Footage shows raging flash flood tearing into Indian town of Dharali – video
Agence France-Press in Dehradun
A torrent of mud from a flash flood has smashed into a town in India’s
Himalayan region, tearing down a mountain valley before demolishing
buildings and killing at least four people, with about 100 others
missing.
Videos broadcast on Indian media
showed a terrifying surge of muddy water sweeping away blocks of flats
in the tourist region of Dharali in Uttarakhand state.
Several people could be seen running before being engulfed by the dark waves of debris that uprooted buildings.
The
Indian defence minister, Sanjay Seth, told the Press Trust of India
news agency: “It is a serious situation … We have received information
about four deaths and around 100 people missing. We pray for their
safety.”
The Uttarakhand state chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said rescue teams had been deployed “on a war footing”.
A
senior local official, Prashant Arya, said four people had been killed,
with other officials saying that the number could rise.
India’s
army said 150 troops had reached the town, helping to rescue about 20
people who had survived the wall of freezing sludge. “A massive mudslide
struck Dharali … triggering a sudden flow of debris and water through
the settlement,” the army said.
Images released by the army, taken from the site after the main torrent had passed, showed a river of slow-moving mud.
A swathe of the town was swamped by deep debris. In places, the mud lapped at the rooftops of houses.
“Search
and rescue efforts are ongoing, with all available resources being
deployed to locate and evacuate any remaining stranded persons,” an army
spokesperson, Suneel Bartwal, said.
The prime
minister, Narendra Modi, expressed his condolences, and said that “no
stone is being left unturned in providing assistance”.
Dhami said the flood was caused by a sudden and intense “cloudburst”, calling the destruction “extremely sad and distressing”.
The
India Meteorological Department issued a red alert warning for the
area, saying it had recorded “extremely heavy” rainfall of about 21cm
(8in) in isolated parts of Uttarakhand.
Deadly
floods and landslides are common during the monsoon season from June to
September, but experts say the climate crisis, coupled with
urbanisation, is increasing their frequency and severity.
The
UN’s World Meteorological Organization said last year that more intense
floods and droughts are a “distress signal” for what is to come as climate breakdown makes the planet’s water cycle ever more unpredictable.
Children run behind a truck spraying water along a street in Delhi. Photograph: Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images
Authorities warn of water shortages as temperatures reach nine degrees higher than expected
Temperatures in Delhi have hit a record high of 50.5C (122.9F), as authorities warned of water shortages in India’s capital.
The India
Meteorological Department (IMD), which reported “severe heat-wave
conditions”, recorded the temperature in the suburb of Mungeshpur on
Wednesday afternoon, breaking the landmark 50C measurement for the first
time in the city.
The
temperature was more than nine degrees higher than expected, the IMD
said, and came on the second day of record-breaking heat. On Tuesday a
high of 49.9C had been hit in Mungeshpur and Narela, breaking the 2002
record of 49.2C.
The IMD warned of the heat’s impact on health,
especially for children, elderly people and those with chronic diseases.
The alert warns there is a “very high likelihood of developing heat
illness and heat stroke in all ages”, with “extreme care needed for
vulnerable people”.
India is no stranger to
searing summer temperatures. Years of scientific research have found the
climate crisis is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and
more intense.
City authorities warned of the risk of water shortages as the capital
swelters. The water minister, Atishi Marlena, called for “collective
responsibility” in stopping wasteful water use, the Times of India
newspaper reported on Wednesday.
“To address the problem of water scarcity, we have
taken a slew of measures such as reducing water supply from twice a day
to once a day in many areas,” Atishi said, the Indian Express reported.
“The
water thus saved will be rationed and supplied to the water-deficient
areas where supply lasts only 15 to 20 minutes a day,” she added.
The
heatwave has been building up inexorably for weeks, but even so
residents were shocked by conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday. People
told of fingers being scorched from touching the steering wheel of a
car, and tap water was coming out at boiling temperatures.
“Having
a shower is almost a waste of time,” said Aruna Verma, a chemistry
teacher. “You come out of it and instantly you are a sweaty mess again.”
Newspapers
have published lists of does and don’ts based on doctors’ advice.
People have been urged to stay indoors and wear light, loose cotton
clothes – advice that is impossible for much of the city’s workforce to
follow, including labourers and market stall sellers.
