Plastic bottle waste generated at Indian Railways can be reduce with some initiative and modifications

Overview

·         The Indian Railways are the fourth-largest railway network in the world comprising 1,19,630 km of total track and 92,081 km of running track over a route of 66,687 km, with 7,216 stations at the end of 2015-16[1]

·         It has 115,000 km of track length. It runs more than 13,313 trains

·         In 2015-16, the Indian Railways carried more than 22 million (22000000), passengers a day or over 8 billion (8000000000) passengers annually.[2]‑[3]

Plastic waste is now a global problem; the use of plastic in everyday products has been increased in the recent year so the generation of more plastic waste is expected. On-the-go lifestyles require easily disposable products, such as water bottles, but the accumulation of these products has led to increasing amounts of plastic pollution around the world. As plastic is composed of major toxic pollutants, it has the potential to cause great harm to the environment in the form of air, water, and land pollution.

There are 7 different types of plastics based on their resin type. Some of these are commonly recycled. But if not recycled and left unattended then it will harm the environment.

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) use in the production of bottles which are useful for different purposes and one of the uses in the packaging of mineral water, many of us use packaged drinking water on various occasion.

This article is trying to focus on the plastic bottles waste generated by the passengers during their travel in Indian railways.

Review of the problem

• Plastics waste contributes significantly to the total municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in India.
• A Central Pollution Control Board study in 2015 revealed that approximately 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste is generated in India per day, with 60 major cities contributing 4,059 tonnes of plastic waste per day (~8% of MSW).[4]
• In 2009 the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) done an assessment of plastic waste and its management at railway stations in Delhi.[5]
• 88.5 Kg at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, 1130 Kg at New Delhi railway station and 262.5 kg at Old Delhi railway station (Annexure 1)
• In the case of railways waste generation assessment, three major stations were taken into account. This was based on all waste generated as platforms and from some trains like Rajdhani

• In 2013 two students done research on the waste generated at Surat railway station. They have calculated the waste generation form express trains only.[6]
• From pantry car, they have calculated 700 plastic water pouches, 100 plastic mineral water bottles, and daily express waste was 84200 plastic mineral water bottles per day (Annexure 2).
• In its research, it has mentioned that all this waste is spread across the length and breadth of the country, contaminating land and soil, and polluting water bodies. It is imperative that the railways draw up an efficient waste management system. It simply cannot continue to pollute the entire country with its solid waste. 
• This situation is alarming and hence need to take the serious actions

Calculations

• As per CPCB calculations, India generates around 25,940 tonnes of plastic waste a day (t/day)[7]-[8]. 
• If we consider that only 50 percent passengers that purchase mineral water bottles while traveling and throw it (either on tracks, bins, railway stations or anywhere) then the calculated amount of waste empty mineral water bottles generated would be 110 Tons per day

Table 1 Estimation of the total package plastic bottles used per day in Indian railways

	Daily passengers	Annually passengers
Based on the data of the year 2015-16	Approximately 220,00,000 (220 L)	Approximately 800,00,00,000 (8000 L)
Considering 50% of passengers use  packaged drinking water  during their travel and 1 bottle each passenger	110,00,000 (110 L) Plastic bottles daily	400,00,00,000 (4000 L)  Plastic bottles annually
Approximate weight of empty packaged drinking water bottle is around 10 gms	110,00,000 X 10 gms =	4000000000 X 10 gms =
Total weight of empty packaged drinking water bottles in grams	1,100,00,000 gms	40000000000 gms
In Kilograms	1,10,000 Kg	40000000 Kg
In Tons	110 Tons	40000 Tons

Recommendation

• Reduce, Reuse and Recycle Called the “three R’s” (or a key) of waste management, this waste hierarchy is the guidance suggested for creating a sustainable life.
• Reduce – means cut down the uses
• Reuse – means the repeated use
• Recycle – Transform it into raw material that can be shaped into a new item
• These three R’s rule also applicable to plastic mineral water bottles management but if the Railway Ministry or the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change take certain initiative/action then the amount of waste of empty mineral water bottles can be reduced at certain levels.

Step 1 – installation of additional drinking water (with some filter arrangements) tanks in each passenger bogie. This tank will be of certain capacities which can be refilled at some designated railway (in case of long distance trains).

(Assumption – a passenger once generated faith on the quality of drinking water could buy once a bottle or carry its own bottle and refill it in the bogies itself (instead of purchasing a new one each time or getting down at platform)

Step 2 – spreading awareness among the passengers by advertising it on tickets, websites, through mobile apps, sticking information material in the bogies.

