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The Hindu
20-07-2025
- Science
- The Hindu
Team makes powerful water filter with help from light, vibrations
Scientists from the Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) in Mohali, IIT-Dharwad, and IIT-Kharagpur have designed a cheap, reusable water filter. Industrial plants release dyes such as Congo Red and Methylene Blue into rivers and groundwater, from where they can cause stomach, skin, and breathing illnesses. Ozone, Fenton chemistry and other methods work to clean the water, but they burn through chemicals and electricity, expanding cost and the carbon footprint. The new filter has been designed to sidestep these and other problems. Its development was reported in a paper in the July edition of Nano Energy. The researchers first 3D printed thin, sponge-like sheets of polylactic acid (PLA), a biodegradable plastic often used in compostable cups. PLA is naturally water-repelling, so the team soaked each sheet in a mild sodium-hydroxide solution to make it water-loving. Next, they made nanoparticles of bismuth ferrite (BFO) and dipped the prepared PLA sheets into a BFO ink. Treated sheets stayed strong through five reuse cycles, losing only about 3% of their cleaning power. Under visible light, the BFO acted like a solar-powered catalyst that split water molecules and created highly reactive radicals that shred organic dye molecules. And when shaken by ultrasound, BFO's piezoelectric nature generated an internal electric field that drove the same radical-making reactions even in the dark. Combining both light and vibration yielded piezo-photocatalysis, a process that worked day or night. During tests, when light and vibration were used together, the filter removed about 99% of Congo Red and 74% of Methylene Blue in 90 minutes. It also partially cleaned real wastewater collected from a textile plant. To understand its performance, the authors turned to machine-learning regression models. They fed the computer thousands of experimental data points, including dye concentration, catalyst amount, light intensity, and ultrasound frequency. Modern algorithms such as random forests, XGBoost, and an artificial neural network learned how these factors interacted. The best models closely matched the experimental results, which they hadn't seen, well enough to prove artificial intelligence could accurately forecast how fast the dyes vanished in different conditions. 'We are thinking of scaling up production and using the filter near treatment plants, where water bodies are regularly polluted,' Aviru Basu, INST scientist and corresponding author of the paper, said, adding that the team looks forward to its use in Jal Nigam and Namami Gange projects as well. 'Dr. Adreeja Basu, a plant biotechnologist and professor at Chandigarh University, is also helping us a lot in our efforts to make this product more sustainable using plant-derived products,' Dr. Aviru Basu added.
Time of India
15-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Sewage flows into green belt, NGT fines Jal Board, Loni civic body Rs 24 crore
Ghaziabad: The National Green Tribunal has imposed a fine of Rs 21.5 crore on UP Jal Board and Rs 2.5 crore on Loni nagar palika parishad as environmental compensation under the Water Act, 1974, for their failure to check sewage discharge on a green belt, which has polluted both the environment and underground water. The tribunal has also issued directives for setting up a joint committee comprising UPPCB, Ghaziabad DM, CPCB and a representative of the environment ministry to prepare an environment rejuvenation plan and utilise the compensation realised from violators for remediation and restoration of the damaged green belt within three months. The tribunal bench, comprising judicial members justices Sudhir Agrawal and Arun Kumar Tyagi, and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad, issued the directions while hearing a petition filed by Hari Om Gupta on behalf of residents of Ansal East End in Loni's Sector C-1. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida The petitioner had accused the civic agencies of dumping hazardous municipal waste and sewage in the green belt of the trans-Delhi Signature City area between 2020 and 2024. In its verdict, pronounced Monday, the NGT observed that the government agencies continued to dump wastewater on the area's greenbelt. It held Loni nagar palika parishad, Jal Nigam, NHAI, and its contractors guilty of violating the provisions of Section 24 of the Water Act, 1974. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 잦은 무릎통증.. 수술없이 / 단 1회 주사 / 당일복귀 가능하다?? 무릎치료 30년 - 장덕한방병원 서초본원(서울,강남) 더 알아보기 Undo It noted that areas under Loni Nagar Palika Parishad generate 108 MLD of solid waste on average, but had only one STP with a capacity to treat 30 MLD. It said UP Jal Nigam under the UPWSS Act, 1975, was responsible for treating solid waste generated in the area. The tribunal gave the nagar palika parishad, UP urban development department and Jal Nigam one year to construct a 108MLD STP, lay a sewer network and upgrade the existing 30 MLD STP to meet the prescribed standards. It imposed a Rs 2.5 crore fine in environmental compensation on the nagar palika parishad for the violation period from July 1, 2020, to March 31, 2024, and asked UPCCB to compute the costs for the subsequent period. It directed UPPCB to also compute the EC for Jal Board for the subsequent period after imposing a penalty of Rs 21.5 crore for violation from Jan 20, 2024, to Nov 13, 2024. The tribunal said the environment rejuvenation plan must be executed within six months of the fines being recovered, and a compliance report submitted within the next 30 days.