Construction
workers have mostly stopped working between noon and 4pm. “The metal
rods I’m working with are too hot to touch. Even if I restart work at
5pm, the rods are burning and the heat from the sparks makes it worse,”
said Babu Ram, a welder working on a block of flats in New Friends
Colony, south of the city centre.
Sameer
Prakash, a vegetable vendor, typically stands outside next to his cart
until about 2pm, waiting for customers to emerge from their
air-conditioned homes.
He alternates between splashing water on the vegetables – to stop them wilting – and on his head, to avoid heatstroke.
“What’s
the choice? No one is going to feed my children unless I take some
money home are they? Work is work. It just has to be done,” he said.
“The sun just kills the vegetables so I buy less than usual from the
wholesale market because if I don’t sell them, they will rot.”
It
has been gruelling too for politicians addressing rallies in the
blistering heat as part of the ongoing general election, and their
audiences. Political parties have urged those coming out to bring wet
towels, extra water to wet the towels again once they dry, and packets
of oral rehydration salts.
Many blame the soaring temperatures on scorching winds from Rajasthan state, where temperatures on Tuesday also reached 50.5C.
At
the SMS hospital in Rajasthan’s capital, Jaipur, so many bodies of
casualties of the heat have arrived at the mortuary that its capacity
has been exceeded. Police in the city say many of the victims are poor
labourers, who have no choice but to work outside, and homeless people.
Rajasthan’s desert region of Phalodi holds the country’s all-time heat record, hitting 51C in 2016.
Indians
who can afford to escape the baking cities have fled to cooler places
in the mountains. But even alpine-like Kashmir, known as the
“Switzerland of the east”, has witnessed an unprecedented heatwave.
Attempts in Kolkata and across
India to improve resilience to extreme heat have often been equally
ill-conceived, despite a death toll estimated at more than 24,000 since
1992
By Rajesh Kumar Singh
In scorching heat on a busy Kolkata street last month, commuters sought
refuge inside a glass-walled bus shelter where two air conditioners
churned around stifling air. Those inside were visibly sweating, dabbing
at their foreheads in sauna-like temperatures that were scarcely cooler
than out in the open.
Local authorities initially had plans to install as many as 300 of the
cooled cabins under efforts to improve protections from a heat season
that typically runs from April until the monsoon hits the subcontinent
in June. There are currently only a handful in operation, and some have
been stripped of their AC units, leaving any users sweltering.
“It doesn’t work,” Firhad Hakim, mayor of the city of 15 million in
India’s eastern state of West Bengal, said on a searing afternoon when
temperatures topped 40C. “You feel suffocated.”
Attempts in Kolkata and across India to improve resilience to extreme
heat have often been equally ill-conceived, despite a death toll
estimated at more than 24,000 since 1992. Inconsistent or incomplete
planning, a lack of funding, and the failure to make timely preparations
to shield a population of 1.4 billion are leaving communities
vulnerable as periods of extreme temperatures become more frequent,
longer in duration and affect a wider sweep of the country.
Kolkata, with its hot, humid climate and proximity to the Bay of
Bengal, is particularly vulnerable to temperature and rainfall extremes,
and ranked by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as among
the global locations that are most at risk.
An increase in average global temperatures of 2C could mean the city
would experience the equivalent of its record 2015 heat waves every
year, according to the IPCC. High humidity can compound the impacts, as
it limits the human body’s ability to regulate its temperature.
Even so, the city — one of India's largest urban centers — still lacks a formal strategy to handle heat waves.
2015 - 2024
Several regions across India will see as many as 11 heat wave days this
month compared to 3 in a typical year, while maximum temperatures in
recent weeks have already touched 47.2C in the nation’s east, according
to the India Meteorological Department. Those extremes come amid a
national election during which high temperatures are being cited as
among factors for lower voter turnout.
At SSKM Hospital, one of Kolkata’s busiest, a waiting area teemed last
month with people sheltering under colorful umbrellas and thronging a
coin-operated water dispenser to refill empty bottles. A weary line
snaked back from a government-run kiosk selling a subsidised lunch of
rice, lentils, boiled potato and eggs served on foil plates.
“High temperatures can cause heat stroke, skin rashes, cramps and
dehydration,” said Niladri Sarkar, professor of medicine at the
hospital. “Some of these can turn fatal if not attended to on time,
especially for people that have pre-existing conditions.” Extreme heat
has an outsized impact on poorer residents, who are often malnourished,
lack access to clean drinking water and have jobs that require outdoor
work, he said.