It was assumed that slowly and steadily people’s mindset will change and some of them will adopt the practices of refilling of drinking water during their travel and will not purchase a new bottle every time they needed. This will also reduce the additional cost on their pockets as well as the demand for plastic bottles. Hence the generation of plastic bottle waste per capita will minimize and no additional cost will be incurred to recycle it.

Contact Details:

Dr. Prashant Rajankar

prashantrajankar@gmail.com

9650745900

Annexure 1

                                                                                                                                                                                                        Annexure 2

REFERENCES

---

[1]https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/indian-railways-the-weaving-of-a-national-tapestry-recaptures-the-fascinating-history-of-the-countrys-rail-network/815907/

[2]https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/indian-railways-the-weaving-of-a-national-tapestry-recaptures-the-fascinating-history-of-the-countrys-rail-network/815907/

[3] https://24coaches.com/indian-railways-facts-and-figures/

[4]https://research.rabobank.com/far/en/sectors/fa-supply-chains/Plastic-Waste-Control-in-India.html

[5] http://cpcb.nic.in/openpdffile.php?id=UmVwb3J0RmlsZXMvTmV3SXRlbV8xNTVfRklOQUxfUklURV9SRVBPUlQucGRm

[6] http://www.downtoearth.org.in/coverage/managing-railway-waste-12913

[7]https://www.news18.com/news/india/india-produces-over-25000-tonnes-of-plastic-waste-a-day-environment-ministry-1618383.html

[8]https://research.rabobank.com/far/en/sectors/fa-supply-chains/Plastic-Waste-Control-in-India.html

Dr. Prashant Rajankar - Zee News - Zee Business - BPA in plastic feeding...

How to reduce chemical exposure in fruits and vegetables?

Dear friends,

Living healthy is now everybody's priority.

And one of the ways is to eat healthy fruits and vegetables. We also prefer raw vegetables as a green SALAD.....

It is observed that for certain purposes there (keeping fresh for a long time, keeping away from insects or pest, etc) a large amount of pesticides, insecticides, or chemicals getting used nowadays..

This same will reach in our body when we eat it raw.

But....

If we take enough water and 1 teaspoon baking soda in it and keep the veggies or fruits in it for 15 minutes then it will remove or reduce the levels of pesticides, insecticides, or chemical

Now you can eat it RAW

THERE IS SOME CHEMICAL REACTION BEHIND IT

or when you cook veggies, keep the lid open for some time to evaporate the chemicals.


This simple tips may reduce toxicity..


If anyone wants to see the video on it...

Please comment or email..

Source - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn2AjYZZo-8


Thanks and Regards,
Dr. Prashant Rajankar
9650745900

दुधीचा रस का आहे घातक, वाचा....

नमस्कार मित्रांनो, आज मला सोशल मिडिया वर खालील बातमी वाचायला मिळाली, ती जशीच्या तशी आपल्या माहितीसाठी प्रस्तुत करीत आहे व त्यातील मजकुर बद्दल कुणाला काही आक्षेप असल्यास मला  prashantrajankar @gmail.com वर मला कळवा

धन्यवाद
आपला
डॉ प्रशांत राजनकर
9650745900

दुधीचा रस पिल्याने पुण्यात 41 वर्षीय महिलेचा मृत्यू; दुधीचा रस का आहे घातक, वाचा....
दिव्यमराठी वेब टीम | Jun 21,2018 11:40 AM IST

पुणे- दुधीचा ग्लासभर रस पिल्याने पुण्यात एका 41 वर्षीय महिलेचा मृत्यू झाला आहे. संबंधित महिलेला इतर कोणत्याही आजार नसताना केवळ दुधी रस पिल्यानंतर आकस्मिक मृत्यू झाल्यामुळे हळहळ व्यक्त करण्यात येत आहे. दरम्यान, दुधीचा रस पिताना खबरदारी घेण्याची गरज असल्याचे पुन्हा एकदा अधोरेखित झाले आहे.

याबाबतची माहिती अशी की, 41 वर्षीय महिलेने 12 जून रोजी एक ग्लास दुधीचा रस घेतला. यानंतर तासाभरात तिला उलट्या व जुलाबाचा त्रास होऊ लागला. रूग्णालयात दाखल केल्यानंतरही तिची प्रकृती खालावत गेली. अखेर तीन दिवसानंतर 16 जूनच्या मध्यरात्री शरीरांतर्गत गुंतागुंतीमुळे संबंधित महिलेचा उपचारादरम्यान मृत्यू झाला.

