Soil & Groundwater Product Alerts
	September 03, 2012

›› Featured products & services that match your interests

	Thermally Enhanced Remediation & Recovery  By TRS Group, Inc. (TRS)  TRS Group, Inc. (TRS) uses state of the art technology and processes in its remediation services. To learn more about sampling hot media during ERH remediation and TRS state-of-the-art specialty ERH equipment fleet please see the links to the left. You can also click on the image at left to view a detailed diagram describing the Electrical Resistance Heating process.  Request More Information   ›› Download Brochure
	AquaGate+PAC™ - (Activated Carbon) For Active Capping or In-Situ Treatment  By AquaBlok, Ltd.  AquaGate+PAC provides a means to place powder activated carbon (PAC) through the water to a contaminated sediment surface.  This can be done with the material blended with other granular capping materials (i.e. sand) to achieve a uniform distribution within an "Active Cap", or it can be placed alone in very thin layers to achieve a low impact, in-situ treatment to reduce the bio-availability of contaminants within the sediment.  Request More Information   ›› Download Brochure
Xitech Instruments, Inc.  Xitech manufactures a complete line of active free product recovery systems, groundwater remediation systems, and air sampling technology for environmental consulting companies.
	Borehole Cleaning & Remedial Work Service  By JP Whitter (Waterwell Engineers) Ltd  Remedial works are performed in order to extend the life of the source, bring a source back into production, increase productivity, improve water quality or all of the above. We have carried out extensive remedial works including the repair, re-lining and cleaning of boreholes.  Request More Information
	PULS-Data  By SMHI International Consulting Services  There is seldom a gauging station at exactly the spot in a watercourse where you need information about the discharge. Because precipitation and temperature are measured more densely than the discharge of water, this information can be used as input data to calculate the flow at any point in a watercourse.  Request More Information
	Technical Support For Trap & Treat Remediation Products  By Remediation Products Incorporated (RPI)  RPI and its Authorized Installers offer free technical support for all Trap & Treat in situ remediation products.  Request More Information
	EOS 450 - Competitor to Generic Emulsified Oils  By EOS Remediation, LLC  EOS 450 is a lower soybean oil content emulsified oil that contains lactic acid, but no vitamins and minerals. This product was created to be equivalent to generic competitive products on the market. The quality of EOS 450 is still key. Using the same technology as our flagship product- small, engineered droplets, it provides a low cost solution for bioremediation.  Request More Information
	CARUS Remediation Technologies - Tech Transfer Seminar "Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Remediation" - December 1st 2011 PARIS, France  By Carus Corporation  The Technology Transfer Seminar “Innovative Technologies for Sustainable Remediation” will be organized by Carus Remediation Technologies on December 1st 2011 at the Pollutec Horizons exhibition in Paris, France. The seminar will cover the basics for the understanding and the design of In Situ Chemical Oxidation/Reduction (ISCO/ISCR) and aerobic/anaerobic biological treatments of contaminated soil and groundwater with a special focus on sustainability and green remediation. ... Request More Information   ›› Download Brochure
	Man Portable Fuel Fluorescence Detection Auger  By Vertek (Applied Research Associates, Inc.)  Vertek"s newest addition to it"s expanding line of fuel fluorescence detection products. The man portable auger system allows quick and easy access to beaches, marshes & other soft soils. It"s great for profiling area that you can"t not access with larger push systems.  Request More Information   ›› Download Brochure
	NANOFER - 25P - Nanopowder Consisting of Zero-Valent Iron Nanoparticles (nZVI)  By NANO IRON s.r.o.  Nanopowder, consisting of Fe(0) nanoparticles without surface modification, preserved in the inert nitrogen atmosphere. The product exhibits extremely high reactivity and is usable for any secondary stabilization in dependence on particular application of nanoparticles.  Request More Information   ›› Download Brochure
	RegenOx PetroCleanze - In Situ Chemical Oxidation Technology  By REGENESIS  RegenOx PetroCleanze is a customized formulation of the widely used RegenOx in situ chemical oxidation technology. The primary function of RegenOx PetroCleanze is to increase the desorption rates of hydrocarbons bound in saturated soil and make them available for more efficient and rapid treatment using a range of enhanced recovery technologies.  Request More Information   ›› Download Brochure
	EQuIS - EQuIS for ArcGIS  By EarthSoft, Inc  EQuIS for ArcGIS supports ArcGIS Version 10.  Request More Information
	Sediment Core Sampler  By KC-Denmark A/S  Model A: The sample tube (2) is a 50 cm long acrylic tube, screwed into a POM house (1) with a built-in silicone contra flap. The shaft (8) is 4 metres (2 x 2 metres), and the tube is made from stainless steel with solid assembly fittings (9), which results in a lightweight but strong construction. The sampled sediment core is visible through the transparent acrylic sample tube.  Request More Information

