Environmental Issues

Coming down heavily on the Karnataka government for failing to “protect and rejuvenate” Bellandur, Agara and Varthur lakes, the National Green Tribunal (NDT) on Thursday directed the State government to transfer Rs. 500 crore to an escrow account. Source : https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/ngt-tells-state-to-set-aside-rs-500-cr-for-water-bodies/article25684940.ece

Delhi’s air quality remained ‘very poor’ on Thursday, with seven areas recording ‘severe’ air quality. The Central Pollution Control Board listed an overall air quality index (AQI) of 355. An AQI between 201 and 300 is considered ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 is ‘severe’. A …

In a bid to minimise the damage caused to forests and wildlife due to infrastructure projects, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday directed all implementing agencies of proposed projects to hold a joint meeting and check whether a single, consolidated and elevated road can be constructed instead of multiple ones. …

Study says 26% of global premature death and disease burden by air pollution occurs in India India, with 18% of the world’s population, has a disproportionately high 26% of the global premature deaths and disease burden due to air pollution. Moreover, one in eight deaths in India was attributable to …

Winter is likely to be warmer than average, with fewer ‘cold wave’ days between December and February, according to a forecast by the India Meteorological Department. The forecast suggests that ‘above normal’ seasonal minimum temperatures (>0.5° C) are most likely over most of the subdivisions of the country. However Jammu …

Only 12% of pledges have materialised: Ministry paper The Finance Ministry has issued a ‘discussion paper’ that has criticised the accounting methods used by developed countries to report how much money they have given, so far, to developing countries to address climate change. Accounting procedures, regarding the flow of climate …

A committee of wildlife experts warned on Monday that Canada’s largest land predator, the polar bear, was at risk of disappearing from its vast Arctic landscape as melting Arctic sea ice makes hunting prey a challenge. “It is clear we will need to keep a close eye on this species,” …

Amount to be deposited with CPCB The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed the Delhi government to deposit an environmental compensation of Rs. 25 crore with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) for failing to curb air pollution in the Capital. A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh …

U.P. govt. to reduce the numbers of ‘unproductive’ cattle by curbing their birth In Uttar Pradesh, where the ban on cow slaughter is taken very seriously, what’s illegal for humans may well prove a godsend to tackle the growing menace of stray bulls: sex selection. The State government plans to …

Muthupet in Tiruvarur district was among the coastal towns that faced the wrath of Cyclone Gaja. But considering the extent of the damage elsewhere, this town seems to have been spared the worst, thanks to its mangrove forests.“They functioned as a shield and broke the velocity of the wind. In …