Elsewhere in the city, tea sellers sweltered by simmering coal-fired
ovens, construction workers toiled under a blistering midday sun, and
voters attending rallies for the ongoing national elections draped
handkerchiefs across their faces in an effort to stay cool. Kolkata’s
state government in April advised some schools to shutter for an early
summer vacation to avoid the heat.
Since 2013, states, districts and cities are estimated to have drafted
more than 100 heat action plans, intended to improve their ability to
mitigate the effects of extreme temperatures. Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s government set out guidelines eight years ago to accelerate
adoption of the policies, and a January meeting of the National Disaster
Management Authority pledged to do more to strengthen preparedness.
The absence of such planning in Kolkata has also meant a failure to
intervene in trends that have made the city more susceptible.
Almost a third of the city’s green cover was lost during the decade
through 2021, according to an Indian government survey. Other cities
including Mumbai and Bangalore have experienced similar issues. That’s
combined with a decline in local water bodies and a construction boom to
deliver an urban heat island effect, according to Saira Shah Halim, a
parliamentary candidate in the Kolkata Dakshin electoral district in the
city’s south. “What we’re seeing today is a result of this
destruction,” she said.
Hakim, the city’s mayor, disputes the idea that Kolkata’s preparations
have lagged, arguing recent extreme weather has confounded local
authorities. “Such a kind of heat wave is new to us, we’re not used to
it,” he said. “We’re locked with elections right now. Once the elections
are over, we’ll sit with experts to work on a heat action plan.”
Local authorities are currently ensuring adequate water supplies, and
have put paramedics on stand-by to handle heat-induced illnesses, Hakim
said.
Focusing on crisis management, rather than on better preparedness, is
at the root of the country’s failings, according to Nairwita
Bandyopadhyay, a Kolkata-based climatologist and geographer. “Sadly the
approach is to wait and watch until the hazard turns into a disaster,”
she said.
Even cities and states that already have heat action plans have
struggled to make progress in implementing recommendations, the New
Delhi-based think tank Centre for Policy Research said in a report last
year reviewing 37 of the documents.
Most policies don’t adequately reflect local conditions, they often
lack detail on how action should be funded and typically don’t set out a
source of legal authority, according to the report.
As many as 9 people have already died as a result of heat extremes this
year, according to the meteorological department, though the figure is
likely to significantly underestimate the actual total. That follows
about 110 fatalities during severe heat waves during April and June last
year, the World Meteorological Organization said last month.
Even so, the handling of extreme heat has failed to become a “political
lightning rod that can stir governments into action,” said Aditya
Valiathan Pillai, among authors of the CPR study and now a fellow at New
Delhi-based Sustainable Futures Collaborative.
Modi's government has often moved to contain criticism of its policies,
and there is also the question of unreliable data. “When deaths occur,
one is not sure whether it was directly caused by heat, or whether heat
exacerbated an existing condition,” Pillai said.
In 2022, health ministry data showed 33 people died as a result of heat
waves, while the National Crime Records Bureau – another agency that
tracks mortality statistics – reported 730 fatalities from heat stroke.
Those discrepancies raise questions about a claim by India’s government
that its policies helped cut heat-related deaths from 2,040 in 2015 to 4
in 2020, after national bureaucrats took on more responsibility for
disaster risk management.
Local officials in Kolkata are now examining potential solutions and
considering the addition of more trees, vertical gardens on building
walls and the use of porous concrete, all of which can help combat urban
heat.
India’s election is also an opportunity to raise issues around poor
preparations, according to Halim, a candidate for the Communist Party of
India (Marxist), whose supporters carry bright red flags at campaign
events scheduled for the early morning and after sundown to escape
extreme temperatures.
“I’m mentioning it,” she said. “It’s become a very, very challenging campaign. The heat is just insufferable.”
Custo da fruta no país aumentou mais de 400% nos últimos meses devido a
quebras de safra após ondas de calor escaldante e fortes chuvas
No mês passado, o McDonald's anunciou que muitos de seus
restaurantes em todo o país removeriam temporariamente os tomates de
seus hambúrgueres Getty Images
Os tomates estão fora do cardápio na Índia enquanto o Burger King se torna a mais recente rede de fast food a ser impactada pelo aumento dos preços do alimento básico da culinária.