TLC TO AIR “WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA”

by sagarmedia on September 3, 2012
THE INDIA EDITION OF THE INTERNATIONAL HIT MAKEOVER SERIES
- Series to be hosted by Soha Ali Khan and Aki Narula -
- To Air Every Night at 10 pm, Starting September 3rd -
New Delhi, August 23, 2012: India’s favourite lifestyle channel TLC will present the India edition of the international makeover series – WHAT NOT TO WEAR. Drawing on the talent of actor Soha Ali Khan and acclaimed stylist Aki Narula, WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA inspires style challenged participants to trade in the drab for fab. A 13-part series, WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA will air every night at 10 pm starting September 3rd on TLC.
From housewives who have put their life on hold, to fast track professionals going nowhere with their wardrobes, to entrepreneurs who risk big, except when it comes to their wardrobe; WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA will help empower women by giving them a unique identity while keeping active their distinct lifestyles. Nominated by their friends and family, each episode becomes a personal journey of women reinventing themselves with new found vigour, as they bid adieu to clothing items from their wardrobe they never should have worn in the first place.
Rahul Johri, senior vice president and general manager – South Asia, Discovery Networks Asia-Pacific, said, “TLC has been the front runner in bringing the world’s best experiences to Indian television. Pushing the boundaries of differentiated and inspiring television entertainment, we are delighted to present another pertinent and refreshing India centric series – WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA. Hosted by amazing personalities and experts Soha Ali Khan and Aki Narula, the series would activate a new wave of style change and become the new benchmark in lifestyle programming.”
Commenting on her television debut, Soha Ali Khan said, “I am excited to be part of TLC; one of my favourite channels. WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA is an extremely interesting makeover series that beautifully captures the emotional, psychological and physical journeys of women to style enlightenment. We hope that viewers enjoy the show as much as we enjoyed making it.”
Hosting his first television series for an international channel, Aki Narula said, “TLC’s WHAT NOT TO WEAR – INDIA was the best and most creative platform for me to say YES to play host, guide and mentor. It’s a thoroughly researched, interactive and insightful series, where I could aptly put all my years of experience of fashion and style to great practical use for the participants and the viewers.”
Watch Soha and Aki change the way participants’ look and feel about themselves. Participants need to work on their wardrobe and self-examine before a 360 degree mirror. Style experts Soha and Aki do not sugar coat their comments when participants forget the ‘rules’ of shopping and style appropriate dressing. They advocate tough love on what is worn and what is gone. All of which adds up to the unveiling of the restyled woman to friends, family and colleagues who nominated them.
Watch the tears of realization and joys of fulfillment as they turn from dowdy to dashing in WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA every night at 10 pm starting September 3rd only on TLC. WHAT NOT TO WEAR-INDIA is based on the original format devised by BBC and produced by BBC Worldwide.

Extremely weak, inadequate non-audit?

The CAG issued a press release on Aug 31, 2012 for its “Performance Audit Report No. 10 of 2012-13” of hydropower projects for the 11^th 5-year plan ending on March 31, 2012. This CAG audit is an extremely weak and inadequate work of the CAG. In fact it does not really audit the performance of hydropower projects at all. The audit fails to raise many of the fundamental issues related to the hydropower projects. It does not draw strong enough conclusions that are warranted based on its audit. Its recommendations are even weaker and do not address the issues raised in the conclusions. It seems like more of a business as usual, status quoist effort that does not do justice to the formidable reputation that the CAG has attracted through some of its exemplary work over the years and recent past.

