Environmental Pollution

India cuts back cheap gas for vehicles even as bad air chokes Delhi

New Delhi, one of world's most polluted cities, was pushed into CNG well over 2 decades ago after a Supreme Court ruling that demanded conversion of all public buses to cope with worsening air quality

Delhi AQI improves to 'very poor' but Grap-IV to remain active: here's why

Delhi weather and AQI updates: The fog conditions in the national capital have improved, with the India Meteorological Department predicting moderate fog and mist to persist for the next seven days

Clock ticking as Delhi's AQI worsens, 13 areas in 'severe' air quality zone

In Delhi, NSIT Dwarka, Nehru Nagar, Moti Marg, Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, Dwarka, Sonia Vihar, Vivek Vihar were among the areas that suffered from 'severe' pollution levels

India sees hottest October in 124 yrs; November won't be much different

Minimum temperatures for October reached unprecedented levels, the highest since the IMD began keeping records in 1901

Diwali 2024: Amid pollution scare, many states tighten grip on firecrackers

With a blanket ban on firecrackers already in place across Delhi, many states have followed similar measures to avoid a potential health crisis

SC slams centre for ineffective 'toothless' environmental laws, penalties

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the Centre for making the environment protection law toothless, and said the provision under the CAQM Act which deals with penalty for stubble burning was not being implemented. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanulllah and Augustine George Masih said the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Act of 2021 (CAQM Act) was enacted without creating required machinery for implementing the provision to curb air pollution. Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, appearing for the Centre, said section 15 of the CAQM Act, which deals with penalty for stubble burning, will be implemented effectively as regulations for it will be issued in 10 days. She submitted that an adjudicating officer will be appointed and all necessary actions will be taken to enforce the law effectively. Bhati pointed out that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued notices to senior ...

Pollution may rise due to stubble burning in neighbouring states: Gopal Rai

Rai said that he is going to write a letter to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav for the third time to request for a meeting so that the air pollution can be controlled

Delhi air pollution: PM's principal secretary flags slow landfill progress

P K Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, on Friday, expressed concern over the slow progress in clearing landfill sites and delays in implementing waste-to-energy projects in the national capital. Chairing a meeting of the High-Level Task Force to address Delhi's air pollution, Mishra called for stronger enforcement of dust control at construction sites and better waste management. He directed the agencies to prevent the open burning of waste and to promote greening and paving of road areas to reduce dust. According to a statement, Mishra reviewed the preparedness of the Delhi government and other stakeholders to carry out both short and long-term measures to reduce air pollution in the city. Senior officials from central ministries and the Delhi administration discussed current strategies and explored new ways to address the pollution problem, it said. The chief secretary of Delhi said construction dust, biomass burning, and vehicle emissions were the major pollutio

World Habitat Day 2024: Theme, History, Significance, Quotes and more

On World Habitat Day, people, groups, and governments are urged to strive toward improving housing conditions, enhancing neighbourhood safety, and creating safe spaces

NMCG improves international collaboration to tackle plastic waste in Ganga

The Namami Gange has reinforced its partnership with several national and international organisations to address the pressing issue of plastic waste in the Ganga Basin, a senior official has said. In a recent meeting, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) met representatives from the Netherlands Embassy, Ocean Cleanup, Bharat Clean Rivers Foundation, Central Pollution Control Board, IIT Delhi, National Institute of Urban Affairs and State Mission for Clean Ganga, the official said. The meeting focused on addressing the issue of plastic pollution in the Ganga Basin, he said. Plastic waste remains a critical factor in the degradation of water quality and poses a major threat to biodiversity in the region. The collaborative discussion underscored the shared commitment to finding robust solutions to this growing challenge, he said. During the meeting, Dr A K Vidyarthi from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) stressed the need for collective action to tackle the plastic ...