No mês passado, o McDonald’s
anunciou que muitos de seus restaurantes em todo o país removeriam
temporariamente os tomates de seus hambúrgueres, citando problemas de
qualidade e escassez de suprimentos.
Agora, as lojas indianas do Burger King dizem que são “incapazes de adicionar tomates”.
Em
uma seção de perguntas frequentes em seu site, o Burger King garantiu
aos clientes que os tomates voltarão em breve, dizendo que sua ausência
atual foi “devido a condições imprevisíveis na qualidade e no
fornecimento das safras de tomate”.
Não ficou claro se a remoção de tomates se aplicaria a todas ou apenas algumas de suas lojas.
A
decisão do Burger King ocorre depois que o banco central da Índia
elevou sua previsão de inflação para o atual ano financeiro para 5,4%,
ante 5,1%, citando o aumento dos preços de certos alimentos no país mais
populoso do mundo.
“No
futuro, o aumento nos preços dos vegetais, liderados pelos tomates,
exerceria pressões de alta consideráveis na trajetória da inflação de
curto prazo”, escreveu em um comunicado.
Na semana passada, a
Subway anunciou que suas lojas indianas cobrariam 30 rúpias (US$ 0,40) a
mais por uma fatia de queijo na maioria dos sanduíches, informou a
Reuters.
Quanto aos tomates, a culinária indiana é impensável sem a
onipresente fruta. Mas o amado ingrediente está cada vez mais fora do
alcance de muitos.
O custo do tomate na Índia aumentou mais de
400% nos últimos meses devido a quebras de safra após ondas de calor
escaldante e fortes chuvas, de acordo com agricultores e especialistas
em agricultura, embora os preços tenham moderado um pouco em agosto.
Um
quilo de tomate vendido na capital da Índia, Nova Délhi, esta semana
custou 107 rúpias (US$ 1,29), um salto surpreendente em relação às 27
rúpias (US$ 0,33) registradas em janeiro, segundo dados do Departamento
de Assuntos do Consumidor.
Os altos preços se devem em parte ao
clima extremo associado à mudança climática, disse Jocelyn Boiteau,
pós-doutoranda do Instituto Tata-Cornell de Agricultura e Nutrição.
De
acordo com Boiteau, apenas algumas regiões no sul da Índia têm
condições adequadas para o cultivo de tomates durante os meses de verão,
portanto, quaisquer “problemas relacionados ao clima” nessas áreas
podem ter um impacto em nível nacional no fornecimento de tomates
frescos.
Neste verão, o país foi abalado por quantidades sem
precedentes de chuva e ondas de calor intensas, destacando como a nação
mais populosa do mundo está entre as mais vulneráveis aos efeitos da
crise climática.
De acordo com novo estudo, o calor extremo representará uma ameaça à
segurança energética e à saúde das pessoas e reverterá o progresso na
desigualdade e na redução da pobreza
Ondas de calor mortais alimentadas pela mudança climática estão ameaçando o desenvolvimento da Índia
e correm o risco de reverter o progresso feito pelo país na redução da
pobreza, saúde e crescimento econômico, descobriu um novo estudo.
As ondas de calor
já afetaram criticamente o país, levando a quedas de energia, aumento
da poeira e da poluição do ar e derretimento glacial acelerado no norte
da Índia, disseram pesquisadores da Universidade de Cambridge no estudo publicado na revista PLOS Climate na quarta-feira (19).
Desde
1992, mais de 24 mil pessoas morreram por causa das ondas de calor na
Índia, segundo o estudo. E os impactos devem se agravar à medida que se
tornam mais frequentes, intensas e letais devido à crise climática.
“A Índia está atualmente enfrentando uma colisão de múltiplos riscos
climáticos cumulativos”, disseram os pesquisadores. “As projeções de
longo prazo indicam que as ondas de calor no país podem ultrapassar, até
2050, o limite de sobrevivência de um ser humano saudável descansando
na sombra”.
O estudo mostra que milhões de pessoas a mais na Índia
são vulneráveis às mudanças climáticas do que se pensava inicialmente.
Mais de 90% do país pode ser severamente afetado por ondas de calor,
caindo em uma zona de “perigo” de calor extremo, de acordo com o índice
de calor, segundo o estudo.
