HSE
Safety First
What if I am a Sardar? Safety First and so the Helmet on tope of my traditional headgear.
Is Bengaluru changing from Green to Red?
Is Bengaluru changing from Green to Red?
The road and city developments have finally started their effects on Bengaluru’s historical and living monuments. The beautiful trees with branches spreading across the street giving it the cool and clean environment. All that will be history very soon. Going, going, Gone and Gone. Whether, efforts to re-plant to preserve the ecological balance is to be seen. But, that is a question to be asked, may be after a minimum of 2 to 3 years. For the time being, it is axing time.
Dubai Municipality Plans 10-fold Hike in Fines for Overflowing Sewage at Labour Camps
Dubai Municipality Plans 10-fold Hike in Fines for Overflowing Sewage at Labour Camps
Joy Sengupta 15 December 2008 for KHALEEJ TIMES
DUBAI – As overflowing sewage tanks continue to dog many labour accommodations in Al Quoz and parts of Sonapur, the Dubai Municipality is planning a 10-fold increase in the fine for owners of these camps.
In a talk with this reporter on Sunday, Salem bin Mesmar, Assis tant Director-General for Health, Safety and Environment Control, said the fine for accumulation of sewage in the labour camps will be increased to Dh10,000 from Dh1,000. “With many accommodation owners not acting swiftly and seriously enough, the civic body needs to make them understand about the gravity of the situation,” Mesmar said.
Overflowing of sewage from the tanks has been a frequent problem for the past several months in many camps in Al Quoz and Sonapur. As these camps are not connected to the drainage, sewage has to be transported in tankers to Al Aweer Sewage Treatment Plant. The delay in removing sewage results in overflowing of tanks.
Mesmar said the responsibility of ensuring clean and hygienic accommodation is with the owners.
“The owners have to ensure that the camps are clean. Overflowing sewage poses serious health hazards. The municipality has come across a lot of complaints but many of these owners don’t take them seriously at all. In addition to the increased fines, the municipality will intensify inspections,” the official said.
Mesmar added that by the end of this month, a huge ‘lagoon’ will be set up in Lehbab area where 500 tankers can dispose of sewage at a single time. “This temporary arrangement will ease the pressure at the Al Aweer plant for the time being and the trucks will be able to visit the accommodations on a regular basis.
The first phase of the new Jebel Ali Sewage Treatment Plant will be ready by June next year which will further reduce pressure on the Al Aweer Plant,” the official said.
Healthy Bangaloreans might go extinct by 2020
Healthy Bangaloreans might go extinct by 2020
K Shiva KumarFirst Published : 26 Nov 2008 for ExpressBuzz
MYSORE: Bangalore will not have any healthy people left in 15 years if the government fails to arrest soaring pollution levels in both urban and rural levels. This grim warning came from Vision Group 2020, a panel comprising of eminent personalities from the state, constituted for making Karnataka a developed state.
In a meeting held in Mysore to devise a New Industrial Policy for the state, representatives from the Vision Group observed that the pollution levels and congestions posed a threat to people even in residential areas which house more than 8,000 small scale industries (SSIs).
Criticising successive governments for failing to shift the SSIs out of the city in a phased manner, the group said that the situation would further worsen as there are already 1.5 lakh SSIs in Bangalore alone.The majority of SSIs located at Ramaiah Industrial area, Jaibharathi, Maruthi, Kamakshi Palya, Peenya industrial area, Hosur Road, K R Puram, Yelahanka and Mysore road are into plating, chemical toning and hard-crome plating. Efforts to shift these hazardous industries have repeatedly failed. The group said that the Industries and Commerce department, Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board and Karnataka State Small Industries Devlopment Corporation should take the blame for this mess as they were supposed to acquire land for shifting the red-category SSIs working in residential areas.
Air pollution levels have also hit alarming levels. Pollution levels are said to be at a record high at Mysore Road. According to pollution board authorities, the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) is 305 microgram against a minimum of 140.
Speaking at the meet, former president of Peenya Industrial Association (PIA) A Padmanabha said that many of the industrial areas have no common effluent treatment plants, green belt or buffer zones. He asked the government identify suitable land and shift SSIs out of residential area in phased manner providing suitable land at subsidised rates.
The Vision Group, taking note of alarming situation, said that its immediate aim is to create buffer zones to demark both residential and industrial areas and acquire land to bring down pollution and vehicular traffic pressure inside the city.
Dial 108 for help in 20 minutes
At Bangalore Dial 108 for help in 20 minutes
Former president A P J Abdul Kalam with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa flagging off the 108 Emergency Response Services in Karnataka, in Bangalore.Express News Service First Published : 02 Nov 2008 05:21:00 AM ISTLast Updated : 04 Nov 2008 10:21:04 AM ISTBANGALORE: Henceforth, you need not grope in the dark for help in case of emergencies like road mishaps and fire accidents. All you have to do is dial 108, a toll-free number to get ambulance services within 20 minutes at the disaster spot.
The state government, in partnership with Emergency Management and Research Institute (EMRI), a not-for-profit organisation from Hyderabad, has launched a 24-hour free emergency response service -Arogya Kavacha – to help people in emergency, be it medical, police or fire-related. People can dial 108 without any prefix or suffix from any phone (landline or mobile) and seek help.
As many as 66 state-of-the-art ambulances, fully equipped to handle any kind of emergency, have been pressed into service and these ambulances will operate in five districts __ Bangalore, Tumkur, Chitradurga, Davanagere and Bellary.
The number of ambulances will be increased to 150 by March and the service will be extended to all 29 districts by 2010 with 517 ambulances, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa said after launching the scheme at the Vidhana Soudha on Saturday. “We want to have one ambulance for every 50,000 people,” he said. Former president A P J Abdul Kalam, who is Chairman Emeritus of EMRI, said that EMRI had been doing a wonderful job in saving lives during emergency.
EMRI, which provides emergency services in Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, has so far saved over 45,000 lives and it plans to save over a million lives by 2010, Kalam said expressing happiness over the launch of the scheme in Karnataka.
EMRI CEO Venkat Changavalli, Ministers B Sriramulu, Janardhan Reddy, Karunakar Reddy, Ramachandra Gowda and Katta Subramanya Naidu and Chairman of Satyam Computers and founder of EMRI B Ramalinga Raju were present on the occasion.
HOW IT WORKS
People can call 108 from any phone (landline or mobile)
Call lands at the Emergency Response Centre (ERC ), and the caller should give information on the type of emergency, location and landmark, if any
Based on the information, ERC will despatch either ambulance, fire fighters or police depending on the type of emergency
Help will reach in 20 minutes in cities and 30 minutes in rural areas
Medical technicians and physicians will provide pre-hospital care while transporting the victim in the ambulance to the nearest hospital.
ClicksandWrites 
You must be logged in to post a comment.