATED GROUND WATER IS USED FOR DRINKING, IRRIGATION OF AGRICULTURAL FIELDS TO GROW DIFFERENT FOOD CROPS AND VEGETABLES. THE ENTRY OF ARSENIC IN FOOD CHAIN LEADS TO DIFFUSED CONTAMINATION, POSSIBILITIES OF BIO-MAGNIFICATION IN FOOD PRODUCTS. THE RICE, WHEAT, VEGETABLES, FEEDER CROPS OF LIVESTOCKS. CATTLE PRODUCTS CONTAMINATION ALONG WITH DRINKING WATER.

ARSENIC (As) BELONGS TO THE SAME GROUP AS NITROGEN, PHOSPHOSROUS IN THE PERIODIC TABLE MEANS ARSENIC HAS STRUCTURAL SIMILARITY AND CELLULAR METTALOID TRANSPORT SYSTEM LIKE PHOSPHATE CALLED ARSENATE. THUS, THE LIVING ORGANISM LIKE PLANTS AND ANIMALS TAKES UP ARSENATE ALONG WITH PHOSPAHATE (3-OH group) .

ADVESRE IMPACT ON HUMAN HEALTH OF ARSENIC CONTMINATIONS ARE : SINCE, As is TOXIC, POSIONIOUS AND CARCINOGENIC AND ITS ACCUMULATION IN THE BODY MORE THE PERMISSIBLE LIMITS THEN CAUSE ARSENICOSIS. IT LEADS TO TO ADVERSE IMPACT ON HEALTH BY INHIBITING ESSENTIAL ENZYMES, WHICH ULTIMATELY LEADS TO DEATH FROM MULTI-ORGAN SYSTEM FAILURE. IT LEADS TO SKIN DAMAGES, SKIN CANCERS, DISEASES OF VASCULAR SYSTEM, DIABETES, ADVERSE REPRODUCTIVE OUTCOMES.

CAUSES OF HIGH ARSENIC IN GANGA-BRHAMAPUTRA-MEGHANA BASIN :---->

GENERALLY THERE ARE TWO MECHANISM TO BUILD ARSENIC IN SOIL AND GROUND WATERS . 1) UNDER HIGH pH AND OXIDISING CONDITIONS (pH >> 8.5) AND 2) UNDER REDUCING ACUIFERS CONDITIONS , HERE CHEMICAL FORM ARSENIC DEPENDS ON REDOX POTENTIAL.

                                 IN INDIA THE NORTHERN PLAINS ALLUVIAL SOIL AREAS GROUND WATER IS BEING CONTAMINATED WITH ARSENIC DUE TO HIMALAYAS CONTAINS ARSENIC RICH ROCKS SUCH AS PYRITES (FeS2) WHICH UNDERGOES EXCESSIVE WEATHERING AND EROSION . THE ERODED MATERIAL SUCH AS FINE SILT AND CLAY CARRIES BY RIVER SYSTEM AND FINALLY DEPOSITED IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND DELATS. THUS THE ALLUVIAL SOILS IS RICH IN ARSENIC, IT INFILTERATES WHEN GRONDWATER MOVEMENT IS SLOW IN NORTHERN PLAINS. HERE ORGAINIC MATTER GROWS, MICROBES BIND CARBON AND ARSENIC AND RELEASES THE ARSENIC IN GROUND WATERS. 

AGE OF THE AQUIFERS SEDIMENTS ALSO HELPS TO PREDICT THE OCCURENCE OF ARSENIC CONTAMINATED GROUND WATERS. THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF AQUIFERS . 

1) YOUNG AQUIFERS (HOLOCENE--10,000 YEARS TO PRESENT)-- MUCH YOUNGER, RECENT ALLUVIUM DEPOSITS, HAS YOUNG FRESH ORGANIC MATTER, FINE-GRAINED TEXTURE OF SEDIMENTS , AMORPHOUS MINERAL PHASE, OFTEN REDUCING CONDITIONS, ELEVATED ARSENIC LEVELS.

2) OLDER AQUIFER (PLEISTOCENE -- 1.8MILLION YEARS TO 10,000 YEARS AGO)--HAS LESS ORGANIC MATTER, COARSE GRAINED AND CRYSTALLINE PHASE, OXIC CONDITION, LOW ARSENIC  CONCENTRATION.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ARSENIC (As) CONTAMINATIONS ARE : (SUMMERY)

1) LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS ALLUVIAL PLAINS AND DELTAIC PLAINS

2) REDUCING GROUND WATERS (REDOX POTENTIAL)

3) ORGANIC RICH-SEDIMENTS

4) YOUNG SEDIMENTS

5) VOLCANIC ORES

6) AREAS AFFECTED BY LARGE SCALE PUMPING 

7) MINING ACTIVITIES

8) INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITIES 

THUS BOTH NATURAL AND HUMAN INDUCED ARSENIC CONTAMINATION  IS INCREASING .

MEASURES/ SOLUTION : FOR ARSENIC MANAGEMENT ARE :

1) ARSENIC REMOVAL UNITS THROUGH HAEMATITE GRANULES SEDIMENTATION )

2) USES OF SURFACE WATER SOURCES

3) EXPLORING AND HARNESSING ALTERNATE ARSENIC FREE AQUIFERS.

4) ADOPTING RAINWATER HARVESTING AND WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PRACTICES RAISE THE WATER TABLE.

GLOBAL METHANE EMISSION

GLOBAL METHANE EMISSION

METHANE(CH4) IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR OF GREENHOUSE GAS AFTER CARBON-DIOXIDE . 1 TON OF CH4 HAS 34 TIMES MORE POTENTIAL OF WARMING THAN 1 TON OF CARBON-DIOXIDE FOR 100 YEARS. LIFE TIME OF METHANE IS OF 9 YEARS. 

•Methane also contributes to tropospheric production of ozone, a pollutant that harms human health, foof production and ecosystems.

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•Methane also leads to production of water vapor in the stratosphere by chemical reactions, enhancing global warming.