O índice de calor mede a sensação térmica e considera a temperatura
e a umidade do ar para avaliar o impacto do calor na população. No ano
passado, a Índia experimentou uma onda escaldante, durante a qual partes
do país atingiram mais de 49 graus Celsius.
Em 2022, a Índia
experimentou seu abril mais quente em 122 anos e seu março mais quente
já registrado, disse o estudo. E passou também pelo clima extremo em 242 dos 273 dias entre janeiro e outubro de 2022, descobriram os pesquisadores.
Esse estresse térmico repetido afetará milhões de vidas e meios de subsistência.
“Estimativas
mostram uma redução de 15% na capacidade de trabalho ao ar livre
durante o dia devido ao calor extremo até 2050”, constatou o estudo.
“Espera-se que o aumento do calor custe à Índia 2,8% e 8,7% de seu
Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) e reduza os padrões de vida até 2050 e 2100,
respectivamente”.
Até meados do século, 70 cidades indianas devem ter mais de 1 milhão de habitantes, segundo o estudo.
O
calor extremo representará uma ameaça à segurança energética e à saúde
dessas pessoas e reverterá o progresso na desigualdade e na redução da
pobreza, descobriram os pesquisadores.
“Minha família em Calcutá
está sofrendo com as atuais ondas de calor que levam a frequentes
reduções de carga”, disse o autor do estudo, Dr. Ramit Debnath, em
referência a quedas de energia forçadas que reduzem a tensão na rede. “O
nexo clima-energia está se tornando mais relevante”, acrescentou.
Normalmente,
são os mais pobres e vulneráveis que mais sofrem. As ondas de calor
“terão consequências sem precedentes na população de baixa renda”, disse
o estudo.
Como exemplo, os autores apontam para a capital em rápida urbanização, Nova Deli,
que “tem um alto nível de atividades de construção, principalmente
envolvendo uma força de trabalho de baixa renda, que também corre sério
risco de impactos de ondas de calor”.
Embora a Índia tenha um
“índice de vulnerabilidade climática” por meio do qual avalia sua
vulnerabilidade à crise climática, os autores acreditam que isso
subestima o impacto das ondas de calor no desenvolvimento do país.
Sombra de prédio em Telangana, na Índia / Kaustav Sarkar / IPP Awards
A Índia se comprometeu com os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável da ONU,
uma lista de 17 objetivos que incluem reduzir a pobreza, a fome, a
desigualdade e as doenças, além de promover saúde, educação e
saneamento. Ao não entender a verdadeira ameaça das ondas de calor sobre
sua população, a Índia corre o risco de perder esses objetivos.
A
coautora do estudo, professora Ronita Bardhan, disse que as
recomendações podem ser usadas para criar resiliência ao calor para
moradias de baixa renda, pois “essas comunidades são mais vulneráveis
aos impactos”.
“Pacotes focados no calor e na saúde para moradores
de baixa renda e favelas são especialmente críticos, pois mostramos que
as ondas de calor têm impactos devastadores na sustentabilidade
urbana”, disse ela.
Outra aplicação prática são as estratégias de
tornar a área urbana mais verde, principalmente em torno de áreas
altamente densas, que “podem fornecer alívio dos efeitos das ilhas de
calor urbanas”, disse Bardhan.
Os autores enfatizam a “urgência”
ao recomendar que a Índia atualize sua avaliação de clima extremo para
incluir o índice de calor e seu impacto no desenvolvimento sustentável
do país.
“A Índia demonstrou uma tremenda liderança na ampliação
dos planos de ação contra o calor nos últimos cinco anos, declarando as
ondas de calor um desastre natural e mobilizando recursos de socorro
apropriados”, disseram os autores.
Mas “à medida que as ondas de
calor na Índia e no subcontinente indiano se tornam recorrentes e
duradouras, é hora de especialistas em clima e formuladores de políticas
reavaliarem as métricas para estimar a vulnerabilidade climática do
país”.
A woman cooks outside her home in a flooded corridor of Sylhet, Bangladesh, after heavy rains. Photograph: Mamun Hossain/AFP/Getty Images
Rains inundate thousands of villages and trigger landslides in north-east Bangladesh’s worst flooding in nearly two decades
Heavy rains have caused widespread flooding in parts of Bangladesh and India, leaving millions stranded and at least 57 dead, officials say.
