Sustainability Outlook Headlines

Ahmedabad to have smart power grid by October

Come October and Ahmedabad will have probably India's first smart grid system in place where consumers will be able to pick a suitable plan for electricity consumption like they do for cellphones. Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Pvt Ltd (UGVCL) is set to roll out a modernized electric grid or the smart grid system in Naroda by October this year. 

Installation of new electric meters embedded with SIM cards has begun in Naroda by five companies including Reliance, Wipro, Crompton, L&T and Tapesh Energy. As many as 1,500 meters will be... Read more..

Water shortage hits Surat’s 125 textile processing units

 In a meeting held by the Southern Gujarat Textile Processing Association (SGTPA) on Monday, around 125 textile processing units in Pandesara GIDC area in Surat  decided to shut down their units during night and run day shifts only. The decision had come after the unit owners faced water shortage problems. With only one shift running, the textile industry will now face a loss of crores of rupees.

Recently the BJP municipal corporator of Varachha, Bhimji Patel, had identified an illegal water supply network by mafias in Pandesara area in Surat. The SMC officials had found that many... Read more..

German firm Passavant Energy & Environment bags wastewater treatment project in Punjab

Passavant Energy & Environment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Drake & Scull International (DSI) PJSC of Germany, has signed two contracts for a combined value of $28 million (103 million dirhams) for the construction and operation of two wastewater treatment plants in Punjab, the company has said. 

The winning of the new contracts for Amritsar Sewerage Project in Punjab further reinforces the company's growing presence in the subcontinent, and will help to consolidate its position in India, it said. 

Under the terms of the agreement, the Frankfurt based Passavant... Read more..

Eureka Forbes Makes Water from Air

 Eureka Forbes, a water purifying brand, is running an experiential campaign in Mumbai with Aquaguard Canters, where it forms water with air.

Water conservation is an important subject, although it is not top-of-the-mind for the common man. With India is facing problems such as water shortage or contamination, the need of the hour is to look for more non-conventional ways of sourcing and utilising water to do away with the scarcity and contamination.

A government report projects that by 2015, 334 million Indians will lack access to safe drinking water. Also the Indian... Read more..

Huntsman promotes 'Sustainability in Action' initiative

 In a company-wide effort spanning the globe, Huntsman Textile Effects has mobilized more than a quarter of its 3,000 strong associates at major facilities in eight countries to promote environmental sustainability through community activities. Clocking over 1,500 hours, this ‘Sustainability in Action’ initiative is the company’s latest global effort to support its ‘we see a better world’ focus. 

"As a leading supplier of dyes and textiles chemicals, Huntsman Textile Effects recognizes that we have a responsibility to not only create value for our stakeholders today but also make a... Read more..

SDMC orders to cut power, water supply of 39 car workshops

 Car owners of South and West Delhi will soon have to look for service stations outside their area after the south civic body hardened its stand on 39 workshops operating even after they got eviction notices for dumping toxic waste. The South Delhi Municipal Corporation has asked the discoms and the DJB to discontinue power and water supply at these workshops operating in residential areas.

Kaytee Automobiles in Mahipalpur Extension is among the 39 workshops operating even after receiving eviction notices.The action came following an order passed by the National Green Tribunal in... Read more..

TERI and USGBC join forces to promote high performance buildings in India

 The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced a strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of high performance buildings in India and Southeast Asia.

Developing a sustainable approach to the built environment is not only a global issue, but also a major concern for developing countries. TERI’s GRIHA (Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment) and USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) have partnered to promote the best of global and Indian practices to ensure efficiency of design,... Read more..

High-level co to assess Goa beaches pollution: Javadekar

 Asserting that Narendra Modi government was committed to "development without destruction", environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday said a high-level panel would assess reasons behind pollution in Goa coasts and formulate a redressal plan. 

A high-level committee comprising representatives from "Coast Guard, shipping directorate, National Environment Engineering Research Institute, Pollution Control Board and Goa government will meet this month to assess reasons behind pollution on Goa beaches and prepare a roadmap for its redressal," Javadekar said in Rajya Sabha. 

Moser Baer up 5%, Railway to use solar energy at stations

Shares of  Moser Baer India (MBIL) are locked at 5 percent upper circuit at Rs 12.32 on the Bombay Stock Exchange after Railway Minister Sadananda Gowda has said the railway will use station rooftops to harness solar energy.

Moser Baer Solar and Moser Baer Photo Voltaic, the two subsidiaries of MBIL, are involved in solar business globally including India. Company's total capacity at current efficiency levels is of 250MW. The company says its solar panels carry a warranty of 25 years, while some of its optical media products have a life span of 50-200 years.

Railway Minister... Read more..

Government mulls harvesting degraded forests

India's forest cover continues to hold steady at 21 per cent of the country's geographical area despite pressure from increasing population, urbanisation and industrial use, and increased demand for cattle grazing, according to a government survey. 

While total forest cover remains stable, there has been an increase of nearly 3 per cent in open forest area, which has the lowest tree canopy density. The government plans to "harvest forests" in these areas and in degraded forests which are classified as scrub. 

... Read more..

Cyan eyes R-APDRP, smart grid contracts in India #eGovWatch

 With projects in hand from two major power utilities in India — Tata Power and Essel, Cyan , a wireless solutions provider for utilities is now hopeful of being a part of the smart grid ecosystem in the country.

Recently, Tata Power Mumbai has selected a consortium led by Larson & Turbo to deploy Cyan’s CyLec Advanced Metering Infrastructure. Cyan's 865 MHz radio communication modules will be installed inside the L&T smart meters that will be deployed for Tata. The initial contract with Tata is for the deployment of 5,000 consumer meters in a district in Mumbai and is... Read more..

New Delhi Municipal Council draws plan for solar power

 In line with its project to earn the tag of 'solar city' for the New Delhi area of the national capital, NDMC has now drawn up a detailed plan for rooftop solar energy generation. 

New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has identified 40 buildings in the area under its jurisdiction for installation of rooftop solar panels, its chairperson Jalaj Shrivastava has said. 

The buildings belong to the civic agency and range from NDMC schools, sub-stations, inquiry offices, hospitals, etc. "We selected our own buildings for the pilot project as we did not require NOC for that from any... Read more..