Firstly, the audit is not much of a performance audit of hydropower projects or hydropower companies. The basic purpose of hydropower projects is generation of electricity at stipulated annual, seasonal, daily and peaking hours. However, the CAG performance audit has not gone into this question at all at any stage. If it had gone into this, it would have found that 89% of India’s operating hydropower projects generate at below the sanctioned rates and half of them generate at below the 50% of design rate. It would have also realised that over the last two decades, generation of electricity per MW installed capacity has reduced by a huge 20%. The CAG would have also found out that no one is assessing how much of the power generation from hydro projects is during peak hours when generation of peaking power is supposed to be the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) of these projects. Both storage-based and so called run of the river hydro projects involve huge social and environmental costs, apart from deforestation and displacement of people. They are justified on the ground that they meet the peak time demand for electricity. A performance audit that does not address these aspects is not only incomplete but also misleading.

One of the fundamental issues CAG has refrained from looking at is the social, economic, environmental, cultural, religious and other services a free flowing river provides to a large cross section of the society and how these services are destroyed when a hydropower project is built. Rivers are functioning service providers, unlike the case of bandwidth (2G licenses) and coal in the mines, issues on which CAG has rightly shown great concern recently. It is inexplicable as to why the CAG has refrained from considering this issue while assessing the efficacy of performance of hydropower projects.

Thirdly, it is welcome that CAG has noted that there has been lack of “due diligence” and proper “survey and investigation” before taking up of projects. However, the CAG has not held agencies like Central Electricity Authority (CEA) responsible for giving concurrence to the projects under Electricity Act without ensuring that the projects have done full and proper appraisal. For example, CAG has found in its audit that geological surprises have been one of the reasons for delays, and that the companies have not been doing necessary testing. But these are the issues that CEA is supposed to look into in collaboration with Central Water Commission and Geological Survey of India. It is clear from the audit that CEA has been routinely giving concurrences to the projects without ensuring that full appraisal and due diligence has been done and without any transparency or independent members on its panel. CAG should have held CEA, CWC and GSI responsible for such flawed concurrences and should have raised fundamental issues about the process followed by CEA before giving concurrences. Similarly CAG should have raised questions about the fundamentally flawed process of environment impact appraisal followed by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MEF) and MEF’s the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) on River valley projects, but has refrained from raising them. Why CAG has refrained from reaching such conclusions logically implied by its audit is surprising.

Fourthly, CAG should also audit the process of allocation of hydropower projects to private developers. CAG has rightly raised the issue of competitive bidding in case of bandwidth (2G) and coal recently while allocating these “natural” resources to private developers, but for some unknown reason, has refrained from scrutinising the process of allocation of rivers to private developers for developing hydropower projects, which the private developers are using for their profiteering. The rivers are society’s resources and are the biggest natural resource, and it is high time all concerned including CAG look into these issues. Similarly, why is the CAG not auditing the accounts of private hydropower developers, when these developers are using these national natural public resource?

Fifthly, the CAG audit in question has very rightly raised the issue of failure of monitoring mechanisms and how conflict of interests prevail in the functioning of hydropower projects, with even an former power secretary (Mr P Abraham[1]) simultaneously being on govt committee probing a hydropower project and also on the board of the company involved in the specific contract being probed. These issues prevail because there is absolute lack of transparency and lack of presence of independent credible members monitoring the functioning of these projects and companies. Unfortunately CAG has not found it necessary to make such recommendations even though they are clearly warranted from its own audit.

Lastly, CAG's recommendations are peripheral and pedestrian. They have not addressed the systemic and institutional issues that are at the root of the problems covered in the audit, however weak it may be. These issues revolve around the professional capabilities, transparent and independent functioning of CEA, the role of MOEF and its EAC, the need to ensure that the composition of EAC and other monitoring and other committees are such that its members have no conflict of interest in appraising projects and how a few influential power developers have been able to corner most of the projects as a result of the non-transparent award procedures adopted. What are proposals to change the situation in any fundamental way? There are none.