In Bangladesh, about 2 million people have been marooned by the worst floods in the country’s north-east for nearly two decades.
At least 100 villages at Zakiganj were inundated
after floodwater rushing from India’s north-east breached a major
embankment on the Barak River, said Mosharraf Hossain, the chief
government administrator of the Sylhet region.
“Some two million people have been stranded by floods so far,” he said on Saturday.
Many
parts of Bangladesh and neighbouring regions in India are prone to
flooding, and experts say climate change is increasing the likelihood of
extreme weather events around the world.
Dozens
of people were killed in India during the week in days of flooding,
landslides and thunderstorms, according to local disaster management
authorities.
In Assam state, which borders Bangladesh, at least 14 people died in landslides and floods.
Assam authorities said on Saturday that more than 850,000 people in
about 3,200 villages had been affected by the floods, triggered by
torrential rains that submerged swathes of farmland and damaged
thousands of homes.
Nearly 90,000 people have been moved to state-run
relief shelters as water levels in rivers run high and large swathes of
land remain submerged in most districts.
West of Assam, at least 33 people were killed in Bihar state in thunderstorms on Thursday.
More than three dozen people were injured in the
unseasonal weather events that damaged hundreds of hectares of standing
crops and thousands of fruit trees.
Bihar has also suffered an intense heatwave this week, with temperatures reaching 40C.
In Zakiganj, Bangladesh, people were seen fishing on submerged roads and some residents took their cattle to flood shelters.
Bus driver Shamim Ahmed, 50, said: “My house is under waist-deep water. There is no drinking water, we are harvesting rainwater.
“Rain is simultaneously a blessing and a curse for us now.”
All the furniture in widow Lalila Begum’s home was
ruined, she said, but she and her two daughters were staying put,
hoping the waters would recede within a day or two.
“My
two daughters and I put one bed on another and are living on top of
it,” she said. “There’s scarcity of food. We’re sharing one person’s
food and one meal a day.”
Flood water has entered many parts of Sylhet city,
the largest in the north-east, where another official said about 50,000
families had been without power for days.
Hossain,
the chief administrator, said the flooding was driven by both rains and
the onrush of water from across the border in Assam.
But officials said the broken embankment on the border at Zakiganj could only be fixed once the water level dropped.
SYDNEY, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Indian conglomerate Bhoruka Group will invest A$63 million ($54 million) in an oilseed and crushing facility in Australia that could spur an increase in the amount of oilseeds planted in Australia.
The plant, which will start production in October next year in New South Wales state, will have the capacity to crush and refine 170,000 tonnes of oilseed annually, largely for export markets including India and Japan.
It will require about 125,000 additional acres in Australia to be planted with oilseeds, or 5 percent more than currently planted, Bhoruka said.
Australia produces over 600,000 tonnes of edible oils and fats annually, but to date has largely exported unprocessed oilseeds such as canola rather than refined products.
The project, called Riverina Oils & Bio Energy (ROBE), expects to export 65,000 tonnes a year of refined vegetable oil once operating, and has plans to double output if an initial 12 months of operation proves successful.
It said some farmers may switch from water-hungry crops such as rice to oilseeds.
Bhoruka Chairman Sartya Agarwal and Indian businessmen Dhruv Saxena and Ravi Uppal will own 60 percent of the project, while U.S. venture capital firm Lotus Ventures will hold 40 percent.
Agarwal said his firm had been attracted to Australia because of the productivity of the agriculture sector and the potential to add value by crushing and refining oilseeds for export.
The ROBE plant will also produce up to 75 million litres of biodiesel over the long term, converted either from refined oil or imported palm oil.
Agrawal said Bhoruka is also considering a larger investment in Australia's agricultural processing sector, possibly a biomass fuelled power plant, capitalising on the group's experience as India's largest renewable electricity generator. ($1=1.170 Australian Dollar) (Reporting by Bruce Hextall)
SYDNEY, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Indian conglomerate Bhoruka Group will invest A$63 million ($54 million) in an oilseed and crushing facility in Australia that could spur an increase in the amount of oilseeds planted in Australia.
The plant, which will start production in October next year in New South Wales state, will have the capacity to crush and refine 170,000 tonnes of oilseed annually, largely for export markets including India and Japan.
