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<keyword id="53848" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Air-quality" source="Orion">Air quality</keyword> across Delhi continued to be in the 'very poor' category with AQI at 324. "With severe air quality and high level of pollution in Delhi-NCR, we are observing an increase in number of patients coming to us with complains of redness, Itching, and watering in the eyes," said Dr Ikeda Lal, Cornea and Refractory Surgery Specialist, at Delhi Eye Centre and Sir Ganga Ram Hospital New Delhi. "Patients with pre-existing dry eyes are experiencing exacerbation due to high pollution. We are observing almost increase of 40 rise in number of patients coming to us with eye related problems," he added. Dr Lal explained that pollutants and dust in the air is one of the major reasons for causing eye allergy and eye related problem. Delhi has been witnessing a steep increase in AQI levels after a marginal improvement on Sunday. The city's AQI stood at 348 at 4 pm on Monday, deteriorating from 301 on Sunday. The increase in AQI levels comes after the Centre on Saturday had removed stringent curbs, including a ban on construction work related to linear projects and the entry of polluting trucks, in Delhi following a drop in pollution levels due to favourable wind speed and direction. "The increase in the incidence of dry eye and ocular allergy is causing discomfort even in normal eyes. It aggravates the eye complaints in eyes that are prone to dryness and allergies. If care is not taken immediately, some of these eyes can have reduced vision due to this problem as well," said Dr Rajesh Sinha, Professor of Ophthalmology at RP Centre AIIMS New Delhi. While lubricating eye drops and the use of sunglasses are helpful options, contact lenses and eye makeup should be avoided until the eyes are healed completely, Dr Lal said. Doctors advised to not rub eyes if they itch, wash eyes with clean water; repeat if it still feels uncomfortable. They suggested that cold compresses can help relieve mild itching and to see an eye doctor as soon as possible and avoid prolonged exposure of eyes to pollution.

40% rise in eye related problems due to pollution, say Delhi doctors

"Bala" was initially a critique on the industrial exploitation of the Ganga river with the protagonist sporting the iconic hairstyle of superstar Salman Khan from "Tere Naam" before he goes bald, reveals writer Niren Bhatt. But he was in "two minds" about the plot idea and it was after he met director Amar Kaushik, that made the Ayushmann Khurrana-starrer what it is today: about a person coming to terms with his looks. With <keyword id="6354535" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ayushmann-khurrana">Ayushmann Khurrana</keyword> as a young man struggling with receding hairline, <keyword id="6356250" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="yami-gautam">Yami Gautam</keyword> as a small-town TikTok star and <keyword id="2069863" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhumi-Pednekar">Bhumi Pednekar</keyword> as a girl fighting prejudices against dark skin, "Bala" opened to rave reviews and fantastic box office numbers last week. Niren, whose credits include National Award-winning Marathi feature "Ventilator" and Rajkummar Rao's "Made in China", said he is overwhelmed with the response to "Bala". "This is such a good high. My phone hasn't stopped ringing, people are writing to me. This is a wonderful feeling," he said. The film's journey began when Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films was developing Pavel Bhattacharjee's original idea about a man in Banaras, who finds out that a company dumping waste in Ganga was responsible for his balding and decides to start a campaign against it. "I wasn't too kicked about it (original idea) and was still in two minds. Then Amar came on board as a creative producer. When we sat together, he started telling me his experiences as he started losing hair in his early 20s." Conversations between the two centered around the latter opening up about the "everyday disappointments" a man with receding hairline goes through, ranging from waking up and checking the pillow for fallen hair or watch strands of hair go down the drain during shower. "It became about the complex you feel when you step out, this lack of confidence which seeps in because of balding. I knew this is the story. It's a common problem. It's not a city-specific problem, it's a global thing." Niren, who has written the film's story, screenplay and dialogues, said the process started last October and went on till May this year, with round-the-clock revisions during the shoot. The idea further evolved into a film about self-love, than just a story about a bald man. "We thought, the film shouldn't only be about balding. Beneath this, it's about self image and loving oneself. From there we thought we will have two love stories, somewhere you'll feel he might go with Yami or Bhumi but finally the love story is with himself." "Bala" is also loaded with <keyword id="143" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bollywood">Bollywood</keyword> references, acting as both, a hat-tip to its cultural impact and its critique for normalising stereotypes. It was important for Niren, who feels he had to call out romanticising of everything wrong in mainstream films. This also seeped in how the character of Bala was shaped. "We wanted him to be a mimicry artiste. The whole arc was, he mimics someone else and in the end starts doing stand-up where he's playing himself. One becomes a mimicry artiste if you're a film buff. When we started writing, we had two options- either he can do Salman or Shah Rukh Khan, whatever the actor is comfortable with. "Salman, because we wanted him to be like Radhe from Tere Naam with that iconic hairstyle. But Ayushmann was more comfortable with Shah Rukh so we went with that, then he does mimicry of Ranbir Kapoor, Nana Patekar, Amitabh Bachchan. So, Bollywood was always there." JUR RB/RDS RB RB RB