Time of India
11-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Prayagraj to have threemore STPs, cow shelters
Prayagraj: In a major development aimed at improving sanitation and environmental conditions in Prayagraj, three new Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) will be constructed in Naini, Jhunsi, and Phaphamau. These plants are expected to serve city's expanding areas by treating sewage water with cutting-edge technology. The rural unit of the Jal Nigam has already initiated surveys in the extended parts of the city to determine the optimal locations and capacity requirements for these new STPs. The upcoming plants will have the capacity to treat three times more sewage water than the existing plants, significantly enhancing the volume of purified water released into the sacred Ganga and Yamuna rivers. Currently, the operational plants in the city manage to reduce Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) levels to 30 milligrams per litre. However, the new plants will treat sewage water to achieve a much stricter BOD level of 10 milligrams per litre, aligning with recent directives from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). This improvement is expected to play a crucial role in the ongoing efforts to restore the purity of the Ganga. Project manager at Jal Nigam, Surendra Parmar informed that prior to Maha Kumbh festival, one STP each was commissioned in Naini, Jhunsi, and Phaphamau. Naini currently operates three such plants, and with the new addition, it will have four, while Jhunsi and Phaphamau will each have two. The newly proposed plants will treat sewage water from the city's newly developed areas. The surveys are focusing on estimating the capacity required for each plant, keeping future population growth in mind to ensure long-term sustainability. In a related development concerning animal welfare, the district administration has secured govt approval to construct three large permanent cow shelters (goshala), each capable of housing 20,000 bovines. Currently, the district has 32 cow shelters accommodating a total of 23,000 animals. However, many shelters are overcrowded beyond their intended capacity, a situation that has triggered repeated complaints. To alleviate this, new permanent goshala facilities will be built on one-acre plots of land, to be acquired primarily from village panchayats. These shelters will be equipped with proper sheds, water supply and fodder arrangements. Notably, a designated portion of the land will be reserved for fodder cultivation. Since fodder scarcity has been a persistent issue in existing shelters, the new strategy aims to grow sufficient green fodder on-site, with any surplus to be shared with other shelters in need.
Hindustan Times
08-07-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Floating invaders continue to haunt Gomti
Water hyacinth and solid waste have found a way to pollute large stretches of the Gomti seemingly after every clean-up drive. Even on Monday, thick clusters of the invasive plant covered the river's surface near Hanuman Setu. (Mushtaq Ali/HT) 'The river's natural flow is restricted by temporary dams and earth embankments, turning it into a stagnant water body. Combined with untreated sewage, this accelerates hyacinth growth,' said environmental expert Dr. Venkatesh Dutta. Amid concerns over the river's deteriorating health, divisional commissioner Roshan Jacob has directed officials concerned to take urgent measures to revive the Gomti. Top officials, including LDA vice chairman Prathamesh Kumar and municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, attended Monday's meeting. In the meeting, Jal Nigam officials said out of 32 drains that discharge their waste into the Gomti, 26 had been tapped. Of the 730 MLD (million litres per day) of wastewater flowing into the river, 600 MLD was treated, they said. Jacob instructed them to ensure that even the remaining drains were tapped and that only treated water was released into the river. She also directed the Municipal Corporation to install grills at all drain outfalls to prevent solid waste from entering the river. Jacob instructed LMC to ensure regular clean-up of floating waste and take steps to collect cow dung from Kaithal Colony and deliver it to the biogas plant under construction in Vasant Kunj Yojana. Reviewing the progress on the Kukrail River, she noted that dredging on five km had been completed. She directed LMC and LDA to conduct plantation drives along the cleaned stretch under the Pavitra Dhara programme. To this, the municipal commissioner said LMC currently had limited manpower and machinery to tackle the issue effectively. 'We are working on a revised action plan as instructed by the divisional commissioner,' he said. About the recurring hyacinth problem, LMC chief mechanical engineer Manoj Prabhat acknowledged that the shortage of manpower was hindering the civic body's efforts. 'In some areas, only two workers manage every two kilometres, which is inadequate against the fast-spreading hyacinth.' Another LMC official said, 'Despite spending lakhs on cleaning, the results are negligible because polluted drains remain untapped.' The Gomti covers a stretch of 30 km in Lucknow.
Hans India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
UP govt gears up for green push with mega plantation drive, ministers to plant saplings in all 75 districts
The Uttar Pradesh government is all set to launch a mega plantation drive on Wednesday, hoping to turn it into a historic and unprecedented event. Under this green initiative, 37 crore saplings will be planted across all districts of the state in a single day. Various ministers of the Yogi Adityanath government will lead the campaign by planting saplings across all 75 districts. Senior administrative officers have been designated as district nodal officers, who will reach their respective districts on Tuesday to review preparations. Officers from the Forest Department are coordinating with various departments and ministries to ensure seamless execution. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will lead plantation drives in Ayodhya and Azamgarh, accompanied by Forest Minister (Independent Charge) Dr Arun Saxena and Minister of State for Forests KP Malik. Governor Anandiben Patel will participate in the campaign from Barabanki, while State Minister Satish Sharma will represent the state government there. Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak will plant saplings in Meerut and Lucknow, respectively. From Cabinet Ministers to Ministers of State (Independent Charge) and state ministers, all will lead the initiative across all 75 districts. According to information shared by the government, cabinet minister Suresh Khanna will lead the plantation drive in Shahjahanpur, Surya Pratap Shahi in Ayodhya, and Swatantra Dev Singh in Gorakhpur, while other ministers like Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' will take the lead in Prayagraj, Anil Rajbhar in Azamgarh, Rakesh Sachan in Kanpur Dehat, AK Sharma in Jaunpur, Yogendra Upadhyay in Agra, Dr Sanjay Nishad in Ambedkar Nagar and Om Prakash Rajbhar in Ghazipur. Senior officials have been appointed as nodal officers for the Plantation Drive-2025 across various districts. Principal Secretary M. Devraj will oversee Prayagraj, while Jal Nigam (Rural) MD Dr Rajshekhar will be in Varanasi. The CEO of Invest UP, Vijay Kiran Anand, is assigned to Jaunpur, and Medical Health Secretary Dr Pinky Jovel to Mirzapur. Ayodhya will be overseen by Principal Secretary (Irrigation and Water Resources) Anil Garg, Barabanki by Basic Education Secretary Sarika Mohan, and Lucknow by Principal Secretary (Medical Health) Parthasarathi Sen Sharma. For the success of Plantation Drive-2025, Forest Department officials are also coordinating with all relevant departments and ministries.