दरम्यान, दुधीचा रस प्यायल्यानंतर मृत्यू होण्यापासून विविध त्रास होण्याच्या घटना यापूर्वी देशभरातून समोर आल्या आहेत. दुधीचा रस कडू लागल्यास तो पिऊ नये, असे इंडियन कौन्सिल ऑफ मेडिकल रिसर्चच्या समितीने 2011 मध्येच सांगितले आहे. कडू दुधीतील काही घटक व संयुगांमुळे मृत्यू ओढावू शकतो, असे या समितीने सांगितले होते.

वैज्ञानिक आणि औद्योगिक संशोधन परिषदेचे उपसचिव तसेच शास्त्रज्ञ सुशीलकुमार सक्सेना (59) यांचा जून 2010 मध्ये दुधी भोपळ्याचा रस प्यायल्यानंतर अत्यवस्थ झाल्यानंतर रुग्णालयात त्यांचा मृत्यू झाला होता. सक्सेना यांचा मृत्यूची गंभीर दखल घेण्यात येऊन इंडियन कौन्सिल ऑफ मेडिकल रिसर्चने तज्ज्ञांची एक विशेष समिती स्थापन केली होती. ‘भाजीपाल्याच्या, विशेषत: दुधी भोपळ्याच्या रसाची सुरक्षितता’ हाच या समितीच्या संशोधनाचा विषय होता.

इंडियन कौन्सिल आॅफ मेडिकल रिसर्चमधील शास्त्रज्ञाचे म्हणणे आहे की, दुधी रस प्यायल्यामुळे मृत्यूच्या इतक्या घटनांची माहिती आमच्याकडे आली आहे, की हा न पिणेच चांगले- विशेषत: चवीला तो तुरट, कडवट लागत असेल तर असा दुधी रस अजिबात पिऊ नका.

प्रसिद्ध अभिनेते आदेश बांदेकर यांनाही तीन-चार वर्षांपूर्वी दुधीचा रस प्यायल्यानंतर त्रास झाला होता. रूग्णालयात दाखल केल्यानंतर सुदैवाने त्यांच्या प्रकृतीत लागलीच सुधारणा झाली होती.

दुधीच्या रसावर संशोधन सुरूच-

इंडियन कौन्सिल ऑफ मेडिकल रिसर्चमधील शास्त्रज्ञ तसेच संशोधन समितीतील सदस्य जी. एस. तोटेजा यांनी भोपळा रसबाधितांवर उपचार करणाऱ्या डॉक्टरांकडून लेखी स्वरूपात त्या-त्या केसेसची माहिती मागवली होती. रस घेतल्यानंतर दुष्परिणाम ओढवलेल्या लोकांकडूनही त्यांचे अनुभव लिहून मागवले होते. इंडियन कौन्सिल ऑफ मेडिकल रिसर्चने राष्ट्रीय स्तरावरील प्रयोगशाळा तसेच विद्यापीठांनाही ‘दुधी भोपळ्याच्या रसाचे परिणाम’ या विषयावर आणखी संशोधन करायला सुचविले आहे.

अतिरिक्त टीटीसीमुळे उद्भवतो धोका!

कितीतरी गुरू, बाबा आणि आयुर्वेदिक तज्ज्ञ दुधी भोपळ्याचा रस पिण्याची शिफारस करतात. विशेषत: मधुमेह्यांना हा सल्ला आवर्जून असतो. त्यांचा सल्ला शिरोधार्य मानून लोक घरीच रस तयार करतात व पितात. दुधी भोपळा, भोपळा, काकडी, कलिंगड, टरबूज आदींमध्ये टेट्रासायक्लिक ट्रिटरपिनॉईड क्युकरबिटॅसिन नावाचे रासायनिक मूलद्रव्य असते. त्यामुळे हे सारे पदार्थ काहीसे तुरट, कडवट लागतात. या रासायनिक मूलद्रव्यांचे विषात रूपांतर होऊ शकते. विशेषत: या पदार्थांचा रस मोठ्या प्रमाणावर प्यायल्यास हा धोका अधिक असतो.

Credit-दिव्यमराठी वेब टीम  and Times of India

Happy International YOGA Day - YOGA Se HOGA !!

Dear All,

Wish you a very Happy International YOGA Day

YOGA Se HOGA !!

Yoga is an ancient physical, mental and spiritual practice that originated in India. The word ‘yoga’ derives from Sanskrit and means to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.