Ayushmann's Bala script changed from a Ganga pollution story to that of a bald man's struggles

New Delhi, Jun 30 () The World Bank on Monday said it has enhanced its support for Government of India's program to rejuvenate Ganga river with a USD 400 million (about Rs 3,000 crore) assistance that will help stem pollution in the river. The assistance will help strengthen the management of the river basin which is home to more than 500 million people, the World Bank said in a statement. "The Second National Ganga River Basin Project (SNGRBP), approved by the World Bank's Board of Executive Directors on June 25, will support the government's Namami Gange program and its long-term vision for controlling pollution in the river and restoring its water quality," it said. It further said the bank has been supporting the government's efforts since 2011 through the ongoing National Ganga River Basin Project, which helped set up the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) as the nodal agency to manage the river, and financed sewage treatment infrastructure in several riverside towns and cities. "The first World Bank project helped build critical sewage infrastructure in 20 pollution hotspots along the river, and this project will help scale this up to the tributaries," World Bank Country Director (India) Junaid Ahmad said. "It will also help the government strengthen the institutions needed to manage a river basin as large and complex as the Ganga Basin," he added. The Ganga basin covers a quarter of India's landmass, and is a critical economic and environmental resource for the country. It provides over one-third of India's surface water, includes the country's largest irrigated area and is key to India's water and food security, the statement said. "Over 40 per cent of India's GDP is generated in the densely populated basin. But the Ganga river is today is facing pressures from human and economic activity that impact its water quality and flows," it added. The Second National Ganga River Basin Project comprises a loan in the amount of USD 381 million and a proposed Guarantee in the amount of up to USD 19 million. The variable spread loan has a maturity of 18.5 years including a grace period of 5 years, it said. Meanwhile, the Government of India, the Government of Tamil Nadu and the World Bank on Monday signed legal agreements to help low-income groups in the state get access to affordable housing. The legal agreements were signed for two projects -- USD 200 million First Tamil Nadu Housing Sector Strengthening Programme and USD 50 million Tamil Nadu Housing and Habitat Development Project -- to strengthen the state's housing sector policies, institutions, and regulations, the Finance Ministry said in a separate statement. The loan agreements were signed by Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs on behalf of the Government of India and Country Director (India) on behalf of the World Bank. Khare said providing safe and affordable housing is a key priority for the state of Tamil Nadu as identified in its vision document. With the allocation provided under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) and the two projects from the World Bank, a large number of urban poor in the state are expected to get access to better housing and, in the process, improve their living conditions, he added. Nearly half of Tamil Nadu's population is urban, and this is expected to increase to 63 per cent by 2030. DP RVK