1.5K houses to be cleared from catchment areas of Kanh, Saraswati rivers

Ahead of the Simhastha-Kumbh Mela in 2028 in Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain, the authorities in Indore have decided to remove about 1,500 encroaching makeshift houses in the catchment areas of the Kanh and Saraswati rivers, an official has said. The decision is a part of the campaign to make the Kshipra river pollution-free, the official said. Simhastha Mela is held in Ujjain every 12 years. Tens of thousands of Hindus take a holy dip in Kshipra during Simhastha in Ujjain. According to Hindu scriptures, Kshipra originated from the heart of Varaha, the boar incarnation of Lord Vishnu. In the first phase, about 1,500 kuccha houses encroached upon the catchment area of the Kanh and Saraswati rivers will be removed, Indore Collector Ashish Singh told reporters here on Thursday. He said that the work of shifting the people from the catchment areas, some of whom have been served notices, has been affected due to rains. It will be taken up in the next five to ten days, the collector said. Singh

After 8 yrs of preliminary inquiry, CBI books Hindalco for corruption

The CBI has booked the country's leading aluminium producer Hindalco of the Aditya Birla Group for alleged corruption in getting environmental clearances for coal mining between 2011 and 2013, officials said on Tuesday. The agency has also named T Chandini, the then director in the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, for favouring the company as member secretary of the Expert Appraisal Committee ((EAC) in allowing mining in the Talabira-I mine in the critically polluted area of Odisha's Jharsuguda in violation of ministry guidelines, they said. The central probe agency registered an FIR against Hindalco and Chandini under Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act after a nearly eight-year-long preliminary inquiry. Reacting to the FIR, a Hindalco spokesperson said, "This is an old matter pertaining to 2014-15. These mines were de-allocated as part of the government's de-allocation process. This is a matter o

SC expresses concern over dumping of plastic waste in water bodies

The Bench was hearing a civil appeal regarding the removal of unauthorised structures adjacent to the river Ganga in and around the city of Patna

White category industries may skip pollution permits: Environment Ministry

The ministry has suggested eliminating 'consent to establish' (CTE) and 'consent to operate' (CTO) for industries classified under the non-polluting 'white category'

Delhi rain chaos: Environment min blames plastic waste, slams state govt

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav attributed the waterlogging in Delhi following torrential rains on Friday morning to drains being clogged with plastic waste and criticised the Delhi government for its inaction despite multiple reminders. The Safdarjung Observatory, the city's primary weather station, recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, more than three times the June rainfall average of 74.1 mm and the highest for the month in at least 16 years. The season's first heavy spell of rain brought back familiar scenes of waterlogged roads, underpasses, vehicles stuck in water, and long traffic snarls, with many residents expressing frustration over the city's drainage infrastructure. "We banned single-use plastic and also asked the Delhi government to take action. We have asked the Delhi government's industries department several times to close down these (single-use plastic manufacturing) units," Yadav said at the India Climate Summit ...

Nestle, Britannia, ITC: Winners, losers from plastic waste management norms

In the KIE consumer staples universe, Dabur reported the highest packaging cost at 12.5 per cent of its standalone revenues in FY23

As fix for global warming, US scientists try 'sun blocking' to cool Earth

The scientists tested a technique that involves reflecting sunlight back into space in order to cool the Earth

LIVE: Governance infrastructure has failed in Manipur, says Rahul Gandhi

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US pushes environmental enforcement after more than a decade of budget cuts

The Environmental Protection Agency conducted more on-site inspections of polluting industrial sites this year than any time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency said on Monday as it seeks to reinvigorate its enforcement programme after more than a decade of budget cuts. EPA opened nearly 200 criminal investigations this year, a 70 per cent increase over 2022, the agency said in a report. It completed nearly 1,800 civil settlements, a 9 per cent increase over 2022. More than half the inspections and settlements involved poor and disadvantaged communities long scarred by pollution, the agency said, reflecting the Biden administration's emphasis on environmental justice issues. But some parts of EPA's enforcement efforts still lag. In 2023, for example, it charged 102 defendants criminally. The Trump administration charged more every year, although most years only marginally. Nearly 200 defendants were charged in the latter years of the Obama administration. There is,

40 CPCB teams inspected 16,000 units; issued closure notice to 899 in 2 yrs

In November, Delhi's pollution levels exhibited no signs of improvement compared to the same month in previous years