Credit:http://www.un.org/en/events/yogaday/

Sahaj Sehat - सहज सेहत

नमस्कार दोस्तों 

यह जो विडिओ मैंने इस ब्लॉग में अपलोड किया है वह पर्यावरण में और घरों ऑक्सीजन का स्तर का काम होना तथा उससे जुड़ी हुई बीमारियां जैसे की कैंसर, और उससे बचने के उपाय बताये है।  

Dr. Vipin Gupta जी जो की एक  Drug Discovery Scientist है उन्होंने इसमें बहोत ही सरल शब्दों में समझाया है।  

मुझे यह वीडियो सोशल नेट्वोर्किंग साइट्स में मिला है और मुझे लगा की मैं  इसे आप सभी के साथ शेयर करू। 

आपका दोस्त 

डा. प्रशांत राजनकर

९६५०७४५९०० 

Nipah Virus - Information

Source- World Health Organization

Key facts

• Nipah virus is an RNA virus that is part of the Paramyxovidae family that was first identified as a zoonotic pathogen after an outbreak involving severe respiratory illness in pigs and encephalitic disease in humans in Malaysia and Singapore in 1998 and 1999.
• Nipah virus can cause a range of mild to severe disease in domestic animals such as pigs.
• Nipah virus infection in humans causes a range of clinical presentations, from asymptomatic infection (subclinical) to acute respiratory infection and fatal encephalitis.
• Nipah virus can be transmitted to humans from animals (bats, pigs), and can also be transmitted directly from human-to-human.
• Fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are the natural host of Nipah virus.
• There is no treatment or vaccine available for either people or animals. The primary treatment for humans is supportive care.
• Nipah virus is on the WHO list of Blueprint priority diseases

As per the World Health Organization (WHO) a Nipah virus (NiV) is an emerging zoonotic virus (a virus transmitted to humans from animals). 

In infected people, Nipah virus causes a range of illnesses from asymptomatic (subclinical) infection to acute respiratory illness and fatal encephalitis. NiV can also cause severe disease in animals such as pigs, resulting in significant economic losses for farmers.

Nipah virus is closely related to Hendra virus. Both are members of the genus Henipavirus, a new class of virus in the Paramyxoviridae family. 

Although Nipah virus has caused only a few outbreaks, it infects a wide range of animals and causes severe disease and death in people, making it a public health concern.

Past Outbreaks

Nipah virus was first recognized in 1999 during an outbreak among pig farmers in Kampung Sungai Nipah, Malaysia. No new outbreaks have been reported in Malaysia and Singapore since 1999. 

NiV was first recognized in Bangladesh in 2001 and nearly annual outbreaks have occurred in that country since, with disease also identified periodically in eastern India.

Other regions may be at risk for NiV infection, as serologic evidence for NiV has been found in the known natural reservoir (Pteropus bat species) and several other bat species in a number of countries, including Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Madagascar, Ghana and the Philippines.

Transmission

NiV is a zoonotic virus (a virus transmitted to humans from animals). During the initial outbreaks in Malaysia and Singapore, most human infections resulted from direct contact with sick pigs or their contaminated tissues. Transmission is thought to have occurred via respiratory droplets, contact with throat or nasal secretions from the pigs, or contact with the tissue of a sick animal.

In the Bangladesh and India outbreaks, consumption of fruits or fruit products (e.g. raw date palm juice) contaminated with urine or saliva from infected fruit bats was the most likely source of infection.

Limited human to human transmission of NiV has also been reported among family and care givers of infected NiV patients. During the later outbreaks in Bangladesh and India, Nipah virus spread directly from human-to-human through close contact with people's secretions and excretions. In Siliguri, India, transmission of the virus was also reported within a health-care setting (nosocomial), where 75% of cases occurred among hospital staff or visitors. From 2001 to 2008, around half of reported cases in Bangladesh were due to human-to-human transmission through providing care to infected patients.

Signs and symptoms

Human infections range from asymptomatic infection, acute respiratory infection (mild, severe), and fatal encephalitis. Infected people initially develop influenza-like symptoms of fever, headaches, myalgia (muscle pain), vomiting and sore throat. This can be followed by dizziness, drowsiness, altered consciousness, and neurological signs that indicate acute encephalitis. Some people can also experience atypical pneumonia and severe respiratory problems, including acute respiratory distress. Encephalitis and seizures occur in severe cases, progressing to coma within 24 to 48 hours. 

The incubation period (interval from infection to the onset of symptoms) is believed to range between from 4-14 days. However an incubation period as long as 45 days has been reported.