World Bank enhances support for rejuvenating Ganga, sanctions USD 400 mn

<ul><li>The Supreme Court on Monday slammed authorities for failing to curb pollution in Delhi-NCR and said they have left people to die.</li><li>Here is what we should do according to doctors </li></ul>Delhi-NCR is under a thick blanket of smog, after pollution levels peaked to a three-year high on Sunday. The Supreme Court on Monday slammed authorities for failing to curb pollution in Delhi-NCR and said they have left people to die. With pollution crisis level continuing to stay between ‘severe and emergency’ , doctors advise people to stay indoors and take numerous precautions. Here is what we should do according to doctors: <ul><li>Try to stay indoors, step out only if necessary </li></ul>People should stay indoors and step out of the house only if necessary. People should avoid outdoor physical activities including walking, jogging and exercising especially during morning and late evening hours. “It is better to avoid exercise and to go out only when the sun is there and the weather is better,” said Dr Randeep Guleria AIIMS Director. <ul><li>Use mask when stepping out of your house </li></ul>Some of the precautionary methods would be to wear a mask while going outside and the right mask needs to be worn. “I would advise to avoid surgical and comfort masks as it doesn't allow proper respiratory protection. A respirator that is rated N95/N99/FFP3 or is 'NIOSH Approved' that filters out more, should be used," Dr Arvind Kumar, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said. <ul><li>Drink more water </li></ul>"Keeping the body hydrated is the foremost thing in these times, and drinking more water would be advisable. One could also consume vegetable juice and fruit juice," Dr Arvind Kumar, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said. <ul><li>Keep an allergy kit ready </li></ul>“People should also prepare allergy kits with required medicines, inhalers and nebulisers, if any family member has a respiratory illness,” Dr Arvind Kumar, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said. (With agencies) See more: <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="71890060" title="SC says bring environmental experts to court within 30 mins over Delhi air crisis" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

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Here is what doctors say you should do in the event of air pollution

<keyword id="87" type="COUNTRY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Germany">Germany</keyword> has offered its expertise for the <keyword id="6357202" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Ganga">Ganga</keyword> clean-up mission by bringing in the experience of cleaning the <keyword id="1354414" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Rhine-river">Rhine river</keyword> in the European country. 
 
"Rejuvenation and cleaning of the river Ganga is one of the top priorities of Indian government. We are now just in the phase where we are going to see how we are going to assist the Indian government in this important endeavour," Heiko Warnken, head of Economic Cooperation and Development, Germany, said. 
 
"We will soon have a mission who will be coming to India with experts from Germany. We have also cleaned the river Rhine in Germany. We will see how we can assist in the Ganga mission," Warnken said. 
 As per a <keyword id="67999" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Central-Pollution-Control-Board">Central Pollution Control Board</keyword> report, around Rs 20,000 crore has been spent by the government on various cleaning projects for the Ganga. However, the impact was negligible. 
 
<table align="right" border="0" cellpadding="0">
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</table> Warknken said they were approached by India’s <keyword id="2301959" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Water-Resource-Ministry">Water Resource Ministry</keyword> for the Ganga clean-up project. On the question of funding, Warnken said, "this is too early to say... We have to see what is needed to be done". 
 
When asked about timeline, he said "Rhine is also a long river which comes from Switzerland to Germany. It took almost 10 years to clean Rhine."

Germany Offers Help For Ganga Clean-up Mission

<ul><li>The vessels will operate in shallow waters.</li><li>13 standardised designs already ready with IWAI.</li><li>Deployment of fairway to carry at least 1500 tonnes on the river <keyword id="6357202" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ganga">Ganga</keyword>.</li></ul>India is all set to launch its first inland water vessel. <keyword id="537012" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Inland-Waterways-Authority-of-India">Inland Waterways Authority of India</keyword> (IWAI) is ready with 13 standard designs for the vessels, which will be operated in the Ganga river between <keyword id="6357203" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Varanasi">Varanasi</keyword>, in Uttar Pradesh and Haldia, in West Bengal. The vessels will be used to transport goods. The government is in the final stages of finalising the vessel. The vessels will be able to operate in shallow waters, without polluting them, since they run on cleaner fuels and the latest technologies. A senior official stated that these vessels will be able to operate in shallow waters of 2-3 meters which will decrease the load on road and rail transport. “These vessels will be 45 meters wide and will be able to carry 2000 tonnes of goods which can be translated to 140 truckloads,” an official <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/mail-today/story/government-nearly-done-finalising-india-s-first-marine-vessel-to-transport-goods-1223812-2018-05-01">report</a> stated. This will not only decongest the highways but also save fuel and reduce air pollution. Water taxis are also being planned for the Yamuna, which currently doesn’t allow passenger boats to be used due to excess silt deposits. This will decongest the National Capital Region, which is the need of the hour after most of the experiments to do so have failed. Moreover, they can be manufactured in India as part of the make in India initiative. The designs are being drafted by a German firm. They will be finalised by next month. The project will involve the deployment of a fairway to enable commercial navigation of at least 1500 tonne capacity on the Ganga. The project covers the river between UP and West Bengal, covering Bihar and Jharkhand on the way. The trial run of the two Cargo vessels from Varanasi on National Waterway-1 (NW-1) was flagged off by Nitin Gadkari in August 2016. The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs, headed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had green lit the implementation of the <keyword id="2818636" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Jal-Marg-Vikas-project">Jal Marg Vikas Project</keyword> (JMVP) for capacity augmentation on 1380 km Haldia-Varanasi stretch of NW-1 at a budget of Rs 53.73 billion with assistance from the World Bank. The project will be completed by the year 2023 and is expected to generate employment on a large scale. The project will primarily result in infrastructural development in multimodal and intermodal terminals, Roll-On-Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) facilities, ferry services, navigational aids and goods transport services. This will directly impact the socio-economic development in major cities and firms around its operational area.