We are therefore forced to reach the unfortunate conclusion that this CAG audit is highly inadequate, misleading and devoid of any attention to the basic issues. We would urge CAG to urgently look into the issues raised and redo the audit keeping these issues in mind.

Himanshu Thakkar, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers & People, 86-D, AD block, Shalimar Bagh, Delhi www.sandrp.in, ht.sandrp@gmail.com, 09968242798

E A S Sarma, Former Secretary to Govt. of India, Visakhapattnam, 0986602646, eassarmagmail.com

Bharat Jhunjhunwala, former professor, IIM Bangalore, Dt Tehri, Uttarakhand bharatjj@gmail.com

Ravindranath, Rural volunteers Centre, Dist Dhemaji, Assam, ruralvolunteerscentre@yahoo.co.in

Ms Malika Virdi, Himal Prakriti, Munsiari, Uttarakhand  (malika.virdi@gmail.com)

E Theophilus, Himal Prakriti, Munsiari, Uttarakhand (etheophilus@gmail.com)

K. Ramnarayan, Coordinator , Save The Rivers Campaign, Uttarakhand, (ramnarayan.k@gmail.com)

Samir Mehta, International Rivers, Mumbai, samir@internationalrivers.org

Shripad Dharmadhikary, Manthan Adhyayan Kendra, Pune, manthan.shripad@gmail.com

10. Dr. Latha Anantha, River Research Centre, Thrissur, Kerala. rrckerala@gmail.com

Intense Mass Struggles Are The Only

Option: Sudhakar Reddy

 “The international crisis of capitalism, which has hit European countries and the US badly, is having its impact on the Indian economy too. Failure of the monsoons is a big blow in the agriculture front. Inflation, unemployment and price rise are haunting the people. There is a power crisis now and people are afraid that food and water crises may erupt too,” said CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy in an exclusive interview to the journalists of the Party’s national media centre on September 2, 2012.

Question: The month-long food security campaign that culminated in a five-day dharna in front of Parliament by the left parties is the first national campaign by the CPI after its 21^st Party Congress in Patna. How do you evaluate the performance of the campaign and its success in relation to the decisions — political and organisational — of the Party Congress?

Before I answer this question, I would like to say something about the present situation. The Coalgate scam, which exposed loopholes in allotment of coal blocks to corporate houses brought huge loss to the nation. The total amount of losses in the UPA-II regime is close to Rs 5 lakh crores. This should be thoroughly probed through a judicial enquiry. The BJP’s stand of stalling Parliament is unacceptable. This is a fascist method. They should respect Parliament. At the same time the prime minister should own up moral responsibility. 

 Though the food security campaign is the maiden month-long joint national successful campaign after the 21^st Congress of the Communist Party of India and the 20^th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), our party had participated and led several statewide campaigns prior to this. Some of them were the campaigns in Maharashtra on the issue of pension, mass land occupation movement in Andhra Pradesh, large-scale rallies demanding the cancellation of mining licences to mines, against price rise in Tamil Nadu, against corruption and price rise in Kerala, for food security in Bihar and on similar issues in various other states. The month-long campaign is undoubtedly a successful one. The four parties together prepared a hand bill, a detailed booklet, issued posters, addressed press conferences, conventions, public meetings and street corner meetings, etc., and created an awareness and atmosphere that is necessary for the success of the campaign. The leaflets were published in all the regional languages and articles were written in local newspapers.

The five-day dharna before Parliament at Jantar Mantar in the national capital was a big success. Several thousands of people participated every day from Delhi and its adjoining states — Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Madhya  Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. While the dharna was going on here in Delhi, simultaneous dharnas were staged before the state legislatures in Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, and for a lesser number of days in Madhya Pradesh and other states. The day-long dharna was addressed by national leaders of the four left parties, MPs and left leaders from the states, professors and other intellectuals.