It will require about 125,000 additional acres in Australia to be planted with oilseeds, or 5 percent more than currently planted, Bhoruka said.
Australia produces over 600,000 tonnes of edible oils and fats annually, but to date has largely exported unprocessed oilseeds such as canola rather than refined products.
The project, called Riverina Oils & Bio Energy (ROBE), expects to export 65,000 tonnes a year of refined vegetable oil once operating, and has plans to double output if an initial 12 months of operation proves successful.
It said some farmers may switch from water-hungry crops such as rice to oilseeds.
Bhoruka Chairman Sartya Agarwal and Indian businessmen Dhruv Saxena and Ravi Uppal will own 60 percent of the project, while U.S. venture capital firm Lotus Ventures will hold 40 percent.
Agarwal said his firm had been attracted to Australia because of the productivity of the agriculture sector and the potential to add value by crushing and refining oilseeds for export.
The ROBE plant will also produce up to 75 million litres of biodiesel over the long term, converted either from refined oil or imported palm oil.
Agrawal said Bhoruka is also considering a larger investment in Australia's agricultural processing sector, possibly a biomass fuelled power plant, capitalising on the group's experience as India's largest renewable electricity generator. ($1=1.170 Australian Dollar) (Reporting by Bruce Hextall)
In response to oil marketing companies’ recent tenders, sugar mills have quoted an average price of Rs 25 a litre for ethanol as against the previous negotiated price of Rs 21.50 about three years ago. Considering a spurt in molasses prices from Rs 3,000 a tonne to Rs 5,500 a tonne now, the production cost of ethanol comes to around Rs 26-27 a litre. Thus, ethanol supply at Rs 21.50 will be unviable. The tenders for Madhya Pradesh and Goa, expiring on Thursday, have attracted fewer participants this time as compared to the previous tender in February 2007 because of the unavailability of ethanol with small and mid-size mills. Additionally, the tender this time is confined to suppliers manufacturing ethanol, from molasses or sugarcane. This means, ethanol producers using sweet sorghum, foodgrains, maize and other means of raw materials are debarred from participating in these tenders. According to industry sources, there are about 30 such manufacturers in Maharashtra alone with a combined ethanol production capacity 30,000-35,000 litres a day, who would not be able to participate in this tender. Although the combined capacity of these units was not huge, their participation used to make a difference, said Deepak Desai, chief consultant of ethanolindia.net, a popular website for information on ethanol. An official with one of the leading ethanol producers, however, said, “After all, it’s a volume game. Since, ethanol is a by-product of sugar, mills will continue to lead in supply of the products.” Producers from other raw materials could switch to extra neutral alcohol (ENA) production which is preferred by consumers for direct consumption, he said and added that ethanol price below Rs 25 a litre was not affordable. Since a potable liquor, equivalent to 94.68 per cent of ethanol, is currently sold at Rs 37-38 a litre as compared to the ethanol price of Rs 21.50 a litre, it makes economic sense to manufacture former and not the latter which requires 5 per cent investment for purification. The new bio-fuel policy 2017 mandates oil marketing companies to blend 10 per cent of ethanol with fuel as on today which by 2017 is proposed to increase upto 20 per cent thereby, reducing dependence on crude oil imports and therefore, annual oil bills. But, looking at last year’s poor performance by sugarcane farmers the country’s sugarcane production declined significantly to 289.23 million tonnes as against 348.19 million tonnes in 2007-08. India’s sugar production declined to 14.71 million tonnes in 2008-09 from 26.3 million tonnes in the previous year. According to industry sources, Maharasthra alone has 70 crore litre of distillation capacity. But, if sugarcane production remains at this level, only 60 per cent of capacity would be utilised which means the availability of ethanol will be lower from major sugar mills. Approximately 72-73 litre of ethanol is obtained from 1 tonne of cane crushed. Importantly, average recovery rate in Uttar Pradesh worked out at 10 per cent as against 11.5 per cent in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. This means the industry paid between Rs 150-155 a tonne of cane procured from farmers in Uttar Pradesh which raised cost of alcohol production in the state. In response to last tender, however, major industry players had negotiated at Rs 23.50 a litre, confirmed another official actively engaged in price negotiation. Efforts to reach oil marketing companies went futile.
