NEW DELHI BI-WEEKLY ESTH REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 001976

SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/PCI, OES/STC, OES/SAT, OES/EGC, AND SCA/INS
STATE FOR STAS
STATE PASS TO NSF FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
HHS PASS TO NIH
STATE PASS TO USAID
OES/IHA SINGER
PASS TO HHS/OGHA (STEIGER/HICKEY),CDC (BLOUNT/FARRELL) NIH/FIC
(GLASS/MAMPILLY),FDA (LUMPKIN/WELSCH)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: TBIO SENV AMED KSCA ECON TSPL TRGY TNGD EIND ENRG
KGHG, IN

SUBJECT: NEW DELHI BI-WEEKLY ESTH REPORT

REF A: New Delhi 0097

NEW DELHI 00001976 001.4 OF 002



1. Summary: This edition of the New Delhi ESTH report includes an
update on the die-off of a critically endangered crocodilian
species; EmbOffs meeting with a company that provides Greenhouse Gas
(GHG) monitoring solutions in the building sector; biofuels; a
shortage of scientists in GOI research labs; and a CDC program to
assess the quality of HIV/AIDS national labs. End Summary.

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Update on Indian Gharial Mortality
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2. Between December 2007 and March 2008, 111 gharials, a critically
endangered crocodilian species endemic to India, have died in the
Chambal River in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan (Ref A). The cause of
death has been determined to be gout caused by ingestion of
contaminated fish - most likely from the highly polluted Yamuna
River which connects with the Chambal. The gout causes the gharials
to lose mobility and the ability to thermoregulate resulting in
death during the colder winter months. The work of Dr. Brian Stacey
of the University of Florida was central to the determination of the
cause of death according to WWF-India which heads the Gharial Crisis
Management Group constituted by the Ministry of Environment and
Forests to oversee the crisis. WWF-India has successfully tagged
several gharials and will monitor their movements and activities for
one year from their field station located at Etawah. Indian labs
are still attempting to isolate the substance causing the
contamination of river fish, which makeup the gharials diet,
although mercury and cadmium, both present in the water, have been
ruled out. While the death rate has fallen substantially since
March, concerns remain that another mass die-off may occur with the
coming of winter.

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Measuring GHGs in the Building Sector
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3. EmbOffs met with officials from Ngenox Technologies - a
technology services company with expertise in computer systems used
for building management. Ngenox officials showcased their recently
developed software application tool designed to provide real-time
measurement of GHG emissions from both business processes and
buildings. The product, called Ecofice, allows for both automated
data entry from remote mounted sensors as well as manual entry of
mobile emission data from vehicle fleets. As a web-based tool,
Ecofice can monitor, analyze, and forecast trends in GHG emissions
in multiple facilities around the world from one location.

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Automakers Accelerate Bio-Diesel Projects
GOI delays Bio-Fuel Plan
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4. Automakers such as General Motors, Daimler Chrysler, and
Mahindra and Mahindra, have accelerated their research activities in
testing Jatropha based bio-diesel. The Central Salt and Marine
Chemicals Research Institute (CSMCRI),situated in Bhavnagar,
Gujarat, is a key partner for both Daimler Chrysler and GM. GM has
tested six of its engines using Jatropha derived diesel at CSMCRI
and plans to enter into an agreement with CSMCRI to farm Jatropha.
Daimler Chrysler is in its fourth year of Jatropha research with
CSMCRI. The GOI meanwhile has delayed the mid-July release of the
National Bio-Fuel Policy due to internal discord between the
Ministries of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),Agriculture, Science
and Technology, and the Planning Commission over whether an
independent body should be established to oversee bio-fuels in
India. MNRE has stated the GOI should create a National Bio-fuel
Development Board while the Planning Commission has argued that if
the policy framework is sound, such a board will not be necessary.
The GOI has not provided a new date for the release of the National
Bio-Fuel Policy.


NEW DELHI 00001976 002.2 OF 002


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Shortage of Scientists in GOI Research Labs
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5. Despite the three fold increase in the allocation for research
and development in the Eleventh Five Year Plan, GOI research labs,
including those of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR),Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO),Indian
Space Research Organization, and Atomic Energy Agency, are all
facing severe shortages in scientists at both the senior and entry
levels. In a conversation with SciFSN, Dr. Vikram Kumar, Director
of the National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, lamented that due to
the lack of experienced scientists, the lab was not able to move
forward with several projects. Much of the shortage is due to the
accelerated growth in the private sector as Indian and multinational
companies set-up new research labs across the country. Typically,
the corporate labs pay three to four times more than the government
labs and Indian scientists are following the money. In order to
mitigate the outflow, CSIR and DRDO have been authorized to pay
higher salaries and hire scientists directly. Dr. Kumar noted the
situation may improve with the implementation of the sixth pay
commission report and new GOI rules and incentives for researchers
designed to make public funded labs more attractive.

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CDC Assesses HIV/AIDS National Labs
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6. At the request of the National Aids Control Organization (NACO),
CDC has initiated an assessment of the quality of HIV/AIDS testing
in 13 National Reference Laboratories (NRLs) throughout India.
Training of assessors was completed on July 9 and three NRLs in
Delhi were assessed over the following 3 days. Assessors and CDC
staff are in the field through July 22 visiting other NRLs. The
final report will be compiled, shared and discussed with NACO by
July 28.

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