The media tried to undermine and ignore such a massive dharna on the most important issue of food security. They tried to highlight the hunger strike of Anna Hazare and his group of people. The two campaigns are neither competitive nor against each other but still the media barons did not like the left campaign. But the attention of the nation has been drawn on this important issue. On behalf of the four left parties, we met the prime minister and urged upon him to amend the pending Food Security Bill with the following changes: universal PDS, removal of BPL-APL categories, supply of 35 kg foodgrain, reasonably good quality of foodgrain, at Rs 2 a kg. We suggested edible oil, dal and other food items should also be supplied through PDS as earlier. We also demanded that the amended Food Security Bill should be introduced in the current session of Parliament itself. He replied that he has to wait for the Planning Commission’s final recommendations.                      

The left parties decided to observe an all India food security day on September 12, 2012, once again to pressurise the Union government. On the whole, the food security campaign was a great success, even though larger number of masses could have been mobilised. We have to find out ways by which much larger number of masses participated in such campaigns. Certainly sympathy, appreciation and support will enthuse the cadres but the participation and involvement of masses in millions will have a bigger impact and force the government to change its policies. We will carry on the campaign with this task in mind.

These are certain weaknesses of our party organisation, which we have to overcome by continuous unleashing of such kinds of campaigns.

2. How do you see the economic and political situation in the country today and what are the party’s plans and suggestions to alter the critical state of affairs?

The international crisis of capitalism, which has hit European countries and the US badly, is having its impact on the Indian economy too. Failure of the monsoons is a big blow in the agriculture front. Inflation, unemployment, price-rise are haunting the people. There is a power crisis now and people are afraid of food and water crises that are looming large. The world’s biggest black out has taken place in India and then Union power minister Sushilkumar Shinde, who has presided over this massive disaster, was promoted as the central home minister. Also Chidambaram, the man responsible for the mess in the economy by enforcing wrong policy measures was brought back to man the finance portfolio. Worse, many more scams are getting unearthed. The government is working overtime to grant benefits to the corporate houses and MNCs. Paupersiation of people is increasing while corporate houses doubled their assets in the last five-years with additional profit of Rs 5 lakh crores. Still their greed is not satisfied and they pressurise the government for more pro-corporate policies.

The political situation is reflecting the crisis in the economy. Vast masses of people are unhappy with the miserable failure of the government to tackle the basic issue.  With the government discredited, different sections of people are agitating for food, land, against acquisition of agricultural land, against stinking corruption and on various other issues on which the government is insensitive. Poor adivasis are being killed in the name of Maoists.

The courts and CAG are exposing the bankrupt policies of the government. Instead of making attempts for a consensus in the presidential election, as they did not have enough number of votes, the Congress party leadership managed majority though political manipulation, which helped their candidate enter Raisina Hills while their image suffered a set back. The Congress party is directionless, leaderless and passing through a bankrupt situation.