In response to oil marketing companies’ recent tenders, sugar mills have quoted an average price of Rs 25 a litre for ethanol as against the previous negotiated price of Rs 21.50 about three years ago. Considering a spurt in molasses prices from Rs 3,000 a tonne to Rs 5,500 a tonne now, the production cost of ethanol comes to around Rs 26-27 a litre. Thus, ethanol supply at Rs 21.50 will be unviable. The tenders for Madhya Pradesh and Goa, expiring on Thursday, have attracted fewer participants this time as compared to the previous tender in February 2007 because of the unavailability of ethanol with small and mid-size mills. Additionally, the tender this time is confined to suppliers manufacturing ethanol, from molasses or sugarcane. This means, ethanol producers using sweet sorghum, foodgrains, maize and other means of raw materials are debarred from participating in these tenders. According to industry sources, there are about 30 such manufacturers in Maharashtra alone with a combined ethanol production capacity 30,000-35,000 litres a day, who would not be able to participate in this tender. Although the combined capacity of these units was not huge, their participation used to make a difference, said Deepak Desai, chief consultant of ethanolindia.net, a popular website for information on ethanol. An official with one of the leading ethanol producers, however, said, “After all, it’s a volume game. Since, ethanol is a by-product of sugar, mills will continue to lead in supply of the products.” Producers from other raw materials could switch to extra neutral alcohol (ENA) production which is preferred by consumers for direct consumption, he said and added that ethanol price below Rs 25 a litre was not affordable. Since a potable liquor, equivalent to 94.68 per cent of ethanol, is currently sold at Rs 37-38 a litre as compared to the ethanol price of Rs 21.50 a litre, it makes economic sense to manufacture former and not the latter which requires 5 per cent investment for purification. The new bio-fuel policy 2017 mandates oil marketing companies to blend 10 per cent of ethanol with fuel as on today which by 2017 is proposed to increase upto 20 per cent thereby, reducing dependence on crude oil imports and therefore, annual oil bills. But, looking at last year’s poor performance by sugarcane farmers the country’s sugarcane production declined significantly to 289.23 million tonnes as against 348.19 million tonnes in 2007-08. India’s sugar production declined to 14.71 million tonnes in 2008-09 from 26.3 million tonnes in the previous year. According to industry sources, Maharasthra alone has 70 crore litre of distillation capacity. But, if sugarcane production remains at this level, only 60 per cent of capacity would be utilised which means the availability of ethanol will be lower from major sugar mills. Approximately 72-73 litre of ethanol is obtained from 1 tonne of cane crushed. Importantly, average recovery rate in Uttar Pradesh worked out at 10 per cent as against 11.5 per cent in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. This means the industry paid between Rs 150-155 a tonne of cane procured from farmers in Uttar Pradesh which raised cost of alcohol production in the state. In response to last tender, however, major industry players had negotiated at Rs 23.50 a litre, confirmed another official actively engaged in price negotiation. Efforts to reach oil marketing companies went futile.
India imports nearly 70% of its annual crude petroleum requirement, which is appox. 110 million tons. The prices are in the range of US$ 50-70 per barrel, and the expenditure on crude purchase is in the range of Rs.1600 billion per year, impacting in a big way, the country's foreign exchange reserves.
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The petroleum industry now looks very committed to the use of ethanol as fuel, as it is expected to benefit sugarcane farmers as well as the oil industry in the long run. Ethanol (FUEL ETHANOL) can also be produced from wheat, corn, beet, sweet sorghum etc. Ethanol is one of the best tools to fight vehicular pollution, contains 35% oxygen that helps complete combustion of fuel and thus reduces harmful tailpipe emissions. It also reduces particulate emissions that pose a health hazard.
India imports nearly 70% of its annual crude petroleum requirement, which is appox. 110 million tons. The prices are in the range of US$ 50-70 per barrel, and the expenditure on crude purchase is in the range of Rs.1600 billion per year, impacting in a big way, the country's foreign exchange reserves.
The petroleum industry now looks very committed to the use of ethanol as fuel, as it is expected to benefit sugarcane farmers as well as the oil industry in the long run. Ethanol (FUEL ETHANOL) can also be produced from wheat, corn, beet, sweet sorghum etc. Ethanol is one of the best tools to fight vehicular pollution, contains 35% oxygen that helps complete combustion of fuel and thus reduces harmful tailpipe emissions. It also reduces particulate emissions that pose a health hazard.
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