Study of Wastewater Treatment and Reuse in Urban Ag Receives Press in India

The Indian Express newspaper (link below) reports on a study in Hyderabad, India that identifies the linkages between urban agricultural practices, sewage treatment and reuse, carbon emissions and health. Network member Anu Ramaswami (University of Minnesota), Leslie MiIler-Robbie (University of Colorado, Denver) and Priyanie Amerasinghe (International Water Management Institute) collaborated on this study, recently published in the journal Environmental Research Letters (Link to article). The study finds that sewage treatment along with water reuse in urban agriculture can offer benefits to carbon mitigation and public health, although the public health benefits are less than expected due to farming practices and prior history of sewage-related soil pollution in the region.

Climate change: Untreated sewage major contributor in The New Indian Express

The carbon emission benefits of sewage treatment are large since untreated sewage discharged to rivers converts to methane which is a potent greenhouse gas. Untreated sewage and household waste, along with emissions from burning of petrol and diesel in cars, and coal to provide electricity are among the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions in cities.

Rahul Sharma and Professor Gabe Chan Provide Commentary for Nature Energy

Read University of Minnesota PhD Rahul Sharma and Professor Gabe Chan’s invited commentary in Nature Energy, “Energy poverty: Electrification and well-being.” The commentary is based on a paper Sharma and Chan reviewed for the journal, and engages with questions on how rural energy poverty is measured, and which measures are better suited for policy decisions.

Minnesota Researcher Finds that Emissions from On-road Vehicles in Delhi are Increasing

Researchers Ajay Nagpure, post doctorate associate at the University of Minnesota, B. R Gurjar and Vivek Kumar from IIT-Roorkee, and Prashant Kumar from University of Surrey carried out a study aimed at recording variations in various vehicular pollutants over the span of 20 years and also give future projections.

Read the full article posted in the Times of India or a similar article in The Economic Times.

Minnesota and Georgia Tech Collaborate on Pollution Threat to Taj Mahal

A joint study by the University of Minnesota and Georgia Institute of Technology addresses the high level of particulate matter responsible for masking the white marble sheen of the Taj Mahal.

Read the articles:

• Times of India –  Large-scale open burning of garbage damaging Taj: US study
• Wall Street Journal – How Trash Is Adding to Delhi’s Air Pollution Problems
• Times of India – Police lathicharge on colleagues’ kin for protesting against burning of garbage