Samsung launches the World’s thinnest and most compact premium Notebook Series 9 in India- Series 9, World’s thinnest and most compact premium notebook - Samsung Series 5 550P and Series 3 350V Notebooks also launched
New Delhi, August 31, 2012: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, today introduced the second generation of Samsung Notebook Series 9 in the Indian market. Following the previous model’s debut last year, the new Samsung Notebook Series 9 demonstrates Samsung’s advanced innovative craftsmanship in the premium notebook sector. Customized for consumers striving for high-quality items with great design, the new Series 9 boasts the world’s thinnest and most compact notebook chassis. Super-slim components had to be tailor-designed and engineered to fit into the PCs innovative single shell body“The new Samsung Notebook Series 9 represents the ultimate in Samsung craftsmanship towards precision engineering and premium design. The new Series 9 embodies the originality and heritage of its predecessor while eliminating unnecessary factors. The refined aerodynamic design of the new Series 9 represents the best of Samsung’s design with top performance and functionality,” states Mr. Ranjit Yadav, Country Head, Samsung Mobile and IT.
The Samsung Series 9 required 9,000 hours of design work and 24,000 hours of R&D—a total of 33,000 hours invested by Samsung designers and engineers—to ensure it conserved premium design aspects without compromising performance or functionality. Key components such as the LCD panel, keyboard, motherboard, cables, fan and battery have been precision-engineered to fit precisely into the Series 9’s extra flat single-shell body. The Samsung Series 9 features Samsung’s MaxScreen technology, which minimizes the bezel size while maximizing the screen size by an extra inch. The 13” Series 9 measures only 12.9mm (0.5”) and weighs just 1.16kg (2.5 lbs) — 28 percent smaller than its predecessor, and truly revolutionary for its categoryThe Series 9 is designed with mobility in mind, thanks to dramatic Aluminium single shell body complete with arching curves and remarkable durability. With Samsung’s SuperBright screens, with 400nit brightness, users can enjoy HD movies, games and other favorite media even when viewing in direct sunlight with no annoying reflections.
With the new state-of-the-art Intel® Core™ i7 Processor, users can get optimized power management while playing the latest 3D games, editing and compressing large-size photos or HD video, or multi-tasking. It has Turbo Boost Technology which accelerates the PC’s performance by intuitively allocating CPU processing power when you need it the most. A 256GB solid state drive (SSD) provides plenty of storage, lower power consumption and improved performance with less noise and heat output. The chance of losing data is also decreased due to the SDD having no moving parts. And it boots up 60% faster than a hard disk drive (HDD). Thereby ensuring less power usage, faster data access and higher reliability.
The Series 9 delivers mobility and freedom with its power efficient performance and extensive battery life of up to 9 hours. Its advanced Lithium-Polymer battery and Samsung’s innovation PowerPlus charging technology make the battery lifespan last up to three times longer than the typical notebook battery so you can keep going, without worrying how much battery life is left. The Samsung Series 9 is priced at Rs.1, 02,990/-
Samsung today also announced the launch of its new Notebook Series 5 550P with Intel’s 3rd generation Quad Core processor designed to continue its performance driven offerings within laptop devices. With Intel’s latest 3rd generation Core i7, dedicated graphics, full HD display*, JBL optimized speakers with subwoofer as well as a Blu-ray drive and generous storage capacity, the Series 5 550P delivers boosted multimedia experience even on the go.
Thanks to Intel®’s 3rd generation Core™ i7 Quad Core processor, the overall performance of the Notebook Series 5 550P has improved up to 25% compared to the 2nd generation CPUs while consuming 20% less power. In addition, 3D gaming and media experience is now up to 2 times faster. All-in-all linked with NVIDIA® GeForce® GT 650M 2GB graphics, Blu-ray drive and up to 2TB HDD, content on various formats will be easily available for creation on top of consumption in no-time. Seamless playback, editing, creating and saving of multimedia content is ensured to users. Benefiting from Samsung’s Superior LCD technology, the Series 5 550P holds a display delivering next generation Full HD 1920x1080 (17”Models) high-resolution viewing experience with SuperBright 300nit and anti-reflective screen. Equipped with a Blu-ray drive, Full HD content playback can be enjoyed in a portable form factor. This rich, vivid and crisp visual experience is further enhanced with the integrated JBL optimized speakers and a Max Bass Boost subwoofer, providing for an enhanced audio visual experience.
Building on the design heritage of Samsung notebooks, the Series 5 550P has also been crafted for a compact appearance. The 15” model weighs just 2.5 kg and is priced at Rs.62,990/-
Samsung Notebook Series 3 350 combines top-class performance and usability packed in a stylish manner.
Sporting up to the latest 3rd generation Intel® Core™ i7 processor, the Samsung Series 3 350 enables users to experience quality performance with reliability and fresh design. For optimum mobility, its anti-reflective display produces sharp, clear images both indoors and outdoors, and its lightweight and portable design features a slim bezel. To further enhance its mobility, the new series 3 350 delivers up to 7 hours of battery life.
Offered in titan silver, lagoon blue and candy pink the robust Series 3 350 applies the same color on its screen bezel and keyboard for a unique appearance. The Samsung Series 3 350 is priced at Rs.48,490/-
With the launch of the Samsung NotePCs, Samsung has a range of 32 models priced in the range between Rs 21,990/- to Rs 102,990 /-. ‘Based on our new Note PC launches and our retail expansion, we are confident of doubling our NotePC business this year ’, stated Mr. Yadav.