VZCZCXRO1865
RR RUEHAST RUEHHM RUEHLN RUEHMA RUEHPB RUEHPOD RUEHTM
DE RUEHNE #1976/01 2000812
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 180812Z JUL 08 VOL ZDK CITING SVCS
FM AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2676
RUEHCI/AMCONSUL KOLKATA 2488
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 3225
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 2301
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUCPDC/NOAA NMFS WASHINGTON DC
RUEAUSA/DEPT OF HHS WASHDC
RUEHRC/DEPT OF AGRICULTURE WASHDC
RUEHPH/CDC ATLANTA GA
RUEHZN/ENVIRONMENT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COLLECTIVE

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. 
 
---------------------------------- 
Update on Indian Gharial Mortality 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Measuring GHGs in the Building Sector 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Automakers Accelerate Bio-Diesel Projects 
GOI delays Bio-Fuel Plan 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶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 
 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Shortage of Scientists in GOI Research Labs 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶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. 
 
----------------------------------- 
CDC Assesses HIV/AIDS National Labs 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶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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