India is looking to use its rivers to transport goods via Inland Marine Vessels

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">REUTERS/Danish SiddiquiA man cleans garbage along the banks of the river Ganges in Kolkata, India, April 9, 2017.</div></div></div>India's Ganges River is a paradox: The mighty river's tributaries are cool, Himalayan-glacier fed springs. But where the river meets Indian subcontinent's highly populated cities, and pours out into the Bay of Bengal, the water goes from crystal clear to trash-and sewage-infested sludge.Prime Minister Narendra Modi committed <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-ganges/indias-federal-auditor-slams-modis-slow-ganges-clean-up-idUSKBN1EN0LL">$3 billion in 2015</a> to clean up the waterway that provides drinking water for 400 million people - and is revered as a place of worship for over a billion Hindus - but a recent audit found that less than a quarter of those funds have actually been used to help the situation, according to Reuters. And the Ganges, or the Ganga Mata (Mother Ganges) as it's called by India's devout, is in bad shape. Untreated sewage flows directly into the river where people cook, bathe, and perform burial rites for the recently-deceased. Factories and farms from industries as varied as leather tanning to shipbuilding line the river's banks, dumping dangerous chemicals into the river.Modi's government set a target to improve the river's water quality by the beginning of 2018 - but it looks like that goal won't be met. We've rounded up some of the most startling images of the river's pollution below:

See photos of the devastating pollution in India's holy Ganges River

In a push to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious ‘Clean Ganga’ plan, the Union Government will start making efforts this week to implement <keyword id="2413594" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Namami-Gange-project">Namami Gange project</keyword>, which it claims will bring visible change to the waters of the sacred river. 
 
The Namami Gange project is fully funded by the Indian Government for which it has okayed Rs 20,000 crore. 
 
Under this scheme, intensive river surface cleaning will be taken up in 10 identified cities along the banks of the holy river. Floating debris will be collected and cleaned off the Ganga river surface to see a visible difference in the cleanliness levels of the river waters. 
 
It will also cover ghat cleaning and drain-river confluence for ten priority locations is being prepared by the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG). 
River surface cleaning boats, trash skimmer machines and trash booms will be pressed into service to collect floating material. 
 
The Modi government will invite global tenders this week for river surface cleaning. The ten identified cities are Haridwar, Varanasi, Allahabad, Kanpur, Mathura and Vrindavan, Garhmukteshwar, Patna, Kolkata, Sahibgunj and Nabadwip. 
 
Meanwhile, officials at the Ministry of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation told Economic Times that aerators will be plied into action at river ghats to keep the gathering moss away. 
 
ET reported that the ministry wrote to the Central Pollution Control Board to install real-time monitors at 118 locations on Ganga where a nallah meets the river (drain-river confluence) to ensure that the cleaning is actually taking place and water quality is maintained. Ten of these have already been started on pilot basis. 
 
Moreover, the project will be backed by a mobile application- Bhuvan Ganga, which will enable people to see the difference at the surface of the river. 
 
This ISRO-backed India specific GIS tool will ensure real-time, public monitoring of pollution at the river bed on ground situations. The government is set to launch a Bhuvan Ganga app whereby real-time images of the Ganga can be captured by the public through smartphones and uploaded right away to check for any river surface pollution. 
 
This will bring in public participation as well as officials will be held accountable, if any laxity pointed out. 
 
Another public participation initiative- Ganga Volunteer Corps – which is yet to be launched initiative would channelise public volunteer services for cleaning of ghats and generating awareness. 
 
The Nirmal Ganga Bhagidaari project will see NGOs being involved in Ganga cleaning. 
 