Most people who survive acute encephalitis make a full recovery, but long term neurologic conditions have been reported in survivors.  Approximately 20% of patients are left with residual neurological consequences such as seizure disorder and personality changes. A small number of people who recover subsequently relapse or develop delayed onset encephalitis.

The case fatality rate is estimated at 40% to 75%; however, this rate can vary by outbreak depending on local capabilities for epidemiological surveillance and clinical management.

Diagnosis

Initial signs and symptoms of NiV infection are non-specific and the diagnosis is often not suspected at the time of presentation.  This can hinder accurate diagnosis and creates challenges in outbreak detection and institution of effective and timely infection control measures and outbreak response activities. 

In addition, clinical sample quality, quantity, type, timing of collection and the time necessary to transfer samples from patients to the laboratory can affect the accuracy of laboratory results.

NiV infection can be diagnosed together with clinical history during the acute and convalescent phase of the disease. Main tests including real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) from bodily fluids as well as antibody detection via ELISA.  Different tests include:

• enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
• polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay
• ·virus isolation by cell culture.

Treatment

There are currently no drugs or vaccines specific for NiV infection although this is a priority disease on the WHO R&D Blueprint.  Intensive supportive care is recommended to treat severe respiratory and neurologic complications.

Natural host: fruit bats

Fruit bats of the family Pteropodidae – particularly species belonging to the Pteropusgenus – are the natural hosts for Nipah virus. There is no apparent disease in fruit bats.

It is assumed that the geographic distribution of Henipaviruses overlaps with that of Pteropus category. This hypothesis was reinforced with the evidence of Henipavirus infection in Pteropus bats from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Thailand and Timor-Leste.

African fruit bats of the genus Eidolon, family Pteropodidae, were found positive for antibodies against Nipah and Hendra viruses, indicating that these viruses might be present within the geographic distribution of Pteropodidae bats in Africa.

Nipah virus in domestic animals

Nipah outbreaks in pigs and other domestic animals (horses, goats, sheep, cats and dogs) were first reported during the initial Malaysian outbreak in 1999.

Nipah virus is highly contagious in pigs. Pigs are infectious during the incubation period, which lasts from 4 to 14 days.

An infected pig can exhibit no symptoms, but some develop acute feverish illness, labored breathing, and neurological symptoms such as trembling, twitching and muscle spasms. Generally, mortality was low except in young piglets. These symptoms are not dramatically different from other respiratory and neurological illnesses of pigs. Nipah should be suspected if pigs also have an unusual barking cough or if human cases of encephalitis are present.

Prevention

Controlling Nipah virus in domestic animals

Currently, there are no vaccines available against Nipah virus. Routine and thorough cleaning and disinfection of pig farms (with appropriate detergents) may be effective in preventing infection.

If an outbreak is suspected, the animal premises should be quarantined immediately.  Culling of infected animals – with close supervision of burial or incineration of carcasses – may be necessary to reduce the risk of transmission to people. Restricting or banning the movement of animals from infected farms to other areas can reduce the spread of the disease.

As Nipah virus outbreaks in domestic animals have preceded human cases, establishing an animal health surveillance system, using a One Health approach, to detect new cases is essential in providing early warning for veterinary and human public health authorities.

Reducing the risk of infection in people

In the absence of a licensed vaccine, the only way to reduce infection in people is by raising awareness of the risk factors and educating people about the measures they can take to reduce exposure to and decrease infection from NiV.

Public health educational messages should focus on the following:

• Reducing the risk of bat-to-human transmission: Efforts to prevent transmission should first focus on decreasing bat access to date palm sap and to other fresh food products. Keeping bats away from sap collection sites with protective coverings (e.g., bamboo sap skirts) may be helpful.Freshly collected date palm juice should be boiled and fruits should be thoroughly washed and peeled before consumption.
• Reducing the risk of animal-to-human transmission: Gloves and other protective clothing should be worn while handling sick animals or their tissues, and during slaughtering and culling procedures. As much as possible, people should avoid being in contact with infected pigs.
• Reducing the risk of human-to-human transmission: Close unprotected physical contact with Nipah virus-infected people should be avoided. Regular hand washing should be carried out after caring for or visiting sick people.

Controlling infection in health-care settings

• Health-care workers caring for patients with suspected or confirmed NiV infection, or handling specimens from them, should implement standard infection control precautions for all patients at all times
• As human-to-human transmission in particular nosocomial transmission have been reported, contact and droplet precautions should be used in addition to standard precautions.
• Samples taken from people and animals with suspected NiV infection should be handled by trained staff working in suitably equipped laboratories.

Source - The above information is copied form http://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/nipah-virus