(Image: Reuters)

Narendra Modi is ensuring you will get to take a dip in a visibly ‘Clean Ganga’ in the next few weeks

Union <keyword id="700459" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="ministry-of-water-resources">Ministry of Water Resources</keyword>, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation and the <keyword id="2751687" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Ministry-Of-Ayush">Ministry of AYUSH</keyword> are discussing a proposal to build <keyword id="2893204" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Herbal-units">herbal units</keyword> on the banks of river Ganga in Uttarakhand as part of the NDA government's ambitious <keyword id="510331" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Clean-Ganga-project">Clean Ganga project</keyword>. If things go as per plan, Uttarakhand may soon have processing units of herbal medicines on the banks of the holy river, along with an '<keyword id="129195" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Eco-Task-Force">Eco Task Force</keyword>' of ex-servicemen who would be engaged in plantation activities, according to a PTI report. 

	Moreover, the organic farming wing of the government is also likely to be roped in for the initiative, said official sources. 
 The Eco Task Force is likely to start functioning within the next three months and it would be entrusted with three major responsibilities, including prevention of dumping <keyword id="56059" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Garbage">garbage</keyword> into the river and planting saplings on the banks of Ganga, the sources added. As per the plan, herbal saplings procured from the <keyword id="223349" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Forest-Research-Institute">Forest Research Institute</keyword> in Dehradun would be planted on the banks of river Ganga in the state. 

	"While the Eco Task Force would be carrying out planting of saplings, the Ministry of AYUSH would establish herbal processing units in Uttarakhand. The Ministry of Water Resources would be rendering assistance in marketing the herbal products. The whole plan would take off by October 2016," another senior ministry source said.
 

	The aim of the initiative is to generate more job opportunities for the local population, the senior ministry source said. 
 The proposed Force, a <keyword id="49995" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="territorial-army">territorial army</keyword> unit, consists of four battalions. Each battalion would be led by a Colonel-level officer from the <keyword id="43909" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Defence-ministry">Defence Ministry</keyword>. 

	"In total, there would be about 1,600 personnel for the Eco Task Force. Funds to the tune of Rs 300 crore has been earmarked for the force for the first year," an official said. 
 

	Touted as the first-of-its-kind effort involving defence forces in cleaning a river in India, these battalions would be initially deployed in the most polluted stretches of Ganga. 

	 
	(Image: Reuters)

Banks of river Ganga in Uttarakhand likely to have herbal units

The government has transferred its nodal agency - <keyword id="76373" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Ganga-River-Basin-Authority">National Ganga River Basin Authority</keyword> (NGRBA) - from the <keyword id="68998" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="environment-ministry">Environment Ministry</keyword> to the <keyword id="557073" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="water-resources-ministry">Water Resources Ministry</keyword>. 
 
The transfer follows the government's recent move to expand the role of the Water Resources Ministry by adding 'Ganga rejuvenation' and 'river development.' 
 
"All issues related to conservation, development, management and abatement of pollution in river Ganga and its tributaries will also be looked after by the ministry of water resources, river development and Ganga rejuvenation," said an official statement. 
 
The NGRBA was constituted in February, 2009, when the then UPA government gave Ganga the status of 'national river.' It is a planning, financing, monitoring and coordinating body of the Centre and the states. 
 
The objective of the NGRBA is to control pollution and conserve the river by adopting a river-basin approach for comprehensive planning and management.

You Searched For "Ganga pollution" and got 10 results

40% rise in eye related problems due to pollution, say Delhi doctors

IANS

Ayushmann's Bala script changed from a Ganga pollution story to that of a bald man's struggles

PTI

World Bank enhances support for rejuvenating Ganga, sanctions USD 400 mn

PTI

Here is what doctors say you should do in the event of air pollution

BI India Bureau

Germany Offers Help For Ganga Clean-up Mission

BI India Bureau

India is looking to use its rivers to transport goods via Inland Marine Vessels

BI India Bureau

See photos of the devastating pollution in India's holy Ganges River

Jeremy Berke

Narendra Modi is ensuring you will get to take a dip in a visibly ‘Clean Ganga’ in the next few weeks

BI India Bureau

Banks of river Ganga in Uttarakhand likely to have herbal units

BI India Bureau

Ganga Nodal Agency Transferred To Water Resources Ministry

BI India Bureau

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